Grumpy: Certainly an advanced idea. I might be content with the way it is playing right now though.
I will make the scenario available soon.
Meanwhile, here is the briefing. Always a living document though.
Briefing
CONTENT
1. Background
1.1 Selected Sources
2. Scale
3. Rule Changes
3.1 Weather
3.1.1. Limited Air Operations
4. Research & Production
4.1 Production
4.2 Historical Reinforcements
5. Terrain & Locations
6. Unit types
7. Peoples
7.1 Promoting units to Guard status
7.2 Forming an SS unit
8. Events
9. Scenario variants & Victory Conditions
10. Order of Battle
11. Reinforcement Lists
1 BACKGROUND
On the 22 of June 1941 the Axis powers led by Germany attacked the Soviet Union. More than 4,5 million troops participated in the invasion over a 2 900 km front. The germans who had still not put their industry or country on a proper war footing were counting on the sucess of previous campaigns for a quick and decisive resolution to the campaign.
The Soviet Union had watched the relations with Germany decline fast. Still Stalin would not believe that Germany would attack. Consequently the Red Army, Airforce and Navy were unprepared for the attack. The Red Army was in the midst of a major reorganization and were woefully unprepared for fighting a major campaign.
This scenario simulates the campaign on the eastern front from June 1941 to 1944.
1.1 SELECTED SOURCES
Germany and the Second World War – Vol IV
When Titans Clashed - Ericksson
Nafziger – Soviet order of battle –vol I . The deadly beginning (for SU tank strenghts)
WWW.orbat.com (Soviet Union Black Sea Fleet and VVS strength)
www.niehorster.orbat.com (SU air disposition& strength, artillery disposition among other things,)
www.bayonetstrength.com
Fire in the east Scenario for TOAWIII (map overlay, reinforcements, most of ground forces disposition)
2 SCALE
Each hex is 10km. Each round is 4 days. The grand campaign starts on the 22nd june 1941.
One SFT represents
1 Battleships, Heavy and Light Cruisers
2 Destroyers
4-5 Submarines, Cargoships or Auxilliary Ships
9-12 Armoured Fighting Vehicles, Airplanes
12-24 Artillery, Antitank Guns, Infantry Guns or Antiaircraft Guns
100-200 Infantry & Cavalry
Trucks, halftracks, wagons, trains etc varies to much depending on the vehicle used.
DESIGNERS NOTE: Heavy infantry units generally have approximatly the same number of manpower but not every man had a heavy weapon (for example a german machinegun company had 203 men compared to 191 in a rifle company)
3 RULE CHANGES
Engineers can save EP for 10 rounds.
Maximum experience gained per round is 4. Units can maximum gain 30 experience points without combat.
Air movement cost is reduced by 50%.
3.1 Weather
There is clear weather, mud, winter and severe winter.
Clear weather has no effects.
Mud weather give most units very severe movement penalties (most movement types move at 300 % cost). All units have a 20 % readiness reduction. Offensive action is penalized with a
-40 % modifier for both sides.
Winter weather has some movement penalties (most units move at 150 % movement cost). A A risk of readiness penalties for units from most peoples. Offensive action is penalized with a -50 % modifier for the axis side and a -10 % modifier for the soviet side. Ski units move faster.
Severe winter weather has some harsh movement penalties (most unis move at 200 % movement cost). There is a big chance of large readiness penalties for units from most peoples. Axis side is penalized with a -75% in offensive actions and the soviet side with a -20 % modifier. Ski units move faster.
See also frostbite event.
3.1.1 Limited air operations
During clear weather there is a 16% chance that air operations will be impossible. In muddy weather there is a 55 % chance that air operations will be impossible. The chances of air operations being impassible are 40 % in winter weather and 50 % in severe winter weather.
4 RESEARCH & PRODUCTION
The following research branches exist
(95-98) Infantry 41,42,43,44
(99-100)Light Infantry 41, 43
(101-104)Antitank Guns 41,42,43,44
(105-108)Tanks 41,42,43,44
(91-94)Self propellered guns & Artillery 41,42,43,44
(109-112)AFVs 41,42,43,44
At the start of each year the researches of that year will become available to research (if you have researched the previous years research of that branch).
Each branch of research will initially cost 100PP to research. The cost of researching will then become lower by 2 for each round (but can never go below 2). For each front that is asleep the research will go down another 1 per round.
4.1 Production
Production is mainly through production centers, just as in normal ATG.
Increasing production & Gear up for war
The Soviet Union was not at all prepared for war. To simulate this soviet production stand at 50 % for the first 15 rounds and 70 % for rounds 16-30. After that production is 100 % for the rest of 1941.
After the initial period of war production goes up by
Year/Side
1942 Axis 120% SU 135%
1943 Axis 135% SU 150%
1944 - -
4.2 Historical reinforcements
For the first ~30/35 rounds of the game the Axis and Soviet players will both get some historical reinforcements in addition to the normal production. After that the only formation of units is through the players production
Historical reinforcements generally appear in Konigsberg, Warszawa, Bucharest, Vologda, Penza & Engels. But units can appear in other locations also.
DESIGNER NOTE: Having historical production the first 30 or so rounds simulate the large mobilization of Soviet units, movement of german units from other theaters and mobilization of Axis minor units. Having historical units for the entire campaign would be very tedious to program and is made difficult by the fact that you would somehow simulate withdrawals from the theater as well. I do however not rule it out as something to program in in the future.
5 TERRAIN & LOCATIONS
Plains
Sea
Light forest
Heavy forest
Swamp
Hilly
Mountains
High Mountains
Fortifications
Fortress
Coastal Water
Sand
Marine infantry fight with +25%
Cultivated
Partisans fight with +25%
Impassable
Arid
Artic
Road
Improved Road
Railroad
River
Large River
Super River
Canal.
Oilfield
Oilfields produce supply. The main difference between oilfields and other supply resources are that they have very low structural points and recovery points making them vulnerable to strategic bombing. Also Oilfields cannot be evacuated.
6 Unit Types
In this scenario wagons, horses, mules and trucks produce LANDCAP. Only Trains produce RAILCAP. A train produces 10 000 RAILCAP which can travel for 2000 APs.
Auxilliary Ships
The only ships that can lay minefields
Minefields
Only produced by actioncards
Obsolete Soviet AFV:s & planes
To simulate that some soviet AFVs & planes are obsolete certain SFTs gain a permanent 2% reduction in readiness for each 100 AP:s spent (1% for 50 AP:s spent).
These SFTs are
T-26
T-28
T-35
I-15
I-16
DESIGNERS NOTE: At the start of the war the Soviet Union used a lot of obsolete tanks and planes. The Red Army had already started replacing these with more modern equipment and the equipment was in a deplorable state.
7 PEOPLES
The following people or peoplesettings exist in the scenario.
Morale Fight Production for GE/SU
German
Germans (grey) 70 1
SS (black) 90 1.1
Luftwaffe (light blue) 60 1
Rowehl (Dark Blue/purple) 60 1
Axis minor
Finns (dark blue) ** 80 1* 1*
Hungarians (dark blue) 50 0.95* 0.95*
Romanians (pink) 50 0.95* 0.95*
Croatians (yellow) 50 1
Slovakians (dark brown) 50 1
Italians (light green) 50 1
Spaniards 60 1
Soviet Union
Soviet Union (red/pink) 60 1 0.25/1
NKVD (brown) 90 1 0/1
Guards (orange) 70 1.05
Siberians (blue) ** 60 1
Estonians (dark green) 50 1 0,5/0.05*
Latvians (dark green) 50 1 0,5/0.05*
Lithouanians (dark green) 50 1 0,5/0.05*
Ukrainians 50 1 0,5/0.05*
Allied
Lend Lease (LL) (green) 60 1 -
Poles 50 1
Norwegians 50 1 -
Greek 50 1 -
Other
FARR 50 1
Turks (olive green) 50 1
Persians (purple) 50 1
Mines (no colour) 50 1
* A function of the political system and relations between the axis and that people.
** Readiness not affected at all by winter or severe weather.
DESIGNER NOTE: Rowehl exist as a people for gametechnical issues only. They are there to represent pre war reconnoisance flights into the Soviet Union.
7.1 Promoting units to Guard Status
Each round there is a chance that the soviet player (or direction players) will receive the option to upgrade an existing unit to Guard status. The receiving of this option is related to the number of enemies killed.
The Soviet player can promote a unit to Guard status under certain conditions by playing the “award guard status”-actioncard. Selectable units are only those with a maximum of 148 powerpoints (the size of a prewar Rifle Division at full strength). A guard unit has higher morale and fights with a 5% bonus.
7.2 Forming an SS unit
Each round there is a chance that the axis player (or different Armygroup commanders) will receive the option to form an SS unit. The chance of an actioncard appearing increases in time.
The axis can form an SS unit by playing the “Form an SS unit”- actioncard thereby converting an existing unit to SS status. Selectable units are units with a maximum of 257 powerpoints. The actioncard only affects german people in the unit (not Luftwaffe). The SS have higher morale and fight with a 10% bonus.
8 EVENTS
Initial troop conditions
The attack on the Soviet Union on the 22nd June 1941 caught soviet troops unprepared and confused. To reflect this all soviet units suffer a 100 % readiness reduction on round 1.
Also axis minor units were not all ready for war. To reflect this Finnish and Romanian units suffer a 40% readiness reduction. Slovakian and Hungarian units suffer a 60 % reduction.
For the first four rounds Luftwaffe units fight with a 300 % bonus.
Actioncards
Actioncards come in four different categories
Diplomatic (blue)
Strategic (yellow)
Units/reinforcements (red)
Political system
The axis side have measurable relations with the following minor powers/peoples; Finland, Romania, Hungary, Baltic states, Ukraine (and Turkey). Should during a round the units of Hungaria, Romania or Finland suffer high casualties this will result in a decrease in morale and production for that people.
The axis side can improve the relations with either people by expending political capital (PPs). Improving the relationship between a minor and Germany improves both morale and productioncapability if that people belong to a power allied to the axis. If the relationship goes bad so does morale and production. The relationship cannot be improved beyond 125 %. (x for baltic and ukraine)
Should units from either of these peoples (with some exceptions) suffer higher than normal losses during any single turn relations between the respective minor and Germany will suffer.
The axis player should keep a tight track of his relations with some of his allies; Romania, Hungary and Finland. Should their relationship with Germany deterioate to much there is a risk of political turmoil in the country with grave consequenses for their contribution to the war effort. Finland is the most steadfast ally (50). Hungary (60) is slightly less reliable and Romania (75) the least reliable.
The axis can pressure Turkey into joining them in the crusade against the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union can use political pressure to try and influence Turkey to stay out of the war. The most decisive factor though is the amount of troops that the Soviet Union keep in the Transcaucasus area (only Soviet proper). The less troops the Soviet Union garrison the area with the higher the chances that Turkey will enter the war.
NOTE: A high or low relationship with a minor can also have other effects regarding the likelyhood and effect of certain undocumented (secret events). So keep a good relationship with the Axis minors.
DESIGNERS NOTE: Slovakia, Croatia, Spain, Italy and other allies of Germany were either totally under controll by the germans or not at all. For this reason their contribution will not be modelled in the political model (also for practical reasons).
Rowehl Geschwader pre-war flights
At the start of the game AG Nord gets 4, AG Mitte gets 4 and AH Sud gets 2 units of FW recconnoisance air. These are withdrawn at the start of round 2.
DESIGNERS NOTE: These units represent pre war reconnoisance by the german Luftwaffe and Abwehr.
Polish rifle Corps
The Soviet Union (Western Direction) has the option of a one time event of recruiting a polish rifle corps with a HQ, three rifle divisions and an artillery regiment. They will appear in Moscow. The cost for recruiting this corps is changed each turn and is the number of Soviet Victory points/8 (Western Direction VP/8).
Arctic Lend Lease
Each round there is a small chance (4%) of a Lend Lease Convoy appearing in the north with reinforcements of aircraft, trucksm halftracks and tanks. They will appear in Murmansk. Should Murmansk be axis controlled they will instead appear in Archangelsk
The following convoy modifiers in apply (in percent).
+1 From 1942 and onward.
+1 If both Petsamo and Kirkenes are controlled by the Soviet Union.
-1 If Murmansk is axiscontrolled (this also causes the lend lease to be rerouted to Archangelsk)
-1 If the axis manages to keep 120 powerpoints in the Barents Sea.
If Soviet VPs go to low (less than 450/120) the convoys become larger to reflect increased allied support.
Lend Lease through Siberia
Each round there is a small chance (2%) of a Lend Lease Convoy appearing in the Urals with reinforcements of aircraft, trucks, halftracks and tanks. They will appear in the Urals.
The following convoy modifiers in apply (in percent).
+1 From 1942 and onward.
If Soviet VPs go to low (less than 450/120) the convoys become larger to reflect increased allied support.
Lend Lease through the middle east
Each round there is a small chance (3%) of a Lend Lease Convoy appearing in the south with reinforcements of aircraft, trucks, halftracks and tanks. They will appear in Yerevan. Should Yerevan be axis controlled they will instead appear in Baku.
The following convoy modifiers in apply (in percent).
+2 If both Persian cities are soviet occupied.
+1 From 1942 and onward.
-1 If Yerevan is axis controlled (this also causes the lend lease to be rerouted to Baku).
-1 If Erzurum (Turkish city) is axis controlled.
-2 if Soviet forces in Transcaucasus (only soviet proper) are less than 2 000 powerpoints).
Minefields
Both sides can lay minefields in the Baltic, Black Sea or Barents Sea. You lay a minefield by playing the actioncard and choosing a hex. For a minefield to be placed the in hex you choose it has to contain at least one Auxilliary Ship SFT. If it doesnt then playing the card will have no effect (but you get the card back). If the hex does have auxulliary ships present then the chance of sucessfully laying an effective minefield is 25% per auxilliary ship present. So there need to be at least four ships present to guarantee a 99% sucessrate. If you are trying to lay a minefield at deep sea water chances of success is reduced by 25 %.
A minefield fights with the strenght of a battleship, but is static and cannot be transported. It has a high hidevalue and ambushes enemy ships that enter the hex. It fights at -25% in deep sea.
Factory Evacuations
The Soviet Union can evacuate the factories of certain locations and rebuild them in the Urals. By playing the actioncard the SU player creates a number of evacuee trains equal to the structural points/1000 of the location chosen (so a 10 000 production location would generate 10 trains if undamaged, but only 8 trains if it had only 8 000 structural points left). After the factories are evacuated the location changes to an abandoned city with much less production value and which can only produce supply.
Oil and other natural resources cannot be evacuated.
The trains then have to be moved to the Urals area like any other SFT. When there the SU player can place a factory by playing the card and selecting any hex that has 4 trains or more. This will place a 4K factory there and remove four trains from the hex. The newly built factory will have almost no structural points so it will have to be rebuilt by engineers or recover automatically.
Use of captured AFV:s
Each side keeps track of the number enemy Armoured Fighting Vehicles that have been destroyed by that regime. After enough of them have been destroyed (more than 150) there is a random time delay and then a number of enemy equipment arrives repaired and refitted for use by the own regime. The refitted AFVs arrive in the HQ closest to Berlin (Konigsberg, Berlin & Vienna) for the Axis and Gorkiy (Vologda, Gorkiy and Astrakhan) for the Soviet Union. The number of AFS refitted is related to the number of AFV:s destroyed and the type is dependant of the year.
Offensive
Each regime has a possibility to play action cards to increase the offensive ability of its units. An offensive cost 2PP and will increase the AP:s of the selected units with a number equal to that units HQ-power. Selectable units are only units with a positive HQ-power.
Access to Swedish railways
The german player can pay some PP to get access to the swedish railway system.
Cossack Recruitment Rostov/Voroshilovgrad/Krasnodar
If the axis player controls the cities mentioned above he will get a small detachment of Cossacks recruits each turn. These will appear in the HQ closest to each respective city.
Baltic Uprising
For the first four turns of the game there is a large chance of baltic partisans appear in the baltic countries. These partisans are controlled by the axis side. They are rising up to expell the Soviet Union and greet the germans as liberators.
After the four first rounds there is still a chance for Baltic partisans to appear, but it is much smaller.
Hidden events
There are a large number of events not described in the briefing. These can have a very small or somewhat larger effect on the game.
9 SCENARIO VARIANTS & VICTORY CONDITIONS
Grand Campaign
This is the default setting. Play as long as you like. When you end you will know who the victor is.
Northern/Central/Southern/Finnish Front asleep
Checking either of these variants sets the selected regime/front/area asleep.
Soviet/Axis Advantage
Choosing either of these options gives the Axis/SU side 15PP/round. If playing with separate fronts then each active front gets 5PPs.
Checking the Soviet advantage also gets rid of the initial soviet 30 round production shortage.
Barbarossa (1941)
This is a short campaign variant. Using this option gives a check for victory at the beginning of March 1942. If the Soviet Union has less than 350 VPs at that time this means an Axis victory. If the Soviet Union has more VPs then it is an Soviet Union Victory. The amount of VPs required for a Soviet Union victory is subtracted with 116 VPs per front asleep.
Railroad Conversions (scenario variant)
Axis trains, armored trains and railroad artillery travel on European railroads (1,432mm gauge) while soviet trains, evacuated trains & armored trains travel on soviet railroads (1,520mm gauge). This means that RAILCAP & movement can only take place using railroad hexes of your own gauge.
Either side can convert existing railroad hexes to their own gauge by using the appropriate action card which cost 2PP to play. This is the only way to build railroads in the game and it only works on existing railroad hexes of the other type. For a hex to be eligible to conversion it need to be owned by the own power and contain a Regiment of Railroad Engineers or more (8 SFTs of Railroad Engineers or more).
DESIGNERS NOTE: Yes i know Finland used a different rail gauge than the rest of the Western Europe. This i have purposely ignored.
Prepared Defenses
If this variant is chosen then the Soviet Union will not suffer any readiness loss on round 1 and the Luftwaffe will not receive any combat bonus.
OOB Soviet Union
North Western Direction HQ (Leningrad)
Northern Front HQ (Petrozavodsk)
14th Army HQ
7th Army HQ
23rd Army HQ
Northwestern Front HQ (Leningrad)
1st Mechanized Corps HQ (1st Tank Division detached) (110)
1st Tnk (detached)
3rd Tnk
163rd Mzh
10th Mechanized Corps HQ (84)
24th Tnk
21st Tnk
198th Mhz
Baltic Fleet HQ
Baltic Front HQ (Riga)
8th Army HQ
11th Army HQ
27th Army HQ
12th Mechanized Corps HQ (79)
28th tnk
23rd tnk
220th mhz
3rd Mechanized Corps HQ (64)
2nd tnk
5th tnk
84th mhz
5th Airborne Corps HQ
Archangelsk Military District HQ (Vologda)
North Sea Red Fleet HQ
Western Direction HQ (Moscow)
Western Front HQ (Minsk)
13th Army HQ
3rd Army HQ
10th Army HQ
4th Army HQ
22nd Army HQ
11th Mechanized Corps HQ (24)
29th tnk
33rd tnk
204th mhz
6th Mechanized Corps HQ (102)
7th tnk
4th tnk
29th mhz
13th Mechanized Corps HQ (30)
25th tnk
31st
208th mhz
14th Mechanized Corps HQ (52)
22nd tnk
30th tnk
205th mhz
17th Mechanized Corps HQ (4)
27th tnk
36th tnk
209th mhz
20th Mechanized Corps HQ (10)
26th tnk
38th tnk
210th mhz
4th Airborne Corps HQ
Orel Front HQ (Orel)
21st Army HQ
23rd Mechanized Corps HQ (42)
48th tnk
51st tnk
220th mhz
5th Mechanized Corps HQ (107)
13th tnk
17th tnk
109th mhz
Moscow Front HQ (Moscow)
20th Army HQ
24th Army HQ
7th Mechanized Corps HQ (102)
14th tnk
18th tnk
1st mhz
21st Mechanized Corps HQ (10)
42nd tnk
46th tnk
185th mhz
Southwestern Direction HQ (Kharkov)
Southwestern Front HQ (Kiev)
5th Army HQ
6th Army HQ
26th Army HQ
12th Army HQ
19th Army HQ
8th Mechanized Corps HQ (86)
12th tnk
34th tnk
7th mhz
15th Mechanized Corps HQ (74)
10th tnk
37th tnk
212th mhz
4th Mechanized Corps HQ (90)
8th tnk
32nd tnk
81st mhz
16th Mechanized Corps HQ (61)
15th tnk
39th tnk
240th mhz
24th Mechanized Corps HQ (22)
45th tnk
49th tnk
216th mhz
9th Mechanized Corps HQ (26)
35th tnk
20th tnk
131st mhz
19th Mechanized Corps HQ (45)
40th tnk
43rd tnk
219th mhz
22nd Mechanized Corps HQ(71)
19th tnk
41st tnk
215th tnk
Stalin Line HQ
1st Airborne Corps HQ
Southern Front HQ (Odessa)
9th Separate Army HQ
18th Army HQ
2nd Mechanized Corps HQ (49)
2nd tnk
11th tnk
15th mhz
18th Mechanized Corps HQ (28)
44th tnk
47th tnk
218th mhz
5th Airborne Corps HQ
Black Sea Fleet HQ
Kharkov Front HQ (Kharkov)
25th Mechanized Corps HQ (30)
50th tnk
55th tnk
219th mhz
North Caucasus Front HQ (Cherkessy)
37th Army HQ
44th Army HQ
26th Mechanized Corps HQ (19)
52nd tnk
56th tnk
103rd Mhz
Stalingrad Front HQ (Stalingrad)
Transcaucasus Front HQ (Tblisi)
45th Army HQ
47th Army HQ
46th Army HQ
28th Mechanized Corps HQ (87)
6th tnk
54th tnk
236th mhz
For a total of 1 510 tank sfts
OOB Axis
Armeegruppe Nord HQ
18th Army HQ
XXVI Korps HQ
I Korps HQ
XXXVIII Korps HQ
4th Panzergruppe HQ
LVI Mot Korps HQ
XXXI Mot Korps HQ
16th Army HQ
XXIII Korps HQ
X Korps HQ
XXVIII Korps HQ
II Korps HQ
RHG Area 101
Baltic Naval group Nord HQ
Army of Norway HQ
HQ Finland
XIX Gebirgsjäger Korps HQ
XXXVI Gebirgsjäger Korps HQ
Finnish Army HQ
II Corps HQ
IV Corps HQ
VI Corps HQ
VII Corps HQ
Armeegruppe Mitte HQ
LIII Korps HQ
9th Army HQ
VIII Korps HQ
XX Korps HQ
LXII Korps HQ
3rd Panzergruppe HQ
XXXIX Mot Korps HQ
V Korps HQ
VI Korps HQ
LVII Mot Korps HQ
4th Army HQ
VII Korps HQ
XIII Korps HQ
IX Korps HQ
XXXXIII Korps HQ
2nd Panzergruppe HQ
XXXXVII Mot Korps HQ
XII Korps HQ
XXIV Mot Korps HQ
XXXXVI Mot Korps HQ
RHG Area 102
Armeegruppe Sud HQ
Armygroup Antonescu HQ
3rd Army HQ
4th Army HQ
1st Reserve Army HQ
11th Army HQ
LIV Korps HQ
XXX Korps HQ
XI Korps HQ
17th Army HQ
LII Korps HQ
XXXXIX Gebirgsjäger Korps HQ
IV Korps HQ
1st Panzergruppe HQ
XIV Motorisierte Korps HQ
XXXXVII Motorisierte Korps HQ
XXIX Korps HQ
III Motorisierte Korps HQ
6th Army HQ
XXXXIV Korps HQ
XVII Korps HQ
Hungarian Royal Army HQ
Carpathian Army Group HQ
Slovak Expeditionary Group HQ
C.S.I.R HQ
RHG Area 102
