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After their initial defeats, the Red Army began to


1 SHOWDOWN AT YARTSEVO recover and took measures to ensure a more
determined resistance and a new defensive line
29 – 31 JULY 1941 was established around Smolensk. Stalin placed
Field Marshal Semyon Timoshenko in command
Operation Barbarossa commenced on 22 June
and transferred five armies out of the strategic
1941 when the Axis nations stormed over the
reserve to his command. These armies were
borders of an unprepared Soviet Union. At first, expected to conduct counter-offensives to blunt
the campaign met with spectacular success, the the German drive on Moscow.
Germans reaching the Dvina and Dnieper rivers
after only three weeks of fighting. The main While Heeresgruppe Mitte was trying to form a
target for Army Group Centre (under Fedor von solid cordon around the isolated 20th Army west
Bock) was Moscow with the city of Smolensk of Smolensk, the Stavka was hurriedly forming a
being the next target on the way to the Soviet third echelon of armies around Vyazma and
capital. The German plan called for the 2nd Spas-Demensk, but these were virtually
Panzer Group (later 2nd Panzer Army) to cross the all infantry formations, including a great deal of
Dnieper, closing on Smolensk from the south, people’s militia with no armour and few heavy
while the 3rd Panzer Group (later 3rd Panzer weapons.
Army) was to encircle the town from the north.

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Hoth's 3rd Panzer Group drove north and then entire Soviet western front found itself in
east, parallel to Guderian's forces, taking Polotsk Smolensk and effectively cut off from the rest of
and Vitebsk. The 7th Panzer Division and 20th the Soviet Union. The Soviets, reacting with their
Panzer Division reached the area east of characteristic frenetic and casualty-producing
Smolensk at Yartsevo on July 15. At the same energy, launched strong attacks from the east
time, the 29th Motorized Division, supported by through Yartsevo during 18 and 19 July 41.
the 17th Panzer Division broke into Smolensk,
The Stavka peremptorily put Rokossovsky in
captured the city except for the suburbs and
charge of the effort to retake Yartsevo, although
began a week of house-to-house fighting.
his tiny command was incapable of anything but
On 15 July, the Stavka issued an order abolishing defence until at least 18 July. Eventually, he
all Soviet mechanized corps, although this had received Mikhailov’s 101st Tank Division and the
already been effectively accomplished by the 69th Motorized Division from Transbaikal, plus
Wehrmacht. Instead, the Stavka began forming the burnt-out 38th Rifle Division and some
the ‘100-series’ independent tank divisions, artillery – equivalent to eight tank and twelve
equipped with obsolete light tanks and a few infantry battalions in total.
new builds. However, these divisions
In the violent battles of 18 July 41, the Soviets
were woefully short of artillery and support
attacked with about 100 tanks along the
units.
Smolensk-Moscow "autobahn" into the
Timoshenko was provided with the hurriedly positions of a single German battalion from
raised 101st and 104th Tank Divisions with which Shutzen Regiment 1/7, commanded by Major
to spearhead his counter- attacks at Smolensk. Weitzler. The battalion fought off the Soviet
Polkovnik Grigoriy M. Mikhailov’s 101st Tank attack that began at 16.35 with Flak, Pak and
Division, which features in this campaign, artillery and claimed the destruction of 35 Soviet
had seven new KV heavy tanks and seventy old tanks.
light tanks.

7th Panzer Division now stood alone,


simultaneously marked for reinforcement by the
Germans and extinction by the Soviets. The 7th
Panzer Division now found itself in a unique
situation and had advanced so far that when it
reached Yartsevo, it essentially found itself in a
void. It faced no coherent Soviet threat from
either east or west. There were many Soviet
personnel in the area, but they consisted mainly
of supply columns, wounded and loosely
controlled reinforcements moving west. In German motorcyclist examine an abandoned KV-1 from
the 101st tank division on the road to Yartsevo, 1941
effect, a German Panzer division lay in the
middle of European Russia untouched by Soviet Early the next morning, 19 July 41, I./S.R.112
forces on 16 and 17 July 41. arrived from 20th Panzer Division to support the
German defence of the "autobahn”. Air Corps
The Soviets were becoming aware of the
also informed 7th Panzer Division that it would be
impending catastrophe in the Western Military
supported by the considerable total of 56
District. On 15 July, the headquarters of the
combat aircraft during the day. The division

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abruptly came under attack again by On 25 July 41, 7th Panzer Division edged several
approximately 80 Soviet tanks in the vicinity of kilometres south of the "autobahn", in order to
Yartsevo. link up with 17th Panzer Division. For the next
several days from 26 July 41 the division fought
By midnight on 19 July 41, Funck and his division
successfully to complete the capture of Yartsevo
were facing a desperate fight for survival. The
and effect the destruction of Soviet forces
main supply route was restricted by soviet
trapped around Smolensk.
activity and the division was not yet linked with
its neighbours on either side. In the middle of On 28 July 41, 7th Panzer Division finally managed
the night Funck and the Luftwaffe liaison worked to link up with 17th Panzer Division arriving from
to secure strong Stuka dive bomber support for the south. 7th Panzer Division now found itself in
the next day. Between 07.45 and 11.00, Stuka positions facing east and west and only 5km from
dive bombers and He-III tactical bombers attack soviet positions, an intriguing situation for
and reduce the soviet artillery fire to a more artillery and air support. The situation was a
acceptable level. By noon on 20 July 41, corps hair-raising one that called for strong nerves.
headquarters had begun to coordinate the
Approximately 450,000 soviet troops now lay to
movement of 12th Panzer Division into position
the west of the division. To the east, the newly
on the left of 7th Panzer Division and 20th Infantry
formed Soviet 24th Army stood with its intended
Division (mot.) onto the right, stabilising the
route of advance lying down the same
situation.
"autobahn". 7th Panzer Division’s great
During 21-23 July, the three divisions organized achievement having been to seize several
their defences to prevent the break-in or kilometers of this "autobahn”.
breakout of soviet forces on the central front
Rokossovsky’s remaining handful of KV-1 tanks
along the Moscow "autobahn”.
were able to fight their way into Yartsevo on 29
Funck was holding Yartsevo with the equivalent July. Funck counterattacked and retook
of two panzer and five infantry battalions, Yartsevo on 31 July forcing Rokossovsky’s beaten
supported by his division’s pioneers, shutzen and troops to fall back, having failed to defeat the
artillery. 7th Panzer Division.

After a series of probes, Group Rokossovsky By the 6th of August Smolensk was utterly lost to
began an all-out offensive to recapture Yartsevo the Red Army.
on 21 July, but despite a 3:1 numerical
Whether the effort required to secure Smolensk,
superiority, the Soviet attacks were continuously
and the subsequent change in focus of German
repulsed. For eight days, Rokossovsky continued
operations to destroy the Red Army around the
to hurl his armour and infantry against the 7th
city (to Guderian’s disgust) saved Moscow, is still
Panzer Division at Yartsevo, losing most of his
the subject of much debate.
armour in the process.
Regardless and without doubt, Soviet efforts in
At the same time, the Soviet high command
and around Smolensk sucked the momentum
continued to build the new 24th Army designated
out of Operation Barbarossa, delaying the
as ‘Group Kalinin’ tasked specifically to break
German advance to Moscow until the advent of
through the German positions, destroy German
the Rasputitsa, the season of mud.
forces and secure the front around Smolensk.

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2 BACKDROP
This campaign covers the fighting in and around
Yartsevo from 29 July to 31 July in 1941.
Elements of Funck’s 7th Panzer Division (the
famous ‘Ghost Division’) face Mikhailov’s 101st
Tank Division from Taskforce Rokossovsky to
decide the fate of Smolensk and ultimately
Moscow.

Rokossovsky’s forces must keep the corridor


open to prevent soviet troops being trapped
near Smolensk. To this end Rokossovsky must
clear German forces out of Yartsevo. Funck’s 7th
Panzer Division must close the Smolensk kessel
Yartsevo (Jarzewo) to the east of Smolensk.
by capturing Yartsevo and linking with German
forces to the south east.

3 AREA OF OPERATIONS
The town of Yartsevo is a town to the east of Smolensk on the ‘Land Bridge to Moscow’. Yartsevo is a
major crossing point on the river Vop and 335Km from the Russian capital.

Map of the Yartsevo area (Jarzewo) showing German tactical markings. This is the combat area for the campaign.

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Some tables have a selection of scenarios, some
4 THE CAMPAIGN are fixed. The scenario and table determine the
support points available for each side and the
game victory conditions. Friendly table edges
4.1 OBJECTIVE are determined according to the table the
The campaign objective for both sides is to attacking force is coming from.
control Yartsevo by the end of July. Yartsevo is
The campaign starts on the 29th and finishes
split into 3 objective tables 3A, 3B, and 3C.
either when one side occupies tables 3a, 3b and
Whichever side has the initiative can choose 3c at the end of turns 8-9 on the 31st of July or
where to attack. Soviet forces have the initiative at the end of turn 10 whichever comes first.
at the start of the campaign. The initiative then
This campaign requires the TFL supplement ‘At
passes to the victorious side as normal.
the Sharp End’ (ATSE) .

4.2 CAMPAIGN LADDER 4.3 INITIAL SETUP


A modified 7 game ladder is used and there are At the start German forces control tables 1,2, 3A
3 objective tables – 3A, 3B and 3C. The campaign and 3B and Soviet forces control tables 3C, 4 and
starts with Taskforce Rokossovsky’s drive to 5.
recapture Yartsevo on 29 July.

Game turns are split across the campaign 4.4 MOVING FROM TABLE TO TABLE
calendar as follows: This campaign uses a modified ladder. It is not
linear. Troops on:
• Turns 1 and 2 are played on 29 July.
• Table 1 can attack or be attacked from
• Turns 3-6 are played on 30 July. Table 2.
• Turns 7-10 are played on 31 July. • Table 2 can attack or be attacked from
Table 1, 3A, 3B, and 3C.
• Table 3A can attack or be attacked from
Table 2, 3B, and 4.

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• Table 3B can attack or be attacked from ➢ The Soviet player has a fresh infantry
Table 2, 3A, 3C and 4. platoon every turn and a single Tank
• Table 3C can attack or be attacked from Platoon.
Table 2, 3B and 4. A single campaign track is used for Men’s
• Table 4 can attack or be attacked from Opinion, CO’s Opinion and Outlook for both
Table 3A, 3B, 3C, and 5. sides. One for each force rather than one for
each platoon.
Game results are calculated using ‘At the Sharp
End’ and casualties and returns follow the
normal ATSE rules. 4.7 PLATOON ROTATION
No restrictions. However, see section 4.17 for
the cost of deploying a tank platoon in Resource
4.5 VICTORY CONDITIONS Points. A tank platoon cannot be selected on a
The objective for both sides is to control tables table that’s out of supply.
3A, 3B and 3C on the 31st of July. If any force
controls all 3 tables at the end of turns 8, 9 or 10
they have won the campaign. Winning at the 4.8 CAMPAIGN INITIATIVE
end of turn 8 is a significant victory, winning at Soviet forces have the initiative on Turn 1.
the end of 9 or 10 is a major victory.
Subsequent initiative in any campaign turn
If neither side controls all three objectives at the belongs to the force that won the last battle.
end of turn 10, then the side controlling 2 of the There are no draws – if the attacker fails to kick
objective tables wins a minor victory. the defender out during a game then the
defender wins. If all 7 tables are occupied by one
Victory side the initiative automatically passes to the
Level of Victory Level other. Initiative cannot be passed to the other
Control 3A, 3B and 3C at the side voluntarily – you have a job to do!
end of turn 8 Significant
Control 3A, 3B and 3C at the The scenario types are explained in the text for
end of any turn from 9 to 10 Major each campaign map. Essentially there are
Control 2 tables from 3A, 3B options depending on whether the Soviets or the
and 3C at the end of turn 10 Minor Germans are attacking and where they can
Anything else Defeat attack from.

Conquering tables 1 or 5 does not end the Rung Scenario Scenario


campaign, respective forces can still attack from 1 Mushkovichi 3/6
off table, (baseline indicated by the *), although 2 Kurtsevo 3 (2)
losing your home base shortens your career 3A Mikheykovo 3/5
significantly! The only thing that affects victory 3B Yartsevo 3/5
is occupying table 3A, 3B and 3C. 3C South Yartsevo 3/5
4 Zaborye 3 (2)
4.6 FORCES AVAILABLE 5 Suetovo 6/3
➢ The Germans player has 2 Infantry
Platoons and 1 Tank Platoon. 4.9 CHOOSING THE TABLE TO ATTACK
The side that has the initiative can attack any
table that can be attacked from a table they

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occupy. The force used to attack and defend are reaches a strength of 19 men or less. This
NOT restricted by the table attacked and the creates a replacement pool for the remaining
table attacked from. platoon.

See the table descriptions in Section 7 for an


explanation of the scenario types. Table 1 can 4.13 REINFORCEMENTS
always be attacked by the Axis and table 5 can None.
always be attacked by the Soviets, using the edge
marked with a star (*).
4.14 WILDCARDS
None.
4.10 CONSOLIDATION
Neither side can consolidate. Time is of the
4.15 SUPPLY LINES
essence.
Supply lines link from the table being fought on
traced across friendly arrow linked tables to
4.11 CASUALTIES AND REPLACEMENTS table 1 for Axis forces, or to table 5 for the
Both German and Soviet forces ignore 1 tank Soviets.
destroyed for every 5 points Force Morale Platoons that are out of supply that are
difference in their favour if they win a game withdrawing or routing from a table add 12” to
using their tank platoon. the distance their troops are from friendly Jump
Off Points for ‘At The Sharp End’ game results
German forces are allowed one set of
purposes. It’s harder for them to retire (tables
Replacements at any point in the campaign. This
on p27 of ATSE).
option can be used at any time and uses the
equation from p20 of ‘At the Sharp End’
Platoons on tables that cannot trace a clear line
[(Dead + C.O.’s Rating)/2] + 1d6. of supply at the start of a game cannot use
Resource Points.
In this case take the TOTAL killed from your core
platoons to work out the number of
replacements. 4.16 TABLE ENTRY POINTS
Tables can be attacked from any entry point
Replacements can be allocated anywhere across connected to a friendly table. The friendly edge
the core platoons. becomes the attacker’s baseline. The opposite
No unit may exceed its initial orbat strength. edge becomes the defender’s baseline.

See section 4.7 for replacing tank losses.


4.17 RESOURCE POINTS
‘Resource Points’ is a specific name for a pool of
4.12 CONSOLIDATING GERMAN PLATOONS support points that can be used throughout the
The 7th Panzer are out on a limb and don’t have course of the campaign. There are no limits to
access to much in the way of replacement restrict their usage.
manpower. The campaign can reduce the Each side starts the campaign with a pool of
German platoons significantly and they only Resource Points available on turn 1 (29 July
have one available roll for replacements, which 1941).
will only fill part of the gap. The German player Additional Resource Points become available
has the option to disband one platoon once it twice in the campaign, immediately before

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Campaign Turn 3 (30 July 1941) and again
immediately before Turn 7 (31 July 1941).

➢ 1 Resource Point = 1 Support Point.


➢ Each side starts the campaign with a pool of
8 Resource Points.
➢ Before turn 3 and 7 each side rolls 1D6+6 and
adds the result to their Resource Point pool.
➢ Points in the pool can be spent but they do
not expire.
➢ Points may be allocated to any scenario as
normal when selecting forces. This is done
in secret but the number of campaign points
used is declared simultaneously at the start
of each game, before the patrol phase,
unless an umpire is available.
➢ Each player’s current pool value must
remain known to your opponent at all times
unless an umpire is available.
➢ Deploying a tank platoon for a campaign turn
costs 1 RP to do so.
➢ Tanks from an armoured platoon can be
replaced between games by spending 1
Resource point per Tank (BT7/Pz 38(t)/T26).

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5.2 NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
5 AXIS FORCES National Characteristics are the same as those
listed in the rule book for a German Force:
The German force platoons come Maschinengewehr and Handgranaten!
from the 1st Battalion 6th Motorised
(Schutzen) Regiment of 7th Panzer
Division in Panzergruppe 3. 5.3 SCHÜTZEN INFANTRY PLATOON
This force makes up a 1941 Motorised Infantry
platoon of the 1st Battalion 6th Schutzen
5.1 7TH PANZER DIVISION JULY 1941 Regiment. This force is rated as Regular.
The 7th Panzer Division is organized as follows:
Force Rating: Regular +3 Command Dice: 5
• 25 Panzer Regiment (I, II & III Battalions)
PLATOON HEADQUARTERS
• 7th Infantry Brigade
Leutnant, Senior Leader with pistol
o 6 Motorized Rifle Regiment
Feldwebel, Senior Leader, machine‐pistol
(I & II Battalions)
MORTAR TEAM
o 7 Motorized Rifle Regiment
Ie. GrW36 5cm Mortar Team, 3 crew
(I & II Battalions)
SECTIONS ONE TO THREE
o 7 Motorcycle Battalion
Obergefreiter, Junior Leader, SMG.
• 37 Reconnaissance Battalion
• 78 Motorized Artillery Regiment (I, II & III LMG TEAM LMG TEAM
MG34 3 crew, MG34 3 crew
Battalions)
2 Riflemen 1 Rifleman
• 58 Motorized Combat Engineer
Battalion 5.3.1 Infantry Support Lists
• 42 Antitank Battalion GERMAN SUPPORT LIST
• 58 Field replacement battalion LIST ONE
• Divisional services One Satchel Charge or Teller Mine 35 or 2
Petrol Bombs for Infantry section (choose
On the eve of Operation Barbarossa, the tank weapon when selected)
strength of the division had risen to 53 Pz II, 167
Medical Orderly
Pz 38(t), 30 Pz IV, and 15 French Char B, for a
Engineer Mine Clearance Team, 3 men
total of 265 tanks. The artillery regiment had
Engineer Wire Cutting Team, 3 men
added a 3rd battalion of heavy guns, with two
Engineer Demolition Team, 3 men
batteries of 150 mm sFH, and a battery of
100 mm guns. Minefield
Barbed Wire
Each panzer battalion comprised four companies Entrenchments for one Team
instead of three, and a third company had been Kubelwagen (no crew, no weapon)
added to the antitank battalion. A field
Adjutant
replacement battalion of three companies was LIST TWO
also added. The division totalled 400 officers
Roadblock
leading 14,000 men at the start of Barbarossa.
SdKfz 221 or 223 with Junior Leader
Panzerbuchse 38/39 Team, two crew
Pre‐Game Barrage
Red Dice (lost on FM4)

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LIST THREE 5.4 PANZER PLATOON
Sniper Team The 7th Panzer Division order of battle and
Pioneer flamethrower Team, three men (see organisation hadn’t changed significantly from
5.5) that used in France apart from some equipment.
sPzB41 2.8cm heavy AT rifle and three
crew Force Rating: Regular +5
MG34 on tripod mount with 5 crew Command Dice: 5
PaK36 3.7cm anti‐tank gun with 5 crew ARMOURED PLATOON HEADQUARTERS
and Junior Leader 1 x Panzer 38(t) with Senior Leader
SdKfz 251/1A‐C, no crew, 1 x MG34 mounted ARMOURED PLATOON
LIST FOUR 4 x Panzer 38(t) with Junior Leader
Ie18.IG with five crew and a Junior Leader
PanzerJager 1 5.4.1 Armoured Support Lists
Flak 30 or Flak 38 2cm L55 AA gun with GERMAN ARMOURED SUPPORT LIST
five crew and Junior Leader LIST ONE
PaK38 5cm anti‐tank gun with 5 crew Medical Orderly
and Junior Leader Satchel Charge or Teller Mine 35 or 2 Petrol
PaK36(t) 4.7cm anti‐tank gun with 5 crew bombs for an infantry section (choose weapon
and Junior Leader when selected)
SdKfz 10/5 AA halftrack with Junior Leader Engineer Mine Clearance Team, 3 men
SdKfz 222 with Junior Leader Engineer Wire Cutting Team, 3 men
LIST FIVE Engineer Demolition Team, 3 men
Forward Observer with 8cm mortar battery Kubelwagen (no crew, no weapon)
Pioneer section with Junior Leader Adjutant
Aufklarungs Section with motorcycles and LIST TWO
Junior Leader
SdKfz 221 or 223 with Junior Leader
Panzer 38(t) E-F with Junior Leader
Pre‐Game Barrage
Panzer II D-F with Junior Leader Infantry Senior Leader
Pioneer flamethrower Team, three men (see
Red Dice (lost on FM 4)
5.5)
LIST THREE
Sdkfz 231 or 232 (8 Rad) Armoured Car
Pioneer flamethrower Team, three men (see
with Junior Leader
5.5)
LIST SIX
SdKfz 251/1A‐C, no crew, MG34 mounted
Pz.IV D-F/F1 with Junior Leader
LIST FOUR
LIST SEVEN
PanzerJager 1
Char B1 bis with Junior Leader
LIST EIGHT SdKfz 10/5 AA halftrack with Junior Leader
sIG 33 IG with 5 crew and Junior Leader SdKfz 222 with Junior Leader
LIST FIVE
SiG 33 auf Pz. I (“Bison”) and Junior Leader
Forward Observer with 8cm mortar battery
Pioneer section with Junior Leader
See section 5.5 for notes and restrictions. Aufklarungs Section with motorcycles and
Junior Leader
Regular Schutzen section with Junior Leader
Panzer 38(t) E-F with Junior Leader

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LIST FIVE (Cont’d) of 12”, but for targets closer than that the crew
Panzer II D-F with Junior Leader may use their rifles.
Pioneer flamethrower Team, three men (see
5.5) 5.6.3 SATCHEL CHARGE
Sdkfz 231 or 232 (8 Rad) Armoured Car The satchel charge, Teller Mine and Petrol Bomb
with Junior Leader options are shown on Table Seven in the main
LIST SIX rules, Hand‐Held Anti‐Tank Weapons. The
Pz.IV D-F/F1 with Junior Leader charge may be used once by any Section on the
LIST SEVEN table when commanded by the Senior Leader
Char B1 bis with Junior Leader commanding the platoon who is, we assume,
LIST EIGHT carrying it with him up to that point.
SiG 33 auf Pz. I (“Bison”) and Junior Leader Note that the weapon type must be chosen
See section 5.5 for notes and restrictions. when the weapon is selected from the list and
not during the game.

5.5 SUPPORT CHOICE RESTRICTIONS


Items in Red may only be purchased once per
game.
Items in Blue may only be purchased when
defending. A total of two blue items of any type
may be selected per game, no more. (see 5.6.6).

Items in Green (Flamethrower Team) cost 5 SP


normally but are reduced to 3 SP if the
opposition has a bunker (table 5).
AUFKLARUNGS SECTION
Normal scenario restrictions also apply. Three motorcycles with sidecars transport the
reconnaissance squad. It has one LMG with two
5.6 GERMAN SUPPORT NOTES crew on one machine and three riflemen on the
other two. A single m/c transports the Junior
These are the same as in the core rulebook with
Leader. When dismounted it operates with a 6‐
the following exceptions:
man Rifle Team, a 3-man LMG team and a JL.
5.6.1 RED DICE (Also see section 5.6.6 Motorcycles).
The red dice is used as a 6th command dice but
ignores a result of 5 or 6. It can only be selected AUFKLARUNGS SECTION
if 3 other support choices are also selected Obergefreiter, Junior Leader, SMG.
(static defences such as wire, road blocks, LMG TEAM RIFLE TEAM
entrenchments and mines do not count). The MG34 3 crew 6 Rifleman
red dice represents the elan associated with 7th
Panzer and is lost when the German Force 5.6.4 MOTORCYCLES
morale drops to 4 or less. Motorcycle troops may be deployed mounted or
dismounted.
5.6.2 50MM MORTAR TEAM When deployed dismounted troops are placed
The 50mm mortar only has H.E. rounds; no on‐table without their motorcycles. For each
smoke being provided. It has a minimum range dismounted motorcycle squad in your force you

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roll 1d6 before the Patrol Phase begins. On a 75mm at vehicles subtract 1 from the chance to
score of 4 to 6 you gain one free Patrol Phase hit the target.
move with any of your markers. This is in
addition to any scenario‐specific rules regards 5.6.6 GERMAN FIELD CRAFT
bonus patrol moves, however, a force may never German defensive measures were notably poor
have more than six free patrol phase moves. during Barbarossa. Whether it was due to
overconfidence, inexperience or poor training,
When deployed mounted motorcycle troops use the Soviets regularly took advantage in the early
the following rules: months of the war. A maximum of two Blue
1) Motorcycle may choose to deploy on‐table items can be purchased by German forces per
dismounted without their motorcycles. scenario, so 2 team entrenchments OR 1 team
2) Mounting or dismounting requires one entrenchment and one minefield OR 1 roadblock
complete Normal Move action ‐ no shooting and 1 wire entanglement and so on. Obviously
allowed. Blue items may only be used in scenarios where
3) Motorcycle move like infantry adding 2” per defences are not prohibited.
D6 used. They may not move tactically if
5.6.7 PIONEER SECTION
mounted!
German Pioneer section is as shown.
4) When fired at mounted m/c riders they
count as Green (regardless of their actual PIONEER SECTION
quality). Obergefreiter, Junior Leader, SMG.
5) Mounted motorcycle troops may not charge LMG TEAM RIFLE TEAM
enemy. MG34 3 crew 12 Rifleman
6) If moving ‘At The Double’ or after any Close Three men from the rifle team can be detached
Combat, each motorcycle team takes two during a game to form a wire cutting,
Shock when mounted; demolitions or mine clearing team. Only one
7) Motorcycles roll 4 Dice for movement at the option can be used and only one team can be
double when mounted. detached. It does not cost anything extra.

5.6.5 CHAR B1 bis Note that Flamethrower Teams are dealt with
While operating the main gun the commander separately in the lists and cannot be created mid
cannot use CIs to activate another crew position, game (or from a pioneer squad).
however a single command roll of 1 can be used
to operate another position in addition to the Pioneer squads can be given satchel charges, AT
commanders. mines, and molotovs at the normal cost shown in
The hull gun was fixed in the horizontal plane the support list.
with no traverse either side. When firing the
5.6.8 NO OFF TABLE ‘88’s?
Flak 36s were occasionally used to fend off soviet
armoured attacks, as they were on 3/4 July.
However, they were used to protect vital supply
lines against aircraft during this phase of the
fighting around Smolensk.

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5.7 GERMAN ARSENAL

Arsenal Table
Armoured Vehicles
Vehicle Armour A.P. H.E. Speed Notes
SdKfz 221/223 [6=SL2] 2 - MG Wheeled Turret MG, open turret, small
Turret 20mm A/C and co-axial
SdKfz 222 [13=SL4] 2 4 6 Wheeled MG, open turret, small
Turret 20mm A/C and co-axial
Sdkfz 231/232 (8‐rad) [14=SL5] 3 4 6 Wheeled MG
Turret 37mm, co-axial MG,
Pz38(t) E-F [15=SL5] 5 5 3 Average Hull MG
Turret 20mm A/C, co-axial
Pz II D-F [14=SL5] 3 4 6 Fast MG
Turret 75mm L24, co-axial
Pz IV D [17=SL6] 4 5 6 Average MG, Hull MG
Turret 75mm L24, co-axial
Pz IV E-F/F1 [18=SL6] 5 5 6 Average MG, Hull MG
47mm ATG, Small, Open
Pz/Jager I [12=SL4] 2 6 4 Average body.
Low profile, open body,
SdKfz 250/251-1 [8=SL3] 2 - MG Fast section transport, MG
Sdkfz 10/5 (2cm AA gun) [10=SL4] 1 4 6 Fast Turret 20mm A/C, Open Body
Turret 47mm, hull 75mm (*),
Hull and Co-axial MG. One
Char B1 bis [20=SL7] 6 5(4) 4(6) Slow man turret. Heavy Armour
No secondary, Open Body,
must be stationary to fire. No
sIG 33 auf Pz. I (“Bison”) [23=SL8] 3 8 13 Slow armour on rear (softskin).
Anti Tank Weapons
Weapon A.P. H.E./A.I.
PaK (36t) anti‐tank gun [4=SL4] 6 4
PaK 38 5cm anti‐tank gun
[4.5=SL4] 7 4
PaK36 3.7cm anti‐tank gun
[3.25=SL3] 5 3
Ie18. 7.5cm Infantry Gun [4=SL4] 4 6
Flak 30/38 20mm Autocannon Reduces cover by 1 level
[4=SL4] 4 6 Close range 24”.
sPzB41 2.8cm heavy AT rifle
[3=SL3] 5 1
Panzerbuchse 38/39 AT rifle 2 1

14
Finally, when a Commissar is selected as a
6 RED ARMY FORCES support option the Soviet Player adds 1 to his
Force Morale dice score at the start of the game.
6.1.1 Elements of the 69th Motorised Rifle
Division Treat a Commissar as a JL for wounds and ‘Bad
The Soviet force represents elements of the 101st Things Happen’ tests. When he takes his first
Tank and the 69th Motorized wound (rolls 4-6) he loses his CI but can still
Divisions, Yartsevo Group, under remove 1 shock from a unit he’s attached to
the command of Konstantin when activated (it is not doubled when he’s
Rokossovsky. wounded). A second wound kills him (roll of 4-
6). Wound result rolls of 2 and 3 knock him out
and a roll of 1 kills him as normal.

6.2 NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS


6.3 JULY-1941: MOTORISED PLATOON
National Characteristics used are Uhraaaah! and
This represents a Motorised Rifle Platoon from
Razvedchiki. Wrath of the Gods! is not used as
the 101st Tank Division. It reflects the
the Soviet forces involved were critically short of
reorganization of the Mechanised Divisions on
artillery. Add Yes Commissar! to the Soviet
15 July 1941 into standard Rifle Divisions and 2nd
National Characteristics in this campaign.
Generation Tank Divisions. The resulting Tank
6.2.1 YES COMMISSAR! Divisions were soon to be considered an
In July 1941 the Commissar had the right to evolutionary dead end and reorganized into Tank
influence military decisions and take part in the Brigades in August 1941.
chain of command. The only Commissar that
The Motorized Rifle companies were made
we’re likely to see in CoC is the one that was
smaller, to purely triangular formations of three
allocated to Company HQ.
rifle platoons each of three rifle squads, for total
A Commissar may be deployed from a JoP on a of 131 men with nine light machine guns and
CD roll of 5 and may be activated on a Command three 50mm mortars.
Dice roll of 5. If the player deploys or activates
the Commissar, he does not increase his Chain of
Command tally by one. Rating: Regular: -3
Command Dice: 5 dice
When activated a Commissar moves as normal.
PLATOON HEADQUARTERS
If attached to a squad he may move with that
squad without being activated himself. He Leytenant, Senior Leader, with pistol
counts as two men for morale purposes when MORTAR TEAM
considering Shock levels and one man in any 50mm mortar, 3 crew
Close Combat. A Commissar does not fire or SQUADS ONE TO THREE
crew weapons. Serzhant, Junior Leader, with Rifle
When activated a Commissar acts as an inferior One LMG with three crew
Junior Leader and has 1 Command initiative that Seven riflemen
he can use on any unit he has joined. If he uses
his single CI to remove shock, he removes 2
shock rather than the usual 1.

15
6.3.1 Support Options LIST FIVE (Cont’d)
SOVIET SUPPORT LIST BA‐6 or 10 armoured car with Junior Leader
LIST ONE BT‐7A with Junior Leader
2 x SVT‐40 Semi‐Automatic Rifles (not green) LIST EIGHT
2 x PPD SMGs (NCOs first) KV-1E with Junior Leader (See 6.6.5, 6.6.6)
Engineer Mine Clearance Team, 3 men
Engineer Wire Cutting Team, 3 men Transport only vehicles, such as the car are
simply vehicles which come with no crew.
Engineer Demolition Team, 3 men
Remember, you will need to allocate men to
Medic drive these. These are as described in the main
Satchel charge or 2 Molotov Cocktails rules.
Minefield See section 6.5 for notes and restrictions.
Entrenchments for one Section or Weapons
Team
Barbed Wire
6.4 JULY-1941: ARMOURED PLATOON
Add top cover to entrenchment (team or Second Generation Tank Divisions were
section) introduced on June 15 1940, this included a
Car, no crew significant change in the size of tank platoons
from five vehicles to three and a reduction in
Adjutant
company strength from seventeen to ten. The
LIST TWO
rifle companies were also made smaller, into
Commissar
triangular formations of three rifle platoons each
Roadblock
of three rifle squads, for a total of 131 men with
50mm light mortar Team, 3 men nine light machine guns and three 50mm
Pre‐Game Barrage (Not Wrath of the Gods) mortars. Ten such divisions were formed, all
LIST THREE numbered in the 101–112 series. By early
Sniper Team October only three remained and by May 1942
BA-20 with Junior Leader only two divisions survived, the 61st Division (a
T‐20 Komsomylets tractor with LMG and pre-war formation) and the 111th (a second-
Junior Leader generation unit), both in the Transbaikal Front.
Flamethrower Team of three men (see 6.5)
M1910 Maxim MMG, 5 crew Rating: Regular: -2
T‐26 Twin MG turrets with Junior Leader Command Dice: Regular 5
PLATOON HEADQUARTERS
M1937 45mm anti‐tank gun with 5 crew and
Junior Leader 1 x T-26B/BT7 with Senior Leader
LIST FOUR ARMOURED PLATOON
DSHK 12.7 HMG with five crew 2 x T-26B/BT7 with Junior Leader
Regular Infantry Squad with Junior Leader 6.4.1 Support Options
M1927 76.2mm Infantry gun with five crew SOVIET SUPPORT LIST
and a Junior Leader
LIST ONE
T-26 with 45mm gun with Junior Leader
Engineer Mine Clearance Team, 3 men
BT‐5/7 with Junior Leader
Engineer Wire Cutting Team, 3 men
LIST FIVE
Engineer Demolition Team, 3 men
Flamethrower Team of three men (see 6.5)
Medic

16
LIST ONE (Cont’d) Normal scenario restrictions also apply.
Satchel charge or 2 Molotov Cocktails
Car, no crew 6.6 SOVIET SUPPORT NOTES
Adjutant
LIST TWO 6.6.1 SVT‐40 SEMI‐AUTOMATIC RIFLES
Infantry Senior Leader At the outbreak of Barbarossa the Red Army
were already partially through the process of re‐
Pre‐Game Barrage (Not Wrath of the Gods)
equipping with this weapon. The outbreak of war
LIST THREE
saw that process end and the older but better
Flamethrower Team of three men (see 6.5)
known Mosin Nagant M1889/30 used as the
T‐20 Komsomylets tractor with LMG and
standard weapon for most of the war.
Junior Leader
BA-20 with Junior Leader To reflect the partial issue of the SVT‐40 up to
T‐26 Twin MG turrets with Junior Leader two men in each squad may be issued with these
M1937 45mm anti‐tank gun with 5 crew and weapons for 1 SP. Men firing with these
Junior Leader weapons dice as for normal bolt action rifles but
LIST FOUR re‐roll any 1’s rolled. Cannot be issued to green
Regular Infantry Squad with Junior Leader troops.
T-26B with 45mm gun with Junior Leader
6.6.2 M39 50MM MORTAR
BT‐5/7 with Junior Leader The Soviet 50mm light mortar is only equipped
LIST FIVE with H.E. ammunition and cannot fire smoke.
BA‐6 or 10 armoured car with Junior Leader
Flamethrower Team of three men (See 6.5) 6.6.3 NO ANTITANK RIFLES?
BT‐7A with Junior Leader Although Soviet forces managed to capture a
LIST EIGHT significant number of Polish AT rifles during the
Polish campaign they didn’t produce their own
KV-1E with Junior Leader (See 6.6.5, 6.6.6)
until the PTRS (Simonov) and PTRD (Dektyaryov)
See section 6.5 for notes and restrictions. AT Rifles were introduced in November and
December 1941. Both AT rifles were competing
Transport only vehicles, such as the car are designs with the more complex PTRS weighing in
simply vehicles which come with no crew. at 44 lbs compared to the PTRD at 38 lbs.
Remember, you will need to allocate men to Contrary to popular belief both AT Rifles were
drive these. These are as described in the main introduced within days of each other and, one
rules. did not replace the other. Both used the same
ammunition. This campaign is set in July 1941
6.5 SUPPORT CHOICE RESTRICTIONS before the introduction of either model.
Items in Red may only be purchased once per
6.6.4 TANK RADIOS
scenario.
Company commanders and Medium tank
Items in Blue may only be purchased when
platoon commanders were issued radios from
defending.
October 1941. I can’t find any concrete evidence
Items in Green (flamethrower teams) cost 5 SP
for radio availability was like in July. Regardless,
normally but are reduced to 3 SP if the
the Light Tank platoons were not provided with
opposition has a bunker (table 1 only).
radios at all in this period even after the reforms
in October. Soviet tanks used in this PSC do not

17
have radios and are limited as described in the They become mobile when activated again by
rules (11.4). rolling a 5 or a 6 on a D6 when the driver is
activated. Rolling a 1 on the same dice
6.6.5 KV1 AVAILABILITY immobilises the vehicle for the rest of the game.
The 101st tank Division had a total of 7 KVs Normal bogging rules apply when crossing
available at this stage of the campaign. It’s likely obstacles and is rolled for separately.
that KV1s would be rarely deployed in local
attacks. To reflect this, a maximum of 1 KV1 can 6.6.7 No T34s
be used per game. Furthermore, remove the The 101st Tank Division (used here) had 70 old
KV1 option from the support lists if a KV1 is light tanks and 7 new KV1s at this point in the
destroyed or abandoned at any stage during war. It didn’t have any T34s. This is despite the
campaign. fact that the factories in Leningrad and Kharkov
were producing about 35 KVs and 70 T34s per
6.6.6 KV1 RELIABILITY week. The GABTU made the mistake of doling
The KV1 was known for being underpowered and them out to different units in company sized
had more than its fair share of engine trouble, detachments, instead of concentrating them in a
usually caused by poor quality steering and few fully capable armoured units. Conversely
clutch assembly components. Combining this the 104th Tank Division had 12 KVs, 30 T34s, and
with drivers that were largely untrained on the about 180 light tanks. The 101st and 104th
KV, caused an inordinately high number of losses represented the only real armoured reserve in
from breakdowns. the Western Front.
Whenever a KV1’s roll for movement includes a
double 1 or double 2 the vehicle is temporarily
immobilised (move the distance shown and then
stop).

Soviet Arsenal Table


Armoured Vehicles
Vehicle Armour A.P. H.E. Speed Notes
T-20 Komsomylets [8=SL3] 2 - MG Fast No Turret, hull MG, small, low profile
T-26 Twin Turret MGs [9=SL3] 3 - MG Slow 2 Turrets with MG
T-26B [13=SL4] 3 5 4 Slow 47mm and co-axial MG, turret rear MG
BT-5/BT7 [13=SL4] 3 5 4 Fast 47mm and co-axial MG
BT-7A [14=SL5] 3 4 6 Fast 76mm Howitzer and co-axial MG
76mm ATG, co-axial MG, hull MG, turret
KV-1E [23=SL8] 8 6 5 Slow rear MG, Heavy Armour. Unreliable.
BA-20 [8=SL3] 2 - MG Wheeled Small, low profile
BA-6/BA10 [15=SL5] 3 5 4 Wheeled Small, 47mm and co-axial MG, hull MG
Anti Tank Weapons
Weapon A.P. H.E./A.I.
M1927 76mm Infantry Gun
[4=SL4] 4 6
45mm AT Gun M32, 37 and 38
[3.5=SL3] 5 4

18
The Fields shown are Sunflower fields and are
7 SCENARIOS soft cover to troops stationary in them (not
vehicles). The state of the 2m tall sunflower
fields was extremely variable. To keep things
7.1 TABLE SETUP FOR simple, they do not block LoS.
SCENARIOS 1-5 Areas of Scrub count a Heavy
All tables have 2 options for the attackers to Going and reduce visibility to (6”)
choose from. The selected scenario is declared into, out of and through for foot
as soon as the target table is announced. troops. Troops in scrub always
The tables do not have campaign specific count as in light cover. Vehicles are visible in and
support points allocated. Treat the scenario across scrub but count as obscured.
exactly as stated in the main rules. See section Scrub in the area of Smolensk was a significant
12 in this PSC for a summary. obstacle and consisted of small hills, uneven
Additional support points can be allocated from ground, gorse, standing water, dense
Campaign Point pools for each player as undergrowth and bushes.
required. Declared the points used Swamp is Heavy Going: Tactical
simultaneously once game supports have been and Normal movement allowed
selected, (see 6.15). with one subtracted from each D6
of movement. No moving “At the
7.2 TERRAIN KEY FOR THE MAPS Double.” Swamp does not
Woods are woods and count as provide cover.
Broken Ground underfoot. Rivulet is 2” width of Heavy Going
and does not provide cover.
Impassable to wheeled vehicles
Buildings are a mix of wooden and soft ground for tracked (CoC
izbas (dark brown/grey - soft 11.6.1).
cover), and inner-city brick
buildings and factory units River is impassable to vehicles and
(Tan/light brown - hard cover). support units. The river counts as
very difficult ground for infantry
(assumed to be disembarking
from boats). JoPs can be placed on the tables
edge in the river. The river doesn’t provide cover.
Fences (brown) are made from The embankment near the river’s edge counts as
brush/wood and are soft cover for light cover for stationary infantry lining it.
troops lining them within 2”.
Walls (grey) are chest height and Using a Dirt Track negates any
hard cover for troops lining them terrain it passes through. There is
within 2”. Neither block line of sight. Both are no other benefit. Dirt tracks are
Medium Obstacles (roll 2 dice to cross and lose Open Ground.
the highest).

19
Wooden Structure which is soft 7.3 BUNKERS
cover and can be a water tower,
grain loft or something similar. 7.3.1 From the Rules
Section 13.1.4: Troops in Bunkers can only be
assaulted via an unbarred door. They count as
This is a railway, platform and being in hard cover and attacked from the front,
station building. The railway tracks even if the entrance is at the rear of the bunker.
are on top of a 3’ embankment,
Glossary: In Chain of Command, there are three
providing soft cover for stationary types of cover: light, hard and bunkers. This
troops lining them. Vehicles may bog when means that HE from Field and AT Guns reduces a
crossing the embankment (as if soft ground - see bunker from Bunker to Hard cover. Bunkers offer
CoC 11.6.1) otherwise count it as open ground all round protection. Generally they will be of
for movement. concrete construction with small firing
apertures.
The platform is raised vertically 3’ and counts as
a medium obstacle to movement, is impassable Section 9: 2” and 50mm mortars ignore light
to wheeled vehicles) and counts as soft cover for cover, treating the target as being in the open.
stationary troops lining the edge. The only 60mm mortars treat light cover as though the
exception is where the road touches the target is in the open, and hard cover as though
platform. the target is in light cover. Neither will have any
Roads are Open Ground. effect against a target in bunkers.

Section 9.1: Any troops in bunkers will ignore the


first kill in any Phase.
Grassland is Open Ground.
Section 9.2 (Hand Grenades): For a very small
aperture, such as an open tank turret or firing slit
on a bunker, subtract 6 from the total rolled.
Water Meadow which should be a
noticeably darker green on the map, 7.3.2 Conventions used for this PSC
Counts as Broken Ground. It also Bunkers are deployed within 6” of a friendly
counts as soft ground for vehicles (CoC 11.6.1). Jump Off Point at the start of the game in the
same way as static defences (i.e. immediately
after the patrol phase completes but before JOP
Wooden Bridge, impassable to placement).
tanks.
Bunkers are not classified as buildings, but for
7.2.1 Variations the purposes of this campaign they become
Although the maps are fully populated, they’ve unstable on five 6s from an HE hit (from Field/AT
been created using a combination of Google guns and Mortars) and collapse on six 6s. They
Earth, photos of the area and my imagination. cannot be driven into by vehicles.
Feel free to change stuff around to fit your
Flamethrowers ignore the bunker’s effects as
available terrain, however I would recommend
long as they can attack an aperture.
that the general locations for built up areas,
roads (particularly entry points) and vegetation
be adhered to.

20
TABLE – 1: MUSKOVICHI 7.3.4 Terrain Notes
The German supply line comes through the The table is open arable land with Sunflower
Russian town Muskovitchi with a depot at the fields, scrub, woods and a rivulet.
westernmost building. The banks of the gully are chest high and provide
German forces must defend the supply depot. hard cover for stationary troops lining the edges
Soviet forces must eliminate it and starve axis against incoming fire, troops in the gully counts
forces fighting in and around Yartsevo. soft cover (from the scrub). The gully is
completely filled with scrub. Fences are wooden.
7.3.3 Scenario
Tracked vehicles crossing the banks may bog
When Red forces attack Table 1 the scenario is
down (as linear obstacle). The banks are
‘Attack on an Objective’. The objective is the
impassable to wheeled vehicles. A rivulet runs
building farthest to the west on the map.
the length of the gully as shown.
When Germans attack Table 1 the scenario
German forces may place a single 1 team sized
becomes ‘Attack and Defend’.
bunker for free when defending (see section 7.3
Support points are determined according to the above).
scenario in the rule book.

The level of support is adjusted according to the


relative force ratings.

21
7.4 TABLE – 2: KURTSEVO The level of support is adjusted according to the
The approach to the Russian village of Kurtsevo relative force ratings.
is the start line for the German assault on Attacking from Table:
Yartsevo. It also sits on the main route for
German support and supplies heading into ➢ 1 – Attacker’s home edge is the West
Yartsevo. edge
➢ 3A – Attacker’s home edge is the North
7.4.1 Scenario edge
The default scenario for Table 2 is Scenario 3 ➢ 3B – Attacker’s home edge is the Eastern
‘Attack and Defend’ and is the same as described edge
there. ➢ 3C – Attacker’s home edge is the South
edge
The attacker may select Scenario 2 ‘The Probe’
instead if attacking from table 1 or 3B. 7.4.2 Terrain Notes
The home edge for the attacking troops depends The table is open arable land with Sunflower
on the table from which the attack is being fields, scrub, woods and a fordable rivulet.
launched. Buildings are made of solid hardwood and brick
(hard cover).
Support points are determined according to the
scenario in the rule book. Slopes on both side are only waist height and
provide light cover to stationary troops lining the
edge.

22
Attacking from Table:
7.5 TABLE – 3A: MIKHEYKOVO
➢ 4 – Attacker’s home edge is the Eastern
The village of Mikheykovo sits on the
edge
strategically important northern flank of
➢ 3B – Attacker’s home edge is the South
Yartsevo.
edge
7.5.1 Scenario ➢ 2 – Attacker’s home edge is the West
The default scenario for Table 3A is Scenario 3 edge
‘Attack and Defend’ and is the same as described
7.5.2 Terrain Notes
there.
The table is covered in woods and low-lying
Troops attacking from 2, 3B or 4 can change the swamp and water meadows. Buildings are made
scenario to 5 – Flank Attack if the force attacking of solid hardwood and brick (light brown/Grey –
controls both tables 2 and 3B or 3B and 4. hard cover) and planking (dark brown – soft
cover). Fences are soft cover, (wooden).
The home edge for the attacking troops depends
on the table from which the attack is being A small tributary (rivulet) from the river Vop runs
launched. across the eastern side of the map. There is also
a rivulet on the western side.
Support points are determined according to the
scenario in the rule book. The rise (contour) to the east of the table is
gradual and can be ignored.
The level of support is adjusted according to the
relative force ratings.

23
7.6 TABLE – 3B: YARTSEVO The blue triangles mark the attacker’s home
Yartsevo sits on the main crossing for the River edge according to the table the attack is being
Vop. Control of central Yartsevo is critical for launched from.
both sides. Axis forces must control the ‘land
7.6.2 Terrain Notes
bridge’ to Moscow, whereas Soviet forces must
Buildings are made of solid hardwood and brick
open a supply route to troops trapped near
(light brown/Grey) and are hard cover. The
Smolensk.
river’s edge counts as swamp (Difficult) and low
7.6.1 Scenario lying water meadow (Broken).
The default scenario for Table 3B is Scenario 3 The river Vop running across the west of map is
‘Attack and Defend’ and is the same as described impassable to vehicles and support. The river
there. Support points are determined according counts as very difficult ground for infantry
to the scenario in the rule book. (assumed to be disembarking from boats). JoPs
Troops attacking from 2, 3A, 3C or 4 can change can be placed on the tables edge in the river.
the scenario to 5–Flank Attack if the attacker Being in the river does not provide cover.
controls [2 and 3A or 3C], or [4 and 3A or 3C]. Woods are woods.

The home edge for the attacking troops depends The railway (dark grey) runs west to east and is
on the table from which the attack is being on an embankment 3’ tall. It counts as soft cover
launched. for stationary infantry lining it. Vehicles may bog
when crossing (count the embankment as if soft
The level of support is adjusted according to the ground 11.6.1).
relative force ratings.
All bridges (river crossing points) are significant
iron, stone and wooden builds.

24
Attacking from Table:
7.7 TABLE 3C: YARTSEVO SOUTH
➢ 4 – Attacker’s home edge is the Eastern
The Southern flank of Yartsevo.
edge
7.7.1 Scenario ➢ 3B – Attacker’s home edge is the North
The default scenario for Table 3C is Scenario 3 edge
‘Attack and Defend’ and is the same as described ➢ 2 – Attacker’s home edge is the West
there. edge

Troops attacking from 2, 3B or 4 can change the 7.7.2 Terrain Notes


scenario to 5 – Flank Attack if the force attacking The table is covered in low-lying water meadows
controls tables 2 and 3B or 4 and 3B. swamp (difficult), and woods.
The default scenario for Table 2 is Scenario 3 The valley is about chest deep but drops
‘Attack and Defend’ and is the same as described gradually from plains to water meadow. The
there. contours can be ignored if they prove too
challenging to reproduce on the table.
Support points are determined according to the
scenario in the rule book.

The level of support is adjusted according to the


relative force ratings.

The home edge for the attacking troops depends


on the table from which the attack is being
launched.

25
7.8 TABLE – 4: ZABORYE ➢ 3B – Attacker’s home edge is the West
Zaborye is the main jump off point for Soviet edge
forces attacking Yartsevo. ➢ 3C – Attacker’s home edge is the South
edge
7.8.1 Scenario
The default scenario for Table 4 is ‘Attack and 7.8.2 Terrain Notes
Defend’ and is the same as described there. The table is covered in woods and low-lying
Support points are taken from the rule book. swamp and water meadows. Buildings are made
of solid hardwood and brick (light brown – hard
The attacker may select Scenario 2 ‘The Probe’ cover) and planking (dark brown – soft cover).
instead if attacking from table 3B or 5. Fences are soft cover, (wooden).
The level of support is adjusted by the relative
force ratings.

The home edge for the attacking troops depends


on the table from which the attack is being
launched.

Attacking from Table:

➢ 5 – Attacker’s home edge is the Eastern


edge
➢ 3A – Attacker’s home edge is the North
edge

26
7.9 TABLE – 5: SUETOVO 7.9.2 Terrain Notes
The Soviet supply line comes through the A railway runs from east to west and has a 3’
Russian town Suetovo with a depot at the embankment counting as hard cover to
easternmost building. stationary troops lining it. Vehicles must test for
bogging when crossing but are otherwise
Soviet forces must defend the supply depot. unaffected by it.
German forces must eliminate it and starve
Soviet forces of badly needed supplies. All buildings are hard cover apart from the small
hut which is soft cover. The grey area is a railway
The level of support is adjusted by the relative station and depot so should have sleepers,
force ratings. stacked rails, piles of cable, boxes full of ballast
No support restrictions apply to either side. and so on.

The table slopes gradually upwards to the west.


7.9.1 Scenario
When the Germans attack Table 5 the scenario is Soviet forces may place a single 1 team sized
‘Attack on an Objective’. The objective is the bunker for free when defending.
grey roofed building farthest to the east on the
(see section 7.3)
map.

When Soviet attack Table 5 the scenario is


‘Attack and Defend’.

27
• “The Tanks of Operation
8 DISCLAIMER Barbarossa – Soviet versus German
Armour on the Eastern Front“, Boris
Chain of Command is the glorious set of skirmish Kavalerchik
rules published by TFL and is Big Rich’s baby. No • “Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front
breach of copyright is envisioned or intended. 1941-42: Schwerpunkt”, Robert Forczyk;
• “Operation Barbarossa – Hitler’s
As for the rest of the document, it’s a mix of my
Invasion of Russia 1941”, David M
ramblings and various bits available in the public
Glantz.
domain. The history text is based partly on
Wikipedia and ‘Schwerpunkt’ by Robert Forcyk • ‘A Bias for Action: The German 7th
as well as other library references. I can highly Panzer Division in France & Russia 1940-
recommend anything written by Robert Forcyk 1941’ by Stolfi, Russel H.S. (Marine Corps
and by Boris Kavalerchik, their books mentioned University Perspectives on Warfighting)
in section 9 are particularly good. …and of course:
Forces are based on the Zaloga’s Red Army • Wikipedia.
Handbook and on the TFL 1941 lists, as well as
specific references to Yartsevo in ‘The Tanks of 10 DESIGN NOTES
Operation Barbarossa’.

As for the images – some I bought, others are This campaign is intended to be as vanilla as
public domain. No breach of copyright or possible so it can be used as a template for
upsetting of ownership is intended. similar campaigns with different forces
backgrounds and maps.
It is as historically correct as I can make it, with
the information I have gleaned over the last few Achieving campaign balance becomes the
months. biggest time sink when developing a campaign
full of unbalanced games. It requires extensive
You can contact me on the TFL forum under the playtesting by players of varied skill levels.
moniker Sackatatties or just grab Stephen Philp Unfortunately, that’s difficult to achieve as this
on the Tabletop CP and Chain of Command FB was written during the Covid-19 pandemic. My
groups. hope is that this campaign removes some of the
inherent variations that can break balance. It
This campaign is not to be sold in part or in full.
should allow the players to shift the game
It is free for use by anyone who enjoys Chain of
balance depending on how they use their pool of
Command.
resource points.

I still intend to produce traditional PSCs in the


9 SOURCES: future, but this should hopefully provide a
template so that anyone can use it to create a
• http://forum.axishistory.com
simple campaign of their own design.
• http://battle.volgadmin.ru
• “Companion to the Red Army 1939-45”,
Steven Zaloga 10.1 OPTIONAL PLATOON AVAILABILITY
• “Red Army Handbook 1939-45”, Steven If you wish to restrict platoon movement
Zaloga according to where they last fought, then feel

28
free to do so. It will add extra paperwork which A full SMG armed company was added to newly
may not add much to the campaign, but it adds raised Rifle Regiments (non-pre-war) in October
flavour. Simply state that a platoon may only be 1941.
used if the next battle is on a table adjacent to
Motorized Infantry in the Tank Divisions (which is
their last. This restriction only applied to
what we have here) were not issued with SMGs
platoons that fought in the previous Campaign
in significant numbers until after 1941.
Turn.

10.2 RED ARMY QUALITY 11 PLAYTESTING


A significant chunk of Soviet manpower
This PSC was created during the Covid-19
consisted of militia and fresh ‘recruits’ hurriedly
pandemic which has made playtesting difficult.
sent into battle without sufficient training,
Special thanks therefore goes to my clubmate
leadership or organisation. The campaign
st Terry O’Connor for helping me playtest it fully on
involves the 101 Tank Division which was
Tabletop Simulator, and to Travis for his patience
reasonably good compared to many of the
while we run through it.
troops around them so they’re rated as regular.
It is possible to use green infantry platoons
instead of the Regular ones. It takes a brave 12 FILE UPDATES
commander to do so (or a foolish one!). If the
Green option is selected count the CORE platoon Check here for the latest version.
as green, reduce the number of command dice
to 4, and the force rating to -7. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a4s7yziqa2f1bv9
/AADANd73woACEAuCeeP_7R_Na?dl=0
10.2.1 LMGs AND SMGs
LMGs (and SVTs) were in very short supply in
mid-1941, making the 04/400-17 section model
introduced in April 1941 completely unrealistic.
The 04/600-616 section model was subsequently
introduced into the Rifle Divisions in July 1941,
falling back on a more achievable section
formation based on what was actually in use.

SMGs which had been in production since


December 1940, were substituted for 2 of the Click here for the Tabletop CP youtube channel.
missing LMGs in Rifle Regiment platoons
providing some close in firepower. They were https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClI-rOzu0-
simple and cheap to produce and easy to use. VtvTaLQ6sPTJA
Allocating SMGs to standard rifle sections also Version 2.41 (17/07/2021)
helped to alleviate the strain on rifle production
early in the war, which in turn helped increase ➢ Minor text updates.
LMG production as the same factory often
produced both Rifles and LMGs. Motorised
platoons had the full allocation of LMGs (1 per
section).

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2) Set the player baselines according to the
13 SUMMARY side of the table the attack is coming
This PSC introduces a few new rules and from.
concepts which can be hard to track. This section 3) Determine supply lines.
provides a few pointers to try and cut through 4) Decide on the core platoons being used.
any mist. 5) Decide on the scenario type (some
tables have a choice).
6) Roll for scenario support points as
13.1 THE CAMPAIGN TURN shown in the rules.
The PSC starts with the Germans holding tables 7) Roll for additional resource points on
1,2, 3A and 3B. Soviets hold 3C, 4 and 5. turns 3 and 7. Declare and note down
The Soviets have the initiative on campaign Turn any Resource Points being spent for this
1. They can attack any table connected by an game (not possible for platoons that are
arrow to a table they own. See the map on P6. out of supply).
8) Run the patrol phase.
Initiative for subsequent turns goes to the 9) Spend your Support Points.
winner of the previous game. If for any reason 10) Fight the game.
neither player ‘won’ (game time limit for
example) then the initiative switches to the
other player.
13.3 CONCLUDING THE GAME
1) Determine if either player has achieved
Victory goes to the player that controls table 3A, the campaign victory conditions.
3B and 3C at the end of campaign turn 7, 8, 9 or 2) Determine which units withdraw
10. Failing this, victory goes to the player that successfully.
controls 2 out of 3 of these tables at the end of Note that platoons that are out of supply
turn 10. (See 3.4) add 12” to their distance from the
nearest JoP for the roll on the tables on
Resource Points (RP) start at 8 RP per player on
p27 in At the Sharp End (ATSE).
campaign Turn 1. Both players roll 1D6+6 to
3) Run post game tracking using ATSE.
determine how many RP they add to their RP
4) Determine initiative for the next
pool at the start of campaign turns 3 and 7.
campaign turn.
Resource Points can be spent at the start of any
game to boost a player’s Support Points on a 1RP
to 1SP conversion rate. (See 3.15)

13.2 GAME SETUP


This is the sequence of events for setting up a
game:

1) The player with the initiative (the


attacker) decides which of his tables to
launch an attack from and chooses the
target table.

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13.4 SCENARIO QUICK REFERENCE
Scenario Support Patrol JOP Deploy (A/D) Free Moves Restrictions Objective
(A/D) Markers (A/D)
(A/D)
The 1D6/half 3 or 4/4 3/3 Stacked/12" Attacker gets D3+1 The attacker may not The attacker’s objective is to
Probe (2) free moves. Highest select entrenchments, move one Team to the enemy
FM is active in 1st static defences or a base line.
phase. preliminary barrage as his If this is achieved, then the game
choices. ends as a victory for the attacker.
The defender may not Any other result is a victory for the
select a preliminary defender.
barrage among his choices.
Attack 2D6 (max 10) 4/4 3/3 Baseline/12" Attacker gets D6 The attacker has no To win a victory, one side must
and /half free moves. Highest restrictions on his support force his opponent to withdraw
Defend FM is active in 1st choices. The defender may from the table, either voluntarily
(3) phase. not select a preliminary or due to a reduction in his Force
barrage among his choices. Morale, whilst keeping his own
Force Morale at 3 or greater.
Flank 2D6 (max 10) 3+3/3 4/3+1 2 adjacent table Attacker gets D3+1 None To win a victory, the attacker must
Attack (5) /half edges/ opposite free moves. force the defender to withdraw
table quarter Attacker is active in from the table, either voluntarily
the 1st phase of the or due to a reduction in his Force
game. Morale but keeping his own Force
Morale at 3 or more. If he fails, the
defender will win.
Attack on 2D6 (max 10) 3 or 4/4 3/3+1 Baseline/ stacked Attacker gets D3+1 None To win a victory, the attacker must
an /half on the objective free moves. The capture the game objective and
Objective (objective must attacker is the hold it until the end of the current
(6) be placed <18” active player in the turn* OR force his opponent to
from, defender’s first Phase of the withdraw from the table, either
baseline). game. voluntarily or due to Force
Morale. Any other result is a
victory for the defender.
• Note that this is a change to the standard victory conditions for Scenario 6. Note that no enemy units can be within 4” of the objective
to count it as captured.

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