Last night we played our latest game of Combat HQ. Once again it was a great game and thoroughly enjoyed by the four players who took part. My job was once again Umpire, Referee or dictator according to how you look at it.
The game was based on a scenario called “Somewhere in Hell – Kursk 8 July 1943” which can be found at
http://www.fireandfury.com/scenarios.shtml
The scenarios are free and are not too difficult to convert to Combat HQ forces…
The Russian 6th Guards Army were trying to put together a hasty defence in three small villages having been pushed back a few days prior. The German KG was tasked with pushing through the defences to the Russian city of Oboyan a few miles north.
Russian forces were good quality rifle infantry supported by ATGs and Reinforced by 3 companies of T34s later in the game.
The Germans had a Panzer Grenadier KG all infantry in SKDFZ 251s, with Panzer 4s, Panthers, the odd Stug and a Tiger 1 platoon.
Game played really well. Germans pushed hard and took the first village without much trouble. Their artillery hit the second position hard and scattered the Russian defenders. But the reinforcing T34s arrived in time to stabilise the situation. Although their Eastern most company of T34s met a company of Panthers, and although the Panthers were only trained, they were accompanied by the Tiger platoon, and together made very short work of the speedy Russian armour.
As you would expect a few questions arose which I hope to outline
- I wasn’t sure how to handle the Germans in Half-Tracks (HTs). I gave the German HTs a reaction of 2 (for some reason). But very unsure if this was correct. This worked fine for HMGs trying to drive them away. Perhaps it should have been 4 as that was the reaction of the infantry. This would have been in line with how towed ATGs work in the rules. This may be in the rules already and I missed it.
In the upcoming the Armoured Infantry supplement half-tracks are treated as Firepower targets with 4RD.
- The German HTs were very aggressive. The Hts attacked the town and enemy armour and i allowed them to deploy with a variable dice which took them to close range with infantry and Faust range of Armour. Of course they had to survive opportunity fire and the main this seemed ok…Was this correct ?
Yes, as the rules are currently stand that’s how it works. The new armoured infatnntry rules treat the Panzergrenadiers and their SdKFz 251/10 as one unit with no need to deploy. Just measure the panzerfaust range from the half-tracks.
- Because the HTs were so aggressive, and it only arose on one occasion, but I allow the Hts to be the primary target for a Russian t34 as it was nearer than a PZ4 on a hill which would have been the normal priority target for the armour…
No problem. The armour should target the most dangerous target to itself – in this case, the panzergrenadiers armed with panzerfausts.
- I applied Going to Ground +1D to defending infantry in the open. +1D in the open plus +1D if in light cover or behind a hedge. But would troops in a building receive the +1D for going to ground??? Or behind a wall if firing from that location..?
I apply going-to-ground in buildings and in cover. It makes the infantry difficult to shift by fire alone. Think of it as the infantry firing through loopholes and keeping low to the ground.
- Does an armoured vehicle use its reduced side armour reaction value if hit by off-board artillery or mortars?
No. The full Reaction Dice are used. Against the heavy Geman tanks the artillery rarely does much damage, but can cause suppressions.
