With the fall of the massive Dzherhezinsky Tractor Works, the Germans turned their attention to the Barrikady and Krasny Oktyabr factories. On 16 October German infantry, tanks and Stukas tried to blast a path into the Barrikady through the remnants of the 308th Rifle Division and the 84th Tank Brigade, whose tanks had been dug in to cover Tramvanaya street. The well-concealed tanks, plus salvoes of Katyusha rockets, halted the early thrusts after destroying a dozen panzers and forcing the infantry to ground. On the night of 16-17 October, the last regiments of the Soviet 138th Rifle Division were ferried across the Volga and assumed blocking positions in and around the Barrikady. Morning found the Soviets still busily constructing emplacements and sighting their weapons when the first attack of the day burst upon them. . .
Attacker: German (Infanterie-Division 389 with Sturmgruppe and Panzer-Division 14)
Defender: Russian (344th Rifle Regiment, 650th Rifle Regiment, 84th Tank Brigade with Reserve elements 138th Rifle Division)
An interesting scenario. It begins well for me since my opponent forgot the minefields but it was the last time that luck was on my side... I was unable to keep the workshop/warehouse due to the CC attacks of the early Russian reinforcements (turn 2). Therefore, I changed my plan and rushed for the west buildings but luck was really not on my side throughout the whole game.. as a counterpart, my SAN was much more activated than the Russian one !
2022-08-12
(A) Eric Partizan Eric
vs
Solo
German win
2021-01-12
(D) Kevin Sanders
vs
Jason Littleton
Russian win
Some luck (2 failed Stuck sighting checks), solid fortification performance and a stymied middle attack (Germans made it into the 1st large factory) allowed for a Russian win. German 10-2 w/ HMG was a nasty terror to deal with. Fun game and lots learned as we move into RB2,
2020-12-27
(D) Scott Sherer
vs
Jeff B
German win
After years of playing, I've come to the inescapable conclusion that I am just not very good at this game. Put most of my defense (fortified buildings, mines) on the west side of the map, so of course the main German thrust comes from the east. Got my variable-entry reinforcements on my Turn 1 (their earliest possible arrival time) and proceeded to squander them by getting both of their leaders killed within a turn (the Commissar was killed outright by a marauding Stuka) and trapped out of position when The Chemist Shop fell early (in spite of a HMG and full-squad with two fortified building levels). The resulting firelanes down Prebaltiskaya Street left this force to wither away defending the Commissar's House and handful of stone locations in that sector while the Germans knifed into the Assembly Hall and Gun Tube Thermal Processing Hall. Some moderately effective fire from the roofs of the factories was eventually silenced with a Stuka attack and effective small-arms fire from the German toehold in the Assembly Hall. When the final batch of Russian reinforcements was stymied while trying to recapture the Thermal Processing Factory, and the final effort to push the German assault out of the Assembly Hall failed miserably in close combat, the Russians conceded at the end of Turn 7 with well over 30 locations in German hands which would have easily gotten to 40 by the end of the game. Other notes: a) Russian sniper was very active with at least 6 "1" SA dr's, b) lost three mine-fields and two full dummy stacks when I either set them up illegally (mines can't be set up in rubble) or forgot and moved dummy stacks that were set up in minefields out of the hex, c) first time I think I ever encountered overlapping blast hexes from each of our OBA striking within meters of each other, d) Russian AT and INF guns way out of place for the German attack...the AT gun tried to manhandle into a better location and was easily dismissed by German armor, while the INF gun got off one feeble shot at some German infantry and was totally ineffective. First foray into Red Factories, and other than the lopsided outcome, it did not disappoint.
2020-12-27
(A) Jeff B
vs
Scott Sherer
German win
First of all, great write-up by Scott., And I think he's being way too hard on himself here. It was an extremely close game until the last Turn or so. This presents a challenging approach for both sides. I probably would've blundered into all those nasty traps he had set if not for reading a few AARs. At first glance it seems to be an easy German victory. All they need do is grab the first couple rows of VC hexes and they're home free. This is when I suspected things were not as they seemed and dug a little deeper, realizing this area would be the most likely location for all the mines, guns, and fortified buildings. Thankfully the Russians are not fanatic or I think it would be nearly impossible to dig them out. Despite many fires funneling my attack, I chose to come in heavy in the east. After sending some HS to scout the way, I did get risky and run in a few stacks. My goal was to race to the south and grab as many buildings as I could before the Russian reinforcements entered. The plan went to hell when they entered Turn 1. That meant I would have to change gears and assault the Assembly Hall, but first I needed to secure the Chemist's Shop. As Scott said, this location provided a key FL base down the W column to prevent those newly arrived Russians from swinging over to aid their comrades in defending the factory. Other than the two new leaders Scott mentioned losing, there were few casualties on either side yet. But those two leaders were an insurmountable loss, as it left all the broken Russians stranded and able to be relentlessly ground down. Had the commissar not been lost early here I think the game would show a far different ending. One item that proved to be a mistake was placing a trench line connecting the Commissar's House to Hall 4. This allowed me a relatively safe funnel to assault the Hall in the midst of his OBA. It also helped that I had a handful of heroes created throughout the game. Despite all this, it was still quite tough to make inroads into the factories, as both of them had Commissars ready to rally the troops. If not for my being able to send a few tendrils of exploration to the south central Hall 3 (gaining a precious foothold just before his last reinforcements) and the western buildings I would not have made it. Very enjoyable game; by far the best RB scenario I have played.
2019-08-06
(D) Tom Abromaitis
vs
Draw
German win. Solo.
2019-03-15
(D) Tom Kearney
vs
Alan Saltzman
Russian win
Things started out miserably for my Russians as the majority of my front line squads broke during the pre-game morale check. The Germans refused the western flank and massed in the center. They pushed past my brokies and grabbed several stone locations. I was just barely able to seal off the penetration in the center when the German Axis of advance shifted further west. They were attempting to skirt the factory district and snag the relatively undefended stone locations in the southwest. An HMG position and a few squads were all that stood in the way of the German advance. Fortunately this motel assortment of Russians fought like men possessed and delayed the Germans long enough for reinforcements to arrive. The Russians retook the stone locations in the center and repelled the Germans on my right after reserves bolstered the line. Great Game!