Under pressure from Stalin to hold Smolensk, Yeremenko was desperate to halt the German offensive. On 1 July, he committed his sole armored reserve: the 1st Moscow Motorized Rifle Division. It was a crack unit, the pride of the STAVKA. Equipped with new T-34 and KV-2 tanks, the division moved off to meet and defeat the 18th Panzer Division, the spearhead of Guderian’s 2nd Panzergruppe. On 3 July at Lipki, six miles east of Borisov, contact was made. Stunned by the appearance of the two armored monsters not encountered before on the Army Group Center front, the German infantry scattered. A handful of German tanks were all that stood in the path of the Soviet advance.
A rollercoaster of a scenario. When I saw the scenario card I thought there's no way that the Germans win. But considering that all Russian vehicles except one are radioless, one of them is not tracked, and the terrain, I was up for the challenge. All sorts of exciting things happened, including a CH, multiple hits by the 37L German tank, a successful street fighting ambush in the village, and plenty of intensive fire from both sides with only one (Russian) MA succumbing. The ATRs and MMG were not protagonists but did keep the Russian tanks in veil. In the end, the Russians were capable of exiting 3 AFVs in their turn 4, with only one more (probably doomed) remaining in board. Very fun scenario to practice plenty of vehicle types and rules, most notably platoon movement.
2024-02-07
(A) Peyton Spreacker
vs
Brandon Dega
Russian win
This feels extremely unbalanced in favor of the Russians. Even with a German balance of a MMG, there is no way the German player to have time to adjust to Russian advance. Russian rushed three AVFs across the field to the south and bypassed the hill the north leading to a quick Russian victory at the start of turn 2.
Definitely needs some rebalancing.
2021-11-13
(D) Vilis Pavulans
vs
Giovanni Faisca
Russian win
Started out ok with a quick kill on entry and then the first german MA got boxcars and was out of the game, then the second AFV with the 10-2 leader malfed it´s MA and never succeeded in repairing it. Desperate times take desperate measures so the german infantry charged the AFVs they could reach and was close to making it a viable game again but needing a PAATC8 and two PAATC9 was appearantly too much to ask since not one succeeded.. Had to realise the russians broke trough in the southern part of the map.
2021-10-03
(A) Chris Turner
vs
Derek Cox
German win
A close-run battle where despite taking some losses, the Russians fell slightly short of their VP total. It all came down to a final excessive movement die roll and a heroic leader stuffing a grenade up the exhaust of my T-34. Easily my closest game of ASL ever. Great fun and very unusual in being an all-AFV scenario.
2021-05-18
(D) Dwayne Duval
vs
Kevin Duval
German win
German Balance. German confidence was low for the first 4 turns. Not sure I pulled this off.
2021-05-17
(A) Kevin Duval
vs
Dwayne Duval
German win
Used German balance. Was looking very good for Russians prior to Turn 4 but Germans came back with a vengeance including Field Promotion in CC attack!
2020-10-25
(A) Shane Pask
vs
Russian win
Divided the Russian tanks into platoons based on speed and matched the T34 with the BA forgetting the BA was wheeled. Then sent this convoy to board 4 and open ground! Sent the BT platoon screaming across board 2 hoping to exit before reinforcements arrive. One Panzer III on a board 3 hill stops that - one shock, one CH to burn, 1 MA disabled, 2 duds from Pz III then BT immobilises Pz before BT is destroyed. North T26 platoon gets attacked by 10-2 AL but he only gets 1 immobilise before being destroyed. The 2 that escape though are caught by the 10-2 Infantry leader and HMG. HMG manages a kill but infantry in CC can only manage an immobilise result - even after several rounds of CC vs stationary tank!
2 T26 escape off board 4 before the German Mk IV reinforcements can get in position. ATR immobilises AC who then breaks ATR squad. T34 without his platoon needs to make MC to move - fails! Germans now have time to settle in position to meet the T34 but one is destroyed by the KV (who is now too far back and too slow to exit). Next turn T34 passes his non-platoon MC and mechanical reliability, heads for the board edge but is hit by the last Mk IV. First shot fails to kill but has ROF, second shot is wide and Russians win on turn 5 with 3 tanks exiting but nothing else left on board within range of exit (only KV was even mobile).
2019-01-19
(D) Kermit Mullins
vs
Dan Best
German win
Very fun game. Dan's Russians went for an escape along the south edge, but a lucky ATR shot took down one of the three escaping tanks, while the rest went down in the village for a German win.
2019-01-19
(A) Dan Best
vs
Kermit Mullins
German win
2015-11-14
(A) Martí Cabré
vs
Òscar Oliver
Russian win
A fast game with Russian victory on Turn 3. German missed three TK rolls needing a 6 while T34 burned one of the PzIII, only to be wrecked in CC by German infantry. Two Russian tanks and one German malf'd their MA, with the Russian ones repairing it and making for the exit on the south board. It seemed a little tough for the German to be able to stop all of these tanks unless he had some luck firing.
2015-02-15
(D) Seumas Hoskins
vs
Matthew Clark
Russian win
Unless we were missing something this seemed a very unbalanced scenario with Russia winning by turn 2 with 5 tanks off the west edge in the north.
2015-01-14
(A) Stanley Neo
vs
John K
Russian win
Read:
Deliberate Immobilisation, Street Fighting,
Platoon Movement
2014-11-11
(A) Dave Mareske
vs
James Treu
Russian win
2013-09-02
(D) Dave Mareske
vs
Kevin Bradshaw
German win
2013-02-10
(A) Richard Agnew
vs
solo
Russian win
Interesting game. The T-34 and KV2 tied up some of the German units in the town, while the lighter Soviet armour raced for the western edge. The results saw the Soviets achieve victory by exiting 3 tanks on turn 7. The Germans hit them hard, knocking out 6 of their 11 tanks, including the KV2. There were no less than 4 CH's in this game! The kill shot on the KV2 was a side hull kit from the PzIV, needing a 2 or 3 to kill. Of course, it rolled a 3. Very entertaining game.
2013-01-21
(D) Will Willow
vs
Fred Schwarz
Russian win
FTF
2009-10-03
(D) Andy Beaton
vs
KirinT
German win
Came right down to immobilizing the KV2. Very tense, very fast moving and fun
2007-07-14
(A) Jeremy Sullivan
vs
Keith Collins
German win
2007-07-14
(D) Keith Colins
vs
JD Sullivan
German win
Fun early Barbarossa, horde of USSR AFV's attack mixed German defense. Boy those t-34's are sure a terror this early in the champaign.
