Steamroller ETO (id:#61332)
(BFP 4: Crucible of Steel ID: BFP-82)   [next]   [previous]
See Also: Steamrollers by Critical Hit Steamroller Farm by View From the Trenches
Designer: Chas Smith
Starter kit scenario?:    Deluxe scenario?:
 
Balance:
GermanRussian
54.545454545455%

Overview:

Kampfgruppe Von Oppeln, Panzer Division 6, was ordered to cross the Donets River near Belgorod, but the Russians had destroyed the bridge. The moved to a new crossing point but were hammered by area artillery and air attacks. The Germans were forced to turn south and cross near Solomino. They came into the attack between the 7th and 19th Panzer Divisions. They smashed through this area like a steamroller. However, the Russians had excellent defenses in depth with dug-in infantry supported by antitank nests and tanks. A Tiger and two panzer companies, one containing all the flamethrower tanks, were sent to attack the Ssolojew State Farm.
Attacker: German (Kampfgruppe Von Oppein, Panzer Division 6)
Defender: Russian (209th Guards Rifle Regiment, 73rd Guards Rifle Division)  
6.5 turns
    Players: 2     OBA: None     Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:16.0 D:9.5
AFVs: A:11
PzKpfw VIE x 2
PzKpfw IIIL x 2
PzKpfw III(Fl) x 2
Pz KV-1/M42(r) x 2
SPW 251/1 x 3

AFVs: D:3
KV-1S x 2
Churchill III(b)

Guns: A:0 D:2
76.2mm P obr. 39
37mm ZP obr. 39
PTRD-41 ATR x 3
50mm RM obr. 40

Victory Conditions:

Exit VP: Building Control VC: Area Control VC:
Unit Based VC: LOS Style VC: CVP Cap:
Misc Rules: Both: Var OB choices (armor and guns). D: Fortification purchase. Churchill is dug-in.
Overlays: X9 X13 X28 X29 G3 O4
Errata (source)
Players wanting to play this game/Request a match:

Scenario info

Last Played:
DateReporterOpponentBal.ResultTimeComments
2024-07-23(D) David Ramsey vs Martin Barker Russian win

(VASL Log)		This time we tried the scenario with a focused defence around one building. Martin didn't have his best game, but against a defence masterminded by Toby, who can blame him! As featured on IR105
2024-04-20(D) Paul Legg vs Tuomo Lukkari German winIlluminating Rounds Tournament
2024-04-20(A) Tuomo Lukkari vs Paul Legg German win
2024-04-17(D) David Ramsey vs Steve Slunt Russian winRussian defender (me) had the luck during the sessions with Steve also rolling poorly - and getting no luck with bog checks and repair attempts. The jury's out as to whether an extremely condensed Russian defence would be impenetrable, but I went with a fairly standard setup with the 152s rather than the 45Ls that seemed to pay off.
2024-03-28(D) Dave Mareske vs Tim Reade German winIlluminating Rounds Tournament.
2024-03-24(A) Andy Bagley vs Richard Webb German winA big scenario with lots going on, most of it favouring the Germans in this one. Not so much with getting lucky DRs, more by avoiding unlucky ones, as I went the whole game with no mechanical breakdowns, no malfs, no bogs in woods or wire, and even the FT PzkwIIIs kept firing. A well-placed dug-in Churchill proved a nuisance, but I was able to take the main buildings on the East side by turn 4, and had also captured the western building by then with my flanking force. With few German casualties and huge Russian losses, my opponent conceded on turn 5.
2024-03-15(D) Douglas Leslie vs Tom Repetti Russian win

(VASL Log)		This was a re-match of my first round game in the previous year's Illuminating Rounds Tournament against Tom Repetti and, for the second time, I was the defender. The Russians get to buy fortifications and the choice of these will clearly be important to the outcome of the game. I decided to concentrate these around the M3 "Alamo" building. A mixture AT ditches and 2 factors of AT mines in O4 and P3 made it impossible for German AFVs to reach M3 without risk of bog and immobilisation. Wire in the surrounding wood locations made it difficult for German infantry to make headway and the four woods locations to the west of M3 also had six factors of AP mines to stiffen the defences in that area. I used the full allowed allocation of dummy counters which set up in the western buildings to force the Germans to waste time by sending more than a token force to clear the area. Real units set up in the central buildings who were under orders to sacrifice their lives to delay the onslaught on M3. They were covered by the dug in Churchill, an AA gun and one 75L ART piece. Back at the Alamo, the second 75L gun and two 152mm guns covered the approaches to M3 to take out any German AFVs who were firing on M3 or attempted to cross the wire and AT mines. Two anti-tank crews set up adjacent to O4/P3 with orders to attack any bogged vehicles with MOLs. The defence went as well as I could have hoped. By the start of Turn 5 the Germans only had one mobile AFV left and Tom decided to concede with the German infantry still facing the need to cross the Russian fortifications while under fire from the heavily defended Russian defensive positions around M3. This is a fun scenario with a lot of replay value. The Germans have a lot of objectives to achieve and have to worry about HIP AT crews emerging from the plentiful concealment terrain to snatch buildings at the end. There is also no SSR to prevent the Russians driving both reinforcing tanks adjacen to victory buildings, abandoning them and advancing into victory buildings in the final turn. The need to guard against such chicanery makes it tough for the Germans to amass sufficient force to overwhelm a strongly defended Alamo building, so I think that I got my defence right for this one. This proves the adage that even a broken clock gets the time right twice a day...
2024-02-28(A) Jim Bishop vs Martin Barker German winRussians choices: 76L, 45L, and the AT Crew group. German choices: MkIVF2 and the 4X4-6-8 group. IMO this one is particularly hard on the Russians. The Germans have so much mobility with all the AFV it is hard for the Russians to cover everything they need to cover. As such, the Defender tends to spread out everywhere and thus really defends no where. I forgot to use riders but it works out for the best as it allows my tanks to come on and do some work early. The Tigers and MkIV have good MG and the MkIII are also particularly good. I established a kill stack in the center with 3XMMG and the 10-2. This could rake the whole Russian line. On the right, I assaulted the two hex building with ht and squads. The first building fell on turn 3. On turn 4, 3 more buildings fell and the Tigers set up to receive the KV-1S destroying both in Russian turn 4. In German turn 5, every Russian unit but for 2X4-5-8 and a 2-4-8 are broken. The Tigers are Adjacent to the center buildings, both FT tanks are still in action and roaming the battle field, and German ht are cutting rout paths all over the map.

There was one bit of excitement in Turn 4. Germans advance into a building for CC at 3:1. Germans roll a 6,6 and the Russians elect to withdraw. This sets up an encircling shot in the upcoming Russian PFPh which is promptly established. Then a 45L starts shooting at the encircled units. A full break there would have allowed the Russians to recapture the building and give them some hope. Alas, the Germans stood firm in Prep Fire. Were able to extricate themselves in their turn 5 movement, and restore the position. Two FT tanks were on the way and would be there next turn to stabilize the position.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Martin resigned at the end of Russian Turn 5 PFPh.
2023-05-08(A) John Garlic vs Daniel Sullivan German win[Imported from ROAR]
2023-05-03(D) Craig Renier vs Rich Jenulis German winA weak Russian setup gave the Germans a leg up in this scenario. The Germans attacked in force from the West side which was sorely under defended. Adding insult to injury, the Russian guns could not hit the side of a barn nor keep rate. Despite 8 morale, Russian squads failed MCs and eventually surrendered. The Russians did have moderate success with the placement of minefields, but it was not nearly enough to stem the tide. As the attackers closed in on the final building, a Russian AFV attempted to move into the building but fell into the cellar. This was followed by the last Russian squad in the building breaking after an attack by the German Pz III (Fl).
2023-05-03(A) Richard Jenulis vs Craig Renier German win2023 Chicago Open round six
2022-12-11(D) Asad Rustum vs Jacob Elmqvist Russian winA great scenario with lots of opportunities for the defence and offence and with variable OB and a variable Russian fortification buy. Germans took too many infantry casualties to be able to push through.
2022-10-30(D) Asad Rustum vs Michal Sedlacko Russian win
2022-10-30(A) Michal Sedlacko vs Asad Rustum Russian win[Imported from ROAR]
2022-02-20(D) Louis Langdeau vs Lee M German winSolid scenario. I took the 152s, which I feel like are a bit of a trap choice. I didn't help that when I put one of them into a Pillbox, and outpositioned myself for Lee's thrust down my left flank. The German tanks flooded the building area, and my coverage of anti-tank weaponry was too weak on that side. I made a play of it, but some bad fire discipline on my side put me even further behind. There was a few turns where it looked like Lee may not make it to the furthest wooden building, but in the end he managed to make it there on Turn 6. Would play again!
2020-12-13(D) Jeff B vs Tom Mueller German win14.25 hrs100 tanks vs. 100 guns; not my favorite type of scenario. Unfortunately you get a lot of those in BFP products, especially in Kursk. The first half of the game saw the Germans on the short end of the stick. The highlights for me were braining an officer with an ATR and, with the same unit, braining a FT-toting 8-3-8. Otherwise it was pretty boring, just sitting back waiting to spring my gun traps. Once these were all sprung it was just a matter of the Germans tightening the noose and squeezing me to death. My last-ditch effort of taking back a building with my HIP AT crews proved fruitless as I literally had two good order units left to support them. It went to the end, that's the only good thing I have to say. Bleh.
2020-09-29(A) Andy Bagley vs Neil Brunger German winNever give up! At the start of Turn 6 (of 7), I thought I'd lost it as the Germans, having just run into minefields and the last of the HIP Russian guns, and having had my FT tank roll boxcars on its first shot. But I pressed on with my tactic of blasting from long-ish range with my tanks and going in with the infantry, and persistence eventually paid off after a couple of good dice-rolls. Lack of leaders is a significant weakness for the Russians in this scenario, and by the last turn all of his infantry and broken, and I was able to dodge a few tank shots to occupy the last of the buildings. A great game, won by the narrowest of margins.
2019-06-17(A) Martí Cabré vs Alberto González German winAn excellent scenario, with the defender buying fortifications from a list. The German units are outstanding, but many of them will fall. In my case I did a two pronged attack from southwest and southeast using some covering to get to firing positions, I lost three halftracks and a PzIII during the approach, but that gave me the position of his guns, then with aggressive movements I knocked out his five guns and his two heavy machineguns using the flamethrowers, the tigers and all the infantry, leaving the Russians without proper defense to defend a lone position three turns, so on turn 4 he conceded the game.
2017-10-03(A) Michael Rodgers vs Jeff Wasserman German winWent to the last CC Phase.
2017-06-23(A) Tom Kearney vs Al Saltzman Russian winCrucible of Steel linked.
2014-07-13(A) Jeff Waldon vs Will Willow German winVASL
2013-06-04(D) X von Marwitz vs Chris Hofland Russian winA very exciting scenario with a lot of toys. Both sides select some variable forces as part of the setup-process, which is always fun. For the Russian, there is a game before the game when figuring out which fortifications to buy and how to place them, what I like to do, too. When the game starts, what the German can throw at you is impressive if not intimidating. I think some losses, the German will incur during their approach have been factored into the scenario design. Once the Germans get close with their infantry (not before cursing his opponent for his guns), it will get tricky for the Russian.
My opponent was maybe a little too audacious with his AFVs which allowed me to take out the two FT-Tanks and some valuable Assault Engineers in HTs before they unloaded. This was the foundation of preserving some valuable real estate for Mother Russia.
2012-01-28(A) Bob Callen vs Keith Spurlock Russian winGood game, lost when a HIP 1-2-8 revealed and retook a building in my backfield. Had prepared for this by leaving a couple of units behind, but one unti (in a ht) couldn't make it when it bogged on a hedge, the other unit was pinned by a sniper and could not move the final turn!
2012-01-28(D) keith Spurlock vs Bob Callen Russian win[Imported from ROAR]
2011-12-11(D) Paolo Cariolato vs arlecchino79 Russian winGreat scenario, lot of toys and option for the attacker, the defender can choose between different fortification types , highly recommended.
View all or balance report
ActionDate
asloser Added a playing2025-04-20 04:22:34
Dave Added a playing2024-07-30 22:05:15
Paul Legg Added a playing2024-05-25 18:06:28
Dave Added a playing2024-05-08 21:51:56
Andy_Bagley Added a playing2024-04-05 08:19:01
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VASL Log file (steamroller-drmb-full.vlog)VASL Game LogDave376
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Statistics:
Avg Rating: 7.07Votes: 29
Views: 9359
To-Play list count: 7
Estimated Play time: 7.7 hours
Recorded Games: 22
Archive recorded plays:
German12
Russian10
Drawn:0

ROAR Data: (as of today)
Steamroller
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[A] German 32
[D] Russian 34
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