Panzer Grenadier: Indian Unity
Developer’s Preview
By Doug McNair
October 2010

Mike must be having far too much fun designing the scenarios for Battles of 1866: Frontier Battles, because he sent me another project to work on while he continues pushing Prussian and Austrian counters around. Panzer Grenadier: Indian Unity is a downloadable supplement chronicling Operation Polo, the Indian invasion of the independent state of Hyderabad in 1948. Unwilling to sacrifice his sovereignty when the new state of India was created in 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad chose independence even though he knew full well that India would never allow an independent Muslim state within its own borders. So he prepared for battle, mustering his army and putting out the call for Muslim militia to fight the invading infidels. Two hundred thousand militiamen answered the call, nearly ten times the size of Hyderabad’s regular army. The two forces fought side by side with little artillery or armor support against India’s modern army of tanks, infantry, artillery and aircraft.

Indian Unity comes with ten scenarios covering the entire conflict, plus a full sheet of downloadable counters representing the forces of India and Hyderabad in 1948. Below are summaries of the scenarios with developer’s commentary by me. We hope you enjoy them.

Scenario One
Provocation
6 September 1948

Across the Deccan highlands that included the princely state of Hyderabad, Communist insurgents beheaded Muslim landlords and encouraged peasants to seize their land and form communes. In retaliation, a powerful Hyderabad politician, Qasim Razvi, formed a Muslim militia known as the Razakars. Razvi's men burned villages that had turned out their landlords and murdered those they thought might be communists. According to Indian accounts, a mob of Razakars crossed into Indian territory at the village of Chillakallu. The Indian Army then sent a force of tanks and Gurkhas to "investigate" the incident.

Conclusion

The Razakars shot up the police station, and were still attacking the town when Indian infantry and tank reinforcements appeared. The militia fled back across the border into Hyderabad with the Indians in hot pursuit, leaving a number of dead police and militants behind.

Developer’s Commentary

The scenario starts with two Indian INF units in a town, representing the local police force. The Razakar militia attack them and try to take the town before Gurkhas enter the board to throw them out. Since the police have no artillery support, I started the game later in the day and allowed the Razakars to start just outside the INF units’ fire range rather than entering on the south edge. I then gave the Razakars four turns to try to take the town before the Indian player gets to start rolling for reinforcements. Given the low firepower of the Razakars, they’re going to have a tough time digging even two Indian INF out of the town before the Gurkhas show up, at which point the latter will slice through the Razakars with ease while the Sherman tanks supporting them can just fire point blank with little or no fear. So rather than going with VP-based victory conditions, I went with Major and Minor victory levels that are skewed well toward the Razakars.

Scenario Two
Over the Line
6 September 1948

The Indian Army force's pursuit of the Razakar militia over the border brought them into contact with Hyderabad's regular army. The Indians would later contend that the Hyderabadis had full knowledge of the Razakar raid; the Hyderabadis never had to opportunity to confirm or deny the charge. In any event, when the Indians ran into a regular Hyderabad force, fighting immediately broke out.

Conclusion

The Indian tankers chased the Razakars over the border, leaving their infantry support behind in their frenzy to run down the Muslims. Once they crossed the border they found the Hyderabadis more than willing to fight: Kodad lay along the main highway to the Nizam's capital and the local garrison appears to have interpreted the action as a sneak attack. The Hyderabad "armor" regiments only fielded armored cars, however, and they got the worst of the action with the Indian Shermans.

Developer’s Commentary

I had to let the Indians start rolling for reinforcements much earlier than in Mike’s original design, or the Gurkhas (especially their slower heavy machinegun unit) would never have time to get across the board to the town and take it. The Hyderabadi armored cars have no chance against the Indian Shermans, but I had to give them and the Razakars a reason to fight the Indians rather than just running for the town and hunkering down there. So I made the roads objectives as well as the town, meaning the Indians have to clear the Razakars units off the roads and also go after the armored cars aggressively to keep them from zipping behind them and occupying the roads. That will spread the battle out a bit and give the Hyderabadis a reason to fight rather than hide.

Scenario Three
Naldurg Fort
13 September 1948

The Indian Army staff laid out an ambitious two-pronged invasion of Hyderabad, over the strenuous objections of army commander-in-chief Sir Roy Bucher. Bucher, a British officer left over from the colonial administration, warned Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his cabinet that starting a war with Hyderabad while Pakistan's stance in the ongoing Kashmir crisis remained unclear would be extremely dangerous. Nehru insisted the invasion go forward and Bucher angrily resigned, accusing the Indian politicians of strategic stupidity and moral cowardice, forgetting Gandhi's principles less than a year after the Mahatma's death. The first obstacle met by the invaders would be the massive, aged masonry fort at Naldurg.

Conclusion

The Hyderabadis had been alerted to the coming invasion (probably thanks to the constantly raiding Razakars), yet when the Indians came the princely troops proved unable to stop them. An Indian flying column seized the bridge without opposition, capturing a British mercenary charged with blowing it up before he could set off his charges. With the bridge taken and the Indians streaming past and unimpressed by the fire of a Hyderabadi 25-pounder battery ensconced behind the crumbling walls, the Nizam's men abandoned the fort during the day.

Developer’s Commentary

I cut the game to 22 turns because the river isn’t that much of an obstacle with easy crossing numbers, and because the Indians have higher morale and more than double the Hyderabadi firepower. So they’ll need an incentive to keep moving rather than just sit back and hammer the Hyderabadis into submission. At the same time, the Hyderabadis need an incentive to not just blow the bridge ASAP since it’s a valuable asset. So I went with VP-based victory conditions that reward whoever holds the bridge at the end IF the bridge is intact, but due to the aforementioned Indian advantages I required the Indians to score twice as many VPs as the Hyderabadis to win.

Scenario Four
Hyderabad Lancers
13 September 1948

On Hyderabad's eastern border, the weaker of the Indian pincers met the strongest Hyderabadi forces, who expected the main effort to come on this front. The Indians surged up the same highway they'd used to attack Kodad a week earlier, with much greater force. But the Nizam's army had deployed its best units here to stop the Indians at any cost.

Conclusion

The Hyderabadi Lancers had seen action in the Middle East under British command, and this veteran unit put up fierce resistance to the Indian invaders. The Razakars fought desperately as well, but the Hyderabad troops had few weapons capable of stopping the Indian Shermans and eventually the defenders had to fall back.

Developer’s Commentary

I had to expand the map one more to the east beyond Mike’s original design so as not to force the Hyderabadis to give up good forest cover in exchange for letting the Indians enter the board outside Hyderabadi fire range. I then started the game a couple of turns earlier to allow the Indians to cross the eastern board, and then had the Hyderabadi Lancers start rolling for entry on Turn Three. This one is basically a rerun of Scenario Two with larger forces, so I went with approximately the same victory conditions as that one.

Scenario Five
The Sugar Factory
13 September 1948

The Indian Army's invasion plan rejected an invasion from the south, since no gains made there would force the Nizam's surrender. The local commander, Brigadier N.V. Bal, objected to this omission and ordered his eclectic collection of troops forward anyway. At the town of Hospet, they ran into determined defenders occupying a sugar factory dominating a river crossing.

Note: This scenario uses a board from Road to Berlin and pieces from Cassino ’44.

Conclusion

The Mysore infantry became pinned down under Hyderabadi fire and berserk close assaults by sword-wielding Razakars. Bal committed more and more of his forces, which included an armored train and the Indian Army's only remaining horsed cavalry regiment. Twice the Indians took the sugar factory only to be ejected again by Hyderabadi assaults. Seizing it a third time, they finally managed to fight off the Nizam's troops.

Developer’s Commentary

Mike’s original design didn’t include the armored train, so I added that as a final reinforcement. Due to low Hyderabadi firepower, high Razakar morale and superior Indian numbers, I made the victory conditions all-or-nothing for the Indians. The Indian player has the following three objectives:
1. The bridge hex and all town hexes are free of undemoralized Hyderabadi combat units at the end of play.
2. There are at least twice as many undemoralized Indian as Hyderabadi steps north of the river at the end of play (the armored train counts double; wagons don’t count).
3. At the end of play no more than 10 Indian steps have been eliminated (tanks count double).

Failure by the Indian player to achieve any of the objectives above results in a Hyderabadi victory.

Scenario Six
Tuljapur Ridge
13 September 1948

Pulling back from Naldurg Fort, the Hyderabadi regulars took up positions on a ridge blocking the road to Tuljapur. Ninth Brigade sent forward a combined arms task force built around a battalion of Gurkhas supported by a squadron of Sherman tanks to break the position in a frontal assault. As word spread of the Indian invasion, Razakar fanatics hastened to reinforce the Nizam's regular forces.

Conclusion

For once, the Hyderabadis put up stubborn resistance, holding off the Gurkhas for over two hours despite the Nepalese reputation as close-quarters fighters. While the Indians had tanks, the Hyderabadis had anti-tank guns and enough wartime experience to know how to use them. By late afternoon the Indians had resumed their advance.

Developer’s Commentary

Once again I had to expand the map eastward by one so that the Indians aren’t entering the board within fire range of the Hyderabadis. I also upped RAZ morale to 8/5 since the intro says they were fanatical. Other than that this one was pretty good and just needed general cleanup.

Scenario Seven
The Ditch at Kodad
14 September 1948

Indian accounts describe a victory on the 13th at Kodad, driving off the Hyderabadi regulars and Razakars, yet the next morning the official history has them fighting for the town again. Overnight the Hyderabadis had dug an anti-tank ditch to offer some protection against the Indian Shermans, called up reinforcements and dug in behind the ditch to block the highway to the capital.

Conclusion

Dug in and ready for the attack, the Hyderabadis held off the Indians for hours, as the Shermans could not get over the ditch and the infantry could not get through the Nizam's lines without their support. Finally, crazed Gurkha sappers dared the heavy automatic weapons fire to fill in the ditch enough to allow the tanks to cross. Backed by tanks, the Gurkha infantry surged into the Hyderabadi trenches. After fierce close-quarters fighting, the kukri-wielding Gurkhas drove the Hyderabadis out of their positions, but they pulled back in good order.

Developer’s Commentary

I cut the board in half by nixing the southern three boards, because those boards had no objectives on them and the Hyderabadis can’t defend a two-board front against a higher-morale enemy even with the AT ditch. If the Indians had a two-board front to work with, they’d just launch a two-pronged attack and pin the northern Hyderabadi forces in place while hitting their south flank, crossing the ditch and then cutting northward behind the northern ditch-defenders. That doesn’t match the scenario history, which describes a desperate frontal assault. So I went with just the northern three boards, allowing the large Hyderabadi force to set up on a short front behind the ditch and requiring the Indians to push right through them. Then since the intro says the town was the objective and since the Hyderabadis actually have decent firepower for once, I went with VP-based victory conditions that reward players for killing enemy steps and taking or holding town hexes. I then lengthened the game to 22 turns to give more time for the Indians to get across the ditch and to the towns. But because the Indians have big advantages in morale, airpower, artillery and in assault combat (due to the skills of the Gurkhas), I said they have to score twice as many VPs as the Hyderabadis to win.

Scenario Eight
Violent Resistance
14-15 September 1948

While the major city of Aurangabad fell with only token resistance, the Hyderabadis dispatched regulars and Razakars to hold the nearby town of Jalna, an important road junction. Elated at their easy conquest of the big city, the Indians did not expect the fierce resistance they encountered as they moved eastward.

Conclusion

The Hyderabadis fought furiously through the night, engaging the Sikhs in hand-to-hand combat. In the darkness, Razakar fanaticism could help offset superior Indian firepower and the town remained in the hands of the royal troops. But as the sun rose, the Indian tanks no longer had to close with the enemy and Indian mobility could make itself felt. By mid-morning the town had fallen, and Hyderabad's defenses were crumbling on all fronts.

Developer’s Commentary

Mike originally designed this as a 40-turn game that lasted all night long and into the following morning per the historical battle. But this one doesn’t really rate 40 turns since it’s a simple defensive action by the Hyderabadis. So I cut this down to just a night scenario, ending it at dawn since the conclusion says the Hyderabadis broke then anyway. I also upped Razakar morale since the conclusion says that their fanaticism compensated for Indian firepower during the night. Then I went with Major and Minor victory conditions that require the Indians to clear the Hyderabadis off lots of roads and out of the town without losing too many steps. That should keep them busy for the whole 29 turns of the game.

Scenario Nine
The Nizam's Own
15 September 1948

As the royal army fell back, the fanatic Muslim Razakar militia became even more determined to resist the invaders. Seeing little hope of foreign intervention or military victory, the Nizam released the tough mercenaries of his royal bodyguard to reinforce the troops at the front. Near the town of Suriapet the guard's cavalry regiment, most of its troops Somali soldiers of fortune, moved up to stop the Indian column approaching the city of Hyderabad from the east.

Conclusion

Razakar roadblocks allowed the Somali horsemen to take up strong positions blocking the Indian advance. Then the planes came. Indian Air Force Tempests blasted the cavalry and militia with pinpoint strikes, killing many men and horses and throwing the rest into disorder. Seeing their enemies' plight, the Gurkhas swarmed forward with kukris swinging, completing the rout of the Nizam's finest.

Developer’s Commentary

Once again I gave the Razakars relatively high morale since the intro says they became even more determined to resist. Then, since the Hyderabadi cavalry can easily stay outside Indian fire range and cut behind the advancing Indians to occupy the road, I eliminated clearing the road as an Indian objective. Instead, I went with clearing the town and getting forces off the west edge. That gives the CAV a reason to charge the Indian flanks as they advance past Razakar roadblocks. I then increased game length to 26 turns to give the Indians time to do this.

Scenario Ten
Southward Bound
3 August 1944

In the months before the Indian invasion, Osman Ali Kham, last Nizam of Hyderabad and reputedly the richest man in the world, desperately tried to obtain modern arms to defend his kingdom. He engaged the Australian spy and aviator Sidney Cotton, one of the models for Ian Fleming's James Bond, to obtain the weapons and smuggle them through Indian territory.

Conclusion

The Nizam desperately wanted tanks (and aircraft) for his armed forces, and thanks to Hyderabad's heavy commitment to the Allied cause in the Second World War he had plenty of experienced officers and crew to man them. But Cotton, despite his undoubted skills and commitment to his famous Eleventh Commandment ("Thou shalt not be found out"), could not manage to bring heavy equipment across Indian territory. He did manage to import tens of thousands of rifles and other light arms, allowing 50,000 Razakars to take the field with modern weapons. But despite a world awash in surplus arms, the importation of tanks proved beyond even Cotton's abilities, and this tank battle never took place.

Developer’s Commentary

This is a quick tank duel, and the Indians have an increasing advantage over time because their tanks have tank efficiency while the Hyderabadi tanks do not. This means the Indian tanks will get to take twice as many shots, so even though some of the Hyderabadi tanks are superior they’ll get worn down over time. So I cut the game to 10, turns and went with straight VP-based victory conditions for killing enemy steps.

That covers it for Indian Unity. Stay tuned for more of my preview of scenarios from Black SS, plus other downloadable supplements coming soon!

Click here to order Panzer Grenadier: Indian Unity TODAY!