Panzer Grenadier: Workers & Peasants
Developer’s Preview, Part Two
By Doug McNair
July 2010

As promised, here is my preview and commentary on the scenarios in the Army Group North section of our new Panzer Grenadier supplement, Workers and Peasants.

ARMY GROUP NORTH
Scenario One
On Their Own
15 July 1941

In an effort to secure a bridge over the Luga River, Kampfgruppe Raus had traveled for two days and nights with little rest. The narrow roads they traveled had never seen a motor vehicle, so every breakdown created an instant roadblock as there was no room on either side to bypass stalled vehicles. Arriving late in the afternoon the Germans attacked the bridge, which was guarded by an armored security detachment supported by a large force of militia.

Conclusion

This was the baptism of fire for the Soviet militiamen, and it showed. They went to ground as soon as they took fire and let the Soviet armor advance alone. The Kommisars finally got their men going again just in time to see the armor decimated, so when the militiamen went to ground again no one could get them going.

Developer’s Commentary

The Soviet militia vastly outnumbers the Germans, and the light German tanks of Kampfgruppe Raus haven’t got a chance against the KV-1s guarding the bridge. So I expanded the map a bit to give the Germans a bit more room to maneuver upon entry. The Soviet militia can just throw up walls of humanity ahead of the German infantry to slow them down so they’ll have trouble reaching the bridge by the end of play. That said, Mike Perryman had the right idea on victory conditions: force the Soviets to hold multiple territorial objectives rather than making the Germans kill steps or take the town. So all I had to do was modify the victory conditions a bit to make things easier on the Germans.

Scenario Two
Swamp Rats
7 September 1941

After the 1st Separate Mountain Brigade was forced to retreat from Mga Station and into the surrounding swamps, part of an NKVD rifle division was sent to their aid. It was to no avail, as the Germans slowly pushed them back towards Sinyavino. The loss of that village would render the defenses in the sector untenable, so the Soviets launched an all-out effort to hold the position.

Conclusion

Parts of two mobile divisions easily drove through the Soviet defenders. The NKVD men limped away to the west while 1st Separate Mountain Brigade fell back to the east to make a stand at Sinyavino. It was no use and they soon lost the village, but that would be overshadowed by the failure of inform Stavka of the loss of Fortress Shlissel'burg. When Stalin found out about it from a German communiqué, the front commander was ordered to Moscow and Marshal Zhukov was sent there to salvage the situation.

Developer’s Commentary

This is a very large scenario in a very swampy area, so to maximize the effects of the latter I reworked the map to include one of the swamp maps from our new August, 1914 game. I lengthened the game slightly because the Germans must cross two boards in the face of huge Soviet numbers in order to score VPs, but other than that this scenario was quite well done and just needed some adjustments to the victory conditions.

Scenario Three
Discovered
11 September 1941

The morning found 6th Panzer Division cleaning up its flanks. Once that was accomplished, four battalions managed to infiltrate almost all the way through the Kransnogvardeisk Fortified Region before being discovered. Soon enemy cavalry arrived to drive them back.

Conclusion

The Soviet attack was dealt with and the advance continued. By the following night, Kransnogvardeisk would fall under the swastika. As the German juggernaut rolled on it appeared nothing short of a miracle would save Leningrad.

Developer’s Commentary

This is a large but relatively quick scenario on a relatively thin board, with the Germans entering on the south edge and trying to get units off the north edge while the Soviets try to stop them. The Soviets have plenty of entrenchments with lots of HMG units to man them, but their infantry is relatively weak so their cavalry will be their main striking force. That will be a tough job against a higher-morale opponent with armor support, so I adjusted victory conditions to give the Soviets a fighting chance while still portraying the urgency of stopping the German advance at all costs.

Scenario Four
Zelenets Station
8 November 1941

The 8th Panzer Division had been ordered east through swampy terrain with few roads in order to outflank the defenders of Zelenets Station. A heavy snow had recently fallen, further hampering movement.

Conclusion

The Soviets spotted the move to leverage them out of Zelenets Station and sent a reinforced rifle division to deal with the problem. On a bitterly cold day (-20 Fahrenheit) they attacked at first light. Working their way around and through the numerous swamps they drove off the invaders.

Developer’s Commentary

This is another large scenario where a Soviet wall of humanity tries to stop a German armored advance. I redid the map using the swampy maps from August 1914, which also better reflect the size of Zelenets Station. Other than that it’s a well-done scenario that just needed new victory conditions that better reflect the Soviet objectives of holding specific locations and stopping the German advance.

Scenario Five
Patriots
11 November 1941

After being delayed for almost two weeks, the Soviets were finally prepared to move on Ust'-Tosno. It had been determined that whoever controlled the stone houses there would control the planned bridgehead over the Tosno River, but it had also been determined that assaulting the village was akin to suicide. So the request went out for volunteers, and unsurprisingly many patriots came forward.

Note: This scenario uses a board from Road to Berlin and boards and pieces from Eastern Front.

Conclusion

The after-action reports from both sides vary so widely that it is hard to ascertain what really happened. The only certainty is that the Germans were still in procession of Ust'-Tosno when the battle ended. The Soviets would throw more and more men and materiel into the battle in the coming days but would be constantly rebuffed.

Developer’s Commentary

Ust’-Tosno sits on the south bank of the Neva River at a point where it’s at least a kilometer wide, so I had to add rules saying all hexes north of the east-west road are unplayable. I then reworked the map to make the road conform to the riverbank as much as possible. I lengthened the game slightly to 20 turns to give the Soviets more time to get units across the Tosno River since they only have two ENG units to help with crossings. For the same reason, I also went with VP-based victory conditions that reward players for killing enemy steps and taking or holding town hexes, but which also give the Soviets a bonus for getting units across the Tosno while not penalizing them for not doing so.

Scenario Six
Buying Time
10 December 1941

Having driven the Hitlerites out of Tikhvin on the 9th, Soviet troops eagerly pursued them until nightfall. The Germans then decided to leave behind a rear guard while their remaining mobile units sped away to safety.

Conclusion

On a bitterly cold day a long way from home, the German rear guard bought time for the others to escape. It came at a horrible cost for those involved, as the 151st Infantry Regiment was decimated and its motorized component fought to the last man. But their sacrifice had not been in vain, as three mobile divisions escaped unscathed to fight another day.

Developer’s Commentary

Here a Soviet human wave tries to break through a thin German line. Deep snow slows the Soviet advance but the Soviets have plenty of time to get off the west edge, so the Germans will have to mount a creative defense. It’s another well-done scenario that just needed some simplification in the special rules section and new victory conditions that reward the Germans for holding the line rather than requiring the Soviets to take specific objectives or kill German steps.

Scenario Seven
Buying More Time
19 December 1941

The Germans had been driven out of Bol'shaia Vishera on the 16th with the Soviets in hot pursuit. They would need to buy some time for their fall-back positions on the Volkhov River to be completed, so on the 19th they turned to offer battle in the frozen swamps west of Bol'shaia Vishera.

Conclusion

The Soviets had not expected the Germans to make a stand until reaching the Volkhov River. So when they turned and offered combat the Soviets were surprised and could not respond effectively. The Germans so dominated the fight that they abandoned their retreat until events on their flank much later made it prudent to do so.

Developer’s Commentary

Same basic idea as the last scenario but on a longer and swampier board. I redid the map to eliminate towns and maximize swamps, since there’s nothing west of Bol’shaya Vishera but swamps. Given what it says in the conclusion about the Soviets being unable to respond effectively to the Germans turning to fight, I gave the Germans higher initiative. Since the whole board is nothing but swamp there aren’t any objectives for the Germans to hold, so I went with VP-based victory conditions that reward the Soviets for killing German steps and getting Soviet steps off the west edge, and reward the Germans for stopping them. I also skewed victory conditions toward the Germans given the huge Soviet numerical advantage.

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