Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

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GiveWarAchance
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Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by GiveWarAchance »


Barrikady Factory Battle

scenario by asl3d

This glorious battle began with German troops with light armored support massed to the northeast of the factories while the Russians occupied all the buildings along the streets blocking our noble crusade to secure the factories for the glory of the Reich.

The Russian troops were all hunkered down out of sight while their mortar team started to blast our armored support causing delays with interdicting fire, craters and bewildering the crews.

German squads moved out across the road and were mercilessly put under rifle and machine gun fire causing casualties and pinning them down out on the vulnerable streets, cutting down officers who were trying to rally the troops, and gradually eliminating the troops themselves who cried out in agony while being shot down. Meanwhile, troops in the buildings opposite raked the Russian held buildings with heavy fire, and the satisfying screams of the smitten occupants were the best Christmas presents the troops of the 6th Army had ever had... well except for Nuremberger rib steak sausages and classic German handcrafted toys when the troops were children.

A few German tanks moved down the street and one was destroyed by a lucky shot from a Russian armored car which invited return fire that in turn brewed the car up in a blazing display of instant karma. In a steady grinding urban battle, the Germans made progress into the Barrikady district but the advance was stonewalled at the factories themselves which provide very strong defensive bonuses and places to hunker down and hide for the defenders. German troops and tanks struggled to destroy the Russian troops in the factories with little success. One German platoon was pinned down in the open and another came to try and rescue the wounded but both platoons were completely wiped out while other German units poured fire into the factory in a desperate bid for a little payback. Another platoon tried to approach a factory and was annihilated by concentrated fire from the defenders despite frantic covering fire from the German side. Tank fire had a little effect on the defenses but not enough. One German platoon tried to flush out a sniper but lost its commander and was pinned down by mortar fire. Another Soviet sniper was less lucky and was bayoneted as was his due.

All throughout the combat, a Russian maxim heavy machine gun and a mortar fired constantly from long distance at the target rich environment. Russian forward observers stalked the German line and miraculously avoided frequent fire from German units seeking revenge for the cheapshots the heavy weapons were dishing out.

The assault ground to a halt outside the factories. The final portion of the battle was mostly composed of German troops working over the factories with a lot of fire from tanks and troops with only the occasional scream from within as a reward for their effort.

The German casualties were 6 officers, 19 squads and a tank versus Soviet losses of 3 officers, 24 squads, the lucky armored car (maybe not so lucky considering the crew were cooked when it brewed up) and also 4 heroes.


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Here is the final battlefield view. The German assault only made it 1/4 of the way into the factory district. Russian troops can be seen forming a strong defensive line based on the strong positions in the factories.

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Here are the battle statistics. Oddly, it says only 1 team was lost but multiple teams (platoons) were lost by both sides, but the rest of the numbers appear accurate.
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asl3d
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by asl3d »

Shining!!!
It's the best story I've read for a long time.
Very shining!!!!!
Congratulations.
Stephen Ambrose and Antony Beevor are beginners in front of this narrative full of epic and emotion. I loved it.

Another thing would be the opinion of Friedrich Paulus, commander of the sixth German army. I would think that he received another frustating report, that his officers are not capable of overcoming the resistance of an enemy who had always distinguished for abandoning their combat positions upon hearing the first shot ...
Commander, there is no other option than to try again!!!

I attached the operation map of the scenario.

The red line was roughly the front on October 18, 1942. The Germans still did not have in depth in the main buildings of the industrial complex of the Barrikady Factory. The Soviet resistance was being very intense and increasingly firm.
The yellow line was approximately the front on October 20. The Germans had made some progress, especially in the north and west of the Barrikady Factory. As you could see in your attack the price they had to pay was very high.
The Germans attacked in minority (81 vs 108 units; odds 4: 5). The planned progress lines are the yellow arrows. The main weight should be carried by the Panzergrenadiers of the 14th and 24th Panzer Division, with a few support vehicles. Their halfsquads are the ones that have to lead the attack to detect the enemy, and the still powerful squads have to try close combat versus the Soviets as soon as possible.
Commander, you have little time (8 turns) before the Soviets organize a counterattack.
The orange circles are the main pockets of Soviet resistance. They are formed by increasingly weakened units that have received replacement units of lower quality each time. Especially, the 883th Regiment of the 193th Rifle Division has a notable weakness, as it consists of a combination of Soviet Shtrafniki Militia Criminal Squad, Soviet Conscripts Rifles Squad, and Soviet Second Line HS Rifles.
The crimson circles are the Soviet rearguard. There is the 114th Regiment of Rifles of the Guards, of the Soviet elite unit 37th Division of the Guards, formed by a mix of Soviet Guards Squads, Soviet Siberians Squads, and Soviet Mountain Guards Squads.
Commander, if your attack does not progress quickly you risk the powerful Guards Division making a counterattack and your attack will be stopped again.
Finally, the victory is achieved by the side that, at the end of the scenario, has in its power more Hexes de Victory. On turn 1, the Germans have not Victory Hexes and the Soviets have all (39).
Commander, to win you need to conquer at least 20 Victory Hexes. There are 18 victory hexes in the industrial buildings located beyond the historic front line on October 20.

Commander, if your men conquer any of those buildings you will be worthy of the Iron Cross.



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GiveWarAchance
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by GiveWarAchance »

Oh wow thank you for the detailed information.
That counterattack must be the main reason why my attack was utterly stonewalled in front of the factories, added together with the +4 factory defense bonus. The attack also explains why the Soviets were all on their front line by the end of the battle. That's pretty good scripting and also good AI too.
I love the picture with the added markings about the historical battle. That factory on the right end was where I suffered the bulk of my casualties when my troops tried to approach the building.
Good to know about the objectives and how they work. I was wondering how much of the map needed to be secured to win.

As for detecting the enemy, it was an ugly price to pay moving foward against a fresh line of enemy troops hidden but alert. I was hoping to get in closer for more damage but the enemy fire was quite thick.
I will try again as Paulus recommends with his profound tactical advice. Now that I understand both the battle situation and game tactics much better, I should at least be able to grind a few buildings farther into the bullet-ridden depths of the dreaded Barrikady.
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asl3d
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by asl3d »

GiveWarAchance, just a clarification.

The Target Modifier +4 only works when it is fired at a unit located in a factory hex (Factory interior) from another hex located outside the factory. I have called it "Façade Factory", and it is precisely the hexside that forms the façade of the factory.
However, if it is fired at a unit located in a factory hex (Factory interior) from another hex also in another factory hex (Factory interior), then the target hex only gives the attacked unit a Target Modifier +1, although there is also a loss of visibility that depends on the distance to the target (Degrading).
If you have to shoot, you'd better do it from inside the Factory.
Do not forget the smoke.


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GiveWarAchance
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by GiveWarAchance »

I assumed it was like that so I was trying to crawl units through debris outside the factory to get into it instead of only firing through the thick outer wall. It's good you clarified it cause I wasn't sure. I like the graphical image showing it nicely. But even with some units on overwatch in nearby buildings, the squads I tried to crawl into the factory were badly shot up and at least 3 squads were wiped out completely.

I lost 2 full teams on 1 hex outside the factory on the right end, but one team was only trying to rescue 2 wounded squads who needed to be rallied before retreating them back into buildings. It was odd seeing two abandoned MG34s stacked in 1 hex on the street where the 2 teams were wiped out. The Russians kept them irrevocably pinned with both machine gun and mortar fire until they were wiped out.
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asl3d
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by asl3d »

ORIGINAL: GiveWarAchance

I assumed it was like that so I was trying to crawl units through debris outside the factory to get into it instead of only firing through the thick outer wall. It's good you clarified it cause I wasn't sure. I like the graphical image showing it nicely. But even with some units on overwatch in nearby buildings, the squads I tried to crawl into the factory were badly shot up and at least 3 squads were wiped out completely.

I lost 2 full teams on 1 hex outside the factory on the right end, but one team was only trying to rescue 2 wounded squads who needed to be rallied before retreating them back into buildings. It was odd seeing two abandoned MG34s stacked in 1 hex on the street where the 2 teams were wiped out. The Russians kept them irrevocably pinned with both machine gun and mortar fire until they were wiped out.
GiveWarAchance

Hello GiveWarAchance,

You have tried to use smoke grenades?. Some units have the ability to fire smoke in their adjacent hexes. This provides a +1 protection, very useful on unprotected streets.

Another advice is to move your HS from the right flank to the left. Normally the AI (which is not very intelligent, believe me) usually shoot to everything that moves, but doing so can no longer protect themselves from a violent attack by a leader and several powerful squads. Normally, Close Combat wins and thus you penetrates the building. It has its risk but it usually works.

If I find some time, this weekend I will try to do a tutorial on the scenario, at least the first German turn .....

Courage, soldier !!!!!
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GiveWarAchance
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by GiveWarAchance »

Smoke grenades sound like a big help. I never even knew they were available. Most probably from playing Panzer Corps and Decisive Battles games I never had that option so didn't think of smoke.

What is HS? Huge skunk? I understand what you mean by luring the enemy into rash opportunistic fire to reveal themselves and I suppose a giant skunk would attract a lot of fire from scared troops. I will try that next time and I get it now that a human is not as likely to expose their units for low odds fire. I am thinking now about what you said about melee combat being more effective. In that AAR game, I only used melee to clear bewildered enemy units from hexes like the sniper that was bayoneted. I will try more melee next time. I have a habit of avoiding melee in wargames both on land and at sea and rely on ranged weapons mostly except in Dungeons & Dragons games like Icewind Dale where melee plus ranged mixed combat is the norm.

Thank for you the useful tips. And a tutorial would help a lot. I'm still very green at this game and probably other newcomers find it difficult too.
Gerry4321
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by Gerry4321 »

HS is a half squad.
GiveWarAchance
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by GiveWarAchance »

thank you Gerry
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asl3d
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by asl3d »

ORIGINAL: GiveWarAchance

Smoke grenades sound like a big help. I never even knew they were available. Most probably from playing Panzer Corps and Decisive Battles games I never had that option so didn't think of smoke.

What is HS? Huge skunk? I understand what you mean by luring the enemy into rash opportunistic fire to reveal themselves and I suppose a giant skunk would attract a lot of fire from scared troops. I will try that next time and I get it now that a human is not as likely to expose their units for low odds fire. I am thinking now about what you said about melee combat being more effective. In that AAR game, I only used melee to clear bewildered enemy units from hexes like the sniper that was bayoneted. I will try more melee next time. I have a habit of avoiding melee in wargames both on land and at sea and rely on ranged weapons mostly except in Dungeons & Dragons games like Icewind Dale where melee plus ranged mixed combat is the norm.

Thank for you the useful tips. And a tutorial would help a lot. I'm still very green at this game and probably other newcomers find it difficult too.

As Gerry has already explained very well, HS is an abbreviation of Halft Squad that I knew playing Advanced Squad Leader (ASL).
The truth is that I did not remember well on how I played the Barrikady Factory scenario. A while ago I started the scenario again. Indeed, the tactic is to use the HS to attract and exhaust the Russian defensive fire. From the right of the scenario to the left. The groups of squads are used to assault the weak Russian units that can no longer defend themselves.
Attention with the Close Combat. If it is not resolved in your favor and it is postponed for the next turn, try to increase your strength in it (there is a limit) and solve it first before the AI does.
This weekend I will work on the Barrikady Factiry tutorial. Only the first turn will be enough. I will publish it in AAR.
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GiveWarAchance
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by GiveWarAchance »

When you say 'try to increase your strength' you mean keep all 4 slots of the team full by moving in new squads if one is destroyed?
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asl3d
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by asl3d »

ORIGINAL: GiveWarAchance

When you say 'try to increase your strength' you mean keep all 4 slots of the team full by moving in new squads if one is destroyed?

The idea is as follows (see the attached image):
a) The German Leader wants to conduct a Close Combat against the group of Soviet soldiers located in the middle of the Factory.
b) Notice that the two Soviet squads have already fired, so they can not make Defensive Fire against the attacker German team.
c) Neither does it seem that there are nearby Soviet units that can defend their comrades from an imminent assault.
d) The German Leader decides that the assault group is the units (1).
e) The decision is based on the fact that they are stronger units than the Soviet defenders, and also because they are 2 units and this makes it unlikely that all of them will be eliminated.
f) After the corresponding Close Combat, the result is not good for the Germans. All the Soviets have survived and the Germans have lost an HS.
g) On the next turn, the German Leader has to finish the job, and decides to take the group of units (4) to the Melee.
h) It does not use the Squad (3) because the Close Combat is solved immediately after some additional unit is incorporated into the Melee. The group (4) is stronger than the squad (3) and has more chances to win the Close Combat definitely.
i) Another option would have been that during the turn of the initial Close Combat (step "f"), and after verifying that it was not successful, send squad (3) to Melee, which reinforces the Melee for the next turn (a new Close Combat is not executed immediately). Then, on the next turn, the German assault group (4) also enters the Melee and then Close Combat occurs again.

Can you think of another option?

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GiveWarAchance
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by GiveWarAchance »

When the Soviets fired, didn't it stun or damage units?
I'm wondering when you do melee combat, I thought the melee continues in that hex until one side is wiped. I could be wrong. I only did unit removal melees on stunned units so I don't know what combat melee is like. So if you don't succeed in melee, does your unit back out of the hex before next turn?
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asl3d
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by asl3d »

ORIGINAL: GiveWarAchance

When the Soviets fired, didn't it stun or damage units?
I'm wondering when you do melee combat, I thought the melee continues in that hex until one side is wiped. I could be wrong. I only did unit removal melees on stunned units so I don't know what combat melee is like. So if you don't succeed in melee, does your unit back out of the hex before next turn?

This is just an example. I'm not copying a real combat situation. However, if any of the units surrounding the Russian units in the example were Broken, then their only move option would be to move away from the "Known" enemy units, to find a good hex to Rally with a Leader. They could never enter the Melee.

Close Combat:
A Close Combat ends when either or both sides are eliminated or if either side withdraws from the Melee. But if this does not happen, the melee continues for the next turns. This allows to add more extra units to the Melee to try to win the fight.
In no case does a unit within a Melee automatically leave it. You have to want to do it yourself, and you must first pass a Moral Check.
Melee has another advantage. While a unit is inside a Melee, no other unit outside of Melee can fire into the Melee. Melle works as a "shield" of protection. But, once the Melee is won, the "shield" disappears in the next turn.
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GiveWarAchance
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by GiveWarAchance »

Okay thanks that is useful to know. Your games must look more like a medieval brawl than a modern gun battle.
I guess the idea of the shield is you can hold an enemy soldier captive in front of you as protection from his comrades to prevent them shooting at you like in most Hollywood action movies, but if the shield soldier dies, then the enemy is free to fire through him.... or most probably that's just me overthinking a game mechanic.
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asl3d
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RE: Barrikady Factory Battle in Stalingrad

Post by asl3d »

ORIGINAL: GiveWarAchance

Okay thanks that is useful to know. Your games must look more like a medieval brawl than a modern gun battle.
I guess the idea of the shield is you can hold an enemy soldier captive in front of you as protection from his comrades to prevent them shooting at you like in most Hollywood action movies, but if the shield soldier dies, then the enemy is free to fire through him.... or most probably that's just me overthinking a game mechanic.

That is a good way to say it.
In the Tutorial on the Barrikady Factory Scenario, that I just published, there are some examples of what we are talking about, especially in the first Close Combat.

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