FiAx007 
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Mopping up First Axis #8 |
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(Attacker)
Germany
(Attacker) Slovak Republic |
vs | Soviet Union (Defender) |
| Formations Involved | ||
|---|---|---|
| Germany |  |
Heer |
| Germany |  |
Schnell Gruppe Coretti |
| Slovak Republic |  |
Mobile |
| Soviet Union |  |
Army (RKKA) |
| Total | |
|---|---|
| Side 1 | 2 |
| Draw | 0 |
| Side 2 | 0 |
| Overall Rating, 2 votes |
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2
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| Scenario Rank: --- of 913 |
| Parent Game | First Axis |
|---|---|
| Historicity | Historical |
| Date | 1941-06-27 |
| Start Time | 08:00 |
| Turn Count | 20 |
| Visibility | Day |
| Counters | 68 |
| Net Morale | 0 |
| Net Initiative | 0 |
| Maps | 4: 15, 17, 18, 21 |
| Layout Dimensions | 86 x 56 cm 34 x 22 in |
| Play Bounty | 158 |
| AAR Bounty | 171 |
| Total Plays | 2 |
| Total AARs | 1 |
| Battle Types |
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| Inflict Enemy Casualties |
| Rural Assault |
| Conditions |
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| Entrenchments |
| Hidden Units |
| Minefields |
| Off-board Artillery |
| Scenario Requirements & Playability | |
|---|---|
| Airborne - IE | Counters |
| Eastern Front | Counters |
| First Axis | Base Game |
| Road to Berlin | Maps |
| Introduction |
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Apparently embarrassed by his group's failure, Pilfousek ordered them forward again only to find that the Soviets had pulled out without the Slovaks noticing. The German corps command then ordered the group back to assist a German engineer battalion that was reducing Soviet fortified positions left behind in the rapid advance. The Germans believed them to be unoccupied, but they had to be investigated all the same. |
| Conclusion |
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Things began to go badly from the start, as the Germans drove right up to an unsuspected machine gun position and suffered terrible casualties. The Slovaks then sent their tanks forward in a reconnaissance-by-fire to find the hidden Soviet positions and determine which bunkers were occupied. Only after the tanks had been fired on did the Slovak infantry assault the strong points, with the help of their own engineers and a few survivors of the German unit. The Slovaks showed they could be just as careless as the Germans - several tanks were lost when they spotted Soviet anti-tank guns and moved directly in front of them to wait motionlessly for infantry supports. |
| Additional Notes |
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Use German strongpoints from either Airborne or Soviet Strongpoints Edelweiss, or download the Soviet Strongpoints from APL. Use German trucks from Eastern Front Deluxe for Slovakian trucks. |
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| AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle |
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| Heer |
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| Slovenská Armáda |
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| Army (RKKA) |
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| 3 Errata Items | |
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The reduced direct fire value in Kursk: Burning Tigers is 4-4. (plloyd1010
on 2015 Jul 31)
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Strongpoints are single step units and can be eliminated with X results like any other single step unit. (rerathbun
on 2014 Apr 08)
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Strongpoints are affected by the terrain in their hex just like any other unit.
Even though they can't move, they can attack using Assault Combat if an enemy unit moves into their hex.
They may not dig in or benefit from entrenchments.
(rerathbun
on 2014 Apr 21)
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| Making them run | ||||||||||||
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In this one, Col. Pilfousek's men, smarting from their first brush with the Soviets, enter an area which has been bypassed by the German offensive but may have some Soviet troops. Since they were entering an area which had been fortified by the Soviets the Slovaks have their own and some German engineers to help blow stuff up. The Soviets get to set up hidden for the most part. This helps because their force is almost entirely immobile (straongpoints, HMGs and AT guns without transport) and even those units with moderate mobility (INF) are hampered by low numbers and few leaders (and in my case really bad leaders). Nevertheless, the Slovaks are so few in number and so "blah" as troops that there is some tension as to whether the Slovaks can find the Soviets and then appropriately deal with an entrenched enemy. The scenario is relatively short (20 turns) and as a result does not give the usual 45-60 minute rest periods the Slovaks need to recover morale after each small action. In this instance, however, the Slovaks are matched against an equally "blah" force which had a quirky habit of becoming demoralized as soon as the Slovaks attacked (whether a strongpoint or an entrenchment) and then getting slaughtered as they ran away. In seven turns the victory point total went from 53-4 Soviet to 37-26 Slovak with the Soviets incapable of turning it around. The Slovaks basically held on to the ground after that and the Soviets couldn't bring any troops to bear, given their immobility, for a counterattack. Omniscience (I played this solo) may have played into the result somewhat but I did manage to run Slovak tanks right into an AT gun. That was shortlived, though, as the OBA took out the AT gun the next turn. The Soviets certainly rolled hideously during the game and the Slovak morale rolls were equally lucky in the other direction. I believe this one is much better face to face but I can't imagine that the Soviet player has much to do. Interesting situation but maybe not much fun to play in reality. Give it a "2". Lesson learned: poor morale in bypassed troops leads to easy "Mopping Up". |
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