Armata Romana: scenario Seven: Gates of Chisinau

Now this scenario was better in my opinion then scenario six and an interesting matchup of unit type and three nationalities. Same objectives, the Romanians/Germans have to exit four or more units and the Soviets need to prevent this or eliminate more than six steps. I used actual Romanian truck counters I had downloaded a few years ago and added one Soviet truck to their mix as well, as they were obviously short one.

The Germans and Romanians have some very fast Motorcycle Infantry and Armored Cars to race down the road, followed by Truck mounted Infantry and Anti-Tank Guns. At the same time the Soviet have a nice mix of Armored Cars, followed by light T-37 tanks and trucked mounted Infantry and AT Guns.

Here is where I made one tactical mistake, I left too large of a hole around the hex 0109, as anything within four hexes of it, the Axis exit points. So in a few turns later the Axis were able to exit five units off the north edge of the map but the battle continued and the Axis also lost seven steps, thus a Draw.

So I made a mistake with each side, the Soviets left a large hole in the lines trying to engage enemy units instead of forming a defensive line the Axis after exiting enough units should have pulled back the remaining units but some were locked in assault combat. It would be interesting to try this one again, as I bet it could go either way.

When I first set up the maps and read over this scenario I thought it should be a Soviet cake walk. Sure the German and Romanian forces have good movement factors when the infantry and AT's are mounted/towed, and the 47mm range is better than anything the Soviets have, but the Reds have tanks, and if the SMG infantry ever get close enough to assault the Romanian infantry, they should carry the field! But that is not how it played out. The Axis forces traveled up the North/South road on turn one, then spilt, with the Germans heading West and the Romanians East to outflank both ends of the Soviet positions. It was on the East where the three 47's soon had unlimbered near the small hill, and got off some amazing rolls against the Red Army's Ba-10M's, with a natural 11 against one, and a twelve against the second! It was then a mad dash East, then North for the Germans, following the Romanians toward the exit hexes. The Germans did take 4 step losses as they prevented the Soviets from interfering with the 3 Romaian infantry and 2 cycle units leaving the board. The Romanian AT's and a Leader set up in the small town in the North-East corner, to protect the 4 hexes East of the road, the designated exit point. At the end of the game, the total Axis loss was 6 steps, while they easily met the exit requirements to actually win. Sometimes it is better to be lucky...

Author	treadasaurusrex (Germany, Romania)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Germany, Romania
Participants	lgbalsiger
Play Date	2026-03-15
Language	English
Scenario	ARom007

This was a peculiar, but stimulating, 4-session play-through with the intrepid, yet careful, lgbalsiger, leading probing elements of the Soviet 47th Reconnaissance Battalion, in an open terrain, 18-game turn, movement-to-contact episode. I led advancing elements of the German 172nd Recon Battalion, and the Romanian 1st Recon Battalion, in this freewheeling, 2-map, game of cat & mouse. Both sides drew decent sets of leaders.

We used the FOW, consolidation and excess initiative optional rules, as well as these THREE house rules: 1) Road Movement for Mechanized & Foot Units — All FOOT & MECHANIZED units may move on roads at the rate of 1/2 Movement Point (MP) per road hex, just like MOTORIZED units, 2) Standardized Movement for Mechanized Units — All mechanized units may move through clear hexes at a movement cost of only 1 movement point (MP) per hex, instead of 1 1/2. Add one to this cost if moving up, across, or down slopes hexes, and 3) Small Caliber AT & AA Rapid Fire — All small caliber (<48mm or less) anti-tank (AT) as well as automatic, anti-aircraft (AA) towed or self-propelled artillery units may fire twice in OPPORTUNITY FIRE (OPFIRE) against moving enemy formations using the same rules as apply for personnel units (INF, RIF, GREN, HMG, ENG, et al) when using OPFIRE. For example, British towed or portee 2-pdr AT guns, all 20mm, 25mm, 28mm, 37mm, 45mm, 47mm towed AT guns, and towed or self-propelled 20mm, 37mm or 40mm AA guns may fire two OPFIRE missions at individual, moving enemy vehicular or personnel unit targets. Units firing OPFIRE may not move or be limbered and loaded in the same turn in which they OPFIRE.

This rule set provided improved playability, tactical flexibility & simplicity.

Both sides began their respective approaches from opposing map edges in a fast-paced, initial session (game turns 1-4). A cautious Soviet advance that halted at 3 hexes south of the map margin opened the action. There, they began digging-in to deny access to the nine, crucial exit hexes that the Axis force is required to pass at least 4 combat units through – without losing more than 6 Axis steps! The intrepid, Romanian column moved rapidly north on the main road and were able to establish a defensive position within the 5-hex town during the second game turn. The accompanying German formation feinted to both the right and the left flanks as they moved north. Their recon elements ended up on the left of the advancing Romanians, while their infantry dismounted & moved slowly north on the road. No casualties were recorded other than a captured Soviet truck unit in the early going.

Our busy, second session (game turns 5-6) consisted of the Romanians & supporting German units moving forward and into decisive range The scrambling, Soviets responding by beginning a limited tactical withdrawal in the center of their line, continued digging-in, and a redistribution of their reserves. Ineffective opfires, sporadic long-range AT shots, and a single close assault resulted in zero step losses for either side. A company of Wehrmacht infantry joined the lead Romanian units in the central portion of the fighting front, and an errant Romanian truck platoon was eliminated this session. Twelve game turns remain.

The action-packed, third session (game turns 7-9) was characterized by the Soviets maintaining their defensive perimeter positions, ignoring various Axis feints, dealing out opfire mayhem, and absorbing a series of unexpectedly accurate, long-range AT shots. By session’s end the step loss count was 5 for the Red Army, and the Romanians lost their foolhardy, senior leader in an unnecessary decapitation. We were at the midpoint in this odd scenario as both sides lost a level of initiative.

The Russians conceded at the end of the 17th game turn when the victory point tally was 11 to 3, and there was no longer a chance for a Soviet victory in our fourth session (game turns 10-17). Final steps lost were 27 inflicted on the Soviet defenders, and 3 casualties to the attacking Romanians. There were 7 FOW-shortened game turns of the 17 played.

This was a flawed, gamey, but fun to play, maneuver heavy scenario. I give it a 4 in shared play, with a challenging opponent. It needs a victory condition re-write, IMHO, which includes a geographical objective on the battle map, such as control of the 5-hex town on Map 1. Also, a Kommissar should be added to the Soviet setup. As published, the more experienced player should lead the defending Russian side, as this one is his or hers to lose. It is suitable for SOLO or SHARED play.