Ukraine, Summer 1941: The Germans have launched operation Barbarossa; the invasion of the Soviet Union. Their progress has been swift and impressive in the Northern and—especially—in the central sector of the front.
In the South, however, they are faced with the strongest Soviet units. To make matters worse, in order to reach their initial objective in the South—the city of Kiev—the Germans must force the Stalin Line, a series of fortifications stretching along the pre-war border of the Soviet Union. This would prove to be a formidable task.
Fortunately for the Germans, by this time the line was undermanned as Stalin had sent the bulk of his troops to the new borders of his empire where they did not have the benefit of these prepared positions.
In the end the Germans prevailed, although some historians argue that the delay in the South and the subsequent relocation of armor units from the central front resulted in a fatal delay in the race for Moscow and, thereby, the failure of Operation Barbarossa and perhaps even the war in the East as a whole.
This scenario represents a small section of the assault on the Stalin Line near Kiev.
Soviet | German | |
Division 1 |
6 Squad Bases 2x Concealed |
6 Squad Bases 1x Medic |
Division 2 |
- |
6 Squad Bases 1x Medic |
Strategy Decks | Morale 1 Ground Support 1 |
Command 1 German Reinforcements 1 (no transport may be bought!) |
Starting Strategy Cards | 1 | 3 |
Operations Cards | 017 Camouflage | 006 Merciless Assault |
Deployment Zone | Any legal hex on maps 2B, 12A and/or 5B. | Division 1: westernmost row of hexes on map 33B. Division 2: westernmost row of hexes on map 4A |
Starting Initiative | Setup First | |
Objective | By the end of Round 7, the Germans must control all three Objective Marker hexes. If they fail, the Soviets win. |
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Rounds | 7 | |
Actions per turn | 2 | 2 |
Reinforcements | Status Phase of Round 5 easternmost hex of maps 2B, 12A, and/or 5B: 2 Squad Bases - 4 Regular Infantry - 3 Elite Infantry - 1 Officer |
Any legal westernmost hex of maps 4A, 36B, and/or 33B. They are placed during the Spend Command segment of the Command Phase. The German player may not purchase transport with these reinforcements. |
Special Rules |
Hardened target: This scenario uses the optional rules regarding bunkers and pillboxes as outlined in the Kickstarter Bonus Booklet. For units inside pillboxes, this means: StuG III Ausf. D: The German player may buy a StuG III Ausf. D for 5 Command Points during the Spend Command segment of the Command Phase and place it in any legal westernmost hex of maps 4A, 36B, or 33B. Due to limited availability, no more than two may be bought over the course of the scenario. Use the StuG III models provided in the Normandy or Stalingrad expansions as proxies. Statistics: Attacks Examples: Camouflaged positions: Soviet units located in hexes containing Objective Markers may be assigned Concealed Squad Markers at set-up. This includes units set up in pillboxes as these were often camouflaged and even disguised as barns, sheds, stables, cottages etc. Note that the base terrain must provide cover, though, as per standard game rules, so any unit inside the pillbox on the hill cannot be assigned a concealed squad marker as hills are not normally cover providing terrain. Prepared positions: Units in Op Fire may benefit from the “Take Cover” card from the Morale I deck (i.e., as opposed to fresh squads only). |
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Terrain Features | The Stream is Shallow |
Note that American (green) Command Point markers shown in map image are in fact to be Soviet (red).