Most of the city of Stalingrad was reduced to rubble during the battle. The following rules simulate the effect of intense, continuous combat on buildings. Rules for destroying buildings were previously presented in the Normandy campaign expansion, but the dense urban terrain in the Stalingrad expansion represents larger and usually more strongly built structures of steel and reinforced concrete. Thus, these rules are slightly modified and apply only to Stalingrad dense urban terrain map boards.

Collapsed Buildings printed on some of the dense urban terrain map boards are major structures repeatedly hit by artillery and air bombardment and therefore impassable to vehicles, and require an extra movement cost by infantry, but do not provide as much cover benefit as a building that is not destroyed (see Terrain Reference chart on the back cover of this guide book).

In addition to collapsed buildings already on the dense urban terrain map boards, other buildings may be destroyed by combat from an eligible unit or from a normal area attack. A scenario states whether it allows for  destructible buildings in the terrain features section. When attacking a building, all rules of range and LOS apply. Note that suppressive attacks never affect buildings in any way. regardless of their effect on the units occupying that building.

The procedure for attacking a building is as follows:

  1. Determine if the attacking unit is eligible to attack the building. The attacking unit does not count the firepower of regular infantry, elite infantry, officers, or machine gun crews. The only exceptions to this are squads with anti-tank specializations, which contribute firepower when attacking a building within 3 hexes.
    1. Targeting an unoccupied building. If there is no squad in the target building hex, the attacking unit uses its firepower and range for when it attacks vehicles.
    2. Targeting an occupied building. If there is a squad in the target building hex, the attacking player must declare whether his attack will target the squad or the building. If he selects the squad, the building will be unaffected, and the attacking units use their firepower and range against infantry (including Concussive Fire if applicable). If the attacking player targets the building, the squad inside will be unaffected, unless the building is destroyed. When attacking the building, the attacking unit uses its firepower and range for when it attacks vehicles.
    3. Targeting a building with a normal area attack. If a building hex is targeted by a normal area attack, the building automatically has a chance to be destroyed (along with other possible targets inside). If it is a multi-floor building, only the topmost floor and squads occupying the topmost floor may be affected unless the building is destroyed. The attacker rolls for the attack against the building separately after rolling for damage against any squads within the building.
      Example: James directs a normal area attack at a building hex containing two squads (one on the bottom floor and the other on the topmost floor). The attack does eight dice of damage and this is applied against the squad on the topmost floor in the hex. Next. James makes a separate attack roll against the building, since the scenario specified that buildings are destructible, and rolls three dice of damage against the building.
  2. Roll for possible building destruction. After determining how many dice the attacker is rolling in the attack against a given building (attack strength), he rolls to see if the building is destroyed. Note that when rolling, the attacker should be sure to include three defense dice for the defense strength of the building hex.
    Note that units with concussive firepower also increase their firepower by three when targeting a building.
  3. Assess whether the building has been destroyed. In order to destroy a building, the attack must get six hits, plus three hits for each floor (other than the ground floor) at one time. If, after determining hits, the building did not sustain the required number of hits, the building remains intact and sustains no damage. However, if at least half of the required hits are rolled (round up), a weakened token (see right) is placed on the building hex. Note that some buildings take up more than one hex. In this case, a successful attack only destroys the one targeted building hex.
    Example: Sir hits against a building hex would destroy a level 0 building hex (3 hits weakens it). Nine hits destroys a level 1 building hex (5 hits weakens it).
    Building hexes with a weakened token only require half the number of hits (round up) to successfully destroy the building (5 hits for a level 1 building hex).
    Squads that are in a building hex when it is destroyed take four dice of damage per floor of the destroyed hex. When rolling this damage, dice roll results of "4," "5," or "6" are treated as hits.
    Surviving squads are pinned and remain on that hex, along with any tokens that were on that hex.
    After a building is destroyed, a Collapsed Building overlay is placed on the building hex to indicate that specific building hex has been destroyed. Elevation 0 buildings receive a - +1" movement cost token (on the back of the weakened building token), elevation 1 buildings receive a "+2" movement cost token, and elevation 2 buildings receive a "+3" movement cost token.
    Hexes with a Collapsed Building overlay are the same as a collapsed building hex: impassable by vehicles, and squads must pay the additional movement cost on the token in order to enter that hex. Regardless of the movement cost token, the Collapsed Building overlay is now considered elevation 0.
    Note that if a scenario relies on control of a building hex for victory, the hex(es) that the objective building occupies still remain the objective even if it is destroyed and gets a Collapsed Building overlay.

 

DESTRUCTIBLE BUILDINGS

The Operations card "sIG 33b" is in play on the German side. The German player activates the sIG 33h /hr a Concentrated Fire action against the building that Soviet Squad B occupies. Ile decides to support the attack with the Pz Ill.
The sIG 33b has a total attack strength Q1'14 (its 8 firepower vs, vehicles. plus the ±6 bonus granted bl the Stielgranate 42 ability). while the P.: III adds an additional 5 firepower• (including its Concussive Firepower ability). The .sIG 33h '• Concussive Firepower ability does not count jar the attack.
since its Stielgmnate 42 ability already includes the Concussive Firepott•er bonus. The German player
rolls a whopping 19 dice Pr the attack, versus the building :c defense strength q.3. Since the building has nvoiloom he must mll 9 hits in order to destroy the building.
lithe building is destroyed, Squad B suffers an attack o1 8 firepower (4firepower for each floor). terrain bonus will apply to that attack. In addition, a -1 +1 Collapsed Building overlay will he placed in the hex.
Next, the German player activates the money. squad.
It does not have enough firepower to destroy either hex of the building, but it may attack Squad A with either a normal or• suppressive attack, since Squad A ` is on the top level of the building.

 

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