The Guards Counterattack ETO (id:#56508)
Avalon Hill (Classic ASL ID: A)
Prior Publication: SL 1, AH: The General 22-6 ASL A(Revision: MMP Website (Download))
See Also: The Guards Counterattack by Avalon Hill The Guards Counterattack by On All Fronts
Designer: Unknown
Starter kit scenario?:    Deluxe scenario?:
 
Balance:
RussianGerman
51.034482758621%

Overview:

The very first scenario for the original Squad Leader. 25 years later this all infantry affair is just as challenging as it was when it first appeared. A must play for grognards and newbies alike.. . ."After an extremely successful summer campaign, the Germans came upon the Volga fortress of Stalingrad. Here the Red Army had dug in and was determined to make a stand. Sensing total victory, the Germans threw more and ever more troops into the fighting. But for the first time in the war, German infantry found the Russians their equal. Rebuffed by stiff resistance, the Germans committed crack assault engineers. Gradually, the Germans cleared one block, then another—only to lose them again to sudden Russian counterattacks. By October 5, the Germans had almost taken the key Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works. However, the fighting had been so heavy that the line troops occupying the surrounding area were exceptionally weak from the previous week’s combat. At that point, the Russians counterattacked with their crack 37th Guards to break the ring the Germans had thrown around the factory and reinforce the desperate defenders."
Attacker: Russian (308th Rifle Division / 2nd Battalion, 37th Guards Division)
Defender: German (Company H, 389th Infantry Regiment)  
5 turns
    Players: 2     OBA: None     Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:21.0 D:13.0
AFVs: A:0 D:0
Guns: A:0 D:0

Victory Conditions:

Exit VP: Building Control VC: Area Control VC:
Unit Based VC: LOS Style VC: CVP Cap:
Misc Rules: A7.72 supersedes SSR 2, 2, 3 and 4 respectively
Map Board(s): 1
Overlays: NONE
Errata (source)
A7.72 supersedes SSR 2, 2, 3 and 4 respectively.MMP
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Scenario info

Last Played:
DateReporterOpponentResultComments
2021-04-01(D) Steve Smit vs Chris Russian winFirst game in 30 years complete. Chris got his forces across into the first building in the first turn and never looked back. The war of annihilation had begun. I forgot what a hard master the dice could be and how quickly your best intentions can be dashed. Half my leaders taken out by snipers in the Russian first turn did bode well.
Enjoyable game, played well by Chris. Glad to be back. Lots to learn.
2021-03-13(A) James Forrest vs In progress
2021-03-09(D) Lee Hyde vs Grant Hewitt German winFirst time of trying this classic, since SL days. Snipers were so active first off, with the German Sniper taking out the 10-2 Russian Leader, and disrupting the Elite Guards, which delayed their rush for the first building. The Commissar met his end with a risky BP attempt, and the Russians struggled with an ever increasing Brokie count. That said, one Eussian unit BH to fanatic and a Hero generated made a good effort at leading a charge for the centre building. Only a wounded Hero made it, but killed a German Leader in CC, before succumbing to weight of numbers. Hard fought, and next the Tractor Works.
2021-03-09(A) Grant Hewitt vs Lee Hyde German winThis was my second game of ASL after a 30+ year long hiatus. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though the german sniper broke a number of my elite squads and eliminated my 10-2 leader in the first turn - somewhat delaying my assault on building F6. My attack on building J5 from the eastern side of the board was halted when I lost my commissar to a rookie error, not noticing the LOS from the german MMG in K7; leaving me with only my 9-2 in hex J2. The germans consolidated their position around hexes H7, I7, K7 and K8 and I felt pressured into launching an attack from buildings J2, H3 and F6 into J5, which was now defended by mostly broken units. Alas, my assault stalled with many elite russian units being broken and/or casualty reduced under withering machine gun fire; and I only succeeded in entering J5 with a hero. In the last turn, I noticed that I could reach the now abandoned M9 from M5 using double time to bypass N5; but the hail mary failed under MG fire from K8. I thoroughly enjoyed the game against a patient opponent who has graciously accepted the task of showing me the ropes.
2021-02-22(A) Owen Edwards vs Russian winMy 4th game. Went down to the last half-turn, but the Russians were in a strong position from, really, turn 1, and definitely turn 3. Their first big Human Wave (of the Guards) swept the 1F5 building, and then on turns 2 and 3 the Soviets mopped up some broken Germans and then Human Waved again. The central building was the ultimate victory building, whilst German pressure on the southernmost building was stymied by very poor rallying. In the last turn they finally made a couple of breaks for it, as they'd finally broken the Soviets inside, but their Prep Fire hadn't broken enough overwatching Soviets in the central building, and it wasn't enough.

The key stat is shown in losses, though: with no extra losses in Turn 5 on either side, the Germans had lost 7.5 squads, 2 x LMG, and 3 Leader, to 5.5 squads and the Commissar for the Soviets. The Germans couldn't buy a final K, even with big FGs. Not that the rolls were wildly divergent - but it was definitely a factor with all the stone buildings.
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ActionDate
Stevel is not looking to play this any more2021-04-03 08:08:40
Stevel Rated the scenario2021-04-01 23:37:49
Stevel Added a playing2021-04-01 23:37:09
Stevel is looking to play this scenario2021-03-25 04:17:42
geebeehaitch Added a playing2021-03-14 11:11:52
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The last turn on VASL
 
Statistics:
Avg Rating: 7.16Votes: 209
Views: 21361
To-Play list count: 8
Estimated Play time: 3.9 hours
Recorded Games: 152
Archive recorded plays:
Russian74
German71
Drawn:3

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