Backs to the Wall ETO (id:#61972)
(Dezign Pak 9 ID: ESG109)   [next]   [previous]
See Also: With their Backs to the Wall by Grumble Jones
Designer: Vincent Maresca
Starter kit scenario?:    Deluxe scenario?:
 
Balance:
GermanBritish
66.666666666667%

Overview:

Guderian ordered his 10th Panzer to systemically reduce Calais' inner perimeter through a double envelopment of the city. The 86th Rifle Regiment was tasked with assaulting the western half of the city by pushing north through the "New Town" suburbs and capturing the fortified old town and citadel. The British 60th Rifles and their supporting elements employed Bren guns, anti-tank rifles and pure guts with the narrow city streets.
Attacker: German (Schützen-Regiment 86, 10th Panzer Division and 49th Pionier-Bataillon with 4th Panzer Brigade)
Defender: British (60th Rifles with 30th Infantry Brigade and HQ Reserve 3rd Royal Tank Regiment)  
6.5 turns
    Players: 2     OBA: None     Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:15.0 D:10.5
AFVs: A:6
sIG IB
PzKpfw IB x 2
PzKpfw IIF x 3

AFVs: D:5
Carrier A
Carrier B
A9
Mk VIB x 2

Guns: A:0
PzB 39 ATR
D:0
Boys ATR x 2

Victory Conditions:

Exit VP: Building Control VC: Area Control VC:
Unit Based VC: LOS Style VC: CVP Cap:
Misc Rules: Canal: Deep, Fording: NA, Bridges may not be destroyed.
Overlays: NONE
Errata (source)
Players wanting to play this game/Request a match:

Scenario info

Last Played:
DateReporterOpponentBal.ResultTimeComments
2026-03-22(A) Dan Best vs Kermit Mullins German win3 hrs
2026-03-22(D) Kermit Mullins vs Dan Best German win3 hrs
2017-10-01(A) Michael Rodgers vs Eric Penny German winBritish player was a beginner.
2017-03-31(A) X von Marwitz vs Chris Mazzei British winNice scenario. Played this as the attacking Germans. The beginning went off very well. I found his hidden 8-1/457/ATR combo during the first MPh in Z3 where it screwed up a stack of mine wanting to go up the stairs in Z4. Another of my 467/LMG was broken in Y5 when it entered. So basically most of my force to cut British retreats was in a shambles. On my left flank (west) things went very well, though. I was able to close in to the S4, S3, T3 buildings quickly and annihilate the entire British force of 5 squads, 8-0, a created leader, LMG & ATR there after my turn 3 poised to push through in force beyond. By that time, his other troops were pinned to the Z1, AA1 area with not much possibility to retreat. Then I misplayed two AFV losing one PzII to an unneccessary ESB and leaving aonther out of position. After that I recovered and occupied the victory building in turn 4 with one PzII guarding the western bridge. The area was completely free of enemy infantry by now. in the Z1, AA1, CC3 area I put up strong pressure on the British infantry forces there, too. In the process, the two PzI's were lost. One being sacrificed, the other being lost with a bit of bad luck to a single leader in CC. The British hung on in H1 and I1, but things looked bright. Meanwhile the British reinforcements came in putting a strong guard on the eastern bridge with all but the A9 tank which was deftly placed in 23J4 where I had difficulties to get at it. Then it malfed all three of its MGs which created an opening for my infantry to close in to the 23K4 building in force. By the end of turn 5, the British infantry was out of the game except for one 457/ATG pestering my rear area and managing to shock the sIG 1B which eventually died. But I could try what I want - I just could not harm his tanks: 40 TH rolls, 18TK rolls with 20L guns, ATRs, and many MGs did not manage any effect whatsowever (TH average was 7.25, TK average was 8.67 !!). Before I could take out his A9 in CC, it managed to kill one of my two remaining PzIIs with after needing a TH of 4. With my last surviving AFV (PzII) I managed to neutralize one of his Mark VIs and his last squad driving into its hex in the my last turn by target selection limits. On the missing bridge, he had one motion Mark VI and a single 8-0 leader. Adjacent to the bridge, at the end of my last MPh I had my broken 9-2, the rest of the forces were GO: A 9-1, 8-0, 2x 468, 1x467. So the upcoming CC seemed winnable. In his last DFPh he called for snakes for his last HS - and of course got them. My GO 9-1 got HoB, battle hardening and becoming heroic. Despite the upped leadership, two of the squads and the 8-0 broke rolling more than 8 with which they would have remained unpinned. Damn it! So my menacing force to cope with his Mark VI and his 8-0 were down to my heroic 9-2 plus a 468. However, in Advancing fire, I had no less than 3.5 squads a (previously stationary) HMG, an LMG and the heroic 9-2 to fire at the frigging 8-0 as part of a FG. He only pinned. Damn him! Now, in CC my chances had been reduced from very good to rather slight. But it turned out we did not need to bother: A heroic 9-2 and an elite 468 may look like hard-asses. But the 9-2 rolled 11 when attempting to help the squad with the PAATC. Game over. Thus I managed to snatch defeat from victory in the last half-turn. Besides that, the game was much fun, though.
2015-04-20(D) nathan wegener vs James T British winPoor German dice on attack rolls. SiG was recalled before it hit anything. British fell back picking off German units as they retreated. Brit MMG held out several turns in 51X2. 8-0 ATR took out 2 Panzers before being overwhelmed in 51U2. Clean fallback was key.
View all or balance report
ActionDate
Hutch Linked the scenario to ROAR2026-03-23 18:19:59
Hutch Modified the misc. rules2026-03-23 18:18:23
Hutch Modified the Unit Elements2026-03-23 18:16:10
grumblejones Added a playing2026-03-23 00:53:20
Danno Added a playing2026-03-23 00:53:03
DescriptionUploaded by
TitleAuthorDate

Quick Map View

Location

Not Logged in

Images

15 cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf), sometimes referred to as the Sturmpanzer II Bison, was a German self-propelled heavy infantry gun
 
Statistics:
Avg Rating: 7.54Votes: 13
Views: 5999
To-Play list count: 2
Estimated Play time: 6.7 hours
Recorded Games: 9
Archive recorded plays:
German7
British2
Drawn:0

ROAR Data: (as of today)
Backs to the Wall [Confirmed]
[A] German 15
[D] British 9
All Rights Reserved. (c)2022 Dave Ramsey.