Ultramodern Wargaming – Ukraine 2024

Part II of our Gold Beach Panzer Leader  game (myself with the Germans, @brucelea  and @damon with the British) has now been posted on the Sitrep YouTube channel.  Now that all the rules, units, history, and initial landings are out of the way, this video jumps straight into the carnage with improved sound, music, and a lot more combat.  We see Royal Engineer AVREs blowing up beach obstacles, pipers striding out of landing craft, steadfast defense by German coastal troops, British armored bridgelayers, and Flail tanks clearing lanes through German minefields.

The Germans are just about starting to crack (maybe ???)  But have the British lost too much already?  And will my reserves be able to seal the breach?  🙂

British units: 1st Hampshire Rifles, 1st Dorsetshire Rifles, 2nd Devonshire Rifles (231st Brigade), “B” Assault Squadron / 6th Royal Engineers, Winchester Dragoons.

German units: Infantry Division 352 (Grenadier Rgt 916, III. Battalion) and elements of 441 “East” Battalion, Infantry Rgt 726, 716 Static Infantry Division.

Things are just getting started here, everyone.  Myself, @brucelea , and @damon go over the map setup, the units involved on both sides, some of the objectives and special rules.  Finally we get into the opening shore bombardment barrage from HMS Warspite and her escorting destroyers … and then look into the first wave of landings of 1st Hampshire and 1st Dorsetshire.

This one gets bloody fast!

There will be at least two more videos.  Again, just the highlights, this game went for nine and a half hours, I wouldn’t even try to record, render, and post that much video.  😐

I hope some of you will check it out!  We really try to recreate the historical  conditions and tactical situation of 50th Northumberland’s right wing on that fateful day, putting the leading elements (first wave on our table is about 1300 men), 231st Brigade on Jig Green and Jig Red assault beaches.

Gold Beach Panzer Leader game: COMPLETE

Run Time: NINE HOURS

Result:  EPIC

Losses (both sides): BRUTAL

Decision: LAST TURN

Players: (@brucelea and @damon): WARGAME HEROES

D-Day 75th Anniversary: COMMEMORATED

>> End Transmission.

Okay, we’re all set.  Game starts in 1 hour (minus).  😀

SPECIAL RULES:

LANDING:

• Coastal hexes are designated either SEA hexes or BEACH hexes by the color of the hex beneath their central dot.
• At the end of movement, during the turn BEFORE they are scheduled to land (or in the initial set up for first wave units), British units are placed in a SEA hex adjacent to their planned beach landing hex.
• Germans may then fire at them during their subsequent turn.
• RULE SHORTCUT: Unlike “official” Amphibious Landings rules in Panzer Leader, where landing British units are inverted (so Germans cannot see which boats carry which units) – here we will roll a d6.  On a 1-2, the German attack hits the intended target.  3-4, the attack hits the “next unit to the left.”  On a 5-6, the attack hits the “next unit to the right.”
• As per Panzer Leader XI.D.3, all units except DD tanks are assumed to have an armored DF of 8. DD Shermans get normal DF, Germans must add +2 DRM to DF attacks (obscured target).
• Landing takes place FIRST during the movement phase of the subsequent British turn.
• DD tanks make a d6 roll. On a 1-5, they land normally. On a 6, they sink and are removed.
• All units (including surviving DD tank units) must also make a landing placement roll. Once the British player indicates which hex the unit INTENDED to land, roll a d6.
• 1-2 = unit lands normally.
• 3 = unit lands one hex to the west.
• 4 -5 = unit lands one hex to the east.
• 6 = unit lands two hexes to the east.
• Any unit that hits a block counter while trying to land is destroyed.
• Getting onto the beach hex is that unit’s whole movement.
• Exception: DD Tanks can land and hove half their movement.
• Any units that are CARRIED (towed guns, etc) must debark loaded in their carrier vehicle.
• Non-DD tank units cannot move half once they land (unloaded from LCTs, etc).
• Units scheduled to land on a given turn MUST land on that turn. They cannot “wait” until the beach opens up.
• Any hex that winds up “overstacked” (3 units to a hex) must IMMEDIATELY “lose” a unit per overstacking rules. This takes place BEFORE previously landed units move out of the hex.
• Once all units land on a given turn, units that were already landed in previous turns can now move normally.
• German units taking opportunity fire do not have to make the “shortcut randomizer” roll mentioned above if they shoot at units as they land (using normal unit DFs and target classes).

TERRAIN:

• All Beach hexes cost vehicles double movement.
• Entering a hex where the unit climbs one elevation level costs double movement (infantry included).
• Climbing a bluff hex off a beach hex costs 4 vehicle movement, 2 infantry movement, 6 truck movement. Churchill Bobbin Funnies can lay a carpet in these hexes to make it “clear.”
• Stream: This is a shallow stream. Costs infantry 2 MP to enter.  Costs vehicles 4MP to enter, trucks 6MP to enter.  Stream does not block LOS.  Stream gives +1 DRM.  Road negates stream.  Churchill Bridgelayers can bridge the stream.

BEACH OBSTACLES:

• Trench rules: Normal. Cannot be crossed at all by any vehicle. No effect on infantry.  Can be bridged by Churchill Bridgelayers.
• Mines: Normal. Can be removed by flail tanks per AIW rules. Can be removed by Combat or Construction engineers which move onto the mine hex and roll a 1-2 on 1d6.
• Blocks: No effect on LANDED infantry. Sinks any landing unit that drifts into them. No vehicle can enter a block hex.  Can be removed by LANDED  engineers who move into the hex and roll a 1-2 on 1d6.  Can also be removed by Churchill AVRE that is adjacent to it and declares an attack (BOOM).  Removed blocks no longer blow up landing units in subsequent waves.
• Churchill Bridgelayers can lay three bridges. Normal AIR Bridgelaying rules.
• Churchill Bobbins can lay three “roads.” Renders beach hexes and beach bluff hexes normal for movement purposes.

NAVAL GUNFIRE (SHORTCUT RULES):

• British get 50 points of (H) class INDIRECT naval gunfire support on every ODD turn.
• This can be split up into two attacks if desired (20/20, 30/10, 35/5, etc).
• Must be within LOS of the north side of the table (any beach or bluff hex)
• Can also be called in by any non-dispersed, unloaded combat unit (not trucks).
• On a 1-4 it lands as targeted. On a 5-6 the shellfire drifts one hex (1d6).

Work continues on the Gold Beach Panzer Leader game scheduled for Saturday, June 8, 4PM UK time.

We created some of the counters and set up some of the map live on Sitrep Twitch Channel last night.  We had some great conversation with the role of research in “high-history” games, naval bombardment, the potential role of the panzer divisions, the real reasons why Omaha was so much bloodier than the other beaches, the Juno Beach landings, and different eras of Canadian flags.

After we signed off I tinkered a little with the Germans, and started with a general map set up.  I will fill this out and get everything completed later tonight in time for tomorrow’s game.

But for now …

Looking forward to a great game tomorrow! 😀

Okay, the map is now complete.  It’s actually complete whether I like it or not, apparently this afternoon I didn’t save it properly as editable layers … so large scale changes are lo longer possible without re-drawing the whole thing.  Apparently the gods are trying to tell me something …

It’s fine!  Stop obsessing and get some sleep! 

I chose this sector for a number of reasons …

• My two players wanted to try British units (reasonable enough).
• Pretty sure Gold was “tougher” than Sword.
• This part of Gold (“Jig” Sector, turning west inland to fight toward Arromaches in “Item” Sector)  is one of the few times we see British seaborne infantry actually fight true German troops that day (as opposed to “Ost” battalions, largely drawn from Belarus and Ukraine).
• We get some Royal Marine Commandos in the second wave (and after all this Falklands work, I loves me some Royal Marine Commandos).
• Two squadrons of tanks also land here (Sherwood Rangers – I think later renamed the Nottinghamshire Rangers?)
• The terrain here is interesting, with substantial towns right on the water, tough German beach defenses and “wiederstandnester” strongpoints, cliffs to the west leading toward Arromanches (about 20 hexes off off the west edge of the map), marshes and farmland (which are still here today), and even a small river which … rather bizarrely, never reaches the sea (?), apparently diverted east to a series of canals and marshland.