GROGNARD SIMULATIONS, INC.
Death Ride Kursk
Leibstandarte Rules Supplement
Chris Fasulo Sr
10/20/2014
This supplement contains specific rules for the Leibstandarte game of the Death Ride Kursk game series
Contents
1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1. Air Support Allocation ................................................................................................................... 2
1.2. Game Turn Record Track............................................................................................................... 2
1.3. Scenarios for 4-8 July .................................................................................................................... 2
1.4. Leibstandarte Boundaries ............................................................................................................. 3
2. Counter and Marker Specifics ............................................................................................................... 3
2.1. Close Air Support Markers ............................................................................................................ 3
2.2. Reserve Markers ........................................................................................................................... 3
2.3. Overwatch (OW) Markers ............................................................................................................. 3
2.4. Obstacle Markers .......................................................................................................................... 3
2.4.1. Mine Markers ............................................................................................................................ 3
2.4.2. Dummy Mine Markers .............................................................................................................. 3
2.4.3. Wire Markers ............................................................................................................................ 4
2.4.4. Dummy Wire Markers ............................................................................................................... 4
2.4.5. Dug-in Markers.......................................................................................................................... 4
2.4.6. Fortification Markers ................................................................................................................ 4
2.5. Smoke Markers ............................................................................................................................. 4
2.6. Artillery Mission Markers .............................................................................................................. 4
2.6.1. “DS” Mission Markers ............................................................................................................... 4
2.6.2. “GS” Markers ............................................................................................................................ 4
2.6.3. “R” Markers............................................................................................................................... 4
3. Recommended Rules Use ..................................................................................................................... 4
3.1. Artillery Mission Markers .............................................................................................................. 4
3.2. Air Enhancement (when available) ............................................................................................... 5
3.3. Command and Control .................................................................................................................. 5
3.4. Optional Victory Level Determination .......................................................................................... 5
3.5. Optional Assault Tables................................................................................................................. 5
4. Errata for the Series .............................................................................................................................. 5
5. Errata for Totenkopf ............................................................................................................................. 7
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6. Historical Commentary ......................................................................................................................... 8
6.1. To the Edge of Success .................................................................................................................. 8
6.2. Consolidation ................................................................................................................................ 8
6.3. Prokhorovka .................................................................................................................................. 8
6.4. Halted ............................................................................................................................................ 9
6.5. Exhausted .................................................................................................................................... 10
6.6. Finale ........................................................................................................................................... 10
7. News.................................................................................................................................................... 10
8. Tactical Mentoring .............................................................................................................................. 10
9. Credits ................................................................................................................................................. 11
Contact Information:
Grognard Simulations
3752 Becontree Pl
Oviedo, FL 32765
Subject for questions: Death Ride Kursk – Leibstandarte
(972) 816-7948
1. Introduction
Death Ride Kursk – Leibstandarte is the fifth game in the Death Ride Kursk series. This game, and the
entire series, has been refreshed and you will find some wonderful new material. The most outward
and in-your-face item is the map. In this rules supplement we will share some special rules that deal
mainly with just the Leibstandarte game.
1.1. Air Support Allocation
The Leibstandarte SS Panzer Grenadier Division gets 40% of all air support that the IInd SS Panzer Korps
would be allocated.
1.2. Game Turn Record Track
This series shows the battle starting on the 4th July 1943, but the game’s first scenario starts with turn
44. This is because of the odd nature of the location of the Leibstandarte Panzer Grenadier Division
before 9 July 1943.
1.3.Scenarios for 4-8 July
For those worried that there aren’t enough scenarios, or that the scenarios only start when the front
was stalled, there will be scenarios for 4-8 July in the Das Reich game. All 3 SS divisions will have
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scenarios that start the battle on 4 July and they will be included in the Das Reich game package. The SS
divisions didn’t have the kind of patrolling and setup at the jump-off line that XLVIII Panzer Korps
conducted. I will include 4 July scenarios for experimentation purposes to see what might have been
able to be achieved if they had actually made a more deliberate attempt to press the Red Army more
aggressively and capture some of the outposts during the night of 4/5 July.
1.4.Leibstandarte Boundaries
The boundary area that includes the town of Pravoroti is not part of Leibstandarte’s area of operations.
When playing the larger combined scenarios players can ignore the boundaries. In this game the
German player is allowed to conduct Fire Attacks across the boundary with the intent to suppress and
destroy by fire Red Army units, but may not assault across the boundary. If the Red Army player crosses
the boundary into Leibstandarte’s main area of operations, which he may choose to do, the offending
Red Army units become subject to German assaults.
2. Counter and Marker Specifics
This section describes the type and number of supporting counters and markers that are available in the
game. This is important since many rules state that the counter limit is the number of counters
allowable in play at any time. These limits apply to the Leibstandarte game and scenarios.
2.1. Close Air Support Markers
There are 10 German CAS markers in the Standard game counter mix
There are 6 Red Army CAS markers in the Standard game counter mix
2.2.Reserve Markers
There are 18 German Reserve markers
There are 18 Red Army Reserve markers
2.3.Overwatch (OW) Markers
There are 29 German Overwatch markers
There are 0 Red Army Overwatch markers
2.4.Obstacle Markers
This section has the obstacle marker counts. All obstacles are Red Army obstacles
2.4.1. Mine Markers
There are 36 Mine markers
2.4.2. Dummy Mine Markers
There are 9 Dummy Mine markers
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2.4.3. Wire Markers
There are 126 Wire markers
2.4.4. Dummy Wire Markers
There are 33 Dummy Wire markers
2.4.5. Dug-in Markers
There are 36 Dug-in markers
2.4.6. Fortification Markers
There are 18 Fortification markers
2.5.Smoke Markers
There are 9 German Smoke markers – these markers may only be used for operations involving the
Leibstandarte division. Players are not allowed to group all the smoke markers and concentrate them all
in one division area.
There are 9 Red Army Smoke markers – these markers may only be used for operations involving units
fighting Leibstandarte. Players are not allowed to group all the smoke markers and concentrate them all
against any one SS division.
2.6.Artillery Mission Markers
This section specifies the available artillery mission markers
2.6.1. “DS” Mission Markers
There are 16 German “DS” Artillery Mission markers specific to organizations
There are 57 Red Army “DS” Artillery Mission markers specific to organizations
2.6.2. “GS” Markers
There are 8 German “GS” Artillery Mission markers specific to organizations
There are 18 Red Army “GS” Artillery Mission markers specific to organizations
2.6.3. “R” Markers
There are 10 German “R” Artillery Mission markers specific to organizations
There are 11 Red Army “R” Artillery Mission markers specific to organizations
3. Recommended Rules Use
These are the rules I think you should seriously consider in playing Death Ride Kursk – Leibstandarte.
3.1.Artillery Mission Markers
Use of the Artillery Mission markers will make your battle so much more exciting. Doing the planning
and then understanding the limits of flexibility of fire support on the battlefield are great to experience.
The important thing to remember here is that artillery did not fire willy-nilly all over the map. It was
tasked with specific support missions and this set of rules will force you to stay within that framework
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and prevent pulling a few extra factors from anywhere around the battle area to support any
organization. The planning involved is good practice.
3.2.Air Enhancement (when available)
Use of the Air Enhancement will take your game to a completely new level and give the battle a true 3
dimensional effect. Be sure to use the CAS and GA Success/Fail rules for some accidental bombings of
one’s own troops or possibly hitting a different target. When playing the non-day specific scenarios you
should cut the air allocation by half for both sides. For those of you who want to see if attacking the
enemy airfields would have made a difference then this is your vehicle to do that.
3.3.Command and Control
Use of the Command and Control rules is absolutely essential, in my opinion, in seeing how the structure
of a unit makes it so effective, or not, in combat. Task organizing is the most interesting part of the
game I know of. Also in this area is the use of Company counters. And along with the Company
counters is the manner in which losses are taken. Take the losses by Platoon, as that will make the use
of the companies more palatable. While I am not prone to making and using Kampfgruppe’s you may
find it helpful to put one together for a specific mission. Where I see the best use of these is taking a
disparate group of companies and forming them into a true combined arms team. This new Regimental
sized element could very well be your exploitation force if you find you have success in breaking
through. They will also provide an extra layer of command flexibility.
3.4.Optional Victory Level Determination
Use of the counting of casualties might make both players a bit more wary of willy-nilly adventurism. It
will force players to consider the cost of victory vs the gains. A player that charges forward regardless of
casualties just to take a town or hill and ends up with a combat ineffective unit is not successful. Once a
Battalion hits 50% they are pretty much combat ineffective.
3.5.Optional Assault Tables
Use of the Optional Assault Tables will make the game more interesting. The early edition tables were
too random for some players. The new tables are linear and easier to figure out. The new Optional
tables provide the randomness that I really hoped for since in reality the attacker should never know
that he is going to get away scot free. The new tables also include something new called fanaticism, for
those of you who want some real craziness to consider. At times the Red Army will fight even harder for
a position. Certain results are now marked with a “+”. These results will cause the attacker to take
additional levels of losses. Depending whether you are in clear or covered terrain (town, forest, fort,
and dug-in) the losses will be 1 to 2 levels worse than originally expected. This can provide the
uncertainty that I prefer to see in this type of combat. I think you’ll enjoy it too.
4. Errata for the Series
Some charts require minor corrections for omissions or errors:
a) I am including an additional set of assault charts. While the original charts work just fine the
new ones included with this game will provide you with more exciting combat results that have
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a higher element of chance in them and incorporate additional effects of Red Army fanaticism
that occurred.
b) In the DRM Table the Bonus for Heavy Armor is missing from the Attacker DRMs for assault. It is
+2 when the attacker is in clear terrain.
c) In the DRM Table there were issues with some rows highlighting which represents the
Combined Arms restrictions:
a. All the rows in Assault Initiator should be highlighted
b. The Target in a Stream Hex should not be highlighted
c. The Target below Assaulter should not be highlighted
d. Enfilade Assault should be highlighted
e. Assaulter is Elite should be highlighted
d) In the Turn Record Track the 0400-0600 and 1800-2000 game turns are daylight.
e) In the Fire Results Table:
a. The die roll column should say at the top row, -5 or less
b. The die roll column should say at the bottom row, 16 or more
f) On the Terrain/Marker Movement Effects Chart:
a. There should be a Bridge entry, which negates the effects of the other terrain
b. There should be a Ford entry, which negates the effects of the other terrain
g) In the Supply/Command & Control Ranges Summary Table the supply ranges should be
measured from combat unit to GREEN banded HQ and then supply unit to supply unit
h) In the Patrol/Casualty Tracks & Loss Boxes there should be a note that says “Half of all Air Units
in the Daily Losses box are returned to play as replacements, round up” – applicable only when
using the Air Enhancement
Rules clarifications:
a) German company level counters can breakdown and buildup during any game turn during the
German Turn Command and Control Phase. This is in lieu of the normal time described in the
Sequence of Play.
b) Opportunity Fire: For each hex that a unit or stack moves into, their movement may be
interrupted and they may be fired on by one enemy unit or stack that has line of sight to them
and whose weapons are in range. The Opportunity Firer may use any or all weapons that are in
range to make the attack.
a. Situation and example:
i. Player “A” selects a unit or stack to move
ii. Player “A” moves into the first hex
iii. If Player “B” has line of sight to the moving unit or stack he may declare and
conduct an Opportunity Fire attack by any one unit or stack that has line of sight
to the moving unit
1. The attack is calculated with any or all weapons that are within range
2. Only one chance to fire at the mover, by this firer, is allowed, per
weapon system
3. Only one chance to fire at this mover, in this hex, is allowed
iv. Once that Opportunity Fire attack is resolved and results are applied Player “A”
may move into the next hex
v. Player “B” now has the same ability to declare an Opportunity Fire attack with a
different unit or stack, or the same unit or stack but using any previously unfired
primary or secondary weapon systems.
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c) Overwatch Fire: Each opportunity fire attack may be responded to by one enemy unit or stack
that is in Overwatch. The Overwatch Fire is made and resolved before the Opportunity Fire.
The Overwatch Firer may use any or all weapons that are in range to make the attack. An
Overwatch Firer may only fire at enemy Opportunity Firers that are trying to engage a friendly
unit that is in the Overwatch units’ chain of command.
a. Situation and example
i. Player “A” selects a unit or stack to move
ii. Player “A” moves into the first hex
iii. If Player “B” has line of sight to the moving unit or stack he may declare an
Opportunity Fire attack by any one unit or stack that has line of sight to the
moving unit
1. Assuming Player “A” has a unit or stack in Overwatch, Player “A”
decides whether to use Overwatch Fire to engage the Opportunity Firer
before the Opportunity Firer engages the moving unit
2. Only one chance to fire at this Opportunity Firer, in this hex, is allowed
iv. Once that Overwatch Fire attack is resolved and results are applied Player “A”
may move into the next hex, if still capable
v. Player “B” now has the same ability to declare an Opportunity Fire attack with a
different unit or stack, and Player “A” may respond with additional Overwatch
Fire.
d) Engineers DO NOT need to be placed under an obstacle when removing it. That statement in
12.2.3.5 is not correct. Engineers can remove obstacles from an adjacent hex.
e) Supply for units that are considered unaffiliated units as described in section 8.5.2.2 and 8.5.2.3
are also in effect for section 12.6.3.
f) Supply may be traced across a River where there is a bridge or rafts that are setup and
operational.
g) The RLOS bullet under 11.3.7.2.2 Check Radio Line of Sight (RLOS) states “The Commo Check die
roll is modified by +1 for every 3 (or part of 3) higher elevation hexes that is passed through.”
This should state instead “The Commo Check die roll is modified by +1 for every higher elevation
that is passed through.” The number of higher elevation hexes is not relevant for this.
5. Errata for Totenkopf
The following items have been clarified or corrected for Totenkopf.
a) There are replacement counters for some units
a. B/TR units in half tracks needed adjusting
b. Engineer units in half tracks needed adjusting
c. A few panzer companies from TPzR had the factor layout on top #-#-#. This is incorrect
and replacement counters have the correct layout.
b) The 309RD is not in the counter mix for Totenkopf, although it does show up in Totenkopf
scenarios. This division is included in the 11Pz game. When needed, and you don’t have it, the
German player is not allowed to execute fire or assault combat against Red Army units in the
Red Army zone where 309RD would have been deployed for the day it would be present. This
unit appeared in the Totenkopf area of operations for 1 day. It arrived, setup a defense, and
then retired back to the 11th Panzer area of operations.
Map clarifications:
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a) There are some bridges shown on the “D” map for Totenkopf that should be considered as
inoperable, or blown, at game start. These bridges cannot be rebuilt and should be considered
destroyed for any scenario, including those starting on 4 July.
a. The bridge in hex D1709 should be considered destroyed
b. The bridge in hex D1221 should be considered destroyed
6. Historical Commentary
A little bit of enlightenment as paraphrased from George Nipes.
6.1.To the Edge of Success
After the decent advances that brought the Leibstandarte division to the area around Teterwino Nord
the Germans settled down to a short respite before the next push. It took 4 days to make the gains that
got the division to this point. They had made some excellent headway against stiff resistance. Half the
division was still fighting to the west and was finally making its way back to the new front line area
facing more to the northeast. This was the culmination of the regrouping the IInd SS Panzer Korps did
when it moved Totenkopf to the left flank of the Korps area. So the 1SS PzG and Leibstandarte Panzer
Regiments cleaned up their attacks to the west and took up positions ready for a further advance
toward Prohkorovka. The net effect of this left half of Leibstandarte’s attack to the west was to cause
the Red Army leadership to falsely think that the main effort had moved back toward Oboyan. Hoth was
fairly confident that his forces were just short of the operational breakthrough they were looking for.
His troops thought so too. Resistance had slackened a bit and that led the Germans to think the Red
Army was finally at an end. Both sides would be mistaken in their beliefs.
6.2.Consolidation
In getting to this point Leibstandarte had to do some heavy fighting. One place in particular was the
Komsomol Farm. The fighting for this place was extremely nasty. A reinforced German Rifle Battalion
would need to dig deep to extract the Red Army emplaced in the farm. Once this kind of initial setup
battle had taken place the Germans were able to move again. Leibstandarte managed to capture Hill
252.2 with the Armored Infantry Battalion of 2nd Panzer Grenadier Regiment 2 under Joachim Peiper.
Both Panzer Grenadier Regiments made some gains and then began to consolidate their gains before
the next push. That next push would be scheduled for 12 July. During this time the Germans managed
to fend off some local counter-attacks and hold their ground. This lessening of resistance prompted
them into a false sense of security as the Red Army itself prepared for its next counter-attack.
6.3.Prokhorovka
With Leibstandarte standing poised to attack Prohkorovka the Red Army leadership became very
nervous. They came to the conclusion that the time had come to hit back at the Germans and stop the
advance to the northeast. With 5th Guards Tank Army now fully engaged on this front the 18th and 29th
Tank Corps were ordered to hit the Germans with all their strength and crush the German spearheads.
The Germans had taken Hill 252.2 and had consolidated their gains. The Grenadiers and PanzerTruppen
were in no rush to move forward as the higher plan for the SS Korps was to allow the Totenkopf
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Divisions attack to develop first and then for Leibstandarte to make their own follow-on attack. This
would theoretically divert the attention of the Red Army in the wrong area.
This was in a way fortunate for the Germans as they would be better prepared for what would happen
this day. At dawn the Red Army Tank Corps began to assemble for the attack and the Germans could
hear that something was afoot. By 0800 some minor Red Army reconnaissance attacks had been beaten
off. At 0900 German forward observers all along the front began to report enemy tank sightings with
some infantry support. Five or six groups of 40 tanks reached out at strategic points along the German
lines, each group representing about a brigade of enemy tanks. The orders for these massed attackers
were simple: break through the German lines at all costs, close with the Germans to eliminate their long
range weapons advantage and fight them at point blank range.
One weakened Panzer Kompanie had just seven MK IV tanks available and was situated behind a hill, in
reserve, waiting for the afternoon advance after Totenkopf’s battle. At the first sign of trouble this
Panzer Kompanie readied for action and saw heading its way a large host of almost two enemy tank
brigades. The view from this Kompanie’s position gave them flank shots at one brigade and they
opened fire on those enemy first. The Kompanie’s 75mm guns inflicting some serious damage on the T-
34s and T-70s moving across their front. Then there were masses of fast moving enemy tanks right in
front of them and the only response was to fire as quickly as possible and destroy as many of the enemy
as quickly as possible to better the odds of survival.
German positions were attacked by 9th Guards Airborne Division infantry which had ridden on the tank
decks. These enemy troops were engaged with machine guns and anything else that would slow them
down and separate them from the tanks. Doing this would make the enemy tanks more vulnerable, and
it worked. Then the Red Army tanks began to hit some obstacles and lost the momentum of their
attack. This gave the Panzers a break and the ability to hammer away at a distance against the T-34s.
There was no missing at the few hundred meters range of many of these engagements. Incredibly the
Red Army attack lost focus, and then dissipated, but the end result was a trauma caused upon the
Germans that ended their desire to attack toward the important town and hub of Prohkorovka.
One reason given for the incredible kill ratio of the Germans was the fact that the Red Army T-34 tank
crew was only 3 men. The tank commander had to be the commander and gunner and when in combat
he could only really be the gunner. This, in combination with a lack of radios in the tanks, caused a
serious diminishment of efficiency that gave the panzers tremendous edge.
6.4.Halted
After having destroyed so many Red Army tanks, the Germans thought for sure they could make one last
attempt to drive to Prohkorovka and break through. A determined Leibstandarte made the effort with
its remaining strength and in particular the Panzer Regiment. While some initial progress was made it
proved impossible to make significant headway against very stiff enemy positions. Once the main attack
was halted the only alternative was to attempt to grind down the Red Army tank reserves. There was a
salient that still remained, having what appeared to be a large amount of Red Army troops. Group
Trufanov was north and east of Belgorod and the Germans did their best to trap what they could. The
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stubborn Red Army made excellent use of the terrain and withdrew skillfully. Leibstandarte worked
hard to attack towards III Panzer Korps. III Panzer Korps was pushing hard, with little success, to the
northwest, across the Donets, and trying to link up with the SS troops near Prokhorovka. Much of this
group would escape the trap and help stop the remaining German offensive efforts.
6.5.Exhausted
The IInd SS Panzer Korps was completely used up. Not defeated, but completely exhausted,
Leibstandarte held on to the territory it had captured and did what it could to work towards III Panzer
Korps which was working its way north trying to close the salient. The going was difficult at best and no
rapid movements were made. By 15 July the gap was closed and the Germans had a solid front line
running between IISS Panzer Korps and III Panzer Korps.
6.6.Finale
The offensive was then cancelled, but Manstein determined that he wanted to spend some days trying
to complete the destruction of the Red Army tank reserves. Little did he know that only a couple weeks
later the number of Red Army tanks would be back to where they were at the start of the German
offensive. During this time the SS troops conducted Operation Roland. And the Germans did manage to
eliminate a considerable number of T-34s and T-70s. With the end of Operation Roland the SS divisions
began to leave the area and one went to Italy due to the Allied invasion of Sicily and the other 2 spent
some additional time on the eastern front fending off an incredibly strong Red Army offensive into the
Ukraine to recover territory up to the Dniepr River. It was actually a set of offensives that threw the
Germans out of the region and the SS divisions became fire brigades for different sectors of the front
before being removed eventually from the eastern front and being placed in France to scare off the
Allies.
7. News
The Enhancement set for the IInd SS Panzer Korps games is not long in coming. It will come in one
package and include the Maintenance, Logistics, and Air units, Tables, and Charts. At the same time we
are trying to reorganize the game packages for the GD/3Pz/11Pz games to match the structure of these
SS Division games. That means they will be released again with the version 2.0 rules, new maps,
updated scenarios, updated charts and tables, and they will come with the Command and Control and
Fire Support Enhancements built in. The XLVIII Enhancement package then will be combined, similar to
the SS Enhancement package, with Air, Logistics, and Maintenance included.
8. Tactical Mentoring
This game is going to be a challenge for both players.
German: Leibstandarte does not start all on the map for the start of this game. This is the most
important issue that must be addressed. Get all the available combat power up toward the main line of
attack. The Panzer and one Panzer Grenadier Regiment were off to the west cleaning up problems from
the day before. When they arrive have them integrate into the line quickly and push hard along the
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road to Prokhorovka. You are going to be pressed from 2 directions. You will need to be making
progress toward Prokhorovka first, but you will need to be firm handling any issues on your right flank.
When you are ready you are going to need to try and attack Prokhorovka directly before the Red Army
storm breaks and the 18th and 29th Tank Corps arrive. Once they arrive you can forget any attempt to
attack the town and simply concentrate on defeating the Red Army troops in the area. When using the
enhancement package with this game you will need to think much more 3 dimensionally. Do not forget
to place air defense units around your rear areas. Not doing so will cause you tremendous pain and
dislocation. By the same token use air power as much as possible to help increase the chance of
winning engagements. A good CAS mission with a couple air units will be able to turn a bad situation
into a low risk situation very easily.
Red Army: The one advantage they have at this time is that the Germans are still trying to concentrate
before being able to make an effective attack. Have a set of well protected fortifications and dug-in
positions strung out along the front and backed up by a strong amount of armored reserves. There are
2 regiment sized infantry organizations in the Prokhorovka corridor at game start. The Tank Brigades
from 2nd Tank Corps should be in position to make counter-attacks. From the area south of the rail line
the Red Army needs to maintain steady pressure on the German flank forces in this area. The stronger
the attacks on the Germans here the weaker the German attacks can be directly up the corridor in the
direction of Prokhorovka. Once the 18th and 29th Tank Corps are present use those to do the same thing
that happened historically, attack! Try to think about the deep battle. If you can make attacks against
rear area units of the Germans so as to displace their C2 capability or even lessen their air defense
assets do them. When a weak spot appears, don’t hesitate to take advantage of it and make some good
attacks. From the Task Organization perspective, this is a critical item. When assigning assets to the
Rifle Divisions place the artillery battalions assigned to perform DS missions’ specific to a regiment
directly subordinate to that regiment. Then you can assign some different assets to the right hand
column and directly to support the division. This will allow the division to get the benefit of the artillery
and the benefit of each of the other types you assign to the division. Without this you have a hard time
getting good positive die roll modifiers.
9. Credits
All scenario Situations and Commentary are taken from and are excerpts from George Nipe’s book.
Blood, Steel, and Myth; the II SS Panzer Korps and the road to Prokhorovka. July 1943
George M. Nipe; RZM Publishing 2011
Box Cover Picture:
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2935-10A / Wolff/Altvater / CC-BY-SA
More Kudo’s to the review group; Marc Hirschy, Joe Perez, Stacey Fitzsimmons, Steve Bradford, Robert
Weebe
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