Devil in the Woods - Ambush Alley AAR, Belarus 1943
Background
Belarus 1943. During an anti-partisan operation (Bandenbekämpfung) an Armia Krajowa (Polish Home Army) unit is trying to escape encirclement. They have managed to escape their pursuers, but now elements of the infamous Sonderkommando Dirlewanger are closing in. Can they escape as the cordon tightens?
Table Set up
The game is played on a 3ft x 2.5 ft game mat. The area is heavily wooded, closed forest which provide cover and potential ambush points. The terrain also hampers movement, reducing all movement to Cautious movement of 6 inches.
There are no German units on the table as the game begins. Six numbered hotspots have been placed on the table from which the German forces will deploy. The reinforcement level is 5, therefore German units will deploy on anything other than a 6 being rolled on a D6. Roll on the reinforcement table to see which German unit deploys and roll D6 to see which Hotspot they deploy at. The Reinforcement table with full scenario details can be seen/downloaded from here.
The forces
Armia Krajowa (Regulars)
HQ unit – Kapitan Deyna armed with SMG
Sonderkommando Dirlewanger (Irregulars)
Scum of the earth, only effective when murdering unarmed civilians, the “soldiers” of the Sonderkommando are classed as Irregular forces in this scenario. Troop Quality of d6 and base Morale of d8 which is due to fear of their brutal commanders.
Roll a D6 for each German unit as it deploys. On a score of 4+, the unit is drunk and classed as Hopped Up as per the Force on Force rules. They may attempt to interrupt even if they have no leader attached and are not subject to “shrinkage” due to Morale Checks. They throw an extra Defense die to represent their ability to shrug off all but the most grievous of injuries, but lose a Firepower die due to their wild and undisciplined fire.
There are no Reinforcements rolls on the first turn. The Home Army move forwards cautiously 6 inches unimpeded.
Turn Two
The Hotspot Reinforcement roll deploys 1 German LMG team of 2 figures with an SMG armed Leader at Hotspot 5. The Home Army units continue to move up through the forest.
Turn Three
The Hotspot Reinforcement roll is again at Hotspot 5 and this time the Germans are reinforced by 3 men with bolt action rifles & grenades. Using the special rule for the scenario they roll a 5 so are considered Hopped up.
As the Home Army fighters move up, the German LMG team interrupts. Their fire is ineffectual only rolling one success and is shrugged off by the Poles. They now complete their movement and Fire back for 3 successes! The Germans manage to match one defence, but the LMG team are wiped out. First blood to the Home Army. The LMG team NCO who is the only one left passes his morale check and stands.
Turn Four
The Partisans luck holds as the insurgency dice is a 6 so no additional German units deploy. Squad B continues to move through the forest. Squad A and the leader are interrupted by the German riflemen who the LMG team NCO has now taken over leadership of. The Home Army pass their reaction test and fire on the Germans before their advance. After all the dice are thrown and compared the Germans take 2 casualties. They pass their Morale check but their return fire is ineffectual and the Home Army complete their movement by declaring a Close Assault and charging the remaining Germans. Both sides pass their Quality Check so the assault takes place. As the Home Army press home the assault, the Germans fire wildly and miss and are wiped out in the ensuing melee. There are no German units left on the table at this point.
Turn Five
Fortune favours the brave and incredibly the Home Army luck holds again as another 6 is rolled so there’s no reinforcements for the Germans. All the Home Army units move up to continue their escape.
Turn Six
The Reinforcement level now switches to Automatic. At Hot spot 5, a Hopped Up German LMG team of 2 figures, + 1Leader with SMG deploy and try to interrupt Home Army Squad A’s movement. The Partisans pass their reaction test and continue with their movement. The German LMG team fires at their backs for 3 hits and after the Defence dice are rolled, the Poles take one casualty. They pass the subsequent Morale test. The rest of the Home Army continue to move forward unimpeded.
Turn Seven
The German LMG team at Hotspot 5 can now Activate. They open fire at the Poles but although they hit once the Poles are unscathed. Home Army Squad B continue their escape and advance nearer to freedom.
Turn Eight
 |
| Komandor Deyna and his men escape |
Conclusion
This game was an interesting but in some ways hard one to play. I agonised over whether to play a game involving such a vile unit as Dirlewanger's gang, but I'm a firm believer in not airbrushing anything out of history. The partisan war in general was a most brutal aspect of a brutal war, even more so in Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. The politics and relationships between the many combatants was extremely complex, making it is also fascinating and absorbing to read about, hence my decision to game it. All I can say is let us hope none of us ever have to experience anything remotely like it.
The result of the game roughly mirrored documented accounts when Dirlewanger's unit met armed opponents. They were largely ineffective and tended to shrink away when asked to actually fight! By forming units from the dregs of society and unleashing them on civilians, it's yet another indicator of how completely morally bankrupt and evil the Nazi regime was.
Things may well have been different if more German reinforcements had arrived on Turns 4 and 5. This allowed the Partisans to progress in their escape. I'll be playing a follow up game to involving Kapitan Deyna and his men to see how they do against a regular Heer unit.
Cool looking game.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ray, it was an interesting one. All being well I'll be playing part 2 over the weekend.
DeleteExcellent and enjoyable report.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Richard. Glad you liked it. The sequel will follow soon.
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