Prokhorovka Campaign [by Pasalades]

NeuralDream · **NeuralDream**

Originally posted by Pasalades 01-30-2006 in the old AH forums: http://boards.avalonhill.com/showthread.php?t=8826

[note by Neural Dream: This is part of the forumini project of recovering the most popular scenarios and campaigns from the old forums to an active forum instead of letting them die in an archive. I haven't asked all authors' permission for re-posting their brilliant work, since many have now left the community and cannot be contacted.]

Operation Citadel stands as one of the most heavily scrutinized and famous battles of the Second World War. At the end of the Soviet winter offensive in 1943, the Soviet operations Star and Gallop, a large bulge extended into Army Groups Center on the Voroznezh Front, all this despite brilliant counterattacks from Field Marshall von Manstein. At the center of this bulge lay the city of Kursk. Army Groups South and Center were to assemble their forces on the flanks of the salient and make a pincer attack toward Kursk itself. The operation was to be launched in late spring, but problems with the refitting of the army had delayed the operation until July 5th. By then the Russian army had gleaned notice of the attack and it’s parameters and spent their time feverishly preparing for the attack. It was at this time that the Whermacht had one last chance to regain control of the Eastern Front and put the Soviet Union back on the defensive. Four days into the operation, only the southern spearhead, led by elite SS Divisions, had made significant progress. The 2nd SS Panzer Corps had pushed close to Oboyan and Prokhorovka, key cities on the approaches to Kursk itself. Prokhorovka Station was a key railway axis that led to Kursk itself. Control of it would seriously destabilize the southern front for the Soviet forces, and vast numbers were committed to its defence. The offensive in the north had stalled by the 9th of July, and it rested on the southern flank to secure victory in this pivotal battle of the war. Spearheading the assault on Prokhorovka itself was the SS-Panzergrenadier Division ‘Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler’ supported by the First SS-Panzer Regiment. This is where this campaign begins.

What I am presenting here is a three part campaign where each battle is played for specified victory points. Each scenario can be played individually, or the accumulated points from the three battles may be added up to determine the overall winner. I will be releasing one map each week until they are all published, whereupon I hope I will begin work on a fourth scenario that is related but not directly connected to this campaign (a bonus scenario as it were). The purpose of this campaign is to put two or more players right at the ground level of the action leading up to the ‘greatest tank battle in human history’. These battles are meant to replicate actual operations carried out over the period of July 10th-12th outside of Prokhorovka. The battle of Kursk is an awe inspiring yet horrifying series of clashes that encapsulated the conflict between entire civilizations that was the Second World War. The German player will be playing the role of the 2nd SS-Panzer Grenadier Regiment which was the fighting tip of the SS-Panzergrenadier Division ‘LAH’ and supporting armour from the 1st SS-Panzer Regiment. The Soviet player will be operating under the 2nd Tank Corps and its supporting infantry divisions, and later the formidable 5th Guards Army. These three scenarios have been recreated from a variety of sources, both primary and secondary, including Soviet tactical manuals and maps, German troop dispositions, and secondary accounts of the battle and its parameters (I’d be happy to share some sources via PM, they are too numerous to list here). All new maps have been created specifically for this campaign. Each one is a realistic rendering of the battlefield to scale on maps fully compatible with existing Axis and Allies Miniatures maps. Soviet and German forces are recreated as accurately as possible to the squad level and with accurate representation of the armoured forces present at each engagement (as much as the array of units available in AAM allows). Each scenario has been play-tested thoroughly for balance, and present interesting and varying objectives for each side representative of the aims of each side at the engagement. These maps will be updated to accommodate new units as they become available, so check back with the release of each new set. Each of these scenarios require a lot of pieces, so I recommend making use of substitutions, and pooling resources with your friends to pick up the slack. If you desire, more than two people may play the game with extra players taking over the role of the armoured formations. These campaigns are the product of two months of research and hard work. I hope you have as much fun playing them as I did making them. Hopefully historical accuracy will translate into actual enjoyment. PM me with any questions about the scenarios, or for any help with playing either side, and of course please post your comments in this thread, I’d love to hear them!

All of the Maps for these scenarios will be stored here:
http://24.150.163.38/pasalades

PART 1 Battle for Kosmolets Farm:

Description: At 1045 hours on July the 10th the 2nd SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment begins their offensive drive on Prokhorovka. The first objective to be taken is Kosmolets Collective Farm, resting on the confluence of the Prokhorovka Highway and the rail-line that ran all the way to Kursk itself. Soviet forces had taken up defensive positions in the farm and the adjacent forest. Having spotted the German spearhead they call up armour from rear formations to intervene.

Forces (point alternatives listed in parenthesis):

Axis

Leading Elements of the 2nd SS-PGR: (201pts)
SS-Panzergrenadier x 10
MG-42 Machine Gun Team x 4
Light Mortar x 4
Whermacht Expert Sniper x 1
SS-Haupsturmfuhrer x 2
SD Kfz-251 x 5

13th Company of the 1st SS-PR: (215pts)
Panzer Mark IV Ausf. G x 4
SS-Panzer Mark IV Ausf. F2 x 1
Tiger I x 1

Allies

Elements of 183d Rifle Division: (135pts)
Mosin Nagant x 15
Fanatical Sniper x 2
Zis-2 57mm Model 1943 x 5
Kuomintang Machine Gun Team x 4
Commisar x 2

Elements of the 169th Tank Brigade: (124pts)
T34/74 x 4
PPsh-41 SMG x 4

Elements of the 178th Tank Brigade: (95pts)
T-70 x 5
KV-1 x 1
PPsh-41 SMG x 1

Maps: All maps are placed with the name in the bottom left. Letters at the end (a or b) refer to half maps.

.............................North
...........Kosmolets-5 Kosmolets-6 Hill-241-3a
...West Kosmolets-3 Kosmolets-4 Hill-241-2a East
...........Kosmolets-1 Kosmolets-2 Kill-241-1a
.............................South

Setup:

Soviets deploy soldiers from the 183rd D Rifle Division first on any forest or town hexes on Maps Kosmolets-3, Kosmolets-4, Kosmolets-5 and Kosmolets-6. The 169th and 178th Tank Brigades will deploy after both movement phases of the first and third turns respectively. They may deploy up to two hexes from the upper right corner (quarter hex) of Map Kosmolets-6 or up to two hexes from the rightmost (east) road hex on Map Hill-241-3a. Soldiers may be deployed on vehicles as if it were the beginning of the game.

Germans deploy second. The 2nd-SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment deploys on the left(west) half of Map Kosmolets-1, except for hexes that overlap both sides (hexes horizontally center) of the map. The 1st SS-Panzer Regiment deploys up to two hexes from the bottom left corner (quarter hex) of Map Kosmolets-2. Both players roll for initiative as per normal at this point.

Objective: Play for Victory Points - At the end of turn ten the player with the most points according to this list of criteria wins.
For each Panzer IV damaged – 1 point Soviets
For each Panzer IV destroyed – 2 points Soviets
For each Tiger I damaged – 3 points Soviets
For each Tiger I destroyed – 5 points Soviets
If German forces control the crossroads (three-way road) hex on Map Kosmolets-6 – 5 points Germans
If no Soviet units occupy any town hexes – 10 points Germans

Special Rules:

All German vehicles possess the SS-Determination Special Ability for the duration of this scenario.

The road hexes on Maps Kosmolets-2, Kosmolets-4, and Hill-241-3a represent the merging of the Prokhorovka Highway with the Kursk Railroad. They rest on an embankment that offers a modicum of protection allowing soldier units to receive cover with a minus one (-1) penalty to their cover rolls.

Aftermath: The advancing forces quickly flanked the farm and drove away approaching armoured units. With the forward panzer formations relatively unscathed, the panzergrenadiers moved in to clear out the farm itself, an operation requiring another two hours and some reinforcements. By 1245 hours, the 2nd SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment was ready to move on to its next target for the day, Hill 241. (Germans Win 5pts – 3pts)

Production Notes: This engagement is where the battle for Prokhorvka really began. For me I had some trouble working the scale properly as this was the first part campaign that I was to do. Originally I wanted to extend the battlefield further north to the tributaries of the Psel river, but I found it strung out the Soviet armoured reinforcements quite a bit. The two segments of road give the Soviet forces some options in deploying their tanks, and they will be making game winning or losing decisions regarding how best to use them against the German tanks. The objectives fit nicely with what the tiered Russian defence was trying to accomplish. They did not feel that they could stop the German forces at Kosmolets but rather set out to inflict maximum damage on the German forces and delay them as much as possible. The Soviet objective reflects this well. I should note that for the entire campaign against Prokhorovka, the 1st SS-PR possessed only 4 Tiger tanks. They had to be rationed carefully and would fight together as a platoon on the outskirts of Prokhorovka as an armoured spearhead (You’ll get your chance). All four survived the battle; a testament to the power of the Tigers and the skill of their crews. Lastly, working on these has shown me how good map design can really make the dimensions of the game much better. The maps that come in the starter set are too crowded for my liking with tiny bits of terrain interspersed all over the place. The strategic element of the game breaks down a bit in these cases. I find it’s better to have sizable terrain elements and ridgelines (represented by hill hexes) with a fair degree of space in between to represent more realistic topography. Try playing normal games with these maps and you’ll see how maneuvering, using vehicles like the Sd Kfz 251 and employing SAs like Extended Range really have their use.

PART 2: Assault on Hill 241

Description: Although the Kosmolets Farm was cleared, just over a kilometer to the north was Hill 241. This hill overlooked both the Prokhorovka Highway and the farm itself. From the hill came desultory artillery strikes throughout the morning as well as the armoured reinforcements the 2nd SS-PGR fought while taking the farm itself. No progress could be made along the highway until the hill was taken. The only viable route of assault it was across the slopes leading up to the hill itself. At 1300 hours as the forces responsible for securing the farm dug in, two more companies of the 2nd SS-PGR leaped forward with armoured support to try to dislodge the hill’s defenders.

Forces (point alternatives listed in parenthesis):

Axis

Leading Elements of the 2nd SS-PGR: (223pts)
SS-Panzergrenadier x 10
MG-42 Machine Gun Team x 4
Light Mortar x 4
Whermacht Expert Sniper x 1
SS-Haupsturmfuhrer x 2
SD Kfz-251 x 5
Sturmpanzer Brummbar x 1

13th Company of the 1st SS-PR: (215pts)
Panzer Mark IV Ausf. G x 4
SS-Panzer Mark IV Ausf. F2 x 1
Tiger I x 1

Allies

Elements of 183d Rifle Division: (167pts)
Mosin Nagant x 15
Ppsh-41 x 5
Fanatical Sniper x 2
Zis-2 57mm Model 1943 x 6
Kuomintang Machine Gun Team x 6
Commisar x 2
Cossack Captain x 1

Elements of the 169th Tank Brigade: (168pts)
T34/74 x 2
KV-1 x 2
T-70 x 4

Maps: All maps are placed with the name in the bottom left. Letters at the end (a or b) refer to half maps.

North
...........Hill-241-6 Hill 241-7
West....Hill-241-4 Hill-241-5.......East
...........Kosmolets-6 Hill-241-3
South

Setup:

Soviets deploy first. All units from the 183d Rifle Division and 169th Tank Brigade may deploy any Hill or Hill with Road Hex on Maps Hill 241-5, Hill 241-6 and Hill 241-7.

All German forces may then deploy on any Town or Road Hexes on Maps Kosmolets-6 and Hill 241-3. Initiative is then rolled as per normal.

Objective: Play for Victory Points - At the end of turn ten the player with the most points according to this list of criteria wins.
For each Panzer IV or Sturmpanzer Brummbar damaged – 1 point Soviets
For each Panzer IV or Sturmpanzer Brummbar destroyed – 2 points Soviets
For each Tiger I damaged – 3 points Soviets
For each Tiger I destroyed – 5 points Soviets
If Germany Loses 100 points or more worth of Soldier Units, all subtypes included – 5 points Soviets
If German forces control all Hill with Road Hexes – 10 points Germans
If German Forces control all Hill Hexes on Map Hill 241-5 – 2 points Germans
If German Forces control six (6) Hill Hexes on Map Hill 241-6 – 5 points Germans

Special Rules:

All German vehicles possess the SS-Determination Special Ability for the duration of this scenario.

The road hexes on Map Hill-241-3 represent the merging of the Prokhorovka Highway with the Kursk Railroad. They rest on an embankment that offers a modicum of protection allowing soldier units to receive cover with a minus one (-1) penalty to their cover rolls.

All Soviet vehicles receive a +1 bonus to their cover saves as they are considered dug in. A vehicle loses this bonus as soon as it moves or changes facing.

Aftermath: Unable to dislodge Hill 241’s defenders at range the German Panzers surged forward only to be repulsed, while the 2nd SS-PGR took the lower reaches of the Hill. The Soviet forces held their ground as counter attacks were launched at the farm itself from the direction of the Psel river. The German attack had stalled, but as reinforcements arrived, renewed attacks seized the Hill by sundown. The Soviets succeeded in delaying the ‘LAH’ and made them pay for the hill. (Soviets Win 10-7)

Production Notes: I find the Germans can really set the tone for this battle by deciding just how many points they want to aim for. This is a Scenario where the Soviet forces will be forced to launch a counter attack on Map Hill 241-5 or Map Hill 241-6 if the Germans take these hills while holding their armoured forces back. Placement is everything, and an ambitious Soviet player will find ways to force the Germans to commit to a struggle for Hill 241-7 itself. After this map, we’ll move up to the 12th of July. The action that took place on the 11th of July, such as the assault on Hill 252 and Octiabrskii Farm were either to frenetic or too broad to sketch out in an AAM scenario. All small unit attempts to take these objectives were thoroughly repulsed by a decisive numerical advantage. Such a scenario would be too one sided. When the objectives were taken it was by a heavy preponderance of armour, artillery, and air superiority. This is not so bad a problem, as any who knows Kursk knows what happens on the 12th, and should have a good idea of what scenario is in store. Buy more tanks!

PART 3: The Last Push for Prokhorovka:

After an exhausting and non-stop struggle on the 11th of July the 2nd SS-Panzer Corps had pushed to within two kilometers of Prokhorovka itself. The next day would prove pivotal, not only for the Kursk offensive but possibly for the entire war itself. The ‘LAH’ had suffered fewer than 400 casualties over the last three days while capturing 800 Soviet prisoners and destroying 74 Soviet Tanks and 59 Antitank guns. Despite these successes, new Soviet forces had redeployed abreast of Prokhorovka including Guards Airborne Rifle Divisions and fresh tank brigades under the banner of the 5th Guards Tank Corps. Just as the German command was planning to continue their advance on the morning of the 12th, Soviet tanks arrived at their starting points for what would be a massive armoured counter-offensive. At 0810 hours on July 12th, as the remainder of the LAH moved closer along the highway to Prokhorovka, the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd SS-Panzer Grenadier Regiment moved up to the ridge leading into the Psel valley sandwiched in between Prokhorovka itself and the Psel river. At the same time Soviet armour had begun to roll into the valley from the north as the tanks of the 1st SS-Panzer Regiment raced to the slope into the valley from the south. The two forces would meet each other almost by surprise, neither expecting the other to be on the offensive. In the first ten minutes a hasty skirmish would turn into a full fledged battle very quickly. Both sides have a chance to affect the momentum of the upcoming battle by pushing the opposing forces into a disadvantageous position. The German infantry must scramble to provide cover for the AFVs that had leapt ahead as the Soviet tanks had been given express orders to negate the German advantage in range by rushing their tanks to close range while carrying soldiers into the fray. The Germans must hold the ridge that they have just crested and if possible knock the Soviet forces off balance and take the opposing ridgeline, while the Soviets can either seize the ridge from German forces or flank them and take the Oktiabrskii farm. This is an all or nothing battle, there are no victory points for destroying AFVs only for seizing objectives.

Forces (Point alternatives listed in parenthesis):

Axis (690 pts)

3rd Battalion of the 2nd SS-PGR (190 pts)

SS-Panzergrenadiers x 10
MG-42 x 4
Light Mortar x 4
SS-Haupsturmfuhrer x 2
Sd Kfz 251 x 5

13th Company of the 1st SS-PR (350pts)

Tiger Platoon: Tiger I x 4
Panzer Platoon: Panzer IV Ausf. G x 4
SS-Panzer IV Ausf F2 x 1

Reinforcements (150pts): Panzer IV Ausf. G x 4
Panzer IV Ausf. F2 x 1

Allies (1000 pts!!!)

23rd Guards Airborne Regiment (145pts)

Mosin Nagant x 15
KMT Machine Gun Team x 5
ZIS-2 57mm Model 1943 x 5
Commissar x 2
Cossack Captain x 2

31st Tank Brigade

Wave 1 (128 pts): T-34/76 x 4 Soviet Grenadier x 4
Wave 2 (70 pts): KV-1 x 2 Soviet Grenadier x 2
Wave 3 (128 pts): T-34/76 x 4 Soviet Grenadier x 4
Wave 4 (96 pts): T-70 x 8

32nd Tank Brigade

Wave 1 (96 pts): T-70 x 8
Wave 2 (128 pts): T-34/76 x 4 Soviet Grenadier x 4
Wave 3 (70 pts): KV-1 x 2 Soviet Grenadier x 2
Wave 4 (128 pts): T-34/76 x 4 Soviet Grenadier x 4

Maps: All maps are placed with the name in the bottom left. Letters at the end (a or b) refer to half maps.

West
. Oktiabrskii -1 Oktiabrskii - 4 George - 1
South Oktiabrskii -2 Oktiabrskii - 5 Oktiabrskii - 7 North
. Oktiabrskii -3 Oktiabrskii - 6 Oktiabrskii - 8
East

Set-Up:

Soviets Deploy First. The 23rd Guards Airborne Regiment deploys on or to the Northeast the Hill Hexes on maps Oktiabrskii 7 and Oktiabrskii 8. Wave 1 forces for the 31st Tank Brigade deploy up to two hexes away from the Northernmost edge of map George 1. Wave 2 forces for the 32nd Tank Brigade deploy to the Northeast of the Hill Hexes on maps Oktiabrskii 7 and Oktiabrskii 8.

Germans then deploy second. The 3rd Battalion of the 2nd SS-PGR deploys on maps Oktiabrskii 1, Oktiabrskii 2 and Oktiabrskii 3. The Tiger Platoon of the 13th Company of the 1st SS-PZ deploys on the Hill Hexes on Oktiabirskii 5 and Oktiabrskii 6. The Panzer Platoon of the 13th Company of the 1st SS-PZ deploys on map Oktiabrskii 1.

Initiative is then rolled as normal.

Objective: At the end of turn ten the player who controls (is the only player who has units on) the greatest number of Hill Hexes on Maps Octiabrskii 5 and Maps Oktiabrskii 6 earns 15 victory points and the win. If both sides control the same number of hexes then Germany still wins but with 10 victory points.

If at the end of any turn a Soviet unit occupies any Town Hexes then the scenarios ends with a Allied win with 15 victory points.

If at the end of any turn a German unit occupies any Hill Hex on maps Oktiabrskii 7 or Oktiabrskii 8 then the scenario ends with an Axis win with 15 victory points.

If playing for a combined total of victory points over the three scenarios, then if the Axis player has all four Tiger tanks intact (not damaged or destroyed) at the end of this scenario then award him 10 victory points, otherwise award the Soviet player 5 victory points.

Special Rules:

All Mosin Nagant units do not have the Command Dependant SA for the duration of this scenario (Guards Airborne Unit).

All German vehicles have the SS-Determination SA for the duration of this scenario.

German reinforcements for the 13th Company of the 1st SS-PR deploy at the beginning of the fifth turn on map Oktiabrskii 1.

Each Soviet Wave after the first deploys at the beginning of turns three (for Wave 2) six (for Wave 3) and nine (for Wave 4). They deploy the same as all preceding waves of the same Tank Brigade. If there is no room in a given deployment area then those extra units are not deployed.

Aftermath: The Soviet tanks would throw themselves with reckless abandon at the German forces, but the panzer forces would not budge from the ridge. The tigers present at Oktiabrskii would all survive to fight another day. However, as more and more tanks were committed to the valley, a massive battle would unfold that would put an end to the German advance. Accounts vary as to the number of tanks involved, as high as 1000 in some cases but actual numbers were probably between 350-400 AFVs, a staggering number all the same. As the morning wore on into the afternoon, the 2nd-SS PGR would fall back first to Oktiabrskii farm and then, finding that indefensible, Hill 252 along the Prokhorovka Highway. They would advance no further; an order from Hitler to Von Manstein would call off Operation Citadel on July 13th. The 2nd SS-Panzer Corp would be redeployed to deal with a new problem with the new Allied front in Italy. After a stalemate had given time for the Soviets to reorganize themselves, they would unleash a counter-attack that would send the Whermacht reeling and set in motion the inexorable march to Berlin itself. The Battle of Kursk was over, and it is at this point many historians have considered the war unwinnable for Germany. (German Win 25-0)

Production Notes: Yes I did have to substitute to deploy all the units I need. That being said since the Soviet tanks come in waves, many of their tanks should be cleared out as each wave is deployed, allowing you to throw minis back into action in a few turns. There will be no shortage of carnage in this scenario, but don’t think there is no room for sound strategy and tactics. The Germans will always have their left flank to worry about and the Soviets will have to carefully consider how the will isolate German tanks and attack the ridge that should be their primary objective. While it is unlikely that the Germans will take the Soviet controlled ridge, the possibility of a quick rush to the ridge should be ample enough reason to prevent the Soviet player from hoarding armor behind their hill hexes for a single large push. A 1690 point game is massive. There is no other word for it. I know people will outright be unable to play it, but… but, but there will be more reasonable scenarios authored by me in the future and I will make variants for these scenarios to allow for smaller collections. The scenario will be changed up with the release of Sets 3 and 4. Already I have included Soviet Antitank Grenadiers, for the lack of Ppsh units you can substitute with no big problem. This might be a hard Scenario to mount but as with the other battles in the campaign, my aim has been to put history first. This scenario emulates this epochal battle as close as can ever be found in AAM. Imagine that after this first ten minutes, things got even hotter. This is the largest tank battle in history and now you get to play it. Enjoy! Good Luck! And I will return with another campaign, and a huge surprise in March!
_________________

My new blog, specialised in the military equipment of Greece (1821-today).

Pasalades · **Pasalades**

I will post maps for folks interested in playing these.

Shank77 · **Shank77**

I may have to give this one a try.

Hellfury · **Hellfury**

Amazing campaign. Any plans on updating the scenario (since we now have quite a few new units to utlize for the sake of historical accuracy) or giving us some maps?

Pasalades · **Pasalades**

I said I would do it in a week, instead it took three months. For that I sincerely apologize.

Nonetheless I have begun to upload the old archived maps and scenarios I collected from the old Avalon Hill boards, beginning with my own and I will make good on my promise to get everything up. I should be done the rest tonight.

http://savefile.com/projects/808664316