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Rick Northey and Greg Tanner in a
battle of two-time champs. |
Board member Ken Whitesell plays fellow
tread head Johnny Hasay. |
41 Years & Counting ...
When my gaming friends and I first played this classic 41
years ago, at ages 13-15, we were in awe of the game's elegance.
This year, 2011, my first as GM, I enjoyed introducing PanzerBlitz
to several younger and not so younger players. In addition to
the regulars, we greeted the curious with enthusiasm and voiced
appreciation of their interest. For a game that was designed
four decades ago, we saw that simplicity has its value. When
asked by gaming friends and family why I don't go for all the
accurate, computerized simulations, I reply that I like to sit
down to a relaxing game of thought akin to chess with another
live human being on the other side of the table!
After
seven days of games played, dice rolled, victories savored, and
defeats endured, the final four qualifiers stepped forward. Greg
Tanner, Bert Schoose, Chuck Leonard, and Marty Musella, past
champions all, prepared their battle plans. Alan Arvold was the
#1 seed, but he opted out to play in another Final. Bill Scott,
who was the #3 seed, also had other obligations, so the gauntlet
was passed to a couple of former champions to battle once again.
Greg and Chuck decided to rank their preference for the historical
situation to be played. On review of player choices between the
five situations, 1A, 14, 45, 51 and 52, situation 45 was selected
with Greg taking the German side. This situation, which is entitled
"Burning Tanks", 5 May 1944, is a prelude to Operation
Bagration, East of Minsk. The Russian seeks to annihilate the
German defensive force while sustaining as few losses as is practical
in the shortest possible time. This one reminds me of the wisdom
of Sun Tzu: "Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility
of victory in the attack." In the game, Chuck moved
his tanks up to surround Opustoschenia and open the siege with
overwhelming firepower. The German defensive fire took out four
Russian tank companies and a guards rifle company, while pinning
a fifth tank company. Chuck's Russian tanks opened up on spotted
targets in the town with deadly effect, no 6s rolled here! This
put the Russian attack in full swing, but with maybe one company
too many losses after two turns. German AT batteries targeted
the stationary tanks that had participated in the barrage of
Opustoschenia, taking out three companies. At this point in the
battle, the Russians had been reduced by a tank brigade. Amidst
the chaos, the Russian commander rallied his troops forward,
overrunning a platoon of Marder assault guns. At the point of
the spearhead, a defending rifle platoon in front of Zabvenia
was decimated. This brought the Russian attack to the enemy.
As the Russian armor moved past a ford in a small river running
past Zabvenia, German gunners relentlessly picked off tanks.
Chuck had two more turns to play, with a score of nine destroyed
units for Greg, including one of Chuck's valuable SU152 assault
guns, good enough for a tactical victory. Chuck had to eliminate
nine more units to achieve a decisive victory, considering that
the German player wins ties in victory levels, a tall order.
After positioning his forces to surround both Zabvenia and the
woods to the west, Chuck was able to destroy14 of Greg's German
units, not enough to grab victory. The final score was Chuck
14, tactical and Greg 12, decisive, a victory for Greg in a hard
fought game.
The second semi-final game was played with situation 1A. This
battle represents an interdiction of German supply lines by Russian
cavalry, armor, and partisan units typical of the final stages
of the Moscow counteroffensive of early to mid 1942. Marty, the
German player, must defend a road on a wide front with a mobile
force and protect three supply depots. The Russian player must
use feints of maneuver to fluster the German defense. "All
warfare is based on deception." Sun Tzu. After
Marty set up his defense, Bert moved up a concentrated force
on the east side of the front. The German line was then reinforced
in and around hill 129 with carefully designed fire lanes such
that a frontal assault would be costly. Burt swung around to
the center of the board on Turn 2, penetrating the German lines
with some armor and piggy-backed infantry. A cavalry charge succeeded
in destroying a halftrack near hill 129. To try and close the
gap, Marty protected key positions such that any frontal assault
would have to come over open ground. Several German tank platoons
took up positions in the woods and town atop hill 132. The Russian
tanks and riders moved to flank the supply depots in Bednost
and adjacent woods. Infantry deployed on a slope on the west
side of the hill. The German Turn 3 had Marty moving to block
the Russians on the slope from marching into the woods near Bednost
and threatening the supply depots. Bert then committed his Russian
forces, cavalry advancing toward hill 129 and the armor moving
into the woods on the east side of Bednost deploying the riders
to block the E-W road. Now Marty had to form a hedgehog like
defense of the supply depots. A small German diversionary force
moved on the Russian 82mm mortar batteries that had established
firing positions covering the supply road. By Turn 6, the Russians
had several T34 tank companies wreaking havoc to the rear of
the German lines, Cavalry charging up hill 129, and infantry
holding several points on the E-W road effectively cutting German
supply. A cavalry unit also broke lines and returned to defend
the mortar position. A firefight on Turn 7 had the German destroy
three Russian companies, but it was not enough to stop the Russians
from controlling the supply road and winning the game.
Situation 14, chosen for the Final, is a classic fighting withdrawal
of a German recon battalion behind enemy lines in the face of
the Russian offensive in mid 1944. The German forces seek to
destroy an undefended Russian HQ, while escaping encirclement
by reinforcing armor brigades. "Be extremely subtle,
even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious,
even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be
the director of the opponent's fate." Sun Tzu. Greg
set up his small Russian garrisons in the two villages of Golad
and Bednost, and prayed for the dice Gods to deliver 6's. Bert's
Germans rushed hill 132, and moved to surround Bednost. A recon
company of armoured cars swung around to block the road leading
to the hill. Russian defensive fire only succeeded in pinning
down a tank destroyer platoon. On Turn 2, the Germans opened
up on Bednost and destroyed an ATG battery, two HMG's and two
garrison [recon] platoons. German mobile units take up positions
to delay Russian reinforcements moving up the road from the east.
The assault on the town fails to disperse the remaining ATG's.
Return fire then maintains a pin on the tank destroyer platoon.
Russian tanks with riders penetrate to the hillside and threaten
to overrun German units on the hilltop. On Turn 3, the Russian
HQ is destroyed on the first shot, good luck for Bert! German
forces maneuver to try and block Russians from flanking the north
side of hill 132, and from taking hill 129. Bednost is taken.
Russians then range in on engineers and infantry remaining in
the environs of Bednost with a 120mm heavy mortar battery, dispersing
them. The pinned down jagdpanther tank destroyer platoon is then
overrun and destroyed by tanks. Infantry assault the dispersed
units near Bednost to finish them off. The Germans then abandon
the Bednost area and form a defensive line to the north of hills
132 and 135. Greg's Russians close with Germans. Sporadic mortar
fire disperses German infantry blocking roads and approaches
to the north. At this point, Turn 5, Burt decides that his force
is in peril of being surrounded by Russian rifle companies in
trucks taking up positions in Golad and the main force of Russian
armour rolling up the roads from hills 132 and 135. So the Germans
make a run for it over hill 129 into an attack on Golad. German
armored cars go up in flames, hit by direct fire from Russian
T34/85s and su100's positioned on hillsides. Following up with
assaults, the rifle companies go into action against German mobile
units trying to seek cover, dispersing several platoons. The
remaining Russian tanks move to form a strong line to the north
and west of the depleted German forces. Burt looked at the position,
and seeing no escape with three turns remaining, graciously resigned
his position, handing Greg his second title and a handsome diorama
created and donated by Rich Northey.
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Bert Schoose and Greg Tanner play
for the title. |
Methinks he likes Panzerblitz.
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