OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS:PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIANAssaulting the Mysteryby Redmond A. SimonsenAlthough it is perhaps invidiousto introducemyownarticle, I'll take therisk. 1 receivedanarticleon Panzergruppe Guderian(fromMessrs. Reilly, Kubis, and Conklin) whichthough abasicallygood one, didn't satisfymy particular editorial hunger. SinceI hadbecomeso enamoredof the game, I couldn'tresist indulging myself in belaboring you allwith my ownperceptions (manyof whicharesubstantially thesameas theunprinted art-icle). That article was somewhat shorterthanmine: you may finally wishthat it hadseenprint instead of thefollowing (I dogo on,don't I?).It's not often that your lovableEditor gets todo much actual game playing,even thoughhe sits amidst a swirl of titles-and eventhough he is a clenched-jaw,monomaniacwhen he does manage to get into a game.Asidefrombeing swamped with things to do(i.e., designing the stuff youlay hands upon),the reason is the old "familiarity-breeds-contempt/it's hard to enjoyyour owncooking" effect. It's simply difficult to workup much excitement forplaying the veryproducts that have caused you to tear yourhair out in producing.Panzergruppe Guderian (hereinafter abbre-viated "PGG") is anothermatter. It hap-pens to be exactly the scale and pace thatmost interests me (historical period has verylittle impact on my game preferences).PGGis also a manageable game (I don't knowabout you fellows, but I am disinclined toride the back of abrontosaurus like TerribleSwift Sword or War inthe West).One of the advantages of myjob isthat I getto see the finished game before anyone else(other than the pressman). I'vetherefore hadtimetoplaya number of PGG games againstopponents and against the guy that alwaysbeats me-myself. Because the game is aninteresting synthesis of a number of gameelements and because the Player trainingproblem is sonicely evident, I've decided topresent you with the modestamount ofwisdomI've been able to develop in the pastmonth of play.THELEARNING PROBLEMAND ITS EFFECT ONPLAYAt first blush, PGG seems like yourstandard, shake-the-box wwn operationalgame with a fewnovel bells and whistles onit. It is perhaps this misleading appearancethat has caused such widely disparate initialappraisals astowhajside-has what chance towinwhat level of victory. Players I respecthaveinsisted that the Soviets have a"lock" -other Players assure me thattheGermans zoom right throughthe Sovietswithout working up a sweat. In fact, myinitialappraisal of the game was that theSoviets didn't have the dimmest chance ofstopping theGerman onslaught. I stillbelieve that the Germans have the bestchance of winning a MarginalVictory (i.e.,doingwhat they didhistorically). I think they=approximate Soviet defense positions _=approximate Germanline of advance __ -=alternate Germanline of advanceiiwill dothis morethan 660/0of time. But, it nolonger appearsto be the totally lopsidedcontest of my first few games. TheSovietscan rarely win more than MarginalVictory(unless the German Player is spaced-out onwood alcoholand Contac) but the SovietPlayer should find fighting the Germans toan historicalstandstillvery satisfying.The errata/addenda incorporatedinto thesecondprinting of the rules suggests that thePlayers treat a German Marginal Victory asaDraw for competitive purposes-this forcesthe German Player to stretch for a Sub-stantiveVictory whichexposes himtomany risks and enhances the opportunitiesfor aSovietwin. In this article, the "victory"I'lldiscuss is a German Substantive (aka'Strategic') VictoryandSoviet MarginalVictory. The implications of many of thesubsystems in the rules will not always berealized in the initial playing(s) of the game.Even experiencedPlayers will find manylayers of "truth" to the mysterious PGGonion. If you'll bear withme, inthe followingparagraphs I'll attempt to review what Ibelieveto be the essentials of the game andoffer general operational and tacticalguidelines for the two Player roles.BASIC GERMAN OBJECTIVESThe German Player's goal is to take terri-tory(Certain specific cities) and'hold them incommunications at the end of the game.Destroying Soviet units is victory-makingonlyinsofar asit contributes to the Germans'ability to penetrate the Soviet line. Toachieve a Substantive Victory the Germansmust accrue a net 80 Victory Points. ThesePoints will be garnered in three (or more)Point Set One:(20 pts Total);The cities Vitebsk, Orsha and Mogilev.Point Set Two:(45 pts Total;65 pts Cummulative);The cities Smolensk, Roslavl, and Yelna.Point Set Three:(15 pts Total; 80 pts Cummulative);Thecityof Vyazma, or road hex5915(20pts)or the city of Kaluga (20 pts).Except for the first set of points (which isvirtually a given) the acquiring of an entireset will take three or more Game-Turns each.BASICSOVIET OBJECTIVESOf course, the main Soviet objective is todeny the Germanthe Victory Pointsetsoutlined above. Other than this obvious goal,theSoviet Player should attempt to maintaina well-balanced,dense, defensive line untiltheGermans break through theMain LineofResistance (MLR) in front ofSmolensk-Roslavl. Although this is part of the opera-tional plan, it is soimportant asto constitutea goal in and of itself.GENERAL PLAN OFOPERATIONSGAME-TURNONE:Soviet; Withdraw elements of the 13th Army(startson 0123-26)through andto theMogilev railhead:one Armored division toOrsha (optional). Rifle divisions and leaderofthe 20th Army(starts 0108-0115) to0518/0617 road junction.Armored units tovicinityof 1116onOrsha/Smolensk road. Allother units: fastest possible routes toSmolensk/Roslavl.German: All Panzer divisions: fastestpossible route toward Smolensk and vicinitysouth of Smolensk. Motorized infantrydivisions to pin Soviet rearguard(if any).Under no circumstances shall the Sovietrearguard be heavily engaged.GAME-TURNTWO:Soviet: Continue concentratingforces onMLR running on a north-south line three orfour hexeswest of Smolensk/Roslavl. Linegenerally follows southern edge of forest inthe area northof Smolensk. Rearguardarmored units shall attempt to harass (pin)easternmost Enemy armor. Bring in fourRifle divisions from Southwest Reinforce-ments.German: 57th Panzer Corps to vicinity ofVelizhand thence to area north andnorthwest of Smolensk to threatenEnemyflank. Do not become heavily engaged. 39thPanzer Corps attempt to cut road betweenSmolenskand Roslavl.If Enemy line isformed, concentrate Panzer Divisions on oneEnemy positionsouthof Smolensk andattempt to break through.GAME-TURN THREE:Soviet: Continue forming dense (two andthree divisions per hex) line of alternatehexeson the MLR. Pin any strong formationthat threatens to turn the line (if possible).German: Use incoming infantry force toreduce any Soviet rearguardcutting mainroad. 46th and 47th Panzer Corps advancetowards Soviet MLR; 24th Panzer Corps tostageinand north of Krichev. Forces alreadyengaged continue attempt to penetrate anddisrupt Enemy defensive positions. 1st CavDiv advance towards 1225.GAME-TURNFOURSoviet: Continue consolidation of defensivepositions.If an Enemy breakthrough hasoccurred that severs communications, con-sider counterattackif forces are available, ifnot pin and contain. Consider deployment ofair interdiction marker on hex 0120 ifRoslavl is seriously threatened.German: Concentrate 46th and 47th againstanyone significant spot in enemy line. Ifpossible use other forces to pin local Enemyreserves. North flank should be turned. CavDivision takes up security station at 1225.Dependent upon development of situationand supply situation in south, commitmentof 24thinto Roslavl area must beconsidered.GAME- TURN FIVESoviet: Assuming front is stabilized, attempttoformtwoor three divisionarmored reserveforceto copewith northern flanking maneu-vers. Station on or near road northeast ofSmolensk. Don't commit southward unlesssituation critical.German: Elements should be adjacent toSmolensk and/or cutting communicationbetween Smolensk and Roslavl.5GAME-TURNSIX (and later)Soviet: Hold Smolensk as long aspossible. Ifsizeable forcesbecometrapped inandaround Smolensk, do not commit freshforcesin an attempt to "rescue" them unlessthe positioning of such forces is consistentwith a good resultant defense position.IfSmolensk falls and Roslavl holds well, at-tempt to fall back to the line VopRiver/Dnepr River/Roslavl with forces al-ready committed; other forces defend im-mediately westof Vyazma. Assignleader andthree divisionseach to Kaluga and 5915. Useany mobile,by-passed forces to pin un-damaged Enemy Panzer Divisions.German: Attempt to secure and clarify thesituation around Smolensk by Game-TurnEight. If theEnemy south-center has broken,send at least two fresh Panzer Divisions onlong-range sweep towards east edge. IfEnemy fall-back to Vyazma is relativelyweak, make full scale assault on that city.Such an assault must be made quickly topre-empt Enemy buildup. If Enemy positionis strong, contain it and move on 5915 andKaluga. Maintain rear-area security againstisolated Enemy units.It is most important that Roslavl be securedas quickly as possible and road/supply linesbe established through it. If this can be ac-complished by Game-Turn Nine, victory isvirtually assured. Oncetheseconditionsexist, forward mechanized formations caneffectivelydeal withany Sovietcoveringforceattempting tosecure5915and/or Kaluga. Atleast one division must be assigned roadsecurity duty if such a long push is made.GENERAL NOTESON GERMAN OPERATIONSMaintain flexibility and mass. Decide wheretheweak point in the Enemy MLR is and at-tempt to smash it quickly. Once the line hasbeen decisively cracked make a deep pene-tration as quickly as possible before the So-vietshavetime to re-organize anewline. Tryto remain aware of the over-all estimatedforce ratio. Keep track of how many Soviet0-0-6'shave turned up.GENERAL NOTESON SOVIET OPERATIONSEarly in the game, useaslittle force as poss-ible to delay the Enemy as long as possible.The positions of the main defense line mustbechosen by Game-Turn Three and as fully-manned as possible by Game-Turn Four.There will belittle opportunity to adjust thisline once the Enemy has decisively engagedit. When and if theline truly cracks, don't besentimentalabout leaving a large portion ofyour army trapped in their positions: aban-don the line as efficiently as possible.GERMAN DOCTRINEThe Number One DoctrinalImperative fortheGermans Is: Never split upany PanzerorMotorizedformation.There will be instancesinwhich this will beverydifficult doctrine tofollow. Visions of surrounding virtually the6entire Soviet army will tempt the GermanPlayer greatly. Nevertheless, in almost everyinstance it isamistake to do so. The only oc-casions for breaking up one or more forma-tions are (a) when there simply is no choice,i.e., a critical position or attackdemandsthat certain hexes be occupied and only asplit formation will fill the bill. This decisionshould be-made after thoroughly examiningeverypossible alternative (even if the SovietPlayer gets bored to death waiting). And (b)when a critical element of the defense posi-tion can be undermined by afirst MovementPhase splitand the unit can be re-formedduring the Mechanized Movement Phase atno (or little) risk.Note well that the word "critical" is used inboth descriptions of the exceptions to theprime German doctrinalimperative: this isnot hyperbole-the word"critical" isused inits exact sense. There is no surer way ofguaranteeing a German defeat than to givefreereign to the impulse to swirl mechanizedregiments around Soviet pockets everytimethey occur. In doing so, the main hittingpower and distinctive quality of the Germanforce is dissipated. Once separated the regi-ments are often hard to re-form in time fornext attack. The absoluteworst violation ofdoctrine is to split up a division and leaveitthat way during the Soviet Player-Turn. Notonly does this reduce the overrun threat totheSovietPlayer, but it giveshimachance tomake atelling counterattack. LosingasinglePanzer Regiment is likelosing twelveStrength Points. This lossismultiplied bythenumber of attack-opportunities theoreticallyavailable to the undamaged unit: three perPlayer-Turn.Momentum and ReservesMaintain local andoperational mechanizedreserves. The German mechanized forma-tions should not befrittered awayin the roleof "fast infantry".When armor masses forthe attack,at least one division per majorattack should be available to exploit any im-portant breakthrough. If all mechanizedunits are committed to the line, the odds arenone will be free to turn a local victory intoanoperational success. The SSDivisionis anexcellent exploitation unit: the line breaksand DasReich sweepsthrough and overrunsacrucial Soviet leader unit. A forceof twoormore Motorized Divisions should be main-tainedto turnflanks and penetrate theEnemy rear area (without engaging). Thiswill stretch theEnemy defense and forcehimto divert a number of units to rear-areasecurity. At any point in the game, if theGerman Player can look at the map and seestrong Soviet attacks adjacent to every Ger-man mechanizedformation, the GermanPlayer has made a serious mistake.1 1 1 1 1 1I realizethat everytactical appraisal tells oneto maintain a reserve and I also know thatmost readers yawn and ignore the advice inpart or inwhole. InPGG it's really true: youmust haveunits ready to gointo atemporary .gap and thereby make it apermanent gap.The units should be strong enough to makeoverruns against unsupported Soviet unitswithout therisk of losingawholeregiment inthe process. Operationally, a contingentmust be available to make a long rangepenetration at a moment's notice.Neverimagine reserveunits to be "wasted" or "outof the action": they are the action. They can,in one move, payoff better than a wholegame of hug-em-and-slug-em.Minimizing Risk:Never makean attack(or overrun) that couldpossibly be a l-to-Z or worse. This meansthat the Germans will never attempt to over-runagainst stacked, untried units, noragainst single untried units doubled and insupply. It isthis situation that causes most ofthe Players new to the system to "take abath" by attempting to overrun a Sovietforce, rolling theinevitable six and regrettingit for the rest of the game. Always assumethat an untried Soviet unit is the strongestSoviet unit (i.e., eight on defense). Followingthis doctrine (and the other commonsenseprocedure) will insure that theGerman Armywill never lose a whole division (and the So-viet Player will never get the five VictoryPoints for such a loss).Concentrationof Effort:Consistent with the maintenance of a properreserve, use maximumforce againstselectedpoints intheEnemy's defensive line. If youalwaysassume theworst casewhen attackingastack of untried Sovietunits, you'll never bedisappointed with the result of the attack.Don't chintz. Don't nickel-and-dimeyourforces in piecemealattacks.Conservation of Quality:Preserve thestrength of the German Mech-anizedformations. In the mid-game, makecombined arms attacks using leg infantryalong with the mechanized units. It's worth-whiletonote that three 9-7's maintained as astack makes a formidable overrun andattacking force. Many pre-conditioned Play-ers ignore the fact that infantry can makeoverruns. When losses are sustained, reducethe infantry division. If a reduced infantrydivision participated in an attack, reduce itfurther then withdraw it to the rear when itbecomes a 1-7.GERMAN TACTICSThe Mechanized Team:UseaPanzer Division and aMotorized Divi-sion as a team. Make a semi-permanentmental attachment between specific pairs ofPanzer and Motorized units. Against isolatedSoviet leaders or units, the Motorized unitpins theEnemy fromtherear and the PanzerDivisionsmashes it with an overrun fromthefront (placing theEnemy out of supply at theinstant of overrun). This teaming will alsocontribute to the maintenance of properreserves and the proper and efficient alloca-tion of mass.Serial Overruns:When possible, make serial overruns againstasinglecritical defense position to eliminateit during the Initial Movement Phase or tosoftenit up for the Combat Phase. Make anychancey overruns during the InitialMove-ment Phase if necessary.Prudent but Bold:Germanformations are practicallyinvul-nerable when properly used. Don't be afraidto put afresh unit's head in the Soviet lion'smouth: the lion usually has no teeth. Ifproper reserves are maintained, they can res-cue any German formation that getsover-extended.Lineof Retreat:Secureyour line of retreat inextended situa-tions, but don't be paranoid.If necessary afresh formation can stand and take the loss.Remember that units can be eliminated bypassing through hexes in an overstackedconfiguration, so don't bunch-up behind adubious attack.Prize Catches:Destroy Soviet leaders whenever the oppor-tunity presents itself. Overruns in the Mech-anized Movement Phase areusually the timetocatch abare Sovietleader behind the lines.Step on him at almost any cost.UtilityUnits:Use the independent mechanized regimentsand the cavalry division for the odd jobs.Panzer Lehr and Gross Deutschland can un-nerve a Soviet Player bymaking wideflanking movements in the north (at littlerisk to the GermanPlayer).If they getthrough, wonderful-if theygetcaught,they've diverted Soviet strengthfrom themain line at little cost to the Germans. The1stCavalry Division should make ahomeforitself on hex 1225to forestall the off chanceof a Soviet unit appearing at entrance hex"6" and railroading its wayto Orsha and Vi-tebsk. The Cav Div is not much good foranything else and by providing rear-areasecurity it frees better units to smash theSoviets.AirInterdictionRoutinely place the three Air Interdictionmarkers on the railline between Vyazma andthe river. Never use the Air to do anythingother than slow down the Soviet reinforce-ments. When Smolensk falls place the Airnear Entrance hex X.Cleaning- Up:Use oncoming reinforcements (after Game-TurnThree)to clean up any importantpockets of Soviet units, but don't get boggeddowndestroying such units. Useappropriateodd-job units to pin such forces sothat theydon't get into mischief. Assuming the Ger-man Player is not strapped for mechanizedunits, he should retire any division that haslost a whole regiment to the rear area forsuch pinning assignments.Counter-Interdiction:If absolutely necessary, the main supply roadcan be insulated against Soviet interdictionfor part of its length by the positioning rear area units in column. If a critical seriesof attacks isplanned for thenextGame-Turn(and the Soviet Player has any interdictioncapability left) place a few "junk" unitsalongthe road for a fewhexeswestwardtoextend the trace-point. This can sometimesmean the differencebetween taking Roslavlearly and not taking it at all. Even thoughsome good units might be tied up for aGame-Turn, the trade-off can beworth it ifthe chance for success in-supply is high.SOVIET DOCTRINESovietdoctrineissimpler than German doc-trine mainly because the SovietArmyislessflexibleand almost totally on the defensive.Remainon the Defensive:Never attack unless absolutely necessary.The Soviet Army in the game-systemis al-most guaranteed to become the ultimateloserinanyattack. Evenif it succeedsontheCombat ResultsTable, itusuallyrequires themispositioningof massiveamounts of Sovietunits in order to get a worthwhile attackagainst the typical .German unit or forma-tion. The typical Soviet unithasonlyone-third theattacking power of its Germancounterpart. The Combat Results Table re-quires veryhigh ratios for "De" outcomes.The Sovietswill almost never beable to ob-tain such local superiority. What attacksusually do is effectivelystrip the Sovietsoftheir reserve forces. It is difficult for mostPlayers to just sitthereandtakeit,Game-Turn after Game-Turn-but that'sthe technique that will payoff best.Density:Maintain defensivedensity. Stack three-highon the defense with one unit (preferably aleader) positioned immediately behind thestack. Insure that reservesexist to replenishthose stacks that have been reduced bystanding against effectiveGerman attacks.HangingBack:Donot be seduced bytheexcellentforwarddefensive positions on the map.The firsttimeout, many Playerswill latch onto thesepositions (running inhex-columns0400and05(0) and attempt toholdtheGermans westof this line. It is impossible. Flatly imposs-ible. TheSovietswill delivertheir best forcespiecemeal to the Germans (whowill roll outof bed and crush themwithout half trying).Oncethis position breaks, there will be no-thing to stop the Germans fromachievingaDecisive Victory (an otherwiseunattainablefeat).The MainLine of Resistance isproperly a fewhexes in front of the Smo-lensk/Roslavl road-rail connection. Thisallowstimetoset up adenselineand insuresthat reinforcements will arrivewhilethe lineisstill intact. Incidentally whenchoosingtheexact location of MLR, don't beseduced bylocal niceties of terrain. Of course alwaystakethebest possibleterrain consistent withacoherent linebut remember that it is moreimportant to have a strong,dense linecapable of takingand replacing lossesefficiently. Remain withinoneGame-Turn'smarch of the rail net.Create Reserves:As soon as feasibleform anoperational re-serveof armored units. This reserveshouldbe employed to pin German penetrators.Onlyinthegreatest emergencyshouldit takea line position.SOVIET TACTICSAStraight MLR:Formthemain defensivelineinasstraight afashionaspossibleusingstacks of three rifledivisions spaced one hex apart. Whereverpossibleback these stacks up with adjacentlocal reservesand/or leader units. Formthelinewiththegrainof thehexpattern toavoidthree-hex exposureto attack. Wherethelineturns to theinterior, useat least one strongtried unit to contribute to this keystonede-fense.Pinning:In the mid- and end-game, try to maintainreservesof twoand three-stacks of rifledivi-sionsready to pin any likelyGerman mech-anizedformation. This will hamper Germanoperations and force the German Player toscreen his forces against being wastefullypinned. Once a sufficient number of strongstacks become available, the pinning tech-nique is perhaps the most valuable Soviettactic. Operating from a stable line Sovietstacks can make small advances to tie upGerman reservesand/or flanking units. Themore Germanformations that begin aGame-Turn with Soviet units adjacent tothem, the less flexibility and momentumthoseformations have. Notethat usingsingleSovietunits topintheGermans is much lesseffective (since the Germans can overruntheir wayout of the pin and still deploy forthe attack).Theideal pinisthat whichties downan im-portant German formation and does so insuch a manner that the German divisioncannot independently attack its way out ofthe pin. This will often force the GermanPlayer todivert another, helper-formation tofreethepinned unit. Anuntried stack of two(insupply)and doubledbyterrain isanidealforceto pin any singleGerman stack otherthan a fresh Panzer Division.Often, when a single German formation istied downby many Soviet units there is agreat temptation to attack. Don't. Theoddswill rarely be higher than 2-to-l: the Ger-manscanusuallysstand against anypossibleresult and the net effect will be that manySovietunits areout of position and ripe forcounterattack and penetration.Use of Leaders:ManagetheSovietleader forcecarefully. Italmost goeswithout sayingthat they arethekeyto asuccessful defenseline. Don't placethem in the line except as a desperationmeasure. Usethe short-range leaders nearerthecenter or near themorestableportion oftheline.The"4" and"5" valueleadersshouldcontrol the Soviet flanks and/or those fluidsituations where there flexibility will meanthedifferencebetweenaholdingforcebeingin or ouf of supply.7Late in the game, when the contest comesdowntogrimlyholdingonto somekeyposi-tion (such as Vyazma), stack a leader withthesurrounded forces. When alossis calledfor, losetheleader first-the group is out ofsupplyanywayandthedefensivepowerof thestack isnot reduced byhisloss. Suchatacticwill often buy one more Game-Turn of sur-vival.Usetheevacuationprovisionto flyoutonly the most valuable Soviet leaders.The Southwest Force:Take only four divisions (on Game-TurnTwo) of the optional South West reinforce-ments. ThisforcestheGermanPlayertotakeVyazma(or someother more remote hex) ifhe wants a Substantive Victory-and itforces himto take Roslavl and Smolensk ifhe plays for Draw.Air Interdiction:Usethe marker in mid- and end-game. Al-waysplaceitonhex0120. Its first useshouldbewhentheGermans threaten tooverwhelmthe Roslavl position and run beyond it. Itssecondusewill either be immediately afterthefirst situation, or whenVyazmais aboutto beassaulted (thecityitself, not the outerdefenses).. If possible, save the last use ofinterdiction to the very end of the game.Doing this will maintain the threatandpossibly keep the Germans off balance alittle. Also, there is almost always somefar-flung high payoff attack that the Ger-mans will be making on the lastfewGame-Turns.The EnclaveDefense:Thelatemiddleandendof thegamewill seethe Sovietsusing the enclavedefense(assu-mingthe main linehas been broken). Sinceit's difficultfor theSovietArmytoconduct aproper withdrawal, the speediest and. mosteffectivelinethat can be constructed is onethat rings an important point withstacks ofthreeunits oninterior lineswithastrong re-servein the center. Although this positionwill ultimately be cut off from supply, theGermans will have a tough time workingthrough theouter ringwithsufficientforcetomeaningfullyattack the center (i.e., the Vic-tory Point city hex). This defensive ringshouldbeonaperimeter about twoor threehexesdistant fromthecenter witheachouterstack backed upby adivisionor twoif poss-ible. The central hex should contain at leasttwo units (preferably tried units). A singleleader should be stacked in the center.Counter-attackingWhen making anecessarycounterattack, at-tempt tousetried units insufficient quantityto assure that the attack will be at leastl-to-L Attempt to attack frompositionsthatare in themselves good defensivepositions.Havesufficientunits involvedsothat anylossmay be suffered without having to retreat.Take thelossfromthat attack position thatis least exposed to counterattack (but don'tweakenthecenter somuchthat the Germancounterattack can overrunit). Aspreviouslystated, there is little payoff in most Soviet8attacks. The Soviet Player should only attack, when there is a very good chance of elimi-nating one (or more) of the regiments of aformation or when acitymay be re-captured(rare) or when the advance after combat willcut avital road or supply line to major Ger-man elements. The Soviet Playershouldaccept the fact that the German Army can-not be seriously damaged by direct attack. Ifthe only unit cutting off the German supplyline is an Untried unit, do not involve thatunit inthe attack: it could verywell be azeroand ruin your whole day. Incidentally,thegame in which the Sovietscan make a singleoverrun is an oddity.Raids:Late in the game, when the Soviets are de-fending in enclaves, it is useful to send aleader or two plus an armored division on arear-area raid. This will upset the GermanPlayer, particularly if he has been lazy withregard to rear area security. Such a raid willusually not accomplish anything directly, butit may distract the German Player and causehimto overreact to the threat and send toostrong adetachment to deal with it (hereallyneeds to send only one fast unit to pin theraiders).ScatteringRetreatedGermans:When you retreat a German stack, send theindividual regiments to different hexes to robthat stack of an overrun.THEGERMAN ARMYStrengths andWeaknessesThe German Army is obviously the superiorinstrument inthe game and the mechanizedformations thereof are numerous and of thefinest quality.(J) III~4-1 0~ III~~2-1 0(J) III~~2-1 0The Panzer Divisions:Strengths: Fast;powerfulwhen integrated(fully stacked) and used in groups;highlyflexible; capable of effectiveoverrun againstany single Enemy unit.Most powerfulinconcentrated attacks andpenetration ofEnemy line. Verysturdy on the defensewhenfresh.Weaknesses: Canbedeliberately scattered asaresult of combat retreat thereby precludingInitial Phase overrun ability in the nextPlayer-Turn. Vulnerable when split intoregiments. Victory Points surrendered whentotally destroyed.IX) III~18J3-1 0Q) III~18J3-1 0The MotorizedDivisionsStrengths: Similar to Panzer Divisions; use-ful for flanking maneuvers.Weaknesses: Not capable of overrunning allEnemy units without unacceptable risk. Lesssturdy on defense in place (fewer steps tolose). Vulnerable when split into regiments(but slightly less so than Panzer Divisions).Victory Points surrendered when totally de-stroyed.~~The Infantry Divisions:Strengths: Very strong independently andwhen massed.Very sturdy on defense inplace. Faster than most Enemy units. Goodwhen penetrating forests.Weaknesses: Relatively slow comparedtomechanized formations (will have difficultykeeping up in end-game). No integrationbonus but nevertheless cost Victory Pointswhen entirely destroyed (whichshould neverreally happen).IIIg4-1 0.... III.~[ f i } ]3-1 0The Independent Mechanized Regiments:Strengths: Fast, flexible, useful for wideflanking maneuvers and rear area security.No Victory Points involved in loss.Weaknesses: Low mass; no integrationbonus; vulnerable andrelativelyfragile.Should not beused in main attacks except assurrounding force.[!]x-04-5TheCavalry Division:Strengths:Faster than infantry; useful pri-marily for securing rear-arearailnet. NoVictory Points involved in loss.Weaknesses: Low mass; no integrationbonus. Should not be used in the line.The Air InterdictionForce:Strengths: Useful primarily to slow Sovietreinforcements at no risk to the GermanPlayer.Weaknesses: Range limited before Smolenskistaken. Only marginally effectiveinany roleother thanrail interdiction. Relatively inef-fective-when used singly.THE SOVIET ARMYStrengths andWeaknesses~xgC 8 :l4-5-6The Infantry Divisions:Strengths: Numerous and therefore expend-able. Goodon defensive whenstacked.Easily moved by rail.Weaknesses: Uneven and unknown quality;poor on the attack. Slowand inflexible com-pared toEnemy formations. Fragile (onestepper division). Dependent upon leader units.~x.. 3-1 0The ArmoredDivisions:Strengths: Relatively fast and flexible. Goodfor flank security and reserves. Late in thegame, useful for rear area raids. SingleCom-bat Strength.Weaknesses:Uneven and unknown quality(300/0zeros). Scarce and fragile. Low mass;not in any waycomparable to Enemy PanzerDivisions. Hard to move by rail.[;]x~4-1 0The Mechanized Divisions:Strengths: Same as armored divisions but ofbetter quality (nozeros). Can fill gaps in themain line when stacked.Weaknesses: Similar to armoreddivisions(although mass is better on the average).The Air Interdiction Marker:Strengths: Can deny supply to a major por-tionof the Enemy army simplyby placementon hex 0120. This is its sole function.Weaknesses: Only available for three Game-Turns; does not affect supply during SovietPlayer Turn.Can be pre-empted by priorplacement of Enemy unit(s). Inflexible.Lukin16th Army* (3) 1 0The Leader UnitsStrengths: Mobile; known quality; can aug-ment theattack capability of unit-stacks andprovide controlfor units within leadershipradius. Easily transported by rail (at nopenalty). Limited air evacuation capability.Weaknesses: Vulnerable when alone; do notcontribute to Defense Strength of stack:;cannot independently enter Enemy Zone 0Control. Limited span of control.COMPARING THETWOARMIESThe main combat formations of the GermanArmy are decidedly superior to those of theSovietArmy. The German Army alsohas ~advantage of being aknown quantity,There's always abeading of sweat on theviet Player's upper lip when the Germer,Panzer divisionsengagetheMLR for thetime. Theworst surprise for the Soviet Playeris akey defense position that turns out to beheld by imaginary units.Themain hitting power of the German Armyand its principal strike force is the finecollection of mechanized units all of whichare activeby the third Game-Turn. The ninePanzer Divisions, ten Motorized Divisions,and one SSMotorized Divisionconstitute anenormous spearhead of 282Combat StrengthPoints. This force alone is fully 72% of thestrength of the entire counter mix of EnemyDefense Strengths (excluding Sovietleaders).The SovietArmored forceamounts toonly 11divisions with an aggregate average Strengthof 45 Combat Strength Points. All of thesedivisions are the inferiorof the Germandivisions in every important respect. Theaverage Soviet Armored/Mechanized Divi-sion is only one-quarter as powerful as theintegrated German division. A stack of threeSoviet Armored/Mechanized Divisions is anaverage 12Combat Strength Points (identicalto the average stack of Soviet Rifle Divi-sions). A stack of German Infantry divisionsisthe singlemost powerful formation on themap: 27 Combat Strength Points.The Soviet Army units are fragile: all areone-step units. All German tormations aresturdy, capable of taking repeated losses andstill maintaining a presence. The worst fea-ture of the Soviet Army is its unreliability:the face-down untried units can vaporize atcritical points in thebattle. Players may findit useful to keep in mind the followingstatis-tics concerning the quality of Soviet Units.Rifle Divisions:Average Attack Strength: 3Average Defense Strength:4Percentage of ZeroDefenseStrengths: 10.30/0Percentage of Defense Strengths 1or 2:7.80/0Percentage of Defense Strengths 3, 4, or 5:56.4%Percentage of Defense Strengths 6, 7, or 8:20.50/0Armored Divisions:Average Combat Strength: 3Percentage of Zero Strengths: 30.00/0Percentage Strengths 1 or 2: 0.00/0Percentage Strength 3: 300/0Percentage Strengths 4 or 5: 30%Percentage Strength 7: 100/0Mechanized Divisions:Average Combat Strength:5Percentage of Zero Strengths: 0.00/0Percentage of Strengths 1 or 2:200/0Percentage of Strengths 4, 5, or 6: 500/0Percentage of Strength 8: 300/0The only way in which the Soviet Army canhope to cope .with the massive Germanformations is to stack as densely as possibleand to maintain a well ordered MLR withwell positioned reserves. The Soviet Armyhas no attack potential on the operationallevel and little on the tactical level. Its onlyfeasible role is defensive-and it's inconsis-tent at that.THE DEVELOPMENT OFPLAYIN THE SITUATIONAssuming equally competent Players thatgenerally followthe Operational Plan previ-ously described, the game will consist ofthree distinct stages:Stage I:THE APPROACH-Game-Turns One through Four.Soviet withdrawaland delaying action. As-semblyof Soviet Army on the MLR. Germanapproach and massing just west of EnemyMLR. Initial probe attacks against the MLRand flanking attempts in the north.Stage II:THE CRITICALINVOLVEMENT-German Player-Turn Four through Game-Turn Seven or Eight.Soviet defense-in-place on the MLR; distri-bution of reinforcementsand formation ofreserves. German main assault in two sec-tors:immediately north of Smolensk andmidway between Smolensk and Roslavl. Di-rect assault on Smolensk. Capture of Smo-lensk and Roslavl; penetration of MLR andstart of deep penetration.Soviet forces moveto form enclaves at Kaluga and 5915; as-semble and regrouparound Vyazma.Airinterdiction employed.Stage III:THE BREAKOUT-Game-Turns Eight through Twelve.Soviet formation of Vyazma enclave. Forcesremainingin Roslavlvicinity attempt toholdout, cutting the RoslavllYukhnov road.By-passed Soviet units around Smolensk at-tempt to pin German mechanized forma-tions. German Panzer Divisions sweeptowards the east edge; infantry groups cleanup situation around Smolensk and Roslavl. and begin approach on Vyzama. Germansdetermine whether Vyzama can be assaultedand takenwithin remainingtime. Smo-lensk/Yelna/Roslavl secured. End of mappositions engaged. Last useof Soviet Air In-terdiction. Germans securerear area againstSoviet raids.HOW DOESTHE SOVIETPLAYER WIN?Hewinsbyholding onaproperly constructedMLR as long as possible and-when thatbreaks-by holding out in Roslavl and form-ing strong enclaves around Vyzama, 5915,and Kaluga. Holding Roslavl is critical:itdenies theGermans quick, supplied access totheeast edgeof themap. Bydefending at thispoint a major slice of the ripest part of therear area issecured. It alsotakes someof thepressure off the Vyzama enclave. If units areavailable to form "wings" on the Vyazmaenclave, this should be done to keep theposition in supply for as long as possible.HOW DOES THE GERMAN PLAYERWINHe wins by optimum use of his mechanizedforce; maintaining momentum and mass andmaking a firm decision regarding where the9MLR will bebroken and howto best exploitthebreakthrough and eventual consolidationof Smolensk and Roslavl.WHAT ARETHEWORSTMISTAKES?Soviet Player:1. Attempta forward defense of the Vi-tebsk/Mogilev line.2. Routinely defend with single unit posi-tions.3. Make large scale counterattacks.4. Forget to use the Air Interdiction markerat the proper time.German Player:1. Become heavily involved with Soviet de-laying forces.2. Split up mechanized formations.3. Fail toconcentrate against theSovietMLRin a well organized fashion.4. Make attacks or overruns at less than1-to-l.It should be evident around Game-Turn Tenjust who is going to win and howbig. It willbe evident much earlier if one or the otherPlayer drops the ball and makes some dis-astrous error.Panzergruppe Guderian will, I believe, be-come a game that is played and re-playeduntil the counters areworn round. Althoughit's possible to generalize aboutdoctrine,operations, and tactics asI'vedoneinthis ar-ticle, everygamewill haveaunique twist in itbecause of the charming quality of the un-tried unit system. This incidentally, makes itan excellent solitaire-play situation.I'm certain that right at this instant,someacegamer out there is sitting down to writeme a letter protesting this or that detail oftactics or alternative of operations that I'veoverlooked. The game has a great deal ofdepth toit and alot of play value. It won't betotally "scoped" by anyone simply becauseof its variabilityand the fluidity ofthesituation. Even though there's only oneset-up and one set of Victory Conditions,PGG has an infinite number of scenariosbuilt right into the game-system: one has tostop and think about this torealizethat everynew game is a brand-new,totally unrepro-duceable scenario. Perhaps, because it is a"free" (S&T subscription) game,PGG willnever receive its justlydeserved acclaim(there's adisturbing tendency todoone-night-stands on S&T games and then chuck themwhenthe next issue arrives). I certainly hopethis doesn't obtain. PanzerGruppe Guderianhas providedme (oldjaded-brain)with overfortyhours of pure entertainment in the pastfiveweeksand I still want to play it! Even if Iweren't a "company man", I'd rate it "9".