=============================================== DEATH OF FASCISM II Game Handbook (c) Megagame Makers 1995 =============================================== CONTENTS 1. Introduction General 2 Dressing Up 2 Unit Resolution 3 Rules 3 Credits 3 2. Player Team Organisation Cabinet Teams 4 Layout of Game 5 High Command Teams 6 Front/Army Group Teams 6 Composition of a player team 7 3. Sequence of Action 8 4. Umpire Organisation Game Control 10 Theatre Control 10 Map Control 10 Liaison Umpires 11 Strategic Air Umpires 11 Political Umpires 11 Non-Played Countries Umpires 11 Intelligence Umpires 11 5. Communications Player Team Communications 12 Communication with Umpires 12 6. Representing The Armies on The Map Principles 14 Standard Map Symbols 15 Hints on Keeping a Good Map 15 Example Map 16 7. Orders General 17 Issuing Army Group/Front Orders 17 Examples 18 Terminology 22 High Command Orders 22 Command & Control 23 8. Logistics Logistic Support Points (LSP) 24 Reinforcements 24 Movement of Supplies etc. 25 9. Movement Ground 26 Rates of Advance 26 Roads 26 River Crossing 27 Rail Movement 27 Tactical Air Forces 27 10. Land Combat 28 11. Strategic Air Operations 29 12. Tactical Air Operations 30 13. Naval Operations 31 14. Duties of the Liaison Umpire 33 The LU's Job What Do the Players Want? 15. Selected Bibliography 34 Annex A. Example of a Standard Order Sheet. --------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------- General This game is about virtually the whole of the Second World War during the period of approximately April to December 1944. The events of that year represented the effective end of Nazi power in Europe and the rolling back of Japanese expansionism and defined the geopolitical face of the world for the following forty-six years - and the impact of events in 1944 is still felt today, fifty-odd years on. Player teams in this game will represent Army Group or Front HQs, Strategic Air HQs, High Command and Political leadership. The design team have done their best to provide an accurate simulation of a huge canvas and widely differing series of military campaigns. Where you find historical flaws, they will be for one of three reasons: a. We made a mistake. b. It is a deliberate change to offset the unreasonable use of hindsight. c. It is a deliberate game 'fudge' to make the game easier to play. In each case, please bear with us. It would be much appreciated if all participants who detect flaws in briefing or background (or indeed in game mechanics) could write to us as quickly as possible, just in case it is something that can be fixed. Once play starts no fixes will be permitted - the game is too large and the briefings so inter-related that any ad-hoc fixes then would only be confusing. If you have any points arising from the game itself on the day, write also - we only improve by criticism. We regard this feedback as important. We do not expect to create the 'perfect game' and are committed to a process of continual improvement - so that each version of one of our games incorporates refinement and development based on previous games. To that end you will be asked to complete a critique questionnaire on the day giving your immediate reactions to the game - please fill it in and return it before you leave, it is an important aid to the future development of both this and other games. Dressing Up I would be grateful if those participants who like to get into their roles as fully as possible could resist the temptation to dress up for the game. Whilst I recognise that there is, inevitably, a significant element of role playing in any megagame the political overtones of, for example, overt Nazi regalia or stereo reproduction of Hitler's speeches will be seen as unacceptable to both some participants; and to non-participants such as the authorities at the Staff College. We feel that everyone must be sensitive to this, and especially so since we will wish to use the facilities again. We welcome your co-operation. Unit Resolution In most cases the smallest combat unit is a Russian, Japanese or Chinese Army or German/US/British Corps or the equivalent. Some small but important specific units may be represented - and your National Order of Battle (ORBAT) brief will give you details should you control such units. Rules I wish to emphasise the following important points that are mentioned further in the body of this handbook: a. The extreme importance of proper map marking. You will not function properly as a player team unless your maps are properly kept up to date. Wargamers in general are notoriously lazy about map marking, so please make an effort - it's in your own interests. It is especially important that you make the effort in this game because of the high level at which it is set. b. Listen to your Liaison Umpire. Make sure you understand what he or she is saying, what you think you hear may not be what they are actually saying! Your LU should be a source of a lot of useful information, and even more useless information - it is your job to sort the wheat from the chaff. c. Teamwork is essential. In particular, in the Army Group/Front teams you will not have either the time or the opportunity to operate as a discussion group, so sort out who does what and stick to it, otherwise there is a good chance you will go under. Credits Game Concept and Admin.: Jim Wallman Historical Research & Game Design Team : Andy Grainger Jim Wallman Terry Martin Brian Cameron Jeff Awdas Peter Howland --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Player Team Organisation --------------------------------------------------------------- Cabinet Teams These teams represent the highest level of decision making. Their task is to decide on the broad sweep of grand strategy. They are also primarily responsible for diplomatic liaison with other countries. Each member of the Cabinet team will have a particular portfolio; for example, Foreign Minister or Minister for the Army etc. In some cases (but not necessarily all) they might have their own personal political agenda also. The Cabinet will usually receive reports of events via the military high command players and from Political Umpires. Based on this information they modify or devise policy and instruct their High Command Team(s) accordingly. Their main tasks are: a. Decide on priorities for the armed forces. For example, the British Cabinet might, in the event of a breakthrough in Normandy, have to decide whether to press for a push through Belgium or for the Rhine directly, say, through Strasbourg. This would have to be in conjunction with allies, obviously. Once priorities have been arrived at they are passed to the appropriate High Command Team. HOW these priorities are implemented is up to the Military. b. Make Policy. The cabinet may have to discuss its policy on other matters; for example, the post-war political shape of Europe. c. Liaise. As suggested above, negotiate and liaise with the other National cabinets, especially over any joint operations that might develop, and over the way the alliance should prosecute the war. This may well involve quite a number of lengthy personal visits, and may well be the major activity of many cabinet members (especially the Foreign Minister). d. Hire and fire. In certain circumstances, high level (or any other) military commanders can be replaced. In practice this must be agreed unanimously by the entire cabinet team. The replacement can be any subordinate commander, and the displaced commander is slotted in as a junior staff officer at a lower level. Consult the Political umpires if in doubt. Where joint operations with Allies are being considered, an overall commander must be agreed to and appointed at Cabinet Level and the command arrangements of joint armies has to be established. Each national cabinet has its own room. Players can visit other rooms as ambassadors, or visit the 'front' (the rooms where the military teams are and where 'combat' is taking place) freely, provided the visit is to a 'front' that is in the same Theatre. Inter-Theatre moves must be cleared with the Political Umpires. High Command Teams These teams are responsible for the direction of their armed forces at the top level. They are there to execute the grand strategy devised by their political masters - which in some cases can be on a global scale. They are also to advise and inform the cabinet of significant military events. They usually command subordinate Army Group or Front Teams, giving them their orders, and in some cases redeploying existing forces between army groups or allocating additional reserve forces as necessary. For the USA, Soviet Union, Germany, Japan and Britain, they are NOT tactical command teams, and should not try to instruct subordinate teams on the minutiae of handling the armies within their Army Groups - they should regard each Army Group/Front as a single unit (if they do not, they will soon get swamped with detail). The German Allies (Hungary, Rumania and Finland) and China have one High Command team each, handling both higher level issues and, if appropriate, tactical operations, on a tri-service basis. Other countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Yugoslavia, non-belligerent countries) are all handled by the Non-Player Countries Umpire team. Front/Army Group Team This is the lowest level of player team. Each Army Group/Front team will command a number of Corps/Armies (except for the Soviets who deal only in Armies), for which this team will have to write orders. Army Group/Front teams have direct access to the umpires via a liaison umpire, and are usually the only team that directly commands troops. They also have to take orders from their High Command Team, supply that team with regular and timely situation reports and may request additional assets such as logistics and/or reinforcements from them. Composition of a Typical Player Team The teams will vary in composition where they have different jobs to do. The standard HQ team should comprise: 1. The Army Group or Front Commander. Responsible for the direction of the unit's battle and control of the team. Also carries out inter-team communications where necessary - especially giving situation reports to the next level up. 2. Staff Officer, Operations. Responsible for map marking, keeping necessary records of units status (in general terms) and advising the commander of the current situation. Also prepares the written order sheet to pass to the LU. 3. Staff Officer, Intelligence. Responsible for communicating with the LU over the telephone and receiving and clarifying battle reports from the umpire team. Also keeps records of own and enemy composition and intentions for transmission to higher HQs. If sufficient manpower is available then additional, optional, roles can be inserted into the team. These would include: 4. Liaison Officer. Responsible for personal visits to other player teams. This role is especially useful in the higher- level teams where there is a greater requirement to visit subordinates and to report to say, the National Cabinet. The basic teams are designed such that a 3-person player team will be working hard all day, and a 4/5 player team will have a more leisurely time - although by no means under-employed. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Sequence of Action --------------------------------------------------------------- Each game move represents approximately two weeks of real time during most of the year, or one month during winter months. It will take half an hour to process. The timing for each turn is on the clock, turn orders will be expected in by a given deadline (see the separate game timetable with your main mailing). We therefore have no slack and the game cannot wait for players (or umpires) to catch up. The basic sequence of action over one move would be as follows: 1. Players deliver their orders to outside the Umpire hall 2. LU takes orders into the umpire hall. 3. LU and Map Umpires adjudicate combat results. 4. LU reports back to players on telephone. 5. LU arrives at player room for personal update [OPTIONAL]. 6. Players write orders for next turn. Important Note : There is a timed deadline for player's orders in every move. If your orders are not ready by that time, they are likely to be treated as too late, and therefore not fully implemented. We plan that phases 1-4 will take about 15 minutes, and that leaves players with 15 minutes to get their orders ready. This requires very good teamwork on the part of player teams. The following table indicates roughly how we suggest the various team tasks can be divided up during a move: NOTE: The above timetable of a move has also to accommodate personal visits to and from other teams, calls of nature, trips to the canteen and time to think - all within the 30 minutes allotted to each day. This is difficult, but not impossible, provided you and your team are well organised. --------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Umpire Organisation --------------------------------------------------------------- Game Control They are responsible for 'driving' the game. One of the recurrent problems in megagames in general is the lack of a sense of urgency. As players you will, of course, take all the time we give you to reach decisions. Umpires, on the other hand must see that the maximum possible time pressure is brought to bear on players. Game Control Umpires must ensure that everything runs smoothly. If the game works perfectly, they get a chance to put their feet up - but somehow I doubt that! These umpires represent that final 'court of appeal' in the event of serious game problems, but only if the issue is unresolved by the Theatre Control Umpires (see below). Theatre Control Their job is to drive the umpires - especially the Liaison Umpires. They are to ensure that umpires that should be talking to each other are talking to each other and that the LU team is acting consistently. They are also responsible for the Timing of the game. Theatre control umpires are also responsible for ironing out communications problems (where they are supposed to be ironed out that is). They also ensure that players that should be talking to each other are talking to each other (and that those that shouldn't are NOT). There will be one or two of these to each Theatre (East, Far East and West/South), and they should be the first point of contact if you are having a game problem - they will do their best to sort it out, or if they can't to refer it up to the Game Control Umpires. Map Control They set the pace for the whole game, by overseeing the adjudication of results of all events on the master umpire maps. The other umpires therefore tend to follow their lead. They obtain a summary of current orders/intentions from the LUs each move and supervise the calculation of results. The players will normally never come into contact with these umpires. Liaison Umpires (LU) There will usually be one LU per front-line Army Group/Front (or the equivalent) player team and for any higher headquarters that directly commands forces on the map. The LU is the main point of contact between players and the Game. They are NOT simply postman to pass the written orders to the Map Control, but interpret and implement those orders so that the game can produce the right outcome as quickly as possible. When reporting back they will be telling a story to the players from the point of view of the subordinate formations on the map - and that may be deliberately incomplete or even inaccurate where appropriate. It isn't possible to legislate for this, LUs will use their common sense. This is difficult, since it is equally wrong to give too little information. They will aim to always give the team's own unit locations as well as guarded information about their enemy. You will obviously need to know where your units are. Usually all this can be, and should be, done mainly on the telephone. A face to face visit - if done quickly (2-3 minutes) - can be helpful but only in difficult cases. Strategic Air Umpires The Strategic Air Umpires deal with the various air forces and the defence forces opposing them as they conduct operations deep over enemy territory. They liaise closely with Map Umpires during the umpire update phases. Political Umpires They will monitor Cabinet discussions, and act as the main liaison with the rest of the game, in terms of additional information not otherwise available from subordinate players. They will also provide news of world events where relevant. Non-Played Countries (NPC) Umpires Just because the non-belligerent countries (and some of the more minor belligerents) do not have player teams does not mean that they can be safely ignored. These umpires will represent those countries' interests in any diplomatic or political manoeuvring. Intelligence Umpires These umpires are responsible for passing information not available to or additional to that gathered by the military teams. They will come to player teams with information. Assume that your intelligence services are working all the time and they will therefore bring you only key information - you do not normally need to pester them, they will tell you when something interesting is found. --------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Communications --------------------------------------------------------------- Player Team Communications a. Telephone. Most player teams will have at least two telephones. One of these is for communication up the chain of command, the other for communicating downwards (= to the LU in the case of Front/Army Group Teams). Your communication system might be added to or subtracted from during the course of the game as circumstances dictate. On the day of the game you will be given a telephone directory of the numbers of the teams you may contact. In extreme circumstances (such as a very precipitate retreat) you may have the telephone disconnected altogether. b. Written Message. Where communication by letter, signal, messenger, runner or carrier pigeon is desired, the message must be written and passed to your Liaison Umpire, who will process it as necessary. This will be the main means by which you communicate to teams with whom you have no direct telephone link. c. Face to Face. In some circumstances a unit commander or his immediate staff may wish to visit another HQ. In the case of visiting subordinate non-played commanders, your LU will pass on the responses by telephone (see below). For face to face meetings with other players, simply go and see them. Visits to teams not on your side must be cleared by the Political Umpires. Visits to friendly teams not in your Theatre of operations must be cleared by the Political Umpires. The game will not wait for you while you visit people. Communication With Umpires a. Telephones. Army Group teams will have a telephone for communication with their LU. He or she will spend most of the time near the Master Umpire Map, and usually only visit you briefly if some complex action needs explaining in person. You will not be able to ring your LU since you will not be given his or her phone number - the LU will contact you when there is something to report. The LU is likely to be very busy, and so has the right to cut short any communication at any time. You should expect to get at least one detailed update over the telephone every turn. In the event that you are having problems communicating with your LU, you will be given the number of the Theatre Control Umpires Helpline- contact them in the first instance on any general game problems. NOTE: You have one telephone per room which is exclusively for incoming calls from the umpires. DO NOT USE IT FOR ANYTHING ELSE. If the umpires call you and find the line engaged they will not ring back later - you lose whatever information they had for you. b. Face to Face. In normal circumstances you will only meet your LU and the Political Umpires. They will come to you; you should NEVER go into the main umpire area to look for them. If you need an umpire, just ring the Umpire Helpline number for your Theatre. --------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Representing The Armies on The Map --------------------------------------------------------------- Principles Before giving guidance on map marking, it is important that players understand what the various formations they are commanding actually represent. First, and most important, is the idea that a formation at the organisational level we are dealing with is not small, or easily fixed in a given location. Those familiar with our lower level games, and indeed with the whole boardgame genre will be used to seeing 'units' as discrete entities (i.e. a cardboard counter) which is then manoeuvred as necessary. This is not, in fact, the case in real life. An Army, and the corps within it, exists not only in the front line but back from that front line for a considerable distance - more like a long ribbon than a rectangular area. This means, historically, that the Army and Corps Boundaries are of vital importance to the conduct of operations and maintenance of the forces (since they also define the routes of logistic effort). Crossing over these boundaries always led to massive traffic jams and chaos. So, the first point to emphasise here is this: 1. Army Boundaries Must Be Identified To keep it simple, you will be relieved to note that we will not be insisting on Corps Boundaries likewise. This has an impact on how you issue orders. Real armies cannot easily manoeuvre here and there like counters in a board game. They tend to move along pre-defined axes, and so this brings us on to the second key point: 2. Army Boundaries Extend Into Enemy Held Territory Especially if you plan to advance with those armies - this defines where they are going. Think of the Army as an area on the map rather than a unit, that is more realistic. Command decisions, at Army Group level, centre on the resources allocated to the Army and how its area of responsibility changes. Finally, remember that manoeuvring units over Army Boundaries is a problem, which brings us to the third point: 3. Mixing Armies or Crossing Boundaries WILL CAUSE CHAOS You have been warned. Standard Map Symbols You will note that we are recommending simplified NATO standard map-marking symbols, rather than historical national map marking symbols. This is for game simplicity; otherwise the umpires would have had to master five different national map marking schemes! (two of which use ideograms) As described above, we do not encourage the use by players of 'unit counters' or marking units as discrete areas on the map - but rather lines showing the various boundaries. (See the Example below). Certain symbols may be useful when marking boundaries and unit types: Formation Boundary Lines: X's denote level as follows: xxxxx = Army Group xxxx = Army xxx = Corps xx = Division Hints On Keeping A Good Map Maps and transparent plastic covers will be provided. PLEASE RETURN THESE INTACT AND CLEANED AT THE END OF THE DAY. PLEASE DO NOT USE MAP PINS. PLEASE DO NOT USE PERMANENT MARKER PENS. A well maintained map will make all the difference in this sort of game. You will be given a lot of information from various sources, and a clearly marked map is the best way of showing it. Here are a few hints to help those of you new to this: a. Make sure that you have a plentiful supply of sharp chinagraph pencils and/or fine tipped water-soluble marker pens (from any stationery shop). Also have tissues for wiping the map clean, and some means of re-sharpening pencils (if you use them). b. When updating the map, put a date on it somewhere to show anyone else reading it how up to date it is. c. Recognise that not all reports of the enemy are certain - mark those you are unsure of carefully - e.g. with question marks. d. Erase and update sections of map systematically. It is not wise to wipe your whole map and then re-draw the whole thing from memory and the latest umpire updates - something will inevitably be lost. Try and update things in the same order each time so that sections are not missed. e. Mark on high level boundaries and front lines first, then army boundaries and corps and neighbouring boundaries and units if you have time. Example MAP EXAMPLE --------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Orders --------------------------------------------------------------- General The contents of the orders you issue are, of course, very important. What will be even more important is how you write them. If the LU and other umpires do not understand you, then even the greatest strategic stroke in the annals of military history will go for nothing. To help you and the umpire team we have devised a standard order proforma. You will be issued with just enough of these to last the day - please do not use them as toilet paper or to mop up spilt tea. Issuing Army Group/Front Orders The orders proforma does not attempt to emulate the layout of historical military orders - which at this level would have been both longer and more detailed. You will be given the opportunity to issue written Operational Orders at the start of each game turn - i.e. every 30 minutes. This will be on a form like the one at Annex A. Orders do not have to be written for every unit for every game turn. In this game, and at this level, orders should more reflect the sort of large scale operations being carried out. If the current orders are still in place, you can safely assume that the Armies and Corps are continuing to attempt to carry them out (unless, of course, the situation is obviously hopeless). You should therefore: a. Think carefully about your orders and that they really reflect your intentions in the short and medium term. b. Keep your own copy of the orders. c. Try not to change them each game turn! (unless absolutely necessary) If you do then your units will more easily get confused and may grind to a halt. Your orders at Army Group/Front level should include the following sections (and the orders proforma has been structured to reflect this): --------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION 1: OBJECTIVES. You must state what the objective of the current operation is. This may have been set for you by higher command, or you may have some discretion, it will depend on the circumstances. This should outline where you expect to end up once the current operation has finished. It need not necessarily be just for the current turn - although it would be a little unrealistic, for example, for 21st Army Group to write "Capture Berlin" as an objective on landing in Normandy! This is useful for the umpires to understand your thinking - but also it permits the umpires to fully reflect the initiative of subordinate commanders at corps and army level - who are, after all, very senior and experienced soldiers themselves. SECTION 2: RESOURCES: In this section you must state which units are primarily responsible for meeting your objectives, AND the logistic resources allocated to them. This does not mean that only those units will fight - some units may, for example, be allocated to flanks or support and get drawn in during the two-week period of the game turn. Unless logistic support points (LSP) (see later, p24) are allocated specifically to the operation, they will not be counted. SECTION 3: DETAILED ORDERS: This section is where you specify how the resources should be used to achieve the objectives. This is where you might give the order of attack for several units, special forces employed, role of flanking or supporting forces, rules of engagement etc. --------------------------------------------------------------- Examples All of this is best described by giving examples of some orders, based on historical examples showing attacking and a defending set of orders: EXAMPLE 1 : OPERATION MARKET GARDEN OBJECTIVES: To advance from the Albert Canal, into Belgium, across the Rhine and into Northern Germany with the intention of outflanking the Ruhr and the main German defences. RESOURCES: 2nd Army, comprising 1 Allied AB Corps, 30 Corps, 8 Corps and 12 Corps, with 3 Logistic Support Points, 3 Air Transport Units, 5 Tac. Air Units in Support. DETAILED ORDERS: 1 AB Corps - to air drop along line of advance to support attacks and secure river crossings esp. over Maas, Waal and Rhine. 30 Corps + all LSPs, to make main attack and cross the Rhine at Arnhem. 8 Corps to support right flank. 12 Corps to support left flank. [Note: The entire Market Garden operation would take one game turn only. The combat report, in game terms would go something like this: "1 AB Corps taken heavy losses. 30 Corps advanced 100km, crossing Maas and Waal to Rhine, but failed to make permanent crossing there; losses serious. 8 Corps and 12 Corps reached the Maas, losses light. German resistance heavier than expected, enemy 86 and 88 Corps reported on MAAS, 2 SS Pz Corps reported on Rhine at Arnhem. Enemy have taken heavy losses."] --------------------------------------------------------------- EXAMPLE 2 : THE DEFENCE OF HOLLAND OBJECTIVES: To form a new defensive line along the Albert Canal with the intention of stabilising the front with fresh forces and holding Holland. This will come under the Command of 1st Parachute Army (newly formed) RESOURCES: 86 Corps (From 15 Army), 88 Corps (From CinC Holland) 20,000 reinforcements from 15 Army. NO LSP AVAILABLE. DETAILED ORDERS: Reinforcements to be allocated by CinC West. 86 Corps cover west of line to Antwerp, 88 Corps east to boundary. HOLD AT ALL COSTS. 2 SS Pz Corps to refit at Arnhem/Nijmegan area (Under command of CinC West) [Combat Report would go something like this: Came under heavy attack by British 2nd Army, spearheaded by 30 Corps and 1 AB Corps. Deep penetration towards Arnhem. Advance held on Rhine, heavy losses taken on 86 and 88 Corps. 2 SS Pz Corps engaged enemy Airborne Corps and inflicted and taken heavy losses. Main line of resistance on Maas.] --------------------------------------------------------------- EXAMPLE 3 : OPERATION BAGRATION OBJECTIVES The aim of Operation Bagration is to eliminate the German forces in White Russia so bringing the Red Army to the borders of the Reich. This will be achieved by two encirclement battles by two pairs of fronts in the areas of VITEBSK and MINSK. Following these battles it is intended to conduct a pursuit operation as far as East Prussia in the early July turn. RESOURCES Reserve: 1 Polish Army, 1 Gds Tk Army 1 Baltic Front: 4 Shock Army, 6 Gds Army, 43 Army 1 Belorussian Front: 3, 28, 48, 65 Armies 2 Belorussian Front: 33, 49, 50 Armies, 6 Tank Army 3 Belorussian Front: 5, 31, 39, 11 Gds Armies, 5 Gds Tk Army 100,000 reinforcements 600 tanks 2 LSPs DETAILED ORDERS 1 Baltic Front to break through between VITEBSK and POLOTSK and cross the River Dvina. Then 43 Army to hold on the right whilst 4 ShkA and 6 Gds Army encircle and destroy enemy in conjunction with 3 Belorussian Front to south.  3 Belorussian Front: a) 5 and 31 Armies to break through south of VITEBSK and encircle enemy in conjunction with 1 Baltic Front to north. b) 39 and 11 Gds Armies plus 5 GTA to break through on axis SMOLENSK- ORSHA and capture MINSK. 2 Belorussian Front: Secondary thrust on MINSK with 33 and 49 Armies plus 6 Tank Army. 50 Army to launch holding attack around MOGILEV. 1 Belorussian Front: Attack on axis BOBRUISK-MINSK with two armies. Holding attacks with other two Armies. Note: The entire Bagration operation would take two to three turns. The combat report would be given something like this: Combat Report: "Operation generally immensely successful. Approx. 200 kms gained and 10 enemy Corps eliminated or crippled. 1 Baltic Front is approaching the line DAUGAVPILS - VILNIUS, 3 Belorussian Front has reached the Berezina, 2 Belorussian Front is fighting a large enemy pocket between MINSK and BOBRUISK, 1 Belorussian Front has linked with 3 Belorussian and holds line from River Nieman southwards. Losses on all Fronts: reasonable." --------------------------------------------------------------- Example 4 : THE DEFENCE OF WHITE RUSSIA ARMY GROUP: CENTRE TURN: Early June 44 OBJECTIVES Army Group Centre is to hold its current positions for as long as possible in order to hold the Bolsheviks at a strategic distance from East Prussia and to maintain a jumping off position for future operations towards Leningrad or the Ukraine, as circumstances allow. NO OPERATIONAL WITHDRAWALS ARE TO BE MADE WITHOUT PRIOR CLEARANCE FROM OKH IN VIEW OF THE OVER-RIDING IMPORTANCE OF THE STRATEGIC MISSION. RESOURCES 3rd Panzer Army: 6, 9, 53 Corps 4th Army: 12, 27, 39 Pz Corps 9th Army: 35, 41 Pz, 55 Corps 2nd Army: 8, 20, 23 Corps 20,000 reinforcements, 100 tanks 1 LSP DETAILED ORDERS 3rd Panzer Army to hold line VITEBSK - ORSHA 4th Army " " ORSHA - ROGACHEV 9th Army " " ROGACHEV - PINSK 2nd Army " " PINSK - KOVEL All Armies are to hold AT ALL COSTS 50 tanks to each of 39 Pz and 41 Pz Corps. 10,000 reinforcements to each of 12 and 27 Corps Combat Report would go something like this: "Enemy launched massive assault with approximately 15 armies incl. 3 Tank. Vast resources. 4th Army largely encircled east of MINSK. Enemy have now reached line DAUGAVPILS - VILNIUS - R. BEREZINA - BARANOVICHI-LUNINETS. Own forces: 3rd Panzer Army: DAUGAVPILS-VILNIUS 4th Army: MINSK - BOBRUISK 9th Army: VILNIUS - BEREZINA - BARANOVICHI 2nd Army: BARANOVICHI - LUNINETS All armies have taken very heavy losses except 2 Army which are merely heavy. 6, 8, 9, 35, 53, 55 Corps destroyed." Terminology In writing these orders, certain words you use will take on special meaning for the umpires - so here is a run down of how we will be interpreting your orders: a. CAPTURE. Occupy the objective and sufficient of the area around it to make a viable defence. b. SUPPORT. Either conform to a flank, but not advance ahead of the unit being supported; OR, remain in the rear of the unit being supported, and join the battle if circumstances warrant interference. c. ATTACK. This has no meaning, since units are assumed to be attacking whenever they attempt to take an objective. Your orders should be in terms of specific objectives. Orders like "Attack south" are meaningless without a specified objective. d. BYPASS. Move around the force or place to be bypassed, screening it off with the minimum forces necessary, before moving on to a specific objective. e. REBUILD. Any sub-unit that is assimilating reinforcements will need to be pulled out of combat and rebuilt. This should be a separate part of your orders. f. HOLD. This implies that the units should take active measures to retain their current position, or a particular line (such as a river-line or some fortifications). The Holding units will attempt automatic local counter -attacks to regain lost ground, and are prepared to take additional losses rather than give ground. g. HOLD AT ALL COSTS. We will assume that the force is prepared to take extra casualties rather than give ground. It is assumed to be a much more tenacious defence - but is less easy to sustain for long. h. WITHDRAW. This indicates that the unit should maintain a consistent front and pull back to some new (and named) position. The force concerned will still fight if necessary, so that its front is maintained and the withdrawal is not turned into a rout. This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of your options - it is just to make sure we all mean broadly the same things when we use particular terms. In general, if the umpires do not understand your intentions from the context, they will usually ask. Issuing High Command Orders The section above outlined the sorts of orders written and passed to LUs representing the control of the battle. There are other orders that must be written by High Command players for their subordinate teams. These do not have to be on a proforma, and can be written any way you please. However, to be of any use, orders to subordinate teams should be explicit as to aims and limitations. High Command Teams should also try to avoid attempting to directly control the battlefield situation - they should be thinking in terms of several months of operations rather than just the next two week game turn. For this reason, High Command staffs should be spending much of their time planning ahead. Command & Control In reality, the Army Group level of the hierarchy required Army HQs to manage the various subordinate Corps, even in quite small Army Groups. For this reason we have an arbitrary rule that a single Army can command no more than 6 Corps, and the fewer the better. Army Groups may not directly command Corps - Corps level forces under Army Group control are assumed to be reserves, and must be allocated to an Army before they can fight effectively. There is some flexibility here (as there was in reality) and in specific cases the umpires may allow small changes to the rule. New Army HQs CAN be created - either by disbanding and existing Army HQ and reforming it elsewhere or by converting a new Corps HQ (Which comes in as part of the reinforcement schedule) to an Army HQ. British/US/German Armies cannot have reinforcements attached to them directly, and if disbanded, their subordinate corps MUST go to a neighbouring Army or into Army Group Reserve. In the case of the Soviet Army, the situation is much simpler, since they only have Fronts and Armies (and lots of them). Similarly, though, a new Front could be created by converting an old one, or converting an Army HQ to a Front HQ (remember that the players must be found from somewhere!). If an existing Army HQ is converted, its forces must be handed over to another formation. --------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Logistics --------------------------------------------------------------- The logistic system does not go into the low level detail of supply and transport. In this game it is, rather, a measure of resource allocation at the macro level - reflecting more the priority a country puts on an operation. There are two main types of supply; LOGISTIC SUPPORT POINTS (LSP) and REINFORCEMENTS Logistic Support Points (LSP) These are allocated by High Command to the various Army Groups/Fronts. An Army can fight without using up LSP, but it has only a slim chance of making any real progress. Each LSP allocated to an operation (either in attack of defence) increases its effectiveness and the potential distance it can cover. LSP committed to defence in a land battle cannot be redirected (think of them as dug into the landscape) - and they are not used if the force is not attacked. As mentioned above, when orders are written, they include the numbers of LSP allocated. Obviously if the enemy are expending LSP at a similar high level this makes for additionally bloody battles. If the enemy do not use their LSP in the same way, then you can expect greater success. You will see when you see your own national LSP totals that even 1 LSP is a very significant national supply effort. Reinforcements There are three sorts of reinforcement; Men, Tanks and Air Units. In order to keep the mechanisms of the game as simple as possible these types of reinforcement are never mixed: Panzer Corps, Armoured Corps and Tank Armies are rebuilt only by Tanks. Infantry, Airborne and Motorised Corps are rebuilt only by Men. Air Armies/Fleets etc. are only reconstructed by Air Units. New formations cannot be created unless they appear on the reinforcement schedule. Formations that are actually totally wiped out may not be rebuilt. The ideal strength of the forces may vary - see the orders of battle in your Team Briefing. As a guide, the following typical unit sizes apply: Typical Tank Units: Panzer Corps 600 tanks max. Soviet Tank Army 800 tanks max. British/US Armd Div 250 tanks max. Typical Infantry Units: British Corps 30,000 men USA Corps 30,000 men German Corps 20,000-50,000 men Japanese Army Approx. 30,000-40,000 men Soviet/Chinese Army 100,000 men Brit/US AB Div 10,000 men Obviously, in reality most of the above formations had both Tanks and Men, but this is how we will be simplifying it for this game. Each turn the High Command will receive a number of LSPs and reinforcements to allocate as necessary to rebuilding and supplying the various units under their command. The amounts of each are determined by national productivity, political decisions concerning deployment (ie. US decisions about the relative priorities of the Pacific War), enemy action and transport infrastructure. This will vary as the campaigns unfold. Reinforcements cannot be used in combat on their own - they must be allocated to an existing formation first. Movement of Logistic Support and Reinforcements The sequence of allocating LSPs and reinforcements is critical to successful operations. The key points are: a. Logistics umpires distribute LSP counters and reinforcments to the highest level HQ as appropriate. b. High level command teams distribute resources to Theatres/Lower HSQs as required. LSPs/Reinforcements must be allocated to a specific player HQ. b. LSPs/Reinforcements must be allocated THE TURN BEFORE THEY CAN BE USED. The LSP counters used must be handed in to the Umpire Team with the previous turn's orders together with instructions on where they are to be allocated. c. Movement of LSPs between HQs is subject to the same one turn's delay. Reinforcements and LSP must be moved from their county of origin to the fighting front line and the forces requiring them. Normally, strategic movement can be fairly free using the national rail networks and shipping, and the assumed logistic infrastructure of the forces concerned.. If conducting amphibious operations over the sea, there is a capacity limit representing the availability of landing craft and the general capability for operating accross beaches; this is given in your national briefing. --------------------------------------------------------------- 9. Movement --------------------------------------------------------------- Ground The main type of terrain represented on the map will be as follows: Open : Open countryside, containing fields and woods etc., with the occasional farm or village. A minor unmarked road-net is assumed. No serious obstacle to movement of all types of troops. Hills/Forests: Close country, forested hills. A low-capacity road net and difficult terrain. Narrow hedged lanes such as the bocage, or dense collection of small forests etc. Low Country : As open country, but criss-crossed by canals and waterways and marshy or susceptible to flooding. A dense road net, but off-road movement for vehicles is very restricted. Rivers : Only the major rivers are marked and these are usually wide, fast-flowing and are difficult to cross. Not all crossing points have been marked. If a crossing has been marked it is a significant one and can easily support the logistic rear-echelons of an army. Minor (unmarked) crossings are usually of lower capacity and will delay movement and are more easily interdicted. Mountains : These are major mountain ranges that are regarded as impassable for large formations (i.e. everything in this game) except at certain marked key passes. Rates of Advance A modern motorised or armoured army could, in the right conditions, expect to advance anything up to 200km in a two-week period. Obviously the extent to which they actually achieve this is entirely dependent on the strength of the enemy, the numbers of LSPs allocated and the terrain. Movement can and will be greatly interrupted or delayed by combat, enemy air activity etc. Roads Where roads are marked on the map, they can be assumed to be of operational significance. Obviously, it is rare for the operation of a single corps to depend on movement down a single road - but the routes they represent are mainly important for logistic reasons. Formations with a road in their axis of advance can move much faster. In fact, the maximum rates of advance can only be achieved if there is a one or more major roads involved throughout the advance. If the road is cut, or a major route centre blocked, then obviously no benefit can be gained by using the road network affected. River Crossing On the operational map only river obstacles of importance are marked. There are numerous minor obstacles which have been factored into the movement rates. River crossings are assumed to involve Army bridging operations of some sort either to repair or strengthen minor bridges, and/or to add capacity. Separate orders are not necessary for river crossing. Rail Movement Strategic movement is effectively unlimited within a friendly rail network. This is affected by the amount of air interdiction being carried out and the gross rolling stock capacity of the system. --------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Land Combat --------------------------------------------------------------- Combat Results : Assumptions We will be working on the following major assumptions: 1. The allocation of major logistic support (an LSP) is essential to any important operation - otherwise progress is painfully slow. 2. Armoured forces provide considerable additional 'punch' to an operation - BUT only when the terrain is favourable to tanks. 3. Tactical Air Power has a very significant influence on operations. Within guidelines such as these and with the help of some more detailed procedures, the map and liaison umpires will use their judgement as to the relative balance of advantage and disadvantage in each combat. No appeals on combat results will be accepted during the game - although you will have the usual opportunity to make comments at the end, and in the critique questionnaire. Units will take losses and become progressively more tired as the battle goes on. The more often and longer they fight, the lower their effectiveness. This is obviously made worse if they are losing. In extreme cases, units might disintegrate when their losses become too great. Units can be rebuilt by ordering them out of action (at least 50km from the current front line) and allocating men or tanks to them and spending at least 2 turns doing nothing else. Units can assimilate reinforcements while still in the line BUT they will suffer a considerable disadvantage if they have to fight whilst doing so. --------------------------------------------------------------- 11. Strategic Air Operations --------------------------------------------------------------- Strategic Bombers Strategic bombing teams will issue orders indicating the numbers of strategic air units targeting following types of target: a. Bombing Cities. This will have an effect on the civilian morale of the target country. When doing this, target cities must be named in the air orders. b. Economic Targets : i. Logistic Support. This hits the main industries that produce Logistic Supply Points (LSP), with the aim of reducing the numbers of fresh LSP available. ii. Tank Manufacturing. This is aimed at the industries that support the armed forces, mainly in the area of tank production. iii. Manpower. This is aimed at the industries that produce equipment for the armies - in effect reducing the 'manpower' available for reinforcements. iv. Aircraft Production This is aimed at the industries that support the air forces, mainly in the area of aircraft production. v. Submarine Yards/Shipyards. This prevents submarine or naval forces being rebuilt. c. Infrastructure Attacks. Hitting road and, more importantly, rail networks with the aim of slowing down the movement of reinforcements and LSP to the armies. d. Interdiction Attacks. This is aimed at particular river lines, aiming to destroy or incapacitate all the bridges, thus isolating a geographical area and making resupply, or operational movement much more difficult. e. "Tactical" Support. Provide additional air power in support of a particular operation by the Army/Navy. The exact numbers of air units and their deployment etc. is to be found in the appropriate Team Handbooks. Strategic Air Units have an effective range of around 1500km. Strategic Air Defence The high command team will allocate men, aircraft and logistic support resources to particular Air Fleet/Air Army areas as they see fit in an attempt to reduce the effect of enemy strategic bombing effort. Air units can be allocated to strategic air defence. Details of the resources available and how they are used are in the Team Briefing. --------------------------------------------------------------- 13. Tactical Air Operations --------------------------------------------------------------- General Tactical air units include all types of aircraft used to support the combat operations of armies and navies - but excluding aircraft used for strategic air defence. Tactical Air Units represent approx. 100-120 aircraft each. We will not be dealing with individual aircraft losses and so in the event of substantial losses in air combat complete air units will be lost and/or replaced. The game assumes routine replacement of light losses. Unit Types Fresh Air Units can be allocated to one of three types of role: TACTICAL AIR SUPPORT (or 'bombers'): The units count toward the combat power of the units that are being supported. TACTICAL AIR SUPERIORITY (or 'fighters'): The units seek out and engage enemy air forces with the aim of suppressing or intercepting them. STRATEGIC AIR DEFENCE (or 'interceptors'): The units are tied in with flak and radar to defend geographical areas from strategic bombers. Once a new air unit has been given a role, it cannot be changed. Normal air units cannot be converted to strategic bomber units - these are a separate type that will appear on the reinforcement schedule - if you have them. Operational Range & Basing Tac. Air Units must operate from a base area. This can be either: a. A friendly island group in a sea area : maximum capacity of one air unit. b. A land-Base Area Unit : A Base Area Unit represents a whole complex of airfields and supporting infrastructure and each base can support up to 5 Tactical Air Units or 2 Strategic Air Units. c. A Carrier Task Force or Amphibious Task Force : Can support a variable number of air units - see you national briefing. South-eastern England, Japan, and Central Germany are treated as Base Areas of unlimited capacity. Base Units can be moved (using normal movement rules for land or sea, as appropriate), taking one turn to dismantle and one turn to set up. Tactical Air units have an operational range of 250km. --------------------------------------------------------------- 14. Naval Operations --------------------------------------------------------------- General The only theatre where we will be dealing with naval operations in any detail in in the Pacific. Given the vast scale of that theatre this is being dealt with in a stylised way. The Pacific Naval Map is composed of sea areas (each approximately 750-1000km across) and operations are conducted from area to area. To remain in keeping with this general approach, chains or groups of islands within a sea area are dealt with as a whole. Amphibious operations are conducted at several islands over the period of operations and, if successful, the entire islands group is taken. Units The smallest ground forces are the US/British/Aust Corps or Japanese Army - as in the rest of the game. Island groups are assumed to have small integral garrisons, which are treated as permanent and static. Tactical Air Units are treated in the same way as for the European Theatre. The smallest naval unit is the Task Force (or the equivalent): Carrier Task Forces comprise, typically, of several Carriers and air units, together with the supporting minor craft. A Surface Task Force comprises major surface units (such as battleships and battle cruisers), but not usually integral air units. An Amphibious Task Force includes its own air component (embarked in escort carriers) and sufficient transports and landing craft to land up to 2 Corps or the equivalent a turn. Other Specialised Task Forces might exist, but these are covered in the National Briefing. Submarine Forces are not separately represented. Their generalised effects are, however, taken into account where relevant, given their historical operational doctrines. Logistics Offensive Naval Combat Operations in a given sea area require at least 1 LSP as a minimum just to conduct the operation. It is strongly recommended that more than that minimum is used if these is to be any prospect for success. The normal rules for allocating LSP (page 25) apply. Simple non-combat naval movements or redeployments do not require LSP. Defence does not require LSP. LSP allocated for defence simulates highly increased naval and naval air activity, so they are consumed whether or not the force is actually attacked. LSP cannot be carried on normal Task Forces. Instead they must be physically located in sea areas with friendly islands or controlled mainland areas (empty sea areas are no help here). Task Forces within 3 sea areas can draw on these LSP (provided they have been allocated to the Task Force on the previous turn, as usual). Movement All sea units can move either Tactically or Non-Tactically. Tactical moves are up to 3 sea areas and Non-Tactical moves up to 5 sea areas. Forces moving non-tactically are more vulnerable in defence and may not attack in the same turn. Types of Operation NAVAL ACTION: This is where a force is ordered to seek out and engage enemy navalforces. This requires LSPs. BOMBARDMENT: This is where forces bombard enemy positions on land - usually in preparation for an Amphibious Assault. A Bombardment requires LSP. The more LSP allocated to the bombardment, the greater its impact. AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT: Force supports or conducts an Amphibious Assault on enemy forces on land (either on a mainland area or group of islands). This requires LSPs. REACT: The force is standing ready to intervene in response to enemy operations in adjacent sea areas. This needs LSP, but only consumes them if the force actually engages the enemy. Reconnaissance The sea area defines the operational limits of a Task Force. However, to represent routine long-range reconnaissance, umpires will usually inform players of generalised enemy activity in areas adjacent to their own forces, or controlled by their forces. Intelligence Umpires will also report strategic information, if appropriate. --------------------------------------------------------------- 15. Duties of the Liaison Umpire --------------------------------------------------------------- The LU's Job Liaison umpires are key umpires in the game. The quality of your LU will to some extent influence how well you do, and how much you learn about the battle. However, your LU is not a player. The LU will not alter your orders, or offer his own independent interpretations. You should expect the following from your LU: * A tactical update every move during the game (where appropriate). * Battle reports that are as full as time permits, including indications of how well your own units are doing, and what can be gleaned about the opposition. * At the end of each game turn, the LU will visit you and give you a summary of the turn's activities, so that you can catch up a bit on events. At this time you may also get more information as routine intelligence analysis starts to become available. Note that the game - and hence your LU - will NOT wait while you think about things. He might continue to give you sitreps while you discuss the immediate reaction to the first report. It is important that the Staff divide up the tasks of noting the report and interpreting it, and that you avoid interrupting the LU until the report is ended. What Do the Players Want? Players may find it helpful to draw up a short list of specific questions to put to their LU each turn. This will help the LU to put your operations into context if he can see what his players are thinking and knows what they are looking for. For example: a. What happened to the enemy units reported at 'x' last turn? b. What does the commander of 3 Tank Corps think about breaking into 'y' next turn? c. When you report back next turn could you tell us how the rebuilding of 73rd Corps is going? So, it helps both the players and the umpires if you are prepared every turn. --------------------------------------------------------------- 16. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY --------------------------------------------------------------- The War in the West BELCHEM, D. Victory in Normandy Chatto & Windus Ltd, 1981. BELFIELD E & ESSAME, H. The Battle For Normandy. Severn House 1965. BRYANT, A. Truimph In The West. Wm Collins 1959. DE GUINGAND, F. Operation Victory. Hodder & Stoughton 1953. HASTINGS, M. Overlord. Michael Joseph Ltd, 1984 LUCAS, J & BARKER, J. The Killing Ground. B.T Batsford 1978. MASON, D. Breakout, Drive to the Seine. Purnell 1968. MONTGOMERY, B. Normandy To The Baltic. Hutchinson & Co. 1946. ---------- Memoirs. Collins, 1958. SHULMAN, M. Defeat In The West. Coronet 1973. SPEIDEL, H. We Defended Normandy. Herbert Jenkins 1951. US ARMY Official History. Several vols. The War in Italy & the Med GRAHAM, D & BIDWELL, S. Tug Of War, The Battle for Italy 1943- 45. Hodder & Stoughton 1986. ORGILL, D. The Gothic Line. Pan Books 1969. The War in the East ERICKSON, J. The Road to Berlin GLANTZ, D. Soviet Military Deception in WW2 & other works. HOGG, I.V. (Ed) German Order Of Battle 1944. Arms & Armour 1975. MACKSEY, K. Guderian, Panzer General. Macdonald & Janes, 1975. MADEJ, V. The Russo-German War. Several Vols. von MELLENTHIN, F.W. Panzer Battles. Futura Pubs 1977. RYAN, C. The Last Battle, Berlin 1945. Fontana 1973. SEATON, A. The Russo-German War 1941-45 LEE READY, J. The Forgotten Axis, Germany's Partners in WW2 High Command & Political Direction CHURCHILL, W.S. The Second World War. Vol VI. Triumph & Tragedy. Pengiun 1990 DOENITZ, Adm K. Memoirs: Ten Years & Twenty Days. Leisure Books, 1954. FULLER, J.F.C. Decisive Battles of the Western World 1792- 1944. Paladin 1975. GUDERIAN, H. Panzer Leader. Michael Joseph Ltd, 1970. HAMMERTON, Sir J (Ed) The Second Great War, Vols 6,7 & 8. Amalgamated Press Ltd. JOLL, J. Europe Since 1870. Pengiun 1987. KEEGAN, J. Encyclopedia of World War II. Bison Books 1977. ---------- The Mask of Command. Pengium Books 1988. KINDER, H. & HILGEMANN, W. Penguin Atlas of World History, Vol II. Pengiun 1986. LIDDEL HART, B.H. History Of The Second World War. Cassel & Co, 1973. ---------- The Other Side Of The Hill. Cassell & Co. 1948. MITCHAM, S.W. Hitler's Field Marshals. Grafton Books 1989. MILWARD, A.S. War, Economy & Society 1939- 1945. Pelican Books, 1987. TERRAINE, J. The Mighty Continent. Futura 1975. WILMOT, C. The Struggle For Europe. Fontana 1974. WILT, A.F. War From The Top. I.B.Taris & Co, 1990. The Air War HASTINGS, M. Bomber Command. Michael Joseph Ltd, 1979. TERRAINE, J. The Right Of The Line. Sceptre Books 1988. USAAF Official Histories (7 vols) The War In The Far East VAN DER VAT, D The Pacific Campaign. Hodder & Stoughton 1991 KIRBY, S.W. The War Against Japan Vol IV. Official History JACOBY, A & WHITE, T.H. Thunder Out Of China. Da Capo Press 1946 KOLPAS, N. Mao. Longman 1981 --------------------------------------------------------------- Annex A EXAMPLE STANDARD ORDER SHEET FORMATION: TURN: 1. OBJECTIVES 2. RESOURCES 3. DETAILED ORDERS NOTE: Please do not continue on a separate sheet! --------------------------------------------------------------------- LAST WORD This version is posted on the internet for the use of anyone interested in the game subject. If this handbook, or significant potrions of it are used, we would appreciate a credit as appropriate. ---------------------------------------------------------------------