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IABSM Battle Report;
26/07/05 Tito's (Kev's) Partisans Vs Jez's Germans
dark subject - village clearances.
I decided to work out a scenario where the German forces were tasked with arresting the civilian
population of a suspected partisan village and transporting them off for 're-settlement'. The
German's were then to torch the village.
Tito's partisan forces were to arrive and attempt to prevent the German's doing this.
A contentious issue granted, and not everyone's cuppa tea but occasionally I like to play such
games which hammer home to players the savagery and inhumanity of WW2.
It is very easy to play WW2 games where civilians don't actually make an appearance resulting in a
sanitisation of the conflict which devastated the lives of much of the world.
accessed by a dirt track which crossed a stream via a wooden bridge.
The stream was crossable to all infantry but was impassable to vehicles unless using the bridge.
The surrounding terrain was very close; dense woods, marsh, several fields of crops and an area of
rocks, south of the village.
Jez's German force consisted of HQ; an infantry section a Horsch field car, an SS Commander in
Kubelwagen, with an Sdkfz 251/10 halftrack for support. In additon two infantry Platoons were
present in motorised transport with six trucks for the captured civilians, plus a brace of ex-French
Panhard armoured cars now in Axis service.
They were all rated as second class troops, with a lack of heavy support weapons.
Jez's Germans
HQ Platoon Rifle Squad (8 men)
Horsch Car
Kubelwagen
SdKfz 251/10 (Fast, Armour 2, Gun 3)
SS – Sturmbannführer BIG MAN 1 (D4)
SS - Hauptsturmfuhrer BIG MAN 2 (D4)
Platoon 1 Three Rifle squads (8 men)
Two Horsch Cars
SdKfz 10
SS - Untersturmführer BIG MAN 3 (D4)
Platoon 2 Three Rifle squads (8 men)
Nine trucks (six empty)
SS - Scharführer BIG MAN 4 (D6)
Armour 1 Two Sp Pz Wag 178/204 (F) (Wheeled, Armour 3, Gun 3)
SS - Oberscharführer BIG MAN 5 (D4)
D4 Fakes Only!
NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS CARDS
Rally Recce Force
Dynamic CO Heroic Leader
Vehicle Breakdown
There were plenty of Big Men present though these were all largely poor with only D4. I also
decided not to allow the Germans a 'Rapid Deployment' card.
The Partisans were all well motivated and armed quite well, in keeping with Tito's men.
A Force HQ of a rifle section included two snipers and two Maxim MMGs.
There were four Platoons each of three 8 man sections. Two Platoons in addition had AT rifles
available.
In support there were a pair of medium mortars deployed off-table and zeroed in on one pre-
registered location.
Kev's Partisans
HQ Two Snipers
Two MMGs (3 crew)
Rifle Squad (8 men)
‘Officer’ Big Man (D6)
Platoon 1 and 2 Three Rifle Squads (8 men)
AT Rifle (2 crew)
‘NCO’ Big Man (D6)
Platoon 3 and 4 Three Rifle Squads (8 men)
‘NCO’ Big Man 3 (D4)
Off-Table Mortars Two Medium Mortars firing on pre-registered location.
4" Blast radius
2D6 effect
Indirect fire - 9-18" column fire effect
D6+1 Fakes
NATIONAL CHARACTERISTIC CARDS
MMG bonus Heroic Leader
Dynamic commander Rapid Deployment
Off-Table Mortars Sniper x 2
Uhraieeeee
Jez obviously spotted that a perfect ambush game was in the offing but I decided to move the
goalposts ensuring that the games progress could take many different courses, leaving it by no
means certain who would win, nor how easy it would be.
my entire force at the beginning of the game. This was
to ensure that the German forces had a chance to
actually reach the village and begin their searching for
partisans/civilians.
I decided that any number of my blinds could enter the
table on any edge of choice with the restriction of D4
blinds for the eastern table edge with the road.
The Germans would enter the table on the eastern
edge, along the road. They must exit the table here
also for a successful mission.
To search each building required one entire move's
initiative dice spent doing nothing else. Jez would roll
a D6 upon entering a building. 1-5 would equate to the
number on civilians within each building with a six
meaning that the building was empty. This hopefully
would result in least a couple of buildings frustrating
the Germans by containing no civlians.
If he had the time Jez could search again rolling a D6
to see if anything else was found. A 5 or 6 would
indicate something else with a random die roll
equating to arms and ammo, uniforms, food and
rations or even a radio set.
Once found civilians would be attached to the section
that discovered them, and would stay with the section
until the section escorted them to a truck for their ride
to 're-settlement'.
One move spent stationary in, or in contact with, a
house would result in it bursting into flames should
the Germans decide so.
The game kicked off with my secretly rolling for fakes
(D6+1) resulting in five. I then rolled D4 for forces on
table resulting three blinds being available for
immediate deployment. I rolled a further 3 indicating
that no more than three of my blinds could enter on
the eastern edge. I then marked positions on my map
of where I would like my troops to enter.
I also decided to zero in mortars on the bridge as
knocking this out would result in Jez's transport
having to take a northern circuitous route to get off the
eastern table edge, it not being permitted to cross the
stream except at the bridge.
I deployed the HQ Platoon's MMGs and rifle section in
a small wood to the north of the bridge. A sniper was
located in another wood, this time north of the village
with the second south of the village, amongst the
rocks.
I placed one fake in the woods to the west of the
village to tempt the Germans further onto the table,
and another in the woods with the northern sniper.
My 'Blinds Move' came up and I decided to hold all
dice and not to bring on any of my other troops. I
wanted him firmly in the noose before tightening the
rope. It was too early for a show of force I reckoned.
Jez moved two blinds along the road and into the
village on move one.
One blind headed off to the north of the village. I
reckoned that this would be a fake and upon spotting
confirmed it, using my reserved dice. I also spotted
Jez's armoured cars leading the column and a further
spot revealed his HQ in tow.
I was taking a real gamble as Jez had lots of chips
going in the hat for the next turn and I may find that my
reinforcements would take a long time.
One of Jez's blinds hung back and entered a small
wood just south of the road, and adjacent to the bridge.
This I presumed would be a fake.
Jez immediately advanced his armoured cars to the
west of the village on his 'Recce Force' chip.
Next turn Jez's swore as he realised he had screwed
up royally and had infact handed me the game on a
plate!
Jez had mixed up his blinds and had infact moved the
wrong one into the village! He had meant to actually
move his Platoon with the trucks for transporting
civilians into the village. Instead he had moved the
first Platoon which had no transport for prisoners.
Oh joy! What a cock up and showing that even IABSM
players of Jez's experience can have an off day.
Anyhow the Germans now began the long process of
searching the houses. A peasant couple emerged
from the first house , but the second proved to be
empty. The third house Jez moved into and saved his
dice, expecting an ambush he wisely decided to keep
one section as his security element.
The SdKfz 251/10 took up position at the western end
of the bridge and then promptly broke down, requiring
a six to mend.
On his 'Dynamic Commander' chip jez moved his
Black coated, swastika armband wearing CO from the
kubel to harange the crew of the halftrack. I had told
jez there was less chance of it being abandoned if
accompanied by a Big Man and told him that so long
as the Big Man kept shouting at the halftrack crew they
could mend it on a 5 or 6 with his 'encouragement'.
Jez all the time was wondering where my forces were
hiding and why I hadn't attacked him yet. His plan was
to get in, capture some civlilans and exit ASAP.
When I spotted Jez's remaining blind in my next turn
and it turned out to be nine trucks, I knew this was it. I
reserved the rest of my dice waiting for them to make a
run for the bridge and village.
In retrospect we both admitted that it would have been
better had he left them on the eastern side of the
bridge and escorted the prisoners across the bridge to
their rides.
A it was, when he tried to cross the bridge I hit and
destroyed a truck, blocking the bridge entirely, with
reserved dice fire from my maxim guns. I used the
reserve fire dice from my rifle section to poured fire
into Jez's troops in the empty house he had
discovered earlier, but which he still occupied.
Snipers began to engage Big Men targets without
success but made Jez and his Germans very nervous.
Jez's chips didn't really come up this turn but he did
manage to find another two civilians in another house.
Next turn when my 'Blinds Move' card came up Jez
realised that the shit had hit the fan! Practically the
whole table edge surrounding the village seemed
occupied by four blinds and three fakes. I now moved
my fakes that had started the table making Jez really
flinch a bit.
He failed to spot anything as once again his chips
didn't turn up, and then was really displeased when
my mortars landed on target, right on the bridge and
its truck road block. I had put the chip in the prievous
turn when my Big Man had signalled for support.
Three trucks were damaged and/or their drivers
concussed into inactivity. Mega block.
Jez fired at my Maxims and infantry section but
caused little casualties due to their range and cover.
When my blinds came up yet again in the first few
chips of my next turn I decided to activate everything.
One Platoon appeared in the western woods and
made a run for the village. Another worked its way
across the rocky and marshy area south of the village,
whilst a third appeared in the fields to the northwest.
My final Platoon appeared on the eastern table edge
cutting off his retreat.
Withering fire poured forth from Tito's boys causing a
few wounds and pins.
Jez's armoured cars recoiled at the sight of AT rifles,
into the village, after some very non effective fire on
their part. The expression couldn't hit a f*****g barn
door at three paces comes to mind.
My maxims opened up again setting fire to a truck
containing a section of infantry which took several
casualties and abandoned their burning truck, only to
be hit by reserved dice from a Maxim causing half of
their comrades to fall and pinning them.
Yet again my mortars landed on target causing more
distress.
Upon an 'Uhraieeeeee' card I assaulted the remnants
of the pinned rifle squad killing all except one lonely
German soldier who was captured.
On 'Heroic Leader', my Big Man accompanying the
victorious section, shouted to his men to use
grenades and attack another truck of troops. They did
so destroying this and forcing the luckless Germans
out into the open.
As yet another chip of my forces was drawn the
remnants of this section were fired at at short range
from Tito's boys. Talk about a run of bad chips!
Two sections all but wiped out in four successive
chips.
Jez had some luck elsehwere though as some of my
forces reached the village and entered the buildings.
Close range fire brought them to a halt with several
casualties. One section of German's made a run for
the wood to the north of the village flushing out my
sniper but then took casualties from the Partisans in
the cornfields to the north west.
Jez decided to call it a day as he no longer had a
prayer of winnig and infact would probably lose his
entire force.
A lovely victory.
But it could've been so different. I had a lot of luck in
that by choosing to wait so long to bring on my forces
I had ensured that almost all of Jez's chips were in the
bag early on. It could've taken ages for my 'Blinds
Move' chip to turn up, along with my mortar fire. I was
very lucky indeed that they did so, so rapidly and so
often.
Once my forces' unit and national characteristic chips
were in the bag Jez ensured that he drew a
devastating sequence of chips which allowed me to
turn an ambush into a massacre.
I have played five times with Partisna forces now and
won every time. Most games they have been a real
shock to the German players but seldom has a victory
been so easily acheived!
Jez had really handed me the victory by confusing
himself as to which blinds were which early on,
moving the wrong troops into the village. Then trying
to move nine trucks across a small bridge was a really
bad idea which was bound to go pear shaped.
Still I enjoyed myself.
