PLASTIC OSTFRONT RULES FOR 1/72 SCALE WARGAMING

PRE-BATTLE ARRANGEMENTS

IN THIS SECTION  ARE INCLUDED ALL OPERATIONS WHICH WOULD PRECEDE AN ACTUAL ATTACK  AND SO NOT BE RECREATED ON THE TABLETOP BUT THEY WOULD, HOWEVER, HAVE HAD A CRITICAL INFLUENCE UPON  THE COURSE OF THE TABLETOP BATTLE.

BATTLE MAP

SCOUTING

AERIAL OBSERVATION

PREPARATORY BOMBARDMENT

BATTLE MAP

THIS IS IN 500m SQUARES AND HAS A NUMBER/LETTER CORDINATE SYSTEM.

 DRAW IT UP IN ABOUT A 3 INCH SQUARE SCALE.

 EACH SIDE HAS ITS OWN BATTLE MAP.

 IF IT IS USED WITH CHINAGRAPH OR RE-USED ON THE PC THE TERRAIN CAN BE MARKED TOO – BUT ONLY MAIN FEATURES ARE NECESSARY.

 PLAYERS USE A COUNTER FOR EACH ELEMENT TO MARK DEPLOYMENTS.

 FOR EACH COMPANY IN A SQUARE THERE WILL BE A STACK OF COUNTERS.

THE TOP COUNTER WILL BE THE AIR OBSERVATION MARKER FOR THE COMPANY AND BELOW THAT A MARKER FOR EACH ELEMENT.

 THEN THE PLAYERS MUST CONDUCT RECONAISSANCE USING SCOUTS AND AERIAL OBSERVATION.

SCOUTING

WHO CAN SCOUT ?

ANY ELEMENTS FROM RECONAISSANCE UNITS.

ONE ELEMENT FROM EACH BATTALION – CONSIDERED TO BE PICKED MEN.

ANY OTHER ELEMENTS CHOSEN BUT THESE COUNT AS ‘UNSKILLED’.

SCOUTS CAN BE SENT INTO ANY ENEMY OCCUPIED SQUARES BUT TO REACH REAR SQUARES MUST HAVE A ROUTE PLOTTED AND PASS IT SAFELY TO SEE THE NEXT AREA. IF NO SCOUTS ARE LEFT BEFORE THE NEXT INTENDED AREA IS REACHED THEN SCOUTING STOPS.

VEHICLE-MOUNTED SCOUTS CANNOT PASS OBSTACLES.

FOR EACH SQUARE ENTERED BY SCOUTS:

IN A HAT PUT –

A COUNTER FOR EACH ELEMENT IN THE SQUARE.

A RED FOR EACH COMPANY– SECURITY ELEMENTS IN SQUARE.

A BLACK FOR EACH SCOUT ELEMENT.

 A NUMBER OF BLANKS:

1 SCOUT – 9 BLANKS

2 SCOUTS – 6 BLANKS

3 SCOUTS – 3 BLANKS

 DRAW THE SAME NUMBER OF COUNTERS AS THERE ARE DEFENDING ELEMENTS IN THE SQUARE: REPRESENTING AN ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY EACH ONE.

BLANKS: NOTHING HAPPENS

RED: 1 SCOUT ELEMENT LOST (RANDOM)

ELEMENT: LOCATION AND I.D. OF ELEMENT GIVEN TO SCOUTING SIDE

BLACK: 1 PATROL ELEMENT LOST (RANDOM) AND UNSKILLED SCOUT(RANDOM)

 AS ELEMENTS ARE IDENTIFIED THEY MUST BE PLACED ON THEIR BOARD POSITIONS AS MARKERS.

  AERIAL OBSERVATION

WORKS SIMILARLY TO SCOUTING BUT WORKS AGAINST EACH ENEMY MARKER , NOT SQUARES.

USE A MARKER FOR EACH COMPANY – WITH TYPE, NUMBER, COVER AND AND SQUARE LOCATION MARKED ON. ON THE BACK SHOULD BE INDICATED ITS COVER TYPE AND IF IT HAS VEHICLES OR GUNS BIGGER THAN 60MM.

 FOR EACH AA UNIT PUT IN 3 MARKERS.

 CHANCE TO IDENTIFY ENEMY MARKER:

 DICE FOR EACH AND TURN OVER THOSE FOR WHICH 6 IS ACHIEVED.

HEIGHT: AIRCRAFT CAN OPERATE HIGH OR LOW.

TYPE: AIRCRAFT IS FAST                  ( FOCKE WULF, LAGG 7 ETC.)  

OR       SLOW                    (BIPLANES, STORCH)                       

 IN DEFENCES                                        +2

IN BUILDINGS, TREES                        -2

CAMOUFLAGED                                   -2

RUSSIAN                                                 -1

VEHICLE UNIT                                     +2

SLOW AIRCRAFT                                 +2

LOW AIRCRAFT                                    +2

SCORE 6 TO IDENTIFY A MARKER’S TYPE

 TANK

SP

APC

TRUCK

ARTILLERY

ATGs

INFANTRY

WHETHER IT IS IN OPEN, POSITIONS OR FORTIFICATION

AFTER THIS PROCESS THE PLAYER WILL HAVE A LIST OF ENEMY UNITS LOCATED IN VARIOUS SQUARES WHICH HE CAN THEN PLAN BOMBARDMENTS AGAINST.

PREPARATORY BOMBARDMENTS

IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR IT WAS USUAL TO BLAST THE AREAS OF ATTACK OBJECTIVES WITH A MASSIVE WEIGHT OF ARTILLERY BEFORE COMMENCING THE ATTACK WITH THE HOPE OF DESTROYING THE ENEMY OR AT LEAST WEAKENING THEM BEFORE THE ASSAULT COMMENCED.

 BY THE SECOND WORLD WAR IT WAS MOSTLY REALISED THAT DETRUCTION OF THE ENEMY WAS AN UNREALISTIC AIM AND THE CHAOTIC TERRAIN PRODUCED BY EXCESSIVE BOMBARDMENT HINDERED THE ATTACKERS AS MUCH AS THE DEFENDERS.

 A PREPARATORY BOMBARDMENT WOULD SEEK TO CAUSE DAMAGE TO FIELDWORKS AND VEHICLES AND DEMORALISE THE ENEMY RATHER THAN HOPE TO DESTROY HIM. WHEN THE ASSAULT WENT IN IT WOULD BE CAREFULLY TIMED TO EXPLOIT THE CONFUSION IN THE ENEMY POSITIONS AND BE ACCOMPANIED BY BARRAGES WHICH STOPPED HIM BRINGING UP REINFORCEMENTS.

THE RUSSIANS, HOWEVER, PERSISTED WITH THE CONCEPT OF DESTRUCTION BY WEIGHT OF FIRE AND TO THIS END FIELDED MASSIVE NUMBERS OF GUNS.

THE WERMACHT UTILISED AIRSTRIKES EXTENSIVELY TO ACHIEVE DESTRUCTION OF ENEMY POSITIONS BEFORE ASSAULT.

 PREPARATORY BOMBARDMENT HAS TAKEN PLACE BEFORE OUR GAMES START AND CAN INVOLVE MORE GUNS THAN ARE ACTUALLY AVAILABLE IN THE ASSAULT.

 DEFENDERS WOULD BE ALERTED BY THE COMMENCEMENT OF A HEAVY BOMBARDMENT AND RESPOND WITH COUNTERBATTERY FIRE OR BARRAGES ON POSSIBLE ENEMY FORMING-UP AREAS.

 PROCEDURE FOR PREPARATORY BOMBARDMENT

 DIVIDE THE BOARD UP INTO 500M SQUARES.

 USE A COORDINATE SYSTEM TO IDENTIFY EACH SQUARE UNIQUELY- NUMBERS UP, LETTERS ACROSS.

 BOMBARDMENTTAKES PLACE AFTER SCOUTING.

 PLOT WHICH SQUARES WILL RECEIVE BOMBARDMENT.

 FOR EACH AIRCRAFT SQUADRON PURCHASED 6 SQUARES CAN BE ATTACKED.

 FOR EACH ARTILLERY BATTALION PURCHASED 6  SQUARES CAN BE ATTACKED – IT CAN BE THE SAME SQUARE 6 TIMES.

 PLACE THE ATTACK MARKERS:

 IDENTIFIED TARGETS IN THE SQUARE GET HIT 1/6 X BOMBARDMENT MARKERS USED – SO 6 MARKERS WILL CAUSE A DEFINITE HIT.

 THIS IS FOR EACH ELEMENT.

 FOR UNIDENTIFIED TARGETS THE CHANCE IS 1/12 IF IN OPEN  1/24 IN ANY COVER PER BOMBARDMENT MARKER.