Hip-Firing Brandenburgers - Playing the 1st edition of Panzer Grenadier

Today, I've got a, somewhat, quick AAR on my first game of Panzer Grenadier by Avalanche Press. Almost a decade ago, when I first started out with Advanced Squad Leader and was taken by other tactical-level game systems (like Combat Commander), I paid some close attention to the games produced by Avalanche Press that started with Panzer Grenadier. I recall quite vividly I was taken by both the cover of the Panzer Grenadier Box (pictured left) and the Opel Blitz counters. It probably had something to do with my soft spot for 80s and 90s era games; something about the tactical-level games back then struck a chord with me. Something about the combination of the art and aesthetic that paired well with the system complexity. I don't know, but suffice it to say I had some early titles burned into my memory, and while I went all-in on ASL back in those first years, I still had Panzer Grenadier on my mind.

Fast forward to perhaps three or four years ago, and I threw down some extra cash that I had for a copy of Eastern Front & the Airborne Introductory game to the series. I tried my best to get into the system with the scenarios and components I had on hand, but it was no use. The laminated paper map boards and especially the colors/art on the Eastern Front maps really left me wanting more. For want of something else, I shelved the games, forgetting my initial draw to the system. For whatever reason, two months ago, I was in the middle of something (can't remember what it was now) that recalled my fascination with the Opel Blitz counter art and the initial edition of Panzer Grenadier, so I put down a few dollars on a used copy and lo and behold, I've come back with a completely different take away on how I feel about this system and series of games published by Avalanche Press.

Opening to the very middle of the scenario booklet, I opted to try out scenario 31 (the Brandenburgers) using the 1st edition rules. Now the scenario I chose is arguably the most finicky of the ones in the scenario booklet, and perhaps the least (?) suited to solo play. The feedback on the Panzer Grenadier website would seem to concur. That being said though, it was also rewarding to try out something that could've gone horribly wrong in gameplay terms, especially since it let me shuttle around some Opel Blitzes. 

I've got nothing to say at this time about the later edition of the rules. I can't recall what's different, what's been changed since the original Panzer Grenadier, nor anything about the expansion of the scenarios. I do recall that Eastern Front (which reimplemented the 1st edition of Panzer Grenadier) does include the Romanian OOB into the "base" game, but beyond that, the differences escape me. I'm not here to focus on merits behind the system/its design; I only mention this so that this AAR isn't seen as a definitive review of Panzer Grenadier and the many games that came after it. This is, instead, just a long way of saying that I had a false start with this system, if you will.

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Anyway, onto the AAR. Scenario 31 depicts the actions of the German 8th Panzer Division and a detachment of the Brandenburger commandos with Army Group North during the summer of 1941 advancing into the Baltics. This scenario depicts what is arguably the Brandenburgers most famous action: capture of the Daugava river bridge in Daugavpils (located in present-day Latvia). 

Now, I think as far as literature on the subject goes, the image of Russian-speaking Brandenburgers dressed like Russians and (you guessed it) fighting their Russian enemies is pretty common. This thumbnail of one of the books published by Osprey Publishing gives a pretty good idea of what the attack on the Daugavpils bridge probably looked like and actually, as far as visual representations of the Brandenburgers go, I'd bet that most anyone who is familiar with the Brandenburgers likely has this particular image in their head when it comes to actions like that over the Daugava. (I'll have more to say about the quality of history that generally gets written in the field of military history because as far as opinions go, I have something significant to say on the Osprey Publishing model in particular, but that's for another blog post.) Not to get it twisted though, or even too far off track for that matter, the Brandenburgers dressed up like their Russian enemies to slip through the lines for a surprise attack more than once. And while it happened in the Maikop oilfields in 1942, as pictured conveniently to your right, the Brandenburgers succeeded in the drive on Leningrad securing a bridge in the same manner the year before and its that action that concerns this AAR today.

The scenario starts with the Soviet units deactivated. German actions have to prompt or precede the Soviet player's activation. On the far western edge of the map board, elements of the 8th Panzer Division await entry. The first unit to move is a detachment of Brandenburgers on the opposite end of the board and on the far (Russian) side of the river, led by a Lieutenant, and transported in an Open Blitz counter (woohoo!) that's supposed to represent several captured Russian vehicles. The Germans win if they can secure the bridge over the river. The Russians (of the 188th Rifle Division) can prevent this if 1) after six turns the Germans have not managed to secure and control the bridge or 2) if they can blow it up. The savvy Russian player would do well to place their infantry in such a way to give every opportunity to race to the bridge and then blow it sky high before the 8th Panzer Division can secure it. The Russians are only activated if 1) they catch the Brandenburgers moving through their units on the way to the Bridge from the east side of the map or 2) elements of the 8th Panzer Division begin to move. With the Brandenburgers moving first, the Russians can get the jump on the Germans if they discover the Brandenburgers before they reach the bridge. 

Scenario set up.

Now, according to the scenario details, the Brandenburgers were indeed discovered shortly before they were able to reach the bridge, springing the German trap early. The result was death for most of the Brandenburgers, but a pyrrhic victory nonetheless, with the bridge captured intact when the German panzers arrived. The scenario details themselves paint a picture to suggest that the bridge's capture was a near-run thing, but a cursory google search for this engagement didn't seem to mention the need to spring the trap early for the Brandenburgers or comparable details about the possible knife-edge results of the action. Seems like we'll need more background on this some day (but again, I'm not going to launch into a lengthy tirade on the historical accuracy of scenario design; that I leave to another post). At any rate, according to the scenarios, the Russians seem to get the drop on the Brandenburgers.

In this scenario playthrough, no such fate befell the Brandenburgers. Passing through the town on map board 3 (representing Daugavpils), the Germans went undiscovered by the Russian SMG platoon, HMG section, or the infantry manning the town's outskirts. Setting up on the bridge adjacent to the Russian AT section and the 188th's vanguard across the river, the turn opened with the Germans successfully evading the Russians. They secured the bridge without tripping the alarm. 

The Brandenburgers secure the bridge.

Then I sent in the 8th Panzer Division. Spearheaded by their armored cars and a platoon of panzer IIs, The German armor raced to link up with the Brandenburgers. The first armored cars sustained fire from the AT gun on the far bank of the river in opportunity fire. Driving past their burning hulks, the armored cars moved off the main road to make way for the rest of the column, including the assault elements: a company of infantry supported by Stug IIIb assault guns.

The 8th Panzer Division arrives.

By the end of the first turn, the Russian heavy weapons and AT were activated, firing away at what they could see and aim at from their side of the river. Their infantry raced to encircle the Brandenburgers and detonate the bridge. Initiative activations needed to favor the Russians to succeed in time for turn 2. 

The Russian ordnance -- well emplaced, but bouncing shells don't do much to deter an attacker. (Ignore the fact that this photo is famously not of a 45mm AT gun. It is period-accurate to the time of this scenario, though, so it counts for something).

The initiative rolls did not, however, favor the Russians. The Germans won six action segments before the Russians could make one move. This is about where the Russians lost the scenario. (Cursed be the dice gods; can't the Nazis lose, please?)

Link-up achieved.

The panzer's assault elements took out the Russian vanguard, dug in but not quite to their ultimate benefit, and managed to link up with the Brandenburgers, the latter who began to sustain small arms fire from the Russians. The mortars in the woods overlooking the bridge in particular put the bridge defenders under significant pressure. 

Assaulting infantry make or break the tide of battle in Panzer Grenadier. (This photo is also neither of Brandenburgers nor infantry assaulting the Daugava river, but it too is period accurate to the lime and location).

The Germans and Brandenburgers held the line, though, and as the German armor and support units positioned themselves along the German side of the river, the assault elements pushed across the river and held the line. Dwindling in number by the end of turn 3, the Russians lost all chance of blowing the bridge and with that, the Germans claimed their victory.

A final view of the field: Brandenburgers alive and firing at the hip as they go.

Three short turns and that was scenario 31 in on the books. I made disappointing die rolls all around for the Russians (both on morale and AT opportunity fire rolls). But, that's living in the life of dice for you. 

No panzers floundering in the water this week, but we can only hope that maybe we'll achieve something like that next week. Anyway, I'm off to run some errands now and work on another, lengthier post to go up later this week.

'Til then, game on.

What's that saying about oil and water not mixing well?