Black Sea Black Death
Black Sea Black Death Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Components List
- 3. How to Read the Counters
- 4. Abbreviations
- 5. Sequence of Play
- 6. Weather
- 7. Initiative
- 8. Movement
- 9. Terrain
- 10. Stacking
- 11. Zones of Control (ZOC)
- 12. Visibility, Sight, and Reconnaissance
- 13. Combat
- 14. Morale (士気)
- 15. Supply (補給)
- 16. Air Power (空軍)
- 17. Naval Forces (海軍)
- 18. Construction and Demolition (建設と破壊)
- 19. Unit Division and Reorganisation (ユニットの分割・再編成)
- 20. Reinforcements (増援)
- 21. Command (指揮)
- 22. Fatigue (疲労)
- 23. Special Units (特殊ユニット)
- 24. Scenarios (シナリオ)
- 25. Victory Conditions (勝利条件)
1. Introduction
Black Sea * Black Death is a simulation game for 2 to 4 players covering the Soviet amphibious operations carried out in early February 1943 as part of Operation Gory (mountain warfare) / Morsky (amphibious warfare). The objective of Operation Morsky was to encircle the port city of Novorossisk and open the road to Anapa, cutting the main supply lines of the German 17th Army, which was holding out stubbornly in the Kuban-Taman area.
The game plays the battle over 9.5 days, with a scale of half a mile (800 m) per hex and one day per game turn. Combat took place on the beaches, in the mountains, in the industrial city, and in the air. Most of the units taking part in the battle are at battalion or company size (roughly 100 men per combat strength point). Each naval unit represents one ship or two boats, and each aircraft unit represents 10 aircraft.
The game system introduces concepts that are as detailed as possible and some that are uncommon. Read the rules carefully before starting the game or setting up.
2. Components List
- Counter sheets (600 counters in total)
- Game map
- English rulebook
- Six-sided dice (one red and one white)
- Two player display sheets
- One sheet of charts and tables
Note: the source lists the components as printed. A "naval quarter" marker (one to be made by the player) is referred to in the counter legend in section 3.
3. How to Read the Counters
The counter legend in the source is a graphic layout of counter types. The labels are listed below as printed; the artwork itself is not reproduced.
Unit types and symbols:
- Infantry battalion, with battalion / regiment / division number
- Tank units, with tank type, combat strength, anti-tank combat strength, range and morale
- Company / battalion / brigade (unit size symbols)
- Out of supply marker
- Armor bonus (-1) and armor bonus (-3)
- Morale value
- Supply line cut
- Combat strength
- Range (combat strength only; anti-tank combat strength range = 1)
- Anti-tank combat strength
- Anti-aircraft battery, with anti-aircraft combat strength (heavy/light) and battalion number
- Out of command range
- Ship unit (ship name and type, e.g. Cruiser Voroshilov)
- Artillery battalion, with battalion number / artillery group
- Gun type, combat strength, range, barrage fire strength, point fire strength
- Motorized unit symbol
- Machine gun battalion, with battalion number
- Suppressed (Supp) status
- Disrupted (Dsrpt) status
- Fortification (fortified position), Trench, Foxhole
- Fortification under construction
- Casualty value
- Anti-aircraft combat strength (heavy / light)
- Smoke
- Road march formation
Unit size and grouping marks: the source lists company (中隊), battalion (大隊), regiment (連隊), brigade (旅団), division (師団), and corps (軍団) as the size symbols.
Translator's note (from the source): "Ship unit" (艦船) refers to ships such as cruisers. "Boat unit" (ボート) refers to patrol boats and similar craft. Where the source uses "Ship" or "Boat" together to mean both, it is rendered as naval units (艦艇). "Naval Unit" is the term for all naval counters.
4. Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| coy | Company |
| bn | Battalion |
| rgt | Regiment |
| bde | Brigade |
| div | Division |
| BSFA | Black Sea Fleet Air Arm |
| AT | Antitank |
| AA | Antiaircraft |
| Flak | Antiaircraft |
| Wpn | Weapon |
| MP | Movement Point |
| AP | Ammunition Point |
Ship and boat names used in the game:
- Voroshilov (cruiser)
- Krasny Krym (cruiser)
- Krasny Kavkaz (cruiser)
- Kharkov (destroyer)
- Boiki (destroyer)
- Besposchadny (destroyer)
- Sposobny (destroyer)
- Soobrazitelny (destroyer)
- Nezamozhnik (destroyer)
- Zhelezniakov (destroyer; spelled "Zheleznyakov" elsewhere in the source, which the translator regards as a probable error)
- Krasny Azerbaijan (gunboat)
- Krasny Abkhazia (gunboat)
- Krasny Gruzia (gunboat)
- Skumbria (minesweeper)
- Flemsburg
5. Sequence of Play
Sequence of play outline
I. Determine weather for the AM turn section, artillery ammunition supply, and initiative. (If neither player wishes to attack, skip Section IV, Night.)
II. AM section
- A. Air allocation and interception phase
- B. Artillery point allocation and supply check phase
- C. First impulse
- First movement and designation of strategic movement
- Combat
- a. Offensive barrage fire
- b. Defensive barrage fire
- c. Defensive fire
- d. Offensive fire
- e. Assault
- Initiative determination
- D. Second AM impulse
- Limited movement (if the second player is taking this impulse, that player may designate strategic movement at this time)
- Combat (as above)
- E. Recovery phase (fatigue is checked)
III. PM section
- A. PM weather determination
- B. Air allocation and interception phase
- C. Artillery point allocation and supply check phase
- D. If the first player has taken two AM impulses, the second player may now take the first impulse and designate strategic movement. If each player has taken one AM impulse, the first player and then the second player may each carry out limited impulse movement and combat.
- E. Recovery phase (fatigue is checked)
IV. Night section
- A. Night weather determination
- B. Night initiative determination phase (the Soviet player may declare an amphibious landing; if the German player orders interference, the night assault landing procedure below applies)
- C. Night air allocation phase
- D. Artillery point allocation and supply check phase
- E. First night impulse (carried out by the player who won night initiative)
- Night movement and strategic movement
- Combat (see II.C.2 above)
- F. Second night impulse (carried out by the player who lost night initiative; see E above)
- G. Recovery phase
If the Soviet player declares an intention to make an amphibious landing and the Axis player orders interference, the following procedure applies:
- A. As above
- B. The Soviet player is considered to have won night initiative
- C. Night air allocation phase
- D. Artillery point allocation and supply check phase
- E. Naval availability and commitment
- F. First naval quarter
- First through sixth naval impulses (if Soviet ships are on the map)
- a. Naval movement and landing
- b. Axis anti-ship attack
- c. Soviet counterattack
- Soviet ground movement and combat
- Axis ground movement and combat
- First through sixth naval impulses (if Soviet ships are on the map)
- F. Second through fourth naval quarters (see above)
- G. Recovery phase
V. Mutual fatigue, aircraft repair and early reinforcement section
VI. Game turn record
Description of play
Each game turn of Black Sea * Black Death represents one day. Each turn is divided into three turn sections: AM, PM, and Night. These definitions are not rigidly or precisely prescribed for carrying out actions within a turn section, but they are written to help the players understand. Each turn section consists of one or two impulses, further divided into several phases. During phases, several kinds of action are carried out by both players; during impulses, one player carries out most of the actions.
A turn begins with the Axis player determining the weather. Both players then read the artillery ammunition they receive from their respective game turn record tracks and adjust their recorded ammunition stock accordingly.
Next, initiative is determined. Both players first decide the number of hexes in which they intend to make an assault, add the result of one die rolled by each player, and then apply modifiers from any units newly joining combat, and compare the two totals. The player with the higher total gains the initiative. That player is given the movement points available to units and control of the daytime sequence of play for the turn.
If weather conditions allow, both players place their allocated aircraft units in several air zones on their player display. Air combat is then resolved and its results applied, and aircraft carry out air-to-ground attacks.
The players then use their artillery points, naval gunfire points, or remaining air units to carry out attacks on enemy artillery, armored units, or naval targets. At this time players also check whether their units are out of supply.
The first player carries out the first impulse. The first player moves its own units, up to 12 movement points, as it wishes. It then places the appropriate marker on units to show whether it intends to carry out an Assault during this impulse or strategic movement during this night section. Next, combat is carried out. The attacker first, and then the defender, uses its artillery to attack enemy units or hexes. The defender, and then the attacker, then carries out fire. Finally, all assaults are resolved.
After combat is resolved, the first player must choose either to carry out another limited impulse, or to pass so that the second player carries out one limited impulse. If the first player chooses to carry out a second impulse (a limited impulse), the second player may challenge the first player for initiative. If this is done, both players carry out a new initiative determination procedure, but the first player has the advantage. If the first player wins initiative, the first player carries out its second AM impulse. If the first player loses initiative, it is treated as if it had passed, and the second player carries out one limited impulse (the second AM impulse).
The player who gains the right to carry out the second AM impulse moves its units and carries out combat as in the first impulse. The movement allowance, however, is 8 movement points, not 12. The only difference between the first and second player in carrying out the second impulse is that the second player may designate strategic movement, while the first player may not.
The AM turn section ends with a recovery phase, in which units that became Suppressed or Disrupted as a result of combat may recover.
The PM turn section's sequence of play is determined during initiative determination. If the first player carried out two AM impulses, the second player now carries out the first impulse. During this first impulse, it moves units up to 12 movement points, designates strategic movement, declares the intention to Assault, and carries out combat as the first impulse. If each player carried out one AM impulse, each player now carries out one limited impulse, with the first player going first. After these, the recovery phase is carried out.
The night turn section begins with weather determination and then night initiative determination. If the Soviet player declares that it will attempt to land its units behind the enemy front line, and the Axis player orders interference, both players proceed to the night assault landing procedure. This divides the night into four naval quarters; when Soviet naval units enter the map, a naval quarter is further broken down into naval impulses. Naval units move on the map, are attacked by the defender, and carry out counterattacks. At the end of each naval quarter, ground units move and fight.
If no night assault landing is carried out (as is the case for most nights), the players determine which of them gains night initiative for the first night impulse. In night impulses, both players are given 8 movement points and may carry out combat. In addition, all units designated to carry out strategic movement do so. The recovery phase begins after all four naval quarters have ended, or after both players' night impulses have ended.
Finally, both players adjust their fatigue markers on the Fatigue Track on the map to reflect any units that have been active for 24 hours. If players attempt to repair damaged aircraft units, or to bring reinforcements in early, these are determined. Players advance the Game Turn marker one space on the Turn Record Track to show that the turn has ended.
To make recording play easier, the map includes two record charts. One records the sequence of play followed when the first player passes its second AM impulse, or loses initiative through a challenge; the other records the sequence of play when the first player carries out two AM impulses. Two circular charts are also provided for recording the naval quarter and naval impulse being carried out.
If these charts are used, it is strongly recommended that the markers provided with the game be placed on them to record the current sequence of play.
6. Weather
At the start of the AM, PM, and Night turn sections, the Axis player rolls one die and consults the Weather Table. The result is Clear, Cloudy, Mountain Fog, or Fog. These conditions last until the next weather determination and affect air and naval operations, observation, surprise attacks, movement allowance, zones of control, and combat.
A +1 modifier to the die roll applies to the PM weather determination and to all weather determinations from the AM of 7 February onward. These modifiers are cumulative. (That is, for the PM weather determination from 7 February onward, a +2 modifier applies.)
Fog: All air operations are prohibited. Landing operations are also prohibited. Observation is possible only into adjacent clear hexes. All movement allowances are reduced by 2. All assaults must use the Surprise Attack Table. The only artillery barrage fire that may be carried out is defensive barrage fire against defending units in fortified and trench hexes, and offensive barrage fire against landmark terrain hexes (villages, elevated terrain, individual city or industrial hexes, mountains, or other hexes registered as targets by a player and agreed by the opposing player; these hexes, as examples, are the targets of repeated artillery fire).
Mountain Fog: The effect is the same as Fog, except that it applies only to hexes containing terrain 200 metres or higher. All air operations are prohibited. However, if both players wish, each player may carry out ground support with one air unit against hexes at 100 metres or lower elevation only. The air unit must then be attacked on the 1 column of the Combat Results Table. If a HIT is obtained against that air unit, it immediately crashes (that is, it hits the mountains).
Cloudy: Each player secretly rolls one die. That number of air units is prevented from reaching their destinations. In addition, while the weather is Cloudy, in hexes where Mountain Fog is present, the observation range is limited when a player attempts to observe a target through the fog. See the Observation Range Table.
Clear: The source contains no rule for this result. The translator has left a query in the text ("anything?"), so no effect is stated here.
7. Initiative
Movement systems in wargames take several forms. A unit's movement allowance may be determined by its speed, or every unit may be given the same number of movement points while the rate at which points are spent differs by the terrain type crossed. Likewise, movement may be plotted and executed simultaneously, or the players may alternate, with the first player moving first and the other player moving afterwards.
In almost all cases, however, both sides have the same movement capability available. When investigating several battles, the designer was shocked to find that one important factor had been left out of this investigation: in battle, the attacker has the advantage in terms of time. The defender, trying to hold ground, usually cannot know where and when the main attack will come. When an attack is launched, hours or days are needed before its scale becomes clear. Telephone lines are cut, headquarters and observation posts are caught under fire, false attacks and wrong information are scattered about, and in the whirl of confusion the situation cannot be grasped. The defender must understand what is happening before it can confidently commit reserves. The time used to grasp the situation cannot be recovered. While the defender hesitates, the attacker already has a clearer idea of where to go and what to do, and presses its attack. Certainly the attacker is also confused to a similar degree, but the attacker holds the initiative and, in a limited way, has the advantage in its use of time. Of course the problem is more complex than this, but this is what the game is meant to represent.
In the initiative determination section, both players write down, secretly, the number of hexes in which they intend to carry out an assault (or indicate it with a number of assault markers). The player that gains initiative must carry out assaults in the same number of hexes it recorded. Next, both players reveal the number of hexes in which they intend to assault, and then each player rolls one die and adds the result to the number of hexes it has decided on. If either player carries out assaults during this impulse but has brigades, regiments, or divisions (or battle groups) that have not yet been engaged in assault combat, either as attacker or defender, that player may add 1 to its total for each such brigade or regiment (or battle group), or 2 for each division.
The player with the higher total is the first player (先攻プレイヤー). The opponent becomes the second player (後攻プレイヤー). If the two totals are equal, each player rolls again, and this is repeated until one total is higher.
Initiative is determined before the AM section and at the start of the night section. It must also be determined if the second player challenges the first player for initiative during the first impulse's initiative determination. In the first two cases, for the respective daylight or night section, the player with the higher total gains initiative. In the case of an initiative challenge, the result decides which player carries out the second AM impulse. During an initiative challenge, the first player may add 1 to its die roll.
If a player wins initiative, it must attack the number of hexes it declared. A player is not forced to take casualties in order to attack any particular number of hexes during its own impulse.
If both players decide not to make any attacks at all during the AM initiative determination, the turn is called a Lull Turn (凪ぎターン), and the following procedure applies. All actions both players take during the daylight part of that turn consist of placing Strategic Movement markers, weather determination (the AM weather is also used for the PM, to simplify the game), then one air allocation and interception phase, one artillery point allocation and supply check phase, and one recovery phase. This completes all daylight actions for the turn, and play immediately moves to the night section, which is then played normally. To determine which player goes first in the air allocation and interception phase and in the artillery point allocation and supply check phase, each player rolls one die to determine which player holds initiative.
Of course, all of the above is written as game rules. Reality is more complex. For example, one side may have won the initiative in the mountains while still trying to win it on the coast. The designer does not wish to codify rules covering the passage of units through time warps from sector to sector. However, if you are playing a worthy opponent you may want to tinker with these rules. If you wish, you may vary the movement point advantage of the first player more. The keys are the difference between the two players' initiative totals, unit fatigue levels, the effect of air superiority, the potential suppressive power of artillery on main lines of movement, and modifications for differences in the mobility of the two armies or the effectiveness of their communications, command structure, and so on. However, I believe the basic principle of the rules is to increase playability, and I want to give some direction worth exploring.
8. Movement
During the movement part of a friendly impulse, the player may move all or some of its units, as the player wishes, up to the limit of each unit's movement allowance. A player may also choose not to move a unit at all.
When moving ground units from hex to hex, movement points are spent each time the unit enters a hex, each time it crosses a hexside of a given terrain type, and each time it carries out a given action (carrying out an assault, deploying, or setting up fortified positions) in order to leave a hex.
The number of MP given to a unit depends on which impulse is current. The rate at which a unit spends MP depends on the terrain type it passes through and on the unit's movement category. For movement purposes, units are classified into six categories: Leg (徒歩), Horse (馬匹牽引), Cavalry (騎兵), Track (無限軌道), Wheel (車輪), and Immobile (固定施設). See the Terrain Effects Chart and the Unit Identification Table for more detail. Naval units and aircraft units move under their own special rules.
Units cannot carry MP over from one impulse to another, and MP cannot be transferred from one unit to another. Units, or stacks of units, move one unit or one stack at a time. Once a unit has been moved and the player's hand has left it, that unit's movement is over.
In the first impulse, player units are given 12 MP. In the night impulse and in limited impulses, movement allowance is 8 MP. Units designated for strategic movement in a turn's first impulse are given 28 MP, and may spend it during a friendly night impulse.
Strategic Movement
During the player's first impulse of the turn, the player may designate some of its units that are not adjacent to any enemy unit for strategic movement, by placing a Strategic Movement marker on each. For these units to execute strategic movement, they must remain stationary throughout the daylight period of that turn. Such units may use strategic movement during a friendly night impulse. After execution, the marker is removed.
A unit that has been designated for strategic movement may, during any friendly impulse, voluntarily remove its marker, after which the unit may move normally.
If a unit carrying a Strategic Movement marker is attacked, the defender suffers a +2 shift on the Combat Results Table.
If a unit carrying a Strategic Movement marker is subjected to direct barrage fire, fire, or assault (see the combat rules), the marker is removed after that combat is resolved. If the unit is subjected to a lone indirect bombardment by enemy aircraft or artillery units, the Strategic Movement marker is removed only if the defending unit suffers a Suppressed or Disrupted result as a result of that attack.
A unit executing strategic movement is considered to be in March Column (see Movement Formations below), and may use 28 MP. Such units may not enter enemy zones of control, and may not carry out assaults.
Movement and Assault
During the combat part of a friendly impulse, units or stacks planned to assault must have an Assault marker placed on them during the movement part of that impulse. The cost of placing an Assault marker is 1 MP. (Exception: see night assault landing.) If, at the end of their movement, a unit does not have the MP to place its Assault marker, it cannot assault. For a stack assaulting the same hex, a single Assault marker may represent the stack, but each unit in the stack must have enough MP to place it. Assault markers must be placed to clearly indicate a specific hex, and the unit must assault the hex indicated by its marker. If defensive barrage fire or defensive fire is directed against a unit that is assaulting, and the unit fails its morale check, its Assault marker is removed and the unit cannot take part in the assault.
Movement in Naval Quarters
Ground units may use up to 2 MP at the end of each naval quarter. Units designated for strategic movement execute that movement at the end of the fourth naval quarter.
Movement Formations
Units using strategic movement are considered to be in March Column. Such units may use roads, trails, railways and bridges while moving. Other units may use these terrain types by adopting Road Column. Adopting Road Column requires no MP cost. However, if a unit moves in Road Column, at the end of its movement it must either place a Road Column marker to show that it has maintained the formation, or pay the off-road MP cost to enter a hex, to show that it has moved off-road and is deployed. Thus a Wheel or Track unit need pay only ½ MP to remain deployed on flat terrain leaving the road and surrounding it, but the same action in a forest hex costs 6 MP.
A unit may change during movement from Road Column to deployed formation and back again. Each time such a unit leaves the road and so on to deploy, it must pay the same cost as entering the hex it occupies. If a unit in Road Column is attacked, it suffers a +2 shift on the Combat Results Table. If that attack is an assault, its morale level is reduced by one level. Units in Road Column may not enter enemy zones of control.
Lifting of Movement Restrictions
Throughout the game, Axis units on the map may not move until the Soviet player attacks any unit that is part of that unit's parent formation (division battle group or independent regiment), or lands a unit with combat strength higher than 2 behind the Axis front, or occupies any objective hex from which the Soviet player can earn victory points.
Reduction of Movement Allowance and Movement Restrictions
A unit that is Suppressed, or that moves through fog, has its total MP allowance reduced by 2 MP. A Disrupted unit, a non-commanded unit, and MKII* and Val* units have their total MP allowance halved. If a unit has had 2 MP removed from its total MP allowance, then when it moves during a naval quarter it loses 1 MP in each even-numbered naval quarter. The following Soviet artillery units may not move southwest of the main ridge line facing Tsemess Bay (the line connecting heights 531-545-582-695), except on roads (trails excluded): 796/318, 547, and ?/3rd Corps.
*"MKII" = Matilda tank; "Val" = Valentine tank.
Units may not enter a hex containing enemy units (exception: see the Brandenburgers special unit).
An artillery unit that moves during an impulse must be rotated 180 degrees (not flipped) to show that it has moved. Such a unit may not take part in combat during that impulse.
Whatever restrictions apply, and whatever the terrain cost, a unit can always move one hex, except across hexsides it cannot cross and into hexes it cannot enter. Needless to say, this rule does not apply to Immobile units, because such units can never move in any direction.
Optional Rule: Roads
(The source heads the following paragraph "Optional Rule".)
In wargames the whole game map is easy to survey, and it is tempting to think: "Look, there are no enemies on the road at all; a few trucks and a few mechanized units can drive 30 miles and easily take a town with no enemy in it." When such things happen in real war, troops move more cautiously than usual, carefully investigating the areas around such roads and trails. Therefore, roads, trails and railways may be used only if they lie behind your own front line.
Off-Map Movement
A dirt road (Dirt Road) runs from Verkhnebakansky off the map to the northeast. This road connects with a road that runs off the map from Neberjayevskaya. If the German player controls the end points of both roads on the map, the player may have a unit leave the map at the end point of one road, and bring it back onto the map at the end point of the other road, provided it pays the MP needed to travel the 32 hexes of dirt road. For example, an infantry unit using strategic movement may leave the map at Neberjayevskaya and, by spending 16 MP, re-enter the map from the road six hexes east of Verkhnebakansky. That unit still has 12 MP left and may continue moving.
If there is no other route available, a unit may retreat off the map. During the next game turn after such a unit is forced to leave the map, it returns to the map from the nearest road, trail, or railway to the last hex it occupied on the map, or otherwise it is permanently removed from the map.
9. Terrain
People's War Games wishes to supply players with a game map that is closer to a real map than a game board, and I believe most players want this. We have taken great care to ensure that natural terrain and constructions match the hex pattern. If a player finds terrain whose affiliation is unclear, make the judgment by following the lines of the ground terrain rather than the hex pattern. If you dislike this task and cannot agree to this procedure, decide it by rolling a die.
Clear Terrain (平地) includes farmland, as well as scattered woodlots and orchards, sand dunes, and the coast.
Woods (森林) are described in a German army account of Russian-front terrain features as follows: "... Woods cover the foothills of the Caucasus, especially near the coast, where the scrub grows two or three times a man's height and blocks the view." When woods are fired upon (not barraged), the attack receives a -1 shift on the Combat Results Table (CRT). Woods are considered to block line of sight.
Villages (村落): in the Novorossisk area, villages are a mix of buildings and woods, and most houses are of stone. Individual houses are separated from one another by the vegetable gardens cultivated around them. When a village hex is fired upon or barraged, a -1 shift applies on the CRT. When an assault is made against a village hex, the defender receives a +1 addition to its average morale. Villages are considered to block line of sight.
Cities (都市): in Novorossisk and Mefodyevka, most buildings are reinforced concrete, brick, and stone. The Mud Baths, the Fish Cannery and the Old Fort (built by the Tatars) are all solid buildings and are classified as city hexes. When a city hex is fired upon or barraged, a -2 shift applies on the CRT. City hexes are considered to block line of sight, and zones of control do not extend into city hexes. A unit defending against an assault in a city hex receives a +2 addition to its average morale.
Industrial (工業地帯) hexes consist of two cement factories, grain elevators, and the port facilities at Mefodyevka. From 11 September 1942 to 6 September 1943 (dates as printed in the source) the front line was locked in stalemate between the Proletary cement factory and the Oktyabr cement factory, and there was a reason for this: one third of all the cement produced in the First and Second Five-Year Plans was made in Novorossisk. (Source aside, in the designer's humorous voice: a five-month stay with all the cement you want and a large quantity of high-performance explosives arriving to motivate you would surprise you with how comfortable it is.) When an industrial hex is fired upon or barraged, a -3 shift applies on the CRT. A unit defending against an assault in an industrial hex receives a +3 addition to its average morale. Industrial hexes are considered to block line of sight, and zones of control do not extend into industrial hexes. Each cement factory has a Fortified marker placed on it. (This gives a total of -6 shifts on the CRT!)
Streams (小河川): in the mountains, streams are narrow and not very deep, but their flow is therefore fast. Despite rain in the second half of January, these small streams were not a serious obstacle to movement. If, when assaulting a hex, all attacking units cross a stream hex in order to do so, the defender receives a +1 addition to its average morale.
Vineyards (ブドウ畑) are scattered across the mountain slopes around Lake Abrau. They are small obstacles that make movement difficult. In winter they do not block line of sight, and they provide no cover.
Slopes (斜面): on the map, elevation differences of each 100 metres are shown by changing the terrain colour. A hex containing an elevation difference of 100 metres or more is a slope hex. (If no terrain symbol other than the elevation colour appears in the hex, the hex is considered a clear terrain hex.) Movement point costs are calculated according to the number of contour lines in the hex. A defending unit is always considered to occupy the highest terrain in its hex. A unit moving along a road, trail or railway is considered to be at the elevation the road or track runs through.
Upslope (上り坂) is the condition that applies when a unit moves, fires or assaults toward a hex higher than the hex it occupies. Upslope movement cost is not added to the cost of a slope hex. If a unit moves through hexes at the same or lower elevation than the hex it currently occupies, the slope cost applies; if it moves through hexes higher than the hex it currently occupies, the upslope cost applies. The total upslope cost is determined by the number of elevation-difference lines crossed by the hex. Generally, which of two hexes is higher is clear to players from the map, without the rules needing to spell out the elevation relationships at length. See the elevation examples below. When a unit fires downhill, a +1 shift applies on the CRT for every 100 metres of elevation difference between the firing hex and the target hex. Similarly, when a unit fires uphill, a -1 shift applies on the CRT for every 100 metres of elevation difference between the firing hex and the target hex. If a unit assaults while running downhill, the attacker receives a +1 addition to its average morale for every 100 metres of elevation difference between the two units. If a unit positioned downhill is assaulted by an enemy unit running uphill, the defender receives a +1 addition to its average morale for every 100 metres of elevation difference between the two units. If a unit in a hex is assaulted by units at different elevations, the modifier of the unit at the highest elevation is used. If a unit in a hex is assaulted both by an enemy unit above it running downhill and by an enemy unit below it running uphill, both modifiers apply, and they may cancel each other out.
Paved Roads (舗装道路): most are simply gravel-surfaced, and some are asphalted, with few shell craters or bomb craters. Motorized units can travel more than 40 miles per hour on them, and tracked vehicles can probably travel 25 miles per hour. The longest paved road in this area is about 25 miles, but it is inconvenient to cross because it runs through the front line. In the game, travelling a short stretch takes little time, and tracked or motorized units need little movement point cost to travel it.
Dirt Roads (未舗装道路) can be used in fair weather, but if they turn to mud, moving on them takes a great deal of time.
Trails (小道): the source quotes: "The characteristic of this area (the highlands at the foot of the Caucasus) is that rivers flow in deep gorges, and because of this erosive activity the ground surface is unobstructed. Inevitably, when the weather is rainy, some roads become slippery with their clay surface; walking is possible, but the mud is hopeless and you feel as though you are walking along a riverbed." (Terrain Factors, op. cit.) (Source aside: aren't you grateful the game ends before the spring mud season?)
Railroad (鉄道線路): the railway line connecting Verkhnebakansky and Novorossisk is usable. (In the winter of 1942 the Germans carried a railway gun to Stanichka, but Soviet coastal batteries destroyed it before it could fire.) However, neither side may move by rail. Instead, units may walk or drive along the railway line. When a unit in Road Column on a railway line, trail, dirt road or paved road is fired upon or barraged, it suffers a +2 shift on the Combat Results Table, and when an assault is carried out against a hex occupied by such a unit, the assaulting unit's average morale is increased by +2. These modifiers apply only to Track, Wheel, or Horse-drawn units in Road Column.
Rail road Embankment (鉄道用築堤) is 30 to 40 feet high. Tracked vehicles cannot cross it. Horse-drawn units cannot pull units across it, although tanks can. A unit directly adjacent to a rail road embankment hexside that is fired upon or barraged, through that hexside, suffers a -1 shift on the CRT. When all units assaulting a hex do so through the rail road embankment hexside, the defender's average morale increases by +1. Rail road embankment hexsides block line of sight.
Cliffs (絶壁) are up to 100 feet high and are treated in the game only as slopes. A unit adjacent to the top side of a cliff hexside that fires through that hexside receives a +3 shift on the CRT. Conversely, an adjacent unit on the bottom side of a cliff hexside that fires uphill through that hexside receives a -3 shift on the CRT.
Rail road Tunnels (鉄道用トンネル) are two in number on the map. A unit occupying a hex containing a tunnel may declare that it is inside the tunnel. Up to 10 combat strength points may be placed in each tunnel. A unit in a tunnel is treated as though it occupies a separate hex: other friendly or enemy units may occupy the hex outside the tunnel. A unit in a tunnel has no zone of control, and can be attacked only by enemy units in the same hex. Artillery and aircraft units may not attack a unit in a tunnel. However, aimed fire against a unit in a tunnel receives a +2 shift. A unit may enter and leave the tunnel only from one of its two ends.
Map 1 (Elevation Examples). The source's caption text for the elevation example figure is partly garbled. The legible portion reads: the hexside marked downhill shows that a fire carried out through these hexsides, even from the same elevation, requires that an assault through them be made running uphill in either direction.
Caution: a unit intending to assault that is fired upon or barraged receives no benefit from woods, villages, cities, industrial hexes, or rail road embankments.
10. Stacking
A player may stack several units in one hex. Unlimited aircraft units, one ship and one boat unit (or two boat units), and ground units up to 15 combat strength points may stack in one hex. Attacks are normally made against each unit in a hex, so the more forces concentrated in one hex, the better a target they become. Up to 10 combat strength points (excluding a small number of units with more than 10 combat strength points) may be used to attack from one hex during any combat phase.
To determine the movement cost of a stack, use the movement type of the unit in the moving stack that has the highest MP cost.
Normally, units may move freely through each other regardless of stacking limits. However, units in Road Column may not move through other friendly units that are using the same road, or other friendly units in Road Column on the same road. When forced to retreat into a hex occupied by friendly units, and that would exceed the stacking limit, the unit must continue retreating until it reaches a hex that satisfies the stacking limit. If that is impossible, overstacking may occur, and must be corrected as soon as possible.
Players may never examine the contents of an enemy stack.
11. Zones of Control (ZOC)
A ground unit able to fire at an adjacent hex may extend its zone of control (ZOC) into that hex. Units may enter enemy ZOC freely. However, if a unit attempts to leave a hex that is in enemy ZOC, it causes ZOC fire from the enemy unit extending that ZOC, and similarly from any other enemy units able to fire at that hex. ZOC fire does not impair a unit's defensive fire ability in the same impulse. All units carrying out ZOC fire add their fire strengths together and carry out one attack against the unit trying to leave. If that fire Disrupts or Suppresses the unit trying to leave, the unit may not leave the ZOC hex and may not move further during that impulse. If the unit is neither Disrupted nor Suppressed, it may continue moving, including entering other enemy ZOC and leaving them; if it does the latter, it again suffers ZOC fire. ZOC fire is carried out while the unit is in the hex it is trying to leave.
A unit attempting to leave an enemy ZOC receives a +2 column shift on the CRT. However, if the moving unit spends a number of MP equal to twice the enemy fire strength (counted in combat strength points) used against it, this modifier may be cancelled. If it spends MP equal to the fire strength, the modifier is reduced to +1. If it spends MP equal to twice the fire strength, no modifier applies.
Procedure: the owning player declares that the unit is attempting to leave and declares how many MP it is spending to leave the enemy ZOC. The opposing player declares the fire strength it will use against the leaving unit and resolves the fire. If the number of MP spent to leave is less than that (unmodified) fire strength, the +2 column shift applies together with the other modifiers.
A unit that began its movement within enemy ZOC benefits, when leaving that ZOC hex, from a -1 modifier instead of +2, unless it is moving directly from a hex in one ZOC of an enemy unit to a hex in another ZOC of the same enemy unit.
Wheel, Horse-drawn, and mounted Cavalry units may not enter enemy ZOC. Even when attempting to leave from there, regardless of the MP spent, the +2 modifier cannot be cancelled for these units.
Armored fighting vehicles (AFV or (V)-type units), including tanks, assault guns, tank destroyers, armored cars, mechanized infantry riding in vehicles, and German self-propelled gun units, do not receive the +2 modifier, so they need not pay MP to avoid it. However, whenever an AFV unit attempts to leave an enemy ZOC, the enemy units exerting the ZOC over that hex, and any other enemy units able to fire at that hex, may fire at the AFV unit (ZOC fire) using their antitank combat strength. Units whose antitank combat strength has no printed range are considered to have a range of 1 for antitank combat strength only when they assault or are assaulted; such units therefore cannot carry out ZOC fire against an AFV leaving the hex.
Units carrying out ZOC fire may use only their combat strength or antitank combat strength; barrage fire strength may not be used. Aircraft units and naval units cannot take part in ZOC fire. A unit carrying out ZOC fire may do so against each enemy unit (including naval units) attempting to leave any hex within its zone of control. A unit is considered to extend its zone of control into all six hexes around it.
Design example from the source: suppose a unit occupies the Mud Baths, and an enemy unit goes all the way around the Mud Baths and returns to the hex it started from. (There is no reason for such a move except to illustrate this rule.) The Mud Baths garrison may carry out six ZOC fires against the enemy unit, and that unit may still carry out defensive fire.
A zone of control may not be extended into fortified (Fortified), entrenched (Entrenched), tunnel (Tunnel), industrial (Industrial) or city (City) hexes. Nor may it be extended across a lake or an up-slope cliff (Up Cliff). However, a zone of control may be extended across a down-slope cliff (Down Cliff). A zone of control may also extend into partial and full sea hexes, and naval units, like AFV units, are subject to fire when attempting to leave a zone of control.
A unit that makes a post-combat advance or retreat is also subject to ZOC fire, but in this case the +2 modifier does not apply, and a unit is not subject to ZOC fire in the first hex it advances into after combat, or in the hex the defender vacated by retreating (that is, the hex it originally occupied).
A unit may not fire at a hex it cannot itself see, or, in the case of medium mortars or infantry support weapons, at a hex that cannot be seen by another friendly unit. During Night Fog, zones of control may not extend into adjacent covered hexes. (Translator's query in the source: the source asks whether "Night Fog" should reasonably be taken to mean night with fog.)
12. Visibility, Sight, and Reconnaissance
The source opens this section with a passage of background flavour (Novorossisk's clear air and the cement works not operating in wartime, a field telescope on the Tsemesskaya Bay mountains, and German observation battalions and fire-control teams). Only the rules content is transcribed here.
Units have the ability to see hexes at long range. The distance at which a unit can see depends on the elevation the observing unit occupies, the terrain between the observing unit and the target, the terrain in the target hex, the type of target unit, and the weather. See the Observation Range Table.
If the observing unit and the target occupy the same elevation, the line of sight (drawn from the centre of one hex to the centre of the other) is blocked by any woods (Woods), village (Village), city (City), industrial hex (Industrial), or embankment (Embankment) lying at the same elevation between the two units. Otherwise, the line of sight is clear.
If the two units occupy different elevations, one unit occupies a higher elevation than the other. The line of sight between the two units may pass through hexes whose elevation is higher than that of the lower unit. For the line of sight to pass over terrain that could block it, the end of the line of sight at the higher elevation must be at least about 200 m higher than that obstacle. If the distance from the lower-elevation end of the line of sight to the obstacle is shorter than the distance from the higher-elevation end to the obstacle, the line of sight is blocked. The lower unit is then hidden behind the obstacle. Hence the question "which is closer to the obstacle?" has meaning.
Most of the elevated terrain on the map forms ridges, which are roughly oval in shape. These ridges in fact form fairly sharp crests. Terrain data sufficient to define exactly all of these ridges is not available, so the map shows marks that allow players easily to tell which hex edge is an up-slope and which is a down-slope. To indicate all of these exactly, one would either have to distort the terrain to fit the hex grid (which looks bad and has no accuracy at all), or distort the hexes to fit the terrain (which would anger some people, especially in the production department of People's War Games). Consider the ridge slope to run through the centre of its long axis. When in doubt, always assume the line of sight is blocked. Contour lines are not steps, but they accurately indicate the gradient of the slope: it is neither gentle nor especially steep.
Concealment (隠蔽). A unit occupying a woods, village, city, industrial, fortified, trench, Foxhole, or tunnel hex may be seen only from an adjacent hex. Units may see freely out of these hexes. An artillery unit in such terrain is considered concealed unless it fires. If such an artillery unit fires, it may be seen by a unit that can draw a line of sight to those hexes.
13. Combat
Combat in Black Sea * Black Death takes many forms: air-to-air combat, air-to-ground attack, naval gunfire, counter-battery fire, anti-ship fire, anti-aircraft fire, antitank fire, artillery fire, small-arms fire by infantry, assaults, and so on. For all combat other than assaults, the attacking unit's combat strength is calculated, the corresponding column is found in one of three tables, and the corresponding column shift is applied to the left or right on the table according to terrain effects, the size and type of target, and various other factors. Two dice are rolled and the result is read where the die total meets the corresponding column on the table. Results include a miss, a morale check, and/or a loss of combat strength points.
The procedure used for assaults differs in part and is described later in these combat rules. Air-to-air combat is described under the rules for aircraft units.
Apart from assaults, anti-aircraft fire and air-to-air combat, all other combat is divided into bombardment or fire.
Bombardment
Bombardment refers to attacks on ground units and naval units by artillery units (including light guns, medium guns, heavy guns, howitzers, as well as rocket artillery, heavy mortars, coastal guns, aircraft, and ship units; it does not include medium mortars, infantry howitzers, support small arms, antitank weapons, antiaircraft weapons, HAKO, tanks, or boat units). There are two types of bombardment: barrage (Barrage) and point (Point). Each artillery, ship and aircraft unit has both a barrage strength (Barrage Strength) and a point strength (Point Strength). Barrage strength is used for area fire against dispersed targets and lightly armoured targets; point strength represents precision fire against artillery units, armoured units and naval units. A unit may not carry out bombardment against more than one hex or more than one target per impulse (exception: amphibious landing, naval rules). Nor may a unit's combat strength be divided to attack separate targets occupying separate hexes.
Point Bombardment (ポイント砲撃): During the artillery point allocation and supply check phase of the AM, PM and night turn sections, the players (starting with the first player) alternately attack individual point bombardment targets. First, both players designate all artillery units that will carry out bombardment attacks during this turn section. A player need only designate those artillery units that are likely to be observed. Artillery units not used show this by rotating their counter 180 degrees (not flipping it).
After these have been designated, the first player may select one enemy unit as a point bombardment target and attack that enemy unit using the point strength of its artillery units, aircraft or ship units. The bombardment is resolved and its effects applied. The second player then selects one enemy unit in the same way as the first player and carries out its attack. The players alternate bombardment until both players no longer wish to attack or no such targets remain. All artillery units that took part in bombardment during this phase may not bombard again during that turn section.
A non-point target, such as an infantry or cavalry unit in a hex attacked by point bombardment, suffers an attack by the artillery, naval or aircraft unit carrying out that attack at half its barrage strength, only when the point bombardment at its intended target has missed. An example of when this kind of attack is convenient is when barrage fire is required on the front line but ammunition supply is limited; it allows excessive use of point bombardment to be avoided during the artillery point allocation and supply check section. If a point bombardment target is a point-type target, it may also carry out point bombardment during offensive barrage and defensive barrage. Therefore, during one turn section, a single target may suffer several attacks: by point bombardment in the point bombardment phase, then again during offensive barrage, and when possible during defensive barrage.
Barrage
Barrage attacks are carried out during offensive barrage and defensive barrage. (Air-to-ground attacks are covered in the aircraft rules.) Offensive barrage fire is carried out by the player executing the impulse, and consists of attacks by artillery, naval and aircraft units against hexes containing enemy units that cannot be point bombardment targets. The barrage strengths of all units attacking a hex are added together (aircraft barrage strength may not be combined with that of non-aircraft units), and this total is used for individual attacks on each non-point target in that hex. All point-target units in an attacked hex suffer point bombardment using half of the total point strength of the artillery units attacking that hex. The column actually used on the CRT to resolve combat against different units in the hex varies from unit to unit according to various modifiers for unit size and type.
Range (射程): When calculating the distance from a naval or artillery unit that is carrying out an attack to its target, count the number of hexes between the firing unit and the target hex (the target hex is counted, but the firing unit's own hex is not). Artillery and naval units may not attack hexes beyond their range.
Observed, Unobserved Bombardment, and Direct Bombardment: To bombard a unit occupying a non-adjacent hex, the attacking unit must either be able to see the target hex itself (direct bombardment), or a friendly unit must be observing the target and have requested the bombardment. Otherwise it must use unobserved bombardment (Unobserved Bombardment).
Direct Bombardment (直接砲撃): When an artillery or naval unit can see its attack target directly, direct bombardment occurs. This type of bombardment enjoys the benefit of a +2 shift on the CRT. Direct bombardment may be carried out against a hex the attacking unit can draw a line of sight to. However, if the target cannot be seen because it is covered by terrain in its hex, only barrage attacks may be carried out. In direct bombardment, point bombardment attacks may be carried out only when the target unit itself is seen by the attacker.
If both direct and indirect bombardment are carried out in one attack, first total the barrage strengths of all units carrying out direct bombardment; find the corresponding column on the CRT that equals or is below that total; apply a shift of two columns to the right; and add the total of indirect barrage attacking the hex to the value in that column, to find the correct column to use for the attack. Example from the source: Naval 1167 Artillery Regiment is attacking a hex with direct barrage fire, and the 120 mm mortar battalion of the 51st Brigade is also attacking the same hex. Naval 1167 Artillery Regiment has a barrage strength of 6, and the nearest value on the CRT column is 5. Applying the two-column shift, the value becomes 12. The mortar battalion's barrage strength is 8. A total of 20 (12 + 8 = 20) barrage strength, which on the CRT is 18, offers a good chance of inflicting some casualties on the enemy unless the defensive modifiers are very large.
Heavy mortar and rocket (Heavy Mortar and Rocket) units gain no benefit from direct bombardment.
Observed Bombardment (視認砲撃): In general, the front line on the eastern side of Tsemess Bay was stable for five months, and there was enough time to build observation posts, lay long telephone networks, and set gun-laying points for all locations. Behind the friendly front, and at forward observation points, observers had established the best observation positions, and there was time to organise the fire-control organisation for all artillery units. A player may request bombardment from all available artillery units against any target visible from its friendly front line. However, the following restrictions apply:
- Platov and Rumanian units may not request bombardment from German artillery.
- Units of the Von Hake and Busche battle groups may request bombardment only from artillery units of their own parent formation until the AM of 5 February.
- Units belonging to the 125th Infantry Division may request bombardment only from artillery units of their own parent formation until the AM of 10 February.
- ARKO (Artillery Group) 149 may freely provide support against any German unit that has remained on the map for at least one game turn.
- Units belonging to the Soviet 318th Rifle Division and the 3rd Corps may request bombardment from artillery units belonging to each other's formations.
- Heavy mortar, rocket, and 76 mm field gun units belonging to the 8th Guards, 51st, 60th and 107th Rifle Brigades and the 897th Mountain Regiment may give support only to units of their own formation, by indirect bombardment.
- Soviet units that landed by amphibious operation may carry out target observation for indirect bombardment only while the headquarters unit to which they belong is ashore. (Exception: the 1st Company of the 323rd Battalion may carry out target observation for indirect bombardment by naval units or by artillery units deployed on the eastern shore of Tsemess Bay. Artillery units that have landed successfully may likewise accept bombardment requests from any unit that has landed successfully.)
- Partisan units and airborne units may not request any kind of artillery attack.
- Units that are Out of Command or Disrupted may not observe targets for friendly artillery.
- During fog, units occupying fortified positions or trenches may observe targets for defensive barrage; this is the only type of observed bombardment that may be carried out during fog.
Unobserved Bombardment (非視認砲撃): A unit may carry out unobserved bombardment only when the following conditions are met. Naval units may bombard areas where coastal defence positions are thought to exist (see the concealed deployment rules). Bombers attacking at night may attack unidentified targets, and during the artillery point allocation and supply check phase or during offensive barrage may bombard prominent terrain that cannot be seen because of intervening terrain or fog. Prominent terrain consists of villages, cities, industrial hexes, roads (paved and unpaved), railways, and numbered or named heights and mountains (numbered hexes only). Although friendly units cannot see the target, the player knows precisely where the target is, so fire may not be random. However, placing units in concealment in a village near the front line does not give the player grounds to expect that they will be safe from enemy fire. If a player bombards a hex it clearly believes to be unoccupied, while expecting that an enemy unit is concealed there, the player places a casualty marker or a Suppressed/Disrupted marker in that hex from the CRT, whether or not a concealed unit is actually occupying it; otherwise it would learn whether anything was in the hex it fired upon. When an enemy unit moves into an adjacent hex and it is confirmed that nothing is there, the marker is removed. If a concealed unit is present in that hex, when it is confirmed or when it reveals itself, it forms a stack with the corresponding marker. Unobserved attacks always receive a -2 shift on the CRT.
Friendly Fire (誤射) (bombardment): When a player carries out a bombardment attack and rolls a double 2, the bombardment completely misses its target. But where did the shells land? Roll one die: if the result is 1, the impact point of the attack moves one hex to the north-east; 2, one hex to the east; 3, one hex to the south-east; and so on. If any unit is in the new impact hex, the attack is resolved against it, whether that unit is enemy or friendly. When fog is in effect, bombardment causes scatter on a roll of 2 or 3. This applies only to bombardment attacks.
Horizontal Fire (水平射撃) (optional rule, recommended for use): All artillery units with a "g" printed after their weapon type on the counter, all coastal artillery units, and all naval units except the minesweeper Skumbria, which carries rockets, are equipped with low-trajectory weapons. These units may not attack a hex if there is terrain between the firing unit and the target whose elevation is higher than the elevation of the firing unit's terrain, or if the obstacle is closer to the target than to the firing unit, or if the target hex is adjacent to a cliff or steep slope (containing two or more contour lines) and the attacker can draw a line of sight from the higher elevation through that cliff or slope to the target. Soviet mixed artillery regiments marked "Mx" after their weapon type, which are equipped with a mix of cannon and howitzers, halve their barrage strength when attacking such hexes. Howitzer, heavy mortar and rocket units, including Skumbria, have high-angle trajectory weapons and have no such problem; they may freely attack such hexes. Artillery units with no "g" printed after the weapon type are considered to be equipped with howitzers.
Movement and Bombardment: An artillery unit may not move in the same impulse in which it carries out bombardment. An artillery unit that moved in an impulse is rotated 180 degrees to show that it may not attack. In the next impulse, it may rotate its counter back to the correct direction during movement, and the artillery unit may then take part in attacks.
Fire (射撃)
Fire combat represents the effect of machine guns, light and medium mortars, infantry howitzers, antitank guns, anti-aircraft guns firing at ground targets, the weapons carried by tanks, assault guns and armoured cars, and guns carried in boats. Fire is always directed at a hex (except antitank fire and anti-ship fire), and is applied individually to each unit in the target. If three units occupy the target hex, each of them is attacked separately by the combined combat strength of the fire directed at that hex. Fire may be carried out only against a target hex within the firing unit's range, and the firing unit must be able to draw a line of sight to the target hex (for example, some German regimental headquarters units equipped with infantry howitzers, and Soviet 82 mm mortars and infantry support battalions, may attack targets spotted by friendly units, using indirect fire). A unit's current combat strength is also its fire combat strength. The total of all fire directed at a hex is added together and applied individually to each unit in that hex. For each unit in the target hex, the corresponding modifiers are determined. The correct column on the CRT is found, two dice are rolled, and the result is applied immediately.
Players may carry out fire during attack fire or defensive fire, or when an enemy unit attempts to leave a friendly zone of control, while enemy units are moving. When carrying out attack fire, a unit carrying out an assault must fire at the target hex of its assault. Other friendly units may fire at any enemy target within range. Defensive fire carried out by a unit may, at the player's choice, concentrate its combat strength on one hex or divide it among several hexes. If a unit is the target of an assault, at least part of its fire must be allocated to each hex containing units that are assaulting it. Defensive fire may be carried out only against enemy units bearing Assault markers.
Minimal Fire (最小限の射撃): Attack fire at a target that is not an assault target, and that is worth only 1 combat strength point (before modifiers), is prohibited. This prevents "minimax" players from carrying out several minutes of harassing or interdiction fire against adjacent areas. However, enemy units in fortified positions (Fortified) may be fired upon in this way, in the hope of inflicting casualties on a roll of double 6s.
Anti-tank Fire (対戦車射撃): Only AFV units, naval units, HAKO and coastal artillery companies are subject to anti-tank (AT) fire. Anti-tank fire resolves in the same way as other fire, except that the firing unit uses its anti-tank fire strength and the attack is resolved using the ATCRT. The target of anti-tank fire is one individual unit within one hex. The anti-tank fire strengths of all units firing at that unit are totalled and the corresponding modifiers applied; the column on the ATCRT whose number is nearest to, and does not exceed, that total is found, and two dice are rolled. Friendly dice (Soviet red, Axis white) are used to read results on the ATCRT. The enemy's dice are used to resolve morale checks when they are needed. Other units in the target hex are not affected.
During defensive fire, a defending unit that is not an assault target may fire at enemy AFV units it can see within its range; otherwise anti-tank targets receive fire like other units. A unit with antitank combat strength greater than 1 may not carry out both anti-tank fire and normal fire in the same combat. Such a unit may divide its antitank combat strength among different targets. Antitank combat strength may be modified by range: beyond half of its range, the antitank combat strength is halved. A unit with antitank combat strength greater than 1 may double that strength against an enemy unit attempting to assault it, or against an enemy unit that is the target of an assault the first unit is carrying out.
A unit with only 1 point of antitank combat strength may carry out anti-tank fire only in assaults (attacking or defending). This strength represents mines, Molotov cocktails, convergent grenades and explosives, and often flamethrowers or light antitank guns. Units whose range is printed in parentheses are considered to have an antitank range of 1 hex.
Armored targets printed with one or more dots (Dot) in the upper right corner of the counter may receive an armour bonus: for each dot, a one-column shift to the left applies on the ATCRT. Unit size modifiers are not used on the ATCRT. Armored targets gain no benefit from fortified positions, trenches (Trench) and foxholes (Fox Hole).
Assault (突撃)
An assault represents close combat to seize enemy-held ground with small-arms fire, hand grenades, possibly bayonets or rifle butts, or at least intimidating action. Strength is not decisive: a well-trained small group with high morale that survives the enemy's defensive fire and succeeds in breaking into the enemy position often drives out a large enemy force with low combat will, or one unwilling to die to hold the ground.
All units printed with the symbol of infantry, airborne infantry, mountain infantry, engineers, commandos, partisans, cavalry, motorcycle infantry, mechanized infantry, Panzergrenadiers, tanks, assault guns, tank destroyers or armored cars may carry out an assault. Headquarters units whose combat strength is not in parentheses may also assault, but a headquarters unit may not assault unless it is stacked with other friendly units that are assaulting. To assault, a unit must place an Assault marker on itself and indicate the direction of the hex it is assaulting. A unit that is the target of an assault must carry out defensive fire against the assaulting units. The assaulting unit must also fire at its target hex. If an assaulting unit is made Suppressed or Disrupted by defensive fire or by the result of defensive barrage, its Assault marker is removed immediately. If, in a morale check, a result equal to the morale of the assaulting unit is rolled, its Assault marker is removed.
An assaulting unit gets no benefit from cover terrain in the hex from which the assault begins. If defending units are wiped out by barrage or by the fire of assaulting units, the assaulting units may advance into the vacated hex, and they may keep their Assault markers on them. If the player wishes, the direction of an Assault marker may be rotated one hexside left or right. If enemy units are in the hex the marker newly points to, those units may be assaulted. A unit may carry out attack fire against only one hex per impulse.
When an assault is resolved, the attacking player first determines the average morale of all units taking part in the assault against one target hex. If all the units are from the same formation (regiment, brigade, division or battle group), the highest morale among the participating units may be used. If the participating units belong to different formations, calculate the average morale of all the units regardless of their formation size (fractions rounded down). If they are Out of Command, the average morale is the lowest morale among the participating units. The morale of an AFV unit may be ignored if it would lower the attacker's average morale.
This average morale is then modified by various factors. See the Terrain Effects and Combat Modifiers Chart.
The defending player calculates the average morale of the defending units in the same way as the attacker. Fire units or AFV units whose morale would lower the average may be ignored. Various modifiers are then applied to the defender's morale, as above.
Each player rolls one die and adds the result to its morale total. The resulting value is applied to the Assault Table.
If AFV units are taking part in an assault, and all such units are wiped out by defensive fire or defensive barrage, or fail a morale check, all the units assaulting from those hexes may not assault, and their Assault markers are removed.
Units made up of specialists (see the special rules), namely engineers, machine guns, or mountain infantry included in the assaulting units, may add a morale modifier. The total modifier produced by these three types of unit is capped at +3 per assault.
Assaults may cause post-combat advance or retreat. See below.
Surprise (奇襲)
During a night impulse, the attacking player may choose to use the Surprise Table in combination with an assault. Any assault carried out during fog must use the Surprise Table, whether it is day or night.
Attacker's procedure: if the attacker wishes to attempt surprise in any assault, it declares this before any combat is resolved. If so, it rolls two dice. After applying the dice modifier (see the table), the result is read. If the modified roll is 9 or more, the defender may not use defensive barrage against the units making that assault. During a night impulse in fog, use the results in parentheses on the Surprise Table. Otherwise, use the results not in parentheses. The results for the attacker and defender Disrupted and Suppressed results (abbreviated in the source as ADs, AS, DS and DDs) are applied after all combat is resolved. If the Surprise Table gives a defender morale-reduction result, this effect applies only after the attacking barrage; if so, it applies immediately.
Combat Results (戦闘結果)
The Combat Results Table (CRT) and the Anti-Tank Combat Results Table (ATCRT) can produce three kinds of result: (1) Miss (–); (2) morale check (C, C1, C2, C3, C4); (3) Hit (1, 2, 3, 4). Consider each Hit result to add a morale check that must be carried out immediately (except for Friendly Fire).
When using the morale check CRT, the attacking player rolls two dice (one red and one white). The sum of the two dice determines the row used, and the attack's combat strength determines the column. Simultaneously, if as a result of the attack a morale check is needed, its result is obtained by comparing the die of the colour of the unit's side (Soviet red, German white) with the unit's morale value. If the die is less than or equal to the unit's morale value, the unit passes the morale check. (Exception: if an assaulting unit makes a morale check and rolls a number equal to its morale value, its Assault marker is removed.) A unit that fails a morale check by 1 becomes Suppressed. A unit that fails by 2 or more becomes Disrupted.
The ATCRT is used in the same way as the CRT, except that for attackers the friendly dice are used to read results, and the enemy's dice are used to resolve a morale check when one is needed.
When the CRT indicates a morale check is required by a C1, C2 and so on result, the number following the C (that is 1, 2, or other) is added to the die roll for the morale check result. This is done to explain an arithmetical problem arising from a system that uses two dice for two purposes.
Example from the source: there is a stack containing I/170/73 Battalion (morale 5) and I/73 Battalion (morale 3). The stack takes a Hit from 12 offensive barrage. For the attack on I/170/73, the roll is 10 (red die 5, white die 5). This result means losing 1 combat strength point. But since the white die is 5, and the battalion's morale is 5, it passes the morale check. For the attack on I/73, the roll is 5 (red die 1, white die 4). In resolving this result, the 8 column is used rather than the 12 column, because I/73 Battalion is a unit size below 5 combat strength points and therefore benefits from a -1 modifier. On the 8 column, a roll of 5 gives C2. This means the die used for the morale check is 6 (white die 4, plus 2 from the C2 result). Since I/73 Battalion's morale is 3 and the die exceeds it by 3, I/73 Battalion fails its morale check and becomes Disrupted.
A ground unit that fails a morale check does not need to retreat; retreat is required only after an assault. A naval unit or aircraft unit that fails a morale check automatically returns to base. An aircraft unit attacked on the ground that fails a morale check and becomes Suppressed or Disrupted must recover by the same method as ground units, and may not fly until it has recovered. A naval unit that becomes Suppressed or Disrupted during a night amphibious landing must move as quickly as possible off the map (a naval unit that leaves the map returns to base).
Hits (命中): Most units have a combat strength value (exceptions: bomber and dive-bomber units). This value is printed in the lower left corner of the counter (for bombers and dive-bombers it is printed in the lower centre of the counter). Whenever a ground unit or aircraft unit takes a Hit on the CRT or ATCRT or in air-to-air combat, place a numbered counter under it to show the number of Hits taken. To determine the combat strength the unit actually has, subtract the number of Hits taken from the combat strength printed on the unit. Other combat strength values printed on the unit (AT, Point, and so on) are reduced only when the counter is flipped. Whenever a unit takes three Hits, or whenever its current combat strength is reduced to the combat strength printed on its reverse side or below, turn the counter over so that the reverse side is face up. If a unit that is face-down takes three more Hits, or takes further Hits until its combat strength is reduced to 0, the unit is eliminated and removed from play.
Aircraft units are handled somewhat differently. If an aircraft unit takes 4 Hits, it is eliminated. When an aircraft unit takes its first Hit, place a numbered marker "1" under it. When it takes a second Hit, remove the marker and flip the counter. When it takes a third Hit, place a marker "1" under the face-down unit. When it takes a fourth Hit, the unit is eliminated. An aircraft unit's combat strength is expressed as air combat strength for fighters, and as ground attack strength for other aircraft units. Each Hit reduces this by 25% (rounded down).
Naval units are handled in two ways. Ships have a damage value printed in the top centre of their counter. This shows how many Hits are needed to sink the ship. When a ship takes enough Hits to reduce its damage value to the value printed on its reverse side, the counter is turned over. Each Boat unit consists of two boats, and takes damage as follows. The first Hit means one boat is damaged (place a numbered "1" marker under the unit). The second Hit means both boats are damaged (remove the "1" marker and flip the counter). The third Hit means one boat is sunk (place a numbered "1" marker under the unit). The fourth Hit means the last boat is sunk (remove the unit from play).
Post-Combat Advance and Retreat
A unit may carry out a post-combat advance or retreat only as a result of an assault. Bombardment, fire, and assaults do not normally cause a unit to move. A unit that attempts an assault and fails its morale check may be forced to retreat by bombardment or fire.
A unit may not advance or retreat through hexes or hexsides it could not normally enter, and may not advance in a way that violates stacking limits. A unit forced to retreat in violation of stacking rules may continue retreating until it reaches a hex where it can legally stack. If such units still violate the stacking limits, the situation must be corrected as soon as possible.
Any unit carrying out a post-combat advance or retreat is subject to ZOC fire when it leaves an enemy zone of control. However, a unit advancing into the assault target hex, or retreating from the defender's current hex, is not subject to ZOC fire. In either case, the advancing or retreating unit does not receive the +2 modifier.
Retreat (後退): Except for units that are assaulted and attacked by a margin of 4 or more, a defending unit forced to retreat must always retreat 1 or 2 hexes, or in the direction of the nearest cover (the player chooses the path with the shortest distance). Thus a unit that would need to retreat 2 hexes retreats only 1 hex if the first hex it enters contains woods, a village, a city, an industrial hex, a Fortified position, a trench, or a Foxhole. A defending unit that must retreat must always retreat at least 1 hex. By contrast, an attacking unit that attacked from a cover hex and was forced to retreat may simply remain in that hex.
A unit that is assaulted and attacked by a margin of 4 or more must retreat 2 hexes (ignoring cover terrain). If the attacking player wishes to pursue, it may add up to 2 additional hexes of forced retreat. A unit that carries out an assault and fails its morale check must retreat at most 1 hex. If that assault was carried out from a cover hex, it does not need to retreat at all.
A retreating unit is moved by its owning player, except in the exceptional case of a third or fourth hex of pursuit described above, where the attacking player may move the retreating unit into a hex of its choice in order to allow an advance by the attacking unit. A retreating unit must follow this order of priority unless it is retreating to a third or fourth hex:
- Move away from the enemy unit that carried out the assault.
- Enter a hex that is not an enemy-controlled hex.
- Downhill.
- Toward cover.
A fire-type unit that is forced to retreat after being assaulted automatically loses 50% of its combat strength (rounded down), except for German self-propelled artillery and Soviet mechanized rocket launchers. A fixed installation unit forced to retreat is eliminated, of course. In the case of a coastal battery, it is captured (see the special unit section on coastal batteries).
A unit forced to retreat through two or more enemy zones of control, or forced to pass through terrain it may not enter, must immediately carry out a morale check. If the unit fails the morale check, it must surrender and is removed from play. If the unit passes the morale check but cannot retreat the required number of hexes, it loses 1 combat strength point for each hex it could not retreat.
Advance (前進): A unit that succeeds in an assault may occupy the target hex. If the defender must retreat 2 hexes, the assaulting unit may advance 2 hexes. After entering the defender's original hex, an advancing unit or stack may advance further in any direction the owning player chooses. In addition, any friendly unit occupying a hex adjacent to the hex from which the assault was launched, provided it is not in an enemy zone of control, may advance behind the assaulting unit, remaining adjacent to it and not overtaking it.
Suppression and Disruption (制圧と混乱)
Units may become Suppressed or Disrupted as a result of bombardment, fire, or assault. A Suppressed unit is, in a sense, in a non-command state because of enemy fire, and the whole unit goes to ground. A Disrupted unit represents a more serious situation: it is in a non-command state, its leader is no longer in command, the whole unit is paralysed and cannot return fire properly, or is possibly fleeing in disorder. All these problems can be resolved, but this takes time and requires that enemy pressure is absent.
Suppressed: a Suppressed unit has its morale reduced by 1, and its firing strength, including its antitank combat strength, is halved (fractions rounded down). Even by this procedure its combat strength cannot fall below 1. Artillery units may carry out no attacks at all. In addition, the movement allowance of all units is reduced by 2 movement points. A Suppressed unit may not carry out assaults.
Disrupted: a Disrupted unit has its morale reduced by 2, and may carry out only defensive fire, at a fire strength of 1 (regardless of the unit's current fire strength). The unit also loses its zone of control, and its ability to see targets for other units' attacks. The unit may not take part in building anything, may not be designated as a unit for strategic movement, and may not execute strategic movement. The unit loses half of its movement allowance, may not carry out assaults, may not enter enemy zones of control, and may not split into smaller formations or be re-combined into its original formation size.
Recovery (回復): During the recovery phase, units that are not in an enemy zone of control may recover from Suppressed and Disrupted states. Both players first remove all Suppressed markers from their units, and then turn all Disrupted markers over so that the Suppressed side is face up.
If some units in a stack become Suppressed or Disrupted, this has no effect on the other units in the stack. The best way to form a stack is to place Suppressed or Disrupted units at the bottom of the stack (with the marker showing that state placed on such units), and to place units not in such a state at the top of the stack. Check such stacks carefully during the recovery phase so that such units are not forgotten.
14. Morale (士気)
Each unit has a morale rating. This is the number printed to the left of the unit's symbol. A unit's morale may range from 6 (highest) to 2 (lowest). Units use their morale ratings when resolving morale checks and when resolving assaults. A unit's morale rating is not constant: it includes training, experience, fervour, the quality of its commanders, and various other factors. A unit's morale may be increased or reduced by the effects of Fatigue and Command (see the corresponding rules sections). In addition, some non-German Axis units may have their morale rating increased by one level if they are stacked with German units. The Germans call this "Korsetstarken" (corset). It represents the presence of German machine-gun units behind them, which inspires them and increases their fervour. Morale ratings are also used to calculate the average morale value used to resolve assaults. Several factors affect the morale of units in assaults.
Again, when a morale check is required, it is resolved by reading the die for the side being checked. Note that this die is rolled by the attacking player as part of combat resolution. If the die is less than the unit's morale rating, the unit passes the check with no effect. If the die equals the unit's morale rating, the unit passes the check, except that if the unit is an assaulting unit, its Assault marker is removed. If the die exceeds the unit's morale rating by 1, the unit becomes Suppressed. If the die exceeds the unit's morale rating by 2 or more, the unit becomes Disrupted. Morale checks must be carried out whenever a unit takes a Hit, or whenever a morale check is required by the CRT, ATCRT or air-to-air CRT.
15. Supply (補給)
The German and Soviet forces facing each other in the highlands at the foot of the Caucasus each faced some difficulty in supply, although their situations differed. For the Germans, behind their line, the Anapa – Novorossisk – Neberjayevskaya – Krasnodar area had a fairly good road network (interconnected with one another), and was relatively close to the main supply ports of Anapa and Taman. By contrast, the Soviets, in pursuing the Germans, were forced to use mainly very poor unsurfaced roads running the length of the Caucasus mountains. Because the Soviets tried to concentrate large forces at the northern end where the mountains break off, massive traffic jams occurred in places. The Soviet 3rd Corps, owing to poor road conditions, arrived five days late, at the end of January. The stock of artillery ammunition of the Soviet 17th Army was short throughout the army. The Soviet Black Sea Group could transport only 2,200 tons of supplies, using 800 trucks, 1,700 horse carts and 1,300 pack horses. This is half of the requirement. However, supplies, especially artillery ammunition, were transported by sea along the Black Sea coast, and the required quantities were somehow assembled.
Units that were to land at Yuzhnaya Ozereyka carried three days' ammunition (two fire units). After two days of fighting, when the battalion led by Major Kunikov began to run short of ammunition, it succeeded in receiving ammunition resupply by air drop around 5 February. The garrison of Little Land was then able to hold its position, despite persistent interdiction by German artillery, bombers, torpedo boats and submarines, because supplies were transported sufficiently. (The source gives the garrison's holding time as "225 days"; this figure is printed as such and is clearly inconsistent with a battle of this length. It is transcribed as printed and not corrected here.)
For game purposes, supply is handled in two ways: general supply, and artillery ammunition.
General Supply (一般補給)
General supply represents ammunition for all weapons other than artillery ammunition, food, and the evacuation of casualties. During each artillery point allocation and supply check phase, both players must draw a supply line for each of their non-artillery ground units. A supply line is a continuous line of hexes from a unit to a supply source. The line may be drawn for up to 8 movement points at that unit's best movement rate. A supply line may not be drawn through terrain the unit cannot enter, or through enemy zones of control.
(Optional rule: players with enough time may try to draw a supply line through an enemy zone of control. In that case, the supply line is treated as though the unit had moved to draw it, and if the supply line passes through any hex in an enemy zone of control, it causes ZOC fire. This fire is resolved as though the supply line were a unit with combat strength of 5 or more. All terrain modifiers apply, but the +2 modifier for zone of control does not apply. If the supply line fails the morale check resulting from that fire (using the same morale as that unit), or suffers any Hit, the supply line is considered blocked by the enemy zone of control.)
Supply Sources (補給源): Several units may receive supply from one supply source. There are two kinds of supply source:
(a) a continuous line of Road, Trail, or Railroad (or a combination of these terrain types) that can be traced from the friendly map edge or a beach supply dump marker, or
(b) any friendly HQ unit. A friendly map edge is one lying behind the friendly front line.
A beach supply dump marker represents the establishment of a supply dump (more precisely, a place where supplies are scattered), and such markers can be resupplied continuously. Minesweepers (Minesweeper), gunboats (Gunboat) or barges (Barge) are needed to transport each beach supply dump marker. Once landed, a beach supply dump marker must be placed on the hex where it was landed or on a hex adjacent to the landing hex. On the turn it is landed, its movement allowance is limited to one hex, but it may move. It is not a unit: it therefore has no combat strength and no zone of control. It may not attack in any way, and is not attacked in any way. However, it may be eliminated if an enemy unit enters the hex it occupies.
Once landed, a beach supply dump marker may be used as a legitimate supply source in later turns. However, during the night supply phase, the Soviet player must bring in a naval unit of the corresponding type to resupply the marker. Resupply by a naval unit coming ashore is achieved by landing supplies on the hex occupied by the beach supply dump marker or on an adjacent hex. If the Axis player cannot disrupt this activity by direct bombardment, it succeeds automatically. Otherwise, see the naval rules, amphibious assault section. If the Soviet player fails to achieve resupply of a beach supply dump marker, place an Out of Supply marker on it. A beach supply dump marker carrying an Out of Supply marker may not be used at all until resupply is achieved. If a beach supply dump marker is eliminated by sinking or overrun, it is not permanently removed from play; instead, it automatically returns during the Soviet player's next impulse to one of its Port Boxes. All Soviet units that have landed are considered to be automatically supplied during the first two days after landing.
If a friendly HQ unit can draw a legitimate supply line, it may serve as a supply source for a matching number of units during one turn. Note that an HQ unit (representing the formations behind the front line) may act as a temporary legitimate supply source for the units belonging to it, and in an emergency may supply additional units. Setting arbitrary limits might please rules lawyers, but in reality it would not attract such criticism. Speculatively, on a reasoned basis, one may state a figure: an HQ, whatever number of units it belongs to, can supply sufficient supplies to half of those units by its supply capacity.
A friendly HQ may be used as a supply source even when it cannot draw a legitimate supply line. In this case, when the HQ is first used as a supply source, a Out of Supply marker is placed on it, and it may not be used as a supply source until it is again able to draw its own legitimate supply line. (In this case the HQ unit may not draw a supply line to another HQ unit.) When an HQ unit has been able to establish such a supply line, the Out of Supply marker may be removed.
Procedure: When checking supply status, place a No Supply Line marker on each unit that cannot draw a supply line to a supply source. When a unit in such a state fires, it acts as an ordinary unit except that its marker is turned over to show the Out of Supply side. Out of Supply units cannot carry out attack fire or barrage fire. Their defensive fire and ZOC fire are also halved. A No Supply Line or Out of Supply marker may be removed during any artillery point allocation and supply check phase in which the unit succeeds in drawing a legitimate supply line. Friendly units' presence may cancel an enemy zone of control for the purpose of drawing a supply line.
Air Supply (航空補給): Twice during the game, each player may remove No Supply Line and Out of Supply markers from friendly units on the map, up to a total of 15 combat strength points of units. This may not be done while there is fog. Nor may this procedure be carried out in an air zone where the enemy player has a fighter unit on combat air patrol mission, or in a hex within the range of an enemy antiaircraft unit. Resupply is not reliably prevented by fire. Roll one die: if the result is 1 to 4, the Soviet activity succeeds; the German activity succeeds on a result of 1 to 3. (This speaks to the availability of German air supply after the disaster at Stalingrad, not to its efficiency.)
Artillery Ammunition (砲兵用弾薬)
Artillery ammunition is heavy. It can be said to make up most of the tonnage of supplies needed to support combat. The use of artillery ammunition is somewhat abstract in play, and it must be admitted that sufficient data is lacking. Artillery ammunition must be recorded in the Artillery Ammo Box boxes on the Player Display. For the Soviet player, three boxes are provided: Mountain, Coastal, and Amphibious (landing). For the German player, a box is provided for each of the 73rd Infantry Division, the 125th Infantry Division, ARKO (Artillery Command) 149, and the Busche/Hake battle groups.
For the Soviet player, the Coastal box supplies all artillery deployed along the western slope of the coastal mountain range and the eastern coast of Tsemess Bay. All artillery units deployed on the eastern slope of the coastal range must draw their ammunition from the Mountain ammunition box. The Amphibious box, once landed, supplies all artillery units that can draw a supply line to a beach supply dump marker. The Soviet player must separately record how much of the ammunition arriving at the port is to be shipped for the beach supply dump marker, and how much actually remains there (this matters in practice when the beach supply dump marker cannot be resupplied or is overrun).
Any German artillery unit that can draw a supply line to a supply source must receive ammunition from its own box. Soviet artillery units must be able to draw a supply line to a supply source in the area they occupy. (Thus coastal artillery units must be able to draw a supply line to the coastal road leaving the map at Kabardinka; mountain artillery units must be able to draw a supply line to the Trail leaving the map north-east of Mt. 695; and landed artillery units must be able to draw a supply line to a beach supply dump marker.)
An artillery unit that cannot draw a supply line to its corresponding supply source may make one attack, after which it receives an Out of Supply marker and may not attack until it again can draw a legitimate supply line.
Any or all artillery units that can draw a supply line to receive ammunition from a particular box may carry out one attack during an impulse. One Ammunition Point (Ammunition Point) is subtracted from that box's total for each such attack. An attack by an artillery group (Artillery Group) costs only 1 Ammunition Point. Carrying out artillery fire in the point artillery phase does not use Ammunition Points.
This does not mean that only one battalion may fire: it means, so to speak, that if all of a German divisional artillery regiment (four battalions) fires on one hex, you need to expend only one Ammunition Point for the cost. This is certainly not very realistic, but it is a rule designed to encourage players to concentrate their artillery fire, which should make all the artillery each player owns usable. The boxes do not represent the same number of weapons, and shell weights, rates of fire per minute, and transport and organisation problems also differ; nevertheless, the result should fit history.
Soviet coastal artillery receives and expends Ammunition Points from the Soviet coastal box. German coastal artillery, by contrast, should be considered to have an unlimited quantity of ammunition for game purposes. This is because Soviet coastal artillery's basic policy is to fire on ground targets and therefore requires heavy shell expenditure, whereas German coastal artillery is mostly oriented towards bombardment of naval vessels. If a German observation post wishes to direct fire on a ground target, the player draws and expends ammunition from the ARKO 149 box.
For artillery ammunition, reduce the total of the corresponding box as though a defensive or offensive barrage fire had been carried out. In the artillery supply section of each turn, the player designated on the Turn Record Track receives Artillery Ammunition Points. The Axis player may allocate Axis Ammunition Points to each box as it wishes. Soviet Ammunition Points are allocated as indicated on the Turn Progress Chart; add them to the current total of the indicated boxes.
Air Allocation and Interception (航空機割り当てと迎撃)
In the air allocation and interception phase, both players secretly organise their aircraft units into Air Groups (stacks of four or fewer units). They assign them to a specific air zone and mission by placing them on the corresponding zone on the Player Display. Players resolve the air combat of one zone completely before resolving that of another, proceeding zone by zone. The order in which zones are resolved is chosen by the player holding initiative. In each zone, the players alternate committing one Air Group each, after each group has carried out its mission; the other player then has its group carry out its mission. This continues until all Air Groups in the zone have been committed.
16. Air Power (空軍)
Air Bases (航空基地)
In early February 1943, the centre of the battle was around Krasnodar (north-east of Novorossisk), where the Soviets tried to isolate the German 17th Army. For this reason both sides committed all the air power they could. Committed to the coastal area were the Soviet Black Sea Fleet Aviation (BSAF) and several air regiments of the 5th Air Army, and the Germans committed several air wings of VIII Air Corps. Each aircraft unit in the game represents roughly 10 aircraft. There are four types of aircraft unit: Fighter, Bomber, Stuka (Ju 87 dive bomber), and Sturmavik (Il-2 Sturmovik).
Each side has two Airbase Boxes on its Player Display, and can assign aircraft units to five Air/Naval zones. (The source sentence is split by the column layout of the printed page; it is completed here from the air allocation and interception phase text below.) Aircraft units are assigned to zones during the air allocation and interception phase of each AM, PM and Night section.
Air Zones (航空ゾーン)
There are five Air/Naval zones to which Air Groups may be assigned: Anapa, Western, Central, Mountain, and Gelenjik. Anapa and Gelenjik are off the game map. Anapa has the forward German air base; Gelenjik has the forward Soviet air base and port. Both are protected by antiaircraft units.
The Western, Central and Mountain zones are shown on the map printed in this rulebook (see P27 of this rulebook, as printed in the source). The lines on the map do not indicate an iron wall for aircraft; they indicate the area in which the targets assigned to aircraft are located. When playing with a reasonable opponent (as we all hope to be), it is best to move the zone boundaries by mutual agreement, so as not to split the area in which combat is taking place down the middle. However, for the purposes of the game, only Air Groups assigned to a particular air zone (other than Air Groups on a Fighter Sweep mission) may carry out attacks within that zone. After carrying out their attack, those Air Groups must return to the air base from which they came. If an Air Group receives an Abort result, or fails a morale check as a result of air combat or antiaircraft fire, it must likewise return to the air base from which it came.
Each player has two Base Boxes on its Player Display. Each player has one Distance Base (rear air base). The German rear air base represents airfields in Crimea, as well as Kuban. The Soviet rear air base represents the group of airfields deployed on the south-eastern Black Sea coast at Tuapse and Sukhumi, as well as the airfields deployed north of the central Caucasus mountains. An aircraft unit may be placed in a player's Distance Base box without limit. However, any aircraft unit that launched from a Distance Base box during a turn section is placed, when it returns, in an air base box other than the one it came from. In the following turn section, those aircraft units are returned to their original distance base. In other words, aircraft launched from a Distance Base box may fly only every other turn section. Distance bases may not be attacked by the enemy player.
The forward air bases at Anapa and Gelenjik are protected by antiaircraft companies, but both lie directly on the coast. Anapa is 26 miles north-west of Novorossisk, and Gelenjik is 10 miles south-east of Kabardinka. Aircraft units based at a forward base may be launched on a mission in each turn section, so such aircraft units can be launched three times per turn. A forward air base (Forward Air Base) may hold up to three aircraft units at one time. Forward air bases may also be attacked by enemy aircraft (Anapa may suffer naval gunfire from the Soviet navy; see the optional rules). The number printed on a forward air base box represents its antiaircraft firepower.
Air Groups (航空機グループ)
An Air Group is a stack of up to four aircraft units on the same mission (except Escort). For interception and manoeuvre, the Air Group as a whole uses the lowest value among the aircraft units composing it. When attacking, the units of a group may combine their relevant combat strengths in carrying out the attack. If one unit in the group fails a morale check, the whole Air Group is considered to have failed its morale check. There is no limit to the number of Air Groups that may be stacked in one hex.
An Air Group may be formed only from aircraft units based at the same air base. Furthermore, Soviet Air Force aircraft units belonging to the Soviet 5th Air Army (whose counters are brown) may not form the same Air Group as aircraft belonging to the BSAF (Black Sea Fleet Aviation).
An Air Group may be split if necessary. If a bomber Air Group has been assigned to a zone, it may be split to attack different targets within that zone. A Combat Air Patrol fighter Air Group may also be split to attempt to intercept several enemy Air Groups. Once an Air Group has been split, its units may not be recombined until they return to base.
Air Missions (航空作戦任務)
There are eight missions to which an Air Group may be assigned (the players may, if they wish, add optional missions for special aircraft units). Four of the missions may be carried out only by Fighter units (P39, I-16, LaGG-3, Yak-7 and Me-109): Combat Air Patrol (CAP), Point Combat Air Patrol (PCAP), Fighter Sweep (FS), and Escort (ES). Three of the missions are missions for attacking ground targets. High Level Bombing (HB) may be carried out only by Bomber units (A-20, Pe-2, SB-2 and Ju-88). Low Level Bombing (LB) may be carried out by all fighters, bombers and Sturmavik (Il-2 Sturmovik). Dive Bombing (DB) may be carried out only by bomber units printed with a dot in the upper right corner of their ground attack strength (Ju-88 and Pe-2), and by the Stuka (Ju-87 dive bomber), which may fly only this mission. The Transfer Mission (T), which moves aircraft units from a forward air base to a rear air base or vice versa, may be carried out by all aircraft units.
Combat Air Patrol (CAP; 制空パトロール): A fighter Air Group assigned to the CAP mission in an air zone may be used to attempt interception of, and to attack, enemy Air Groups in that zone. A fighter Air Group on CAP may attempt interception up to three times. After two failed attempts, or once it is established that there is no enemy Air Group in the zone, it may, at the choice of its owning player, carry out an LB attack against ground targets. Only one interception attempt may be made at a time, so a player whose fighter group has failed an interception attempt must wait until the enemy player commits an Air Group to complete its mission. The CAP group then has another opportunity to intercept something (by which time all the prey may have flown away).
Point Combat Air Patrol (PCAP; ポイント制空パトロール): A fighter Air Group assigned to PCAP is recorded on a separate sheet. When a fighter Air Group is on PCAP, consider that group as tied to a specific target, to protect it from enemy air attack. On the separate sheet, record the fighter Air Group assigned to that mission and the hex number it must protect. If the PCAP group is to be involved in resolving air operations in its zone, place its aircraft units on the map over the hex they are protecting. Such aircraft units automatically intercept any enemy Air Group that approaches within 3 hexes of the hex where they are placed. This is the only situation in which an enemy Air Group on a mission may be intercepted.
Fighter Sweep (FS; 航空掃討): The Fighter Sweep mission is almost the same as CAP, except that it is an air operation carried out across several air zones. A player who assigns a fighter Air Group to FS must record on a separate sheet the air zones in which the group will operate, together with the order in which it will enter them.
Example from the source: "Me-109 x 2 FS Western – Central – Mountains" means that two Me-109 fighter units first attempt, in the Western zone, to intercept the enemy Air Group there. If that interception attempt succeeds, air combat occurs there. The fighters then return to base, and the FS ends. If the group fails to intercept, or if it becomes clear there is no enemy Air Group in the Western zone, the group next moves to the Central zone and again attempts to intercept an enemy Air Group there. If there is still no result, it moves on to the Mountain zone with its luck. If air combat in a zone has already concluded before an FS Air Group arrives, the interception is considered to have failed. After an FS Air Group leaves the first zone it entered, its interception value is reduced by 1 point for each subsequent zone it enters.
Escort (ES; 護衛): If fighter units are stacked with bomber units in one Air Group, the fighters are considered to be escorting the bombers. Up to three fighter units may escort one bomber unit in an Air Group, or may escort by other combinations, provided that no more than four units are in one Air Group. Fighters may escort any unit assigned to an HB, LB or DB group. A fighter carrying out escort may move as part of the escorted group, but may not attack ground targets, and does not suffer damage from antiaircraft fire. Any enemy fighter group attempting to intercept an escorted group must use at least one fighter unit to fight the escorting fighters. Depending on the outcome of manoeuvre resolution (see below), the escorting fighter may choose either to fight in its escort role or to fight enemy fighters dispatched to meet it.
Bombing (爆撃): Bomber, Stuka and Sturmavik Air Groups assigned to a zone may attack ground targets during the air allocation and interception phase, or during friendly offensive barrage, or during enemy movement after the turn section. An Air Group may attack ground targets using its own particular capability and method (HB, LB or DB). The attack is carried out using the method selected for that group. For the differing effects of the various bombing methods, see the Combat Modifiers Chart.
High Level Bombing (HB; 高高度爆撃): High-level bombing may be used to attack point-type or barrage-type targets. All HB groups may suffer damage from antiaircraft fire by heavy antiaircraft guns.
Low Level Bombing (LB; 低高度爆撃): Most aircraft units may carry out this mission (exception: the Ju 87 Stuka). An Air Group carrying out this mission may suffer antiaircraft fire from light antiaircraft guns and infantry weapons, but there is no shift on the CRT.
Dive Bombing (DB; 急降下爆撃): An Air Group carrying out dive bombing receives a +1 shift on the CRT when attacking barrage-type targets, and when attacking point targets it may use its full ground attack strength. This mission suffers antiaircraft fire from light antiaircraft guns and infantry weapons. (As printed in the source: the Stuka receives a +1 modifier when attacking point targets, and all aircraft units receive a +1 modifier when attacking barrage targets.)
Transfer (T; 移送任務): After both players have committed all the Air Groups they wish to assign to combat missions, both players may transfer aircraft units from a forward air base to a rear air base, or in the reverse direction. An aircraft unit transferred to a forward air base may be used immediately from the following turn. An aircraft unit transferred to a rear air base must, because maintenance may not be thorough, wait one turn section before it can fly again. When transferring aircraft units to a forward air base, the forward base's stacking limit may not be violated. A transfer may be executed only after all aircraft units have been assigned to the Air/Naval zone boxes on the Player Display, and it must be completed before any action is carried out in any zone. (Rationale given in the source: if the enemy decides to raid the friendly forward base, in daylight weather suitable for flying, the only targets the enemy can find are the aircraft that have just moved in; the others are presumably in the air.)
Flying Conditions (飛行条件)
At night, only HB missions may be flown. Therefore, at night no fighter missions are flown and no interceptions occur. When Mountain Fog is in effect, visibility for flying aircraft is very limited (only volunteers would fly in such conditions); see the weather rules. Aircraft units may not fly through fog. If the weather is Cloudy, both players secretly roll one die each, and the result is the number of aircraft units that must remain on the ground during that turn section.
Air Combat (空戦)
There are three kinds of air combat: Air-to-Air, Air-to-Ground, and Ground-to-Air.
Air-to-Air Combat (空対空戦闘): Air-to-air combat can occur only as the result of interception. Interception means attempting to intercept an enemy Air Group in the same zone. It may be attempted during the air allocation and interception phase (AAI) only by Air Groups assigned to the CAP and FS missions. An enemy Air Group that enters a hex within 3 hexes of an Air Group assigned to PCAP may be intercepted automatically by that PCAP Air Group.
To resolve an interception, take the lowest interception value (printed in the upper left corner of the aircraft counter) among the units composing the intercepting Air Group (the attacker), add the result of one die, and compare the total with the lowest interception value among the units composing the Air Group being intercepted (the defender), plus the result of one die. If the attacker's total is equal to or greater than the defender's total, the interception succeeds. If the defender's total is higher, the interception fails: the intercepting group has used one of its three attempts, and the enemy has an opportunity to employ one group. Failure of an interception essentially means that the aircraft were not in the right place at the right time.
The defender may choose to accept the interception. In that case no die need be rolled and no calculation is needed. This only occurs when one fighter Air Group has decided to intercept an enemy fighter Air Group, and both wish to dogfight.
A fighter Air Group that fails an interception need not return to base immediately. Each fighter Air Group assigned to CAP or FS may attempt interception up to three times before it is forced to return to base.
If interception succeeds, air-to-air combat follows. First, both players determine the order of combat. If the intercepted Air Group is on an HB, LB or DB mission, and its owning player wishes that group to attack its target as effectively as possible, the order is not determined; instead, the intercepting fighter attacks that group. After the damage (if any) to the bombers has been applied, if they do not fail a morale check, do not receive an Abort result, and are not destroyed entirely, they may counterattack the intercepting fighters. If bombers attempt to outwit fighters by competing in Agility, the ground attack strength of that bomber group is halved.
In all cases except where the bomber group fails to compete in Agility (chooses to bomb rather than compete in Agility), the next step after a successful interception is to take the lowest Agility value among the aircraft units in each group, roll one die each, compare the totals, and consult the following table. (AA = the attacker's total Agility; DA = the defender's total Agility; A = the group carrying out the interception; D = the group that is the target of the interception.)
Agility outcome (機動飛行の結果), as printed:
| Situation | AA ≥ DA | DA > AA |
|---|---|---|
| FS/CAP vs Bomber | Simultaneous fire | D attacks ground target, then simultaneous fire |
| FS/CAP vs FS/CAP | A fires first | D fires first |
| PCAP vs Bomber | Simultaneous fire | D attacks ground target, then simultaneous fire |
| FS/CAP vs PCAP | A fires first | D fires first |
Simultaneous fire means both sides fire before the results are applied. Where A or D fires first, the group concerned fires first and applies all the effects of its fire; the surviving enemy aircraft units of the group may then counterattack. However, they may not counterattack if they receive an Abort result, fail a morale check, or are destroyed entirely. If the intercepted air group is neither forced back to base by an Abort or morale-check failure nor entirely destroyed, it may counterattack the intercepting Air Group. If intercepted by a PCAP group, the intercepted group must already have been committed to a ground attack mission, and it immediately begins that ground attack mission. However, if a bomber group is intercepted before being committed to a mission, and survives the interception without being pursued or shot down, that group has not yet been committed to a ground attack mission. If its owning player does not carry it out at the next available opportunity, of course, it may be intercepted again by another or the same enemy fighter group.
All fighters that carried out or were the subject of an interception must return to base after air-to-air combat has been resolved.
Organizing Air-to-Air Combat (空対空戦闘の構成): There are two kinds of air-to-air combat: (1) fighters against an Air Group on a bombing mission; and (2) fighters against fighters.
In the first case, the player with the fighters organises the attack freely. The group may concentrate on one enemy unit of the bomber group, or individual fighter units may attack different bomber units, or a combination of these may be used. Each fighter may attack only once, and each enemy unit is attacked only once by one group. It is not necessary to attack all units of an intercepted bomber group. When counterattacking, a bomber unit may fire only at the unit that attacked it.
In the second case, when fighters engage each other, the winner of the Agility comparison fires first and also organises the attack. It must attack all enemy fighter units in the defending group, although one friendly fighter unit may attack several enemy units at the same time. An enemy fighter unit that survives without being shot down or driven off may counterattack, but may fire only at the unit that attacked it.
If an escorted bomber group is intercepted, the intercepting Air Group must use at least one fighter unit to fight its escorts. The intercepting fighters that challenge the escorts must resolve Agility against the escorts as normal (as though CAP versus CAP). However, if the escorts win, they must choose either to attack the intercepting fighters assigned to the escorts, or to attack the enemy intercepting fighters that are attempting to attack the bombers. If they choose the latter, the intercepting fighters assigned to attack the escorts may fire at the escorts, in the same way as the intercepting fighters that were attempting to attack the bombers. (Bomber and fighter fire is resolved separately, but resolve them simultaneously.) If an intercepting fighter assigned to attack the bombers was not subjected to a first strike by the escorts as described above, resolve Agility against the bombers as normal.
Air-to-Air Fire (空対空射撃): Aircraft units attack other aircraft units using their air combat strength. The total of the defence values of all the units being attacked is subtracted from the total air combat strength of the attacking units. A result below -2 is treated as -2, and a result above 6 is treated as 6. This number is applied on the top row of the Air-to-Air CRT, and the attacking player rolls two dice.
Air-to-Air Combat Results (空対空戦闘の結果): The results of air-to-air combat are the forced morale check, Abort (阻止), Losses (損害), and Miss (外れ). All these results are applied as specified on the CRT. When an Abort result is obtained, the unit concerned immediately returns to its base. This effect also occurs when a morale check is failed. Note that when one unit in a group receives an Abort or fails a morale check, the whole group is affected.
Air Losses (航空機の損害): Aircraft units can withstand four Hits. Each time an aircraft unit takes a Hit, its air combat strength (for fighters) or ground attack strength (for bombers, Sturmavik and Stuka) is reduced by 25%. A marker "1" is placed under the unit on its first Hit; on its second Hit the unit is flipped and the "1" marker is removed; on its third Hit a "1" marker is placed under the unit again; and on its fourth Hit the unit is removed.
Antiaircraft Fire (対空射撃): There are three types of antiaircraft (AA) fire: Heavy (heavy antiaircraft guns), Light (light antiaircraft guns), and Local (antiaircraft fire by infantry weapons). A unit possessing Heavy AA capability (the German 88 mm flak guns and some Soviet ships) has a dot printed in the upper right of its antiaircraft combat strength on the counter. (This number is the thick numeral in the upper left of the counter.) If the unit has both Heavy AA and Light AA, the value to the left of the slash is the Heavy AA value. When firing at aircraft as targets, Heavy AA has a range of 2 hexes, and may fire only at aircraft units carrying out an HB (high-altitude bombing) mission. Units possessing Light AA capability are the Soviet 37 mm antiaircraft companies, all naval units, the German 37 mm and 20 mm antiaircraft companies (the former deployed at Anapa), and the Romanian 25 mm antiaircraft companies. When firing at aircraft as targets, Light AA fire has a range of 1 hex, and may carry out antiaircraft fire only against Air Groups carrying out LB or DB attacks. Local AA represents antiaircraft fire by machine guns, rifles and the like. All units possess this capability, at a rate of 1 point of Local AA per 5 combat strength points stacked in one hex. Local AA may fire only in the hex being attacked, against Air Groups carrying out LB or DB attacks.
When an Air Group attacks a ground target, if there are antiaircraft-capable units present, that antiaircraft fire is carried out first. All antiaircraft units within range of the target hex fire at each enemy Air Group attacking that hex, and they may combine their antiaircraft combat strengths against it. A unit carrying out antiaircraft fire places no restriction on its ability to fire at ground targets.
To resolve antiaircraft fire, total the antiaircraft combat strengths firing at the Air Group, and use this total to find the corresponding column on the CRT (not the Air-to-Air CRT). Two dice are rolled, and the CRT is used as for attacks on other targets. Except at night, no modifiers or shifts apply, and the result is not affected by the defence value, size or number of the target. If the bomber group fails a morale check, it returns to base without carrying out its attack. When losses are sustained, they are applied before the Air Group carries out its attack on the ground target.
Air-to-Ground Attack (対地攻撃; 爆撃): (You will notice that the term "bomber" tends to mean actual bomber units, while the terms "bomber" or "bombing group" mean bombers, Stukas, Sturmaviks and fighter units assigned to HB, LB or DB missions.) When an Air Group attacks a ground target, the ground attack strengths of all units in that Air Group are totalled and used to attack the enemy units in the target hex. This procedure is carried out in the same way as artillery attacks, attacking point targets and barrage targets with the appropriate attack strength. To judge the effectiveness of aircraft units against point or barrage targets, see the Combat Modifiers Chart.
Bombing attacks may be carried out during the air allocation and interception phase, or the bombing group may (if not intercepted) remain in its air zone and attack during friendly offensive barrage or during enemy movement. The latter attacks may be carried out only against moving enemy units. The player whose turn it is to move moves its units until they enter a hex that the Air Group's player can see. Only wooded (Woods) hexes can conceal a moving unit from observation from the air. The player that is not moving then declares the air attack.
A moving unit is stopped, and the Air Group, having passed through antiaircraft fire, attacks that unit. If the target unit becomes Suppressed or Disrupted, it must stop all movement. If losses are sustained, a moving unit loses a number of movement points equal to the combat strength it loses. If the loss of movement points leaves the moving unit without enough movement points for the rest of its move, it must stop in that hex; otherwise, the unit may continue moving normally even after the aircraft's ground attack.
Bombing attacks against air bases may be carried out only against the Forward Airbases (Anapa and Gelenjik). These attacks may be carried out only during the air allocation and interception phase. After all interceptions and air-to-air combat in that zone (if any) have concluded, the bomber Air Group is subjected to antiaircraft fire from the base (at Gelenjik, antiaircraft fire from the navy in the harbour is also added). A bomber Air Group may use its bomber's Point Attack Strength to attack any enemy aircraft units parked at the air base. Because they are in cover (revetments), aircraft units enjoy the benefit of a -2 modifier on the CRT. If a parked aircraft unit fails a morale check, it suffers a Suppressed or Disrupted result as if it were a ground unit. It may not fly until it recovers during the following recovery phase, but it still counts against the stacking limit of that air base. The Anapa air base may also be attacked by night bombardment from Soviet naval units; the effect is the same as for bombing.
Air Repair (航空機の修理): Each player may attempt to repair damaged aircraft units once during the game. At the end of any game turn, the player secretly rolls one die. The number rolled is the number of steps of destroyed aircraft that may be restored. Thus, if the die shows 4, the owning player may return to play an aircraft unit that has been completely shot down, with full combat strength; or remove "1" markers from four separate damaged aircraft units; or restore aircraft combat strength points in any combination the player wishes. If the player makes a repair attempt and rolls more than the number of aircraft steps it is currently missing, the excess is lost.
17. Naval Forces (海軍)
The Axis forces did not interfere with Soviet naval operations at all (although in mid-February several Soviet S-boats sank a minesweeper and the gunboat Krasny Gruzia in Tsemess Bay). For this reason no Axis naval units appear in the game, and the Axis naval situation is represented by an abstract procedure (see Patrol below).
Naval Units (海軍ユニット)
There are two kinds of naval unit in the game: Ship (艦船) and Boat (ボート). Ships include all cruisers, destroyers, gunboats, minesweepers, tugboats, and barges. Each Ship counter represents one ship. Boats include patrol boats, launches, torpedo boats, and seiners (fishing boats with drag nets); each Boat counter represents two boats. Each Boat unit includes many small vessels responsible for carrying cargo and for "getting sunk" (the source's term getting-sunk; it is not clear whether this term has any meaning other than sinking, but landing operations often result in such losses), though historical accounts of them tend to be scarce. Further, their presence in the game will plunge the amphibious landing into tedious cardboard confusion. Thanks to Dr. Fudge.* (*Fudge: to fake or fabricate; a footnote in the source.)
At most one Ship, one Ship and one Boat, or two Boat units may occupy one hex at the same time.
Movement from Display to Map (ディスプレイ上からゲーム盤上への移動)
Situation: by 1943, the Axis forces had driven the Soviet Black Sea Fleet from its main bases, and German air and naval forces had sunk and damaged many Soviet naval vessels. The Black Sea Fleet was based at the south-eastern ports of Gelenjik, Tuapse, Sukhumi and Poti, and could deploy three cruisers, seven destroyers, three gunboats, six large minesweepers, seven large minesweepers carrying rocket launchers, and various coastal minesweepers, patrol boats, torpedo boats, launches and submarines. In addition, for Operation Morsky it deployed barges, tugboats, seiners, lighters, trawlers, ferries and coastal transports.
All the cruisers and several of the destroyers had been damaged early in the war, and as no major shipbuilding or repair facilities remained, they had to be employed carefully. Some German critics, and reactions from the West, have contemptuously compared the employment practice of the Black Sea Fleet with that of the American, British and Japanese navies; but it must be remembered that those navies had new ships "in the pipeline" and repair facilities available for damaged ships, which the Soviets did not. The deployment of these ships had to be considered carefully, particularly given their notably inadequate anti-aircraft armament.
The Axis naval forces in the Novorossisk area included 13 S-boats (Schnellboote, commonly "E-boats"), up to 20 R-boats, 16 Italian navy MAS boats, and several small submarines. These vessels were specialised mainly in defence of the Axis lines of communication to the Crimea, and in disrupting Soviet communications along the Caucasus coast. Their activity reached its peak in April 1943, when, as part of Operation Neptune, they attempted to blockade the port of Gelenjik and stop all naval traffic in Tsemess Bay; but although the Axis fleet inflicted some damage on Soviet shipping, it could not stop the transport of supplies and reinforcements to the Malya Zemlya (small land) bridgehead. During the period of operations covered by the game, during any Soviet impulse, a naval unit may be moved from the Distant Port Box (後方軍港ボックス) to the Western or Central Air/Naval zone, or from the map to one of those zones, or from one of those zones to the map, or returned to the Distant port. A naval unit may move directly from Gelenjik to a zone on the display, then onto the map, or from the map to Gelenjik, in one impulse. A naval unit must enter the map from the area that matches the Air/Naval zone where it arrived. Once a naval unit is in a zone, it may not move directly to another zone without returning to a port, nor may it enter the map from the area for another zone. Of course, there are no physical partitions at sea, but naval operations were planned in advance without the excellent communications and flexibility the player has over his forces.
Player Display (プレイヤー用ディスプレイ)
Each player has one Player Display, which is placed where it cannot easily be seen by the enemy player. A player may not examine the opposing player's Player Display. On this display, the player records the positions of aircraft units and naval units it owns that are off the map, and the artillery ammunition it holds. The display is printed with a turn record track indicating when reinforcements and artillery ammunition arrive, boxes recording artillery ammunition stocks, Air/Naval zone boxes, and boxes for air bases; for the Soviet player, a Patrol Box and Port boxes are also provided.
The Soviet player has two ports for its naval units, one of which is the Distant port and the other Gelenjik. A naval unit may be placed in any one of the following four positions: an All-sea hex or a Partial-sea hex on the map; the Western or Central Air/Naval zone on the Display; or one of the two port boxes on the Player Display.
All naval units are placed in port at the start of the game. All cruisers (CA), all destroyers (DD), and the three minesweeper (MS) units enter the map from the Distant port box. All other naval units may be berthed at either the Distant port box or Gelenjik.
There is no limit to the number of naval units that may be berthed in the Distant port box. All naval units except CA and DD units may be placed in Gelenjik harbour. Naval units in the Distant port box are not attacked. Naval units placed in Gelenjik harbour may be attacked. If a naval unit in a port box is attacked (by aircraft units), it suffers a +1 modifier. Naval units placed in a port may embark and disembark ground units, and may form squadrons to carry out various missions.
Naval Unit Availability (海軍ユニットの可用性)
All CA and DD units may be on the map for only one turn section per game. Unless the optional rule is used, these units may be on the map only during the night turn section. There is no limit on how many times other naval units may appear on the map.
Missions (任務)
A naval unit may carry out one of six missions: bombardment, support, patrol, troop transport, daylight assault landing, and the dreaded night assault landing.
Bombardment (艦砲射撃): Bombardment is a mission that only cruisers and destroyers may carry out, and it is the only mission they can carry out. Bombardment is carried out by moving the relevant ships onto the map and bombarding coastal targets, in the same way as other artillery units, at the appropriate time in an impulse (or naval impulse). If the Soviet player wishes, it may keep the bombarding ships off the map, indicating how many hexes south of the map edge they lie, so as to exploit their long range and remain outside the range of coastal batteries. The Soviet player may declare a position within the range of Axis coastal batteries, in which case the ships may be attacked as if they were on the map. For the reasons given above, the Soviet High Command did not wish to expose its surviving heavy ships to Stuka attack by day, so bombardment may normally be carried out only at night. However, a player who believes there is good reason to keep heavy ships offshore by day may try it, although it is recommended that the victory conditions be read first. Ground units on the coast may observe targets for shore bombardment, and fleet units may observe their own targets (see also the optional rule Air Spotting).
Support (支援): Support is similar to bombardment in that naval units attack ground targets. However, the support mission may be carried out by the destroyers Nezamozhnik and Zheleznyakov, and by GB (gunboat), MS (minesweeper), Rkt/MS (minesweeper with rocket launchers), CMS (coastal minesweeper), PB (patrol boat), and LN (launch) units. A unit carrying out support may be placed on any All-sea hex during the movement part of a Soviet impulse. Such units may be attacked there, and may carry out barrage or fire against ground targets. Such units need not return to base, and are not limited to the night impulse. A support unit may remain on the map for up to three Soviet impulses before it must return to base.
Patrol (哨戒): To keep S-boats away, the Soviet player must place four boat units and one ship in the Patrol box. The Axis player has the ability to attrit Soviet naval units on any two night turn sections of the game (except the first turn and turns in fog). The procedure is as follows. The Axis player secretly writes down on a note that it intends to attempt naval action on a particular night. The decision is made at the start of the night turn section. When the Soviet player starts a night impulse, or declares a night assault landing, the Axis player (if it is the night of the attack by its chosen fleet) declares that it is exercising the naval action option. If the Soviet player has assigned an appropriate number of naval units to the Patrol box, each unit in the Patrol box is attacked at the minimum attack on the CRT. The Soviet player rolls one die; if the result is 6, the German player is considered to have suffered heavy losses in that sea battle, and may not carry out a second sea action. If the Soviet player has not placed enough naval units in the Patrol box, all Soviet naval units that move on the map that night are attacked at the minimum CRT attack strength. When this attack is resolved, all modifiers printed on the naval units are used.
Embarking and Disembarking (乗船と下船): The following types of naval unit may transport ground units: GB (gunboat), MS (minesweeper), CMS (coastal minesweeper), PB (patrol boat), LN (launch), MTB (torpedo boat), SN (seiner), Tug (tugboat), and Barge. For which types of ground unit these naval units may transport, see the Naval Unit Capability Chart. These naval units may transport ground units from a Soviet port to a Partial-sea hex on the map, or in the reverse direction. To embark ground units, they must be in a port box on the Display, or in a Partial-sea hex containing a Pier or a Jetty. The cost of embarking is 1 MP. When ground units are embarked, they are placed under the naval unit to show that the naval unit is transporting them.
When there is no risk of damage during landing or evacuation (that is, in daylight with no threat from enemy aircraft, coastal batteries or other units), the Soviet player has no reason to assign particular ground units to particular naval units. It calculates the total transport capacity of the naval units available, pays the MP needed for embarking or disembarking, picks up the ground units, and moves them by sea to their destination. However, where naval units carrying troops may suffer damage, the units must be assigned to particular naval units, so that it is possible to identify which ground units were damaged if the transport is hit.
When a naval unit carrying ground units takes Hits, those ground units suffer damage in the same proportion as the naval unit absorbs Hits. Thus, if the naval unit sinks at four Hits, any ground unit it is carrying suffers 25% damage for each Hit the naval unit takes. These losses are rounded up if the combat strength of the ground unit cannot be divided into four equal parts. If the naval unit carrying ground units sinks, those ground units are also eliminated. A naval unit transporting more than 2 combat strength points of ground units may not move at a speed greater than 6. A naval unit attacked in a Partial-sea hex receives a +2 modifier, but ground units disembarking in a Partial-sea hex do not receive this modifier.
There are three types of mission for moving ground units from a port to the map, or in the reverse direction: troop transport, daylight assault landing, and night assault landing. The Axis player secretly constructs its coastal defence line (see the scenarios below), so the Soviet player does not know whether it will be fired upon when it lands troops from the sea. At the start of a Soviet impulse in which the Soviet player wishes to embark or disembark ground units on the game map, or at the start of any night turn section in which it wishes to do the same, the Soviet player declares this and tells the Axis player the coastal area in which the action will take place. The Axis player then consults its secretly recorded placement chart, and tells the Soviet player whether its landing will be subjected to direct bombardment or fire from coastal artillery, artillery, antiaircraft companies or other units able to attack Soviet naval units in Partial-sea or All-sea hexes. If the Axis player cannot or does not wish to attack the naval units, it tells the Soviet player so, and the Soviet player (fortunately) carries out the troop transport mission. If the Axis player intends to attack the landing naval units, the daylight or night assault landing procedure is used as appropriate.
The disembarking cost for the troop transport or daylight assault landing mission is 1 MP. Ground units that have landed may move normally. The disembarking cost for the night assault landing mission is not required, but see below.
Troop Transport (部隊輸送): To carry out the troop transport mission, ground units in a Soviet port box embark, give enemy aircraft in the landing zone a chance to attack, and then disembark into a friendly Partial-sea hex. "Friendly" here means the hex the friendly unit last moved to, which is not in enemy ZOC and is clearly behind the friendly front line. Units that land on a Pier or Jetty hex spend no MP to disembark. This mission may also be used to carry out an evacuation. In an evacuation, naval units are deployed on the map board, embark ground units from Partial-sea hexes, and return them to a port box. A naval unit that has landed units on the map may return to port, but during the AM or PM impulse it may carry only one load (unit) on or off the map. At night, and when there is no fog, the troop transport mission may be doubled in its transport capacity (that is, it may be carried out twice). If night fog is present, naval units may use only their normal transport capacity (one round trip). The only mission naval units may carry out during fog is the troop transport mission.
Day Amphibious Assault (昼間強襲上陸): If the Soviet player declares the transport of ground units from port to a Partial-sea hex behind the Axis front line during daylight, and the Axis player declares resistance as outlined above, the day amphibious assault procedure applies. First, the Soviet player divides the participating naval units into waves. Each wave consists of twice the number of Partial-sea hexes in the landing area in boat units, or 2 Ship units. For example, the Yuzhnaya Ozereyka coast is four hexes wide, so a wave aimed at this coast may consist of up to eight boat units. Each wave must consist of naval units of the same speed.
The Axis player may fire at each wave in turn with its defending units. Each Axis unit able to attack any All-sea or Partial-sea hex that the wave moves through may attack each wave, using point bombardment or antitank combat strength (indirect fire may also be used against the wave), in the following manner. Each defending unit may attack a wave of speed 10 three times, a wave of speed 6 four times, and waves slower than that are attacked five times. Carrying out this attack does not reduce that attacking unit's ability to attack other land targets in that impulse. Each attacking unit makes its attacks individually. One target may be attacked several times, or attacks may be spread among the naval units in the wave. When all the units able to attack a wave have finished, the next wave begins, and its attacks commence. There is no limit to the number of waves the Axis units may attack. If any naval unit in a wave fails a morale check, the whole wave fails, and that wave is returned to base. If a wave survives all attacks, it may counterattack by firing or bombarding the attacking units. Each boat unit may fire at only one Axis unit, but MS (minesweeper) and GB (gunboat) units may attack up to three such Axis units.
After all waves have run the gauntlet (*), those waves that have neither returned to base nor sunk may disembark the ground units they carried into the Partial-sea hexes. The naval units then return to port. If the naval units' mission is to withdraw ground units from the map, the Axis player may choose to attack either the waves approaching the shore, or the waves moving off with embarked ground units.
In either case, each Axis unit attacking a target that occupies a Partial-sea hex receives a +2 modifier, but only once. However, this modifier applies only to the last "fire" the Axis player makes at that wave. Therefore, if a wave has failed a morale check from an earlier Axis fire, the naval units near the coast have not reached that point, and no (modified) fire may be carried out against them.
Gauntlet: a punishment in which the offender runs between two lines of men who flog him with whips (source footnote).
Night Amphibious Assault (夜間強襲上陸): Before reading further, rest assured that the night amphibious assault does not occur frequently in the game. A night amphibious assault occurs when the Soviet player declares a night amphibious assault, and the Axis player states that the landing will be stopped by direct bombardment or fire.
The night turn section during a night amphibious assault consists of four naval quarters. If naval units are on the map during a naval quarter, that quarter is divided into six naval impulses. When the Soviet player carries out a night amphibious assault, the night turn section begins with the night weather determination phase, the night air allocation phase and the artillery point allocation and supply check phase, except that the Soviet player is automatically considered to win night initiative. If the Soviet player attempts to land only one or two units for the sole purpose of preventing the Axis player from gaining night initiative, the Axis player has the authority to put the Soviet player in its place (*whether this is enforced by a rule forbidding the Soviet action, or left to the Soviet player's sense of honour, is a matter for the players to decide).
After all naval actions in a quarter have been completed, ground units move and fight at the end of each naval quarter, with the Soviet player going first. Ground units may move 2 MP per quarter, and may carry out barrage, fire and assault once each per night; these functions may be carried out in any quarter. Units may also carry out construction work during naval quarters. Work is completed when enough quarters have passed to accumulate the MP required. All units may move in each naval quarter. If a unit's available MP is reduced by 2 because it is Suppressed or moving in fog, its available MP is reduced by a further 1 in even-numbered naval quarters.
Before the first naval quarter begins, the Soviet player must form its amphibious force. This means assigning ground units to the naval units that will carry them, and forming naval groups (Naval Groups) consisting of all the naval units carrying out the same mission in the same Air/Naval zone. For example, all naval units carrying out bombardment in the Western zone form a bombardment group, which is placed in the Western zone box on the Display, and so on. Next, the Soviet player consults the Naval Coordination Table, rolls one die for each group, and this determines the naval quarter in which the group may enter the map. The Soviet player carries out ground operations until the naval quarter in which its naval group arrives on the game map. The Soviet player may, if it wishes, delay the arrival of a naval group to a later naval quarter.
CA (cruiser) and DD (destroyer) units may not remain on the map during the fourth naval quarter, unless the optional rule is used. In a naval quarter in which naval units are on the map, that quarter is divided into naval impulses. Each naval impulse consists of naval movement, Axis anti-ship attack, and Soviet naval attack. Each naval unit has a movement allowance (see the Naval Unit Capability Chart).
A naval unit entering the map through an All-sea hex on the southern edge of the map pays 1 MP to enter. If a stack of several naval units enters the map from one hex, the second stack to enter pays 2 MP, and the third stack pays 3 MP. A Damaged naval unit moves at half its speed. A naval unit transporting more than 2 combat strength points of ground units may not move at a speed greater than 6.
During naval movement in a naval impulse, naval units may move through All-sea and Partial-sea hexes, spending 1 MP per hex. Naval units may not enter a hex containing Rocks (岩礁). When a naval unit leaves an enemy ZOC hex, it suffers ZOC fire in the same way as ground units. The +2 modifier for leaving a ZOC hex cannot be avoided, and other modifiers may also apply.
Axis units that can directly observe a naval unit may now attack it with point or antitank combat strength. Each Axis unit attacks individually, and may attack twice in each naval impulse. At the Axis player's choice, it may attack one target twice, or fire once at each of two targets. Naval units attacked by coastal artillery companies, HAKO (harbour defence command) or 88 mm antiaircraft companies do not receive the night attack modifier (because those units carry flares and tracer). (See also the optional rule Searchlight.)
These attacks are carried out in the normal way, with the CRT or ATCRT used according to the attacking unit. A naval unit that fails a morale check receives the corresponding marker and must leave the map as soon as possible in order to return to base. A naval unit in a Partial-sea hex receives a +2 modifier when attacked.
Note that some naval units receive an armour modifier of up to -3, and others receive a modifier of up to +2 for reduced speed and similar factors. The following modifiers do not apply in Partial-sea hexes: Downhill, and target size.
An Axis unit that fires on naval units during a naval impulse may not attack ground units in the same naval quarter.
After all Axis attacks on naval units have been resolved, those naval units on the map that attacked ships this turn and that are within range of, and whose position can be observed by, Axis units may now be attacked by barrage or fire. Naval units in the same group may combine their strength to attack a target, but each naval unit may attack only one target per naval impulse.
Ground units embarked, and located in a Partial-sea hex at the start of a naval impulse, may disembark without MP cost. Ground units that disembark during a night amphibious assault move normally from the end of that naval quarter. (If both players agree, the Soviet player may, where necessary, record the ground units that landed in the fourth to sixth impulses of each quarter and give them only 1 movement point for that quarter. This is probably a waste of time; it is simpler to give ground units 2 movement points per naval quarter.)
Ground units that disembark during a night amphibious assault spend 1 MP to place an Assault marker. (The source's sentence continues onto the next page, and is completed here:) Ground units that disembark during a night amphibious assault do not need to spend MP to place an Assault marker, but instead, in the first night after landing, they may carry out up to two assaults (in two separate naval quarters) with no additional MP cost.
When the Soviet player has finished its attacks on Axis ground units, it advances the marker one space on the Naval Impulse Dial on the map. When the sixth naval impulse is complete, the naval quarter marker moves on the Naval Quarter Dial to show the end of that quarter, and the first naval impulse of the next naval quarter begins. When the third naval quarter is complete, all CA and DD units must immediately return to base.
During a night amphibious assault, naval units may leave the map, move to the Gelenjik harbour, spend one naval quarter there, embark additional troops, and return to the map. Naval units may also pick up ground units: at Kabardinka, up to two boat units per naval impulse may take part in embarking ground units, and at a Pier or Jetty hex, up to one boat unit per naval impulse may take part. A naval unit that leaves the map to embark further troops may return those troops only to the same zone from which it was operating.
Naval groups carrying out bombardment and support missions during a night amphibious assault move and fight in the same way as the naval units carrying out the landing. That is, in all six naval impulses of a quarter they both fire and are fired upon. However, if such a group wishes to bombard a target other than the Axis units firing on its ships, it refrains from attacking those Axis units, and may attack only during friendly barrage or during the attack period in the naval quarter.
When a naval unit takes a Hit, it is considered damaged, and its movement speed is halved. Boat units may be reorganised in port. By reorganising two boat units (each with one damaged boat), one unit can be made to have two damaged boats and the other to be undamaged. This is possible only if both units are of the same type. A damaged naval unit that has left the map may not re-enter it, and after being damaged may not embark ground units.
Ground units that disembark during a night amphibious assault are exempt from the command rules during that night.
Partial Sea Hex (部分海ヘクス): When an Axis unit is in a Partial-sea hex, it may be subjected to assault landings from all adjacent All-sea hexes. In this case, the naval unit carrying the assault troops is considered to be in the Partial-sea hex when it is fired upon, and receives a +2 modifier. If the assault units cannot drive out or annihilate the defenders, the assault units are annihilated.
Novorossisk Mole (防波堤): Looking at the entrance to the Novorossisk naval base, large moles (Mole) protrude from both shores. Ground units may move to these hexes from the Partial-sea hexes that connect to them at their base on both banks, and may deploy there, as though these hexes were city hexes. A unit occupying an All Sea Mole hex (a hex that is all sea except for the mole) receives no modifier from the city, and no benefit from being a small target. Trenches and Foxholes may not be dug on a Mole, but a Mole may be fortified. When more than 5 combat strength points of units occupy a Mole, a +1 modifier applies.
For a naval unit to enter Novorossisk naval base, it must pass between the moles that extend from the two shores. That is, it must enter the hex containing the western arm of the mole and then pass through all the All-sea hexes adjacent to the Proletary cement factory and the Mefodyevka industrial area. This was in fact successfully achieved in September 1943, when torpedo attacks were made against the moles, destroying the gun emplacements on them and the boom linking the two arms.* (Players who wish to recreate this should write their own rules for it. It may be added that the torpedo range is 1 hex, which would be a very effective attack.) The Soviet player may land units directly onto the mole if no units are on it. It may attempt assault landings onto the mole, but only with units of morale 6.
*Translator's footnote on "boom": the word has several meanings, including the arm of a crane or excavator, a floating barrier (such as an oil boom), and a long pole projecting sideways from a crane mast.
18. Construction and Demolition (建設と破壊)
Players have the ability to build three kinds of field works: Foxholes (たこつぼ), Trench (塹壕) and Fortification (要塞化陣地). Field works are built during the movement part of a player's impulse, and cost MP. Units that are Suppressed or Disrupted may not build anything.
Foxholes (たこつぼ) represent places that can be dug, in a few hours and with a small shovel, for individual defence. A Foxhole must be removed from the map when the unit leaves it. This is not because a Foxhole fills in by itself, but to prevent the map from being cluttered with Foxholes.
Trench (塹壕) is sturdier, and makes better use of the terrain, but offers little overhead protection. To avoid running short of counters, such trench markers should be removed from the map when the fighting moves away from them. A trench can be built only in a hex that already contains a Foxhole. (In an initial 12-MP impulse, a unit may use all 12 MP to build a Foxhole and then build a trench.) In a hex in which no Foxhole has yet been built, the unit must first build a Foxhole and then build the trench.
Fortification (要塞化陣地) may be built only by engineers or construction units. It represents two days of work by equipped and trained units. Such a position is covered with logs and earth or concrete, and is equipped with mines, barbed wire, combat bunkers, communication trenches, and camouflage.
When a fortification is begun, a Fortification Under Construction marker is placed in the hex. The unit carrying out the construction must remain in that hex for a full two turns, without moving or taking part in combat, before the counter is flipped. It is recommended that the hex number, unit and turn at which the fortification will be complete be recorded on a note. If a unit under construction is attacked by enemy barrage or air bombardment and does not become Suppressed or Disrupted, the construction work is unaffected. Otherwise, any other attack removes the fortification marker. If a unit has been fortifying a hex for one turn, a trench marker is placed in that hex, and the unit benefits from it when attacked. When the fortification is complete, the trench marker is removed; but if the fortification marker is removed by enemy action before completion, the trench marker remains in the hex. A full two turns means that if a unit begins building a fortification in the first impulse of the 5 February turn, it is completed in the first impulse of the 7 February turn.
A captured trench or fortification may be used by the unit that captured it. To show that it has been captured, turn its marker over. The orientation of Foxholes, fortifications and trenches has no material effect on the game, but markers must be turned to show clearly which unit they belong to. A unit occupying a field work places its unit beneath the field-work marker. Enemy zones of control do not extend into fortified or trench hexes.
Effects of field works:
- Foxholes: a unit attacked by fire or barrage may receive a -1 modifier.
- Trench: a unit attacked by fire or barrage may receive a -2 modifier; when attacked by assault, the defender's average morale may be increased by +1.
- Fortification: a unit attacked by fire or barrage may receive a -3 modifier; when attacked by assault, the defender's average morale may be increased by +3. In addition, defensive fire carried out from a fortification receives a +1 modifier.
Foxholes benefit only Personnel-type units. Trenches and Fortifications benefit Weapons or Personnel units.
| Field works | Who may build | Who may use | Build time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foxholes (たこつぼ) | Personnel | Personnel | 4 MP |
| Trench (塹壕) | Personnel / Weapons | Personnel / Weapons | 8 MP (from a Foxhole) |
| Fortification (要塞化陣地) | Engineers / Construction | Personnel / Weapons | Full 2 turns |
Per. = Personnel; Wpns. = Weapons; Eng. = Engineers; Constr. = Construction.
Vehicle and Immobile units gain no benefit at all from field works. The benefit of field works is cumulative with the terrain modifier for the hex.
Demolitions (爆破)
Engineer units may destroy bridges and tunnels by spending 8 movement points in a hex adjacent to the object to be destroyed. After that, the effect of the bridge or tunnel is ignored. An engineer or construction unit may repair a demolished bridge by spending a full turn in a hex adjacent to it, without taking part in combat. An engineer unit may destroy an enemy Shore Battery (沿岸砲兵中隊 / 砲台) by spending a full impulse in its hex without taking part in combat or construction; however, the target coastal battery must first have been assaulted (and forced to retreat). The player may, during friendly combat, roll one die, and on a result of 1 to 5 may destroy its own coastal battery. When a coastal battery is being assaulted, the player in the battery's hex may, instead of carrying out defensive fire, attempt demolition. Roll one die; on a result of 1 to 4, the demolition takes place.
19. Unit Division and Reorganisation (ユニットの分割・再編成)
Unit Division (ユニットの分割)
Some Axis battalions may be divided into companies. To do this, during an Axis movement impulse the Axis player may remove the battalion from the map and replace it with company counters equal to the total strength of that battalion. Alternatively, a battalion may detach one or more companies. In that case the battalion's strength is adjusted to match the detachment, and the (detached) company counter is placed with the battalion. For example, a German 5-1 battalion may detach a 2-1 company by flipping the battalion counter to its 3-1 side and stacking one 2-1 company on it. Alternatively, a 1-0 company may be separated, a "1" casualty marker placed under the battalion, and that company placed on top. A third possibility is to remove the 5-1 battalion from the map, place it in the BATTALION BREAKDOWN box on the Player Display, and place two 2-1 companies and one 1-0 company in its place.
Be aware that if a player carries out this last action, it increases the battalion's available antitank strength by 100%! As you will imagine, this is not the intention of this rule. In any hex, the player may use only a total of 1 antitank strength point for every three companies (or any number less than three). Independent companies not organised by division of a battalion are not subject to this limit.
Division of a battalion costs no MP, and may be carried out at any time during an Axis movement impulse. Each company produced as a result of the division may spend the MP the battalion had left. Similarly, during an Axis movement impulse, a battalion may be reformed by combining companies, removing them from the board, and replacing them with the battalion in the BATTALION BREAKDOWN box. The strength of this battalion must equal the total strength of the companies combined; so if a full-strength battalion (for example 5-1) that has gone into the breakdown box is reformed from three 1-0 companies, it must be flipped to its 3-1 side. Naturally, when companies must spend MP to reach their destination hex before reforming the battalion, the number of MP left to the reformed battalion equals that of the company with the fewest remaining MP among those used.
The number of company units provided in the game counter mix should be used as a limit on dividing units, but more may be added if necessary. Keep these within some limits, so that the map is not filled up with companies.
Reorganisation (再編成)
Units of the same branch belonging to the same parent formation (regiment, kampfgruppe, or brigade) that are stacked together, and that are not Suppressed or Disrupted, may transfer combat strength points from one unit to the other during their movement, provided that the receiving unit does not exceed its original full combat strength.
20. Reinforcements (増援)
Both sides may receive reinforcements during the game. All German reinforcements enter the map from Neberjayevskaya. If that village is in Soviet hands, German reinforcements may enter from Verkhnebakansky. The Romanian motorcycle battalion enters the map from Krasno Medvedovskaya. All Soviet reinforcements enter either from Kabardinka, or by being placed on the map at a landing beach after being transported by naval units and landed on a shore, or from a port box on the Player Display. Units entering the map from a road must be in Road Column and may not stack. A unit must pay the MP cost to enter the first hex it enters; a second unit entering from the same hex during the same impulse must pay twice that movement cost, a third three times, and so on. Reinforcements may execute strategic movement from the first turn of their entry into the game. Units may also delay their entry.
Early Reinforcements (増援部隊の早期投入)
Each player may attempt to secure early reinforcements and optional reinforcements once during the game. At the start of any turn, the player secretly rolls two dice, applies the appropriate modifier, and reads the result on the EARLY REINFORCEMENT TABLE. The table gives, for each player, a value based on the geographic objectives the Soviet player controls. Control means that a Soviet player unit occupies the hex, or last occupied it. These values are added to the secret die roll. The reason for this is that if the Soviet offensive has advanced well beyond its historical course, both sides are more likely to rush their reinforcements. If the modified die roll is "11", all friendly reinforcements appear on the map one turn early. On "12", reinforcements arrive two turns early, and the arrival of optional reinforcements is also triggered. For the Axis, this includes one battle group of the German 9th Infantry Division; for the Soviets, it includes the 176th Rifle Division, the 50th Tank Battalion, and part of the 5th Guards Tank Brigade.
A player may use this procedure only once during the game, at the end of any turn it chooses. The dice result is secret. Neither player has the right to know whether the other has brought in its troops early or has missed its chance; neither player has the right to know whether the other has gained early reinforcements or missed its chance. If the Axis player rolls "11" or "12", its reserve aircraft units are introduced into the game first, as with other reinforcements.
Replacements (補充)
On 6 February, the Soviet player receives five Partisan detachments. These may be used to replace losses of Soviet infantry units of morale 5 or lower. By stacking with such a unit and removing a Partisan unit from the game, the infantry unit's combat strength is raised by 1. Any infantry unit may absorb only one Partisan unit.
21. Command (指揮)
Before moving units, a player must check whether they are in command (in command). Both players must check whether units taking part in assaults are in command. For a unit to be in command, it must be within 6 hexes of a headquarters (HQ) unit. If the unit is a German unit, the headquarters may be any German HQ; for other units, the HQ must be the headquarters of the unit's parent formation (corps, division, brigade or regiment).
All German units and all Soviet battalions may ignore enemy units and ZOC between the unit and its headquarters (radio). Other units must trace a line six hexes long, free of enemy units and ZOC, to their own HQ.
The following units are excluded from all the provisions of the command rules: artillery, antiaircraft guns, antitank guns, armoured vehicles, independent engineers, Brandenburg units, airborne units, marine companies, motorcycles, training (School) units, coastal batteries, and independent machine-gun units.
If an HQ unit is Disrupted, it may not place units in command. When an HQ is annihilated, all units belonging to it immediately become Suppressed.
A unit that is Out of Command (Out of Command) suffers the following penalties:
- Its movement allowance is halved.
- It may not observe targets for friendly artillery that are not adjacent to it.
- In an assault, the average morale of the unit is taken as the morale of the lowest-morale unit.
- A unit that succeeds in an assault may advance only one hex.
Units landed by an amphibious assault are not affected by the command rules during the first turn section after landing.
A unit stacked with a friendly HQ is considered to have the same morale as that HQ.
22. Fatigue (疲労)
(An optional rule, which is recommended for use.)
Wherever combat continues for 10 days, unit fatigue becomes an important factor, particularly in the winter mountains. Unlike cardboard counters, men become tired. The best way to represent this in the game is to give each individual unit a fatigue level.
Fatigue is recorded for the following units: all divisions, brigades and independent regiments, and some ad hoc formations (units of the Novorossisk garrison not attached to a formation, and the 90th Special Landing Regiment including the 323rd Marine Battalion). Each of these formations has a counter, and its fatigue level is recorded by moving that counter on the FATIGUE track in front of the player.
When most units of one of these parent formations are engaged across all three turn sections (AM, PM and Night) of a turn, place the formation's marker in the "Tired" box of the Fatigue track. In each subsequent turn section in which most of the units still belonging to that parent formation are engaged, the marker moves one box to the right. When the formation's fatigue marker reaches the second box, all units belonging to that formation lose 1 morale and 2 MP. While a formation's marker is on the Fatigue track, in each turn section in which most of its units are engaged the marker is moved one box to the right; in each turn section in which most of its units are not engaged, the marker is moved one box to the left. "Engaged" means taking part in any attack or defensive combat, except attacks made only by non-adjacent enemy artillery or air units. If most of the units of a parent formation have moved, built, or otherwise spent movement points without taking part in combat, the marker stays in its position on the Fatigue track.
"Most" is a rather vague term. If you feel that a regiment of a division, or a battalion of a brigade, that is waiting in reserve while its comrades in a nearby hex have been fighting for 24 hours without rest and are exhausted, must have high morale because it is fresh, then play it that way. For a reasonable player who wishes to simulate real problems without being absorbed in markers and bookkeeping, this rather rough rule will serve as a guide. If you are afraid of being cheated by your opponent, you may look for a new opponent, raise the awareness of the current one, or ignore this rule. Alternatively, you may draw up a unit roster and record the fatigue level of each unit individually. If you have been fired and the local unemployment rate has reached Depression levels, you may have time for this, but even so, I believe the game is easier and more enjoyable to play with a flexible rule.
Footnote on FATIGUE (translator's note in the source): the game map has a "FATIGUE TRACK" on which each unit's fatigue is shown. Fatigue has five levels (six including the not-fatigued state). In order of increasing severity: TIRED (no penalty); VERY TIRED (morale -1, MP -2); WEARY (morale -2, MP -3); EXHAUSTED (morale -3, MP -4); and "POORED" (morale -3; MP 2 only, and construction work is not possible). (The source spells this level "POORED"; the term is transcribed as printed.)
23. Special Units (特殊ユニット)
Among the forces taking part in "Operation Morsky" are various units not usually seen, such as the White Cossacks and punishment battalions (Punishment Battalion). (Source footnote on the White Cossacks: the literal translation is "white Cossacks"; what "White" refers to has not been researched, and it may refer to a White Russian origin.) Some of these units require special treatment.
Mountain Troops (山岳部隊): Most Soviet mountain divisions consisted of four larger-than-normal regiments, each of which contained only one battalion that had actually been trained and equipped for special mountain operations. However, the 897th Mountain Regiment, sent to the Little Land (small land) bridgehead, was well trained for mountain operations and was rated "very good" by the enemy. This regiment consisted of five mountain infantry companies, one machine-gun company, one antitank rifle company, one engineer company, and two mortar companies. In addition, this unit was supported by a battalion of multiple-rocket launchers drawn by mules. This regiment had not only special training for mountain operations, but also skilled technique in the use of explosives and in shock attacks (shock attack).
When any unit of the 897th Mountain Regiment moves into a hex at an elevation above 100 metres, it uses the cost for moving on a Slope, and not the cost for Upslope. When mountain infantry companies carry out an assault against a city, industrial, or Fortified hex at an elevation above 100 metres, their morale level may receive a +1 modifier.
Engineers (工兵): In addition to their construction and demolition abilities, the morale level of engineers is modified by +2 when they assault a trench, fortification, city, industrial or tunnel hex, reflecting the effectiveness of explosives, flamethrowers and other attractive equipment.
Submachinegunners (サブマシンガン部隊): The Soviets had two companies and one battalion of submachinegun-equipped units. Each may, when carrying out an assault, apply a +1 modifier to its morale level.
The modifiers that may be applied to an assault by the three types of unit above (mountain troops, engineers, and submachinegunners) are limited to a total of +3. Each unit type affects an assault only once, so even if two submachinegun units are used in one assault, only a +1 modifier arises.
Brandenburgers (ブランデンブルク部隊): The 13th Company of the 803rd Brandenburg Regiment was given a high combat strength not demonstrated by its numbers alone. It had the high-level combat training of this commando group, and embodied expertise in fighting. Furthermore, because a high proportion of its men spoke Russian and Caucasian languages, this unit may attempt moves that pass directly through hexes occupied by Soviet units.
This infiltration tactic may be attempted only under Night, Fog, or Night and Fog conditions. The Axis player moves the Brandenburg unit adjacent to a Soviet unit, declares that it will attempt infiltration, and rolls one die. A result of 1 to 3 means the infiltration succeeds. If the infiltration fails, the Axis player must immediately carry out an assault against that hex using the Surprise Attack Table, and it may not apply the attack modifier of a morale-6 unit. Regardless of the result of that assault, the Brandenburg unit may advance one hex after the assault, and its movement then ends. If the infiltration attempt succeeds, the Brandenburg unit may enter the hex occupied by the Soviet unit simply by paying the normal movement cost.
An infiltration may be attempted only when the commando unit has enough MP to enter and leave the hex occupied by the Soviet unit as normal movement. A Brandenburg unit may not end its movement in a hex occupied by a Soviet unit. Infiltration attempts against Soviet units in the Soviet rear area succeed on a result of 1 to 4. At night and in fog, a Brandenburg unit leaving a Soviet ZOC may ignore ZOC fire. Likewise, it is exempt from ZOC fire when it leaves a Soviet ZOC as a result of a successful infiltration.
Paratroops (空挺部隊): The Soviet 90th Special Landing Regiment was a veteran unit made up of seven companies of marine paratroops. Part of the regiment had taken part a few months earlier in the airborne operation at Maikop. In that operation, two companies were dropped around Vasilevka, but almost all of them were killed by a German counterattack before they could assemble. The rest of the regiment were ferried from Kabardinka to Little Land (the small land bridgehead) and reinforced the 323rd Marine Battalion.
During the game, the Soviet player may drop up to four companies of the 90th Regiment, and no more than two companies in any turn. Paratroops may be dropped only at night, in clear or cloudy weather.
(Source note: if you wish to build a Li-2 transport aircraft unit, you may create a Li-2 transport air unit with interception value and agility 1, air combat strength 1, and defence value 1, which can carry two paratroop companies. If you do not wish to do this, limit airborne operations to the night turn section, to avoid collision with patrolling Me-109s.)
To drop paratroops, it is necessary to determine where the paratroop unit disperses. To do this, pick up the paratroop infantry company and lift it 2 feet (about 61 cm) above the target hex. Declare the target hex, drop the counter onto the map, and place it on the hex where it lands. If the unit counter is face-down when it lands, the unit becomes Disrupted. If the landing hex is a lake, All-sea, Partial-sea, Woods, or a hex occupied by Axis units, the unit is annihilated. If the landing hex is in an Axis zone of control, the dropped unit must assault the Axis unit there; a unit that fails this assault is annihilated. If the airborne unit lands in a hex other than the target hex, it becomes Suppressed.
(Source note: "Trust us, this technique has been carefully playtested. It not only avoids many rules complexities, but also works quickly and effectively. Go on, try it.")
Shore Batteries (沿岸砲兵中隊) / HAKO (港湾防衛司令): Of the three Axis coastal artillery companies, two companies of the 789th Coastal Artillery Battalion, which are equipped with Czech-made 105 mm guns, were installed in "very solid concrete batteries", and one company of the 338th Coastal Artillery Battalion, equipped with 107 mm guns captured from the Soviets, was installed in similar facilities.
The writer Paul Carell gives a vivid account of these units' success in repulsing the Soviet landing at Yuzhnaya Ozerekya on the night of 3–4 February. Unfortunately, however, much of his account is incorrect, according to research by Shelby Stanton in the German archive documents (archive microfilm T-1022, roll 2581). Claims that the batteries were placed 3 to 4 miles from the coast, and could not control good fire over the sea, and the strange point that an observation post was set up in the Ozereyka valley, cast doubt on it. But the idea that these guns were hidden in the dunes for five months, clearly ignoring the abundant cement available, is hard to believe.
HAKOs (Hafenkommandanten, harbour defence commands) were German naval units of about 500 men, responsible for defence of the port facilities in the Novorossisk area. They had strong points with machine guns, light antiaircraft guns and two 105 mm howitzers, including a concrete bunker on the Novorossisk mole fitted with a captured T-34 turret. As Carell says, they were not an administrative unit armed with desks and filing cabinets.
The Soviet coastal artillery companies, of the 1st Coastal Artillery Battalion, 325th and 524th, were equipped with 180 mm guns in "casemate" positions on the east shore of Tsemess Bay and at the foot of Doob mountain. Because of their long range, with accurate and heavy fire they were able to dominate the whole bay and valley. These batteries were very strongly protected and withstood constant bombing; on one day they were bombed 39 times, yet were not destroyed.
All these units are fixed installations. If one of them is forced to retreat as a result of an assault, treat it as captured. If captured, it may be demolished by enemy engineers. If it is captured but not demolished, it may be recaptured, and after one friendly impulse following a successful recapture, it returns to a usable state and may perform its function as before. Such units may be destroyed by enemy point bombardment; they suffer damage like other units, carry out morale checks, and when Hits reduce their combat strength to the value on the reverse, the counter is flipped. A coastal artillery company may not bombard adjacent hexes. A HAKO may fire at adjacent hexes or other hexes within its range.
All these units are treated as Fortified hexes, and may give this defensive value to one friendly Personnel unit stacked with them. Building field works in a hex containing HAKO or coastal artillery companies has no effect on those units.
Rockets (ロケット砲): The 216th Guards Rocket Battalion was detached to the 8th Guards Brigade; this unit normally carries M-13 Katyusha eight-tube launchers mounted on trucks. The 897th Mountain Regiment was evidently lent a mule-drawn mountain rocket battalion. Both battalions quickly reveal their positions because of the flash and the trailing smoke when they launch rockets. The 216th Guards Rocket Battalion has the option, after firing its rockets, of spending 1 MP to move to a new firing position, in order to avoid return counter-battery fire from the enemy. (The source notes uncertainty as to whether mules could perform the same manoeuvre.) Unless it moves, an attacking rocket unit is visible to enemy observers within range in all weather except fog. A unit attacked by a rocket battalion or by the rocket minesweeper Skumbria automatically makes a morale check, in addition to any morale check required by the combat result.
24. Scenarios (シナリオ)
Black Sea * Black Death has four scenarios. Two of them are practice scenarios, designed so that players can become familiar with the air rules and the night assault landing rules before playing the full scenario. This avoids the syndrome in which a player sets up the game incorrectly, makes serious mistakes with the more detailed rules in the first few turns, and quits in frustration. These two scenarios are interesting, but they are for practice only. Scenario 3 is also for learning, and is based only on the land game. This scenario is based on the situation on the morning after the Soviet landing; it is simplified, but is an interesting game in its own right. Finally, there is the full game, which covers the whole battle in three dimensions (land, sea and air). The source acknowledges that players may want to say "forget the scenarios, let's play straight away", but suggests that it is more enjoyable to check out (the scenarios) first, so that one does not have to think "oh, I see the setup is quite wrong; shall I start again from the beginning?"
Scenario 1: Air Game (空軍ゲーム)
Both sides deploy all their aircraft units, but up to three aircraft units may be placed at each of their forward air bases (Anapa and Gelenjik). The Soviet player places a marine battalion (any) in each of the following: the Glebovka, Abrau Dyurso, Yuzhnaya Ozereyka and Stanichka hexes, the Mud Baths, and the Fish Factory (Fish Factory). It also places two coastal batteries anywhere within one hex of the coastal road east of Tsemess Bay. Finally, it places one gunboat, one minesweeper and three patrol boats in any All-sea hex.
The Axis player places one infantry battalion (of at least 5 combat strength points) at Vasilevka, and four infantry battalions at Novorossisk. It must place artillery battalions at Borisovka, Kirilovka, Bolshoi and Mefodyevka. All German units may be placed beneath Trench markers. In addition, three units of the 279th Flak Battalion may be stacked with, or placed adjacent to, any German units, together with Trench markers.
The length of this scenario is one turn. All of the normal turn sequence is ignored, except the air allocation and interception phases in the AM, PM and Night turn sections. The weather is treated as Clear throughout the turn. At the start of the AM and Night turn sections, both players roll one die; the player with the higher roll is the first player for that scenario.
Victory points are awarded on the following schedule: 1 point per Hit on an infantry unit; 2 points per Hit on an artillery unit; 5 points per Hit on a gunboat or minesweeper; 2 points per Hit on a patrol boat; 1 point per Hit on a fighter unit; and 2 points per Hit on a bomber unit. The side with the higher total of victory points wins the scenario (hooray). Since this scenario is for practice, there is no need to worry much about it; the points exist only to give a motive for choosing targets.
Scenario 2: Night Assault Landing (夜間強襲上陸)
The Soviet player places the following units on its player display: in the Distant Port box, the cruisers Krasny Krym and Krasny Kavkaz, the destroyers Kharkov, Besposchadny, Soobrazitelny, Nezamozhnik and Zhelezniakov, the gunboats Krasny Abkhazia and Krasny Gruzia, and three MS (minesweepers). In the Gelenjik Port box: the rocket minesweeper Skumbria (Rkt/MS), three barges, three tugboats, three CMS (coastal minesweepers), three LN (launches), twelve PB (patrol boats), one MTB (torpedo boat) and one SN (seiner); the 83rd and 255th Marine Brigades; the 165th Rifle Brigade; the 29th Antitank Gun Regiment; three companies of the 90th Special Landing Regiment; the 563rd Tank Battalion; and the 433rd Machine-gun Battalion. In any hex within two hexes of the coastal road south of the Oktyabr cement factory, east of Tsemess Bay, place the 81st Guards Artillery Regiment, the 1169th Naval Artillery Regiment, three units of the Novorossisk Naval Base, and the 325th and 524th Coastal Artillery companies. All units except the last three may occupy Fortified hexes. Place two companies of the 90th Special Landing Regiment at Kabardinka. Place 4 Ammunition Points in the Coast box of the Ammunition Track.
The Soviet player should turn its back on the map so that the Axis player can secretly set up its coastal defence line. The Axis player secretly places the following units, recording their positions on a copy of the map printed on the back cover of the rulebook, a sketch map, or a simple note: the 16th and 18th HAKO units, the Memel, Flemsburg and Breslau artillery companies, and all units of the 164th Reserve and 279th Flak battalions; and, if it wishes to place other units, it may place them within three hexes of the coast, though this will probably only waste time. The Axis player must place its units within the following restrictions:
- Place the 18th HAKO and the 279th Flak battalion at Mefodyevka.
- At Novorossisk, place all three units of the 305th Infantry Regiment, the 13th Brandenburg Company, and the 16th HAKO.
- Place the 10th Punishment battalion at Stanichka.
- The Platov Cossack regiment is placed within 6 hexes of the coast between Myshako and the Fish Factory (inclusive).
- The 38th Romanian Infantry Regiment, together with the 124th Construction battalion, must be placed within 10 hexes of the coast between the Myshako river and the west edge of the map.
- The 164th Reserve Antiaircraft battalion may be placed anywhere within 12 hexes of the coast in the area under the 38th Romanian and/or Platov regiments.
- The Memel, Flemsburg and Breslau artillery companies must be placed so that they are at least 6 hexes from one another: on a Woods hex within 1 hex of a Trail or Road, or on any hex within 7 hexes of the coast from which they can attack some All-sea hexes.
- The Axis player may place up to 10 Trench markers.
The map area east of the line Verkhnebakansky – Kirilovka – Mt. 545 – Mt. 695, including the hexes on that line, is not used in play, and all its hexes are excluded. Air, weather and fatigue rules are not used. This scenario consists only of the night turn section of 3 February. The weather is considered Clear.
The Soviet player's goal is to establish a beachhead somewhere on the coast between Mefodyevka and the west edge of the map without suffering heavy losses. The Axis player's goal is to disrupt or defeat the landing, and to cause the greatest possible loss of enemy ships and troops. No victory points are awarded in this scenario, since it is a practice scenario whose purpose is to master the most complex procedures of the game. However, the players may use the following guidelines. The Soviet player should try to seize one of the following: Yuzhnaya Ozereyka, Abrau Dyurso, Glebovka, Alexina, Mud Baths, Fish Cannery, Stanichka, Novorossisk, and/or Mefodyevka. Obviously, the last two are the most valuable (though unlikely). Historically, by the end of the first turn about 31 combat strength points landed successfully, but the plan had been to land forces equivalent to 65 to 141 combat strength points. The Axis player should consult the victory point schedule to judge how well the sinking and damaging of Soviet ships has gone.
The night amphibious assault is the most complicated part of the play sequence. In the game it may be carried out two or at most three times, or perhaps only once. But when it is carried out, it may decide the outcome for either side. A carefully planned and executed landing lets the Soviet player concentrate its troops quickly at decisive points of the Axis defence line. On the other hand, Axis coastal defence with overlapping fields of fire can inflict heavy losses on Soviet units, earn large numbers of victory points by destroying Soviet ships, and greatly limit the Soviet player's ability to reinforce its beachhead or establish new ones. This scenario is intended to get players to understand the night assault landing rules and the other naval rules. Read the rules carefully. Before the scenario begins, both sides need to make plans, because the night assault landing is divided into four naval quarters during the night, so ground units in effect move in slow motion.
Scenario 3: Land Battle Game (地上戦ゲーム)
This scenario is based on the historical situation on the morning of 4 February, after the first Soviet landing. The scenario consists of two turns, 4 and 5 February. Its purpose is for players to become familiar with the movement and combat systems, and to gain some grasp of the map and its effect on movement and combat.
The Soviet player sets up first. Within one hex of the villages of Yuzhnaya Ozereyka, Abrau Dyurso or Glebovka, place two battalions of the 255th Marine Brigade (both flipped to their reduced-combat-strength side), the submachinegun companies of the 83rd and 255th Marine Brigades, the 1st company of the 563rd Tank Battalion, and the 433rd Machine-gun Battalion. In or adjacent to Alexina, Mud Baths, Old Fort, Fish Cannery, and Stanichka (excluding the overlap with Novorossisk), place five companies of the 323rd Marine Battalion and two companies of the 90th Special Landing Regiment. On the east side of Tsemess Bay, within one hex of the coastal road or the trail on the north-west slope of Mt. Doob, place the 1st Guards Artillery Regiment, the 1169th Naval Artillery Regiment, three units of the Novorossisk Naval Base, and the 325th and 524th Coastal Artillery companies. All units except the last two may occupy Fortified hexes. The Soviet player places 3 Ammunition Points in the Coastal Ammo box on the Display.
The Axis player places five Romanian companies with Trench markers within two hexes of Yuzhnaya Ozereyka, Abrau Dyurso or Glebovka. In this area it also places the headquarters of the 38th Romanian Regiment and the I/20/10 artillery battalion. The Flemsburg artillery company is placed just west of the point where the Dyurso river flows into the Black Sea, and the Breslau artillery company is placed on Hill 288. The Memel artillery company is placed 7 hexes directly east of the Breslau artillery company. Within the setup area of the 38th Romanian Regiment, place two 88 mm antiaircraft companies and one 20 mm light antiaircraft company of the 164th Reserve Antiaircraft Battalion, and the 124th Construction battalion. On the road north-west of Bolshoi, place the III/615 FA battalion, the 28th Romanian Antiaircraft battalion, and the 58th Romanian Engineer battalion. The Busche battle group is placed in column formation on the road that runs from two hexes north of Vladimirovka towards Verkhnebakansky. Place the 144th Construction battalion at Bolshoi, and the 46th Engineer battalion at Vasilevka. The three battalions of the Platov regiment are all placed with their reduced-strength side up: one is placed in or adjacent to Myshako, another on a flat hex within 3 hexes south-east of Myshako, and the last is placed in Novorossisk in a Suppressed state. Also in Novorossisk, place the 10th Punishment battalion (1 combat strength point reduced, Suppressed), the 305/198 regiment (two battalions and HQ), 13/803, HAKO 16, and the 131st Construction battalion. At Mefodyevka, place HAKO 18, the 279th Flak battalion, and the 156th Construction battalion. Place the ARKO 149 artillery units II/42, 737, 634, 732 and 11/767 company units on the east side of the line Vladimirovka – Kirilovka (inclusive) – Mefodyevka (exclusive); these ARKO units are placed off the play area, as an exception.
On an Axis impulse, the von Hake battle group may enter the map from Neberjayevskaya, and must immediately enter the play area from there. The Germans may place up to 8 Ammunition Points in total in the ARKO 149 and Busche/von Hake ammunition boxes on the Player Display.
All hexes east of the line Verkhnebakansky – Mefodyevka (exclusive) are outside the play area. The Axis player may not move south-east of Mefodyevka, and the Soviet player may take no action on the east side of the play line (outside the play area). ARKO 149 units placed on the east side of this line may carry out bombardment, and may be subjected to bombardment, in the same way as Soviet units placed on the east coast of Tsemess Bay.
Both players receive ammunition points according to the instructions on the Turn Record Track, except that the Soviet player receives only Coastal ammunition, and the German ammunition points are reduced by 2 each day through consumption by the 73rd Infantry Division.
The air and naval rules are not used in this scenario. During the night of 4 February, the Soviet player may bring its three airborne infantry companies to Alexina, if it still has them.
Neither player receives reinforcements (except for the von Hake battle group mentioned above). The Soviet player's goal is to hold the beachhead and to expand it. The Axis player's goal is to crush the two Soviet beachheads. Soviet units are considered automatically supplied until the final turn section of the scenario (the Night of 5 February). However, at the end of the scenario, Soviet units that cannot draw a supply line to the coast are considered destroyed.
The weather for this scenario is determined by rolling a die in accordance with the Weather rules.
Note: there is no Soviet headquarters at the Yuzhnaya Ozereyka beach, so those units are considered Out of Command. Also note that units landing on the Stanichka–Alexina beach are exempt from the effects of the Command rules.
Scenario 4: Operation Morsky
Both players set up their Player Displays where the opposing player cannot easily see them. If necessary, make a small screen by taping two 3 × 5 cards together and standing them up in the middle of the table. The Soviet player sets up its units first, followed by the Axis player.
The Soviet player places three BSFA aircraft units in the Gelenjik Air base box, and places the remaining aircraft units in the Distance Air Base box. All aircraft units wait in their boxes, ready to launch.
In the Distant Port box, place the cruisers Krasny Krym and Krasny Kavkaz, the destroyers Kharkov, Besposchadny, Soobrazitelny, Nezamozhnik and Zhelezniakov, and three MS (minesweepers). In the Gelenjik Port box, place the gunboats Krasny Abkhazia and Krasny Gruzia, the rocket minesweeper Skumbria (Rkt/MS), three barges, three tugboats, three CMS (coastal minesweepers), three LN (launches), twelve PB (patrol boats), one MTB (torpedo boat) and one SN (seiner). The Gelenjik Port box also holds the 83rd and 255th Marine Brigades, the 165th Rifle Brigade, the 29th Antitank Gun Regiment, five companies of the 90th Special Landing Regiment, the 563rd Tank Battalion, the 433rd Machine-gun Battalion, and the 323rd Marine Battalion. Two companies of the 90th Special Landing Regiment are placed at Kabardinka together with the 47th Army NCO Assault School unit.
The 318th Rifle Division is placed in the area enclosed by Oktyabr Cement Works (inclusive), the hex one hex north-west of Mt. 582 (inclusive), and the hex two hexes north-east of Mt. 582 (inclusive). Units of the 3rd Corps are placed in the area enclosed by a line from the right flank of the 318th Rifle Division's setup area to the hex one hex south-east of Mt. 634, and from there a line running straight east to the map edge. Behind this line, additional units of the 318th Rifle Division and the 3rd Corps may be placed, together with the 547th Artillery Regiment and the 328th Punishment Battalion.
Within two hexes of the Mefodyevka – Kabardinka road linking Oktyabr Cement Works and Kabardinka, the Soviet player may place the following units: the 81st Guards Artillery Regiment, the 1169th Naval Artillery Regiment, three units of the Novorossisk Naval Base, and the 325th and 524th Coastal Artillery companies (one of these units may be placed on the trail north-west of Mt. Doob). The Soviet player may place 12 Fortified markers (one of which must be placed at Oktyabr Cement Works) and 6 Trench markers. Artillery ammunition points are given as follows: 1 Ammunition Point in the Mountain box, 4 in the Coast box, and 0 in the Landing box.
The Axis player then sets up. It may place three aircraft units in the Anapa air base box, and three aircraft units in the Distant Air Base Ready box. Its other aircraft units are removed from play.
The Axis player places its coastal batteries, HAKO units, the artillery companies of the 164th Reserve Antiaircraft Battalion and the 279th Flak Battalion, and any other units it wishes to set up, in positions from which they can directly bombard or fire at All-sea or Partial-sea hexes, and records those positions. The Axis player records this information on a reduced copy of the map printed on the back cover of this rulebook, on a sketch of the map, or on a separate sheet, and removes those units from the map so that the Soviet player cannot learn where they are. These units are placed on the map again when they are fired upon, or when Soviet units move into a hex adjacent to them. The Axis player places its units as it wishes within the following restrictions:
- Mefodyevka: HAKO 18, the 279th Flak battalion, and the 156th Construction battalion.
- Novorossisk: 305/198, 13/803, the 131st Construction battalion, and HAKO 16.
- Stanichka: the 10th Punishment battalion.
- Within 6 hexes of the coast between Myshako and the Fish Cannery (Fish Cannery): the Platov Cossack regiment.
- Within 10 hexes of the coast between the Myshako river and the west edge of the map: the 38th Romanian regiment (the source prints "第 38/10 ルーマニア", which is transcribed here as the 38th Romanian unit).
- Anywhere within the setup area of the Platov and Romanian units: the 164th Reserve Antiaircraft battalion and the 124th Construction battalion.
- On a Woods hex within 1 hex of a Road or Trail, with a view of the sea within 7 hexes of the sea, and placed so that the units are 6 hexes apart from each other: the Flemsburg, Breslau, and Memel artillery companies.
- Neberjayevskaya: the 658th Engineer battalion.
- Within 1 hex of Verkhnebakansky (source spells it "Verknhebakansky"): the Busche battle group.
- Krasnomedvedovskaya: III/615 FA, the 58th Romanian Engineer battalion, and the 28th Romanian Antiaircraft battalion.
- Bolshoi: the 144th Construction battalion.
- Borisovka: the 46th Engineer battalion.
- On or behind the line running 2 hexes north-east, 2 hexes east, 3 hexes north-east, 2 hexes east, and 2 hexes north-east from Proletary Cement Works, and then 5 hexes east to the map edge (the hexes on this line must be covered by units or ZOC): the 73rd Infantry Division.
- Within 1 hex of a Road or Trail in the rear area of the Novorossisk or 73rd Infantry Division sectors: the 737th, II/42, 634th and 732nd battalions, and the 1/767 artillery company of ARKO 149.
The Axis player may place 18 Fortified markers, but no more than 3 within the 73rd Infantry Division's sector, and one of the markers placed in that sector must be placed at Proletary Cement Works. It may place 10 Trench markers anywhere. The Axis player distributes 12 ammunition points among the Ammo Boxes on its Player Display.
The game begins with the Night turn section of 3 February. Treat the weather for this turn as Clear. (If you enjoy fine-tuning, note that the moon has not risen on that night.)
Players may, if they wish, start the game in a historical situation. In the overall Operation Morsky plan, the left-wing units of the 47th Army (the 318th Rifle Division and the 3rd Corps) were to attack along the ridge of the mountains overlooking Tsemess Bay, to secure Markotkh Pass and Neberjayevsky Pass. From there they were to attack south-west and link up with the landing force advancing from Vasilevka. However, the 3rd Corps and the 318th Rifle Division did not make substantial progress in their attacks of 1 and 2 February, and orders to the rest of the 47th Army to redirect the attack from Krymskaya to the west, towards Neberjayevskaya rather than north, appear to have been ignored. As a result, when the landing began on the night of 3 February, little support was obtained from the exhausted units of the 47th Army. A player who wishes to play faithfully to history may assume there are no ammunition points in the Soviet Mountain box on the Display, and may mark the Fatigue track with all units of the 318th Rifle Division and the 3rd Corps at Weary. The German 73rd Infantry Division is considered Very Tired.
However, players may alter history and assume that the 47th Army waited for the weather to improve (there was dense fog on 1 and 2 February) and did not attack until 3 February. This assumption is built into the setup.
In the Operation Morsky plan, the landing was considered the key to seizing one or more routes of advance towards Mefodyevka. The Soviet player need not attempt a landing on the first turn, and may carry it out whenever it chooses. If the Soviet player does not wish to carry out a landing on the first turn, initiative is determined normally. Strategic movement may not be carried out on the first turn. (This movement restriction is stated after the explanation of what happens if no landing is carried out on the first turn; the first turn begins at night, so in practice strategic movement could not be carried out in any case.)
25. Victory Conditions (勝利条件)
The Soviet goal in Operation Gore/Morsky was to prevent the withdrawal of the German 17th Army in the Kuban area from the Taman Peninsula to Crimea, and to destroy it. The specific goal of Operation Morsky was to capture Anapa, Taman and Temryuk, and to cut the 17th Army off from the Crimea.
To cut the German right wing and open the road to Anapa and the enemy's rear, an assault landing was to be made at Yuzhnaya Ozereyka, advancing to Vasilevka. There the landing force would be in position to link up with the left-wing salient of the 47th Army, which had crossed Markotkh Pass, Sakharnaya Golova Mountain and Neberjayevskaya Pass. Anapa lies only 25 miles (50 hexes) north-west of Novorossisk, and beyond the Volchi Vorota pass the road to Anapa is entirely downhill. With the German Sixth Army encircled at Stalingrad, the German forces in the Caucasus were in serious crisis. If the Soviets had retaken Rostov before German Army Group A reached it, the only escape route for the Germans would have been via the Taman Peninsula to Crimea. As a result, the German 1st Panzer Army barely escaped, while the 1st Army was forced back to the fortified "Gothshead" position on the Taman Peninsula.
Historically, Operation Gore/Morsky was a failure. (The source's reasons are given in its Historical Notes section, which is not contained in this rulebook source.) The 47th Army could not make great advances towards the passes, and the main seaborne landing at Yuzhnaya Ozereyka failed with heavy losses. However, secondary landings at Myshako Cape and Alexina Cape established a beachhead known as "Malya Zemlya" or "Little Land", which tied down the Germans and held out for 225 days (as printed in the source) until relief arrived. The escape from Little Land failed just as the landing had, and both sides suffered heavy losses in the fierce fighting.
Victory in the Black Sea * Black Death game is decided by the number of victory points the Soviet player has earned by the end of the game. Victory points are earned according to the table below.
Soviet victory points (ソビエト軍ポイント):
| Location | VP |
|---|---|
| Glebovka | 5 |
| Mt. Glebovka | 5 |
| Mt. Chukbal | 5 |
| Vasilevka | 10 |
| Borisovka | 15 |
| Kirilovka | 20 |
| Krasnomedvedovskaya | 50 |
| Verkhnebakansky | 50 |
| Volchi Vorota pass | 30 |
| Vladimirovka | 30 |
| Neberjayevsky pass | 30 |
| Neberjayevskaya | 50 |
German (Axis) victory points (枢軸軍ポイント) — points awarded for ships sunk and damaged:
| Ship type | Sunk | Damaged |
|---|---|---|
| Cruiser (巡洋艦) | 50 | 5 per Hit |
| Destroyer (駆逐艦) | 30 | 5 per Hit |
| Nezamozhnik (destroyer) | 20 | 5 per Hit |
| Zheleznyakov (destroyer) | 15 | 5 per Hit |
| Gunboat (砲艦) | 15 | 5 per Hit |
| MS / Tug / Barge | 10 | 5 |
| Boat | 5 | 1 |
Layout note: the source table is printed with its columns partly misaligned; the Boat row's values (5 sunk, 1 damaged) are read from the printed layout and should be checked against the page image if this matters.
The result is the Soviet total minus the German total, which gives a positive or negative number. Historically, the Soviets earned 35 points in this operation, but lost ships worth 50 points, so the result was -15. Had the Soviet operation succeeded as planned, the Soviets would have earned 125 points, and the German 17th Army would have been in a desperate position (the source's footnote notes the English idiom "had by the short hairs", meaning completely under control).
Results:
- 100 points or more: Soviet decisive victory
- 75–99 points: Soviet tactical victory
- 50–74 points: Soviet narrow victory
- 25–49 points: German narrow victory
- 0–24 points: German tactical victory
- Below 0 points: German decisive victory
If one side has suffered grossly disproportionate losses, or if it is clear that the game would have continued for several more days and that side would not have been in a condition to resist seriously, the victory level must be adjusted by one step against a player who, at the end of the game, played recklessly, disregarding its own losses as if the war were ending.
Victory points are counted only at the end of the game. In determining control of each location, the German side controls it, except where the Soviet player has units there, where it last had a unit there, or where it has placed a unit at a location clearly behind the Soviet lines without sending the unit into the hex (in which case the German player may not place units there). For a location to be considered Soviet-controlled, the Soviet player must be able to draw a line of any length from that location to a working Soviet supply source, unhindered by German units or ZOC.