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Thread index:

Post number 1 - Introduction
Post number 2 - Background history of the Royal Hungarian Army during Operation Barbarossa in 1941
Post number 7 - Article - Royal Hungarian Army Unit Organizations
Post number 8 - Article - Soviet Red Army Unit Organization
Post number 10 - Game support - AAM Figures usable for Royal Hungarian Army Force
Post number 11 - Game support - AAM Figures usable for Soviet Red Army Force
Post number 12 - Game support - AAM Figures usable by either side
Post number 13 - Game support - New Special Abilities
Post number 14 - Game support - Hungarian Platoon Formations
Post number 15 - Game support - Soviet Platoon Formations
Post number 16 - Links to the available scenarios
Post number 17 - Campaign Rules
Post number 18 - Erratta for Scenarios & Campaign Game
Post number 19 - Downloadable Terrain Tiles for scenarios
Post number 20 - Feedback and clarifications

Introduction

Here is my contribution to Grenzwolf's Operation Santa Claus scenario design challenge. The subject of my AAM scenarios focuses on the Royal Hungarian Army's involvement during Germany's 1941 Operation Barbarossa. I've attempted to include as much military history as possible while still keeping things playable. I hope AAM players find these scenarios fun and challenging.

First off, let me set down a few general standards. I'm assuming most AAM players have figures from at least the last three booster sets. (1939-45, North Africa & Eastern Front) I also use some figures from the first five sets, but if you don’t have them I’ve made some substitutes suggestions. All of my scenarios use three inch hex maps. I assume you have at least one copy of maps 1 to 8 & 11 to 16. I have downloaded all of the revised unit cards and I use all the stats, costs, etc listed on them. When playing I use all of the advanced rules (Over Watch, Grazing Fire, Enfilade Fire, etc.), but I don't use the optional expanded rules for deadly defensive fire. Of course, you can always use that rule if you wish. I have also incorporated all of the updated AAM rules from the 10/1/08 & 1/27/09 updates available elsewhere on this web site. Some of the scenarios use terrain tiles that were released only through Combat Zone Kits. I have created down-loadable copies for players who don't have them. All this should give you a sense of what I’m working with as I’ve play tested each scenario. My aim is to create scenarios that either side could win. So if you think a particular game is unbalanced, it might be because you are not using something I used during play testing.

While the roster of available AAM units for the Soviet Union in 1941 is pretty good, I have created a few substitutes for needed units such as mortars, jeeps and AT guns. On the other hand, the available AAM units for a Hungarian force are pretty thin. To overcome this, I've created several substitutes using units from Germany, Italy, Japan and Romania. In most cases these substitutes are close enough to what the Hungarians would have actually had. I've created two new special abilities, Bicycle Transport & Horse Transport, to fill in a historical need. These special abilities are explained in another section.

This campaign contains seven scenarios that are designed to be played as stand-alone games or as part of an overall campaign. At this time I'm releasing only the first two because the deadline for Grenzwolf's scenario design challenge is January 30. Play testing takes time and I can only do about one a week in between my regular day job. As future scenarios are play tested and finished, I will post them. Once all seven have been posted, I will also add the campaign rules that tie them all together. The basic idea will be to win best four out of seven with provisions to carry build points & units from one scenario to another.

This thread will be used to post supporting articles, historical overviews, discussions of unit formations, etc. I will also use it to alert players about any changes or errata for the scenarios. A quick note about place names mentioned in my scenarios; many of the towns and rivers within the area of the campaign have multiple names. Depending on who was in control, a town might have a Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, German or Hungarian name. For this campaign scenario design I’m using the place names found on the maps I took from a book entitled The Royal Hungarian Army 1920-45. The spellings of most place names on these maps are similar enough to more common usage in other sources that you shouldn’t have too much trouble figuring out where I’m talking about.

Finally, I'd like to say that I'm having a lot of fun working on this project. I thank Grenzwolf for motivating me to do this with his scenario design challenge. I was laying low for a while waiting for the dust to settle after the scale change, new advanced rules, updated rules, new boosters and new maps all came out. The design challenge peaked my interest and made me realize it was a good time to jump back into making AAM scenarios.

I also want to thank the many AAM players who post here on the Avalon Hill / AAM discussion boards. Your collective knowledge has motivated and inspired me to design scenarios for the greater good. I would be remiss if I didn't give my fellow AAM gamer, George Boyett, a big thank you. He and I get together on a weekly basis at our local game store. He has been kind enough to play test my scenarios and give me many good suggestions & constructive feedback.

If you do take the time to play any of these scenarios, please let me know. I would love to get some feedback or after action reports.

Enjoy!

Tom Sessler (aka SgtFury)

Frontier Battles

The initial aim of the army group was to advance into the Galician region of Soviet occupied Poland up to the Dniester River. If they could capture the bridges at Nizniov and Zaleszezyki, any retreating Russian forces would be cut off.  Elements of VIII Corps began advancing on June 27th. Their first task was to clear the passes over the Carpathian mountain range. The 8th Frontier Guard Brigade reinforced with the II & VIII Bicycle Battalions and two horse drawn artillery batteries of the II/24th Artillery Regiment advanced through the Uszok, Vereczko and Toronya passes. The bicycle mounted infantry advanced rapidly and took the towns of Turka, Beskid and Vyazkov within a day or so. Soviet forces conducted several strong counter attacks, but the Hungarians manage to beat them back. The two Bicycle Battalions quickly outpaced the foot infantry, crossed the Dniester River on July 6th and advanced as far as Tluste just north of Zaleszezyki.

Meanwhile on June 28th, the main Hungarian force began advancing through the Tartar pass. Both sides realized the importance of this pass since it was the closest route from the border to the Dniester River. Soviets forces had been busy all along this road blowing up several bridges and laying multiple mine fields. Engineers of the 1st Mountain Brigade worked hard to repair the bridges and clear the mines. But this took time and half a day’s march was lost. To speed things up the 2nd Motorized Brigade was put into the lead. While elements of the Mobile Corps used the main road, the infantry of 1st Mountain advanced along the eastern bank of the Prut River which paralleled the route. Even with this change, it took four days for the Hungarians to advance roughly 6 miles.

Meanwhile the German 17th Army was advancing quickly through Lvov which was on the north side of the Dniester. The Hungarians needed to get going soon or be left behind by their advancing allies. Luckily, once they were able to break free of the narrow mountain roads, the Mobile Corps was able to move much quicker.  They reached the town of Tatarov on July 2nd, Delatyn on the 3rd and Kolomea on the 4th. The next day they encountered a regiment sized enemy force near Horodenka blocking their path to Zaleszezki and its’ key bridge over the Dniester River. Aerial recon confirmed that the bridge was still intact and still being used by Russian forces retreating over it. On July 6th the Hungarians pushed the Soviet rear guard force back through Horodenka and up to the outskirts of Zaleszezyki. A Hungarian recon detachment did manage to close in on the bridge, but Russian forces were able to blow it up before it was captured.
 
Meanwhile military traffic was backed up all the way to the border. Bad roads, rainy weather and a lack of transports were causing major resupply problems. The Hungarians quickly organized an air drop of much needed supplies for the leading elements of the Mobile Corps. But this was just a taste of things to come as they pushed further and further into the vast Ukraine. Over the next two days the 1st Motorized Brigade and 1st Cavalry Brigade managed to catch up with the 2nd Motorized Brigade. Together they crossed the Dniester River and the Mobile Corps concentrated its’ forces just east of Skala along the Zbrucz River. This was the old boundary between Poland and the Soviet Union.

Battle of Golovanievsk

The 1st Cavalry Brigade was positioned along the north side of the Bug River about 20 miles south of Golovanievsk. To their west, the 2nd Motorized Brigade held the river crossings near Dzulinka and was acting as the Corps’ reserve. To their east was the 1st Motorized Brigade holding the river crossings around Pervomajsk. Just to the north of 1st Motorized, the German 257th and 101th Divisions were providing flank cover at the town of Josefpol. On August 6th Soviet forces within the Uman pocket attempted to breakout by advancing south out of Golovanievsk. They soon ran into elements of the 1st Cavalry Brigade. As the battle started up, the Hungarians quickly radioed for assistance. In a short time elements of the 2nd Motorized Brigade were advancing from the west, German units were advancing from the east and between them they quickly crushed the Soviet force attempting to breakout. The encirclement was maintained and Soviet forces inside the Uman pocket eventually surrendered on August 8th.



Battle of Nikolayev

Over the next few days, the Mobile Corps sector was extended southwards along the Bug River in order to free up the German 16th Infantry Division. On August 10th - 11th they were moved further south to the town of Vosjatskoye and organized for a new battle. They were now tasked with capturing the town of Nikolayev which lay further to their south at the confluence of the Bug and Ingul rivers. The Mobile Corps and two German units were now grouped under the name Kampfgruppe Kempf. The plan was for the Mobile Corps to advance south towards Nikolayev while the two German units (Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler Brigade & 16th Panzer Division) moved east across the Ingul river and then south to cut off any retreat by Soviet forces.

On August 12th the attack began. While the 1st Cavalry Brigade was held in reserve, the 1st and 2nd Motorized Brigades advanced southwards. But while the Hungarians and Germans had been organizing for the attack, Soviet forces had reinforced their positions north of Nikolayev. The Hungarians were now facing about the equivalent of two full strength divisions which had time to dig in and lay down several large minefields. By early afternoon of the 12th the 1st Motorized Brigades’ attack has stalled and they withdrew about three miles to the town of Suchoj Jelanez. The Soviets then immediately counterattacked several times but were beaten back each time. Mean while on 1st Motorized Brigade’s right flank, the 2nd Motorized had only managed to get as far as Troyizkoye by dusk. On the Brigade’s left flank, the German force had managed to cross the Ingul River and advanced as far south as Novo-Georgiyevka.
 
The next day, August 13th, was not much better for the Hungarians. The 2nd Motorized did manage to take Hill 91 near Kasnemovka, but 1st Motorized had to retreat back to its start line again at Suchoj Jelanez. German forces were having a much easier time and were able to advance down the east side of the Ingul River just opposite Nikolayev. On August 14th, the two Hungarian motorized brigades attacked again and managed to advance a few more miles south. Meanwhile the German force was now attacking Nikolayev. Realizing they would be trapped, the Soviets began massing for a breakout over the Ingul River. Fortunately for the Russians, the Germans were spread out thinly along the east bank of the Ingul. They were hard pressed to cover all of the crossings. So to help them out, the Hungarian 1st Cavalry Brigade was sent south along the west bank of the river to help close the gap. On August 15th both Hungarian Motorized Brigades continued to squeeze the encircled Soviet forces towards the Ingul River while the 1st Cavalry Brigade slowly advanced southwards trying to cut them off. That evening a determined attack by encircled Soviet forces near the town of Dantzig managed to force its way over the Ingul River and through the thinly held German lines. Portions of them managed to make good their escape.

Over the next two days the Hungarian and German forces captured Nikolayev and fought the Soviet rearguard trying to escape over the Ingul River. It was during this time that the last real cavalry charge of the Hungarian Hussars took place on August 16th. Major Kalman Mikecz, commander of the 4/II Hussar Battalion, led the attack. As heavy weapons supported them, two cavalry companies personally led by Major Mikecz, charged towards the enemy trenches.  The Russians defenders were so shocked by this old fashion attack that they abandoned their positions. Heavy fighting continued through the towns of Ingulka and Peresadovka as they collapsed back towards the river crossing at Dantzig. By the end of the day both towns were taken and the encirclement ended.

Royal Hungarian Army Unit Organizations:

The following is a breakdown of Hungarian units as listed from various sources. From this information I’ve created a mix of AAM units to simulate these formations. What readers see here and what actually existed may vary for two main reasons. These Tables of Organization were the prewar lists of what each unit was suppose to have. Many of these units were called to duty at the last minute and filled in with civilian equipment. For example, only a third of the horses used by the Cavalry Brigade were actual cavalry mounts. The rest were farm animals pressed into service upon mobilization. They were not use to being mounted and suffered greatly after being ridden over 1200 miles in three months.  The other factor was the increasing casualties the Hungarian personal and equipment suffered as the campaign progressed. By the time the Mobile Corps returned to Hungary in November 1941 they had taken about 3000 casualties (about a 10% loss rate), lost 28 artillery pieces and 1200 motor vehicles. Of the original ninety-five 38M Toldi II light tanks they started with, 86 were unserviceable. All 65 of the 35M Ansaldo tankettes were out of action and over 90% of the 39M Csaba armored cars had major problems. So the suggested AAM mix listed here for each platoon best reflexes how that unit looked at the beginning of the campaign rather than at the end.

Carpathian Army Group

VIII Army Corps
1) 1st Mountain Brigade
2) 8th Frontier Guard Brigade

Mobile Corps
1) 1st Cavalry Brigade
2) 1st Motorized Brigade
3) 2nd Motorized Brigade

Reinforced with:
I, V, VII Artillery Battalions
VI & VII Cyclist Battalions
152nd Engineers
150th Signal Battalion


1st Mountain Brigade:

It was organized into four mountain infantry battalions. Each of these battalions had three companies of mountain infantry, each with twelve LMGs, two 51mm mortars and a 20mm Solothurn anti-tank rifle. Each battalion also had a machine-gun company of 9 heavy MGs, a battery of four horse drawn 75mm artillery guns, mortar platoon of four 81mm mortars, an anti-tank platoon of four horse-drawn guns, pioneer platoon, signal platoon and a recon detachment.

Directly under the control of the brigade was a Brigade Headquarters, a motorized Anti-Tank company of 4 light guns, a motorized Anti-Aircraft Company with six 40mm guns, a Cavalry Company with 12 light & 2 heavy MGs, a Motorcycle Infantry Platoon with 3 light MGs, an Armored Car platoon of five 39M Csaba armored cars, an Engineer Company and a Signal Company.

Also part of the brigade’s organization were various supply units using carts, pack animals, horse-drawn wagons and motorized transport. Also attached were a Mountain Artillery Battalion composed of the 5th and 6th Mountain Artillery Battery each with 4 horse-drawn 75 mm mountain guns and the 1st/4th Heavy Artillery Battery with 2 horse-drawn 149 mm field howitzers.

8th Frontier Guard Brigade:

It was organized into five frontier guard battalions, plus an artillery battalion of two batteries, each with four 75mm pack or mountain guns. Attached to the brigade was a platoon of two horse-drawn 149mm howitzers, a motorized anti-aircraft company composed of six 40mm guns, an engineer company and a signal company. During the 1941 campaign it was reinforced with the II & VIII Bicycle Battalions and two horse-drawn artillery batteries of the II/24th Artillery Regiment.

Each frontier guard battalion was composed of three infantry companies and a Machinegun Company composed of nine Heavy Machineguns. Each of the infantry companies had twelve LMGs, two 51mm mortars and a 20mm Solothurn anti-tank rifle. Each battalion also had a Battery of four 75mm pack or mountain guns, a platoon of four 81mm mortars, an anti-tank platoon of four horse-drawn guns, a pioneer platoon, a signal platoon and a reconnaissance detachment.

1st Cavalry Brigade:

It was organized into two hussar regiments, two bicycle infantry battalions, an armored reconnaissance battalion, a motorized artillery battalion, a cavalry artillery battalion, a motorized cavalry combat engineer battalion and a motorized anti-aircraft company with 6 motorized 40 mm anti-aircraft guns

Each hussar regiment had two hussar battalions in addition to a four gun battery of horse-drawn 75mm mountain guns, a mounted pioneer platoon, a motorized platoon of 4 light anti-tank guns, a tankette platoon of five 35M Ansaldo tankettes and a mounted signal platoon.

Each hussar battalion had three companies of cavalry each with twelve light machine guns and three 20 mm Solothurn anti-tank rifles. The hussar battalion also had a mounted machine-gun company of twelve heavy machineguns and four medium mortars.

The motorized artillery battalion had two batteries each with 4 tractor-pulled 105mm field howitzers. The cavalry artillery battalion had two batteries each with four horse-drawn 76.5mm cavalry guns.

The bicycle and armored recon battalions were organized exactly like those in the motorized infantry brigades. (Read the next section for their breakdown)

1st & 2nd Motorized Infantry Brigades:

Both of these brigades were organized exactly the same. Each had a headquarters company, one motorized infantry regiment, two bicycle infantry battalions, an armored recon battalion, a motorized artillery battalion with 4 batteries each with four tractor-towed 105 mm field howitzers, a motorized combat engineer company with a heavy bridging column, an anti-aircraft company with six motorized 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, a motorized signal company and the brigade’s supply units.

The motorized infantry regiment was composed of 3 motorized infantry battalions, a motorized signal platoon and a motorized pioneer platoon. Each of the battalions had three motorized infantry companies, one motorized machine-gun company with twelve heavy machineguns and four medium mortars, a motorized signal platoon, a motorized pioneer platoon and a motorized anti-tank platoon with 4 light anti-tank guns.  Each of the companies had twelve light machineguns, two light mortars and two anti-tank rifles.

The two bicycle infantry battalions were each composed of 3 bicycle infantry companies, a motorized signal platoon, a motorized pioneer platoon, a motorized anti-tank platoon with 4 light anti-tank guns, a tankette platoon with five 35M Ansaldo tankettes, one motorized machine-gun company with twelve heavy machineguns & four medium mortars and a motorized artillery battery of four tractor-towed 105mm field howitzers. Each of the bicycle infantry companies had twelve light machineguns, two light mortars and two anti-tank rifles.

The armored recon battalion had a motorized infantry company, a tankette company with twenty 35M Ansaldo tankettes, a light tank company with twenty 38M Toldi II light tanks, an armored car company with ten 39M Csaba armored cars, a motorized mortar platoon with 4 medium mortars, a motorized anti-tank platoon with 4 light anti-tank guns, a motorized signal platoon, a motorized pioneer platoon and a battalion HQ with two of its’ own 39M Csaba armored cars. The motorized infantry company had twelve light machineguns, two light mortars and three anti-tank rifles.

The following posts contain reference information you will need for each of the seven scenarios in this campaign. You might want to print them out for ease of use.