Nukclear Winter ’68

Herr Nagel from BGG plays Nukclear Winter!! Halloween Special!

Note minor edits for clarity.

I played the first Scenario of Nuklear Winter ’68 against the Owner of the local Game Store.

The Scenario is short and includes just some basic Units. I do not have Time for more  sophisticated Gaming at the Momentcry

It is 1968 and everything you know about the History since the Second World War is not true.

Hitler died by a Putsch in 1944. Heinrich Himmler is the new German Führer.

The German Reich was changed into a radioactive contaminated Waste by multiple Allied Atomic Bombings.

But the Third Reich was not entirely unprepared. Great Bunkers were build by forced Labourers and Concentration Camp Prisoners during the last Month of the War. Many died due to the bonebreaking Work and Malnutrition.

Before the Western Allied launched their Atomic Air Offensive against the German Reich did Himmler start Operation Clausewitz. Some Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS Units were withdrawn from the various Fronts and went underground. So did selected Parts of the Population (senior NSDAP Members, Industrialists, Scientist etc.).

There they trained and searched for new Military Technologies.

While they were protected from the radioactive Contamination most of the German People had no such Luck. Many Survivor tried to flee the bleak Remnants of the German Landscape. The neighbouring Countries build the Wall against the Flow of Refugees.

They stopped the Refugees, but something happened in the Wasteland. Mysterious Attacks occurred against the Wall. The Attacker were never seen and they left no Corpses. The NATO was founded as Response. Even the Soviet Union became Member.

It is 1968. The NATO launches a Recon by force Mission into the mysterious and dangerous Zone behind the Wall and the Forces of the Third Reich leave their Bunkers to reclaim their lost Might.

It is the World of Nuklear Winter ’68!

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The Panzer Lehr Division was sheltered near Wewelsburg. Now they left the Bunkers at the behest of their Führer to reclaim the Ruins of the Town of Brenken.

Brenken was situated near Wewelsburg.

The Panzer Lehr Units abvanced through the Ruins of Wewelsburg on the Road to Boddeken. Sd.Kfz. 234/2 heavy Panzerspähwagen spearheaded, followed by Königstiger heavy Panzer. Fallschirmjäger in Sd.Kfz. 250 were slower and still passing through Wewelsburg.

The Enemy was not idle. The Inhabitants of the Wasteland had observed the Resurface of the Nazis. Some fortified Ahden west of Wewelsburg and a mechanised Force headed to Brenken. A large Dust Cloud announced their Movement.

+Aufklärungabteilung an Lehr-Kampfgruppe: Bewegung auf dem Hügel, 2 Uhr!+
(Recon to Task Force Lehr: Movement on the Hill, 2 o’clock!)

+Hauptmann Schneider an Lehr-Kampfgruppe: Einschwenken auf Hügel. Bei feindseligem Kontakt Feuerfreigabe!+
(Captain Schneider to Task Force Lehr: Advance on Hill. If hostile Contact Clearance to fire!)

The German Tanks and Halftracks moved up to the Knoll, but found it deserted except for Track Marks on the barren Earth.

+1/130 an 2/130: Absitzen und auf Brenken vorrücken!+
(1/130 to 2/130: Disembark and advance to Brenken!)

+2/130: Verstanden.+
(2/130: Acknowledge.)

The Fallschirmjäger disembarked and got into Formation. And not too late. While they resumed their Advance to Brenken did a Host of Waste Inhabitants, which had moved along the Bottom of the Hill on their Way to Brenken, turn around and started to storm the Hill.

A Fallschirmjäger: “Leutnant Hartmann. Kontakt auf 3 Uhr. Infanterie.”
(Lieutenant Hartmann. Contact on 3 o’clock. Infantry.)

Leutnant Hartmann: “Was sind das für Gestalten? Ein richtiger Mob…. Scheiße. Feuer frei.”
(What are that for Figures? A real Mob…. Shit. Fire.)

The Attacker were Zealots, Mutants. The Infantry of the Black Hand. Vicious Fighters, but they were thrown back by the Fallschirmjäger in Disarray. MG-Fire and HE-Ammunition from the Königstiger killed the last fleeing Zealots.

But the Zealots in Brenken used the Time buyed with the ?Lifes? of their Comrades well. They fortified the Ruins of Brenken with Mines and Sandbacks. Megrim Tanks were brought into Position in the Woods east of the Ruins and Pest APC in the Ruins itself.

The Fallschirmjäger of 2/130 advanced from the eastern Plain against Brenken.

+1/130 an 2/130: In Feuerposition. Beginnen Sie mit dem Angriff!+
(1/130 to 2/130: In Fire Position. Start the Attack!)

+2/130: Verstanden.+
(2/130: Acknowledge.)

With Hurra on the Lips stormed the Fallschirmjäger over the Plain. They were greated by heavy Fire from the Woods before the Town. Sd.Kfz. 250 were hit by Tank Rounds and started to burn. Small Arms Fire tore through Body Armour and Bullets left Bodies in a Mist of Blood. Wounded started to cry.

Oberfeldwebel Kreutzer watched the Battlefield through the open Command Cupola of his Königstiger. He had not served in the Second World War. He was still a young Boy, when the World turned into Hell. But he had trained hard during the Time in Underground. First in the Jungvolk, then in the Himmler-Jugend and later in the Wehrmacht. Now he was Commander of a Königstiger. His Königstiger was very different from the first Model from 1944. The Panzer had a much more powerful Engine, which led to higher Speed and faster Turret Rotation. The Target Optic were the latest Zeiss Model and the 8,8 cm Main Gun fired more powerful Ammunition.

He saw the Advance of his Kameraden below and some fall. He followed the Line of Fire and recognised the Form of dug in Tanks in the Woods before the Ruins.

+Kreutzer to Hauptmann Schneider: Panzer gesichtet. Im Wald 12 Uhr.+
(Kreutzer to Captain Schneider: Tanks sighted. In the Woods 12 o’clock.)

+Hauptmann Schneider an 1/130: Feuer auf erkannte Ziele frei!+
(Captain Schneider to 1/130: Fire on recognised Targets!)

Oberfeldwebel Kreutzer to his Gunner Hauptgefreiter Janssen: “Sebastian, du hast ihn gehört. Ziel Panzer im Wald. Nimm den ganz linken. Feuer frei.”
(Sebastion, you heard him. Target Tanks in the Woods. Take the leftmost. Fire.)

A Series of Shots rang out from the German Position on the Hill.

“Treffer.” (Hit.)

In less than a Minute all Tanks in the Wood were burning. Some blew up in secondary Explosions.

Despite the Beating had the Black Hand in Brenken still some Fight in them. They turned their Wrath against the attacking Fallschirmjäger. Small Arms and heavy Weapons Fire from the Town Edge carved through the Formation and an increasing Number of Fallschirmjäger fell. Oberleutnant Grauert, the Commander of 2/130, was first hit in his left Leg, which amputated the Limb and while he fell was hit a second time through his Body Armour in his upper Body, which killed him instantly.

An increasing Number of Sd.Kfz. 250 were left burning on the Plain. They were hit hard by Anti Tank Fire from the Woods.

Leutnant Hartmann took Command of the Remnants from 2/130.

+Leutnant Hartmann an 2/130: Angriffschwung aufrechterhalten. Wir umgehen die Feindstellung links und stoßen in die Ortschaft vor.+
(Lieutenant Hartmann to 2/130: Keep the Attack Momentum up. We bypass the Enemies Position left and advance into the Town.)

Meanwhile 1/130 survived the Attack of a Horde Zealots, which moved from Ahden to Brenken. Fire from Königstiger and Sd.Kfz. 234/2 together left no Survivors.

{The German Player is not too happy that the last Turn started shake)

Leutnant Hartmann leads his Men into the Town and was engaged in bitter House-to-House Fighting.

They cleared two Thirds of the Town. The Königstiger from the Hill gave Support Fire and destroyed some hostile APC’s.

The Fallschirmjäger withstood a weak Attack from Zealots. But were unable to fulfil their Task to capture whole Town.

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The Game ended in a Draw via the Scenario Rules, because the Germans did not conquer the whole Town. But they killed almost all Black Hand Units. Just one reduced Zealot Unit remained on the whole Map. I would call it a minor German Victory.

This was my Opponents first Game and he did play the Germans well. This Scenario is much easier as Black Hand Player. So I have to give him credit for the Result.