Move to Contact
In this simple example, we are not stacked, we are not moving in column, and we have good visibility. But we are traversing mud.
The 503rd Tank Bn crosses the stream for +6, and pays 3 for the ‘clear mud hex’. 1/21 advances up the road and pays plus 1MP to enter the Dug In units hex. If the unit was not Dug In then we could enter the ‘weak zone of control’ and keep moving paying plus 2 MP per excited ZOC. Strong zocs are in essence 2 steps or more, forcing a stop. ZOCs do not extend into Dug In positions nor villages and some other terrain types. But do extend out, forcing combat.
The Mtn unit and Engineers move to attack.
Combat
Bake 13 combat factors when we combine 503rd and 1/23. + Rockets and Arty from II/52 and 628 bns. Note I did not pull any Arty for Soviets, they could have done some arty also. Nor did we allocate any air. It is noteworthy to remember that only three units may attack out of a hex and only 2 Bns per hex may attack out.
The odds end up being 8:1 at my reckoning. Base of 5:1, +1 for Regimental Integrity [I’m assuming KG’s can take advantage], +2 for the Armour differential. We read the 3 on the 22nd Guard Soviet unit and the total of 8 for the two Germans. 2:1 differential basically. +2. This moves the combat 3 columns to the right.
503rd and 1/23 attack the one step reduced Infantry in the village which is dug in. They will receive a cumulative -2 shifts for those two terrain impacts. Dropping their odds down to 2:1 from 4:1. [Note I did make an error, as the Engineers would negate the shift for the Dug In status. So a 3:1 attack would be the net result*].
Combat Results
Below we can see the Gd tank unit was eliminated on the 8-1 column with a roll on a 1d6 of two. D-3 (2). Retreat 3 hexes, and lose two steps. Off to the deadpile.
The 3/S reduced unit was attacked at a net 2:1. With a roll of four we got a A-1/D-1. Defender results are applied first.
The defender retreats one hex leaving the Dug In location and drops back into the next hex of the village. I don’t see any where it says that if the defender retreats the attacker does not. So they go back one hex, or could stay in place for a step loss.
The Bake tank units could have advanced further in any direction [max of two hexes in Mud] after the first hex upto the 3 hex noted on the result and subject to ZOCs*.
*Note as a 3:1 this would have ended up aD-1 with the ability for the Germans to advance after combat. See below :
Because the Germans advanced the tanks this surrounds the retreat path in eZOCs. For which the Soviet must lose a step per eZOC on retreat. – Eliminated. The soggy road is clear for the next attack!
A few corrections.
1) Baake’s two panzer battalions attack 22nd Tank Brigade. 5+8 = 13. Add the Nebelwerfers and the 210 howitzer battalions (4+3) gives another 7, so 7+13= 20 attack factors vs 4 defense strength. 20-4= 5 to 1 odds. 8 tank strength vs 3 = 5 shifts to the right. pushing the odds to 9-1, a max. Die roll of 2 = same outcome as for 8-1.
2) Baake’s two other battalions, motorized engineers and mountain infantry (don’t ask me what an unnumbered mountain battalion was doing here), 5+4=9, vs 2 gives us 4-1. But, the defenders benefit from a -2 shift : -1 for the village and -1 for being Dug In, but the Engineer negates the Dug In shift so 4-1 shifted 1 to the left=3-1 odds. Your assumption is in error – a Kampfgruppe does not provide for regimental integrity, its an ad hoc grouping, with no assets to allot to its subunits, so no + shift for that. A 4 die roll = D1, so the motorized rifle battalion can retreat or die in place. If it does the latter, no advance is possible. If the Tiger advanced, if there is Deep Mud it can only advance 1 hex. Even if it were able to advance 2, it does not exert a ZOC into an adjacent village hex, so the motorized rifles could fall back one hex into the village hex to its northeast, and survive.
Jack. Re 1. that is not how your rule read for Combat mods for Armor/AT. Please see your rule 10.65.
to wit:
2. good catch on the ZOC. Yes that unit could have retreated. I will update the post.
Yup. You, and the rules, are right about tank/AT calculations. So…
5+8=13, add the artillery 4+3=7, 7+13=20 attack factors vs 4 defense factors, gives us 20-4= 5-1 odds. Add 4+4=8 to get the German tank strength, vs 3 AT strength (tank strength on defense counts as AT strength), 8 is twice 3 but not 3×3 so +2 shifts for the Germans, making it 5-1 (+2) or 7-1. Die roll of 2=D3(2), which means of the 3 obligations the Soviet player gets, 2 are mandatory losses. The brigade has only 2 steps (no unit has more) and is dead.
Even if you played KP 1, it behooves you to read the rules carefully before beginning play. The positive thing here is if the designer can screw this up, you don’t have to feel bad when you do! More coffee! Yes.