Panzer Lion:
Grossdeutschland in Action, 1944
Scenario Overview
October 2013

Mike Perryman wraps up his trilogy of Panzer Grenadier scenario supplements set in Romania with Panzer Lion: Grossdeutschland in Action, 1944. With the Romanian Army already fully committed to holding the existing lines against the Soviet onslaught around Targul Frumos, Grossdeutschland and a few other German formations are on their own in a series of holding actions and counterstrikes designed to restore the German perimeter to where it was before the Soviet offensive in the sector began. Below is a summary of all 10 scenarios in Panzer Lion, along with commentary. We hope you enjoy them!

Scenario One
Those Brave Boys
2 May 1944

Unlike other Soviet formations in the Targul Frumos sector, the 35th Guards Rifle Corps managed to gather accurate intelligence on enemy positions in the area. This allowed them to strike a telling blow at the junction between the two German infantry regiments facing them. German resistance fell apart and the Soviets advanced southward quickly. Frantic German cries for assistance were moving up the chain of command by 0900.

Note: This scenario uses boards from Battle of the Bulge and Elsenborn Ridge, and a board and pieces from Road to Berlin.

Conclusion

The Soviets advanced on Nicola (the town on Board 10) so quickly that the first battery of the German artillery battalion there was forced to engage them over open sights so that the other batteries could retreat before the village fell. But that was as far as the Soviets would get, in large part due to the forward observers on Hill 256 (the un-wooded 60-meter hilltop on Board 14). Their precise direction of German artillery fire at great risk to themselves earned them the appelation "Those Brave Boys" from their peers.

Commentary

A medium-length action in which a relatively ill-prepared detachment of Fusiliers from Grossdeutschland tries to hold off a combined-arms assault from a Soviet force twice its size. The Germans don’t have enough forces to hold both towns on the board, but the victory conditions are tough on the Soviets, with five different objectives.

Scenario Two
Corntesi Town
2 May 1944

While 93rd Guards Rifle Division was getting bogged down around Nicola, another Soviet column headed straight to Corntesi where the headquarters of Grossdeutschland’s Fusilier Regiment was located. As Soviet tanks entered the village, salvation for the harried Germans was already arriving in the form of the Panzer Lion himself.

Conclusion

The regimental commander left his post to rally his men against the Soviet armor already in his town. After-action reports claimed 24 enemy tanks destroyed, mostly by hand-held weapons. The arriving Panzers then pushed the remaining Soviets back over two miles before night fell.

Commentary

This one’s the opposite of the last scenario: a quick one-board action with no real “objectives” other than killing enemy steps and taking town hexes. The Germans are still badly outnumbered, but this time they get some armor support halfway through the game: Two companies of Panthers and Tigers that will lay waste to any Soviet tanks that haven’t taken cover in the town by then.

Scenario Three
Facuti Town
2 May 1944

Frantic messages from the Fusiliers’ commander in Facuti indicated over 30 enemy tanks had already broken into the town. Manteuffel ordered Col. Horst Niemack to hold at all costs while 24th Panzer Division rode to the rescue.

Conclusion

The regimental commander left his post to rally his men against the Soviet armor already in his town. After-action reports claimed 24 enemy tanks destroyed, mostly by hand-held weapons. The arriving panzers then pushed the remaining Soviets back over two miles before night fell.

Commentary

This one’s the opposite of the last scenario: a quick one-board action with no real “objectives” other than killing enemy steps and taking town hexes. The Germans are still badly outnumbered, but this time they get some armor support halfway through the game: Two companies of Panthers and Tigers that will lay waste to any Soviet tanks that haven’t taken cover in the town by then.

Scenario Four
Polieni Town
2 May 1944

Despite their meager armor, Kampfgruppe W was expected to secure Facuti and also relieve the pressure on Polieni (where a battalion of the 97th Infantry Regiment was struggling to hang on). This involved driving the newly-arrived guardsmen off Hill 192, where they were already in the process of creating a strongpoint. With all of his armor assigned to securing Facuti, Colonel von Waldenburg ordered all available artillery to support the northern effort.

Note: This scenario uses boards from Battle of the Bulge and Elsenborn Ridge, and pieces from Road to Berlin, Eastern Front and Red Warriors.

Conclusion

Upon arriving the Germans decided that Hill 192 was already too strong to take without armor. Therefore orders were issued to stop the enemy from reinforcing the hill or Facuti itself. When the rest of 16th Tank Corps attempted to answer the 109th Tank Brigade's cry for help they were ambushed by these forces in addition to the victorious panzers at Facuti. The remnants retreated until reaching the relative safety of Hill 192 for the night.

Commentary

Here’s a very interesting scenario that has both sides attacking simultaneously, with the Soviets trying to expand their perimeter to the north while the Germans counterattack the Soviet Guards on Hill 192 in an attempt to shut off the inflow of Soviet forces. A large lake in the northeast corner of the board adds an extra tactical factor to the mix: If the Germans can push the Guards off Hill 192 while holding the town of Polieni, any Soviet reinforcements that have made it onto the board will be in an exposed position with their backs to the lake and nowhere safe to retreat.

Scenario Five
Clearing the Valley
2 May 1944

The Germans needed to stop the advancing Soviet armor before Facuti fell. Already, Soviet mobile elements had worked their way past the besieged village and were moving southward. The Vaalea-Olior valley was one of the few areas of the battlefield that was favorable for mobile actions, and the Germans planned to exploit that advantage.

Note: This scenario uses maps and pieces from Eastern Front and Road to Berlin.

Conclusion

Kampfgruppe E pushed aggressively westward against the exploiting armor while some panzers from Grossdeutschland advanced eastward to meet them. Though the forces were evenly-matched, events to the north seemed to rattle the Russian commander. Shortly his tanks were joining the retreat northward.

Commentary

The Soviets have a fast, powerful force with a pretty simple directive: destroy German steps and exit the south edge. It's up to the Germans to prevent them from doing it.

Scenario Six
Kalmu — Hill 256
4 May 1944

On all heavily trodden battlefields, certain places take on an importance all out of their military value. Hill 256 (the vantage point from which “Those Brave Boys” helped stop the Soviets at Nicola) fit the bill for the second round of Targul Frumos battles. Nicknamed "Kalmu" after a nearby small village, the hill’s value as an observation point had diminished since the prevous days’ actions left little doubt as to either side’s troop movements. But both sides had lost many men trying to take it and honor demanded they continue, so on May 4th the crack Grossdeutschland engineers were ordered in.

Conclusion

According to the official divisional history, after being rebuffed in their first few attempts to secure the hill the engineers finally managed to drive the Soviets off for good. The “for good” part is open to question, because on May 7th a good portion of Grossdeutschland's combat strength would be required to clear Kalmu again.

Commentary

Here we return to the site of Scenario One, with a force of German engineers having a tough go of it against a Soviet Guards force they don’t outnumber by much, in defensible terrain. The Germans don’t have to cover much distance to get into an assault position on the Soviets, but they'll have to move fast since the scenario is only 12 turns long.

Scenario Seven
Back to Kalmu
7 May 1944

After some heavy rains on the 4th the Kalmu battlefield remained quiet for a few days. Both sides regrouped their forces and replaced their losses as much as possible. Finally on the 7th the Germans broke the quiet, with Grosseutschland committing the majority of its remaining power to the obsessive goal of controlling Kalmu for good.

Conclusion

Before the sun rose the first attack had already been rebuffed, but at dawn the Panthers joined in and the Soviets were eventually ejected from Kalmu. This brought an angry response from Konev who ordered 27th Army commander Gen. S.G. Trofimenko to convene a military tribunal for both the corps and artillery. Both officers were good soldiers and Stavka recognized that Konev was just deflecting blame from himself. Also noted was the lack of antitank defenses given to the defending guardsmen, making their task that much harder.

Commentary

Here’s a much larger scenario where a Grossdeutschland force with plenty of armor, air and artillery support has a good shot at pushing the lightly-armored Guards force off the hill. The Germans have many advantages, but the game is only 20 turns long so they'll have to work for a Major Victory.

Scenario Eight
A Profitable Diversion
7 May 1944

Panzer Grenadiers conducted many raids west of Kalmu Hill to draw Soviet forces away from there and facilitate its recapture by Grossdeutschland. One such raid was directed against the village of Cucuteni.

Conclusion

Things went better than expected as the enemy was driven from Cucuteni without incurring undue causalities. The diversion worked like a charm as the entire Soviet 6th Rifle Division was sent to Cucuteni to deal with the intruders. But by the time they arrived, the Germans were long gone.

Commentary

A quick town assault in which Panzer Grenadier battalion tries to drive a lower-morale RKKA force out of a town. The Germans have everything going for them (higher morale, armor support and engineers to give bonuses in town assaults), but once again they don't have much time.

Scenario Nine
Reclaiming the Perimeter
7 May 1944

After taking over responsibility for Kalmu Hill from Grossdeutschland, the 24th Panzer Division pushed northward. Their intent was to return the forward lines to where they were on May 1st. If they could secure the town of Bals, it would greatly strengthen German defenses.

Conclusion

With only 12 tanks and nine assault guns to their name, the 24th Panzer Division had the strength to drive the two guards divisions back but not enough to reach Bals. Nevertheless the enemy had lost enough men, ground and material to preclude any offensive action in the near future. This was very disappointing news to Stavka.

Commentary

Per the Conclusion, at this point in the campaign 24th Panzer Division can only bring a small number of tanks to the fight. So, pushing up a road and taking a town from a Soviet Guards force that nearly equals them in size will be a very tall order.

Scenario Ten
Hill 192
7 May 1944

Besides the German fascination with Kalmu Hill, the salient that had developed in front of Hill 192 caused them great concern. Knowing that 24th Panzer lacked the strength to take both high points, the 46th Infantry Division was detailed to support the drive on Hill 192.

Conclusion

The combined pressure broke the 206th Rifle Division, sending them to the rear. Sixteenth Tank Corps was hurriedly dispatched from reserve to restore the situation. They were unable to do so and by nightfall almost all gains bought by the offensive at such a steep price were gone.

Commentary

In a large battle that brings the Romania Series to an end, German tank forces are all but exhausted so the task of pushing the Soviets off the northern hills falls to the poor, bloody infantry. Factors favoring the Germans are higher morale and the fact that they get to draw an aircraft from the Road to Berlin mix on any eight turns of their choosing. On the other hand, halfway through the game the Soviets get a nice infusion of armor from 16th Tank Corps. So, the Germans may need to hold back their air support until after the Soviet tanks arrive, and then hope that their Sturmoviks can take out the Soviet armor and prevent a Soviet counterattack from pushing them back off the hills.

And that does it for Panzer Lion!