"Fall of Berlin?" Topic

Have you played any scenarios set during the Battle of Berlin at the end of WWII?

yes. I played a 20mm reichstag game and plan to do one myself.

Yes.

Yes

Just played On To Berlin, which is a variant for the board game Fortress Berlin. It's about the planned drop of the 82nd, 101st, and British 1st airborne divisions on Berlin in an attempt to seize the airports, then fly in additional troops to end the war early. There would also be two additional airborne divisions that land outside the city to seize objectives and then fight their way into the city. Definitely an unusual topic.

Yes. I had the different points values for different players. There were two columns of Soviets trying to get to the main objective first which would garner major points. Ended up with the Soviets shooting at each other to be the first one to capture the city.

No

Nope – would if anyone would supply the minis, though!

Yes, played as Germans and lost.

I did a Seelowe Heights to Berlin solo game in 20mm on a 13x6 table, with 80 Soviet tanks plus swarms of infantry trying to bulldoze through the German defence lines to Berlin itself. The Heights had been abandoned the night before and most Soviet arty was out of place to support the attack beyond the high ground until moved up. It was with the Battlegroup rules and was an incredibly narrow win for the Germans (presumably Koniev beat Zhukov to Berlin).

Yep.

We did Seelowe Heights once in 15mm on a 6' x 15' table. Only Soviet mortars were available as on call indirect fire. All tube artillery was used in a barrage that was 12' deep and went from one side of the table to the other. As it was a rolling barrage the Soviets could move it forward in 12" increments. They were allowed only so many turns of fire and if they followed too close there was a chance of short rounds. All the Germans were hidden, as were mine fields. We pooled all of our Soviet Armor. It was a challenging battle for everyone.

That sounds like a good game !

I never have. Maybe I'll run into one at a convention when those are up and running again.

Yes – a small scale skirmish scenario set on a street in Berlin – using the old "Panzerknacker" rule set. On the Soviet side, a couple of Soviet tanks with tank rider escorts picking their way down a rubble strewn street with ruined buildings on both sides. On the German side, a polyglot mix of defenders, ranging from rash Hitler Youth, WW1 veteran Volksturmers too old to run, miscellaneous German landsers and a contingent of fanatical SS Division "Charlemagne" Frenchmen – hiding in the ruins clutching their panzerfausts and LMGs (everything from MG42s to MG08/15s for the Volksturm) with the Soviet submachine gunners of the tank escort trying to keep their tanks in one piece.

Great chaos ensued. Soviets won (at a cost).

B

I keep seeing "Escape from Berlin" as a solo--to go with the published "Escape from Khartoum" and "Escape from Constantinople." A party of miscellaneous Germans have to traverse a specified number of blocks of random encounters on their way to--probably a waiting transport at Templehof? But so far, the temptation has not extended to two smallish armies of 28mm and a couple boards' full of Germanic rubble.