"OPFOR Scenario: Zolote Heights (Ukraine '22)" Topic

Based on the research in the other threads, I've come up with a simple scenario for the Eastern Ukrainian Offensive (the battles in the vicinity of Popasna, Severodonetsk Salient, in late April 2022). The larger context for this battle can be found here: link

And here (link) is the scenario itself.

I gave Manny a call to let him know about this scenario being posted. OPFOR is in the process of being updated for a 2nd edition.

One of the things that strikes me about these conflicts is the tiny size of the forces involved. Very small forces are expected to attack and defend across a very large area. For example, the current Eastern Ukraine push covers a front larger than the German invasion of France in 1940, but features not much more than an army corps on either side (about a twentieth of the troop density of the Battle for France). Brigades are one of the main operational elements, rather than divisions. It's interesting to think about this as a problem for any ruleset that was designed around WW2 and then later adapted for modern conflicts, as modern war is in many ways a very different beast altogether.

Interested in seeing game report!

I would like to learn a little more about the rules you mention but no details on either BGG or their own web site.

During the Gulf War both the US and Iraq operated on fronts of 10km per brigade. I posted an article on my blog about NATO and WARPAC attack and defense frontages and they were about 5km on the defense and on denser frontages for the main point of the attack, but up to 5km per battalion otherwise. When fighting modern battles using my 6mm armies with OPFOR I use a ground scale of 1cm = 100m for the ground and range scale instead of the 1 inch = 100yards/meters of the OPFOR supplement, but do not reduce the move distances shown in the rule book. The Medina Ridge scenario I wrote for the US 1st Armored Division attack on the Medina division of the Republican Guard needed a ten-foot table (30km) at this ground scale. There is also a fictional 1987 scenario with a West German PG brigade defending an 18km front against a Soviet divisional attack.

@stephen m There are a series of YouTube videos covering the mechanics of the Panzer Korps rules at YouTube link These cover the main Panzer Korps rule book which is needed for the OPFOR supplement.

Forgot to mention that at 1cm = 100m I use the following house rule Artillery does not roll for deviation distance. If it is on target, it rolls its normal die and is not on target it uses it suppressed die. Suppressed artillery that is not on target has no effect. It uses its suppressed die if it is on target.

Also, of three games that I ran with a six-foot (18km) front, the two with 6 battalions vs three allowed maneuver and flanking attempts. The one with three brigades per side offered no maneuver ability and turned into a head-to-head battle of attrition.

The ground scale of one inch = 100m is on page 6, paragraph 2 of the OPFOR rules along with the recommended ground scale of 1cm = 100m for micro armor.

10km in the open ground of southern Iraq is still pretty conservative going by what the field manuals say. I forget where I read it, but the norm recommended by one manual was 1km per company and that assumed a mixture of open and more restrictive terrain (that would be about 16km or more per US brigade if I am not mistaken). It seems like a lot of ground to cover and it is hard to understand how it wouldn't be overly porous.

The scenario map was based on the map in "Jayhawk! The US VII Corps in the Persian Gulf War" page 354. Free PDF available at link Ten US maneuver battalions vs 17 Iraqi, with eight Iraqi battalions deployed in depth on their left flank, five in the middle third and four on their right third. The US was spread evenly with nine battalions in the front line and the 10th held back on the US left flank.

This is very interesting. Brassies notes intra visibility for northern Europe is about 500 to 1500 yds. So roughly a man on the ground can only see stuff up to about 1500m and only 10% of the time can he see further. Go out and look and it is surprising how little you can see from a single point. That means that spread out is OK, IF you have better than normal visibility or permanently have stuff overhead to say where the enemy is. That might be harder than it seems if a Carry Mat hides folk from FLIR and or air superiority with respect to drones is not available. GSR may be a key force multiplier.

There are other sources, including Russian ones that reached the same conclusion regarding visibility distances in Northern Europe. One reason I use a lot of terrain when doing WW2 or Modern games.

The stuff I read indicates a platoon was spread out over about 250m and used automatic fire to dominate 100m or so either side. Unless you have no mobile reserves bad news in a Maneouver war your brigade is proably more like 10 km not 16 km. Or you widen the platoon, or you go mobile defence, just Op's and intercept any targets coming in.