18_01s: Showdown on the Main - MC 02 Fulda Gap '85
12 - 1 - 8
| Rating: | 7.95 (19) |
| Games Played: | 21 |
| SM: | 3 |
| Turns: | 27 |
| Type: | Stock |
| First Side: | Warsaw Pact |
| Second Side: | NATO |
Frankfurt, West Germany, June 18th 1985: The battle for central Germany has been raging for a full week with heavy losses sustained on both sides. The city of Frankfurt is the immediate objective of the Warsaw Pact in this region and this objective is just within its grasp. NATO is predicting that there will be a major push for the capture of this key political and strategic base of operations. The Soviet 8th Guards Army has resumed the advance and has mobilised it's last strategic reserves for the this upcoming battle. The beleaguered East German 3rd Army is also in position to support the attack. The Soviet 7th Guards Tank Division of the 1st Guards Army is refitting after its attack on Wetzlar and should be available in the next 36 hours to join in the attack. NATO has also been preparing; a large North Atlantic convoy arrived in Amsterdam on the 16th with replacement weapons and equipment for the depleted US formations. Additionally, the German 5th Panzer Division was pulled out of the front lines yest erday for refitting; that formation should arrive in the Frankfurt area every soon. The Soviets know that this is their chance to end this war quickly. The capture of Frankfurt opens the gates for a race towards the Rhine, France and the Atlantic coast, but time is playing against them and NATO gets stronger with each passing hour. [Size: large] Designer’s notes: Best played as Warsaw Pact or Human vs. Human.
| Player Voting Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Member | Balance | Enjoyment |
 The Scribbler |
Slightly Pro Warsaw Pact | 7 |
 Landser34 |
Moderately Pro NATO | 5 |
 Heinz |
Well Balanced | 8 |
| Heinz |
Well Balanced | 7 |
| Landser34 |
Well Balanced | 5 |
| Gaming Records | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Side Player | 2nd Side Player | Result | Score | ||||||
|
 |
Kool Kat | vs. | Landser34 |  |
|
NATO Major Victory | 54 | 6 |
|
|
Landser34 | vs. | Kool Kat | |
|
NATO Major Victory | 54 | 6 |
|
 |
waterlo | vs. | Landser34 | |
|
Warsaw Pact Major Victory | 54 | 6 |
|
 |
Lucid | vs. | Heinz |  |
|
Warsaw Pact Major Victory | 54 | 6 |
|
 |
-72- | vs. | Landser34 | |
|
Warsaw Pact Major Victory | 54 | 6 |
The Warsaw Pact commander must use his numerous artillery and air assets to soften up the NATO defense several turns before committing the armor and mechanized battalions. A viable WP strategy is to concentrate his main advances north of Hanau in the Bad Nauheim sector. This area is good tank country and supports rapid advances with less covered terrain for NATO defenders. It's best to avoid or limit WP operations south of the Main River since much of the terrain is forest, town or city hexes. Here, WP forces risk getting bogged down in costly attrition combat. Warsaw Pact should wait and deploy chemical ordnance against stubborn NATO defending units when the Soviet 7th Guards Tank Division releases and joins the advance north of the Main River. In this 27-turn scenario, the Warsaw Pact has ample time and forces to reach several outlying objective hexes. Frankfurt is most likely out of reach of WP ground forces since the objective hexes are buried deep in the city center region. Soviet helo battalions could try a surgical strike at these objectives, but only a careless NATO commander would leave Frankfurt objectives undefended. Between equal skilled players, Showdown on the Main is a tense and exciting contest that can go either way. A recommended Fulda Gap '85 scenario!
Regards, Mike / "A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." - George S. Patton /
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