Friendly Fire Pack #1

Friendly Fire Pack 1 contains eight small to medium-sized scenarios. Most of them are designed for the Friendly Fire ASL Tournament held in Linköping, Sweden.

FrF1 Jarama Proving Ground
Near the Jarama River, Spain, 6 February 1937: After failing to take Madrid by a head-on assault, the Spanish Nationalists opened a new offensive to the south of the capital, with the goal of crossing the Jarama River and cutting the Madrid-Valencia road. The majority of the assaulting troops were Spanish Foreign Legion, but the force also included the German expeditionary force Legion Condor with their panzers and 8.8cm FlaK guns.

This medium-sized eight-turn scenario features a small but powerful Nationalist force with German-manned HMG, FlaK 18's and Panzer I's attacking dug-in and numerous but not particularly well-equipped Republican defenders on Board 18.

FrF2 Maczek Fire Brigade
Novy Targ sector, Poland, 4 September 1939: At the initial stage of the German invasion of Poland, the XXII Corps had orders to break the defense south of Cracow, defended by the Polish 10th (Motorized) Cavalry Brigade. In charge of the brigade was Colonel St. Maczek, who immediately started to use the brigade's 121st Light Tank Company as a kind of "fire brigade", thrown in at threatened parts of the front in order to secure any breach.

Maczek Fire Brigade is a tourney-sized 5.5 turn scenario. German light tanks and elite infantry from the 4th Light Division have orders to secure 12 buildings defended by Polish infantry. The "fire brigade" in the form of Vickers tanks enter as Polish reinforcements.

FrF3 The Swedish Voluntary Corps
Märkäjärvi, Finland, 2 March 1940: In November 1939, the Soviet Union attacked Finland. Sweden dared not engage in full scale war with its age-old enemy, but allowed volunteer bureaus to be set up. Among the first in the Swedish Voluntary Corps to see action was the 4:e Jägarkompaniet. During a reconnaissance mission in the Märkäjärvi area the company was discovered, encircled and attacked by elements of the Russian 122nd Infantry Division.

During 5.5 turns nine Swedish 5-4-8 jägare are being attacked by a large number of unfortunate Russian 4-4-7's. Some of the latter have skis, but most are just slowly trudging forward in the deep snow toward their goal: the Swedish base camp.

FrF4 Barbarossa D-day
Pruzhany, Russia, 22 June 1941: On the day of the German invasion of Russia, the main body of the Russian 30th Tank Division was located in the woods south-east of Pruzhany. Alerted by the distant sound of guns, the 30th Division's combat elements were redeployed to their pre-planned positions south of the town. Their orders were simple: stop Guderian's 18th Panzer Division.

In Barbarossa D-day, German tanks and infantry on motorcycles need to clear a small hamlet defended by infantry from the Russian 205th Motorized Division. Lacking any form of AT capability, things look dark for the Russians until six T-26 from 30th Tank Division appear on the scene.

FrF5 The Valley of Death
Arbuzovka, Russia, 23 December 1942: As a result of the Soviet Operation Little Saturn, the Italian 8th Army had been smashed and only isolated strongpoints remained. The German 298th Infantry Division and disorganized Italian forces had been encircled at Arbuzovka. On 23 December, German and Italian forces repeatedly attempted to break through the concord which the 35th Guards Rifle Division had erected around them.

In The Valley of Death sixteen Black-shirt squads with two German StuG III's as direct fire support try to break through an eight-squad strong Russian defense. Russian reinforcements in the form of a T-34 and 76mm artillery arrives halfway through this 5.5 turn scenario.

FrF6 A Hundred Rounds
Laspa, Ukraine, 8 September 1943: In mid-August the Russians attacked the Donbas and the newly reconstituted German 6th Army. Soon the Russian spearheads were threatening the vital Dneipr crossing sites in the German rear. A Kampfgruppe composed of elements of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 259 and the 3. Gebirgs-Division set out on a counter-attack to check the Russian advance.

In this seven-turn armor frenzy seven StuG III's with supporting infantry meet a total of seventeen T-70 and T-34 tanks. The only thing that saves the Germans from total annihilation is the Russians' piecemeal arrival to the battle. Unteroffizier Engels earned a Knight's Cross in this action. Can you?

FrF7 To Have and To Hold
Thionville, France, 2 September 1944: In early September 1944, the Allied armies' wild chase across France was starting to slow down with growing supply problems and stiffening resistance from the supposedly beaten German Army. Although the bulk of Patton's Third Army was stalled, elements of 3rd Cavalry Group broke out and got as far as Thionville on the Moselle river. During the afternoon of 2 September, a cavalry platoon charged the Thionville bridge on their steel horses.

In this six-turn scenario the Americans, in jeeps and armored cars, must capture the bridge during the first turn and prevent its recapture by counter-attacking German infantry and assault guns.

FrF8 Second Thoughts
Wingen-sur-Moder, France, 4 January 1945: The first objective of Operation Nordwind, Hitler's last major offensive in the west, was to secure a path through the Low Vosges mountains to the Alsatian plains. One possible path ran through Wingen-sur-Moder. Kampfgruppe Wingen was tasked to seize the village.

In Second Thoughts SS-Gebirgs-Jäger and a captured M8 HMC meet a tiny American infantry force defending Heidenneck outside Wingen. The Americans are ready to give up arms, but change their minds as they receive unexpected armored reinforcements, which enable them to counter-attack and retake Heidenneck and maybe even break through to the now German-held Wingen itself with the tanks.