IABSM AAR: The Romanians And Operation Barbarossa 1941

With the second UK lockdown still in full swing, I went back to playing a solo game of I Ain't Been Shot, Mum. This is an excellent set of rules which works really well in solo as I've shown before with the recent game set in Kursk and the one set in Stalingrad. This time, I dialled the clock back to 1941 and the invasion of Russia by Germany, AKA Operation Barbarossa. I set it in the southern sector with a Romanian force pressing forward the attack. The table was a rural one, with trees, fields and hills dotted across it.

The Romanians consisted of two platoons of infantry, each with about 40 men in, one supported on the left flank by three StuG IIIs that had joined their cause. 

On the right flank another platoon was supported by three Romanian R-2 tanks. 

The Soviets consisted of three platoons, each of three sections of 8 men, two BA-10 armoured cars and two T-35 multi-turreted tanks. Gaining the initiative the Soviets began moving their infantry forward to counter the advancing Axis threat.

On their right flank they moved into positions by the hedge line whilst the T-35s rumbled forward to support and engage the StuGs. 

Smashing through the hedge and into the fields one of the T-35s opened fire on the StuGs. Although it hit it only caused minor damage.

On the other flank the Romanian infantry were advancing across the fields and came under fire from the Soviet infantry. However, they fired back and caused casualties and shock on the defenders. 

Pushing forward the rest of the platoon, the Romanians attempted to flank the Soviets but ran into men in the woods.

Over on the other flank, the StuGs opened their engines and guns, immediately taking out the leading T-35 and knocking out the main gun of the second one!

With support from the BA-10s, the firefight on the Soviet left flank was getting  intense across the corn fields, both sides gaining no apparent advantage. 

Finally getting the R-2s moving, the attackers were able to bring in some heavy guns to support the infantry attack.

The StuGs were having a field day, brewing up the second T-35 and laying fire down on the Russian section holding the hedge line. 

This allowed the Romanian infantry to begin moving forward to threaten the defence position. 

At this point the attack was making little headway on the right flank, whilst it had finally got moving one the left. It was still difficult to call a winner this far in. 

In a change of Soviet fortune the leading BA-10 drew a bead on the StuGs and destroyed one with a well aimed shot!

They then continued to duel with the R-2s, again, neither side giving any indication of having the advantage. 

Having called in mortar support in a previous turn the barrage arrived dead on target in the centre of one of the Soviet platoons. The exposed infantry were hammered and locked in place with pins and suppression! 

Then the BA-10s fell to the guns of the R-2s, both of which suffered so much shock that their crews abandoned them!

Disaster was also unfolding on the Soviet right flank as two sections were mauled by the StuGs, one being destroyed whilst the other fleeing. Eight men now faced about thirty-five Romanian infantry and two assault guns! 

As the firefight continued on the other flank, the Romanians were pressing their advantage, despite taking heavy casualties. 

The remaining Soviet section on the right grimly held on as Romanian infantry moved closer. 

Another barrage hit the unlucky Soviets in the fields, causing more casualties and causing a section to break and flee the field. 

With the StuGs firing at the infantry, the result was inevitable, the remaining Soviet section on their right flank was quickly dispatched and fled!

On the next Tea Break card I called the game a Romanian victory. Despite incredibly dogged defence by the Soviets, the line had broken and there was little coming back from their position.

The Soviets had lost their AT capabilities after the BAs were abandoned and were faced by two StuGs, two R-2s, along with a pretty fresh platoon. It would have only been a matter of time before they were either destroyed to a man or driven from the field. It was another excellent game of IABSM, with more twists than the last game I played and about half way through it could have genuinely gone either way. The friction caused by drawing cards really helps to make IABSM a great solo game as you have to react to the next card you draw. 

As with other games, I also filmed this and you can watch the AAR here: