Research Done, Finding the Right Situation
My ongoing analysis of the Soviet attack on Grigor'evka in 1941 on the coast of the Black Sea continues with an attempt to find the right situation for a scenario.
For one thing, I've decided on a name for the scenario... "Red Sisters." Krasny is Russian for Red, and the Krym and Kavkaz were sister ships.
A brief word about scenario titles. I don't like puns. Clearly lots of people do. People seem to like alliteration in scenario titles. Of the top rated thirty scenarios, seven of them have an alliterative component in their titles. I like quotes (or parts of quotes), e.g. "Good Night, Sweet Prince." Maybe sometime an analysis of scenario titles and quality is warranted...
But since I am high on the diesel fumes of warships generally and on this scenario in particular, I chose a title that focused on the flagships of the naval component of the attack. Even though the Red Sisters only operated during the initial component of the landings, the name will highlight the highly combined arms aspect of the scenario.
However, the initial landings appear to be largely unopposed. Also, amphibious landings tend to be very complex and even the sight of an ocean map will put many players off. There is no need to clog up the scenario with something like an amphibious component. That means while the scenario is named Red Sisters, in all likelihood the Red Sisters were safe and sound back in Odessa by the time the scenario takes place.
To me, the most compelling aspect of the history here is the very small but very heroic paratroops that landed behind enemy lines in order to disrupt the Romanian command and help the marines make their way to Hill 57.3--a crucial role in the bid to end Romanian attacks on Odessa's harbor.
The paratroopers, though small in number, seem to me to be the compelling part of the story. Hill 57.3, while I am circumspect about the presence of a hill this high in the vicinity, seems also to be an important part of the story. I think a combination of the guns and the hill should be the focus.
However, this is quite similar to an earlier scenario They Fired on Odessa.
They Fired on Odessa seems to be a bit earlier than the actual assault on Hill 57.3. It is a quite old scenario and it hasn't aged well. Boards 3 and 4? Yawn. Out of fifty playings, the Romanians have won about three quarters of them. There also seems to be a misconception buried in the scenario that the Marines were going after the guns. In fact, the idea was to link up with the 421st and 157th Infantry Divisions and encircle the guns firing on Odessa. Finally, They Fired on Odessa leaves out the paramarines!
I believe that in this case it may be a chance to use a variable OB (at least on the Soviet side), giving the Soviet player a chance to pick whether to send in paramarines or advanced elements of the infantry divisions attacking out of the Odessa perimeter. Variable OB enhance replay value and can potentially add some fog of war.
Next, I'll start assembling some parts of the scenario.
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| Krasny Krym...badass boat or donut franchise? |
A brief word about scenario titles. I don't like puns. Clearly lots of people do. People seem to like alliteration in scenario titles. Of the top rated thirty scenarios, seven of them have an alliterative component in their titles. I like quotes (or parts of quotes), e.g. "Good Night, Sweet Prince." Maybe sometime an analysis of scenario titles and quality is warranted...
But since I am high on the diesel fumes of warships generally and on this scenario in particular, I chose a title that focused on the flagships of the naval component of the attack. Even though the Red Sisters only operated during the initial component of the landings, the name will highlight the highly combined arms aspect of the scenario.
However, the initial landings appear to be largely unopposed. Also, amphibious landings tend to be very complex and even the sight of an ocean map will put many players off. There is no need to clog up the scenario with something like an amphibious component. That means while the scenario is named Red Sisters, in all likelihood the Red Sisters were safe and sound back in Odessa by the time the scenario takes place.
To me, the most compelling aspect of the history here is the very small but very heroic paratroops that landed behind enemy lines in order to disrupt the Romanian command and help the marines make their way to Hill 57.3--a crucial role in the bid to end Romanian attacks on Odessa's harbor.
The paratroopers, though small in number, seem to me to be the compelling part of the story. Hill 57.3, while I am circumspect about the presence of a hill this high in the vicinity, seems also to be an important part of the story. I think a combination of the guns and the hill should be the focus.
However, this is quite similar to an earlier scenario They Fired on Odessa.
They Fired on Odessa seems to be a bit earlier than the actual assault on Hill 57.3. It is a quite old scenario and it hasn't aged well. Boards 3 and 4? Yawn. Out of fifty playings, the Romanians have won about three quarters of them. There also seems to be a misconception buried in the scenario that the Marines were going after the guns. In fact, the idea was to link up with the 421st and 157th Infantry Divisions and encircle the guns firing on Odessa. Finally, They Fired on Odessa leaves out the paramarines!
I believe that in this case it may be a chance to use a variable OB (at least on the Soviet side), giving the Soviet player a chance to pick whether to send in paramarines or advanced elements of the infantry divisions attacking out of the Odessa perimeter. Variable OB enhance replay value and can potentially add some fog of war.
Next, I'll start assembling some parts of the scenario.
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