The Rhineland War

by E.R. Bickford Production: Lise’ Patterson © 2011 Decision Games Bakersfield, CA.

World at War No. 21: Rhineland War, 1936 During the first part of the article I will outline each of the phases, and then shift to a more streamlined presentation. Turn One, March 1936 Axis Player: Germany Mobilization Phase Germany expends its mobilization points to raise the Condor Legion Panzer Brigade and the Condor TAC units. Axis Terror Bombing Phase The Axis player forgoes terror bombing this time.

Axis Movement Phase The III Infantry Corps and the SSVT move into the Rhineland. This is a crisis hex. It is worth VP, but more important, it will generate random Crisis Chit selections from the pool. Additionally, the German commander orders a massive force to threaten the Sudetenland, another crisis hex. Then an army moves from Breslau into Czechoslovakia aimed at Bratislava. Axis Combat Phase The first combat is against the fortress defenses in the Sudetenland. The Wehrmacht has a panzer force, but due to the enemy fortified zone the Mechanized CRT can’t be selected. Nonetheless, the fortress defense is eliminated. The Germans capture the Sudetenland. Next the German commander focuses on the city of Bratislava. The German

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The Rhineland War

Army calls for support from its TAC unit based in Breslau. A Shock chit is also used against Czech Second Army. The German player has included panzers in the attack and can therefore utilize the Mechanized CRT. The result is an overrun. Czech Second Army is wiped out. The victorious German Army parades through Bratislava. Axis Rally Phase The German player deploys two TAC units to fly CAP above both the Ruhr and Breslau. That’s presumably to protect against terror bombing.

isn’t yet a belligerent, the Axis player selects the Italian CCNN Corps and withdraws it. That unit goes to Ethiopia and is out of the game. The Hungary chit is drawn next. As a result, Hungary becomes an Axis country. Seeing the successes in Czechoslovakia, the government in Budapest has decided on an early alliance with Germany. Since Czechoslovakia still occupies both Pilsen and Prague, the Czechs remain in the war as Allies. Allied Player: France and Czechoslovakia

Axis Crisis Phase The Axis player now has troops in the Rhineland, Sudetenland and Bratislava; so he selects three Crisis chits. The first is Red Army Purge. That’s set aside for now. The Soviets continue to be neutral. The second chit is Ethiopian Crisis. Since Italy

Mobilization Phase France receives its Third and Fourth Armies, which are mobilized in Metz and Lyon, respectively. There are no replacements yet. The Czechs can’t take any reinforcements in Prague because it’s in the ZOC of German forces. Pilsen has a fortified zone

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that negates German ZOC, so their Fourth Army is deployed there. Terror Bombing Phase The Allied player decides to pass on terror bombing at this time. Allied Movement Phase The French Second and Third Armies are redeployed to Alsace-Lorraine. That’s a crisis region. Then Fourth Army moves to south of Rheims. The Czechs don’t have much offensive firepower. Their First Army in Prague is redeployed to Pilsen, where it retains a defensive posture. Allied Combat Phase Neither the French nor Czech armies initiate any combat. Rally Phase The German TAC in the Ruhr and Breslau, which are flying CAP, are

moved to the Utilized Box. The Czechs place their TAC on a CAP mission over Pilsen. The French employ a TAC unit over Metz. Crisis Phase The Allies select a General Strike chit. That, of course, isn’t good news for the Allied cause. Fortunately the Allies manage to pass their Collapse die roll check. Turn 2, April 1936

The German commander decides to complete his move against Czechoslovakia. The VIII and IX Infantry Corps march into Prague and are joined there by 1st Mechanized Cavalry Division. The IV Infantry Corps remains in Bratislava. The French are temporarily ignored. Hungarian First Army remains in Budapest. The Hungarian high command realizes they’re in no position to engage with the Allies.

Axis Player: Germany & Hungary The German player receives two reinforcements. The 29th Motorized Division is placed in the Ruhr, and the 5th Panzer Division is deployed in Breslau. The three utilized TAC are returned to the Air Available Box. Hungary doesn’t have any reinforcements. The Axis player chooses to forgo Terror Bombing at this time.

One attack is launched against the Czechs in Pilsen. That’s a particularly stubborn defensive position. The Luftwaffe makes an appearance, but the Czech Air Force acquits itself well and neutralizes the German planes. The attack on Pilsen is repulsed; the combat result is Attacker Panics. The German forces retreat. This is only



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a small set back for the Wehrmacht, but an embarrassment nonetheless. The Czech CAP in Pilsen is placed in the Air Utilized Box. Likewise, the French Air Force returns from its CAP mission over Rheims. The Luftwaffe sends TAC on a CAP mission over the Rhineland and the Sudetenland. The Axis player selects three Crisis chits. One is Yugoslavia, which consequently becomes an Allied country. The next chit is Czechoslovakia. That has no effect, since the Germans have already invaded there and its therefore an Allied country. The third selection is a Putsch chit. That’s placed on the board and presents the possibility of an anti-Nazi uprising. The Axis player survives the collapse die roll check.

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The Rhineland War Allies Turn: France, Czechoslovakia & Yugoslavia Both the Czech and French Air Forces return to the Air Available Box. The Czechs receive their Fourth Army as reinforcement, and its deployed in Prague. The GHQ Armored Cavalry Division is mobilized in Pilsen. That’s a blow to the Germans. France mobilizes its Fifth Army in Metz and its Eighth Army in Lille. The Yugoslavians have no reinforcements. The Allies decide not to use Terror Bombing. The French redeploy their First Army to the fortified zone west of Luxembourg. The 2nd Mechanized Cavalry Division moves forward in an attempt to enforce the demilitarization of the Rhineland zone. In Yugoslavia, their First Army remains in Belgrade and their 2nd Infantry is in Zagreb, an important crisis area. The Czech player decides not to attack the Germans at this time. Hopefully, the Wehrmacht will have to turn its attention elsewhere. Next the Allied player launches a counterattack against the German forces in the Rhineland. The Germans are defending there with an infantry corps and the SSVT Mechanized Division. The French Air Force attempts to fly combat support, but encounters the Luftwaffe on CAP. There is no effect. The French commander uses the Attrition CRT and obtains a Defender Withdraws result. The Germans retreat to Frankfurt. French First Army marches into the Rhineland. The Luftwaffe units on CAP return to the Air Utilized Box, and the Czech Air Force is placed on CAP over Pilsen. The French player selects two crisis chits. One is PSYWAR; the other is Putsch. That’s placed on the map, increasing the unrest in the Axis camp. The Allies have one General Strike chit on the map, and that player successfully rolls the die to avoid collapse. Turn 3, May 1936

tactics. The Luftwaffe is ordered to use its aircraft for terror bombing missions. TAC is deployed in Pilsen and Prague to terror bomb there, while another TAC is placed above the Rhineland. Since the Czechs have their own TAC on CAP, the two sides’ air forces engage for air superiority. The Czech CAP has no effect on the Luftwaffe; however, none of the terror bombing has any effect on the various targets. The Wehrmacht resumes its efforts to subjugate Czechoslovakia with attacks against Pilsen and Prague. Again the Czech Air Force overrides the powerful Luftwaffe at Pilsen, which was sent to provide close support. Apparently the Germans still need to work on their blitzkrieg tactics. The result of the assault against Pilsen is a Bloodbath, and the fortified zone is eliminated. The 5th Panzer Division is also eliminated. Things don’t go too well for the Germans at Prague, and the panzers withdraw. Next attention is again focused on the Rhineland, which has been occupied by a French army. The German infantry is joined with a few mechanized units, but there’s no more tactical air support available. French First Army defends but is overwhelmed and forced to withdraw. German III Infantry Corps and the 29th Mech advance and reoccupy the Rhineland. During the rally phase the Czech CAP is returned to the Air Utilized Box, having discharged its duties well. The Axis player has no air available; so there are no CAP missions assigned. During the crisis phase the Axis player selects three Crisis chits. The first is Mediterranean Crisis. It has no effect, as Italy is still neutral. The second selection causes the Soviet Union to join the Allies. The final selection is Fifth Column, which is held off to the side. The PSYWAR chit is played, and one of the Putsch chits is returned to the pool. The Axis player survives another collapse die roll check.

Axis Player: Germany & Hungary The German player rebuilds a TAC from the dead pile, and two other TAC are moved from the Air Utilized Box to the Air Available Box. The German high command decides to change

Allies Turn: France, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia & the USSR France receives two units of reinforcing troops. The IX Army mobilizes in Paris while 1st Armored Cavalry Division

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deploys in Lille. The Czechs can’t receive any reinforcements or replacements, as their mobilization centers are no longer under their full control. Yugoslavia has no reinforcements yet, and the Soviet Union expends two resource points to bring First Byelorussian Military District into Kiev. The French commander orders First Army to move back into Metz. The 1st Mech Cavalry Division joins it there. Next, IX Army in Paris boards trains and moves by rail to Lyon. Fourth Army also moves by rail from La Havre to Bordeaux. In Czechoslovakia their First Army marches from Prague onto the fortified zone to the north. All the units in Yugoslavia simply remain in place. The USSR begins to look threatening. In the north, First Leningrad Military District marches from Leningrad to the border of the Baltic States near Narva. They take care not to violate neutrality, though. Soviet XV Tank Corps rolls out of Smolensk and on to Minsk. The 1st Airborne marches to the woods north of Minsk. In the area of Kiev, First Ukrainian Military District marches to the border of Romania, while the TRGK Tank Corps crosses the border and occupies Bessarabia. That’s a crisis area. Due to that Soviet invasion of Romania, the Romanians join the Axis. In Czechoslovakia the Allies decide to counterattack the stalled Wehrmacht. The German 1st Mech Cav Division is caught without supply and is destroyed. Also, the French counterattack in the Rhineland and the German defenders there are overrun. The III Infantry Corps is destroyed, and the 29th Mechanized Division falls back. The French re-reoccupy the Rhineland. The Allied player places a French TAC on CAP over the Rhineland. Likewise, the Czech Air Force is deployed over Pilsen. The Soviet Union uses one TAC to fly CAP over Bessarabia. The Allies receive three crisis chits. One of them is Finnish Crisis. The Soviet Union thus withdraws an infantry corps to deal with that. That’s a permanent withdrawal. Next Bulgaria joins the Axis. Then the Romania chit is drawn, but Romania is already aligned with the Axis because the Soviets

invaded there earlier. The Allies use their PSYWAR chit to remove the General Strike chit from the board. Turn 4, June 1936 Axis Player: Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria The Germans gain their 13th Mechanized Division as a reinforcement, which deploys in Berlin. Then 4th Panzer Division is mobilized in Munich. Additionally, 5th Panzer Division is reconstituted in Hamburg. The air units are returned to the Available Box. The Luftwaffe again attempts terror bombing. This time Pilsen is avoided due to the previously demonstrated effectiveness there of the Czech Air Force. The Luftwaffe focuses on the infantry army to the northeast. Another TAC is sent to bomb the Rhineland, which is again occupied by French forces. The terror result in Czechoslovakia is Defiance. That allows the Allies to immediately select a Crisis chit. They choose poorly, and a General Strike chit becomes active. In the Rhineland, German TAC face the French Air Force on CAP. The Luftwaffe is destroyed, but manages to force the French Air Force to abort. Terror bombing tactic hasn’t worked out well for the Axis.

Then the panzers rush in and through it. That leaves Prague isolated.

rebuilt. France uses its mobilization points to rebuild 1st Mech Cav.

Next the Axis player turns his attention to France. French First Army and 1st Mechanized Cavalry occupy the Rhineland. The Germans launch an all-out assault against that French force. They are victorious. The 1st Cav is destroyed and First Army again retreats to Metz.

The Soviet Union orders its SAC to perform terror bombing against the Romanians in Ploesti. It has no effect. There are no other terror attacks attempted by the Allies.

During the crisis phase the Axis player selects several chits. The first is the Austria event. Consequently, Austria joins the Axis. The next draw is the Espionage chit. It’s retained off to the side by the Axis player. A third chit is selected. It is PSYWAR. A second PSYWAR chit is selected. The Far East Crisis chit is picked and discarded. One of the PSYWAR chits is used to remove the Putsch chit from the board. Thus no collapse die roll is necessary. Allies Turn: France, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia & the USSR The Soviet Union adds four units as reinforcements. The NKVD unit is placed in Leningrad, The ARGK Artillery unit is deployed in Smolensk, First Byelorussian Military District is in Kiev, and XXV Tank Corps is placed in Odessa. The TKGR Tank Corps is

The Soviets decide to advance into Romania in an attempt to effect an armistice. First Ukrainian Army advances to the outskirts of Ploesti. The Romanians there are then flanked by tank formations led by XXV Tank Corps. Meanwhile First Byelorussian advances and reoccupies Bessarabia. The Soviet forces encounter a mountain corps defending Ploesti. The Soviet commander calls for TAC to support the attack. The TAC aircraft fly in from Odessa. The attack goes well enough to dislodge the Romanians, but in the battle the Soviet cav-mech group is wrecked. Nonetheless, Ploesti falls to the Soviets. In Czechoslovakia the Allies have essentially given up. A desperate attack is possible, but without TAC it will be nearly impossible to defeat the German forces there. It’s therefore deemed better to remain in defense. Yugoslavia also stays static, as its high command must defend against potential enemy intentions emanating

The Romanians decide to challenge the Soviets in Bessarabia. Their First Army advances from Bucharest. The Soviet TRGK Tank Corps defends Bessarabia. The tank corps is weak on defense. The attack results in both sides’ elimination. Bessarabia is left unoccupied. Breslau has been temporarily cut off from supply. The Luftwaffe flies a MAC unit to provide combat supply in the forthcoming attack against the Czechs. Czech First Army is defending in the hills east of Prague. German TAC is used for combat support. The German HG Mechanized Regiment is eliminated, but Czech First Army is forced to retreat as well. Another assault is launched against Pilsen. The Luftwaffe defeats the Czech Air Force. Czech Third Army defends in Pilsen. This time the Germans take the city. Czech Third Army is destroyed defending the city.



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The Rhineland War

from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Austria. The French would like to attack into the Rhineland, but without mechanized units they can’t concentrate enough force for a successful effort. The USSR places TAC on patrol at Ploesti, and the French Air Force flies CAP over Alsace-Lorraine. During the crisis phase the Allies select more chits. A Putsch chit is selected. Perhaps there has been some discontent in the Axis camp? In an unlikely move, the USA joins the Allies. That will allow their AVG to be used. Another Putsch chit is drawn and placed on the board. A die is rolled for collapse due to the General Strike chit on the board. There is no Allied collapse, though.

Turn 5, July 1936 Axis Player: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria & Romania The Germans receive XV Infantry Corps as reinforcement in the Ruhr. An amphibious group is also placed in the Available Naval Box. Austria deploys its II Infantry Corps in Vienna, and Hungary places its Second Army in Budapest. The Luftwaffe is used to terror bomb Prague. One TAC is set aside for that, and it’s completely ineffective. Another terror mission is conducted over Alsace-Lorraine. France has air units flying CAP, and they engage the Luftwaffe. The German aircraft manage to evade that CAP, but their bombs have no effect. The Romanian Mountain Corps marches from into Bucharest. It doesn’t have

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enough force to confront the Soviets directly; perhaps it will benefit from fighting in the city. The Hungarians haven’t contributed much to the Axis thus far. The German high command requests they send troops to occupy Bratislava, thereby freeing German IV Corps to support the attack on Prague. The German Army calls for aid from the Luftwaffe’s MAC unit, which provides combat supply for the troops west of Breslau. The Germans launch a concentric attack against Prague. Czech Fourth Army fights nobly, but in the end it succumbs to the panzers. The GHQ is caught within enemy ZOC and it’s consequently also destroyed. German troops enter Prague. In France the Germans look to AlsaceLorraine. Their attack uses the Attrition CRT despite the panzers, because of the Maginot Line defenses; however, that’s not enough to stop the Wehrmacht.

The fortified zone is destroyed, and French Third Army retreats. That allows German forces to move into AlsaceLorraine. There is no further combat. The Allies remove their CAP to the Air Utilized Box. The Luftwaffe sends its fighters to perform CAP above Alsace-Lorraine. Due to the terror bombing, there are no other air units left to deploy. During the crisis phase, Czechoslovakia surrenders to the Axis powers. The Germans occupy Pilsen and Prague in addition to the Sudetenland and Bratislava. Then the Axis player selects Crisis chits. The first chit is Fifth Column, the second is PSYWAR. The Spanish Civil War chit is also drawn, as is Shock Effect and Far East Crisis. The Spanish Nationalist and Republican units are deployed. Then the Axis player



expends both PSYWAR chits to remove the two Putsch chits from the board. Allies Turn: France, USA, USSR, Yugoslavia & Republican Spain Yugoslavia mobilizes its Third Army in Zagreb. France receives the ADA Corps in Paris. The Soviets attempt to terrorize the Romanian unit in Bucharest using bombers. That has no effect. The Soviets order XV Tank Corps to move by rail from Minsk to Ploesti. Then the Soviet army in Romania converges on the Romanian Mountain Corps in Bucharest. The Yugoslavian Army remains idle. The Soviets assault Bucharest and the Romanian forces there. TAC is able to provide close support, flying out of Odessa. The Romanians retreat into Bulgaria. Soviet forces capture Bucharest.

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The USSR sends a TAC unit on CAP to Ploesti. The French Air Force is used to fly CAP over Metz. Otherwise there isn’t much activity. The Romanians seek an armistice with the Allies now that the USSR is in Ploesti and Bucharest. The Allies have five crisis areas. The Comintern chit is used to pull troops from Hungary. Their Second Army is decimated by communist defections. Italy decides to align with the Allies. The PSYWAR chit is expended to remove the General Strike chit. The USSR has to roll a die for collapse due to the Purge chit. The Red Army is purged, and the Soviets withdraw from the war. Perhaps the PSYWAR should’ve been used to remove the Purge chit. This, of course, is a big blow to the Allies.

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Turn 6, August 1936 Axis Turn: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Nationalist Spain & Bulgaria The Axis player has no reinforcements. He returns his air units to the Available Box; then he plays both Fifth Column chits and chooses to remove the Yugoslavian Second and Third Armies. During the movement phase the Austrian Alpine Corps is redeployed to secure the crisis hex in Zagreb. Austrian II Infantry Corps marches from Vienna to Bratislava. Then the German commander uses two rail moves to secure crisis hexes in Romania. The IV Infantry moves to Bessarabia while VIII Corps moves to Ploesti. Those moves are within Railroad Zone 2; so there is a three-unit limit. Then IX Infantry is moved to Breslau.

Army in one of them, the capital. The Condor Legion is used to provide close support. The defending unit is forced to withdraw. Since it’s surrounded, it’s destroyed instead. The Nationalists capture Madrid. The Luftwaffe employs CAP over the Rhineland and Alsace-Lorraine. During the crisis phase the Axis player selects three Putsch chits. Additionally, two General Strike chits are selected along with a Red Army Purge chit. PSYWAR is expended to knock out one of the Putsch markers. A die roll is made for Axis collapse. That results in nothing. The Axis player gives a sigh of relief.

performing CAP there; so there’s an aerial battle. The Luftwaffe is victorious, and the French TAC is destroyed. With no air support the French attack is hopeless. The French are defeated, and their Third Army is destroyed. The Yugoslavian Army is down to one unit in Belgrade; so it does nothing. The Republican forces in Spain also remain quiet. The Norte Army is deployed in Barcelona, the Republicans’ last mobilization area. Meanwhile, Franco is becoming stronger.

Allied Player: France, USA, Italy, Yugoslavia & Republican Spain

In Italy, Second Army is moved to the Alps to defend that flank against any possible German action. The Alpine Corps marches toward Zagreb, which is held by the Austrians. Fourth Army moves to Zara. There are no attacks.

In Spain the Nationalist Army makes an advance against Madrid. The Axis player sees the Allies have two crisis areas under their control in Spain; so the Nationalists launch an attack against the Republican Sur

The Allies have no reinforcements, but they return their air units to the Available Box. The French no longer have to worry about Italy; so they focus on a counterattack in Alsace-Lorraine. The French Air Force attempts to fly close support. The Luftwaffe is

The Luftwaffe CAP returns to base. The Italian forces deploy a TAC over Trieste to fly CAP. Then the Allies select Crisis chits. During the collapse phase the Allies have to face three General Strike markers. They fail the die roll and the Allies collapse.

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That means no more reinforcements or replacements for them. Turn 7, September 1936 Axis Player: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria & Nationalist Spain During mobilization the Germans receive more TAC. Several mech units also arrive along with a security division. A Fifth Column chit is expended to remove Yugoslav First Army in Belgrade. A Security Corps uses rail movement to redeploy to Bucharest. Hungarian First Army occupies Belgrade. The German Army is redeployed to cover the Italian front. A few troops move to the eastern border with Poland.

crisis phase, Belgium is selected, meaning it will remain neutral unless invaded. It’s unlikely either player will invade Belgium. A PSYWAR is expended to remove one of the Putsch chits from the board. Yugoslavia signs an armistice and is out of the war. The Axis player has two Putsch chits on the board and must roll for collapse. A die roll of five means no collapse. The unrest was apparently managed without fanfare. Allies Turn: France, Italy, USA & Republican Spain

The Axis player decides to forgo any attacks at this time. During the

The Allies have no reinforcements or replacements. German VI Corps has managed to cut off the careless Italian deployment in Trieste; so an amphibious unit is employed to provide supply to that port. The Allies are generally stuck; so there are no attacks.



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During the crisis phase the Axis player uses his Espionage chit, and the first Crisis chit selected by the Allies is therefore returned to the pool. It happens to be the Great Britain chit. There are no further actions. Turn 8, October 1936 Both sides are performing damage control. The Allies are weak and have collapsed; so they can’t receive reinforcements or replacements. The Axis has bit off so much they’re badly overextended. The British finally side with the Allies, as does Poland, but Greece joins the Axis. In the end the Axis player has a +55 VP advantage, which is enough for a major victory.

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