In Downfall Preview 2 the Soviet faction began the game by playing their “Operation Uranus” action card to resolve a free attack order. Since doing so had no initiative cost, the Soviets retain the initiative and may now select a Soviet order marker. As previously stated, the Soviet Partisan Warfare order and STAVKA order are available on the Action Track, as is the Attack order in the Soviet Planning Box.

The Soviets choose to play the Attack order which will allow them to conduct three attacks, each lead by a shock unit or armor category unit. They move the order marker to the matching space in the Soviet Order display and pay the listed initiative cost by advancing the Soviet initiative marker five spaces along the Initiative track.

The Soviets declare the first of their three attacks against the German and Romanian units south east of Stalingrad with an elite mechanized unit as the lead.

  The Soviet attack strength is calculated as follows:

• The number of pips in the lead unit: 2
• One for each flanking attacking unit: +2
• One for each armored unit: +2
• One for more Elite badges than the enemy: +1

The Soviets decide to play an HQ action card. This increases their strength by +1 pip. The total attack strength is 8.

Next the OKH defense strength is calculated:

• The number of pips on all defending units: 3
• One for at least one German unit: +1
• Less one for more Conscript badges (triangles) than the enemy:  -1

The OKH faction does not play an HQ card; their total defense strength is 3.

Next, the attacker then the defender may play additional action cards in support of the combat. The Soviet player declines.  The OKH faction decides to play their Light Artillery combat card. The presence of an Axis Minor unit in the combat allows play of this card.

The combat differential is “+5” (8-3).

The final step before rolling the dice is to calculate the die modifiers.

• Snow weather: -2
• Soviet air superiority in Snow: +1
• Soviet HQ Action card: +1
• Event Card Soviet dice modifier: +1
• Axis Light Artillery action card: -1

The net dice roll modifier is 0.

This combat will be resolved on the “+5” column with no dice modifier.

The Soviets roll a 7, yielding a combat result of “s0/3”.  The “S” means that if the attackers are Soviets, they incur one hit. So the attacker receives 1 hit and the defender 3 hits.

The defenders are surrounded by enemy units or their zones of control, so they do not have the option to retreat. This means that all three defender hits must be fulfilled by losing pips, thus eliminating both defending units. The attacker hit must be satisfied by flipping a participating armored unit. The Soviet player chooses to flip the non-elite mechanized unit and then advances two units into the attacked hex.

Next, as their second attack, the Soviets declare that five units will attack the Axis Italian unit west of Stalingrad. The 2-step mechanized unit will lead. We will present this attack and the third attack in summary.

The attack will be resolved on the “+7” column ofthe combat table with a net dice modifier of 0. The result is 0/3 – no hits for the Soviets and 3 hits for OKH.  The Axis unit may convert half of their hits (rounded up) to retreats of one hex each.  They choose to lose one strength pip and retreat two hexes. The Soviet elite mechanized unit advances into the vacated hex.

The third Soviet attack will pit four Soviet units against against the German unit in Smolensk.  This will be resolved on the “+2” column of the combat table with “-1” to the dice roll; not a strong attack but the Soviets go for it anyway.

The result is 1/2G. The Soviets apply their hit by reducing one of their flanking infantry units by one pip.  The German defender result is reduced by one (for the “G”). The OKH faction satisfies the remaining hit by retreating one hex. Two Soviet infantry units advance into the vacated hex.

This concludes the Soviet turn.  The Western faction’s initiative marker is now in the lowest-numbered space on the initiative track.  They have the initiative and will take the next turn.  Stay tuned….

---

Previous Articles:

Downfall: Conquest of the Third Reich Preview 1 — The Game Design in the Map

Downfall: Conquest of the Third Reich Preview 2 — The Soviets Attack