December 3, 2025
Assault Games‘ Assault System is set to enter its next phase with Assault Red Horizon ´41 Revised, expected in 2026. I played through a nice little asymmetrical scenario with Wolfgang Klein in the prototype of the latest version using Tabletop Simulator.
A section of the map was selected, and based on the unit points allocated to each side, a group of units was chosen. This resulted in a house-to-house battle between heavy Soviet KV-2 tanks and minimal supporting infantry against a full German Wehrmacht infantry platoon, which was simply waiting for its opponents in the small village.
From the north, my three KV-2s approached the town center from different directions. The Soviet infantry followed, initially taking cover in two houses. However, in the small forest to the northeast, the first German troops had already set out to ambush one of the KV-2 tanks. Against a fast-moving infantry unit, the heavily armored but slow tank could hardly defend itself, and although the attacking troops also suffered heavy losses, the first KV-2 was destroyed.
While only a wisp of smoke rises from the wrecked tank and the attacking Germans, having suffered heavy losses, have retreated back into the forest, the Soviet infantry turns to the west to join the remaining tanks and launch their advance from there. Time is of the essence, and they want to give the Germans no opportunity to devise any ambitious plans. Still under the cover of the buildings, the tanks slowly push forward.
The KV-2 tank was a 52-ton, slow behemoth with a 152mm howitzer as its main gun, whose turret towered high and was difficult to rotate. A devastating weapon at long range, but fundamentally unsuitable for the hectic fighting between houses.
The tanks are regrouping to advance further, while Soviet infantry move flanking them through the houses to protect them from the German troops in the nearby woods. With every meter they advance, the danger of an ambush increases.
A KV-2 advances, unleashing a fury in the adjacent woods, wiping out the troops hidden there. However, to face the anti-tank rifle lurking there with its heavy frontal armor, it must turn, thus exposing its flank to the tank destroyers that rush in from the nearby houses and…
…finally blowing it up, but not without suffering heavy losses themselves. Now they are at the mercy of Soviet troops on the street.
One round later, only two Wehrmacht infantry units remain. The tank hunters were wiped out by the Russian infantry, and the German infantry in the southeast launched an attack on the remaining KV-2, only to be destroyed in the process. Simultaneously, the troops in the western buildings are engaged in fierce close-quarters fighting, with the Soviet soldiers being pushed back and pinned down during their initial assault.
Now, in round 8 of 10, it’s time for the final assault. The last KV-2 moves towards the victory point, where it is ambushed from the west and heavily damaged as it destroys the attackers. Even the battered Soviet infantry cannot prevent the last German force from the south from attacking the KV-2 and blowing it up. The Red Army infantry finally finds itself in a superior position.
A final close-quarters attack at the still-smoldering wreckage of the KV-2 and the village is captured. A costly victory for my Soviet troops is finally won.
This demonstrated that creating custom scenarios based on points works very well in the Assault System, even when the two sides are highly asymmetrical. Again, this resulted in completely believable situations full of difficult decisions for both sides.
The new markings in the individual hex fields prove to be a very welcome improvement on the status quo, as sight lines, movement costs and elevations can be grasped at a glance, thus contributing to a smooth process.
We played this scenario without command points or command cards, mostly just to test the setup based on unit points.
It was a pleasure, so thank you again to Wolfgang for the great insight into the further development of the system.
I hope you enjoyed the AAR 😉