Author: fvianello

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Charles S. Roberts Awards 2022

Once again, we have a Charles S. Roberts Award Nominee!

Die Festung Hamburg has been nominated in the Best Hypothetical Wargame category, thus joining its brothers in arms in the C3 Series: Less Than 60 Miles (2019 Nominee) and The Dogs of War (2021 Nominee).

A big thank you to the C3 community, who made the series more and more visible and acknowledged, and to the CSR Board of Governors for the honour.

And if you want to taste the bitterness of modern operational warfare, a few copies of Less Than 60 Miles – 2nd Echelon are still available!

2022 Charles S. Roberts Awards Nominees and Final Ballot

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Less Than 60 Miles – DEFCON 1

Less Than 60 Miles, the first C3 module covering the Warsaw Pact offensive in the Fulda Gap, is now at DEFCON 1.

This second echelon is more an update than a simple reprint. Here’s a summary of the main changes:

  • Rules updated with the most recent changes introduced by The Dogs of War and Die Festung Hamburg.
  • Counters with the most used Posture on the back side, minimizing the need for Posture markers.
  • Revised NATO OOB, representing West German III Corps as a separate high-level Command.
  • Revised mobilisation rules for West German Teilaktiv battalions and Heimatschutz brigades.
  • Update of several US battalion designations, more exactly pinning the transition from the Combat Arms Regimental System to the US Army Regimental System.
  • Several changes to the Warsaw Pact OOB, from Soviet Army-level independent tank regiments to East German pure tank regiments.
  • Several small but significant changes to the map and scenarios.
  • An expanded Field Manual 02-002 Battlefield Operations, covering Operational Procedures and Operational Planning. Start reading it immediately, before it’s too late.

CENTAG needs YOU to stop the communist hordes!

Read a more detailed SITREP HERE

Immediately acquire the new Equipment HERE

Watch the latest developments below. Ensure your communication equipment is turned ON.

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Less Than 60 Miles – DEFCON 2

Less Than 60 Miles, the first C3 module covering the Warsaw Pact offensive in the Fulda Gap, is now at DEFCON 2.

This second echelon will be more an update than a simple reprint. Here’s a summary of the main changes:

  • Rules updated with the most recent features introduced by The Dogs of War and Die Festung Hamburg.
  • Counters with the most used Posture on the back side, minimizing the need for Posture markers.
  • Revised NATO OOB, representing West German III Corps as a separate high-level Command.
  • Revised mobilisation rules for West German Teilaktiv battalions and Heimatschutz brigades.
  • Update of several US battalion designations, more exactly pinning the transition from the Combat Arms Regimental System to the US Army Regimental System.
  • Several changes to the Warsaw Pact OOB, from Soviet Army-level independent tank regiments to East German pure tank regiments.
  • An expanded Field Manual 02-002 Battlefield Operations, covering Operational Procedures and Operational Planning. Start reading it immediately, before it’s too late.

CENTAG needs YOU to stop the communist hordes!
Report for Duty by writing to the Quartermaster at info@TRLGames.com.

NOTE: If you are already enlisted, there’s no need to reiterate. Your enthusiastic desire to die, I mean fight for Freedom is well noted.

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SDHistCon Online 2023

Comrades!
Saturday, March 18th we will be at the San Diego Historical Convention Online.

We will run an exercise covering opposed river crossing, retrograde operations, interdiction, bombardment, and more. The scenario will use Die Festung Hamburg and will include the East German 8th Motorized Rifle Division and the BALTAP covering forces of West German 6. PanzerGrenadier Division.

The exercise starts at 17.03.2023 1800 Berlin Time (1000 PDT) and lasts 2 hours, including the time for singing the anthem of Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics and for doctrinal / political questions.

Enlist at this link! Participation is voluntary. Absences will be reported.

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C3 Combined Campaign – VASSAL Module

Forward Command Posts rarely have the space to unfold all the 1:20000 tactical maps needed for serious planning.

This VASSAL Module gives Army Group and Front Commanders what they need, when they need it. NORTHAG / Northern Front Sector 1, NORTHAG / Northern Front Sector 2 and CENTAG / Central Front Sector 1 are covered and can be used in every possible combination, allowing to plan and follow the battle in detail.

The module contains the complete setup for the July is the Cruellest Month campaign, and several useful additional features such as:

  • Formation Boundary lines
  • Movement Axis arrows
  • Victory Points markers
  • Warsaw Pact Echelon Planning

Deployment Procedure:

  1. Download the latest VASSAL version (3.6.12 or higher)
  2. Download and unzip the C3 Combined Base module
  3. Download and unzip the C3 Combined Extension module
  4. Open the C3 Combined Base module in VASSAL
  5. Add the C3 Combined Extension to the C3 Combined Base module
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1985: Deadly Northern Lights Upgrade Kit

This kit will allow AFNORTH and Baltic / North Sea Theatre Commanders to update 1985:DNL to the Second Echelon standards. It is unfortunately available in a very limited quantity!

SITREP UPDATE 20230202 1745ZT: Well, it survived 30 minutes. I’m sorry for the ridiculously fast sequence of events.

Please be aware that:

  1. it is practically a Second Echelon unboxed version; the only missing parts are the Task Forces and Air Combat charts already fielded during the first mobilisation.
  2. The equipment will be airlifted from France. Deployment to non-European fronts can be expensive (40+ Euros).

Report to the Quarter Master here!