The newest DLC, “Under the Cruel Star” is now out for Graviteam Tactics Mius Front. The Soviet’s 11 Cavalry Division will smash against units of the Leibstandarte entrenched in the vicinity of Bulakhi. The DLC is a 10 turn (playable from both sides) affair fought in snowy terrain (February 1943) in a map of around 48 square kilometers.

The amount of troops involved in this DLC is relatively small, and Under the Cruel Star may be a great entry point for newbies and for re-approaching the game after previous unsuccessful attempts.

I just played my first battle as the Germans. You may notice in the maneuver graphics above that the German’s deployment has a 1 km bulge hanging towards the west. I was not proactive enough to allocate more heavy weapons into the battalion (-) dwelling in the Homenki farmstead. Of course, this was exactly where the Soviets struck first.

A dismounted Soviet cavalry outfit, properly led with Valentine “infantry” tanks, made its appearance in front of the farmstead. With a very modest artillery support, they plodded through snowed-in and barely recognizable roads. Immediately after contact, they veered clear of our lines of fire and deployed with much effort into the open fields.

The battle ended with a draw, but my troops retreated from Homenki in very bad shape. I failed to reinforce my Homenki positions with heavy and/or anti-tank weapons. I have effectively condemned them to be an outpost rather than a defensive position.

Cheers,