Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Editorial
Contents
Sample Issue
Editorial
Page 1
Ismailia Road
Page 2
Battle of Ap Bac
Page 4
Page 7
Page 8
Page 10
Page 13
West of Polanow
Page 15
Black Wednesday
Page 16
Aegean Breakpoint
Page 21
Operation Dreamland
Page 25
Action at Neugarten
Page 27
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Page 1
The Journal
Ismailia Road
An Arab/Israeli scenario set in 1967 by Sam Scott
Background
This scenario is adapted from an account in Shabtai
Teveths hugely entertaining (if somewhat erratic) The
Tanks of Tammuz about Israeli actions during the Six
Day War. By the night of June 7, Egyptian positions in
the Sinai had crumbled and the first Israeli units were
breaking out to the west and into Egypt. One of these
units was the M/100 armoured battalion advancing down
the paved road towards the Egyptian city of Ismailia.
M/100 was a reconnaissance unit in the division
commanded by General Israel Tal and was equipped
with French AMX-13 light tanks armed with a 75mm
gun. As the day drew to a close, M/100 was the
westernmost Israeli unit of all the forces in the Sinai and
was between most of the retreating Egyptian units and
the Suez Canal. Lieutenant-Colonel Zeev, commander of
M/100, drew his forces into an all-around defensive
laager because of the possibility of encountering both
fresh enemy units from the west as well as retreating
Egyptian units coming out of the east.
Reconnaissance Company
2 Jeeps (1 MG, 1 106 mm Rec. Rifle)
2 Halftrack- each with 1 rifle squad (3 FN, Uzi)
3 Armour Companies
3 AMX-13s each
Set Up: The Israelis must set up an all-around defensive
position in the centre of the table. No units may move until
enemy forces have been detected.
Objective: Prevent any Egyptian units from crossing the table
from west to east or east to west.
Situation
M/100 Battalion is in its night laager astride the Ismailia
road. At 0300 on June 8th, Zeev receives a warning
order that some Egyptian forces - including tanks - have
broken through Israeli positions to the east and are
heading towards the battalions positions. Just as contact
is made with the retreating Egyptians, other forces are
detected approaching from the direction of Ismailia.
Terrain
The Ismailia road snakes across the table from one short
side to the other. The table is a mix of shallow dunes and
patches of scrub. I played this game in 20mm on a 10 x
5 table the action would, however, be equally suitable
for 15mm or microarmor.
Israeli Forces
I have provided a bathtub version of the battalion TOE,
but it works well for game purposes.
M/100 Armour Battalion:
Bn HQ:
M3 halftrack w/ 120 mm mortar
Command Halftrack
2 Radio Jeeps (may spot for the 120mm mortar)
1 AMX-13
Armoured Infantry Company
Command Halftrack - Command Squad (2 Uzi,
1 GPMG, LAW, Light Mortar)
Radio Jeep
2 Halftrack APCs - each with 1 heavy squad
(GPMG, Blindicide, 2 FN) and a rifle squad (3
FN, Uzi)
Page 2
Egyptian Forces
The retreating forces coming out of the Sinai should enter the
table first. These units will enter in random order and will
have distinctly fragile morale.
Retreating Elements of the Egyptian Army in the Sinai
(approaching from the east)
1 Tank Company
3 T-34/85
1 Assault Gun Company
2 SU-100
1 Recon Company
2 BRDM
1 Mechanised Company
2 Zil Trucks
4 Rifle Squads, each with 2 AK-47, 1 RPK LMG, 1
RPG
Set Up: Enter along the Ismailia Road at the east end of the
table.
Objective: To punch through Israeli positions and exit the
west side of the board.
And what about those units detected approaching from the
west? They were elements of the Egyptian 4th Armoured
division - one of the better formations in the Egyptian army at
the time. The 4th Armoured was equipped with new T-55
tanks whose 100mm main gun would normally would be more
The Journal
than a match for M/100s light AMXs. However, the
advancing Egyptians had no idea what lay in their path
or that any Israeli units were this far west.
Elements of the 4th Armoured Division
(approaching from the west)
5 Armour Companies
3 T-55 each
Armoured Infantry Company
3 BTR-152, each with 2 Rifle Squads (2 AK47, 1 RPK LMG, 1 RPG)
Set Up: These units should be thought of as approaching
the west side of the table in road column. It will take a
while for all the units to get on table. I would
recommend allowing 2 units to enter per turn.
Objective: To exit as many units as possible off the east
end of the table.
Night Battle Special Rules
This action takes place at night so it should be very
difficult to spot an enemy unit. The rules I used had
several different target size categories, and I used the
smallest one for all acquisition and firing unless the
target was illuminated. The Israelis have 2 units that can
fire illumination rounds; the light mortar in the
Armoured Infantry Company HQ and the 120mm mortar
in the Battalion HQ. I had the smaller rounds last only 1
turn and the 120mm rounds last 3 turns but it will
depend on what rules you use. Additionally, the T-55 can
use its spotlight to illuminate targets. However that will
also reveal the T-55. I also gave spotting bonuses if the
target was silhouetted by a burning vehicle.
Night actions are confusing and to replicate this to a
certain extent I came up with the following table that I
made players roll on if they missed their shot horribly.
Table of Firing Wildly
Roll 1d6:
1- Fire at closest vehicle
2- Fire at 1st vehicle to the right of target
3- Fire at 1st vehicle to the left of target
4, 5- Fire at the Shot Magnet
6- Pass the Shot Magnet
The Shot Magnet is an old helmet with Shot Magnet
painted on the front. This got passed around among the
players during the game. If Fire at the Shot Magnet
was rolled, the target must be one of the units under that
players command.
Historical Outcome
According to Teveth, the first units to contact M/100 were
some truck-borne infantry that came out of the Sinai. These
vehicles were quickly destroyed and set afire. The next units
encountered were T-55s coming from the direction of
Ismailia. Some of the first Israeli vehicles hit by 100mm
rounds were the 120mm mortar halftrack and an engineering
vehicle carrying explosives. These two vehicles blew up
spectacularly, illuminating much of the battlefield for a while.
Some Israeli units began to waver under Egyptian pressure
before being steadied by their officers. The tremendous
morale and motivation of the Israeli tank crews allowed them
to recover and begin to find ways of hitting back. The battle
raged for a number of hours before the bewildered Egyptians
pulled back a few kilometres to take stock of the situation.
Early the following day, M/100 battalion was reinforced by
Ishermans and Centurion tanks and the advance westward
continued to the Canal.
The Refights
I have run this game twice and the best the Egyptians have
been able to do was to exit 2 T-55s off the table. The rules I
used (a homebrew called Shot) give the Israelis a great
advantage over their Arab opponents in both acquiring and
hitting targets. Many times the Egyptians were unable to fire
because they could not acquire any targets. This kind of
balancing mechanism is crucial to this scenario. If your rules
are more hardware focused, the Egyptians should roll over
the Israelis fairly easily. When I ran this game at a convention,
I had all the players who signed up play the Israelis. They
were able to discuss their dispositions and tactics before hand.
The Egyptians were handed out in penny packets to walk up
players, so naturally they were very uncoordinated in action.
The heart of this game is balance the superior Israeli training
and morale against the confusion of a night action and the
technological superiority of the Egyptians.
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The Journal
Battle of Ap Bac
2nd January 1963, a scenario for Force on Force by Piers Brand and Joe Trevithick,
authors of Ambush Valley
In January 1963 the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
(ARVN) launched an operation to neutralise a Peoples
Liberation Armed Forces (PLAF; better known as the
Viet Cong) unit operating near Ap Tan Thoi. The ARVN
decided to attack the unit, believed to be company size,
by deploying forces north of Ap Tan Thoi and to Ap Bac
to the south. The bulk of the 7th Infantry Divisions 11th
Infantry Regiment, deployed by helicopter to the north,
would then drive the enemy toward Ap Bac into a
provisional regiment consisting of the 4th Troop, 2nd
Armoured Cavalry Squadron and two battalions of local
Civil Guard.
The operation began uneventfully but what transpired
provided a wealth of lessons learned for both sides. It
was in many ways indicative of the subsequent decade of
conflict in South Vietnam. A victory for the ARVN, it
came at the cost of two hundred casualties, including the
deaths of three American advisors. In addition, five H-21
Shawnee helicopters were shot down and a number of
4/2nd Cavalrys M113s were immobilized.
The operation was immediately hampered by poor
intelligence on the part of the South Vietnamese. The
company sized unit turned out to, in fact, be the Viet
Congs 261st Battalion. Possibly alerted to the attack
through its own infiltration, the unit had fortified its
position between Ap Tan Thoi and Ap Bac along the
Cong Luong Canal. Moving in from the south, the Civil
Guard forces encountered the enemy lines first. In the
opening moments of the battle provisional task force
commander was wounded. Their advance was
immediately halted and the units were told to form
blocking positions.
In an attempt to continue the advance from the south as
planned a reserve battalion from 11th Infantry Regiment,
the 1st Battalion, was airlifted in. Landing in the rice
paddies to the west of Ap Bac the force was exposed to
the concentrated fire from the enemy positions. Fourteen
of the fifteen helicopters were damaged and five were
shot down. In a second attempt to regain the initiative
4/2nd Cavalry was committed to try and secure the crash
sites. The troop commander initially balked at the
prospect of moving across the open paddies but was
prodded forward by his American advisor.
As they approached the first helicopter the M113s came
under enemy fire. The troop commander Captain Ly
Tong Ba was knocked unconscious and his troops
immediately refused to advance any further. After being
revived the unit attempted to advance into the enemy
positions, but with little coordination, allowing enemy
gunners to focus on individual vehicles. With no
protection from the waist up, the M113 gunners were
especially exposed. During the battle, fourteen personnel
Page 4
The Journal
Table Set Up - 6x4
Victory Points
Each building captured + 10 points
ARVN Basic Force Attributes
Initiative Level:
Confidence Level:
Supply Level:
BodyArmor:
Troop Quality/Morale: D8/D8
ARVN Infantry Platoon
Platoon HQ in M113
2x Rifle Squads in M113s
Viet Cong 261st Battalion Mission
Your troops are from the 261st Viet Cong Battalion and
for the whole day have been under heavy enemy attack
from both the ground and air. You have so far held them
off all but the heavy artillery and air attacks and your
troops running low on ammunition has caused the line to
waver. Just as you think your men are about to break the
enemy pauses its attack while it recovers wounded crews
from crashed helicopters. This lull in the fighting gives
you time to distribute more ammunition and speak with
Victory Points
Each building held at end of game +10 points
Viet Cong Basic Force Attributes
Initiative Level:
Confidence Level:
Supply Level:
BodyArmor:
Troop Quality/Morale: D8/D8
Main Force Command
1 x Force Leader with MAT-49 SMG
1 x Runner with M1 Carbine
1 x Vietcong with Moisin-Nagant M1944 Carbine
Page 5
The Journal
3 X Main Force Cadres
(One cadre may be equipped with anti-tank grenades)
Rifle Cell
1 x Leader with MAT-49 SMG
5 x Vietcong with Moisin-Nagant M1944 Carbines
Support Cell
1 x Leader with M1 Carbine
1 x Gunner with DPM Machine Gun
1 x Loader with Mousin-Nagant M1944 Carbine
Special Rules
ARVN Leaders - If at any time the ARVN leader is
killed or taken out of action ARVN Morale drops to D6.
This is to reflect the historical event where Captain Ly
Tong Ba, leading the attack, was knocked unconscious.
Until he recovered his men refused to advance and sat
under heavy fire suffering casualties. Many of those
casualties were senior NCOs whose traditional role was
as gunner on the M113 .50 cal Machine Gun, the loss of
which robbed the ARVN of one of their most potent
weapons on the field that day.
Page 6
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The Journal
Page 7
The Journal
The Journal
Starfighter at bay, the MiG used the last of his gun
ammunition to finish off the crippled Sabre.
The Starfighter and the MiG then manoeuvred against
each other for a few moves. But it was clear that the
Starfighter, with no missiles left, would be unlikely to
achieve a gun shot against the more agile MiG.
Similarly, the MiG, with no cannon ammunition left, was
faced with trying to set up a missile shot against the
undamaged Starfighter. Both sides decided to break off
and return home, thus ending the combat.
Sabre Mk.6
The next few moves were quite eventful! The MiG
leader dropped onto Sabre 2s tail and gunned him down
with close range 23mm fire - the first kill of the game.
However, this manoeuvre exposed the MiG leaders tail
to the Starfighter, who fired both his Sidewinders at the
MiG. The MiG broke hard left and to the disbelief of all
who saw it, managed to evade both missiles! Meanwhile
MiG 2s second Atoll missed the lead Sabre again, but
once again forced the Sabre to evade and to break off his
attack on the Maruts.
Unfortunately for the MiGs their valiant efforts to
protect the Maruts were in vain as, in the next move, the
Starfighter moved in to close gun range and shot down
the Marut leader. The weaponless MiG 2 now had no
choice but to climb out of the fight and turn for home.
This left the Sabre leader free to turn onto the tail of the
second Marut, which, still loaded with bombs, was
unable to manoeuvre sufficiently and was an easy gun
kill.
The MiG leader, now alone, feinted towards the
Starfighter but then took his revenge by turning back
towards the remaining Sabre and crippling it with a front
quarter gun attack. After a second feint to keep the
And the outcome? Well the kills were even, with two
Indian Maruts and two Pakistani Sabres shot down. But
both Indian MiGs were damaged and the Indian mission
to attack the Pakistani airfield had clearly failed.
We therefore agreed that the combat was a tactical
victory for the Pakistanis.
Overall the game seemed to play well, and we've since
had more combat in Indian and Pakistani skies at my
local Derby club. This will hopefully soon be followed
by Arab-Israeli air combat from 1967 onwards. Just as
soon as I get those models painted...
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Page 9
The Journal
The Journal
On August 4 two battalions were stripped from the
Khenifra garrison to be eventually returned to France.
This weakened the garrison to the extent that Khenifra
itself was virtually in state of siege for nearly a month.
The garrison commander one Colonel Laverdure was
particularly bitter about his exclusion from the new war
in Europe. To add to his frustration he was ordered just
to maintain his garrison and not provoke the natives. As
winter approached Moha ou Hammou brought his camp
down from the mountains to the plain as his people had
done for centuries. Soon there were several islands of
tents dotted across the great plain the largest of which
was only seven miles from Khenifra. Colonel Laverdure
saw this as a chance to bring himself to the attention of
the French high command. We must understand that
French military tradition often encouraged individual
bravery and action especially by officers (Napoleons
Marshal Ney being a good historic example of this
tradition).
With this in mind it is not a surprise that on the night of
November 12, Laverdure divided virtually his entire
command into four groups (each consisting of infantry,
cavalry and a field gun or two). His plan was for the four
columns to proceed across the plain during the night and
converge on the Zaian camp just before dawn, at which
point all the columns would assault the camp from three
sides and hopefully destroy Zaian resistance for good.
The plan worked well and on the morning of November
13, French shells and machine guns sweeping through
the tents awaked the Zaian camp. The natives were taken
completely by surprise by the attack and fled in panic,
Moha ou Hammou was rescued by his sons during the
confusion. Once what little resistance there was had been
suppressed, the Algerian soldiers and Goumiers
ransacked, looted and finally burnt the encampment,
during which two of Moha ou Hammous wives was
captured.
The Game
It is at this point the game starts, the French officers took
quite a while to re-organise their columns. Ive given
rough strengths based on the information to hand and
built around the wargame orbats we use during our
games.
Column 1
Col. Laverdure + staff (10 officers and men)
A company of colonial Zouaves 30 men with 1
MMG
A troop of Spahis Algerian (cavalry) 10 mounted
figures
1 65mm mountain gun (6 crew + mules)
Column 2
A company of Tirailleurs (riflemen) Algerian 30 men
with 1 MMG
A troop of Spahis Moroccain 10 mounted
1 65mm mountain gun (6 crew + mules)
Column 3
A company of colonial Zouaves 30 men with 1 - MMG
A troop from Chasseurs d` Afrique 10 mounted
A 75mm howitzer (6 crew + limber & horses)
Column 4
A company of Tirailleurs Algerian 30 men with 1
MMG
A troop of Spahis Moroccain 10 mounted
A 75mm howitzer (6 crew + limber & horses)
The game calls for the four French columns to make
their way back across the table to the safety of Khenifra,
the game runs for 30 turns; during which the column
may either move or fight. Unfortunately for the French
Moha ou Hammou quickly began to organize his
warriors and these immediately begin sharp counter
attacks.
Since we first played this game I ran the SOTCW game
at Gauntlet 2010, where I used event cards to simulate
the randomness of warfare. In re-visiting this battle I
decided to try the same system.
Each turn the umpire should role 1D6 for each column
this will indicate if there is an encounter or not.
1-5 indicates an event card must be drawn
6 = no encounter and the column may move
Another role of 1D6 will indicate the direction: (on a
D6: 1 north; 2 - south; 3, 4 west and 5, 6 east). This
represents natives moving from other encampments the
largest portion coming from the original camp (west) or
moving to block the French (east).
Cards
Simply printed off on my PC and laminated,
approximately the size of a playing card (you can get
about 10 out of an A4 sheet).
Examples:
False Alarm no encounter
Foot Warriors 10-20 warriors (50% rifled armed)
attack
Riflemen 10-15 riflemen pop up and give a volley.
Harka 20-30 warriors both on foot and mounted (50%
rifle armed) attack column
Confused orders unit stops and forms square for 1 turn
Bad ammunition unit fires at half effectiveness for the
rest of game (only effects each column once)
Cavalry 20 or so mounted warriors (50% rifle armed)
Large War-band 40-60 warriors
Each column must fight and destroy their attacker, thus
completing the turn; we played on a 6 foot by 4 table and
allowed a column to move 6 inches (a total of 12 moves
to cross the table). The table was mostly flat with low
hills and a couple of dry streambeds, these allowed the
natives to appear on all sides of the columns and also
isolated the columns from one another. The terrain might
also encourage the French players to fight defensively,
which will prove fatal for them.
There are a couple of additional things to keep track of
for the umpire:
Artillery: The French have already used most of their
shells against the camp this morning and each gun will
Page 11
The Journal
only have 2-3 turns of ammo left, after which they
cannot fire.
Machine guns: As with artillery these weapons have
limited ammo 2-4 turns, but this can be increased using
rifle bullets (rifles and MMGs use the same cartridge)
this will give an additional 2 turns for the MGs but
reduce the riflemen by 3 turns (see below).
Rifle ammo: Each man only had the ammo he carried
and a lot of this has already been used, each column can
only fire fully for 6-8 turns and after this only every
other turn or at half strength depending on your rules.
Cavalry: Mounted units can move faster than infantry, if
these abandon their comrades they may move twice the
distance (12 inches). However if this is done this new
additional column must also dice for an encounter each
turn.
Relief: After turn 10 a relief column from Khenifra
moves from the east to link up with Laverdures columns.
This Column consists of a troop of Spahis (10 mounted
men) and two half companies of infantry, one Zouaves,
the other Tirailleurs Moroccaine (15 figures of each
type). This column will attempt to link up with their
comrades and hopefully assist the withdrawal back to the
city.
Morale: A very important factor will be the morale of the
various French and colonial troops, particularly the
native elements. The Algerians are basically mercenaries
here for pay and loot; their morale will start fair but
suffer as casualtys mount. The Moroccans are also
Mercenaries but were often pressed into service;
therefore their morale starts lower and will quickly
collapse in the face of the Zaian onslaught. The French
units (Zouaves and Chasseurs d` Afrique) have better
weapons and training, which should be reflected in their
morale.
The game continues until the French either cross the
board or are destroyed.
Historic outcome Laverdures command began its
withdrawal back across the plain to the city; it was now
fully daylight. The French had not expected the Zaian to
react so quickly, they had obviously also not thought
about the other encampments either. Bands of Zaian
came from all over and began attacking the strung out
French and colonial troops. For a while French fire
power held back the attackers, but ammunition began to
run out and the natives could close with the French, who
had in some instances formed squares against the native
horsemen. A relief column formed from what remained
of the garrison attempted a sortie but proved too weak
and was forced back to the city, leaving the columns to
their fate. Colonel Laverdure and some 700 men were
killed and the Zaian captured a huge haul of rifles,
horses, eight cannon of various calibers and ten machine
guns.
Page 12
The Journal
141,580
25,000
10,000
9,000
48,835
70,740
83,500
50,000
1,000
88
3,000
400
400
4,996
300
1,626
2,578
1,700
2,323
The Journal
French mle 1907 St. Etienne 8mm HMG, which was
given away to less fortunate allies as soon as sufficient
Hotchkiss guns could be provided. Since this latter
machine gun, the Hotchkiss 1914 8mm, was also
supplied to the White armies in Southern Russia a small
number of these turned up to bolster existing Spanish
army's M1922 versions of the gun. The La Columna list
suggests that among the 1,700 LMGs were Hotchkiss
mle 1909s, which appeared in several forms in many
WW1 Allied armies and air forces. Some however were
the ubiquitous Danish 8mm Madsen LMG, another
superb, rugged machine gun, originally used by Tsarist
cavalry in the Russo-Japanese War. As far as heavy and
light machine guns supplied by the USSR are concerned.
A substantial number were undoubtedly weapons which
had been thrown into the anti-Bolshevik struggles after
WW1 and which Stalin simply threw back!
Mortars And Grenades
The original list surprisingly contains no mortars, though
by the 1930s a number of 50mm Soviet light mortars
existed and the Brandt design was being actively copied
as the 82-PM-36. There are however a number of old
WW1 survivors in the list four mine throwing guns trench weapons in all probability, 50 Grenade
throwers and 240 German grenade throwers more
relics of the trenches. By the time this point in the list is
reached, the maxim beggars can't be choosers comes
to mind. There were a total of 120,000 hand grenades of
various types and vintages supplied to the Republicans
as well; not to mention 10,000 steel helmets.
Anti-tank Guns
Two calibres were supplied both Soviet in origin though
not surprisingly, there are no anti-tank rifles listed, since
the Red Army neglected this aspect of warfare almost
until 1941, as did most other armies. There were 430 of
the powerful 37mm M30 anti-tank guns, licence
produced copies of the German Pak 35/36 and a smaller
number 142 of the M1932 45mm anti-tank gun.
Artillery
37mm infantry support guns
Schneider 76.2mm mountain guns
30
8
22
269
71
74
Howitzers 105mm
Howitzers 115mm Vickers pre-1914
8
189
12
Howitzers 152mm
24
20
Page 14
The Journal
West of Polanow
Poland 1939, 20mm scenario by Leigh Jackson
Historical Background
The great myth of the Polish campaign of September
1939 is that Polish cavalry mounted a charge against
German tanks. As best as my research suggests, what
actually happened was that the Poles encountered a
German patrol resting in a clearing and launched a very
successful cavalry charge against them. A number of
German Armoured Cars responded to the noise and, on
arrival, quickly began to cause casualties amongst the
cavalry. They dispersed and fled to the nearest woods,
which, for some of them, was past the Armoured Cars.
Some time later some Italian War Correspondents
arrived and were recounted a slightly embellished story,
which grew from thereand the myth was born. This
scenario is designed to recreate a similar event.
German
Entry
Polish Entry
German
Deployment
Polish Entry
Polish Briefing
2nd Lieutenant Rydz, Pomerania cavalry brigade, you
are to take your platoon forward and locate and record
the size and extent on the initial German advances.
It is the 3rd September 1939 and you are at war. The
ruthless Germans have invaded. As a regular army
officer you are trusted by your superiors and so have
been sent out to locate the enemy. You finally find
approximately a platoon of Germans resting by a road
junction just west of Polanow. The Germans are unaware
of your presence so you dispatch a messenger to you
superiors and draw up the rest of the platoon along the
edge of the woods, leaving the BAR section to cover the
withdrawal and the Bofors 37mm anti tank gun to watch
the road the rest of the platoon prepares to perform a
sabre charge against the doomed Germans
Your command consists of yourself, your second in
command, the three other members of your command
squad (less the messenger you have sent) and four
sections. Three of the sections consist of six men each,
which dismount to four foot troopers. The second section
includes an anti tank rifle and the third a medic. The
fourth section is the BAR section which is five men and
a packhorse. It dismounts to three men including the
BAR gunner. All men are rifle armed and carry bayonets
and entrenching tools and have sabres on their horse
furniture. You also have a Bofors 37mm anti tank gun
with four crew. The gun has twenty rounds.
The Poles are good regular army troops defending their
homeland from the invader. I would count them as TAC
6, Morale 5 in Arc of Fire terms.
German Briefing
Hauptmann Kluger, 3rd infantry division. You are to
move off the road by the junction to permit the passage
of elements of the 2nd motorised division.
3rd September 1939, and you, and your platoon are
taking part in Fall Weis, the invasion of Poland. Your
men are already weary and are glad of the rest when you
are ordered off the road to permit tanks and motorised
infantry to bypass them.
Your force consists of three slightly under strength
sections, a MMG34 and a couple of mortars (the support
weapons are not set-up). You are deployed in groups
around the junction. The men are relaxed and drinking or
eating rations.
The force from 2nd division consists of a troop of
Panzers (specifically two Pz II and one Pz I) the force is
commanded by a Pz III (as a command vehicle - the
main gun is dummy. DO NOT let the Polish player know
this). It also includes a section of infantry in half-tracks
and a towed 37mm anti tank gun plus a selection of men
on cycles and motorcycles.
Morale is high, as so far little resistance has been
encountered. I would count them as TAC 6, Morale 6.
Umpires Notes
The Poles can spend up to seven turns moving into
position. The Germans must roll under this number on
D6 to be alerted, roll once per group. These turns count
towards the number of turns until the armour arrives.
When the Poles charge, if not alert, the group must roll
under the distance the Poles moved on a D20 to react. I
would also impose a 2 morale roll on any Germans who
receive the unexpected Polish Cavalry charge. The
German 2nd Division armour takes twelve turns to
arrive.
The Refight
In my refight the Poles were just plain unlucky. The
Germans spotted them moving into position, responded
excellently (and where a little lucky with the cards) and
proceded to massacre the disorganised cavalry. The
arrival of the German armour should have sealed things,
but for a plucky Polish gunner who hit everything he
fired at and made the German armour very hesitant about
moving forward.
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Big Men in the rules, survive but all squads and weapons
teams are diced for as follows:
Roll
Result
1 or 2
Unit is intact
3 or 4
5 or 6
Once the above dice rolls have been made the game
commences. One player or the umpire, if present,
controls the Soviets. The objective is to break through
the Spanish defences and overwhelm the isolated units.
One company of Soviet infantry will start the game on
the northern table edge on blinds. A Soviet
Reinforcement card will be included in the deck and
once this is turned a second company will arrive on the
same edge.
At any point in time the Soviet player may have two
companies of infantry and a platoon of three tanks on the
table. When the Soviet reinforcement card is dealt the
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Soviet player may ignore this card if he is at full quota or
he may remove one of his existing companies and
replace it with a fresh one on the northern edge. Before
he does this he should roll a D6 to see what is potentially
arriving. A roll of 1 indicates a Platoon of three T34s, a
roll of 2 to 6 is an infantry company. This mechanism
will effectively represent the wave attacks employed by
the Soviets.
By way of example, player one has two companies of
Soviet infantry on the table. Thus far no tanks have
turned up. On his reinforcement card he rolls a 4, so he
can see that a fresh infantry company is available as
reinforcements. His lead company has been shot up by
the Spaniards, but one platoon that is relatively intact has
worked its way around the flank of the bastion. He now
needs to weigh up whether to remove that platoon and
the rest of the company and benefit in terms of numbers
from a fresh wave, or to stick with the potential for
success that the one platoon has.
Spanish Forces
Command Elements
Capitn Oroquieta D6+1
Teniente Blesa D6
Company HQ
One sniper
Tank Hunter team
Cards
The following deck is required for this scenario:
Platoons 1 to 3
Three 8 man rifle squads each
MMG Platoon
Four MG34 teams (3 crew each)
AT section
Two Pak 35 AT guns (5 crew each)
The Spanish may have three anti-tank minefields
anywhere on the table, each being 6 by 3 in size.
Their troops are rated for IABSM as follows:
Troops
Spanish
1, 2, 3
6, 7, 8
Soviet Forces
Command Elements
Three per company
Each Company
Platoons 1 to 3
Three rifle squads (8 men each)
Machine Gun Platoon
Four MMGs
Their troops are rated as follows:
Troops
Soviet
1,2,3,4
6, 7
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Essentially a game for Panzerknackers, this is a small
action but one that can be provide an amusing diversion.
We played this in an area of about 3 square in 15mm,
with 28mm Id increase that to 4.
Lieutenant Goduidionachvili has four Panzerknacker
teams who must try to stop the monster tank from
destroying the hospital. All of the sappers start on blinds
and once deployed will operate on one card per team.
The Soviet player will have one tank only which,
starting at point A, is specifically tasked with destroying
the railway station and the hospital. The Spanish will not
be aware just what the tanks objectives are.
Spanish
1,2,3
6,7,8
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The Spanish may deploy anywhere on the table and may
be considered dug-in.
The buildings of the paper-mill are a mix of construction
types, the large mill building itself and the walls of the
yard being high grade reinforced concrete, whereas some
of the outlying ancillary buildings are of wood
construction. The mill itself can never receive a critical
hit, as it is considered too strong, whereas the wood
buildings will simply collapse if any critical hit is
achieved. Any troops inside them at the time will dice
for one hit on each man inside if that happens.
The artillery is dug into pits which provide good cover.
If they are over-run by the Soviets and close combat
occurs the gun crew will reduce their dice by 50% to
reflect their lack of close quarter weapons to deal with
this type of combat.
Soviet Forces
1st Company
Command Elements
Two Big Men
One sniper
Platoons 1 3
Three rifle squads each (8 men each)
Machine Gun Platoon
Four Maxim MMGs (3 crew each)
2nd Company
Command Elements
Three Big Men
Platoons 4 6
Three rifle squads each (8 men each)
Tank Platoon
Four T34-76 tanks
Four squads of SMG armed tank riders (8 men each)
Mortar Support
Three 82mm mortars (off table)
The Soviets will arrive in the north-eastern part of the
table as marked on the map at the start of turn one,
all on blinds. Tanks may cross the ice without a problem,
but to keep the player on his toes warn him that the ice
could well crack under the weight of the tank. A bogging
in test should be taken if a tank attempts to cross the ice
with failure meaning that the crew abandon their tank for
two turns, after which they may somewhat shamefacedly
remount.
Cards
This scenario requires the following cards:
Tea Break
Soviet Blinds
Spanish Blinds
Soviet Platoons 1-6
Soviet MMG Platoon
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intercept specialists and 3 - 75mm anti-tank guns crewed
by Norwegian SS men.
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Aegean Breakpoint
Modern naval game for Task Force by Scott Fisher
This scenario was developed for my favourite modern
naval boardgame, SPIs Task Force, which I converted
for miniatures, but can be easily modified for Shipwreck
or any other modern naval game. Optimally this scenario
should be played with a game-master so that the secret
elements (both Greek and Turk) can be represented (to
add confusion for both sides). The map is represented in
the classic Task Force hex and Megahex fashion but for
other rules could be converted away from hexes. Enjoy!
Scott Fisher
Greece
Operational Situation
In the spring of 2000, responding to increasing tensions
around Cyprus, the new (Conservative Party) Greek
government has decided to fortify its island possessions
along the frontier with Turkey. Recently, Turkey
challenged the deployment of Greek Cypriot anti-aircraft
missiles to Cyprus by military force. The confrontation
that followed cost both sides many lives. The
Government is fearful that Turkish aggression in Cyprus
will be the precedent for further challenges to Greek
sovereignty in the south Aegean. It is becoming more
and more clear that Turkey does not recognise the
transfer of these islands from Italy to Greece in 1947 (in
fact, the Turks never signed any agreement recognising
Greek sovereignty over the islands). In reaction to this
latest Turkish aggression, Athens has ordered that
several air-defence systems as well as significant Army
supplies should be secretly deployed to the south-east
Aegean. The Conservative Party has been elected on a
nationalist platform of holding firm on Greek control
of the southern Aegean. To keep the current government
in power, it is critical that Turkey not be given any
reason to believe that they may profit from military
adventurism.
Tactical Situation
Certain islands in the southeast Aegean have been
identified by the Greek General Staff as Primary
Defensive Points (PDP). These islands are to receive
shipment of anti-aircraft systems, prepositioned military
supplies, advanced communication equipment and landbased anti-ship missiles. Ayios (MH 9g) and Kalimnos
(MH19g) have been identified as PDP islands. Some
shipments of this material were made to the PDP on
Ayios on 1 September. This shipment is currently
unloading. Another critical shipment of equipment and
supplies has been loaded onto Greek military transports
and is due to arrive at Kalimnos on 2 September. It is
imperative at this stage to keep these shipments secret.
Environment
It is 1 September, at 1800. The Sea State is 2, visibility is
normal and there is a half-moon. Wind is 15 knots from
200 degrees (true). The forecast for the next 24 hours is
for clear skies and consistent wind from the Southwest.
Visibility is same hex only (roll d6 (per action); 1-2
Precise Report, 3-4 Accurate Report) night turns 2000-
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that are shipping the military supplies. The secrecy of
these shipments must be maintained.
Victory Conditions
For a decisive Greek victory, the Greeks must deliver the
military shipment to Kalimnos by 0800 on 2 September
and maintain the sovereignty of Greek territorial waters.
If both transports are sunk or the content of the
transports is revealed to the Turkish player (by boarding
or capture), Greece automatically loses the scenario.
Setup/Special Rules
AA Missiles in Ayios Shipment: The AA Missiles at
Ayios (MH 9g) will be operational at 0600 on 2
September. These are four mobile Crotale launchers that
will be deployed around the harbour at Ayios (AA value
of 3).
SSM Missiles in Ayios Shipment: The SSM missiles are
on two mobile launchers (4x Exocet each) and will be
deployed and operational around the harbor at Ayios
(MH 9g) by 0400 on 2 September.
Greek Coastwatchers: Every Greek harbour or port (the
stars on the map) have a Greek Coast Guard/Customs
station. These stations monitor all traffic within visual
range of the station (in the coastal hex at night and in
hex and one adjacent hex during daylight). They have
line-of-sight across sea hexes only (may not look across
land hexsides).
Helicopter Identification Flights: Helicopters may be
used for close-range fly-overs to determine the exact
nationality and type of ship in a hex. To conduct such a
Flight costs one action; the initiating player must pick
the specific hex to conduct the search. These flights are
subject to anti-aircraft fire; treat the helicopter as a
missile in AA combat. In daylight a helicopter may
identify the exact nature of the target from an adjacent
arc in the tactical display; at night the helicopter must fly
directly into the arc of the target to identify it.
Turkey
Operational Situation
Recently, Turkey has challenged the deployment of
Greek Cypriot anti-aircraft missiles to Cyprus by
military force. The confrontation that followed cost both
sides many lives. In Turkey, this valiant stand against
Greek encirclement is seen as a precedent for future
actions. Turkey does not recognise that the islands in the
southeastern Aegean are Greek territory. Turkey
previously accepted Italian domination of these islands
(1923) but not the transition of these islands to Greece in
1947. In the weeks following the confrontation in
Cyprus, Turkish intelligence has obtained information of
increased Greek military movement in the southeastern
Aegean. Politically, the current Turkish government
must maintain its iron hand doctrine against Greek
encirclement, or it will surely be forced from office by
more conservative elements. Within a week of the
Cyprus
clash, the government
ordered
the
commencement of Operation SkreechOwl- aimed at
determining Greek intentions and capabilities in the
southeastern Aegean. Turkey will no longer accept a
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Akkoy Airbase (MH 18b)
2x F-5E (2 2, L-strike; 3 megahex radius; daylight
only)
1x F-16A (3 4, M-strike; 4 megahex radius; daylight
only)
2x Spy Aircraft (3 megahex radius, see special rules)
Special Team Delivery Unit (start in Megahex 18)
SC-107 (Scarab speedboat, speed 3, any hit destroys)
[Commando Team on board]
Spy Trawler 1 (start in any Megahex)
Bdrovny (fishing trawler, speed 1, any hit destroys)
Spy Trawler 2 (start in any Megahex)
Lavega (fishing trawler, speed 1, any hit destroys)
Spy Trawler 3 (start in any Megahex)
Kamino (fishing trawler, speed 1, any hit destroys)
Orders
Turkish orders have three objectives:
Primary Objective: Rescue the crew and code equipment
of Kaloss and destroy the vessel. The crew must be
rescued before Greek patrols discover her fate. They will
surely offer help and in doing so board the vessel and
discover her identity. In addition, the ship must be
destroyed (burned) to prevent any evidence of her real
purpose. It will take approximately two actions for the
crew of the Kaloss (MH15g) to set the fires, abandonship and row to a rescue vessel.
Primary Objective: Disembark three Commando Recon
teams. Three Commando Recon teams must be
deployed; one on Ayios (MH 9b, 9g, or 5c), one on
Kalimnos (MH 19a or 19g), and one on Amorgos (MH
11b, or 11g). These teams take one action to disembark
from any vessel (on the surface).
Secondary Objective: Discover the intent and capability
of the assembling Greek Task Force. Intelligence
information has discovered that a Greek Task Force will
be assembling in the region of Amorgos Island by dawn.
Discover the intent of the Task Force via visual means.
This will require closing to within close-visual distance
(1/2 of the current max visibility) of the force and
observing it for one action. This may be done by ship,
aircraft or submarine.
Rules Of Engagement
1) Absolute Priority: Turkish forces are authorised to use
any force necessary to repel Greek forces that have
entered Turkish territorial waters or airspace.
2) First Priority: Turkish ships should not open fire if
opening fire would reveal their identity. It is paramount
that the Kaloss rescue and the Commando Recon
deployments are kept absolutely secret. Greece will use
any evidence of military occupation (men landing on
shore) to discredit the Turkish position in any postconflict UN debate.
3) Second Priority: Turkish forces may only open fire to
prevent the capture of the Kaloss crew, the Kaloss
herself, and the capture of the Commando Recon teams.
It is deemed acceptable to use force to prevent the
capture or to effect the recapture these personnel. Other
use of force is prohibited.
Victory Conditions
For a decisive Turkish victory, the crew of the Kaloss
must be rescued (and the ship burned) and the
Commando teams must be deployed. A Turkish minor
victory may be achieved by rescuing the crew of Kaloss
(and burning the ship) and discovering the intent of the
assembling Greek Task Force. If the crew of the Kaloss
is captured alive or if any of the Commando Recon
Teams are captured alive, the Turkish player loses the
scenario.
Setup/Special Rules
Spy Aircraft: Two converted civilian Twin Commanche
250 twin-turbo prop aircraft have been converted for use
with electronic direction finding equipment and night
vision devices to act as spy aircraft. Each turn these
aircraft fly the Turkish player may search one hex per
aircraft and receive a Precise Search Report if they enter
the same hex as the target ships. The aircraft have been
registered to Argos Aircraft in Athens and have been
leased through several front companies. These
companies include; 1) Conways Naval Vessels of the
World, 2) GeoMapp software, 3) Soros Investment Ltd.
Spraypaint and stencils are available on each aircraft to
repaint them in two actions. The pilots are some of the
best in the Turkish airforce. The planes are based in
Akkoy and have a 3-megahex flight radius.
Spy Trawlers: Three spy trawlers, equipped with radio
direction finding equipment, and night vision devices are
available; these vessels receive a Precise Search Report
if they enter the same hex as the target ships.
Commando Transport: Two submarines have been tasked
to deliver the Commando Recon teams, in addition, one
converted civilian high-speed powerboat (Scarab) has
been converted for delivery of a team. Each of these
platforms has been equipped with a special self-destruct
mechanism to destroy the vessel in case of imminent
capture.
Helicopter Identification Flights: Helicopters may be
used for close-range fly-over to determine the exact
nationality and type of ship in a designated hex. To
conduct such a Flight costs one action; the initiating
player must pick the specific hex to conduct the search.
These flights are subject to anti-aircraft fire; treat the
helicopter as a missile in AA combat. In daylight a
helicopter may identify the exact nature of the target
from an adjacent arc in the tactical display; at night the
helicopter must fly directly into the arc of the target to
identify it.
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Operation Dreamland
An AirWar: C21 mission based on Red Storm Rising by Steve Blease
Introduction
Tom Clancys Red Storm Rising is one of the most
readable Cold War invasion novels and chock full of
potential wargames scenarios for land, sea and air
wargamers.
Re-reading the book recently I was struck by the fact
that whilst many scenarios were easy enough to replicate
on the tabletop, this would only tell half the story,
especially for those involving air strikes. This was
clearly evident in the Frisbees of Dreamland chapter,
telling of the USAF strike on targets in East Germany in
the early hours of the war. Whilst the bombing of the
bridges across the Elbe at Hohenroarthe would be fairly
straight forward to recreate on the tabletop, the fun
would surely be in the flight across enemy territory to
the target zone and the return to base. Consequently I
was inspired to try and come up with some way of
incorporating this into the game.
Frisbees Of Dreamland
For those of you unfamiliar with what happens in Red
Storm Rising, NATO is on a heightened state of alert and
as soon as Soviet Spetsnaz units attack targets in West
Germany, and before Soviet armour crosses the West
German border, massive airstrikes are launched into East
Germany hitting ground targets in an attempt to prevent
the second echelon of the invasion being able to follow
the initial wave and depriving the Soviets of vital
support equipment and reinforcements for the early
battles in West Germany. Further attacks against Soviet
airfields would also give NATO parity in the air.
Operation Dreamland (as it is called in the book) is
undertaken mainly by US F-111F Aardvarks and
Luftwaffe GR1 Tornados, with a number of F19A
Ghostrider stealth aircraft (Clancys books predates the
official unveiling of the F-117A Nighthawk in 1988) and
in 27 minutes over 200 Soviet fighters have been
destroyed along with 30 bridges for the loss of 13 NATO
planes.
Operation Dreamland
The mission can be fought in a number of ways by
gamers, either as a club event or just between a couple of
regular friends. If playing with a number of gamers then
the NATO side can operate with all the flights listed
below, split between the players. If there is just one
player a side the NATO player should choose to control
four flights of aircraft from the list below (for variety
they can mix or match aircraft flights but not the aircraft
within a flight):
Four flights each of 4 x F-111F Aardvarks
Four flights each of 4 x GR1 Tornados
One flight of F-117A Nighthawks
The NATO player takes the suit of spades and lays them
face down one each on top of the face down on top of
the diamonds.
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The NATO player then moves his token one card at a
time (in whichever direction he chooses including
diagonally) across the cards. When a token is placed atop
a card, both the diamond and the spade card are
revealed. The players then consult the following tables
and play the game using their fight of strike aircraft and
whatever is revealed by the cards on a standard table.
The strike aircraft need to cross the table (losses are
cumulative). NATO and Soviet aircraft that are revealed
by the cards only remain in play for the game and do not
follow into the next game.
Diamond
Result
Ace
Two SA-8b
One MiG-21MF
One MiG-25PD
One MiG-27
Two MiG-23BN
Two Su-24M
Two MiG-29
Two Su-25
10
Four MiG-21MF
Jack
Four MiG-21bis L
Queen
Four MiG-29S
King
Four Su-27
Result
Ace
No support available
10
Jack
Queen
King
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The Journal
Action at Neugarten
A Cold War Commander scenario by Paul Case
Introduction
Date: 10th August 1989
Place: Somewhere in the south of 1(BR) Corps area,
West Germany
After smashing through the NATO forward line, the
Soviet 47th Guards Tank Division (3rd Shock Army)
replaces its lead unit, 153rd Guards Tank Regiment, with
the 245th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, as the 153rd
has suffered heavily at the hands of the 16th/5th Lancers.
Now it is time to see if all that money spent on defence
was worth it, as 4th Armoured Division's 11th Brigade
tries to stop the onrushing invaders.
Attached:
2x Heimatschutzkommando Coys each: 1x HQ (CV = 8)
3x Regular Infantry Stands (with M72 LAW Upgrade)
1x Milan 2 Stand
1x Field Arty Regt. (49th Field Regt RA):
3x Btys each: 1x M109A2 Stand (Off Board)
2x Atk Heli Flts each: 1x Lynx Stand
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1x Eng Coy: 1x MTU Stand
1x BTR-70 Stand
1x Combat Engineer Stand
Attached:
153rd Gds Tk Regt remnants:
1x HQ Stand (CV = 7)
1x Tk Btn: 3x T.80 (ERA) Stands
1x Tk Btn: 2x T.80 (ERA) Stands
1x MR Btn: 4x BMP-2 Stands (No ATGW)
3x Conscript Infantry Stands (with RPG-16 Upgrade)
1x SA-18 Stand
Victory Conditions
This is pretty simple really, the Warsaw Pact win by
exiting the west edge with at least 9 tanks/BMPs with
Infantry and an HQ. with any other result they lose.
Extra bragging rights if: 1) they control both bridges and
keep the roads heading west free of NATO forces and 2)
the more NATO stuff they kill (tanks count double).
Stuff
I have designed this scenario using my slightly reduced
ground scale for 'CWC'. This, basically, reduces the
ground scale by 3/5, thereby giving a scale of 1 ft = 1 km
(approx). I did this because I use 6mm vehicles and
figures and I believe that Pete designed them for
10/12mm. Also, being your average wargamer, I had to
slightly alter the (very good set of) rules to my own
tastes. I now find that the rules work out just fine for me.
As played on a 6x4 table that is 6km x 4km (24sq km) of
playing area.
The reason that the British have 2 x HQs in each Btn is
simple, the second one represents the 2ic, who can also
command battle groups as and when needed (and allows
the British more flexibility, which is correct). If you are
not OK with this just reduce each Btn to 1x HQ - no
problem, whatever suits you.
The map provided is the terrain the scenario was
designed for and should not be altered all that much.
Leeway is granted but remember, West Germany is not
the Russian Steppes. Too open and it becomes a long
range spot-'em-and-kill. But on the other hand, too close
and it becomes the Ardennes and the game can bog
down. On the map most of the open ground is meadow.
The river is fordable only to Amphibious vehicles (and
despite what some people think, the FV432 was not
amphibious) and can be bridged by the MTU.
Fields should have gateways, obvious I know, but how
many times have you seen a wargames layout where the
fields have no entrances? Also, it is up to you if the
boundaries are hedges or fences or a bit of both.
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Conclusion
As you may have noticed, I have not included any points
totals. I believe that you should play with what you have,
no battle was ever fought by two evenly balanced sides,
and so, our wargames should be the same. After all, we
are supposed to be playing war, aren't we?
This has been an offering from the 'Gun-Pit' for use with
'ColdWar Commander' rules, and as is usual with my
offerings, not only has it not been playtested, but feel
free to change it to your favourite rules. Even change the
combatants, or even the war (Arab-Isreali wars or WW2
springs to mind).
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