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Author Topic: 6mm Cold War "Bear Marches West" campaign "Opening Shots"  (Read 1045 times)

Offline robh

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6mm Cold War "Bear Marches West" campaign "Opening Shots"
« on: November 07, 2019, 01:09:41 AM »
Over the last few months we have been playing a series of games with the "Unofficial Battlegroup Cold War" rules by Richard Chambers. Working through some queries with them and adding in ideas from other Modern rules (MSH and Opfor) to give us a set of rules for Battalion sized 6mm battles.

This is our second playthrough of a 2000pt scenario from the "Bear Marches West" campaign scenario book by Russell Phillips.  Scenery and troops are sourced from Heroics & Ros, Leven, Mainly Military, K&M and some scratchbuilds.

The first scenario in the book; "Opening Shots" pits a Soviet breakthrough unit consisting of a Motor Rifle Battalion with a Company of T72s attacking a hill crest held by a US M1 Company and a Motorised infantry Platoon.
It is the first day of the war and it is imperative for the Soviets to maintain the speed of the attack.
We opted to set the "war" in 1982/3 so field T72a and BMP1s and replaced the US forces with British, Chieftain mk9 tanks and FV432 infantry carriers (as my US figures are still unpainted).

The battle begins at 1000 and the Soviets are required to capture the town and the ridge crest and to maintain the speed of the advance must have moved units off the NATO table edge by 1600hrs.

All game actions are by time and a random clock system is used.

The table layout, NATO (western) table edge at bottom.  The hasty defences are Anti tank ditches, infantry trenches and tank fighting positions arranged with minefields designed to funnel the soviet advance through the confined terrain of the town and surrounding fields.
The fields were potentially bad going due to recent rainfall.







The Soviet players had to plan their advance and any barrage and airstrike timings before the NATO troops were placed on the table.

View of the ridge from the opposite end showing the British troops in defensive positions. Tanks deployed in the reinforced prepared positions, Infantry and ATGM units deployed out of sight behind the town and wooded areas expecting Soviet artillery to target the town as a prelude to the advance.





1000 hrs: Soviet first wave advances over the eastern ridgeline as a flight of low flying SU17 bombers strike the eastern perimeter of the town. Off table NATO air defences fail to get a lock on the attacking aircraft who accurately hit their targets and cause heavy damage to the empty buildings.



1100: The first Motor Rifle Company reaches the outskirts of the town as 2 platoons of T72 tanks move to outflank the town to the  south. British infantry and ATGM teams have taken up positions in the western half of the town and reveal hidden ATGM bunkers in the woods and southern outskirts of the town. The area the Soviet tanks are approaching is a planned killing ground.





1200: Advancing soviet tanks are met with Milan ATGM and long range tank gunfire.  Over the next hour the Soviets suffer over 50% casualties for no real return. The ATGM teams proving too well hidden and too well protected.



1300:  As the tanks are being destroyed on their left the rear elements of the Motor Rifle Infantry come under NATO 155mm artillery fire and suffer heavy losses in the streetfighting with several units being wiped out or surrendering to the dug in British.



1400: The second Soviet Motor Rifle Company begins its advance against the town as planned. The score of blasted and burning vehicles warning them of what to expect. The remnants of the first company are still holding positions in the areas of town they captured despite continuing losses but are too weak to advance any further.



1400: The last of the T72s on the southern flank are destroyed as the Chieftain tank of the British 2ic manages to immobilise itself in the anti tank ditch. :-[



1500:  Attempting to keep to the advance schedule set by Army Command the 2nd MR company attempts to force its way through the town and break the British defenders by weight of numbers.



1530:  British FAO calls in a devastating artillery strike on the road junction which has been pre-registered as a battery target, while dismounted infantry bring the poorly armoured BMP carriers under close range fire from LAW rockets. The resulting carnage breaks the morale of the attacking soviet conscripts and ends the attack.




« Last Edit: November 07, 2019, 01:17:12 AM by robh »

Offline Ultravanillasmurf

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Re: 6mm Cold War "Bear Marches West" campaign "Opening Shots"
« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2019, 07:45:31 AM »
That sounds like an interesting game.
Thank you for sharing it with us.

Offline robh

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Re: 6mm Cold War "Bear Marches West" campaign "Opening Shots"
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2019, 11:13:19 PM »
Thanks, the rules are working really well for these bigger games. Still some things to iron out but all in all I am enjoying them. Nice to have an option below the level of MSH/Opfor for Cold War gaming.