Gemigabok presents...
Winter of No Surrender
http://www.saunalahti.fi/~ejuhola/7.62/chainofcommand/WoNS_1-2/index.html
Campaign Eleven – Fangs of the Wolf
Game Two
Winter of No Surrender (WoNS) is a series of Winter War campaigns for Chain of Command and other game systems. This is our playthrough of the eleventh
WoNS campaign –
Fangs of the Wolf. The campaign is currently in playtest and will be released... later.
We're using Chain of Command rules with the At the Sharp End supplement, loads of special campaign rules, and 20mm figures. At the time of writing, we have John as Colonel Sharov and Janne as his assistant commander. We have Jarkko as Lieutenant-Colonel Susitaival, with Mikko as his assistant command.
Previously on Fangs of the Wolf:
Campaign Introduction:
https://thewargamersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4954Game One, Part I:
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=137031.0 Game One, Part II:
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=137317.0
As you may recall, in Game One Group Wolf were able to wrest Table N, the Konttipuro marsh and stream from the Soviets. The two Russian rifle platoons defending the marsh fled, most units retreating south while the battered 22nd platoon disintegrated, two sections and the platoon command fleeing towards the north and another two sections running towards the south.
The Red Army's Group Sharov, a reinforced battalion, is now divided into two halves. In this situation the Finns should be able to concentrate their forces on reducing these pockets one at the time, and indeed that is their plan.This Campaign Turn, the Finns will launch a new attack, this time on Table J, the Ahola farm. But before that, the Russians launch a rather predictable counter-attack on Table N:
Date: 21 December 1939, Day Twenty-Two of the Winter War, 0300 hours, night.
Location: Table N, Konttipuro, about 36 kilometers north of the village of Suomussalmi, in central-eastern Finland. About forty kilometers from the border of the Soviet Union.
Weather Conditions: Cloudy skies, -20 degrees Celsius (+3 degrees Fahrenheit). There is about 22 cm (9 inches). Visibility is 18” in the dark. A semblance of dawn will appear around 0730 hours.
It is very, very dark. The Finns have been in possession of the table for about four hours... They've used that time well, digging foxholes and using the Russians' own anti-tank mines to set up a surprise for any vehicles which may be coming this way from the north.
Marching towards Table N from the north, the Red Army men hear three explosions from the south, Finnish engineers have blown up the three culverts passing under the road and they are now replaced by large craters... while this will have no effect on any tanks or infantrymen, all wheeled vehicles are now unable to traverse here, which potentially leaves half of the Combat Group's vehicles and guns on the wrong side of the craters. To fix the road, Colonel Sharov will need to take Table N and then get some engineers to do repairs.
The burnt-out truck destroyed by the Finnish mortar barrage in Game One is still smouldering, but no longer illuminates the area around it.
The ten horses captured by Group Wolf are still here, as is all the war booty.
Apart from the anti-tank mines and the mine detectors all the war booty is still in the Russian wagons as there has not been time to do anything with them.
Meanwhile, in the Group Sharov headquarters, located in one of the encirclements, the depressing news of the loss of Table N is heard. Regimental Commissar Podhomutov says to the Colonel:
Comrade Polkovnik (Colonel), our 47th Army Corps has as its mission to take the city of Oulu by Stalin's birthday, that is today. It is my profound regret that we have not been able to accomplish this. The 163rd Division headquarters informs us that the 44th division should be here in about two or three more days.
But as today is Comrade Stalin's birthday, I expect that you will be amply motivated (+1d6 to Decisiveness rolls)
and that our men too will be filled with the exhilaration of performing their Patriotic Duty (each platoon has +1 to Force Morale result and they will be able to waive one Bad Things Happen roll in every battle today)
. I am sure that we will make this a day for Uncle Joe to remember.The Colonel - who has been very passive all campaign long - stirs. Clearly not only Podhomutov but also Josif Stalin himself expects the Regiment to achieve great things today.
Tell 4th Company commander, Comrade Mihailov to retake Table N, he says to his Chief of Staff, Captain Rodin.
Yes, Comrade Polkovnik! 
For reasons which I cannot get into in this AAR as the campaign is in progress, John and Janne elect to attack the Finns using just half of the 22nd platoon, the half which retreated to Table M.
The Patrol Phase is played online using IwouldLikeToRage's nifty Patrol Phase app... this time we have the colors logically, the Reds being Soviets and the Blue are Finns.
The Russians play slowly and try to entice their enemy to place some of their jump-off points in the woods on the northern half of the table. The Finns do not comply and place only one point north of the stream.
As anyone who has played wargames will tell you, assaulting two reinforced, entrenched platoons with just 24 men is going to be very challenging... probably impossible.
But John has a plan. In
Fangs of the Wolf, both sides may fire as many pre-game barrages as they have ammunition for. John's plan calls for a horrendous artillery barrage to maul the Finnish positions and keep the thugs of the White Helsinki government at bay while his Proletarian heroes grab their jump-off points and cause them major Force Morale damage. It just could work.
John then plays his Heavy Mist campaign card – the Finns notice that a mist rises from the snow-covered swamp, limiting visibility to 15” whether there is illumination or not.
And it begins... the Soviets have amassed at least ten 76mm pieces to provide this bombardment... compared to the puny pre-game barrage by two 81mm mortars in Game One, this is very problematic for the Finns who find that they need to roll a five or six to deploy any unit.
In WoNS, pre-game barrages can also damage vehicles and troops... one of the trucks is hit by a 76mm shell and it bursts into flames. Several others are damaged by shrapnel.
The bombardment is also very destructive to the wagons and carts full of engineering equipment... the two wagons containing anti-personnel mines are hit and disappear in roaring secondary explosions which momentarily light the dark woods nearby...
A total of seven wagons and carts are lost. The Russians also have 82mm mortars and some 122mm pieces bombarding the table. Some of the Finnish men cowering in their foxholes will later claim that some of the fire was clearly coming from the south even if most of the enemy guns seemed to be in the north. One cart is hit with a 122mm howitzer shell (HE 11) and simply ceases to exist...
The players roll Force Morale. Jarkko's infantry platoon has FM 9, as does John's half platoon. Mikko's machinegunners are clearly not in good spirits as they start with a force morale of 7 (8 minus one for the darkness).
Under the cover of the pre-game barrage, Janne deploys his 3rd section into the north-eastern woods, very close to the Finnish jump-off point next to the trench.
Janne's men go on overwatch.
At the same time John deploys his 2nd section into the trench next to the road. As in the last game, he is again illuminated by a burning truck but this time there is no one to see him.
John too places his men on overwatch.
At this point the entire Soviet force is on the table, apart from the Platoon Leader and the Platoon Elder.
Mikko realizes that unless he is able to deploy some troops into the easternmost trench right now, he is going to lose it on the next Phase!
He attempts to deploy his machineguns but fails... the men refuse to budge from the safety of their trenches. But this time Mikko is really well prepared, as he has bought a CoC die as a support option. In WoNS, such a CoC die cannot be used to end a Turn and thus he cannot get rid of the pre-game barrage...
But he can ambush with a team, in this case a machinegun team!
This is a very, very clever move which will probably save the jump-off point. I must say I and all other players were extremely impressed with Mikko's tactics here!
As he is using a heavy support weapon to ambush, Mikko does not have the option of withdrawing from the trench but he declares that withdrawing is anyways the last thing he would want to do at this point...
Mikko's machinegunners are from the battalion's machinegun company and are using the Finnish Maxim MMG model 33-32. This is a development of the original Russian Army Maxim PM 1909 machinegun mounted on an anti-aircraft capable tripod and featuring a metal ammunition belt which enables a much higher rate of fire. It is also equipped with a large cap on the barrel housing which makes it possible to stuff snow into the water jacket to cool down the barrel.
Keen-eyed 20mm scale players will of course notice that I'm using an Airfix Vickers MMG model as few companies made the Model 33-32 MMG until very recently. My intention is to get the models right in the nearish future.
The machinegunners send a long burst into the treeline, this is 11 dice of firepower. Janne's section is in light cover but thanks to the darkness it is upgraded to heavy cover. One man is killed and they suffer two points of shock...
Then Janne fires back, as his men are on overwatch...
A Red Army section actually has more more firepower than one MMG, they shoot back with seven rifles and a DP light machineguns, which is 13 dice. But the cover of the trench is increased to bunker level thanks to the darkness. Despite this one of the machinegunners goes down with a bullet in his throat...
Then it is Janne's turn. He reckons that his chances of storming the Class Enemy's trench or otherwise winning this firefight against the machinegun are small. He also has no reinforcements to draw on either. He pulls his men out of the woodsline. Out of sight, they cannot be fired on by the enemy.
Janne decides to try circumventing the Finnish position by making a roundabout via the east. The mist limits visibility to 15” and this may enable him to maneuver quickly...
Meanwhile, just south of the Konttipuro stream, Jarkko's first rifle section makes it into their freshly dug foxholes despite the horrible barrage.
Unfortunately one of the men falls with a piece of shrapnel lodged in his leg, he is out of the game and the section receives a point of shock.
Seeing that immediate progress in the east is unlikely, John deploys his platoon leader with 2nd section.
The platoon leader takes 2nd section and they start to advance to the south-west. The barrage is still going on and the enemy is having trouble deploying. If he is fast enough, he might be able to take one of the western jump-off points even though that looks unlikely.
The Soviets roll no twos or threes for their command rolls, so Janne is unable to do anything.
The mist is preventing Mikko's machinegunners from targeting Janne's fleeing troops from the cover of the trench. But Mikko now deploys another section just a couple of inches closer...
The half-platoon leader deploys in the trench.
The just deployed 1st MMG section is close enough to see one of the fleeing Red Army men, and they open fire.
While Janne is trying to avoid the unwelcome attention of the machineguns, John has advanced to the southern edge of the big woods.
There are no deployed enemy forces on this side of the road, but the Finnish jump-off points are still some 36” away from here.
RUSSIANS (Soviet 22nd Platoon):
22-2 (John): 2nd section at edge of woods. Platoon leader, section leader + 11 men (all) remain.
22-3 (Janne): 3rd section fleeing from Finnish machineguns: Platoon elder + section leader + 9 men
FINNS - JARKKO's FORCES (3rd Company 1st Platoon (Kora)):
1: 1st section: Section leader + 7 in foxholes
FINNS - MIKKO's FORCES (3rd Machine-Gun Platoon):
M1: 1st MMG section (team), JL + 5 men, at the edge of the trench.
M4: 4th MMG section (team), JL + 5 men, In trench, Half-Platoon leader (SJL) deployed and attached.
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April 25, 2024, 08:09:33 AM
June 10, 2022, 12:21:26 PM