First Battle: The Attack of the 2nd Tank Army on the British Army of the Rhine - The Setup

First Battlefield

Roll D4 to determine which route – rolled 1, therefore the Black Route.

Attack of 2^nd Tank Army on the British Army of the Rhine

Terrain:

Right hand side = North, from the (Eastern) Soviet side of table.

Black route, Battle hex 2

1. Open/City/River (Hamburg)	2. Forested	3. Open
4. Open/River	5. Forested	6. Open

Terrain boards:
Terrain rolls based on board  terrain type -

1. Open = 2,          Farm; River at Western edge; Hamburg (20 sectors) East
2. Forested = 1,    1 small forest; River at Northern edge
3. Open = 1,          no additional terrain
4. Open = 5,          a small forest
5. Forested = 6,     2 medium forest
6. Open = 1,          no additional terrain

Key terrain features:

1. City -           on board 1
2. Open = 1,   small Town (4 sectors) + Fields - on board 3
3. Open = 1,   small Town (4 sectors) - on board 2
4. Open = 8,   Bridge (over stream) - on board 6

Board for the Attack by the 2nd Tank Army on BAOR positions

Battle

Type: Russians Attack

Soviet Forces:

• 94 Guards Motor Rifle Division (Trained) (Regiment) – Rgt HQ; 1 Battalion with T64 (2); 3 MR Battalion with BTR60(3) (SA7-HW-AT4 Spigot(1)-LAW); ZSU23, BRDM3 AT5, 2S1 122mm How. (18)(direct), SA6B
• 16 Guards Tank Division (Trained) (Regiment) – Rgt HQ; 3 Battalions with T64 (2); 1 MR Battalion with BMP(2) (SA7-HW-LAW), 2S1 122mm How. (18)(direct), SA9
• 4 additional fighting Battalions from Division – Engineer Battalion (Trained) - 2 BTR60 plus supports (attached to 94 GMRD); Recon Battalion (Trained) - 2 BRDM2 Recce, BMP-R, BMP-SON (attached to 21 MRD); Rgt HQ of 21 MRD (Trained), 2 MR Battalions of BTR60(3) (SA7-HW-AT4 Spigot(1)-LAW) plus 2 T62 Co., BRDM2 AT3C and D30 122mm How. (18)(direct),
• 2 additional artillery battalions – 1 2S1 122mm How. (18)(direct)(attached 21 MRD) and 1 2S3 152mm How. (18)(direct)(attached 94GMRD)
• Remaining artillery and Helicopters are in general support – i.e. 1 2S1 122mm How. (18)(general), 1 D30122mm How. (18)(general), 1 D20 152mm How. (18)(general), and BM21 122mm Grad. (18)(general), and 1 Mi24 D (general)

Soviets

Combined Arms Capable	Yes	Mixed Commands	Yes	Full Mixed Commands	No
Major Commands Groups	Yes	Mixed Major Command	No	Asset Point Die	D12
Airpower Die		D12 (6 sorties)	FAO Spotting Quality / Die (Quality: Skilled)		D12
Engineering Quality / Die (Quality: Superior)		D12+1	Anti-Aircraft Quality / Die (Quality: Average)		D10
Electronic Warfare Quality / Die (Quality: Skilled)		D10	Recon Quality / Die (Quality: Skilled)		D12
Leadership Quality (CiC CD) (Quality: Skilled)		D12+1 (Superior Deck)	Troop Quality		Trained

NATO (British) Forces:

•  Reconnaissance Battalion (Experienced) – HQ 1-FV105 Sultan, 4-FV107 Scimitar, 1-FV102 Striker, 1-FV103 Spartan; Support: AA - 1 towed Rapier, 1 Javelin team
• 1st Armoured Division (Skilled) (Brigade) - Bgd HQ
  1AD-12th Mechanised Infantry Battalion (Trained) – HQ 1-FV432, 1-FV432 (HW-Milan (2)-LAW); 1-FV107 Scimitar, 2 FV432 combat teams; 1 Chieftain V; Support: 1 Engineer Company – 1-FV432 Engineers, 1-Chieftain AVLB
• 1AD 22nd Mechanised Infantry Battalion (Trained) – HQ 1-FV432, 1-FV432 (HW-Milan (2)-LAW); 1-FV107 Scimitar, 2 FV432 combat teams; 1 Chieftain V; Support: 1-FV107 Scimitar
• Mechanised Infantry Battalion (Trained) – HQ 1-FV432, 1-FV432 (HW-Milan (2)-LAW); 1-FV107 Scimitar, 2 FV432 combat teams; 1 Chieftain V; Support: 1-Lynx w/TOW(direct)
• 1 M109 155mm How. (24) Battalion (direct)(attached 1 AD); 1 M110A2 208mm How. (12) Battalion (general)

 NATO

Combined Arms Capable	Yes	Mixed Commands	Yes	Full Mixed Commands	Yes
Major Commands Groups	Yes	Mixed Major Command	Yes	Asset Point Die	D10
Airpower Die		D10+2 (6 sorties)	FAO Spotting Quality / Die (Quality: Superior)		D12
Engineering Quality / Die (Quality: Average)		D8	Anti-Aircraft Quality / Die (Quality: Skilled)		D12
Electronic Warfare Quality / Die (Quality: Skilled)		D10	Recon Quality / Die (Quality: Superior)		D12+1
Leadership Quality (CiC CD) (Quality: Skilled)		D12 (Superior Deck)	Troop Quality		Trained - Experienced

Objectives

The table is divided into 4 quarters (1.5’ x 1’). Each Russian and NATO home board has a key terrain feature, control of which determines control of the board (the last player to occupy it) and counts ½ point. Each Battalion (HQ and remaining Companies) exited from the opponents home board edge counts as ½ point. NATO set up on their home boards, and then Russians enter.

Air Conflict State:

Soviet – D8; Up 1 for more planes, Up 1 for initial surprise, giving D12

NATO – D8; Up 1 for superior planes, +1 for better trained pilots, +1 for AWACs, giving D10+2

Air Status Roll – Soviets = 2; NATO = 4;

NATO has Superiority – Up 1 on next Air Status roll; +1 to Air Support roll

Soviets have Inferiority – no change to Air Status roll; -6 to Air Support roll

Air Support roll:

Warsaw Pact – rolled 12-6 = 6 sorties; NATO – rolled 5+1 = 6 sorties

Anti-Aircraft State:

Soviets: troops have personal weapons (½), dense MANPADSAM (1)

Regiment AA / SAM systems (¾), PD (1) & AD (½) + 3 ¾

Soviet Airforce has Air Inferiority - ½

AA State = 3 ¾ - ½ =3 ¼; Average

NATO: troops have personal weapons (½), adequate MANPADSAM (½),

PD (1) & AD (½) + 2 ½

Soviet Airforce has Air Superiority + 1

AA State = 3+1=4; Skilled

Battle Plan and Deployment

The Battle Plans and Deployment of each side was made by selecting cards from a set of Battle Plan decks (Offensive and Defense), which produced the following:

Soviets – Envelopment of Both Flanks

1. Left, centre and right advance to contact.
2. Reserves move to get around flanks – Reserves arrive from the Move card following an enemy presence being identified

   [Each force ('regiment') was randomly allocated to a left, centre and right sector, or reserves.]

• 94 MRD – Reserve, Left
• 16 GTD – Reserve, Right
• Part 21 MRD – Centre

British – Single Defensive Line with Reinforcements

1. 1. On board troops deployed in the central quarters of the table, toward the centre
   2. Reinforcements arrive after a defined number of Move cards
   
   

   [Each force ('battalion') was randomly allocated to a left, centre and right sector, or reinforcements. With the delay of arrival determined as 3+D3 Move cards.]

• Reconnaissance Battalion – Centre
• 1^st Mechanised Battalion – Reinforcements (5^th move cards)
• 2^nd Mechanised Battalion – Reinforcements (4^th move cards)
• 3^rd Mechanised Battalion – Reinforcements (6^th move cards)

Rsrv                     Rsrv

Reinforcements (3+D3 Move cards)

Edited: 19/1/2016 - adjusted Order of Battle.

A Race to a European Conflagration

Hi all

I guess that a Happy New Year is warranted.

As foreshadowed in my last post I felt a need to do some gaming but also within the context of a broader campaign.  I therefore planned to a rejig a modern spearhead campaign called "Race to the Rhine" (RR) by the Wellington Warlords, with credit to several other predecessors.  This has turned into something I've called "Race to a European Conflagration" (REC).  The system follows RR closely but is modified to reflect the rules I wished to use, that is FoB:Modern.  It covers maps and axes of advance, AA, EW, weather engineering and air support, the types of battles and thus what Soviet forces and supports, and randomised NATO forces and supports, are available.

 

The year is 1982 and each of four Russian teams commands a Combined Arms or Tank Army (bathtubbed as a Division) in the Group of Soviet Forces, Germany, and the Central Group of Forces, that is tasked with advancing to the Rhine as fast as possible.

There are 4 possible axis of the advance to the Rhine:

• The first is the northern axis through Luneberg, Bremen – crossing the Weser river – to a crossing of the Ems river into the Netherlands aiming to cross the Rhine just north of Koblez.
• The second is through the tank country of the North German plains from Braunschweig, south of Hanover crossing the Weser river, then crossing the Ems river north of Dortmund, meeting the Rhine river at Dusseldorf.
• The third axis follows the fulda gap, passing by Frankfurt above the Main river, and crosses the Rhine river in the Vicinity of Mainz.
• The final axis is the southern one through rougher terrain from Czechoslovakia, south of Nuremberg to Stuttgart, crossing the Rhine at Strasbourg. 

 This results in the following Strategic Map:

 

Thus there are Four Armies present: GSFG – 2^nd Tank Army, 3^rd Shock Army and 8^th Guards Army, and CGF – 4^th Guards Army. The forces are as follows:

• Black Route: GSFG, 2^nd Tank Army – 94 GMRD, 21 MRD, 25 TD, and 16 GTD;
• Green Route: GSFG, 3^rd Shock Army – 10 GTD, 12 GTD, 47 GTD and 207 MRD;
• Purple Route: GSFG, 8^th Guards Army – 20 GMRD, 39 GMRD, 57 GMRD and 79 GTD; and
• Orange Route: CGF, 4^th Army – 31 TD, 18 MRD, 51 TD, 55 GMRD and 66 GMRD.

Each of the Divisions listed will be represented by a FoB regiment.


The unit types for these Divisions will be roughly defined by the following set of rules:

• Guards TD will have T64s and BMPs; except in CGF will have T62
• Guard MRD will have T64/62 and BTR or BMP; except in CGF will have T62 or T55
• Ordinary TD will have T64/62 and BMPs; except in CGF will have T62 or T55
• Ordinary MRD will have T62 and BTR; except in CGF will have T55
• Independent tank units – T62 or T64 in GSFG, T55 in CGF
• Guard Divisions will have SP artillery, while Ordinary Divisions will have Towed artillery, except all Divisions in CGF will be Towed.

The Strategic Map, above, was converted to a map, based on that for the boardgame Third World War, that indicated terrain types from which the tables for battles could be drawn.

 



















I used six hexes around each route number to form the basis for the terrain on the gaming tables, with the map defining four terrain types: Open, Forested, Rough and Forested Rough.  Then using a set of Tables and die rolls the gaming table is developed with towns, Cities, hills, forests, rivers and key terrain features as objectives.

Battle types are: Russians attack, Meeting engagement, Russians defend. Which battle applies randomly chosen, with a bias to Russians attack. The Russians have the option of delaying their advance and undertaking a Prepared attack, with additional supports.

The rough force matches, excluding supports, are:
A Russians attack result is likely to be 12 Soviet battalions versus about 4 NATO battalions;
A Meeting engagement result is likely to be 10 Soviet battalions versus 6 NATO battalions;
A Russians defend result is likely to be 10 Soviet battalions versus 8 NATO battalions; and
A Russian Prepared attack could be about 18 Soviet Battalions versus 6 NATO battalions.

NATOs forces may be weaker depending on the level of Soviet success in previous battles.

The forces available to the Russians in the campaign are essentially those that they start with with limited opportunities for replacements.

That, I hope sets the scene. Next I will set out the situation for the first battle - an attack by the 2nd Tank Army on BAOR defenders along the black route.

See you then.