Damanskiy: Blood on the Ice*
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China Defend vs. Soviet Assault*
Date: March 2, 1969.*
Location: Damanskiy Island, Ussuri River, USSR.*
Length: 25 Turns*
Best as: Russians*
Designer: Ryan Crierie*
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On the night of 1/2 March 1969, a large number of Chinese soldiers occupied Damansky Island, which straddled the Russian-Chinese Frontier. Initially, this incursion was overlooked at first, because the Russian Border Guards did not notice anything. It was not until around 10:40 AM that the lookout at Nizhne-Mikhailovka reported about thirty armed men crossing from the Chinese side of the river to the island.*
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The commandant of the post; Senior Lt. Strelnikov, assembled a group of about 32 frontier guardsmen and reached the island around 11:00 AM. Around 11:10 AM, the Chinese decided to open fire on Strelnikov's group, killing most of them in the battle that followed. *
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As this scenario starts, the remnants of Strelnikov's group are huddling along the shoreline, as the reserve group, headed by Senior Lt. Bubenin, approaches the island at around 11:30 AM.*
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In the resulting battle that followed; the Chinese were driven off the island, but they would return later.*
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(Design Notes Next - Spoilers Ahead)*
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NOTE: I have not accepted the Russian version of events: namely that 200 to 300 Chinese soldiers were on the island and dug in, because if that was the case; there is no way a small reserve group of about sixty Russian Border Guards could have thrown them off the island.*