USSR vs.Finland (Infiltrators)

[Mobryan]

Got done with my final Winter War battle with a beat up Marine company and trashed BT platoons, then the enemy decides to counterattack at dawn...

The OOB:
10 tank company of KV-1's (mostly good shape, one immoblized)
4(of6) BT-7's, (2 immobilized, one armed only with MG's)
Marine company (beat up in the previous assault)
Rifle company (OK shape, it was the reserve last battle
Battery of 107 mortars, (in good shape)
Battery of 37mm AA guns (good shape)
1 sec of scouts left, they took a beating along with their Komsolets transports, which were all trashed.
1 Battery 122/38+, off board artillery
Support:
1 MG company with DShKs,
1 Demolition squad (MOBhack'd engineers, 2 6 man sections armed with M/91 rifles and satchel charges.)
1 convoy of ammo carriers
5 snipers
3 T-38 amphibious tanks (because I hadn't played with amphib tanks yet )

I chose the MG company since the 12.7 will penetrate the flanks or rear of some Finnish tanks at 50m, and all my organic MG's were destroyed last battle. The snipers were to replace my scouts and provide a little defence in depth, while the T-38's are pretty fast and amphibious. The demolition squad represented an ad hoc explosives section.

The map:

Bands of narrow, deep lakes running primarily N-S in the center of the map, connected by swampy streams create a number of chokepoints that I can use for my defence. There is a good nework of roads on my side, all meeting in a crossroads on the Finn side. The objectives are somewhat seperated, one is on my side of an oxbow lake near the center of the map. There are 2 roads bridging that lake. The other two obejectives are in the forest to the south, one somewhat close to the departure line, one to the rear. Neither of these objective are accessable by road. Visibilty right now is limited, at 1km.


The Deployment:
I deployed in an irregular line, minimizing my frontage by keeping those deep lakes on my flanks. My infantry takes the widest point, just south of the oxbow lake, with one platoon of KV-1s and the command tank in support. The northern edge of the riflemans line is strengthened by a platoon of marines, while another platoon guards the oxbow. One platoon of KV's has firing positions on the lakeshore, one being pulled into place on the end of a cable. I have demolition teams in place to destroy both bridges. The stream going north is covered by a marine platoon, one MG platoon firing down the stream, and a MG ambush on the norther edge of the map, stiffend by an immobile BT-7. The T-38 platoon is also here, with orders to scout east and report on enemy disposition. My AA battery and a MG platoon cover a broad swamp/lake/plain area in the south, along with 3 of my BT's, two of them disabled. The third KV platoon is held somewhat back by the rearmost objective as a reserve. The mortar platoon is in my prefered echelon formation in the rear with plenty of ammo in support.

The plan:
I don't expect much to come from the north, except possibly a light armored scout/flanking force. The HMG's and single BT should be able to handle anything that crosses the swamp there. The T-38's will scout east, and hopefully be in position to interrupt the enemy's artillery operations.
Everyone else will hold the line, except for the southern edge of the infantry line, which will surge forward to seal off a small portage between two lakes. The plain on the south should be a killing ground for leg infantry, hopefully the terrain will prevent a serious armored attack.

The Battle.

The Finns are right on top of us, with infantry stacked up in front of our lines. We managed to drive them off temporarily with massed rifle fire. I blew the bridges across the oxbow as asoon as possible. Almost immediatly, the Finns captured part of the rearmost objective. Our lines have been infiltrated overnight, and there was an enemy force of unknown size far in our rear!!!!! I sent the reserve platoon of KV'1 racing back, praying that it's just a single scout or sniper. They drove right over additional Finnish forces, starting a complicated firefight as they ducked and ran, while I tried to engage without letting them into molotov range. At one point I estimated the enemy force at a light company. Body counts after the battle proved me correct. Still, there were many nervous moments throughout the battle, as I cast glances at my rear area, praying that nothing was sneaking up on me.

While this was occuring, there was a heavy armored attack on the oxbow, consisting of T-26's, BT-5's and 7's. This was thwarted partially by excellent fire support from my 122mm battery, but mostly by excellent shooting from my KV's, and the destroyed bridges stalling thier rush forward. Concurrent with that attack, three T-28 heavy tanks tried to flank us on the north. They quickly destroyed the BT-7 pillbox, but were brought up short by the swamp on both sides of the stream. On T-28 was destroyed in a suicide attack by my remaining scout, and the other two eventually found thier path blocked by a KV-1 @ short range and destroyed. As the armored attack wound down, the Finnish infantry regrouped and started to reassault across the stream south of the oxbow. Heavy mortar fire took its toll, but we were slowly driven back, until at battles end we were almost atop the objectives,albeit with a well attrited enemy.
The southern plain saw very limited action, a company strength infantry attack supported by a pair of T-37 amphibians, which was driven off with relative ease by my BT's and AA guns.
Artillery fire was heavy throughout the battle, causing great losses to the troops guarding the oxbow, which the Finns exploited with a second-wave infantry attack which captured the objective and left 2 KV's abandoned.

End result was 4 KV's lost or abandoned, 1 BT-7 lost, my marine company decimated by artillery, and moderate losses to my rifle company. I kept control of 2 of the objectives, and inflicted high losses on the enemy, both in their armored attack, which was an utter failure, and with a controled withdrawal in the south which forced them to attach through heavy 122mm and mortar fire.

Judged a minor victory, I'm happy with the result. It was quite a fun game to play, as it was ~T15 or so before I killed the last infiltrator, and ~T30 before I finally felt my rear was secure. That being said, I'm shaking the mud of Finland off my boots, never to return. (I hope.......)



Matt