Crossing the Amur

[Aeraaa]

September 1956. A minor dispute between the largest communist nations around, USSR and the People's republic of China has escalated into full out conflict. One of Soviet's second rate divisions, 283rd Rifle Division (probably fictional, I'm not in the mood for searching for the real units)has been one of the first units to be in the fray. The division's regiments have participated in 2 engagements so far, the assault on two hills in the Soviet part of the border that has been invaded by the ChiCom and the successful defence of , that put the Red Army into the offensive. Now the division faced the toughest mission so far: cross the Amur river.

The division's 179th Rifle Regiment was the "lucky" unit chosen to lead the crossing. The regiment's 3 battalions were to be strengthened by an Assault Gun company of ISU-152s, a flame tank platoon, an engineer company, an engineer bridging platoon, an amphibious car platoon, a Spetsnaz detachment, a helicopter flight, regimental, divisional and army artillery of various tubes (85mm, 120mm mortars, 122mm, 203mm and Katyusha rockets) plus a preplanned bombardment of the shore by IL-28 bombers.

Unfortubately for the Soviets, the chinese scouts have correctly identified the invading force and gave the Chinese commander the opportunity to do a disrupting artillery barrage. The barrage managed to knock out one flame tank, and in total 3 GAZ-66 trucks, while the Soviet artillery managed to cause mayhem into 2 Chinese batteries by counter-battery fire.

Turn 1:

Forward elements of the Soviet Army, which comprised of the recce company of the regiment, plus the attached engineers, made their way to the shore. More bombardment from the Chinese produced no casualties, although one of the surviving 2 flame tanks almost fled the battlefield.

Turn 2:

The first scouts reach the shore and dismount from their BTR-40s to cross the shore, only to be greeted by tank fire from T-34s from the other side of the river. The attached forward observer immediately calls for artillery fire from the 203mm howitzers. Big guns are needed to deal with entrenched tanks. 2 of the helicopters load Spetsnaz in an effort to sneak past the Chinese shore defenders and one chopper gains altitude to observe the battlefield. It is greeted by AA fire from Chinese 14,5mm machineguns and decides to lower and hide behind a hill

Turn 3:

Movement of engineers from the eastern road is disrupted by mortar and field guns fire, which cause 3 more casualties to the Soviets, plus 2 BTR-40s. The Western road is more peaceful, and Soviet forces start to cross the river using rubber boats. The ISU-152s also start to approach the river to try to provide overwatch for the assault detachments. The helos and their Spetsnaz chalk reach the Eastern road and hide behind some woods. They'll try to fly to the other side of the river when resistance is softened up from the 203 bombardment. Level bombers are also called in towards their preplanned targets.

Turn 4:

Tank fire from the chinese knock out 2 more BTR-40s. Fortunately their dismount have long left their vehicles. The Western road is also shelled by mortars, but they are much less accurate than the east. The first soviet soldiers that come to about 500 meters from the shore are greeted by small arms fire from chinese infantry. Tanks also shell the hapless soviets, but thankfully cause no harm. Barge carriers approach the western road, which seems safer for crossing with heavy armor. The 3rd helo also loads Spetsnaz and flys to join the rest of its flight.

Turn 5:

Small arms fire elliminate one of the scout teams inside their boat. The soviet answer to the constant chinese shelling comes at last. 203mm round land on the dug in T34 opposite the eastern approach and a motor rifle platoon that was around it. 2 trucks are destroyed. The IL-28 bombers also add to the symphony of destruction, causing panic and casualties on some chinese units (but not that much).

Turn 6:

Chinese start to shell the river itself, since more and more soviet boats appear. None hit any target. Shelling from the 203mm contitues, causing the T34 to retreat from its dug in position and hit a mine right behind it! The terrified chinese crew didnt pay attention to their own minefields and a lost track was the result. 3 more trucks are also history and god knows how many chinese riflemen. Any boats inside the river are under constant fire by weapons of every caliber. Its time for the soviet artillery to provide a curtain for the assaulting troops. Smoke barrages are called, at first from the rocket artillery and also HE barrages from the guns and howitzers.


Turn 7:

More Chinese shelling, more of it inneffective. CB fire cause more damage to another chinese 85mm battery (so far all guns that shell my forces are 85mm caliber). soviet ISUs reach their overeatch positions and are greeted by fire from chinese PT-76s on the western approach. In the eastern approach thing are quiet, although soon one of the crossing engineers there comes under fire from another T34. I dont return fire from my ISUs, since they just moved, but in the other turn, T34 will be rewarded by 152mm shells.

Turn 8:

I forgot to mention I also moved the anti tank guns of every battalions' support companies towards elevated positions that I think will provide good overwatch positions. More PT-76 fire from the opposite shore of the western approach is mostly inaccurate though one hits an ISU frontally with an AP round, causing no penetration. In the eastern approach I decide to use my Spetsnaz since I shelled the revealed T34 a little more and ultimately I knock it out with a direct hit from a 152mm shell. I find a clear area on the easternmost edge of the map and land them there. One drop is quiet, the other is greeted by small arms fire from chinese infantry causing 3 casualties to the landed spetsnaz. The latter quickly pop smoke to mask their positions. The third chopper however, lands just next to another hidden T34 which kill or wound 5 more spetsnaz! The latter try to knock it out with satchel charges to no effect, and the ISUs also fire at the newly revealed target, and one lucky hit (9% probability) from them cause large damage that kill one crewman and set the vehicle to retreat status. Things are interesting in the eastern shore!
Towards the west one barge is dropped in the water, now it's a matter of crossing when the assault engineers clear the enemy shore from mines (which surely exist).
Soviet artillery lands on their target, most of them smoke shells, although a few HE missions are also used. Chinese also manage to successfully hit a Soviet 122mm platoon with one of their 85mm ones. Nice gunnery from them...

Turn 9:

Smoke from katyushas continue to mask the river, plus smoke from howitzers. In a stroke of bad luck, Chinese T34s in the middle of the map find a small gap in the smokescreen and shell my advancing rubber boats, hitting one directly and wiping out an engineer squad! Damn, at least they could hit a scout team I yell. Since the computer is kind to respond to my heeds, chinese infantry to the western approach also sink another boat with a scout team now! Grrr...
Nevertheless, the rifle squad that killed my scouts is revealed on the map and shelling from overwatching ISUs attempt to pin them. More smoke barrages from mortars this time is called. The river is also constantly shelled by chinese mortars.
On the eastern approach, my spetsnaz finally do a successful assault on the remaining stubborn T34, knocking it out. Another spetsnaz squad finds one of the rifle squads that fired upon them while exiting their helo and start a firefight with them. The aforementioned helos return to soviet positions to pickup the remaining spetsnaz towards the small bridgehead that has been established.

Turn 10:

Chinese artillery continue to shell the soviet side of the river and the river itself. Soviets also continue to cause damage with effective CB fire. Spetsnaz units move inland, elliminating the rifle squad previously revealed, plus one retreating motor rifle squad (203mm artillery didnt stop shelling the eastern shore)
Towards the western shore, the first soviet soldiers set foot; 2 scout teams move inland. One of them find a minefield the hard way (one scout lost his legs) and the other finds a hidden PT-76 and makes a failed close assault. The only thing they can do now is wait for the engineers to reach the shore, or wait for the smoke to clear so the overwatching ISUs have a shot at the PT-76.

(this is the 3rd mission from a campaign I play, USSR vs China in 1956. Screenshots will follow to show the situation in the first 10 turns...)