A FROZEN HELL
1939, 8th of December 1100.
Soviet command and control center for the Finnish Toljarvi front.
Planning:
One of the coolest aspects of TCS is the ability to plan for your attacks, the stages of approach, your defensive lines and how you think the opposition might approach and how you will handle that. As a solo player we lose a bit of the fidelity but make it up by using a simple rule: I develop 3 plans or two plans or a suitable number for attacker, and roll a die and that is their plan for the day/ battle/ campaign. For the defense, it’s a bit easier, but we need to of course allow some flex on plans for potential counter thrusts, reactions and revisions as the enemies attack becomes clearer. IT works well for me.
1st, 2nd and 3rd of the the 364th Move to contact plans and their objectives for day 1.
The above details the 3 Bns of the 609th and their movements and plans.
Action Phase, sees the 609th Battalion kick off their advance towards the Kivisalai Bridge. The first obstacle for the men as they trudged along the ice packed road in heavy winter coats in the shade of the huge pines was going to be easy according to the political officers and junior leadership. The Finns were frail, scattered and would not put up much of a fight.
2/1 & 3/1 of the 609th lead the way, while 1/1 moves to the east across the deeply frozen lake, using islets for cover. If possible, they will side step this bridge and move to recon in force the “Hotel” on the spit.
As the bridge comes into sight, the officers order their men forward quickly, in the backed up narrow road, impatient un thinking leaders move their men off down the embankments onto the slick snow covered ise to rush along side the bridge to the other side.
Wind howls, and blows snow into the faces of the men heading North across the ice. They feel the bullets before they hear them.
Carefully emplaced Finnish platoons spray fire into the exposed Soviets. The meagre sun does not warm the wounded who lay writhing in pain disgorging their insides onto the brilliant white of the snow. As they attempt to rally, they are fired upon again. Officers fall and the men race back to the shore line.
The Russians execute SYT [SaveYourselfRetreats!]
The Finns stall the advance. Neither sides artillery can be brought to bear effectively during the ensuing hour of fighting. The 3/1/609th takes the brunt of the punishment as they struggle across the open bridge, losing more men.
By 1230 the 2/1/609th is bunched up at the river with just a few platoons across. Their machine guns struggle to obtain good shots at the well hidden Finns across the lake. The 1/1/609th however make excellent time and begin to approach the bridge from the east.
As the battle rages across the lake, and the bridge, artillery for both sides starts to zero in. At 1330, Finnish arty catches the 2/1 again trying to press across the ice. This time inflicting heavy casualties, their men hug the ice and hunker down in a suppressed state.
As more reinforcements arrive up the long wooded road they press across the ice to Kotisari island. The Finnish leadership had elected not to man this location, it gives the Soviets a free run across the ice.
The 364th Battalions 1,2, and 3rd companies are on the move and racing along the road by 1400.
The 609th 1st company takes a beating and retreats, losing dozens of men across the open bridge and ice. They just cannot suppress the JR 17 hunkered down on the shoreline.
Soviet arty is literally hit or miss, with strikes scattering. The 120mm mortars don’t fare much better either. But the 1/47th Soviet arty does inflict modest casualties on the 1/1/JR16 platoon. Who quickly shake off the loss and fire back in anger.
The 8/3/JR send shells down range as well scoring solid hits and plastering body parts over the ice, to such an extent that forces rout. By 1530, the Soviets are drawing up new plans based on the significant delays caused at this first contact. The Finns are much more tenacious and determined than expected.
1600, 2 platoons pour fire on the Finns and take them down a peg, but they appear to not be impressed with the Soviet effort and return fire, even after losing several men. Platoons of the 1/1 advance to assault but are halted and suppressed by very effective opportunity or overwatch fire by Finnish defenders.
Finally two platoons make it into close assault the Finnish. As the waves of men approach heavy fire is exchanged. With twilight fast approaching the firefight continues and after heavy losses the Finnish troops who refused to yield are cornered and killed to a man. Soviet troops quickly rob the dead of higher quality gloves, and boots!
1630, twilight arrives and long shadows are cast over the fighting, making sighting a challenge. The 1/1JR continue to hound the 2nd Company of the 609th.
During the night of the 8th of December Pajari leads a raid to little effect but no losses. The men will need to rest up tho until 1000.
9th of December
Night movement discussion.
The night movement issues were significant. Its something I overlooked when reviewing the rules that might require revision. As strictly worded it seems that IF the Op plans stay with in the ‘shorelines’ the Soviets can move through the night, and avoid the need for fires and all the rest of it. The raid mechanic does not work very well here at all. Versus say the simple approach with Red Winter. The net effect is the Operationally assigned units get a pass on -30degree Celsius weather. Which of course is a nonsense. WE make some minor adjustments, but with rules as written the Soviets indeed make a huge circular night march to end up south of the village. The Pajari raids executed against the Arty park, the Bonfire stack and the Force to the south all fail.
0530
Review of losses: Soviets 1 full platoon +2 steps. Four Finnish steps.
0600
5/2 enters attacks!. After several rounds of fighting. 2 Finn steps lost and 4 Soviet steps are lost and then SYR
3/1 sends another platoon to the same location. Soviets lose an additional 8 steps and 2 total platoons. [image]
7/3/609th moves up.
364th who had moved all night advance to contact South of Toljarvi village.
0700
7/ KTR6 zeros in on the Soviets on the ice, [carnage]
Soviet arty continues to be hit or miss and has little effect other than to be a harassing fire.
The 1/1 JR16, so they can evade a certain death elect to fail their Op sheet and move to their recovery area.
The 364th close with the Finns who are all dug in. The 609th report back pushed via runner to higher command that they are taking friendly fire from arty.
The 1/1/364 forms up and attempts to assault into the woods again. But they are pinned down. Neither side can develop or evolve effective fire on the other. More than one platoon ends up paralysed nearby.
The 6/2/609 forces back the JR16 elements. The Finns put the hurt on several units and force several to save themselves and retreat.
During a lull in the action both sides re arrm and re group until 0800.
When the Soviet arty begins again! But rounds fall short, damaging platoons and forcing on unit to retreat from the mayhem. Confusion rains with command back to 3/47th Arty. 1/47th arty is more precise and places some hits on the Finns, but fail to suppress the plucky fighters. The Finnish arty formations target some elements of the Soviets on the ice, blasting them apart.
Feeling plucky the Finns assault a large group of gathering MG units building a firebase. The Finns lose a lot of men and then quickly retreat. Targeted fires from the rest of the JR units suppresses and paralyses several other Soviet units.
The Soviet 364th 2/1 assaults into the outskirts of TOL. In the first round of fighting they paralyse the militia level units. The Finns suffer further with 4 more steps lost and while broken die to a man. The Soviets advance.
0830
The 609th advance goes well but is costly, with many units ending up suppressed. The Finns on the front slope of the isthmus are suppressed and look for permission to retreat towards the Hotel. The Soviets start to clear the hill!
Soviet commander of the 364th senses a change in the air, and quickly issues vodka shots to all the men, and they charge into the fray. They force the Finns back across the clearings and out of the scattered huts. The 364th advance into the outskirts of town is proceeding well, despite 3 high quality Finnish units who are still dug in.
JR 16 XX, now begin to execute their movement to their line of departure. This will be a critical flanking attack on the Soviet 364th Battalion.
