Finn Deep Recon Attack subject logo: MILGAM
2006-12-14
Posted by: badanov

We have positive proof now that a prepared Soviet submachine gun company defending a village from prepared positions at night during a heavy snowstorm will be quickly immolated by a crack Finn ski battalion.

In the Frontline Wargame Club's campaign, this is an issue at present: the Finn side requested and received approval for two deep recon attacks against two remote battalion headquarters.

The sitation is that Finn Isthmus Army command ordered two deep recon attack against two separate Soviet rifle divisions. Two battalion sized formations at night managed to penetrate two different Soviet rifle divisional security zones at night to get within striking distance of Soviet battalion headuqrters. As of this post these sitations are being resolved as East Front II scenarios, but we also wrote a scenario using Combat Mission.

The Finn operations were premised on the idea that these attacks take place far too deeply within a Soviet rifle divisional security zone to be supported by any fire support other than 81mm mortars, man-packed by Finn ski troops. The only additional support these attacks have are engineers.

The defending Soviet rifle battalion headquarters have only a single rifle company pulled from the line for relief of the headquarters under attack, alerted because patrols found the ski tracks. The reason the entire battalion isn't alerted is that the Finns have cut lateral field telephone lines. Soviet SOP in dealing with communications problems is to sit tight and wait for a superior headquarters to show up with a new line.

In one of the EFII scenarios, two Finn bicycle ( ski borne ) platoons are holding the door open for the raiding party in case the Soviets try to seal them off.

Also, the scenarios call for the Finns to wipe out the headquarters in order to gain access to information the Finns need to make decisions concerning the deployment of the two Soviet rifle divisions involved.

The Soviet submachine gun companyn presents a secutity detachment far more powerful for sure than what a lowly battalion commander could expect to muster for fighting, the group are the headquarters personnel organzed for defending command.

They do not acquit themselves well.

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