The Defence of Kesseburg
28/12/46
On Christmas day 1946, the Soviet army plunged across the Inner German border to attack the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany. The ill prepared Allied armies buckled under the onslaught and soon Soviet forces had broken through allied front lines in several places. In the north the first major breakthrough was made east of Hamburg. The 17th Guards Rifle Division smashed a bridgehead across the Elbe-Lubeck Canal and broke through the British 5th Infantry Division's lines. The Soviets fed the newly re-organised 11th Guards Tank Division into the breach and pushed along the autobahn towards Hamburg. The British scrambled the last of their reserves into place astride the Autobahn to halt the Russian onslaught and buy time for reinforcements to be shipped from Britain
Its midday on the 28th and the early morning fog has been burnt away by the winter sun. The armoured elements of the 30th Infantry Brigade have been deployed to screen the infantry while they dig in. As the Tommies hastily scrape foxholes in the frozen ground the lead elements of the 11th Guards move up either side of the autobahn
Map and Order of Battle
British Deployment
A Coy 3rd RTR and C Coy Royal Dragoons are forward deployed in area ACQP. Note this area does not touch the tree line AC
The rest of 30th Infantry Brigade is deployed to the west of line PQ
Soviet Deployment
The majority of the Forward Detachment, 11th Guards Tank Division is deployed in area ABC, or may enter on the table edge from points A to D turn 1 or thereafter. Note area ABC does not touch the tree line AC
The Special Detachment 20th Guards Sapper-Miner Brigade is a reinforcement. Any turn from turn 5 onwards it may APPEAR inside the wood, or on the table edge D to G. It may not appear in LOS of a British unit in good morale. Elements of the detachment may appear on different turns
Terrain
The map is an 8ft x 5ft area if playing 1"=50m, North is (roughly) towards the top of the map
The open ground is fields.
The green dotted lines are tree lines and hedges. These break LOS and give -1 cover to all stands. Any stand on a road with an adjacent hedge is assumed to be adjacent to the hedge
The blue lines are ditches. Personnel and tracked vehicles are not impeded in crossing. Manhandled guns and wheeled vehicles cost a BMA. personal stands (but not towed guns) in the ditch get -2 cover from shooting from outside. Where there is a tree line along the ditch the ditch and tree line are assumed to be one obstacle, so a stand adjacent to one is considered adjacent to both. The ISU-152-1's gun is so long an unwieldy it will tick in the mud if it crosses ditches, thus it is prohibited from doing so
Red lines are roads. The thick red line is an autobahn. This is wide enough that it requires two adjacent wrecks to block the road.
Brown dotted lines are ridgelines. They break LOS and give AFV's the benefit of hull down (-2)
The green areas, with dark outlines are forest, impenetrable to vehicles and man-handled guns, 1/2 speed for personnel stands. Light cover (-1). Where the autobahn penetrates the wood is assumed to be open ground
Green areas without outlines are open woods: 1/2 speed for tacked vehicles and manhandled guns. 1/4 speed for wheeled vehicles. -1 cover
The large grey squares are 4x4 stone BUA's, The simple town fighting rules are in effect.
Air Support
Both sides are frantically scrambling for air superiority, so there is much air activity. Note if using my air rules the Soviets place first. Each side rolls 2d6 every turn, 1d6 for fighters and 1d6 for ground attack. A 4-5 means one plane of the appropriate type, a 6 means two planes of the appropriate type.
Use any suitable plane
Special Rules
Game starts at 11am and ends at 50m which is 12 turns. Turn 11 is dusk, max visibility 12". Turn 12 is night, max visibility 4" - no air on turn 12
The Brits are trying to dig in. In the move phase each British company can roll 1d10, on a 1-3 they have made foxholes (-2 cover). Only units with no order can make the roll. Vehicles and towed guns can not make the roll.
The ISU-152-1's gun is so long an unwieldy it will tick in the mud if it crosses ditches, thus it is prohibited from doing so
Victory Conditions
Points H & G, Road FY, the BUA of Rotenbek & Grande, Kesseburg and crossroads X are all victory locations
Point X is worth 2 VP, all the other locations are worth 1 VP
To win the Soviets need 4 or more VP's. If they score 3 VP its a draw, any less they lose
To hold the road FY one side has to have the only stands in good morale touching the road. The side uniquely touching the road gains the points. If both sides have stands in good morale touching neither side gets the points. If neither side has a stand, in good morale, touching the BRITISH get the points.
To hold point H, G or X one side has to have the only stands in good morale within 3" of the centre of the road where it exits the table (or the middle of the crossroads in the case of point X). The side uniquely occupying the area gains the point. If both sides have stands in good morale within the area neither side gets the point If neither side has a stand within, in good morale, the BRITISH get the VP for points H & G, the SOVIETS get the VP for point X.
Note in order for the Soviets to get the points for H the 3 BUA's of Grande & Rotenbek must have no British troops in good morale wholly within.
To hold the La Kesseburg or the BUA's of Rotenbek & Grande one side has to have the only stands in good morale wholly within a BUA's. The side within gains the point. If a BUA is partially occupied or occupied by a stand not in good morale neither side gets the point. If both sides have stands within in good morale neither side gets the point. If its empty of stands in good morale the SOVIETS get the point.