Post by armchair general on Jun 1, 2017 4:26:21 GMT
Originally posted by RaidingParty 12-26-2005 in the old AH forums: boards.avalonhill.com/showthread.php?t=8058
[note by Neural Dream: This is part of the forumini project of recovering the most popular scenarios and campaigns from the old forums to an active forum instead of letting them die in an archive. I haven't asked all authors' permission for re-posting their brilliant work, since many have now left the community and cannot be contacted.]
Winter War
This is my first scenario. Hope you like it!
Title: Winter War (aka Russo-Finnish War), 1939-1940
Preface: At the time the Axis invaded Poland, Russia was busy building its own defense. Finland was important to Russia’s strategy because it held several strategic ports on the Baltic Sea and a border that was very close to Leningrad. When Finland refused to negotiate, the Russians staged a fake border incident and in November 30, 1939, Russia attacked Finland and instigated the Winter War.
The Finnish army was underarmed and outnumbered 2-to-1, while the Russians were confident they would march all the way to Helsinki. However, the Finns had the homefield advantage, national pride, and Commander-In-Chief Carl Mannerheim, a veteran of several wars and one of the greatest tacticians of his time. Even if they lost, the Finns would teach the Russians a lesson they would not soon forget.
Objective: The Russians win if at least 3 Russian units cross the Mannerheim Line and exit the North side of Charlie-1 by the end of turn 8. Any other outcome is a Finnish victory.
Map
North
Charlie-1
Baker-2
South
Special Rules: Ignore all road hexes. Treat all city hexes in Baker-2 as forest hexes.
Army Builds:
Russians (50 points)
T-26 Series 1933 x2 (22)
Commissar x2 (10)
Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 x6 (18)
Deploy in any clear hex within 3 hexes of the South edge of Baker-2.
Finnish (40 points)
PPSh-41 SMG x5 (15)
Antitank Grenadier x4 (20)
KMT Officer x1 (5)
Deploy in any hex in Charlie-1.
Optional Rules: This scenario has not been fully playtested for balance. You may balance by doing any of the following:
Add 1 Mosin Nagant to Russia.
Add 1 BAR Gunner to Finland.
Before deployment, the Finns may add one forest hex anywhere on Charlie-1.
Alternate build:
Russia produces a 50-point army from the following:
T-26, Commissar, Mosin Nagant, KMT Riflemen, KMT Machinegun (limit 1)
Finland produces a 40-point army from the following:
SMG, AT grenadier, KMT Officer, BAR Gunner
Notes: Due to lack of Finns, this scenario ignores nationality and time restrictions.
Epilogue:
"All of us—and Stalin first and foremost—sensed in our victory a defeat by the Finns. It was a dangerous defeat because it encouraged our enemies' conviction that the Soviet Union was a colossus with feet of clay... We had to draw some lessons for the immediate future from what had happened." - Nikita Khrushchev
The Soviets were able to break the Finnish defense and force an armistice, but at a tremendous cost. The Russians in their haste did not bring their winter uniforms, and many died in the infamous "Russian winter". The Finnish army under Mannerheim would target the Russians’ soup kitchens, which were poorly defended yet essential in surviving the winter. They outflanked the Soviets with alpine troops, hurled Molotov cocktails at combustible Soviet tanks, and cut them down in the forest with SMGs. In the end, there were 400,000 casualties on the Russian side, and 80,000 on the Finnish side.
Though not officially a part of World War II, the Winter War would affect its outcome. The humiliating losses of the Soviet Army contributed to Hitler's decision to launch Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia. Finland also aligned itself with Germany and fought Russia again in the Continuation War (1941-1944) as part of the Eastern Front.
The Winter War drove the Soviet military to make radical changes which would contribute to their later success. Stalin built his power structure by removing the old regime from the military and adding political appointees called Commissars, which was devastating to the military’s strategy and experience. After the Winter War, he reinstated many veteran officers and reduced the status of political Commissars. In 1941, the Russians would remember to prepare for the "Russian Winter" that would help turn the tide against the Germans. The Finns made effective use of SMGs against Soviets in close quarters, and these quickly became popular with the Soviet army. They would produce 5 million PPSh-41s by 1945. Molotov cocktails would also see use on all sides of the war.
_________________
[note by Neural Dream: This is part of the forumini project of recovering the most popular scenarios and campaigns from the old forums to an active forum instead of letting them die in an archive. I haven't asked all authors' permission for re-posting their brilliant work, since many have now left the community and cannot be contacted.]
Winter War
This is my first scenario. Hope you like it!
Title: Winter War (aka Russo-Finnish War), 1939-1940
Preface: At the time the Axis invaded Poland, Russia was busy building its own defense. Finland was important to Russia’s strategy because it held several strategic ports on the Baltic Sea and a border that was very close to Leningrad. When Finland refused to negotiate, the Russians staged a fake border incident and in November 30, 1939, Russia attacked Finland and instigated the Winter War.
The Finnish army was underarmed and outnumbered 2-to-1, while the Russians were confident they would march all the way to Helsinki. However, the Finns had the homefield advantage, national pride, and Commander-In-Chief Carl Mannerheim, a veteran of several wars and one of the greatest tacticians of his time. Even if they lost, the Finns would teach the Russians a lesson they would not soon forget.
Objective: The Russians win if at least 3 Russian units cross the Mannerheim Line and exit the North side of Charlie-1 by the end of turn 8. Any other outcome is a Finnish victory.
Map
North
Charlie-1
Baker-2
South
Special Rules: Ignore all road hexes. Treat all city hexes in Baker-2 as forest hexes.
Army Builds:
Russians (50 points)
T-26 Series 1933 x2 (22)
Commissar x2 (10)
Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 x6 (18)
Deploy in any clear hex within 3 hexes of the South edge of Baker-2.
Finnish (40 points)
PPSh-41 SMG x5 (15)
Antitank Grenadier x4 (20)
KMT Officer x1 (5)
Deploy in any hex in Charlie-1.
Optional Rules: This scenario has not been fully playtested for balance. You may balance by doing any of the following:
Add 1 Mosin Nagant to Russia.
Add 1 BAR Gunner to Finland.
Before deployment, the Finns may add one forest hex anywhere on Charlie-1.
Alternate build:
Russia produces a 50-point army from the following:
T-26, Commissar, Mosin Nagant, KMT Riflemen, KMT Machinegun (limit 1)
Finland produces a 40-point army from the following:
SMG, AT grenadier, KMT Officer, BAR Gunner
Notes: Due to lack of Finns, this scenario ignores nationality and time restrictions.
Epilogue:
"All of us—and Stalin first and foremost—sensed in our victory a defeat by the Finns. It was a dangerous defeat because it encouraged our enemies' conviction that the Soviet Union was a colossus with feet of clay... We had to draw some lessons for the immediate future from what had happened." - Nikita Khrushchev
The Soviets were able to break the Finnish defense and force an armistice, but at a tremendous cost. The Russians in their haste did not bring their winter uniforms, and many died in the infamous "Russian winter". The Finnish army under Mannerheim would target the Russians’ soup kitchens, which were poorly defended yet essential in surviving the winter. They outflanked the Soviets with alpine troops, hurled Molotov cocktails at combustible Soviet tanks, and cut them down in the forest with SMGs. In the end, there were 400,000 casualties on the Russian side, and 80,000 on the Finnish side.
Though not officially a part of World War II, the Winter War would affect its outcome. The humiliating losses of the Soviet Army contributed to Hitler's decision to launch Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia. Finland also aligned itself with Germany and fought Russia again in the Continuation War (1941-1944) as part of the Eastern Front.
The Winter War drove the Soviet military to make radical changes which would contribute to their later success. Stalin built his power structure by removing the old regime from the military and adding political appointees called Commissars, which was devastating to the military’s strategy and experience. After the Winter War, he reinstated many veteran officers and reduced the status of political Commissars. In 1941, the Russians would remember to prepare for the "Russian Winter" that would help turn the tide against the Germans. The Finns made effective use of SMGs against Soviets in close quarters, and these quickly became popular with the Soviet army. They would produce 5 million PPSh-41s by 1945. Molotov cocktails would also see use on all sides of the war.
_________________