Winter War Campaign #6 - Chocolate & Cigarettes

 

Rules: Nuts! By TwoHourWargames (28mm WWII skirmish)

2017 edition, with a few personal touches here and there

 

Campaign & Scenario Details:

Nationality	Unit Type	Month/Year	Location
Suomi (Finland)	Jääkkäri (Jaegers)	Tammikuu (Jan),1940	Kuhmo Sector

I find the Finnish names for the months interesting. Tammikuu means “Oak Month;” with connotations of the heart of a tree signifying the heart of winter.

 

ID	Mission	Finnish Morale	Soviet Morale	Finnish Inv Lvl	Soviet Inv Lvl	Notes
1.	Patrol	4	4	3	4	Soviet Victory
2.	Defend	4	4	3	4	Finnish Victory
3.	Patrol	4	3	3	4	Soviet Victory
4.	Defend	4	3	3	4	Finnish Victory
5.	Patrol	4	2	3	4	Finnish “Victory”
6.	Choc/Cigs	4	2	3	4

 

Note on Finnish Language: I prefer to use Finnish ranks and abbreviations. Note that these are my abbreviations and not necessarily the real ones. They are as follows:

Sotamies/Sotamiehet (Sm) Infantry private/privates

Jääkkäri/ Jääkkärit (Jkr) Jaeger private/privates

Korpraali (Krp) private first class

Alakersantti (Aks) corporal (in game terms, an assistant squad leader)

Kersantti (Krs) sergeant (in game terms, a squad leader)

Ylikersantti (Yks): senior sergeant (in game terms, the platoon sergeant)

Vänrikki (Vrk): 2nd Lieutenant (Platoon leader)

 

Common abbreviations used:

LOS = Line of sight

IST = In sight Test; a game mechanic that determines who shoots first, regardless as to which side is active at the time

PEF = Possible Enemy Force; may be actual enemy force, or may just be rumors. It won’t be determined for certain until positive identification by friendly forces.

 

Date: January 5^th, 1940

Weather: Clear, deep snow, cold weather rules in effect, all rivers completely frozen

This is a night mission.

 

Historical Note:

 General Siilasvuo has almost completed the destruction of the Soviet 44^th and 163^rd divisions at the Battle of Suomussalmi.  Once things are cleaned up in that sector, Siilasvuo and his 9^th Division will be transferred to the Kuhmo sector to begin employing his “Motti” tactics against the Soviet 54^th Division.

 

Briefing: This is a “Chocolate and Cigarettes” mission – Finding the Objective (Chocolate & Cigarettes are special scenarios that are designed to work with smaller forces and can emphasize the “role-playing” portion of the rules set).

 

 This part of Finland is heavily forested, so Soviet troops were primarily road-bound. As a result, most Soviet/PEF movement will be restricted to the road until they are spotted.   

 Krs Kalvela has been ordered to take a small squad of four men and scout the road near Saunajärvi, with the goal of locating a poorly guarded field kitchen. (Destroying field kitchens, and thus depriving the enemy of hot meals, was an important part of Motti tactics; so much so that the destruction of field kitchens was reported to headquarters). Once the location is confirmed, a full attack will be organized.

 Kalvela has selected two veterans (Hakala and Laitila) and two replacements (Laine and Suominen) to give them some experience.

 

·       Kersantti Kalvela (SMG), Rep6; Marksman, Knifeman

·       Korpraali Hakala (SMG), Rep4; Quick reflexes

·       Jääkäri Laitila (Rifle), Rep4; Stone Cold

·       Jääkäri Laine (Rifle), Rep3; Shirker

·       Jääkäri Suominen (Rifle), Rep3; Unlucky

 

Map at start

Turn 1: Soviet Initiative

 PEF1 & 3 move along the road, PEF 2 remains in place

 Kalvela and his group ski to just out of range of PEF2 and remove their skis

 

Turn 2: Soviet Initiative; Finns fail to activate

PEF1 & 3 continue along road; PEF2 advances on Kalvela’s group and is spotted.

PEF2 is determined to be a small enemy squad (7) but they also have a medium machine gun. Against the odds, the Soviets win the IST.

 

 The Soviet fire is unusually accurate, Killing Jääkäri Laine and wounding Krp Hakala and Jääkäri Suominen; Jääkäri Laitila is forced to drop back.

 Krs Kalvela stands alone!

 

Kersantti Kalvela stands alone

Note: I seriously considered calling the game at this point, but decided to stick with it. I figured with the smaller enemy forces my STAR might survive to tell the tale. I was going to try anyway.

 Ignoring the inaccurate MMG fire, Kalvela fires a burst which knocks out the MMG crew. Soviet active fire is unable to hurt Kalvela and his return fire knocks out the squad light machine gun.

 Turn 3: Finnish initiative; PEF#4 appears in sector 3

  Jääkäri Laitila loses faith and leaves the battlefield.

 Accurate fire from Kalvela kills a corporal and wounds a private. Soviet rifle fire fails to find its mark and Kalvela returns fire, wounding another causing the squad to disperse.

 Turn 4: Soviet initiative

 Soviet PEF continue down the road, moving slowly for the most part.

 Kalvela places the wounded Soviet POWs under the care of the equally wounded Hakala. He mounts his skis and continues on alone.

 Turn 5: Finnish initiative

Kalvela skis quickly towards the road; the PEF continue their slow march

PEF3 is determined to be only rumors

 Turn 6: Finish Initiative

 Kalvela finds a good place of cover in the tree line, where due to darkness, he can only be observed from a limited section of the road. Kalvela readies a grenade, but keeps his skis close in case he has to retreat in a hurry.

Kalvela waits under cover

 

Kalvela watches the road for trop movement

PEF4 moves quickly down the road, whereas PEF1 remains in place.

 Turn 7: Finnish Initiative; Soviets do not activate

 Kalvela is content to improve the defense of his position as he watches the road.

 Turn 8: Soviet Initiative; Finns do not activate

 PEF4 moves quickly down the road, whereas PEF1 remains in place again.

 Turn 9: Finnish Initiative; PEF5 placed in Sector 2

All PEF move quickly down the road; PEF5 was spotted and identified as an enemy force of four men.

 Kalvela won the IST and sprayed them with his SMG, wounding two and forcing one more to drop back. That was enough for the two survivors (including the one that dropped back), to leave the battlefield.

 PEF4 now moved into view and was spotted and identified as an enemy force of seven (including an LMG). They must have arrived as Kalvela was preoccupied with PEF4, as the Soviets won the IST.

A seven man squad is spotted and identified

 Kalvela was nicked by the enemy sergeant and has a minor hit from a rifleman; the others do no damage. Kalvela throws his grenade, wounding the LMG gunner and driving three others back (including the sergeant). However, active fire from the others forces Kalvela to drop back deeper into the woods.

 Rules Note: “Star Power” is a special rule that can save your main character from being killed or wounded, if the dice are kind. It becomes more unlikely to work each time you use it. Kalvela was saved twice by this rule during this firefight.

Turn 10: Finnish Initiative

 Kalvela recovers from his drop back and readies another grenade.

 The Soviet corporal declines to pursue into the woods and he and his two remaining men go prone. The sergeant and his small group fail to recover.

 

1/2 the Soviet squad goes prone and 1/1 drops back

 Turn 11:  Finnish Initiative

 Kalavela advances on the road, and loses his third IST (remarkably poor rolling on his part). However, none of the three Soviets can score a hit. Kalvela throw his grenade and kills one and wounds another, causing the last Soviet rifleman of that group to flee the battlefield.

 Kalvela follows that up by advancing on the sergeant’s small group. He sprays it with SMG fire, killing the sergeant, wounding a rifleman and causing the other to flee.

When the smoke clears, Kalvela realizes that the objective was just down the road to his right. With his mission accomplished, Kalvela gathers up his prisoners and retreats off the road before more Soviets can arrive.

Kalvela pursues and spots the kitchen

 

End

Kalvela more than earned his sobriquet, “Metsään Kauhu” (Terror of the Forest) in this battle. He singlehandedly destroyed an MMG and an LMG and killed or wounded several other Soviets. He pressed on and completed his mission by himself when the rest of his patrol became casualties. Normally such courageous behavior would earn high honors, but unfortunately for Kalvela, there were no witnesses to his exploits. He did receive two more wound badges (his 3^rd and 4^th of the campaign).

 

Kalvela is turning out to be a bit like the famous Lauri Törni; he is earning quite a reputation, but at high cost to his squad mates; especially the replacements.

 

·       Kersantti Kalvela (SMG), Rep6; soldiers on – no change to Rep

·       Korpraali Hakala (SMG), Rep4; Wounded – returned to duty

·       Jääkäri Laitila (Rifle), Rep4; Left Battlefield – returned to duty

·       Jääkäri Laine (Rifle), Rep3; Killed in action

·       Jääkäri Suominen (Rifle), Rep3; wounded – does not return

 

Krp Hakala knows that “The Kauhu” (the Terror) is a fine leader and as tough and fearless a soldier as there ever was, but begins to wonder if any of Kalvela’s men will survive the campaign. Of the original ten-man squad, only three (Kalvela, Hakala & Helske) remain – and all three have been wounded.