Bolt Action Campaign started - Ostfront!

Firestorm Bagration 

in new clothes

Many wargamers and readers of wargames magazine readers might now Firestorm Bagration Campaign from Flame of War scene and it has also been played at our club. Jaakko got a great idea to convert the campaign to Bolt Action (not that much to convert really). Soon we had about 10 people joining the campaign, choosing to play either fascist or communists. This week's Wed we had a first game night and generals gathered around the campaign map... 

 Jaakko and other commanders discussing the campaign dynamics




Attack arrows being placed

Key campaign elements converted for Bolt Action here

I had dressed for the occasion... as I have no German armies

painted yet (DAK in progress), I'll be playing the Finnish "hostage battalion"

that fought with the Germans in the eastern front.

Marko placing the final attack arrows, Jaakko and Ilkka observing

Hold until relieved

 My first game was against Marko's Soviets, I was the attacker. We rolled the Hold until relieved scenario from the rulebook.

My 1000p. force was as follows:

1000 Pts - Finland: 1944 June - September The Defence of Karelia List

1 Luutnantti, 95 pts (Rifle; Motti; Sisu; Trained Huntsmen; You Men, Snap to Action)

   2 Soldier  (Rifle x2)

8 Continuation War Rifle Squad, 100 pts (Rifle x8; Panzerfaust x2; At Full Strength; Motti; One Shot; Shaped Charge; Sisu; Trained Huntsmen)

   1 NCO (Rifle)

8 Continuation War Rifle Squad, 100 pts (Rifle x8; Panzerfaust x2; At Full Strength; Motti; One Shot; Shaped Charge; Sisu; Trained Huntsmen)

   1 NCO (Rifle)

8 Sissi Recon Squads, 126 pts (Rifle x8; At Full Strength; Master of the Hunt; Motti; Sisu; Trained Huntsmen)

   1 NCO (Rifle)

1 StuG III Sturmi, 230 pts (Heavy AT Gun (2"); MMG (Forward Hull); HE (2"))

4 Medium Artillery, 85 pts (Medium Howitzer; Fixed; Gun Shield; HE (3"); Howitzer; Indirect Fire; Sisu; Team)

   1 Spotter (Rifle; Spotter)

2 Flamethrower Team, 50 pts (Flamethrower; Flamethrower; Motti; Sisu; Team; Trained Huntsmen)

6 Kaukopartio Long Distance Recon Squads, 164 pts (SMG x6; Anti-Tank Grenades; At Full Strength; Deep Strike; Fanatics; Geneva Convention; Medic; Motti; Sisu; Tank Hunter; Trained Huntsmen)

   1 NCO (SMG; Anti-Tank Grenades; Tank Hunter)

Medium Mortar Team, 50 pts (Motti; Sisu; Trained Huntsmen)

Validation Report:

3. Armies of Finland: Armies of Finland (Army Book); 4b. Europe (Late): 1944 [AO] Jun - Sep The Defence of Karelia; 1. Force Selection: Force Selection Rules

List satisfies all enforced validation rules

in addition to this I had a Panther tank as a Firestorm resource. This was borrowed from Juha, as I had no extra tanks with me.

Start of the battle

In this scenario defender (Marko) only deployed 2 units at the objective, while I was allowed to deploy any of my units anywhere on the battle field, at least 18" from the objective and / or enemy units. I left only both of my tanks in reserve.

I got the first die out of the bag and my lieutenant called nearby units to action, rifle fire

took out few Soviets at the objective, but mortar failed to hit 

Then my artillery followed suit, but also failed to hit...

Two mighty shells indicated that more iron would rain on this unit unless they moved...

I had placed one of my infantry units quite near to enemy table edge and they now had an ambush die on them. This lead to practically all Soviet reinforcements to arrive into the same part of the battle field. First ones to arrive were several small teams (including air and artillery observers, that Marko had as Firestorm resources) and a mighty heavy tank, scary thing indeed! Luckily it failed to hit my Sissi unit in the woods!

Loads of DRAMA!

Marko's artillery observer called a strike against my artillery unit, that was also bombarded by his mortar. Crew men hit the dirt, but 2 of them bought it...

On the third round Marko duly rolled a 1 on his airstrike (he rolled for delay on round 2) and this allied spitfire strafed his submachine gun unit, whom went down. The most important thing in this dramatic turn of events was the fact, that this attack caused 2 pins on the Soviet monster-tank and few other pins to other units too... 

My Kaukopartio (long distance recon) unit then arrive at the enemy rear and immediately took out their command. This was another critical blow, as the morale boost would certainly have been needed by the pinned troops!

End game

While most of the enemy forces were struggling (one unit had even refused to arrive yet) to get moving from their deployment area, my infantry took over the objective, after destroying the remains of the Soviet infantry defending it.

In the enemy rear my Kaukopartio unit continued to wreak havoc and charged at the Soviet SMG unit, taking them out. Nearby inexperienced Soviets had first found their courage and had boosted themselves to regulars (Green-rule), but then panicked (snake eyes on command dice) and shot their own sniper! 

With the objective firmly in Finnish hands and my army almost intact Marko added the situation up and threw his sabre at my feet... indeed lady luck had quite forgotten him this evening!

Final positions

MVP unit of the game. Even if my Kaukopartio boys wreaked most havoc at the enemy lines

and another unit took the objective, I think this unit was one of the most valuable units... even if they didn't fire a single shot during the game! They were deployed at the enemy left flank right from the 

beginning and kept their ambush die throughout the game. This lead Marko (they would have hit all arriving infantry on 2+ due to the Finnish huntsmen special rule) to put all his reinforcement into one area, where they got pinned. This had a decisive impact.

Campaign status 

Summary by Jaakko:

Here’s the situation after 6/7 games have been played. 
In the south the German’s launched a flanking manoeuvre in the Pripyat marches, which failed with the result that the Soviets captured Karpilovka. A relatively unimportant affair.
Slightly to the north the German counter-attack from Osipovichi managed to push the Reds out of Berezina, securing the important railway junction of Bobruisk (Teemu vs Marko).

Dramatic events took place in the central province of Bykhov. An assault against the province from Slavgorod was repelled and Slavgorod taken over by the Germans (Samuli vs Ilkka). However, this was of little importance, as the Soviet forces at Dobryna managed to capture Bykhov (Henri vsMartin), leaving the German front line cut off and surrounded.

In the north, the Soviets attempted to capture the surrounded city of Vitebsk with an attack from Sumalina. The city, which had been made into a Festerplatz, held and neither side suffered serious losses.

The Soviet attack from Zhlobin to Berezino is yet to be played. Jim, Mikko and Tommi, can you guys play this before the next round (24.4.)? A lot depends on this game. If the Soviets capture Berezino, they will have a stronger, more linear front with the German front line cut off even more seriously. If the Germans win, they will seize Zhlobin and push the Soviet southern front far back from their objectives.
Dramatic events took place in the central province of Bykhov. An assault against the province from Slavgorod was repelled and Slavgorod taken over by the Germans (Samuli vs Ilkka). However, this was of little importance, as the Soviet forces at Dobryna managed to capture Bykhov (Henri vsMartin), leaving the German front line cut off and surrounded.
In the north, the Soviets attempted to capture the surrounded city of Vitebsk with an attack from Sumalina. The city, which had been made into a Festerplatz, held and neither side suffered serious losses.
The Soviet attack from Zhlobin to Berezino is yet to be played. A lot depends on this game. If the Soviets capture Berezino, they will have a stronger, more linear front with the German front line cut off even more seriously. If Germans win, they will seize Zhlobin and push the Soviet southern front far back from their objectives.