1985
– Cold War Gone Hot
Action
on NATO’s northern flank
Background
It’s the dog days of August
1985. Earlier, in July, youthful
audiences across the globe watched Queen open the Live Aid concert at Wembley
Stadium, despite growing East-West tensions.
Since then, diplomatic relations have completely broken down and
internal pressures on the Soviet military have increased to the point where, at
04:00 hours CET on 4th August, massive Soviet and Warpact armoured
and mechanised forces crossed the border between East and West Germany, heading
west towards the ports of West Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
To the north, across the
Baltic in Scandinavia, Soviet Forces from the vicinity of Murmansk, crossed the
border with Norway and occupied the town of Kirkenes almost without a
struggle. Simultaneously, Soviet
airborne and air assault regiments attacked key portions of the route south
through Norway, including the small harbour town of Bjerkvik, on the main
auto-route south to Narvik. Bjerkvik was
assaulted by a helo-inserted Soviet Motor Rifle Regiment, lacking any armour
support or ground transportation.
Despite determined resistance by hastily assembled Norwegian reserve
units, the town and harbour were quickly occupied with minimal losses (10-15%)
to the Soviet forces. With Soviet armour
heading south from the North Cape and sea transport resupply from Murmansk,
including armour, transports, reinforcements and other assets, en route from
Murmansk, all the occupiers of Bjerkvik had to do was hold the immediate
vicinity of the town and harbour to keep the route to Narvik clear.
Offshore, RN, US Navy and
other NATO warships were contesting the Greenland-Iceland gap with the Soviet
Northern Fleet, but a small amphibious landing force with carrier support, with
a full USMC Brigade embarked, had slipped in shore and were preparing to land,
with the aim of recapturing the town and harbour, eliminating the Soviet
defenders and preparing a warm reception for any Soviet ground forces
attempting to advance on Narvik.
Further background details
can be gleaned from Gen Sir John Hacketts “future history” books on the Third
World War, written at the end of the 1970’s.
The
game
This was the setting for a
game played between myself and Ian Shaw at the Deeside Defenders Club last
Thursday using 6mm minis. For me it was
an introduction to playing Cold War Commander and a chance to play with a bunch
of USMC toys that I had, plus some borrowed from Ian as mine weren’t all
ready. For us both, it was a chance to
try out a scenario for the Cold War Commander Arctic Strike 2013 mega-game
planned for later this year. The game
was played on an approximately 9ft x 6ft table, blue cloth for sea, carpet
tiles in various shades of green and beige for land and beach terrain, about
half the clubs small hills,
and foam rubber and cocktail stick trees.
Although they didn’t take part in the game, some eye candy was added by
a pair of Ian’s 1/300 scale scratch built Norwegian coastal frigates, plus a
North Sea supply vessel.
The Soviet defenders
comprised three infantry battalions of 9 infantry stands, all with RPGs, 120mm
mortar, HQ and SAM stands. Off table
assets comprised three batteries of towed arty in emplacements. Ian had chosen to dig field defences for two
battalions and garrison the town with the third plus the CO. He placed a small number of sniper elements
along the tree-line of the northern shore of the fjord to harass any potential
enemy movement here.
The USMC brigade also
comprised three battalions, each of three companies of three stands, an 81mm mortar, a .50 HMG and a Dragon ATGM
team, one in LCM-8s (Alligators), one in LVTP-7s and one helo borne in CH-46
Sea Stallions. Assets included naval
gunfire (three batteries equivalent) with an FAO in a UH-1, and one flight each
of A6 Intruders, F4 Phantoms and AV-08 Harriers with a FAC in a Bronco. A USMC tank Co of M60s was to be brought in
by LCM-8. My plan was to land by LCM and
LVTP on the beaches to the south of town, under cover of NGF and air strikes,
and neutralise the occupiers of the field defences there, then advance on the
town. The battalion in helos were held
in reserve, although they were eventually deployed in turn 3.
The USMC had
initiative and moved first. LCM-8s were
restricted to 15cm moving once per turn so moved c. halfway to the shore. LVTP-7s were permitted two moves of 15cm
while afloat so moved 30cm around the headland.
Both FAO and FAC moved along the shoreline towards the town and the CO
hovered above the LVTPs. The Soviet
response was to call in artillery support and the battalion 120mm on the
LCM-8s, hitting and suppressing a number of units, including the battalion HQ. Turn 2 saw the LCMs milling around just
offshore in some disarray, while the LVTPs advanced up the beach. The FAO and FAC failed to activate. The Soviet turn continued indirect fire, from
off table and the battalion 120mm mortar, on the LCMs, which again suppressed
quite a few units. The two platoons
closest to the LVTPs launched ineffective RPG fire.
In turn 3, the FAO again
failed to activate – new binoculars for him - while the FAO called in first an
F4 strike, which was forced to abort due to SAM fire, then an A6 intruder
strike, which made it through the air defences, targeting the battalion 120mm
mortar using ICM cluster bombs.
Deviation was small and the bomblets rained down on the entire
battalion, hitting and suppressing all but one platoon and the HQ was KO’d. The LVTP-mounted infantry then disembarked and
close assaulted the suppressed platoons in front of them, rolling up c. 50% of
the battalion. Due to suppression, the
LCMs again milled around just offshore.
With the 1st Soviet battalion in disarray and taking severe
losses, it seemed a good time for the CO to call in the helo-borne battalion to
be in a position to assault the town next turn, which he did successfully. The Soviet response was limited – no HQ for 1st
Batallion and most of the 2nd Battalion out of range, except for two
platoons at the edge of town and the 120mm battalion mortar, which took out two
of the helo inserted marine platoons.
Turn 4 saw the LVTP
companies close assaulting the remaining dug in Soviet infantry, eliminating
all but two platoons, although a determined defence by one platoon eliminated
an entire USMC company – some accurate close range RPG fire on the LVTPs and some dogged defence
in the trenches. The FAO called in all
three naval batteries on the 120mm mortar in the town, hitting most of the
defenders closest to the marines on the edge of town and just missing the lead
marine platoons. The FAC then called in
an F4 strike on the 120mm mortar, again using ICM cluster bombs, although
napalm would have been as effective.
This eliminated most of the forward defenders on the edge of town as
well as the SAM and the regimental CO.
The FAC then failed to activate for the Harrier AV-08 – having, I can
only presume, decided to keep assets back for the 3rd Battalion in
their field defences on the far side of town.
The 3rd USMC Battalion failed to activate, despite the now
undefended town, while the LCMs were now free to reach the shore, ready to
disembark next turn. The Soviet response
in turn 4 was severely limited as the 1st Batt was reduced to 2
stands, 2nd Batt had a suppressed HQ and the CO had been lost, and 3rd
Batt couldn’t see any targets as the bulk of the town was in the way.
At this point, we concluded
the game. The Soviets were close to
break point and the USMC were on the verge of occupying the town. With only one static battalion in field
defences north of the town in any position to react, it was deemed that the
USMC had achieved it’s objectives (OOORAH!).
With the brigade TOWs on 4x4’s, LAVs, engineers and Hawk ADS due to come
ashore as follow-up forces and the M60 company intact, a warm reception should
be waiting for any Soviet armoured force moving on Narvik.
Reflections
on the game
Although not quite played to
a conclusion, the game was fun to play for me, as the USM had lots of nice toys
to play with (NGF, various helos, Bronco, A6, F4, AV-08, LVTPs, LCMs,
etc.). Not sure about Ian as he was
limited to the infantry batallions and some off table artillery. The USMC is quite vulnerable in assault,
being mainly infantry, unless they are well supported by naval gunnery and some
good air assets. Without the F4, A6,
AV-08, ICM/napalm assets and naval guns to suppress infantry in BUAs or dug in,
it would have been a very different outcome.
The use of cluster bombs/napalm are particularly effective aids to
winkling out dug in infantry, but only if followed up by close assaults (i.e.
fully combined arms approaches).
Brigade/Regiment (plus
assets)-sized actions are about the right level of play for CWC in a day or
evenings play. The game is
unpredictable, but generally rewards good use of all-arms, and is great fun to
play.
Sorry - no photos - forgot the camera. Will post some piccies of the USMC as I finish them.
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