The Zealand Campaign - Game 1 - First Clash

So - onto the actual game.  First up we established where the objectives were for the game:

They were the two major intersections along the road and the large hill that dominated the terrain.  Then the Danes set about placing their defences, knowing they would have only their recce troops and Homeguard ont he table to begin with:

The Danes access to limited engineering support in the pre-game so I allowed them to choose from a limited list of defensive options.  They selected a couple of tank fighting positions for the M41s, a standard mixed AT/AP minefield and a Claymore minefield.

The Homeguard set up in their entirety on the Big Hill (apart from the mortar, back in Faxe.

The Soviets were allowed to play out their recce moves as part of the pre-game.  They played in the spirit of the campaign and rather than just drive the BRDM-2 up the table, spot the tanks and rapidly drive off the table, they went with the following option:

Drive up the table.  Stop at the first intersection for a look and a quick spray of 14.5mm heavy machine-gun fire at the most likely target (which was a suitably unimpressed M41 which was waiting on a Overwatch order) and then drive off the table.  One M41 took a couple of shots at the BRDM but the gunner was obviously a wee bit nervous as this was his first shot in anger, so both shots promptly missed.

The BRDM-2 took another annoyance value only shot and then promptly drove around the corner.  By now the Homeguard were determined to get in on the action and their commander called up their 81mm mortar.

And this was the outcome:

With only one M41 still on overwatch the Soviets charges up the main road with an entire BTR-60 mounted company and a couple of BRDM-2s with AT-5 Konkurs (Sprandel) ATGM.  The second M41 gunner was obviously made of sterner stuff and inflicted the Danes first kill:

This intersection would become the primary killing ground for the rest of the game.  Not only was it a bit of a bottleneck, but it was also right next to where the Danes had placed their timed strikes and on the edge of their AT/AP minefield.

Unfortunately for the Soviets, the chap in the Jeep is the Naval Infantry Mortar Controller, not their Naval Gun Fire Controller who never really got onto the board in the game.  This meant the Soviets had access to their 120mm mortars, but the big guns off the coast never got called upon.

The first Danish reinforcements started to arrive.  An FO in his acquired Land Rover headed to the top of the church tower.  M113s begin to arrive at the Big Hill in the background.

Here's a closer pic of the M113's arriving at the hill.

A couple of BTR-60PBs made it through the intersection of death and their squads spilled out in the treeline which provided good cover for the road.

Meanwhile on the other side of the intersection the Soviets Heavy Squad jumped from their BTR-60PB ready for action

The TOW armed M113 or M150 (who knows!) edged onto the board ready to start throwing missiles down range.

And meanwhile at the back of the board essentially the rest of the Soviet Wave 1 arrived.

But could do very little as the Soviet orders rolls were pretty low and were continuously needed up at the first intersection to keep the pressure on the Danes.  Little did I (as the referee) know this was all part of a Soviet cunning campaign plan.

Things at the intersection of death weren't really going the Soviets way...

... whether through M41 main gun (76mm of anger) or artillery or mortar strikes.  Both BRDM-2 Konkurs were now destroyed, the BTR which had mounted the heavy squad was knocked out and two other BTR's were pinned.

I guess loosing a few things meant the Soviet reinforcements would start moving up the table:

While things got progressively bad near the intersection

But at least the mortar fire controller had made it to the firing line and could start calling in some useful support.

To be sure it wasn't entirely one-way (just heavily one way).  In three rounds of Soviet shooting the M41 on the big hill was hit by a AT-13 Metis (Saxhorn) ATGM - and pinned, a recoilless rifle round - and pinned before being destroyed by another Saxhorn missile.

The majority of the Homeguard squad camped out next to the destroyed M41 had also taken serious damage and were pinned.

The Soviet advance continued

And the second BTR-60PB mounted naval infantry platoon began to arrive around the first intersection.

Importantly the Soviets managed to knock out a single Centurion that had arrived on the table

At this point the Danes decided enough damage had been inflicted on the Soviets and it was time to relocate back to the next defensive position.

In terms of BR, the Danes had inflicted loads more chits on the Soviets than they themselves had taken so in game terms it was a victory for the Danes.  They had lost a M41, a Centurion and a few citizen soldiers from the Homeguard, while taking out 4 BTR-60PBs and a couple of BRDM-2 ATGM vehicles.

However, in Campaign terms, the Soviet player was perfectly happy to have only lost a BTR-60PB platoon (and primarily only the vehicles) and 2 ATGM vehicles to push through the first defensive line.  It felt to him like a reasonable exchange so the Soviets certainly don't feel like they lost this one.  They've also got many more troops coming along in the next wave or two, so can easily replace those losses, while Danish losses, at least for the moment - cannot be so easily replaced.

So - that was kind of a win/win scenario.  Both players achieved what the wanted to achieve with terms that were acceptable to them.  Neither side got a clear advantage and both have the majority of their assets available for the next game.

Thanks

Richard