Krasny Bor Campaign: Phase 1 – Break the line

Phase 1 of the Krasny Bor Campaign is the Soviet attempt to breakthrough the Spanish Front Line troops and get as many troops as possible into the Spanish rear for use in Phase 2. It starts at 08.00 hours and is fought on the Front tables.

Phase 1 ends on a table as soon as one of these conditions occurs:

  • The moving clock reaches 10.30 hours.
  • The Soviets have no Battalion Wave left to infiltrate; this may be because they have used all of them on-table or because they have successfully infiltrated them all.

When Phase 1 has ended on all tables then Phase 2 can begin.

Fields and orchards are out-of-season. Any 3+ sector building is a building complex in Crossfire terms.

Krasny Bor Campaign - Phase 1 Tables
Krasny Bor Campaign – Phase 1 Tables

Spanish Player Briefing (Defending)

Objective

Prevent Soviets infiltrating troops into their rear.

Forces Available

As per the Spanish pre-planning but comprising at least 1 Leg Infantry or Assault Engineer company. In addition:

  • Any stand may have an entrenchment
  • Fortification Package: 12 x Wire sections, 1 x Minefield, 1 x Bunker (2 SQ)
  • 3 x Snipers

Deployment

Deploys first, on the game board between line A-A and the Spanish base edge (bottom edge). Any bunkers and wire must be deployed visible, however, mines and all troops are deployed hidden.

Reinforcements

None


Soviet Player Briefing (Attacking)

Begins scenario with initiative.

Objective

Breakthrough the Spanish Front Line troops, and infiltrate as many troops as possible into the Spanish Rear for use in Phase 2.

Forces Available

As per the Soviet pre-planning but comprising 1 Division including:

  • At least Battalion Wave 1.
  • Optionally Battalion Wave 2 and 3 if deployed on table.
  • Optionally a Pre-planned Bombardment.

Battalion Waves will include any Divisional or Central reserve assets attached as part of pre-game planning. Only one Battalion Wave is allowed on-table at a time.

Deployment

Deploys second between the Soviet base edge (top edge) and line A-A.

Reinforcements

Central Reserve: If all Soviet players agree, assets retained in Central Reserve will arrive on a 6 on 1d6 at the start of any friendly initiative.

Divisional Reserve: Assets retained in Divisional Reserve will arrive on 5-6 on 1d6 at the start of any friendly initiative. SMG companies and Pioneer Platoons replace an equivalent sized formation using the Human Wave Tactics rule.

Battalion Waves: The entire on-table Battalion can be replaced using Human Wave Tactics. This can happen in any initiative the player chooses or may be forced by random events.


Victory Conditions

There is no victory as such in Phase 1, however, the more troops the Soviets manage to infiltrate into the Spanish rear, the more chance of success they have in Phase 2.

Infiltration can happen in two ways:

  • The Soviet Player can use their initiative to infiltrate an entire Battalion Wave (either Battalion Wave 2 or Battalion Wave 3). Infiltration is only possible if the player can trace a path from the Soviet base edge (top edge) to the line B-B which does not cross a Spanish line of fire and only enters features which the Soviets know are free of enemy and/or mines. The only other action allowed in an infiltration initiative is indirect fire; the player can decide if they are infiltrating after seeing the result of any indirect fire. Infiltrated Battalion Waves will include any Divisional or Central reserve assets attached to the Battalion Wave at the time of infiltration.
  • Any Central Reserve Assets that exit the Spanish base edge (bottom edge) on the line B-B. This rule is the only way that troops used on-table in phase 1 can appear in Phase 2.

Random Events

Immediately the Moving Clock moves the Soviet Player rolls to see if any random events occur.

1d6 Phase 1 Random Event
1 Spanish HQ attempts to reach front line
2 Nothing
3 Soviet Battalion Wave gets lost
4-6 Soviets replace weakened Battalion Wave

Spanish HQ attempts to reach front line

One Spanish Battalion HQ (but not Regimental HQ) on the rear table will move to the front table as reinforcements in the next Spanish initiative. There is no way for them to return.

Soviet Battalion Wave gets lost

If Battalion Wave 2 or 3 is still available off table, one of them is moved to the Central Reserve. These troops can be returned using the normal Soviet Reinforcement rules.

Soviets replace weakened Battalion Wave

The Soviets must use their current initiative to replace the on-table Battalion Wave using the Human Wave Tactics rule if both of the following conditions apply:

  • On table Battalion Wave has 20 or more Squads, Crew Served Weapons, CC or BC (but not PC or FO) killed
  • Battalion Wave 2 or 3 is still available off-table.

Table 1-Front: Advance from Ian Ishora

Table - KB1F Advance from Ian Ishora
Table – KB1F Advance from Ian Ishora

Scenario Special Rules

The Ishora River is frozen. It does not provide cover nor block LOS. It counts as multiple features for movement. Treat the river section in each grid on the map as a feature for movement purposes, so moving along the river will take a long time, but moving across it is relatively easy.


Table 2-Front: El Bastion

Table - KB2F El Bastion
Table – KB2F El Bastion

Scenario Special Rules

Replace the Spanish fortification package with:

  • 10 x Wire sections, 1 x Minefield
  • “El Bastion” which is a complex of 3 bunkers; the centre one is 4 SQ and the others 2 SQ. (Use both bunker and building complex rules.)

The anti-tank ditch provides protective cover to occupying infantry or weapons crews from the front and rear, but not from the sides or from overhead fire. A stand trying to move across it must use three initiatives: one to move up to it, one to move across or into it, and one to move away. Vehicles attempting to cross the anti-tank ditch may bog down (Special Rule 5: Bogging Down). Vehicles bog down when crossing on a roll of 4- on 1d6, un-bog on a roll of 5+, and become permanently stuck on a roll of 1. In addition vehicles suffer a –1 penalty when engaged in close combat while in the Anti-tank Ditch (although they get their +1, +2, or +3 for being an AFV).


Table 3-Front: Krasny Bor this way

Table - KB3F Krasny Bor this way
Table – KB3F Krasny Bor this way

Scenario Special Rules

None


Table 4-Front: The embankment

Table - KB4F The embankment
Table – KB4F The embankment

Scenario Special Rules

Treat each 1’ segment of the railway embankment as a hill feature, except they do not block visibility down the embankment itself. Stands, bunkers and entrenchments can be deployed on it, mines can’t.

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