Krasny Bor 1943 Archives - Steven's Balagan

KB4R The Swamp – A Crossfire Battle Report

5 Feb 2022 by Steven Thomas

KB4R-006 Table from Soviet perspective - Banner

Jamie Wish and Chris Harrod played “The Swamp” (KB4R), the fourth game of Krasny Bor, featuring the Blue Division in an epic Crossfire campaign. The Spaniards were defending the second line – near the Leningrad-Moscow Railway line – against overwhelming odds.

Summary: I thought it would be over in 1 hour, but in an awesome David and Goliath contest Chris’s reinforced company of Spaniards held Jamie’s three battalions of Soviets for 2.5 hours of game time and 7.5 hours of real time. The Spanish defeated the first Soviet battalion but eventually the Soviets ground their way through the Blue Division lines. The time ratio, 2.5 hours of game time in 7.5 hours of real time, demonstrates how grindy it was – not for the faint hearted.

The Embankment – A Crossfire Battle Report

31 Dec 202113 Jan 2018 by Steven Thomas

Jamie Wish and Chris Harrod played “The Embankment” (KB4F), the third game of Krasny Bor, featuring the Blue Division in an epic Crossfire campaign. The Spaniards were defending the area of the Leningrad-Moscow Railway line – the Embankment – against overwhelming odds.

Summary: Jamie’s Soviet both infantry and armour – broke through the thin Spanish line. This will make the fourth battle tougher for Chris.

2017 Reflections of a Megalomaniac Wargamer and Amateur Historian

18 Aug 202123 Dec 2017 by Steven Thomas

Reflections of a Megalomaniac Wargamer and Amateur Historian - Banner

I have noticed that my The Confessions of a Megalomaniac Wargamer and Amateur Historian of 2015 was literally a confession, describing my overly inflated ambitions and incomplete projects. But the 2016 edition was more a reflection on my progress against those goals. It has been a 23 months since the 2016 edition and it is time to revisit. But I’m going to split the reflection aspect from the confessions bit. So this is my reflection on the 23 months from the beginning of 2016 to the end of 2017.

Paper Factory – A Crossfire Battle Report from Krasny Bor

30 Dec 20218 Apr 2017 by Steven Thomas

Jamie Wish and Chris Harrod played “Paper Factory” (KB1R), the second game of Krasny Bor, featuring the Blue Division in an epic Crossfire campaign. The Spaniards were defending the Paper Factory, in a loop of the Ishora River, against overwhelming odds. Jamie’s Soviets captured all three objectives and won.

Advance from Ian Ishora – A Crossfire Battle Report from Krasny Bor

31 Dec 202111 Mar 2017 by Steven Thomas

Jamie Wish and Chris Harrod played “Advance from Ian Ishora” (KB1F), the first game of my Krasny Bor Campaign featuring the Blue Division defending against overwhelming odds in an epic Crossfire campaign.

Playing the Krasny Bor Crossfire Campaign with two players

18 Aug 202125 Feb 2017 by Steven Thomas

Campaign - 2 Player Krasny Bor - Crossfire - Banner

At the end of last year Jo asked if I had ever revisited my Krasny Bor Campaign for Crossfire and the Blue Division. Sadly the answer was no, but it prompted me to rectify the lapse.

I have persuaded Chris Harrod and Jamie Wish to play the campaign. This was a bit different: two players not eight; two months not two days. Here is some advice for anybody who wants to give it a go.

Linked Scenario Campaigns

24 Oct 201726 Apr 2014 by Steven Thomas

I often write about linked scenario campaigns but haven’t actually said what I mean. Linked scenarios are exactly what they sound like – a series of pre-determined scenarios linked together to make a campaign.

Russian Naval Infantry in WW2

4 Feb 201720 Nov 2005 by Steven Thomas

My interest in the Russian Naval Infantry of WW2 was sparked when reading accounts of the fighting at Stalingrad and in the Crimea. Sometime later I purchased and painted a Russian Naval Infantry Battalion to use for Crossfire. My challenge now is scenarios where I can use them.

Krasny Bor Campaign: Phase 2 – Consolidate gains

31 Dec 202119 Oct 2003 by Steven Thomas

Krasny Bor Campaign - Phase 2 Tables - Banner

Phase 2 of the Krasny Bor Campaign is for consolidation and each Soviet player has different objectives. It ends at 13.00 hours and is fought on the Rear tables.

Krasny Bor Campaign: Phase 1 – Break the line

31 Dec 202119 Oct 2003 by Steven Thomas

Krasny Bor Campaign - Phase 1 Tables - Banner

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.

Krasny Bor Campaign – A Crossfire Campaign featuring the Blue Division

31 Dec 202119 Oct 2003 by Steven Thomas

Krasny Bor - Crossfire Campaign - Zones - Banner

In mid-2003 the guys at the Shed asked me to set up a scenario for a weekend bash. The parameters they outlined were: WW2, Crossfire, 8-9 players (optional umpire), 4 tables, 2 real days of gaming, and BIG. Krasny Bor appealed to me for a number of reasons:

It involves the Spanish Blue Division
It is very BIG
There aren’t many tanks
It is seemingly one-sided, and I wondered if I could still make it a good game.

“Black Wednesday”: The Blue Division at the Battle of Krasny Bor

4 Feb 201715 Oct 2003 by Steven Thomas

The Battle of Krasny Bor was the climax of the Blue Division’s time on the Eastern Front during WW2. Four Soviet rifle divisions, supported by tanks and guns, smashed into the equivalent of five Spanish battalions. the Spanish took a mauling but were only pushed a few kilometres back from their starting positions before the line was stabilised.

Steven’s Blue Division Battalion

11 Dec 201823 Sep 2003 by Steven Thomas

The Spanish Blue Division is what got me into WW2. Officially the 250th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht and comprising Spanish Volunteers, this unit was also know as the Spanish Volunteer Division, Division Azul, or the Blue Division. They are Spanish, of course, but I use them as Germans when needed.

Spanish Blue Division of World War II

4 Feb 201719 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

The Fascist government of Spain contributed an infantry division to the Axis effort in World War II. The Spanish Volunteer Division was designated the 250th (“Blue”) Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht on 25 July 1941. The Division left active service on 23 December 1943 after seeing considerable and bloody combat on the Eastern front, particularly around Leningrad. It was called the “Blue Division” (Division Azul) because the original uniform included the distinctive dark blue shirts of the Spanish Fascists (the Falange), however, the Division adopted German uniforms as soon as they reached Germany. Their climatic encounter of the war was the Battle of Krasny Bor.

Timeline of the Blue Division

4 Feb 201719 Jul 2003 by Steven Thomas

This is a rough outline of the life and times of the Spanish fighting on the Eastern Front during WW2 – the Blue Division. I’ve included some detail about higher level operations to provide context and ditto for nearby operations. The 250th (Blue) Division’s finale was at Krasny Bor. If you’re looking for maps then try here.