The Bear Marches West: sample scenarios

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The Bear Marches West 12 SCENARIOS FOR 1980S NATO VS WARSAW PACT WARGAMES

Russell Phillips

Cover illustration and maps by Aoife Brown Shilka Publishing www.shilka.co.uk


Copyright © 2012, 2013 by Russell Phillips. Appendix copyright © 2012 by Glenn Dean.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. Shilka Publishing Apt 2049 Chynoweth House Trevissome Park Truro TR4 8UN www.shilka.co.uk

Ordering Information: Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the address above. The Bear Marches West / Russell Phillips. —2nd ed.


Table of Contents

Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................5 Opening Shots.........................................................................................................................................................................6 Mackall's Defence....................................................................................................................................................................9 Gas! Gas! Gas!.........................................................................................................................................................................13 Mackall's Defence Redux......................................................................................................................................................16 Kryshinin's Canal Crossing.................................................................................................................................................20 Seizing the Weser.................................................................................................................................................................22 Bezarin's Attack.....................................................................................................................................................................25 Zirinsky's Crossroads............................................................................................................................................................27 Hunter and Hunted..............................................................................................................................................................29 Check and Checkmate...........................................................................................................................................................31 Race for the Leine..................................................................................................................................................................34 Desperate Measures..............................................................................................................................................................38 Appendix: Alternate Tables of Organization & Equipment..............................................................................................42 About Russell Phillips............................................................................................................................................................56


Introduction

We will do all we can to insure peace... but if war is imposed upon us we will be together shoulder to shoulder as in the last war to strive for the happiness of mankind. - Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov These scenarios are all set during a fictional war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact during the 1980s. They are based on battles depicted in three novels: Red Army by Ralph Peters, Team Yankee by Harold Coyle and Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy. For each scenario, a short introduction gives the battle's context and weather conditions. Deployments are described and the forces listed. Maps are included, but players should feel free to adapt them to the terrain they have available. The scenarios are designed to be sufficiently generic that they can be used with any rules set. Consequently, players may need to modify the forces in order to create a balanced game. Most rules include a points system, and this should be used to adjust the forces to ensure that they are reasonably well balanced for the rules that are to be used. The forces given in the main text are based on the forces described in the novels. An appendix, written by U.S. Army officer Glenn Dean, presents modified force lists for several of the scenarios, based on real-world organisations of the time. Note that some scenarios list large numbers of vehicles. Although the force lists give numbers of actual vehicles, these scenarios are intended for use with rules that use a single model to represent a platoon or larger formation. Numbers of actual vehicles are given to give players maximum flexibility, so that they can use the guidance in their preferred rules to calculate the models needed.

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Kryshinin's Canal Crossing On the first day of the war, a reconnaissance patrol detached from Captain Kryshinin's divisional forward security element has found a tunnel under a canal, high and wide enough for tanks to pass through. The rest of Kryshinin's forces join the patrol just as NATO forces arrive to recapture the crossing.

Map

The road tunnel passing under the canal is high and wide enough for tanks to pass through it. The canal banks can be climbed by vehicles and infantry, but they are too steep for vehicles to take up hull-down positions behind them. The buildings to the west of the tunnel are farm buildings, with a wall enclosing the complex.

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Light drizzle. Good visibility.

Deployments


Weather

The Soviet units should be deployed first. They may deploy up to half of their forces up to 500m west of the canal, with the rest to the east of it. None of the units are in prepared defensive positions. NATO forces enter from the western table edge.

Soviet Forces

1x Motor-Rifle Company 1x BMP-2 (command vehicle) 3x Platoons, each with 3x BMP-2 1x Detached Motor-Rifle Platoon 3x BMP-2 1x Tank Platoon 3x T-80B 1x Self-Propelled Howitzer Battery 6x 2S1 122mm self-propelled howitzers 1x SAM Platoon 3x SA-13 Gaskin 1x Anti-Tank Platoon 3x BRDM-3 1x Air Support Officer mounted in a BTR-80K 1x Forward Artillery Observer mounted in a BTR-80K 1x Air Support Mission on call 2x ground attack aircraft with fuel-air explosives 1x Attack Helicopter Flight. Enter table from eastern edge on a turn determined by rolling 2D6 2x Mi-24 Hind

NATO Forces 1x Dutch Tank Company 1x Leopard II (command vehicle) 4x Platoons, each with 4x Leopard II 1x West German Anti-Tank Helicopter Flight 4x PAH-1 helicopters with HOT ATGM 1x Dutch Off-Table Artillery Battery 6x M109 155mm SP guns

Objectives

The Soviet forces need to hold the crossing until the rest of the division's advance guard arrive (around turn 12).

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Check and Checkmate

After taking the hills codenamed Log and Link, Team Yankee have to hold onto them until reinforcements arrive.

Map

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Fine weather, starlit night.

Deployments


Weather

U.S. forces are deployed in prepared positions on the western half of the table. Their positions should be marked on a map, and not placed until they become visible. Soviet forces enter the table from any point in the eastern third of the table. They may split their forces and enter from multiple points if they wish, but each unit's entry point must be decided before the game begins.

Soviet Forces Motor-Rifle Battalion Battalion Command 2x BTR-60PBK 2x T-72 1x MTU-72 bridging tank 2x ZSU 23-4 Motor-Rifle Company 1x BTR-60PBK with command section 3x BTR-60PB with infantry section 3x BTR-60PB with infantry section 3x BTR-60PB with infantry section Motor-Rifle Company 1x BTR- 60PBK with command section 3x BTR-60PB with infantry section 3x BTR-60PB with infantry section 3x BTR-60PB with infantry section 1x Tank Company 1x T-72 (command vehicle) Tank Platoon 3x T-72 Tank Platoon 3x T-72 Tank Platoon 3x T-72 Mortar Battery 6x 120mm mortar, plus tow vehicles

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U.S. Forces

The U.S. player may place one unmarked minefield within the deployment area. This minefield consists of mixed anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, and may cover an area of up to 200m x 100m. 1x Tank Company (reduced) 1x M1 Abrams (command vehicle) 4x M1 Abrams 1x Infantry Platoon 1x M113 (command vehicle) 2x M113 with infantry section & M47 Dragon ATGM

Objectives

In order to claim a victory, the Soviets have to take the two hills. If they can rout or destroy more than half the U.S. forces, they can claim a major victory.

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Appendix: Alternate Tables of Organization & Equipment By Glenn Dean

The 1980s were a turbulent time for the U.S. Army, with the introduction of major changes in equipment and organization. The “Big Five” – the Abrams tank, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Apache Attack Helicopter, Blackhawk Utility Helicopter, and Patriot Air Defence System – caused significant shifts in the way U.S. Army units were organized and manned. In particular, ground manoeuvre units were in transition from the “J-series” Table of Organization & Equipment (TOE), in which each manoeuvre battalion had three manoeuvre companies, each with its own organic combat support and combat service support, to the “H-series” TOE in which the battalions had four manoeuvre companies, with combat services support organized at the battalion level and then distributed to support the individual companies. Armour formations saw even more significant change as the M1-equipped formations transitioned to platoons of four tanks each (14 per company) from the prior five tanks per platoon (17 per company) of the M60-equipped formations. These transitions began with the fielding of the first M1 tanks in Europe in 1982, picked up speed in 1983 as Bradley Fighting Vehicles began to join the formations, and while the U.S. Army in Europe was complete in the reorganization to this “Division 86” structure by late 1986, many formations based in the U.S. did not fully complete this organizational transition until the time of Operation Desert Storm, or even later. The thriller novels of the period that deal with the possibility of ground combat in Western Europe often gloss over the finer details of TOE to serve their own narrative goals. Depending on when in the decade one assumes the battles are set, an accurate depiction of the battle formations in the novels could look somewhat different. (As an aside: Harold Coyle, a retired U.S. Army Armour officer, generally presents the most accurate formations; Ralph Peters, a retired U.S. Army Intelligence officer, is quite accurate in his Soviet formations but less so with U.S. Formations; Tom Clancy, a civilian, takes the most narrative liberties with TOE). The scenarios presented in The Bear Marches West are designed to best replicate the drama presented in the novels. However, should one seek to use the scenarios as more of a “what if” simulation, and play the actual formations of the time, the following provides some optional scenarios with modifications that more closely replicate actual tactical formations. Note that for the U.S. forces these scenarios replicate the company/troop-level combat services support formations (also known as the “company trains”); these elements can be omitted if there is a desire to reduce clutter on the gaming table. If your chosen rules system does not replicate support units, these vehicles can still be employed as anti-infantry systems as all are equipped with .50-calibre machine guns. Also, fire support (M981 FIST-V, ACRV) and Tactical Air Control Party vehicles are included in these TOEs. If your rules system supports specialized artillery and air observers, use them with these units. If your rules system does not specifically provide for observer rules, a reduction in miss error of 50-75% is recommended for engagements in which the observer vehicle can “spot” the intended fall of the air or artillery strike, to better simulate the accuracy of these vehicles and their ground laser designators compared to calls for fire over radio from a company or platoon commander. 39


Scenario 10: Check and Checkmate

Option: Full strength Team. This option replicates a defensive scenario with a full strength company/team, rather than the reduced strength scenario as presented in the novel. Change: 1x Tank Company Team Company Headquarters 2x M1 Abrams 1x M981 FIST-V 2x Tank Platoons, each 4x M1 Abrams 1x Infantry Platoon 1x M113 command vehicle, with command section 3x M113 squad carrier, with 1 infantry squad and 1 M47 Dragon each Combat Service Support 1x M113 First Sergeant 1x M113 Maintenance 1x M113 Medical 1x M88 Recovery

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About Russell Phillips

Russell Phillips writes books and articles about military technology and history. His articles have been published in Miniature Wargames, Wargames Illustrated, and the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers' Journal. Some of these articles are available on his website. To get advance notice of new books, join Russell's mailing list at www.rpbook.co.uk/list. Mailing list members get discounts off all of Russell's books, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review where you bought it, or on Goodreads. Even a short review would be very much appreciated.

Also by Russell Phillips

Red Steel: Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of the Cold War A Fleet in Being: Austro-Hungarian Warships of WW1

A Damn Close-Run Thing: A Brief History of the Falklands Conflict This We'll Defend: The Weapons & Equipment of the U.S. Army

Find Russell Phillips Online Website: www.rpbook.co.uk Twitter: @RPBook Facebook: facebook.com/RussellPhillipsBooks Google Plus: google.com/+RussellPhillips E-mail: [email protected] Join Russell's mailing list: www.rpbook.co.uk/list

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The Bear Marches West: sample scenarios

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