BRIDGEHEAD KUBAN
The Taman Peninsula, Southern Russia, September 16-26 1943: Part 2
Each Command Decision aims to offer a series of playable options in timeless military scenarios. Command Decision is designed so you can read the situation and figure out your own command decisions if you were leading the troops on the ground. You can either work through the various options or use the mechanics to create the precise circumstances of the table top engagement. The scenarios may have particular historical themes and settings, but you can easily adapt the mechanics to suit your own preferences and collections. This is the conclusion of a two parter!
SITUATION REPORT
This Command Decision picks up from last month’s Situation Report and brings grave news of a determined Russian offensive. On the morning of September 16, Russian armour breached the forward defence lines and hordes of Russian infantry were able to clear the first trench lines. In the southern coastal sector, the Russians have captured Sugar Head Mountain and opened the road to the port of Novorossiysk. Elements of the German 4th Mountain Division are close to being encircled.
Russian forces are pressing forward along the whole front, running into well-prepared German defensive lines that have taken advantage of the difficult terrain that is interspersed with marshes, lagoons and streams. The fighting is desperate, the German lines are constantly being breached, but somehow the Germans are able to re-establish a near-coherent line each time.
ROLE AND COMMAND
You are Sergeant Rolf Steiner, a Wehrmacht platoon leader. Your platoon is the most experienced in the battalion, you wear the Iron Cross and you are often picked for reconnaissance missions. Your squad and other attached units have been cut off from the main German withdrawal by the Russian offensive and you need to fall back to the north and west towards the embarkation point near Taman.
You know that the Russians have broken through on both of your flanks and may be miles ahead of you. You can see vast columns of Russian transports carrying infantry and masses of enemy tanks moving steadily west.
GAMING THE WITHDRAWAL
This scenario simulates the skilful withdrawal of Steiner’s men after their frontline positions were overrun in the movie Cross of Iron. Steiner’s men are on foot and must traverse difficult terrain whilst attempting to avoid a major confrontation with the Russians. In order to simulate this, the following table can be used. It shows the way points and the consequences of not successfully reaching them. We begin the withdrawal from the front line.
SCENARIO SUMMARIES
The following table outlines the key layout of the table, the deployment of the Russians, start point for the Germans and the objectives. These scenarios can be played on a 4’ x 4’ table as there are limited numbers of figures and vehicles involved:
DEMARCATION RULES
Steiner’s call-sign was Demarcation, sent in Morse to the battalion to warn of his arrival and that he would be approaching the frontline. In the movie, Stransky determines to kill Steiner and his squad to cover up his bogus claim to be awarded the Iron Cross. Stransky is waiting on the frontline to order the German defenders to shoot at Steiner, regardless of the call-sign.
When Steiner’s men get within 12” of the German lines throw 1d6. If a 1 or 2 is thrown a German MG42 will open fire on Steiner and his men. The only way to stop it is to move to within 3” of the MG42 at which point Steiner will be recognised and the crew will cease fire. If a 3 or 4 are thrown, you must throw again; if a 5 or 6 is thrown then the MG42 crew will immediately recognise Steiner and not fire at him.
MOVING ON TO THE NEXT SCENARIO
If the German player manages to meet the objectives of one of the scenarios, then they move on to the next Way Point and roll 1d6 as usual to determine whether they must face another fight or move on to the next Way Point successfully without needing to fight. The German player should be given a chance to regain casualties from a scenario. As a guide, throw 1d6 and if
1 or 2 is thrown the figure is permanently lost, if a 3 or 4 is thrown the figure is injured so when they fire their weapons always count the fire as being at long range. If a 5 or 6 are thrown then the figure has been patched up and has largely recovered.
GAMING
This is ideal for game systems such as Bolt Action and Chain of Command. You need a ruleset that caters for engagements at platoon level with minimal support. It is possible to upscale the engagements and use Rapid Fire or another set that focusses more on battalion level fighting.
You should apply the Steiner Special Rules for this mini campaign that were developed by Warlord for their Bolt Action rules:
TANK RIDERS
They can be targeted with weapons fire and do not receive any cover bonuses. If the T34 is hit by German fire the tank riders should be tested for casualties as if they had been hit by an HE round.
ARMIES
The classifications for the two small forces use Chain of Command, but the Bolt Action squad sizes are very similar and have almost the same composition.
HISTORICAL ALTERNATIVES
This is a cat and mouse mini-campaign and could be applied to any situation where a small force finds itself trapped behind enemy lines. Good examples from WWII could include Allied paratroopers in the wake of the failure of Operation Market Garden or Chindits behind Japanese lines in Asia. This would also work in 1960s Africa with a team of mercenaries attempting to get to a remote airfield and being chased by Cuban or Russian led African regulars. You could even try a mixed force of Europeans in 1857 India attempting to make it to a garrisoned fort or even a small unit of downed Air Cavalry in Vietnam trying to make it to a remote fire base.
THE GERMAN EVACUATION: FACT CHECK
The last German and Romanian troops were evacuated on October 9. Incredibly, much of this had been achieved by the 3rd Minesweeping Flotilla that had been posted to the region in 1942. They had managed to evacuate 255,000 men, 21,000 vehicles, 1800 artillery pieces and 74,000 horses. Last onto the boats were the German 97th Light Division and the 4th Mountain Division. Their withdrawal was covered by artillery firing across the Kerch Straits from the Crimea.
The German evacuation had been hastened by the continuous amphibious landings behind their lines by sailors from the Black Sea Fleet and Azov Sea Flotilla. The victory meant that German operations against the Trans-caucasian oil fields were over. However, the Russians had failed to trap and eliminate the German Seventeenth Army. ■