Reading MikeJ’s AAR made me want to run one, and since a human opponent had just invited me to take the NATO side in Red Banner Slam, it seemed like the ideal time to do it. I’ll leave it up to the Soviet Commander if he wants to speak up during the AAR or remain anonymous.
Situational Overview
The Pact has achieved their much longed for break through in the Dutch sector, crushing a Dutch division and then sending the 10th Guards Tank Division through the hole. Their Deep Battle doctrine relies on just such opportunities. If successful, it should dislocate the entire NATO line and open the way for follow on forces to race for political objectives, shatter the NATO rear area, and turn the war into a series of meeting engagements where Soviet mass and speed will overwhelm the allies. The Germans scramble to put a blocking force in their way trying to slow down the Soviet operational momentum before what is already a crisis becomes an unmitigated disaster. Elements of the 52nd Jaeger Brigade, reservists with light infantry and a handful of outdated tanks, are thrown into the path of the juggernaut. The Panzer Lehr races to add weight to the perilously thin line, but won’t arrive for several hours.
The mission is clear. Retain key road intersections for 10 hours to prevent a rapid Soviet advance and allow NATO to shift forces to contain the breakthrough. Failing that, disrupt the 10th DTG to the extent it is no longer a viable offensive force.
The Terrain
The terrain is initially quite locally constricting for the Soviets until the first major belt of intersection, but gives quite a few options for approaches. The center and south both have no-nonsense high speed approaches (red arrows) which remain mostly obscured from observation until they open up to one final 2,000 meter stretch before the initial objectives, while the northern road allows a virtually completely covered approach until the first river line – but at the cost of needing to turn south and cross yet another bridge to seize Ateln, or advance across miles of irrelevant open ground on the far side.
There are also a number of stealthier approaches (red trail signs) where a soviet commander could conceivably get very close indeed to his initial objectives if he was willing to spend the time doing it.
The Enemy
According to staff estimates and signals analysis before the division went radio silent, the 10th DTG is bringing forward a Guards Tank Regiment (90x T80 BVs, 30x BMPs, 6x 2S1 SP Arty) and a full Motorized Rifle Regiment (39x T64BVs, 90x BMPs, 6x 2S1 SP Arty) as the core of it’s force.
Supposedly they have an independent recon battalion attached, consisting of both light vehicles and helicopters, which combined with the regimental recon gives the Soviets a plethora of reconnaissance assets at their disposal. Additionally, part of an Attack Aviation Regiment brings another 12x Hinds with it.
Finally, between the DAG and RAGs, 48x SP artillery pieces will be available in addition to regimental mortars when the division is fully deployed.
So. A serious force, though I have no idea how much of it is up yet – I presume the IRB and an advance guard at least, quite possibly more. The IRB will no doubt attempt to find paths through my limited obstacle belts, attempt to identify my forces, and guide engineers to crossing sites ahead of the main forces.
If the regiments commit on separate axes, the MRR will struggle to move into the teeth of firepower if it’s tanks can be attritted significantly, but it’s infantry can take a lot to finally clean out if they get anywhere.
In contrast, the GTR is an excellent offensive formation, capable of storming through fire and delivering killing effects right back against the best NATO has to offer. It’s only real weakness is that while each tank is quite formidable, the tank companies are a bit more brittle – lose 5 BMPs, and three quarters of the company keeps fighting on foot. Lose 5 tanks and the tank company is nearing ineffectiveness.
A more mixed approach might help balance those weaknesses, at the usual cost of not being excellent at anything.
I figure the Soviet commander has one real decision, and the rest is just details. He can go fast, coming up those beautifully obvious roads into no doubt prepared defenses, but quite potentially smashing right through and carrying on before NATO has a chance to react and feeding whatever arrives onto the battlefield into the gaps as soon as it’s up.
Or he can go slow, probe the NATO lines, bring his full DAG up, pound the crap out of whatever he finds, and then commit to a deliberate attack – likely using the concealed approaches – at the expense of knowing he’ll have gifted NATO hours and that he is now all in on getting it right when he throws the dice. (At a sort of larger operational level vaguely reflected by VPs, this also means stacking up the roads behind the 10th GTD, so husbanding the first echelon is letting deep strikes work over the second one, but that’s beyond the scope of the game.)
