Please test an operation!

[Sergei]

I have two versions of an operation, one for two players and the other against AI, at The Proving Grounds. It is five battles long and has a point total of about 10.000.

Links:

AI version

Two player version

Here's the briefing:

A Walk On The Beach

======================

Date: 15th July 1944

Time and weather: mid-day (last battle dusk), mixed weather

Location: Nietjärvi (Ladoga Karelia), Finland

5 battles, 25+ (AI) or 30+ (two players) turns

Semi-historical Soviet attack static operation

Recommended play: either as Allied against AI or PBEM (depending on version)

Background:

On 9th of June 1944 Soviets ended their long stalemate with Finns to NW of Leningrad by launching an offensive in the Karelian Isthmus (between Baltic Sea and Lake Ladoga) with massive artillery support. Despite ineffective attempts to stop and push back the advance, ground had to be given in a swift pace after both the first (the main) and second lines of defense had broken. City of Viipuri was lost on 22nd of June, and the next objective for Red Army was to reach Kymi river and force Finland to surrender. But by now the Finnish Army had recovered enough from the initial shock, and in the grand battle of Tali-Ihantala the Soviet 21st Army was tied down. The following attempts by Soviets in the Isthmus to break across the Bay of Viipuri in the south and the great river Vuoksi in the north failed during July.

In order to repel the invasion in the vital Isthmus sector, Finns had started moving forces from north of Lake Ladoga in secrecy. To make reinforcing the Isthmus harder and to gain back the areas lost in 1941 (including parts of the Murmansk railway and city of Petrozavodsk), the Soviet 7th and 32nd Armies began an offensive against the Finnish Aunus Group (II and IV Corps) on 21st of June. II Corps made a fighting withdrawal from river Svir along the coast of Ladoga; after three weeks of fighting and 150 km of ground ceded, the front line had reached the U-line. This was already well within Finnish pre-WW2 borders, and once again men felt they were fighting for their homes, not just for an expansionist utopia. Also the swampy terrain offered poor prospects for the use of tanks and the lousy road network in Karelia made supplying the attackers hard.

Current Situation:

Yesterday the Russian 37th Guards Corps and 4th Corps Army began a poorly executed attack intented to sweep the Finnish 5th Division aside from the road to city of Sortavala. So far the Finns have managed to control the situation. Today at 9 o'clock Soviets bombarded the frontmost perimeter of the U-line at Nietjärvi sector for a full hour after which the perimeter was captured. Defenders of Nietjärvi have to stop Russians from breaking loose, or the whole U-line could be at peril.

Special deployment rule:

In western parts of the map there are some rather marshy tracks, so it would be unrealistic to deploy heavy equipment (vehicles or guns above transport class 4) there at the beginning of a battle. However, it's okay if you are able to drive them there during battle at the risk of bogging.

Sources:

Matti Koskimaa, Syväriltä Nietjärvelle

Veikko Karhunen, Syväriltä U-asemaan

S. P. Platonov, Taistelut Suomen rintamalla 1941-1944

Design by Sergei

Historical outcome:

As the day passed, locations changed hands many times. By the end of the day Russians had penetrated U-line in it's full depth, but at the same time they had been stopped and their casualties ran high. The battle came to an end on the night of 16-17th, as the tip of the advance was chopped off by a double envelopment after which villa Maximoff was taken back by Finns. (See my battle "Niet Molotoff!" for that.)

The Finnish victory at Nietjärvi meant that Red Army had been stopped well before Sortavala. That, the achievements in the Isthmus and finally the encirclement of two Soviet divisions in Ilomantsi on their way to Joensuu caused Soviets to forget about occupying Finland, as resources were needed more in Central Europe.

APPENDIX A:

Map of Ladoga area

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;"> * +@ :

JOENSUU @=: -:+

.+# +-

N o r t h : :@ +--

K a r e l i a .@*: Old *.

0 ..%= ::

4 =::@ Border +

9 +%: L a d o g a -.

1 :*% K a r e l i a #

--=# -=:-

f .%-. / - =

o .-%- _/ + = *

%::+ SORTAVALA / -- +=-

r #+. *@-: x<-Nietjärvi -

e %@ =----*@/ -=

d +#@ :@-------##@#@: - East

r +%+ *+#---------------@ .

o +#. +--------------------** . Karelia

B = *+ . %*-----------------------+= =

.@-- -*-----------------------------*= +

-#. *@-------------------------------@@=:

++ :@---------------------------------@*

. : .#-------------L-A-K-E--------------@

* VIIPURI -=--------------------------------+

. +-----L-A-D-O-G-A-------------%+ Svir

@@ =*-----------------------------%* :-

*# K a r e l i a n %#--------------------------------=% :- .

% I s t h m u s .+*%--------------------------------@ %@@

: :* @-------------------------------@@+

:+.#*@@@@ .@--------------------------@+@=@

--: .%++@@*. +%------------------------% .

--@# .---%@@ @**---------------------@-

----#:. +@@@@- :@#@@@@#--#%+---------=

-------%**%#%*#+%. +# :-----#@

-GULF-OF----------## ##@

--FIN.-@%-%#-------+ LENINGRAD </pre>

[BigDork]

Hiya. You helped me out so now I'll help you out.

I'll give it a go against the AI.

[Sergei]

Ooh, goody!

[BigDork]

Sergei and anyone else who's interested...

You can follow along as I fight this - here - at MZO. I've started a thread and will post a During Action Report with lots of sceenshots.

Please feel free to give tips and insults as to my playstyle as the AI crushes me.

[Sergei]

Excellent! That's gonna be interesting to follow.

[BigDork]

Okay, first battle's done.

[BigDork]

I haven't forgotten about this but I'm feeling pretty burnt out so I'm taking it easy on CM for a bit. I should back to it soon.

[Sergei]

Okay, I can grant you a leave...