Fallschirmjaeger Along the Neva HSASL Campaign (Oct - Dec 1941)

Ahriman667

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Introduction

This campaign will follow the 2nd Kompanie of the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Fallschirmjaeger Regiment in the two months it manned positions along the Neva River (East of Leningrad). It will consist of 8-weekly missions in a two-part mini-campaign centred on the Petruschino (05 – 31 Oct ’41) and Vyborgskaya (01 – 23 Nov ’41) bridgeheads.

Note. Firm dates (except for the first and last days) and times are extremely difficult to narrow down with the sources above. Basically two maps showing the lines at certain dates (15 Oct and 13 Nov) and snippets from the links are all I had to go with so the dates are by no means firm.

View attachment 49136

Campaign Special Rules

General: Use S17. Campaign rules, EXC 17.21-24 are NA.
Unit: 2. Komp. I./FJR 3
Composition: [US# 40/28]; Leader x3, 5-4-8 x9, 2-3-8, 1-2-7 x4, HMG*, LMG x3; 50mm MTR x2, ATR x2
ELR: 4
Board Edge: FBE is to the East, EBE is to the West.
Miscellaneous:
1. Command Structure:
a. Company Commander, Oberleutnant Wilhem Knoche,
b. 2nd in Command, Leutnant Werner Krüger
c. Leutnant Alex Dick​
2. Any FR MMC reinforcements generated by RE/MSR [EXC: GE RE results 02, 03, 05 are 838 Fallschirmjaeger] are 548/238 Fallschirmjaeger. Vehicles are never gained with reinforcements. The FJR 3 is an Elite unit.
3. Any FR RE that generate AFV/GUN are rerolled. As well GE RE 51-53 are NA.
4. Winter Camouflage (E3.712):
a. Russians: for Part I, Russians do not have Winter Camouflage. For Part 2 when Ground Snow is in effect the Russians have it on a dr ≤3; on a dr ≤5 when Extreme Winter is in effect. Once gained it is retained for the remainder of the Campaign.
b. Germans: for Part II only, Germans have it on a dr ≤2, starting on Mission 5. Reroll at the beginning of each subsequent mission with a -1 drm per mission until Winter Camouflage is gained. Once gained it is retained until the end of the Campaign.​
5. To represent the dire situation and lack of reinforcements the Fallschirmjaeger faced, the following amendments to S17 are in effect:
• 17.621 the weekly Mission EXC is in effect.
• 17.74 is NA.
• 17.82 cumulative drm are NA.
• 17.81 drm are NA. This reflects promotion from within ranks to replace losses.
• 17.821 MMC-type are Elite 548/238.
• 17.9-.91 are NA. Missions cannot be skipped.​
6. Mapboards. The following rules apply to the mapboards during the campaign:
a. The mapboard layouts are laid out at the beginning of each Part and will not be changed between missions.
b. Any terrain modifications are carried over/left on map from mission to mission (i.e. entrenchments, wrecks, rubble, etc) during each Campaign Part.
c. At mission end, any burning terrain will be extinguished, but retain its inherent terrain properties as detailed in 6d below.
d. Inherent terrain rules:
i. For Part I, inherent terrain as depicted between the Neva River and hexrow 6 on board 19, is treated as follows:
1. Trees/orchards are treated as out of season orchards.
2. All Buildings are rubbled [EXC Buildings on West side of river are not affected by this rule; however they may be rubbled during subsequent play].
3. Brush/Grain are treated as Open Ground​
ii. For Part II​
e. The Neva River flows North to South, has a Slow Current and is not fordable. In the latter missions of Part II the river will begin to freeze and be treated as Open Ground (B21.6).​

The Missions

Part I - Petruschino Bridghead (05 - 31 Oct '41)

Mission 1
Mission 2
Mission 3
Mission 4

Rest and Refit

Part II - Vyborgskaya Bridghead (01-23 Nov '41)

Mission 5
Mission 6
Mission 7
Mission 8

References:

Information for this SASL Campaign was primarily derived from the following source:

Along the Neva. Quotes and Mission descriptions are from it.

As well, the following web sites proved useful.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=141516
http://www.nortfort.ru/np/index_e.html
http://fjr3.tripod.com/id4.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20050731083141/www.eagle19.freeserve.co.uk/russia.htm
http://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=110&art_id=1703

***as always a work in progress...
 
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Ahriman667

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Part I - Petruschino Bridgehead (05 Oct – 31 Oct 41)

Part I - Petruschino Bridgehead (05 Oct – 31 Oct 41)

Summary
05 Oct 1941 – 2 Komp. I./FJR 3 arrive in positions. Russian attacks out of bridgehead. Human Wave mission. GE sets up East of hexrow 6 on board 19.

12 Oct 1941 – 2. Komp. I./FJR 3 night attack towards Neva. Pockets mission at start, switch to Hold the Line in Turn 4. Night Rules in effect.

13 Oct 1941 – Russian counterattack. 2 Komp. I./FJR3 sets up East of N-S road (board 16). Enemy Offensive mission. Dusk Rules in effect +2 LV at start decrease to +1 LV on turn 8.

20 Oct 1941 – 2 Komp. I./FJR 3 sets up East of N-S road (board 16). Beach Defense (modified) mission, as Russian attempts counter-attacks at night over river.

View attachment 49547
 
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Ahriman667

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Re: Part I - Petruschino Bridgehead (05 Oct – 31 Oct 41)

Sorry guys, been in a bit of a rut this last couple of weeks so I haven't given this much thought. I'll try and post something up soon.
 

BigAl737

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Re: Part I - Petruschino Bridgehead (05 Oct – 31 Oct 41)

Sorry guys, been in a bit of a rut this last couple of weeks so I haven't given this much thought. I'll try and post something up soon.
No problem. I haven't found time to get past turn 6 of my RCR first mission.
 

Ahriman667

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Mission #1

DRAFT - THESE HAVE NOT BEEN PLAYTESTED YET

Mission 1: Petruschino, Russia. 05 October 1941

In the preceding two weeks the 2nd Battalion of the Sturm Regiment (assigned to the 1st Parachute Regiment) had been futilely trying to eliminate the Petruschino bridgehead. Attacking without benefit of artillery and heavy weapon support the attack stalled and evolved into a desperate struggle for survival with frequent hand-to-hand combat. Losing all of their officers to death or injury the 2nd Battalion of the Sturm Regiment was almost annihilated in the fight. Recognizing the strategic importance of the bridgehead, the 7th Flieger Division was mobilised and sent to the Leningrad Front, with the 3rd FJR arriving by October 4th.

As the 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion under Oberleutnant Knoche, de-bussed and moved into their assigned positions (the central sector of the ring encircling the bridgehead), the enemy unrelentingly pounded the German positions with artillery and mortar fire. With the surviving elements of the Sturm Regiment withdrawn, their primary objective initially was to fend off the constant thrusts of the enemy out of the bridgehead; with a solid defensive front the Germans hoped to regain the initiative.

What Oberleutnant Knoche noted as characteristic of the Russian assaults was their target, the railway hub at Mga (approx 12km to the German rear). The commissars had told their men that they would find bread, potatoes, tobacco and above all vodka in incredible quantities there. The men for their part fought like berserks in order to capture that fabled land of plenty.

pp 8, 13, 39-40​


Type: Human Wave (14)
Mapboard Selection: as per briefing above.
Weather: EC are Wet with No Wind at start.
FRIENDLY: 2 Komp. I./FJR 3. FBE East
ENEMY: Elements of 54th Army (Russian), ELR 2. EBE West.

Misc:
1. EXC to S?Placement/Entry. The EBE is the West edge of Board 16 (i.e. ENEMY enters play from the East bank of the Neva)
2. ENEMY Activation/RE rolls that result in AFV are rerolled. ENEMY RE that result in Flank Attack come on from EBE. ENEMY Activation rolls that produce Fortifications can only produce Entrenchments (treat all rolls ≤4 as an Entrenchment).
3. EXC to Sequence. All FRIENDLY units must be set up on/East-of hexrow 6 on Board 19
4. A number (2 rolls on table A6e) of Wrecks are placed using the method in S4.1e. These represent the burnt out Russian hulks from previous attacks.
5. MSR’s 1 through 4 are NA. Instead the GE player has 23 Trench counters and a 1+3+5 Pillbox.
6. MSR 5 is one battery of 80+ MTR OBA with a Field Phone.
7. MSR 6. ENEMY Artillery Strike(s) is automatic. Number of Artillery Strikes is rolled on A6e.
8. At Mission End S17.82-.821 and S17.9 are skipped.​
 

Ahriman667

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Mission #2

DRAFT - THESE MISSIONS HAVE NOT BEEN PLAYTESTED YET

Mission 2: Petruschino, Russia. 12 October 1941

While the FJR3 endured constant assaults from the frenzied Russians, the commander Hauptman von der Heydte attempted to secure effective artillery support to finally squash the bridgehead and push the Russians back over the Neva. Eventually he succeeded and after thorough reconnaissance the order to attack was given in the early morning dawn.

At 10 PM, preceded by heavy weapons fire, the 2nd Kompanie was to launch a frontal attack, while 1. and 3. Kompanie’s were to attack from the flanks and squeeze the bridgehead in a pincer movement. With the assault underway, the heavy weapons would then shift their fire to the West bank of the Neva to prevent enemy movement of reserves and supplies forward.

With a dense burst of fire on the enemy the attack was launched and the 1st and 3rd Kompanies quickly gained ground, reaching the Russian positions and collecting many prisoners. Meanwhile the 2nd Kompanie encountered stiffening resistance in the middle. Not five minutes into the assault, the MG crew under Obergefreiter Else (attached to 2. Komp from 4. Komp) prepared to switch their covering fire to across the Neva when the gunner mistakenly folded up the rear strut of the tripod causing the MG to fall over. During the covering fire, they had fired over 900 rounds almost continuously and the red-hot barrel fell into the sand. Once they had recovered it and attempted to resume firing they found they were reduced to single shots only. Meanwhile the 2nd Kompanie’s attack faltered in the face of the stiffening opposition. Oberleututnant Knoche gave the order to “Dig in and hold!” the positions that had been taken, as the Russians furiously counter-attacked.

pp. 40, 47-48​

Type: Pockets (2) & Hold the Line (10)
Mapboard Selection: as per briefing above.
Weather: EC are Mud with No Wind at start. Cloud Cover is None with a Half-Moon (NVR 4).
FRIENDLY: 2 Komp. I./FJR 3. FBE East
ENEMY: Elements of 54th Army (Russian), ELR 2. EBE West.

Misc:

1. This mission combines parts of two missions into one. Mission (EXC to missions detailed below) Setup/Start is as per the Pockets (2) mission. Upon end RU Turn 3, the mission switches to Hold the Line (10) and carries on from there (i.e. start Hold the Line at Turn 4). Russian Prevailing Attitude switches to Advance at Turn 4 and Russian moves first that turn (and thereafter).
2. EBE is the Western edge of Board 16.
3. ENEMY S?/RE activations that generate AFV are rerolled. ENEMY Activation rolls that produce Fortifications can only produce Entrenchments (treat all rolls ≤4 as an Entrenchment).
4. Each Final even DR on Table A1 is considered a Fortification {A5} result in addition to any S/HS result.
5. ENEMY/FRIENDLY RE’s that result in Flank Attack are rerolled.
6. Both Missions are modified as follows:
a. Pockets (Turn 1-3):
i. S? Placement/Entry is NA. For each Wreck on the map (as determined in the preceding mission) make a dr {A6e} to determine a radius in hexes. One S? is placed in each hex in the radius (a maximum of one S? can be placed in any hex by this method regardless of the number of overlapping radii).
ii. EXC to Sequence. S? are setup as detailed above (2. a. i.). FRIENDLY units are then set up on/East-of hexrow 6 (Board 16).
iii. Mission End is NA. Use Mission End rules in the Hold the Line mission.
iv. At the beginning of the GE Turn 3 PFPh, the GE HMG ROF drops to 1 and its Breakdown # becomes 10. This reflects the attached HMG in the OOB burning out its barrel.​
b. Hold the Line (Turn 4-?):
i. S? Placement/Entry is NA. At the start of Turn 4 count the S? currently on-board. Then add enough S? as an off-board pool to equal 1½ (FRD) of the total US# of all FRIENDLY at-start OB. At the start of each ENEMY RPh in which there is ≥ one unentered S? remaining in the ENEMY’s offboard S? pool make a dr+4. This is the number of S? which enter the EBE during the ENEMY MPh (S4.21).
ii. EXC to Sequence. ENEMY and FRIENDLY forces start where they are at the end of Turn 3. The ENEMY side moves first.
iii. MSR’s 1, 2, 4 and 5 are NA
iv. MSR 3 is 80+ MTR OBA with a Field Phone. IR is available for the battery (normal Usage dr ≤4 is required).
v. MSR 7 dr for MMC are NA. Rather one Fallschirmjager Company (S18.51 – Leaders rolled for on S17.81, SW as listed) at 70% US# (i.e. 28) will enter from the North and South edges respectively of Boards 16 or 19.​
7. Night Rules (S12.8) are in effect.
8. At Mission End S17.82-.821 and S17.9 are skipped.​
 

Ahriman667

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I posted the first two missions, but like I indicated I haven't playtested them so I don't know if they are 'balanced' or not. If any of you are planning on giving this HSASL a whirl please give me some feedback.

I'll be getting to the remaining two of Part I this week.
 

Ahriman667

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Mission #3

DRAFT - THESE MISSIONS HAVE NOT BEEN PLAYTESTED YET

Mission 3: Petruschino, Russia. 13 October 1941

With the attack in full swing, the battalion commander, Hauptman von der Heydte, appeared beside 2. Kompanie and issued the order to push forward. The MG teams were to stay in position and continue their covering fire.

Suddenly Obergefreiter Else saw a couple Russians appear in their sights, coming towards them loudly yelling ‘Hurrah’. He and his gunner emptied their pistols and magazines as they attempted to turn aside their assault. This carried on for some time but towards 2AM things started to quiet down. Early the next morning the Russians began to launch fierce counter attacks.

p48​

Type: Enemy Offensive (9)
Mapboard Selection: as per briefing above.
Weather: EC are Mud with No Wind at start.
FRIENDLY: 2 Komp. I./FJR 3. FBE East
ENEMY: Elements of 54th Army (Russian). EBE West.

Misc:

1. EBE is Western edge of Board 16.
2. EXC to VPO Locations. The Wreck counters (as determined in Mission 1) are the only VPO for this mission. All Wrecks are FRIENDLY-controlled at mission start and their value is determined at Mission End.
3. EXC to Sequence. FRIENDLY units and fortifications are set up on/East-of the North-South road on Board 16.
4. MSR 2, 3 and 4 are NA. After FRIENDLY units are setup, make a dr for each hex containing an MMC in the GE at-start OB. On a result ≤4 it gains an entrenchment counter. For every MMC in the same hex a -1 drm applies.
5. At Mission End S17.82-.821 and S17.9 are skipped.​
 

kynken

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Re: Part I - Petruschino Bridgehead (05 Oct – 31 Oct 41)

well done as usual.
 

Ahriman667

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Sorry I haven't even looked at my ASL stuff in a couple of years except to answer the odd question. I was never able to recover what the second half of the missions were supposed to encompass and probably don't plan too.
 

Ahriman667

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Computer crashed with the data, and I'm too indifferent now to try sadly.
 
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