French vs Soviets 1985 - Campaign Game #2

Today we played game 2 in the ongoing campaign between my Soviet Motor Rifle Regiment and Simon’s French. This time the French were conducting a Hasty Attack (4,500pts) against the Soviets (3,000pts).

The Soviets selected two full BMP-2 MR Battalions, plus the Regimental Engineer Company, one platoon from the Regimental AT Company. The attachment selected was two BRDM w/ AT-5 platoons. A Battalion of 122mm SPGs and a battalion of 152mm SPGs were in support. Unfortunately no tanks could be committed to this battle!

The French had a Mechanised battalion (2x Mech, 2x Tank companies) and a Motorised Battalion (4x Mot companies), as well as some Recon, ATGM and Mortar platoons. The French attachment was an additional company of Tanks, and they also had a battalion of 155mm SPGs in support, firing ICM.

Overview of the Battlefield

The French plan to attack with two battalions on converging axis. The Soviets defended with a battalion to the rear and left of the objective, and a second battalion to the right of the objective. A company would push up on the left to strongpoint the village, whilst the battalion on the right would move up to defend forward on the right. The regimental engineers had the un-enviable task of laying mines forward of the objective.

The French and Soviet plans.

The right flank MR Battalion

The MR Battalion to the rear and left of the objective (denoted by the blue cross).

Forward of the objective on the right are the Regimental engineer company 

with two platoons of engineers and a mine-layer vehicle.

Their job was to brave the enemy fire and lay a minefield forward right of the objective.

The left flank companies of the second MR battalion

The far left flank company moves forward and occupies the village to protect the flank approach through that area.

Regimental AT Company BRDM w/AT-5 (bottom, in trees)

takes a long range ATGM shot and brews up an AMX-30 platoon on the road.

The right flank battalion moves forward into the wooded ridgeline.

The French battalions advance aggressively.

The engineers take some artillery fire after laying some mines.

 Initial turns saw the French battalions advancing in their IFVs and APCs, led by tanks. After losing several stands to log range missile fire from ATGM platoons (BRDMs w/ AT-5) and BMP-2s (also with AT-5), the French Mortars spent the next few turns laying smoke screens to cover their advance. This did the job, since the French tanks and ATGM launchers could fire through the smoke using Thermal Imagers, whereas the Soviets had not a single TI device amongst them!

Not liking the ATGM fire, the French mortars all lay smoke across the gap. 

The French could fire through the smoke using Thermal Imagers, but the Soviets had none!

Soviet infantry are digging in around the objective to defend it.

View from the Soviet right flank. French battalion advances under fire.

The French continue to advance and 

the Soviet battalion has moved to their final positions on the wooded ridgeline.

The French infantry dismount their APCs and move forward to assault.

View from the Soviet left flank.

The Soviet MR Battalion starts to dig in on the hill.

Soviet artillery killed multiple French infantry platoons to their front.

The French smoke screens continued, and

Soviet artillery inflicts casualties on IFVs and Infantry in the centre.

The French valiantly continued their assault for several turns, however suffered heavily from indirect and direct fire.

The French broke off their attack after mounting casualties, conceding a minor victory to the Soviets.

The French advanced valiantly, but over four turns (representing two hours of real time) they suffered heavily from the fire of dug in infantry, vehicles from covered positions, and Soviet artillery. The French opted to withdraw, conceding a minor victory to the defending Soviets.

Many stands on both sides were put out of action through failed quality checks. There were also a large number of BMPs on the Soviet side and various platoons on the French side that were destroyed outright.

Permanent losses for the French were an AMX-30 platoon (three others were destroyed from the attachment company which doesn't count for the campaign formation), two AMX-10 IFV platoons, a VAB APC platoon, an Infantry platoon, an Infantry with Milan platoon, and a Mortar platoon. Over the long term of the campaign these are likely to be important casualties.

Permanent losses for the Soviets were five BMP-2 IFV platoons, a BRDM w/ AT-5 platoon, and an Infantry platoon. After the game, I spent a campaign point to recover the BRDM AT-5 platoon as I think it could be useful in other games. Unfortunately the BMPs and infantry had to remain casualties to conserve valuable campaign points, meaning one of my three MR battalions is pretty close to combat-ineffective.

The next game generated will be a 'Breakthrough attack' by the Soviets, having regained the initiative. This will see 4,500pts of Soviets attacking 2,250pts of French, possibly with prepared defences. It should be interesting!

Running campaign tally:

Exhaustion (limit 22): French = 8, Soviets = 8

Territory Gained (target 32): French = 4km, Soviets = 1km

Campaign Points Remaining (from 12 starting): French = 11, Soviets = 12

Cumulative Permanent Losses (French): 2x Inf Pl, 2x Inf w/ Milan Pl, VBL Recon Pl, 1x AMX-30 Pl, 2x AMX-10 IFV Pl, 1x VAB APC Pl, 1x Mor Pl

Cumulative Permanent Losses (Soviet): 1x T-64B Pl, 3x MR Inf Pl, 6x BMP-2 IFV Pl