The Finns begin their turn with ¼ accumulated inf replacement points. During the previous Feb I 40 Soviet turn combat phase the Finnish attack strength point loss was 6, which equates to 1 ½ Finnish special inf replacement points per Rule 40B4-Replacement Points. This turn the Finns receive another inf replacement point as a reinforcement. With their total of 2 ¾ inf replacement points the Finns rebuild the *2-6 Inf X 1, which they must bring on at Helsinki per Rule 40B1-Production, and pocket ¾ inf replacement points for later. The Finns have 2 remaining ARPs.
The 23rd Inf XX HQ unit reinf is brought on at Kotka (4521), the 1-6 Inf III 23/68 reinf is brought on at Lahti (4223), and the 1-6 Inf III 23/69 reinf is brought on at Kuopio (3417). The 0-6 Lt Arm II 1 does its conversion to a 1-0-8 arm II at forest rail hex 3513. The Foreign Aid via Sweden Glad F type air unit reinforcement is brought on at Tampere (2825); see Rule 40A3-Foreign Aid to Finland for placement details.
Per the AWW Finnish OB, under Conditional Reinforcements, a new guerrilla unit, the 1-8 Ski X Karj is placed in combat mode at forest border hex 3212 inside Finland. The third and last available Finnish dummy guerrilla unit is placed north of the A weather line at wooded swamp road border hex 2511 inside Finland. There are so many well positioned Soviet anti-guerrilla units in the Ladogan Karelia that it cannot be placed there. The 1-8 Ski X Karj guerrilla unit was placed in the only available Finnish hex in that zone not covered by an APZOC or occupied by a Soviet ground unit or adjacent to a Finnish non-guerrilla ground unit.
At the beginning of the movement phase the 4-5-6 Inf XX 6 at woods hex 4113 breaks down into the supported component inf IIIs of the “A” Infantry XX.
By the end of the exploitation phase the Finnish ground unit dispositions north of the A weather line are as follows:
Kemijarvi (wooded swamp road hex 1514): 1-6 Ski III 41, never moved
Woods road hex 2114: *1-6 Ski III 2/LR, never moved
Soumussalmi (woods road hex 2612): 1-2-6 Ski III 1/PKR, never moved
Woods swamp road hex 2611: reinf dummy guerrilla unit, from 2511
Woods road hex 2913 right on the A weather line: 1-2-8 Ski X Rv, never moved.
By the end of the movement phase the Finnish ground unit dispositions in the vast Ladogan Karelia region are as follows:
Lieksa (woods rail hex 3312): 1-6 Ski X Kymen guerrilla unit in combat mode, never moved
Forest border hex 3311 inside the USSR and right on the A weather line: dummy guerrilla unit, from 3411
Wooded intermittent lake hex 3411: dummy guerrilla unit, never moved
Woods rail hex 3412: 1-8 Ski X Karj reinf guerrilla unit in combat mode, from 3212
Forest/woods rail hex 3512: *2-6 Inf X 1, repl from Helsinki railed at double cost to 3513, then moved in
Joensuu (woods rail junction hex 3613): freshly converted 1-0-8 Arm II 1, from 3513
Forest hex 3612: *3-4-6 Inf XX 12, never moved
Woods rail/road junction hex 3713: 1-6 Ski X SH guerrilla unit in combat mode; from 3512
Forest hex 3913: *3-4-6 Inf XX 13 and *1-6 Ski III 2/PKR, never moved
Forest hex 4013: *1-2-6 Inf III A, from 4113
Woods hex 4113: *1-2-6 Inf III A never moved; 1-2-6 Inf III 21/40, never moved; 1-2-6 Inf III 21/61, from 4212; 21st Inf XX HQ unit and 1-6 Inf III 21/62, both from 4313. At the end of the movement phase these last four units assemble into the *3-4-6 Inf XX 21.
Woods L. Ladoga coast rail hex 4212: 4-6 Inf XX 1, 1-2-6 Ski III 1/KR, and 0-1-5 Const III Kar, all three never moved
Clear terrain L. Ladoga coast rail hex 4313: *1-6 Ski III 2/KR, never moved *1-6 Inf III A, from 4113.
In the Karelian Isthmus zone the campaign appears to be approaching the decisive period of the Winter War. Recent battles have made things desperate here. Last turn, at the big Soviet combat attack in the Isthmus against the Finnish stack at important hex 4617, the Finns had a 1 in 3 chance of staving off for at least another turn this current desperation if perchance the Soviets rolled a 1: which modified by a -1 for Winter weather would be an AR, or even rolled a 2: which modified by the same -1 would be an AS, instead of the 4 that they did roll, which modified to a HX by the -1. The point here is to keep in mind, I think, that even in this game the Finns have up to now had a fighting chance of holding out until the historically critical Apr I 40 game turn. Although this accomplishment of continuing the war with the Soviet Union until the historical date of the German invasion of Norway does not in itself buy the Finns much in terms of the existing SoS NTO scenario rules without any prior Allied intervention into the Winter War, it does perhaps add food for thought in the pondering for a possible future Basic Grand Europa 1939-40 Scandinavian Campaign scenario,which might accompany the SoS war game.
Note: in the SoS NTO Scenario Study posting for the Feb I 40 Soviet turn the Soviets erroneously took combat losses for an EX instead of for a HX. What was I thinking? Accordingly, to correct this play error, the Soviet *1-6 Inf Cadre 24 that advanced into hex 4617 after the combat has been flipped back to its full strength 5-6 Inf XX 24 side. The other Soviet losses for the HX remain in the Soviet replacement pool as reported in the EA posting.
By the end of the exploitation phase the dispositions of the Finnish ground units in the Karelian Isthmus are as follows:
M.L. woods L. Ladoga coast hex 4613: 4-5-6 Inf XX 10, never moved.
Kakisalmi (wooded intermittent lake Ladoga coast rail hex 4514): pos flk unit, from 4613
M.L. Vouksa Lake/Causeway woods rail hex 4614: *1-6 Inf X 4, from 4613 0-1-6 Inf III HaL, from 4613 0-1-6 Inf II RR, from 4613 2-6 Art III 2, from 4615
Central M.L. wooded intermittent lake hex 4615: 4-5-6 Inf XX, from 4614 *3-4-6 Inf XX 9, from 4616 0-1-8 Cycle III VL, from 4613
Woods hex 4516: pos flk unit, from 4615
M.L. woods Viipuri-Leningrad railway hex 4616: 4-5-6 Inf XX 4, never moved 4-5-6 Inf XX 11, from 4615 *3-8 Ski X RVV/1, from 4616
Viipuri (clear terrain G. of Finland coast rail junction hex 4517): 23rd Inf XX HQ unit, reinf railed in from Kotka 1-2-6 Inf III 23/67, from 4615 1-6 Inf III 23/68, reinf railed in from Lahti 1-6 Inf III 23/69, reinf railed in from Kuopio
Note: At the end of the movement phase the above four units assemble into the *3-4-6 Inf XX 23. 1-8 Ski III 1-2 J, from 4613 1-8 Ski III 3-4 J, from 4313 1-2-6 Inf III 22/65, from 4615 1-6 Inf III 22/64, from 4615 1-6 Inf III 22/63, from 4615 1-6 Art III 3, from 4615 pos flk unit, from 4616 pos flk unit, never moved
Clear terrain G of Finland coast multiple narrow straits hex 4518: *1-2-6 Inf Cadre 5, from Viipuri 0-1-5 Const III Kan, from Viipuri
Woods rail G. of Finland coast hex 4417: 0-6 RR Eng III Yhd, from Kakisalmi.
Some may perhaps fret that the Finnish short stack at G. of Finland coast hex 4518 just to the west of Viipuri is liable to attack across the narrow straits hexside from the powerful Soviet stack at 4617, along with maybe some reinforcement arm Xs from 4717 also moved into the hex. Perhaps it should have got the repl *2-6 Inf X 1 instead of this primo Finnish ground unit being railed off instead to the arguably less important northern sector of the Ladogan Karelia. At coast hex 4517, the Soviets seem to have here the makings of an attack something along the lines of a 5 to 1 -1 against the Finns. But this war gamer is currently guessing that next turn the Soviets will have bigger fish to fry than attacking across the frozen narrow straits hexside towards the wayward G. of Finland coast hex and instead will throw everything they have available against likely the M.L. woods Viipuri-Leningrad railway hex 4616 or perhaps even against Viipuri (4517) itself in search of a quick end to the Winter War. I believe near the end of the historical Winter War campaign the Soviet Union did manage to capture the ground across the narrow straits at 4518.
The 0-1-6 Inf III KL remains at Kotka. At Helsinki (4526) are the two pos flk units, the Finnish govt. marker, and the D.XXI F type air unit. At Tampere (3825) are the still functioning factory and the new Glad F type air unit. The Ilmar TF and the Sisa RF are still moored at Turku (4230).
Leave a Reply