The Finns begin their turn with ¾ accumulated inf replacement points (RPs). They get 1 ½ special inf RPs for unisolated non-guerrilla losses incurred the last Soviet turn along with 1 reinf inf RP per the AWW Finnish OB. With this they rebuild the *1-2-6 Inf Cadre 11 and the 1-6 Ski III 1/LR from the replacement pool and place them at Helsinki. This leaves them 1 ¼ inf RPs for use the next Finnish turn. Of course it’s tempting to spend the third RP now, but maybe saving it would be good, too, if it might help rebuild say, a whole inf XX on the Mar I turn.

All Finnish ground and air units are in supply in the initial phase.

Per the AWW Finnish OB, the Finns receive as a ground reinforcement this turn only the “Discretionary Reinforcement” 0-1-5 Nvl Trps III Aalt, in the original game taken from the old AWW BD Ilmar and BD Vaina naval units. Presumably in SoS NTO scenarios this unit can be “taken” from the new SoS 2-pt BD TF Ilmar naval unit (see the SoS Orders of Battle booklet, pp. 11-12), in this game presently anchored at the port of Turku (4320) along with the RF Sisa (AA=1). If the AWW nvl trps III discretionary reinforcement is taken in the SoS NTO game, I’m assuming the Ilmar TF may not use it gunnery strength for the rest of the game, though may continue to fire its AA (AA=1) and also perhaps move.

The Finns start their turn with 2 ARPs. Initially the Finns consider spending only 1 ARP to move the C.X A type air unit from the eliminated box to the abort box. This would frugally leave them 1 ARP left over to carry over into the Mar I air cycle next turn. Doing this might give them an extra ARP to spend on replacing fighter unit losses late in the game, which at first thought by the Finns seems to be a wise move for these times. However, a hard look at the situation in the Karelian Isthmus zone, and in particular at Viipuri, makes them then think that the hour of decision is at hand, and so they opt to spend their remaining 2 ARPs to rebuild the C.X A type air unit and bring it on-map.

As a ruse to hopefully deceive the Soviet side as to what their real air strategy intentions are, which an alert Soviet side could likely frustrate, in their initial phase the Finns bring on the C.X A type at the reference city of Kotka (4521), as if gamely and quaintly attempting to perhaps defend some peripheral hexes. Perhaps even then too busy mulling over their likely big attack against Viipuri next turn, the Soviets never think about sending up any non-phasing CAP missions at the end of the initial phase, after the Finnish reinforcement/replacement step is done. Then, having evidently caught the Soviets off-guard, the very first thing the Finns do in their movement phase is to announce they’re doing a large air op to a particular target hex, per Rule 16D-Air Operations Sequence and Rule 18-Movement of Air Units. Then the Finns pick up the C.X A type at Kotka and also the two F type Finnish fighter air units at Helsinki and fly them eastwards.

Although the non-phasing Soviets cannot right now initiate any CAP missions, their I-16/t17 and I-16/t18 fighters based at Tallinn (4826) gamely announce patrol missions against the two Finnish fighters taking off from Helsinki (4526). Unfortunately for the USSR, each of the Soviet patrol attack die rolls are low: both No Effect, and in the end all three Finnish air units successfully complete their air transfer mission to Viipuri (4517).

By the end of the movement phase the dispositions of the Finnish ground units both north of the A weather line and also in the Ladogan Karelia region between the A weather line and the north shores of Lake Ladoga 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

Forest road hex 2512: dummy guerrilla unit, never moved

Soumussalmi (woods road junction hex 2612): 1-2-6 ski III 1/PKR, never moved

Woods road hex 2913, right on the A weather line: 1-2-8 Ski X Rv, never moved

Forest hex 3212: dummy guerrilla unit: from Lieksa (3312)

Woods rail L. Pielinen coast hex 3313: *1-6 Inf X 4, railed in from M.L. hex 4614 in the Karelian Isthmus

Lieksa (woods rail hex 3312): dummy guerrilla unit, from 3412

Woods rail L. Pielinen coast hex 3412; 1-6 Ski X Kymen guerrilla unit in combat mode, from Lieksa

Forest rail/causeway hex 3513: 1-8 Ski X Kraj guerrilla unit in combat mode, from 3412

Joensuu (woods rail junction hex 3613): *3-4-6 Inf XX 12, from 3612

Woods s. rail hex 3614: 1-0-8 Arm II 1, from Jeonsuu

Woods L. Ori coast hex 3714: 1-6 Ski III 1/LR, repl railed from Helsinki at double cost, then moved in

Forest hex 3913: *1-6 Ski III 2/PKR, never moved

Forest hex 3914: *3-4-6 Inf XX 13, from 3913

Forest L. Pyha coast hex 4013: *1-2-6 Inf III A, never moved

Forest L. Pyha coast hex 4114: *1-2-6 Inf III A, from 4113

Woods hex 4213: 4-6 Inf XX 1 and the 0-1-5 Const III Kar, both from 4212; 1-8 Ski III 1-2 J, regular moved from Viipuri

Clear terrain L. Ladoga coast rail hex 4313: *3-4-6 Inf XX 21, from 4113; *1-6 Ski III 2/KR and *1-6 Inf III A, both never moved.

In the Finnish initial phase several Soviet ground units north of the A weather line get back into regular or special supply and in the Ladogan Karelia at least five Soviet units are now either black U-1 or U-2, having moved or lingered beyond their regular supply line hex limit. The following list shows the dispositions and current status of those Soviet ground units with affected supply status changes in the Finnish initial phase:

Wooded rough road border hex 2109 inside Finland: 1-6 Inf III 529, back in regular supply, the red U- 1 marker removed

Wooded swamp road border hex 2611 inside Finland (adjacent to Finnish held Soumussalmi): 4-6 Inf XX 81, becomes black U-1 this turn, but is in special supply because it can trace an overland supply line to three of the four friendly supply points delivered to the Soviet 1-cap temp. airfield two road hexes away at 2510

Kumo (woods road hex 2912): winterized 1-6 Inf III 88/273 and 2-6 Art X 45, both units are still black U-4

Forest/woods road hex 3011: 1-2-6 MG X 7 A, becomes black U-1 this turn

Forest border hex 3211 inside the USSR and right on the A weather line: winterized 4-6 Inf XX 3, becomes black U-2 this turn

Forest/woods road hex 3209: 1-8 Pltcl Pol III 5, back in regular supply, black U-2 marker removed

Forest border hex 3311 inside the USSR and right on the A weather line: winterized 3-6 Inf XX 142, becomes black U-1 this turn

Wooded intermittent lake border hex 3411 inside Finland: 3-6 Inf XX 122, becomes black U-1 this turn

Forest rail hex 3512: 4-8 Mot Inf XX 44, becomes black U-1 this turn

Woods road/rail junction hex 3713: 3-6 Inf XX 155, becomes black U-1 this turn

By the end of the movement phase the dispositions of the Finnish ground units in the important Karelian Isthmus zone are as follows:

M.L. woods L. Ladoga coast hex 4613:

4-5-6 Inf XX 10, never moved

0-1-6 Inf III HaL, from 4614

M.L. Vouksa Lake/Causeway woods rail hex 4614:

0-1-8 Cycle III VL, from 4615

0-1-6 Inf III RR, never moved

2-6 Art III 2, never moved

Central M.L. wooded intermittent lake hex 4615:

*3-4-6 Inf XX 9, never moved

Woods hex 4516:

4-5-6 Inf XX 8, from 4615

two 1-6 Inf IIIs 22/63 and 22/64, both from Viipuri

Woods hex 4515:

1-8 Ski III 3-4 J, from Viipuri

Kakisalmi (wooded intermittent lake Ladoga coast rail hex 4514):

pos flk unit, never moved

Viipuri (clear terrain G. of Finland coast rail junction hex 4517):

4-5-6 Inf XX 4, from 4615

*3-4-6 Inf X 23, never moved

3-6 Ski X RVV/1, from 4615

1-2-6 Inf III 22/85, never moved

*1-2-6 Inf Cadre 11, repl railed in from Helsinki

1-2-8 Ski III 1/KR, regular moved from 4212

1-6 Art III 3, never moved

two pos flk uits, never moved

pos flk unit, from 4516

Glad and D.XXI F types, and also the C.X A type air units, all air transferred in this turn

Clear terrain G. of Finland coast multiple narrow straits hex 4518:

*1-2-6 Inf Cadre 5, never moved

0-1-5 Const III Kan, never moved

Woods rail G. of Finland coast hex 4417:

0-6 RR Eng III Yhd, never moved

The 0-1-5 Const III Kan at clear terrain G. of Finland coast hex 4518 spends 4 MPs to build there a 1-cap temp.airfield.

In the movement phase the reinf 0-1-5 Nvl Trps III Aalt brought on at Turku rails and then moves into clear terrain G. of Finland coast hex 4522, adjacent to Kotka, just in case the now black U-3 Soviet 3-6 Inf XX 150 across the frozen full sea hexside at the northern end of Suur Island (4621) attempts to cross over to this hex and invade the Finnish mainland. The 0-1-6 Inf III KL continues to defend Kotka.

At Helsinki are the two pos flk units and the Finnish govt marker.

The Finnish factory still functions at Tampere (3825).

In the Feb II 40 Soviet turn combat phase, for the second time in the game, the perhaps exuberant Soviets have advanced after combat the 9-6 Art XX 1, which is not allowed per Rule 38H5a-The Soviet Artillery Division. Accordingly, to comply with this SoS game rule, the Soviets remove their 9-6 art XX from the attacked hex 4616 that it moved into after combat and place it back where it attacked from, which is hex 4716. Except for the 9-6 art XX, all other Soviet ground units in hexes 4616 and 4716 remain the same as posted in the SoS NTO Scenario Study: Feb II 40 Soviet Turn game report to the EA.

Finally, near the end of the Finnish exploitation phase the Soviets, having considered that the Finns have prepared for them what appears to be a bloody clash for Viipuri next turn, do a big non-phasing air unit transfer reshuffle in preparation for the upcoming battle and in pursuit to an end to the Winter War. The affected airfield rebasing dispositions are as follows:

Kronshtadt airfield hex 4916:

I-16/t10, from 1914

I-16, from Petrozavodsk (4305)

I-16, from Medvezhyegorsk (3704)

I-16, from Kestenga (2107)

NW Leningrad airfield hex 4915:

I-16/t17, never moved

I-16/t17, from 4608

I-16/t10, from 4608

NE Leningrad airfield hex 4914:

two SB-2bis, never moved

I-153, from Kronshtadt

Central Leningrad city airfield hex 5014:

SB-2bis, never moved

SB-2, from 4915

DB-3m, never moved

Eastern Leningrad airfield hex 5013 SB-2bis, never moved

SB-2, from 4915

DB-3m, never moved

SW Leningrad airfield hex 5115:

R-5Sh, from 4916

DB-3b, never moved

SB-2bis, from 4916

SE Leningrad airfield hex 5114:

R-5Sh, from 4916

DB-3t, never moved

Wooded swamp L. Ladoga coast road hex 4608 w/ an at start 3-cap permanent airfield:

R-10, never moved

two SB-2bis, from Medvezhyegorsk (3704)