At the start of the new game turn the Soviet player rolls a 3 on the GE Weather Table, and so the weather is the same as the scenario’s Dec I 39 starting conditions per Rule 41G2: snow in zones A, B, & C, winter in zone D. A 3 is rolled on the Sea Conditions Table: stormy in the Arctic Ocean and calm in the Baltic Sea. No Soviet amphibious operations were planned for this turn. Right now the Finnish Coast Defenses’ naval combat strength levels indicated on the AWW Coast Defenses Chart: Finland (used in the SoS NTO Scenario), along with an 0-1-6 inf III Coastal Command unit at each of the two apparently most vulnerable Finnish coastal hexes for Soviet amphibious operations in terms of war game victory, eg., Helsinki & Kotka, inhibit any Soviet amphibious operations this turn.

In the Soviet initial phase the winterized 4-6 Inf XX 104 occupying Petsamo in Finland becomes red U-2. The ribs of these Reds will no doubt soon be sticking out, as there seems to be no ready way the Soviets can somehow “deliver” supply points to them. Although I believe the Arctic Ocean isn’t icebound in the winter between Petsamo and Murmansk, the three Soviet NTPs available in the game are found only in the soon to be frozen Gulf of Finland region. Also, the SoS DD Flotilla-1 (light) TF anchored at nearby Murmansk has a naval combat strength of just 1, and so therefore per Rule 27A1-Strength and AA, doesn’t have a cargo capacity. Maybe more later on how to possibly supply the winterized inf XX at Petsamo.

Meanwhile the 3-6 Inf XX 49, three rail hexes south of Kandalaksha, rails on northwards to Murmansk; then the 4-6 Inf XX 14 beginning the turn at Murmansk rails southwards to rail terminus hex 1605 on the Kandalaksha-Torino transportation line and then admin moves westwards down the road to wooded rough road border hex 1508 (Allakurtti), just inside Finland. In Soviet occupied Finland the 1-6 Inf III 529 moves one hex westwards to road hex 1509, just in front of the Finnish 1-6 Ski III 1/LR at Salla (1510). On the Murmansk railway where it runs along the frozen White Sea coastline at woods coast hex 1904, the 1-6 Inf III 119 admin moves into Kandalaksha (1504), for now being a kind of small Soviet reserve in this frozen far north Arctic region.

Continuing southwards, the 4-6 Inf XX 163 marches into Finnish Kuusamo at woods hex 2010, where it ends its movement. It would have liked to move one more hex to adjacent wooded rough road hex 1911, deeper into the frozen Finnish Lapland(?), but Rule 37G-Occupation compels it to garrison the Finnish dot city for now. The winterized 1-6 Inf III 8 A admin moves from the Ukhta airfield (2508) inside the USSR to Finnish wooded intermittent lake road border hex 2110, adjacent to now Soviet controlled Kuusamo. The whole Soviet deployment in the remote & desolate Lapland region described above puts increasing pressure on both the Finnish Ski III five road hexes to the north at Salla and the still black U-1 Finnish *1-6 Ski 2/LR, located three road hexes westwards at woods road hex 2113.

The 4-6 Inf XX 54, beginning the turn U-1 at wooded swamp road border hex 2511 just inside Finland, retreats one hex backwards to USSR woods road border hex 2510 in order to get back into regular supply via a regular Arctic overland and road supply line to the secondary rail terminus six hexes away at Kestenga (2107), having been busted by an EA posse & the Law for tracing a three hex (in the Arctic) overland supply line to on-map supply points generated at the Soviet Ukhta airfield, but apparently per the Answer Guy not yet “delivered.” Three overland hexes away at the Ukhta airfield the Soviets still have 3 supply points generated in the Finnish turn and 7 supply points generated this Soviet turn. However, as a possible defense of the Answer Guy’s ruling, I will admit that found in the AWW Errata, Q&A Sept. 13, 1994 document, at one of the Q&As some apparent effort was made to indirectly imply that supply points ought to be “delivered” before “…they are represented by the use of status markers.” I still don’t like this, but am playing my war game at the EA’s game room, so to speak, and not my own, and so will try to show the owners some due respect for putting up with me; and of course I can still hope that maybe A. Goodwin will give my complaints some consideration when the AWW revision comes along, like he’s talked about in earlier EA postings.

Before proceeding further in their movement phase, the Soviets now send the G-1 & G-2 T type air units based at Ukhta on a supply point airdrop mission to wooded swamp hex 3010, 5 hexes away to the SW. Each air transport unit carries and airdrops into the hex 2 supply points; all four were generated earlier in the turn at the Ukhta airfield. Three supply points are scattered, but one successfully lands; and so the Soviets place a large numbered “1” status marker there, indicating the successfully air dropped (read: “delivered”) supply point. The two Soviet air transport units return to base inoperative at Ukhta. At Ukhta the 0-5 Const III 9 spends 3 MPs to finish rebuilding the at start 1-cap permanent airstrip there to a 3-cap permanent airfield. After some fretting, it decides to remain at the Ukhta hex.

The winterized 1-6 Inf III 88/273 and the 2-6 Art X 45 remain at woods road hex 2912 (Kuhmo). Both of these units are black U-1. The 0-1-8 Bdr III 5 moves into Finland to wooded swamp border hex 3010, guarding the recently air dropped supply point from Finnish guerrillas. The winterized 4-6 Inf XX 3 admin moves westwards down the Rugozero-Kuhmo transportation line to USSR forest road border hex 3110, adjacent to the bdr III. The black U-1 3-6 Inf XX 122 essentially retreats one hex eastwards along the A weather line to forest hex 3310. The three previously mentioned Soviet ground units should be in regular supply the next Finnish initial phase, but not the stack at Kuhmo.
Proceeding farther southwards, the 4-8 Mot Inf XX 44, after much mulling, stays put at woods hex 3610, adjacent to the Finnish *3-4-6 Inf XX 12 at Ilomanti (3711) and the two guerrilla units at forest hexes 3611 & 3511. It’s tempting to attack at least one of the two Finnish guerrilla units in the adjacent forest hexes, but this turn the Soviets demur from attacking and occupying their forest hexes and opt for an alternative local strategy of maneuver. The 3-6 Inf XX 56 at woods road hex 3710 moves one hex SW to wooded intermittent lake hex 3810. The 4-6 Inf XX 50 the regular moves 3 hexes along the road and ends its move at 3710, in front of Ilomanti. The reinforcement 1-2-6 Para Inf X 214 rails from Leningrad and admin moves down the Medvezhyegorsk-Ilomanti road to USSR forest road border hex 3708, hoping to protect from guerrillas the rear of the Soviet front line forces two hexes westwards in the vicinity of Lake Kietele & Ilomanti. At Medvezhyegorsk (3704) the 0-5 Const III 8 spends all its MPs to finish rebuilding the 1-cap permanent airstrip there to a 3-cap permanent airfield.

Furthering their effort to steadily strengthen the Lake Janis zone, the Soviets begin three of their reinforcement ground units at SE Leningrad partial city hex 5114 and first rail them up the Murmansk railway to Lodeynoye Pole (4807), then admin move them up the coast road running along the eastern shores of Lake Ladoga towards Pitkaranta. The 3-6 Inf XX 136 ends its move at coast road border hex 4510, just inside Finland. The 1-2-8 Para Inf X 204 stops at adjacent Finnish wooded swamp border hex 4409, and the slower 2-6 Art X 56 finishes at USSR coast road hex 4608, guarding the at start 3-cap permanent airfield there.

The 0-1-8 Bdr IIIs 2 & 3, beginning their turn on the Murmansk railway on or above the A weather line, continue their long rail journey southward into the Leningrad-Karelian Isthmus Soviet zone in anticipation of their Jan I 40 conversion to Pltcl Pol IIIs. The 0-1-8 Bdr III 6 at Leningrad rails up the Murmansk railway to Petrozavodsk (4305), then admin moves westwards along the secondary rail line to Soujarvi (4008), in Finland, in order to garrison the captured Finnish point city.

The reinforcement 2-3-6 Inf XX 3 FNA from Petrozavodsk admin moves along the secondary rail line to woods secondary rail hex 4109 and stacks with the 1-2-6 Para Inf X 201, which was also moved there to guard against guerrillas. Two hexes to the NW the 1-8 Cav 1 ends the movement phase at wooded intermittent lake hex 3809.

In the Lake Janis zone of the Ladogan Karelia the Soviets begin a series of ground unit maneuvers obviously progressing towards a violent combat attack in the vicinity, either against the 1-2-6 Ski III 1/KR at woods secondary rail hex 4210 or, probably more likely, at woods secondary rail junction hex 4111, guarded by the Finnish HCR 4-5-6 Inf XX 6. By the end of the movement phase the Soviets have 14 attack factors (five units in all, including two inf XXs, an arm X, the 3-2-8 Art X 8, & the just converted 1-8 Pltcl Pol III 1 that moved in from 4409) at woods secondary rail hex 4110, adjacent to the Finnish inf XX. 11 attack factors (four units including an inf XX) are at woods hex 4010, adjacent to both Finnish occupied hexes. The 3-6 Inf XX 139 is at woods coast road/secondary rail terminus hex 4310 (Pitkaranta), adjacent to the Finnish ski III at 4210. At the very end of the movement phase the Soviets send a veritable Ladogan Karelia summertime mosquito swarm of fighter units on CAP missions over the zone from the two north Leningrad partial city hexes and the at start 3-cap permanent airfield at 4608. An 1-152 is over Sortayala at 4211; an 1-16/t10, an 1-16, and an 1-153 are over the 4-5-6 inf XX at 4111; and two 1-16s are over the 1-2-6 Ski III at 4210.

Early in the Soviet combat phase the Finnish C.X A type air unit based at the 1-cap temporary airfield at Sortayala fearlessly takes off on a DAS mission. The 1-152 flying CAP over the airfield hex patrol attacks, but rolls no effect. The Finnish A type flies to its target hex at 4111 to defend the 6th Inf XX and is then intercepted by the three Soviet fighters flying CAP over that hex. After much firing & missing, the third Soviet fighter to engage, the 1-153, rolls and Returns the C.X air unit. The only place it can land is back at Sortayala.

In their combat phase the Soviets attack the 4-5-6 Inf XX 6 from the two hexes at 5 to 1 -2 (w/ no GS) and roll a 5: DR. The Finnish inf XX retreats west to woods rail hex 4112, in between the 3-4-6 Inf XX 13 to the north at woods rail hex 4011 and the 0-1-5 Const III Kar to the south at Sortayala, on the Lake Ladoga coast. The Soviets advance some ground units into the hex after combat. For two turns in a row the lucky Finns have avoided the loss of an infantry division in the Lake Janis zone.

In the Leningrad-Karelian Isthmus Soviet zone there is a reshuffling of the forces there; the following is only a partial highlight listing. In USSR hex 4814, two hexes south from the Mannerheim Line front, there are five art Xs. This enables the Soviets to move them against any of the Finnish Mannerheim Line hexes. At Finnish Gulf coast border hex 4815 are the three 1-6 Eng IIIs, the 0-1-5 Const X from Kronshtadt, and the remaining art X in the zone. A two cap temporary airfield is built there this turn by the two reinforcement Eng IIIs 8 & 9 (per Stagliano’s “A Winter Additions: [Soviet] Order of Battle” from Europa #61).

A hard look is given to the idea of a big combat attack against the Finnish Mannerheim Line wooded intermittent lake Gulf of Finland coast fort hex 4717 (containing 10 def factors & a pos flk unit), liable for attack from the two adjacent Soviet occupied Karelian Isthmus land hexes south of it and perhaps also seawards by the two 5 strength SoS TFs Marat & O. Rev. Using also this turn’s available three eng IIIs to gain the +1 modifier, it appears that the Soviets could muster up to 32 ground attack factors (total of 16 non-artillery attacking REs) from the two adjacent land hexes. However, only 4 Soviet air units can provide GS for an attack as described, per Rule 20G2b-Ground Support(‘s) chain-hobble stipulation calling for a Soviet limit of one GS air unit for every 5 REs (or fraction thereof) of non-artillery units attacking. Finally, the Soviets scrap plans for the attack this turn, not wanting their heavy TFs to tangle with the Finnish CDs at hex 4717 (& also 4617 when the Soviet naval group is in 4717) and risk handing to the Finns a generous +3 VPs per hit on their TFs. What do other EA members think about such an attack this turn?

West of Leningrad at the Gulf of Finland USSR coastline, the 3-6 Inf XX 150 is joined by the 1-8 Cav III 5 at USSR woods coast hex 4919. Both are poised to begin island hopping towards Kotka, in Finland, across the frozen Gulf next turn when it freezes.

In their exploitation phase the Soviets have practically no armor or other motorized units capable of movement due to the mobility limitations per Rule 38H2b-Mobility Limits. They do, however, have available on the war game map plenty of operative B, A, & F type air units. Accordingly, the four SB-2bis A type air units at Petrozavodsk fly to Finnish woods rail junction hex 4313 and execute a pinpoint bombing mission against the rail line, but fail to roll a 5 or 6 for a hit.

The two SB-2s, the R-10, and the R-5Sh air units, all A types, take off from Leningrad/Kronshtadt air bases and fly to rail juntion hex 4321 (Kouvola), but for the second Soviet turn in a row fail to score a hit on the rail line here by rolling a 5 or 6.

Then four SB-2bis A types and the DB-3t & the DB-3b B type air units fly from Leningrad to Helsinki on another big terror bombing attack and, after evading Helsink’s one flack factor, score one terror bombing hit.

Finally the TB-3 T type air unit at Leningrad does a transfer mission to Ukhta above the A weather line, joining the G-1 & G-2 T type air units already based there.