The winterized 4-6 Inf XX 104 at Petsamo (0304) becomes red U-3 in the initial phase. At Murmansk are the 3-6 Inf XX 49, a pos flk unit, the light TF Flotilla-1, and the reinf 1-15 F type air unit.
In preparation for an attack on the Finnish 1-6 Ski III 1/LR at Salla (1510), the 4-6 Inf XX 14 stacks with the 1-6 Inf III 529 at adjacent eastern wooded rough road hex 1509. The 1-6 Inf III 19 admin moves from Kandalaksha to Allakruti (1508) in order to maintain the 1 RE garrison at the captured Finnish point city.
In the combat phase the Finnish ski III attempts to retreat before combat per Rule 14F-Ski Units, but rolls a 4: Failure. However, the Soviets manage to roll a 2 on a 9 to 1 -3, and so the 1-6 Ski III 1/LR retreats one hex westwards to wooded swamp road hex 1511. The 4-6 Inf XX 14 advances into Salla after combat.
Farther south the 4-6 Inf XX 163 continues to garrison captured Finnish point city Kuusamo (2010). Its rearguard, the winterized 1-6 Inf III 8 A, admin moves away to now guard Ukhta (2508). The 0-5 Const III 9 beginning the turn at Ukhta moves to USSR woods road border hex 2510 and stacks with the 4-6 Inf XX 54 already there. An at start I-152 still bases at the 1-cap permanent airstrip at Kestenga (2107). The 0-1-5 Const X 7 rails all the way from hex 4815 one hex north of Leningrad, to nearby Loukha on the Murmansk railway, at woods rail junction hex 2104 (w/ a 1-cap permanent air strip). A reinf 1-152 air unit is also placed at the airstrip.
From the freshly upgraded 3-cap permanent airfield at Ukhta, the three T type air units based there fly another supply point airdrop mission to wooded swamp border hex 3010, 5 hexes to the SW just inside Finland. Of the six supply points air dropped only one successfully lands, and so a single status point marker is placed atop the 0-1-8 Bdr 5 guarding the hex, along with the other status point marker placed there earlier during the Dec II Soviet turn. The TB-3, the G-1, and the G-2 return to base at Ukhta.
The winterized 1-6 Inf III 88/273 and the 2-6 Art X 45 remain at Kuhmo (2912). The winterized 4-6 Inf XX 3 advances one hex SW to forest road border hex 3111, still inside the USSR, in an effort to better secure the south flank of the Soviet drive down the Rugozero-Kuhmo transportation line. In an expensive effort to strengthen the Soviet invasion penetration up to captured Kuhmo, the 1-2-6 MG X 7 A (from Murmansk railway hex 5112) and the 0-5 Const III 8 from Medvezhyegortsk (3704) rail all the way down to the secondary rail line terminus at Rugozero and end their admin movement stacked together at forest road hex 3207. The 0 strength const III could have admin moved one hex farther to forest road hex 3208, but stayed put with the MG X due to the risk of guerrilla attack.
In the Lake Keitele-Ilomantsi zone of the Ladogan Karelia the Soviets move to close in with ZOCs and attack the Finnish 3-4-6 Inf XX 12 at Ilomantsi at woods road hex 3711; the zone lynch pin is a weak spot. At the beginning of the combat phase the Soviet Army’s disposition in the zone’s front line is as follows:
Woods hex 3610: 3-6 Inf XX 122, from 3310 on the A weather line Wooded intermittent lake road hex 3710: 4-8 Mot Inf XX 44 from 3610 and 1-2-8 Para-Inf III 214 from 3708 Wooded intermittent lake hex 3810: two 4-6 Inf XXs, 18 from 4010 and 50 from 3710; 1-6 AA III 8 from 4010 Woods hex 3811: 3-6 Inf XX 56 from 3810.
This tallies to a total of 20 attack factors against the Finnish 4 at Ilomantsi. It is out of range of DAS from the C.X A type at Sortayala (4211). The Soviets attack at 5 to 1 -2 and roll a 4: DR, which means elimination for the Finnish Inf XX 12 because the unit is ZOC’d by the Soviet XXs. The following Soviet units advance into Ilomantsi after combat: the two 4-6 Inf XXs 18 and 50, and the 1-6 AA III 8.
Meanwhile, the Soviets are careful enough to rail and admin move down the Medvezhygorsk-Ilomantsi transportation line the reinf 3-2-8 Arm X 28 to USSR forest road border hex 3708; to adjacent wooded swamp road hex 3707 is railed the winterized 3-6 Inf XX 142 from the Karelian Isthmus.
Things also begin to warm up in the Lake Janis zone of the Ladogan Karelia. At the end of the movement phase the Soviet dispositions in the Lake Janis zone are:
Woods Lake Janis coast hex 4010: 3-6 Inf XX 155 from nearby and the 1-8 Pltcl Pol III 1 from 4111 Woods s. rail junction hex 4111: winterized 4-6 Inf XX 168, never moved; 3-6 Inf XX 1 FNA from 4108; two 3-2-8 Arm Xs 20 and 34, never moved Woods Lake Ladoga coast s. rail hex 4210: 3-6 Inf XX 136 from 4510 and 3-2-8 Art 8 from 4111 Woods Lake Ladoga coast s. rail terminus/road hex 4310 (Pitkaranta): 3-6 Inf XX 139 and 3-2-8 Arm 13, from nearby Clear terrain Lake Ladoga coast road hex 4410: 1-2-8 Par Inf X 204 from 4409 and 2-6 Art X 56 from 4608. The rearward Soviet forces in the Lake Janis zone of the Ladogan Karelia are as follows: Woods s. rail hex 4110: 1-2-8 Para Inf 201 from 4109 Woods border Finnish hex 4309: 2-3-6 Inf XX 2 FNA from 4109 Woods hex 3909: 1-8 Cav III 1 from 3809 Wooded intermittent s. rail line border hex 4008: (Soujarvi): 0-1-8 Bdr III 6 Woods s. rail terminus Finnish border hex 4108: reinf 4-6 Inf XX 11 railed and admin moved in from SW Leningrad partial city hex 5114 Woods s. rail terminus USSR border hex 4207: 2-1-8 Lt Arm X 1 admin moved, railed, admin moved again, and exploited to here from Kronshtadt.
Although the northern wing of the Soviet Lake Janis zone was depleted to reinforce the attack against the Finnish inf XX at Ilomantsi in the Lake Keitele zone, the Soviet’s southern wing is still strong and has enough artillery plus some GS A types in range to possibly attack with good odds the Finnish *1-6 Ski III 2/KR at the east end of Valamo Island hex 4311. Near the end of the movement phase the Soviet player sends a reinf I-16/t17 from Leningrad and an I-152 from the at start 3-cap permanent airfield at nearby Ladoga eastern shore hex 4608 on CAP missions over the Finnish 2-cap temporary airfield at Sortayala. Afterwards the Soviets send an I-16/t10 from hex 4608 on the CAP mission over Valamo Island hex 4311. The Finnish D.XXI F type based at Sortayala declines to intercept either of the phasing player’s CAP missions. Shortly later in the movement phase the Soviets send an air strike against the Sortayala airfield utilizing the tac factors of the two old SB-2s and the two R-5Sh’s from the Leningrad zone; the mission is escorted by the other new reinf I-16/t17 F type from Leningrad. Yet again the Finnish fighter based at the to be bombed airfield refuses to intercept. The bombers add their tac factors together to get a chance on the 2 bombing strength column of the SoS Bombing Table, but in the end roll a Miss.
Early in the combat phase the Finnish air force makes its move and sends the C.X A type on a DAS mission to Valamo Island hex 4311 with their fighter as escort. The I-152 patrol attacks the Finnish fighter and rolls a 1: attacker Aborted. The I-16/t17 patrols the A type and rolls a No Effect. When the Finnish air force reaches the target hex at 4311 the last operative Soviet I-16/t10 F type at the at start 3-cap permanent airfield at USSR hex 4608 intercepts, joining the other I-16/t10 unit already there on its CAP mission. Both line up against the two Finnish air units and the first Soviet I-16/t10 F type is killed by the Finnish D.XXI F type and the other Soviet fighter Returns the Finnish C.X A type. After both sides’ air units that participated in the lively Finnish DAS air mission return to base inoperative, the Soviets then send two SB-2bis’ from Leningrad on the GS mission to Valamo Island hex 4311; by now there is no need of a fighter escort. The Soviets, attacking the Finnish *1-6 Ski III 2/KR at Valamo Island hex 4311 across three full lake hexsides, have an attack factor tally as follows: 5 artillery combat factors (the 2-6 and 3-2-8 art X’s) + 2 ½ inf and arm terrain factored combat factors (10 total, quartered) + 1 weather factored GS tac factor = 8 1/2; against 1 supported Finnish defense factor is 8 to 1 -1 (for winter). The Soviets roll good and get a 5; which modified to 4 is still a DE. After combat the Soviets move into Valamo Island hex 4311 the 2-6 Art X 56 and the 3-2-8 Arm X 13.
By the end of the exploitation phase the Soviet air force dispositions in what might be called the vast Soviet Lake Onega region is as follows:
At swamp frozen White Sea port, coast rail, and 1-cap permanent airstrip hex 2901 (Belomorsk): one SB-2bis, from the GS mission At Medvezhyegortsk’s 3-cap permanent airfield at woods Lake Onega coast rail hex 3704: one SB-2bis, from the GS mission; one transferred I-16 At reference city Pertrozavodsk at clear terrain Lake Onega coast rail junction hex 4305, w/ a 3-cap permanent airfield: the two vintage SB-2s from the airfield bombing mission and a transferred I-16 At start 3-cap permanent airfield at Lake Ladoga coast road USSR hex 4608: one I-16/t17, a transferred I-153, and the transferred R-10.
Per the AWW Soviet OB, presumably in the initial phase, the Soviet player this turn “flip[s] any one Corps HQ to its regular stacking side.” In the SoS NTO Study game the Soviets do just this to the 3rd Inf XXX marker already on-map at woods rail hex 4716 in the unit crowded Karelian Isthmus zone. Now, per Rules 8C and 38H2a-Reduced Stacking, units in the 3rd Inf XXX marker box can regular stack per Rule 8A1-Stacking Limit: Regular. By the end of the exploitation phase the 3rd Inf XXX marker box for the 3rd Inf XXX marker on-map at hex 4716 in Finland contains the three 5-6 Inf XXs 24, 70, and 100; the two Eng IIIs 7 and 8; the 1-8 Pltcl Pol III 3; the 4-2-8 Art X LVO, and the 3-2-8 Art X 7.
At G. of Finland clear terrain coast rail border hex 4816 in Finland are the 4-6 Inf XX 43, the reinf 9-6 Art XX 1, the 1-6 Eng III 9, the Pltcl Pol III 2, and a pos flk factor. At rearwards USSR woods border hex 4814 are the 4-6 Inf XX 138, the 1-6 Lt AA III 7, the 2-0-6 Siege Art X LVO, and the two 2-6 Art Xs 1 and 3. At G. of Finland clear terrain coast rail border hex 4815 in Finland are the 4-8 Mot Inf XX 25, the 3-2-8 Arm X 39, the *1-2-8 Mot MG X 50, and the two 2-6 Art Xs 19 and 50.
At the center of the Soviet front line in the Karelian Isthmus zone, at woods hex 4715 in Finland are the two 4-6 Inf XXs 4 and 75, the two 3-2-6 [Heavy] Arm Xs 35 and 40, and a pos flk unit. At USSR Lake Ladoga coast border hex 4713 are the two 4-6 Inf XXs 41 and 90. At Finnish woods rail border hex 4714 are the two 4-6 Inf XXs 52 and 123, the 2-6 Art 34, and a pos flk unit. The rest of the Soviet Karelian Isthmus forces are at 4813, at three Leningrad hexes (including this turn’s new resource point, the 0-1-8 Bdr III 4, the two Nvl Trps IIIs), and Kronshtadt.
The 3-6 Inf XX 150 and the 1-8 Cav III 5 advance across the frozen sea ice to the Gulf of Finland Finnish sea isle of Tytar at 4820; I believe this is the maximum limit of their regular supply line to the Soviet rail net at 5118.
The two reinf 3-6 Inf XXs 33 and 62 admin move six hexes from Leningrad along the Murmansk railway to Murmansk railway hex 5009 on the southern shores of Lake Ladoga.
Late in the exploitation phase the Soviet air force launches another big terror bombing raid against Helsinki (4526) with six SB-2bis A types and the DB-3b, the DB-3t, and the DB-3m B types, all based in the Leningrad-Kronshtadt zone. One SB-2bis is aborted by Helsink’s two pos flk factors. After doing the terror bombing die rolls against Helsinki, the Soviets score one terror bombing hit.
By the end of the exploitation phase the deployment of the Soviet air units in the Leningrad-Kronshtadt-Tallinn region is as follows:
Tallinn (4816): one 1-153, one conversion I-16/t18 Kronshtadt (4916): an I-153, the two R-5Sh’s, and the DB-3m Leningrad NE partial city hex 4914: one 1-16, one 1-16/t10, and one I-16/t17 Leningrad central full city hex 5014: three SB-2bis’ East Leningrad partial city hex 5013: two SB-2bis’ SW Leningrad partial city hex 5115: the DB-3b SE Leningrad partial city hex 5114: the DB-3t.
Using 4X6 index cards and an assortment of colored perma markers and highlighters, homemade SoS NTO Scenario Finnish and Soviet Union Game Charts are made with boxes for their respective Replacement Pool, Aborted Air Units, and Eliminated Air Units, as evidently neither the AWW nor the SoS game box kits provide any.
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