The
Toropets-Kholm
Offensive
January 9, 1942
Following the expulsion of the Germans from the area around Moscow, the
Stavka have are quick to put another plan into action. The operation targeted the area south of Lake Ilmen, with the aim of destroying Wehrmacht forces inside the Soviet Union. The Germans thought these areas to be quiet, and had no idea that both Soviet army and partisans behind enemy lines were surrounding them in the night.
In the rural towns of Toropets and Kholm, a vicious battle played out. Assaulted from all directions at 04:00, the German defenders put up a powerful resistance, but were eventually pushed back. In Kholm, the defending Wehrmacht took several strategic buildings, as they were greatly outnumbered. Soon, they were cut off from German supply lines. After that, a series of daring air drops were made to supply the embattled German troops and keep them fighting.
This is the story of the critical flash points in Novgorod Oblast at this pivotal point in the war, specifically the battle for Kholm. Brave Russian soldiers and partisans band together to push the Nazi scum from their beloved Motherland. Yet the Germans are not easily beaten, and have their own resolve to hold out until reinforcements can arrive. Only one thing is certain: blood will flow.
Campaign Rules
The campaign is set up much the same as our last
Flames of War campaign: There are two teams (U.S.S.R and Germany), and any number of games may be played with players simply selecting an allegiance when they join the campaign.
Influence is tallied for each month of the campaign. The final campaign scores will be determined by averaging each team's Influence score from each month. The commanders of the team with the highest Influence average over all three months will be heralded as the Wargate's 2013 Supreme Commanders!
In addition to the normal rules, the following rules apply during each of the three phases:
- Attacks in the Night - During the first round, all games may be played with the Night Fighting rules for the entire game. Roll a D6 at the start of the game, before deployment. On a 3+, that game is a Night Fight.
- Struggle for the Boiler - In the second round, a large building is always placed in the center of the table first, irrespective of scenario and before any other terrain.
- Air Supply - During the third round, for any game with an objective, add another objective to the table. This objective is the air drop. It is placed in the center of the table and scatters 2d6 in a random direction.
Campaign Updates
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| Final Scores - 12/29/13 |
- (10.6.13) - The first signs of trouble begins to brew as the Germans hunker down in what they believe is a quiet zone on the front. Russian troops move into position around Kholm secretly and efficiently and begin to prepare for a coordinated attack on the Germans.
- (10.20.13) - A quickly prepared German defensive manages to pin down the Volga Kommandos near some farms outside Kholm. The resulting firefight sees the Russian gun batteries that had been moved into position to support the attack lost to the German counter-offensive.
- (10.20.13) - Encircled, the Germans attempt to link up with mobile reserves scouting the perimeter of Kholm. However, a combined effort by Soviet infantry and armor results in most of the German reinforcements being destroyed, and the surviving grenadiers flee back into the town.
- (10.27.13) - A strike in the night by the 6th Guards armor sees the Germans hemmed into the town of Kholm. During the following day, Kommandos and Grenadiers brawl in a protracted battle that ended with the Soviets pushed from the town proper.
- (11.3.13) - The Germans inside Kholm manage to conduct a successful counterattack on the armored Soviet formations by cunningly arranging their artillery along the main road. Supplies begin to roll into the city.
- (11.10.13) - A massive combined force of Heer troops attempt to push out of Kholm once again to link up with advancing German lines. The Soviet armor and riflemen do their best to approach the edge of the village where the biggest guns are, but the collapse of command due to the German shelling makes a coordinated effort impossible and the Soviets back off.
- (11.17.13) - As the battle for the boiler continues, a small force of North Volga Kommandos advance to take the German gun emplacements the Heer moved up to the perimeter. The attack was stalled when the Grenadiers took a large building and repelled the Soviet advance.
- (11.24.13) - The Germans are hemmed in around the Boiler, and there is no retreat against the Soviet armored spearheads that simply drive through their fortified lines with minimal losses.
- (12.1.13) - The motostrelkovy batalons lurking near the village rush to close off German supply lines. They attempt another counterattack, but the better armed Guards motostrelkovy find themselves in a more commanding position and force the German platoons to fall back into the city.
- (12.8.13) - On what has become one of the most grueling days of the conflict, the Soviet leaders reconvene in an effort to solve the problem of the newly arrived Luftwaffe support for the German forces inside Toropets. The Soviet ground forces hem the Germans in, but with the guns entrenched and air drops flying in food and ammunition, the Germans hold their ground for most of the day. When the Soviet forces mass together, they are finally able to secure one of the air drops - making sure that the Germans will be hard pressed to counter the next offensive.
- (12.15.13) - The North Volga Kommandos press the Grenadiers hard during the first part of the day, securing victory and paving the way for a much larger assault. However, as Soviet tank forces push into the gun positions a heavy toll is exacted, and the massed Soviet assault is crushed as massive German infantry reserves reach the front line.
- (12.22.13) - Soviet tank forces bust through a thinly guarded front and push several gun crews out of position, paving the way for motostrelkovy to move in and grab the dropped supplies. Even though SS elements were nearby, their late arrival to the battle prevented them from stopping the Soviets from taking the ground!
- (12.29.13) - Motostrelkovy detachments outside Kholm perform a pincer maneuver on a section of Grenadiers moving to secure another air supply drop. Their prize taken from them, the fell back towards the town and attempt to block the Soviet breakthrough. In the final push of the battle, a combined Soviet force of armor and infantry secure a large section of the road outside Kholm, destroying a large German force positioned to defend it.
The Germans take a narrow victory this year! It was truly a hard fought battle, and even though the Russians fought hard and took a lot of ground in the last round, it was too little, too late (but only just)! Now, the Germans have the upper hand - and that hand is clenching tighter with every campaign on the throat of Mother Russia!
Accepting the title for
Flames of War champion 2013 for his team is Jerry Wargate, pictured with his buddy Skully Skullivan to the left. For the next year, Jerry has the right to be called
Supreme Commander
of the Wargate's World War II forces! Until Season 6 next year, we'll be forced to watch in awe as the wehrmacht cruises through the Russian lines! All is not lost, however - for now the Germans will have not only Mother Russia, but General Winter to deal with their scrawny hides!
I hope everyone had as much fun with the campaign as we Russian players did (and we lost)! Everyone's growing enthusiasm for what seems to be the favored son of the new wave of wargames is encouraging. More campaigns for Flames of War are on the horizon, and expansion beyond the mid-war battles of the Eastern Front is also on the agenda. For now, however - the Germans and Russians will have two campaigns in 2014, so break out that winter clothing and dig in. It's going to be long, long winter.
