The Borders Are Burning

THE BORDERS ARE BURNING

Converted from Squad Leader Scenario 22.

KUHMO, FINLAND, November 30, 1939:  Along the Karelian Front, as the Soviets crossed the borders, Finnish forces executed a planned withdrawal to the Mannerheim Line.  In the north, however, the Finns were ordered to oppose the Russian advance at every opportunity.  At Kuhmo, the 54^th Russian Division led by Major General Gusevski advanced along the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road.  The 13^th Finnish Reinforced Battalion, numbering 1,200 reservists led by Lieutenant Kaariala sought to block their advance.  At 1030, a mere 9 hours after the Soviets renounced the non-aggression pact that they'd held with Finland for years, the lead Russian elements encountered the Finns in their prepared positions.

Objective:  The Soviets have 15 turns to exit 30 teams off the Finnish table edge.  The T-26 tanks count as 2 each.  The Finnish forces begin dug in with a pair of roadblocks, 3 minefields and 6 sections of wire.  There is Deep Snow which cuts infantry movement in half and is Difficult Going for the tanks.  The woodlands are classified as Forest (Very Difficult Going).

The battlefield:  The Finns will deploy in the woods on the left up to 20” in from the table edge.  The Soviets deploy in the center of the table (36” from the table edge.

With a roadblock and minefield set in the center of the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road, the Finns established a defense in depth in the adjacent woods.  The first line consisted of a pair of HMG’s dug in behind barbed wire.  The second line mirrored the first, with the HQ dug in next to the road to monitor the Soviet advance.  The rear line was made up of a Jaakari SMG platoon and a Jaakari Rifle platoon.  The Rifle platoon were armed with Molotov Cocktails.  To block any advance along the South Road, the Finns also placed a hidden minefield in the deep snow.

Defense in depth by the Finnish force.

To the North of the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road Lt. Kaariala placed his Tank-Hunter Platoon armed with a pair of deadly Lahti Anti-tank Rifles.  These were rare, newly developed weapons when the war broke out as standard ATR issue was the British Boys Anti-tank rifle.  A couple teams from the Rifle platoon backed them up.

The Soviets deployed a Motorstrelkovy Company in column formation on each road, each supported by a pair of Maxim HMG’s.  The company on the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road was led by a company of 5 T-26 tanks.  A Forward Observer spotting for a battery of 4 122mm Field Guns took up a position between the two roads so that he could call in fire where it was needed.

Soviet colum on the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road.

As the Soviets advanced, their artillery saturated the area with a preliminary bombardment.  The front HMG dug in closest to the road was taken out by the barrage.  Rather than leave this critical foxhole open, Kaariala sent an HMG from the second line forward to take its place.  Just as the men were setting up, they spotted the lead Soviet tanks circumventing the roadblock and grinding through the deep snow on the side of the road to avoid the landmines.

At around the same time, the Soviet column on the south road passed over the roadblock and the lead squad stumbled into the minefield, setting one off but escaping with negligible casualties.  This alerted the rest of the column of the minefield and they diverted into the deep snow on the north side of the road.

Just as they were reaching the edge of the forest, the Finnish HMG inside opened up; dropping a pair of the Soviet squads.  On the main road, a pair of tanks bogged down in the snow as the others engaged the HMG position.

The Soviet riflemen returned fire on the HMG guarding the south road and were able to neutralize it before they even reached the barbed wire obstacle.

Engaging the forward HMG position off South Road.

The Soviet infantry pushed forward into the forest only to come under fire from the HMG in the second line as they tried to navigate their way across the barbed wire.  Three more squads fell.

As the infantry on the South Road struggled, concentrated fire from the tanks took out the remaining HMG guarding the main road and the two lead tanks resumed their advance to quell any resistance before the infantry got there.  General Gusevski had issued explicit orders for the troops to stay out of the minefields and trudge around them.  As a consequence, the main column was pushing through deep snow past the stuck tanks in their bid to get around the mines in the road.

Suddenly fire erupted from the wood line on the north side of Repola-Hukkajarvi Road as the Tank Hunter teams opened up on the oncoming Soviet tanks.  The ATR’s ripped through the lead tank like it was made out of paper.

Tank Hunters celebrate their first kill.

The Commander of the tank company panicked and put his tank into reverse to back out of the beaten zone of the deadly ATR’s.  From a distance he began firing on the position while he waited for the rest of the company to dig their machines out of the snow.

The battle suddenly seemed to slow down as the Russians in the south continued to get picked off by the HMG once they cleared the barbed wire obstacle.

At the Wire

And the main column along the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road wallowed through the Deep Snow to each side of the road.

By-passing the roadblock and minefield on the main road.

During the lull, each side made some adjustments.  Lt. Kaariala realized he was a little too close to the action when the tanks came up the road and withdrew from the second line, sending the Rifle platoon with the Molotov’s up to hold the position.  They would be the next best line of defense against tanks.

On the Russian side, General Gusevski realized that daylight was fading and he was running out of time.  He sent runners to each company telling them to ignore the minefield, get in the road and make haste for their objective.

The Company near the South Road had run low on ammunition as they fired blindly into the woods at the lurking HMG.  They continued to lose men as they crossed the wire into the killing zone and the white snow turned blood red.  The Forward Observer had to move up close so that he could actually see the HMG position in the woods before he could order in artillery support, but no sooner had he made visual contact with the HMG that he was gunned down by it.

Dwindling numbers confronting the HMG near the South Road.

By the time word came from the General to avoid the minefield they had already by-passed it.  More men were gunned down and morale began to break.  The Company Komissar executed some of the deserters and, brandishing his pistol, ordered the rest forward into the killing field.

On the main road, despite the orders given, the infantry were reluctant to cross the minefield and remained trudging through the snow.  2 of the 4 operational tanks remained hung up on tree stumps buried beneath the thick blanket of snow as their tracks spun helplessly.

As the early sun set, General Gusevski realized his opportunity had passed and ordered his troops to withdraw.  They’d let a single Finnish HMG and Mother Nature keep them from the day’s objective.  

AFTERMATH

The following day General Gusevski returned with 35 tanks.  With no heavy anti-tank weapons, Lt. Kaariala withdrew his troops back into the deep forest and the 54th Division continued its drive along the road.