Welcome to The Borscht Wars -- a fun, (hopefully) fast-paced CM Black Sea campaign of a war between two fictional, small former Soviet Republics (somewhere along, say, The Black Sea coast): The People's Republic of Chomsk and... The Kurgan Democratic Republic.
The always uneasy relationship between the two countries reached a flashpoint about a decade ago with the discovery of oil and gas fields in the disputed border region along the Drashina River valley, centred on the border town Derashnaya, which escalated into
a series of short, sharp military clashes.
A UN-sponsored ceasefire created a neutral, demilitarised zone around Dereshnaya with a revenue sharing put in place with outside oil companies given licenses to do the drilling.
Mutual allegations of graft and corruption over the last few years, have soured relations once a gain between Chomsk and Kurgan and tensions in the multi-ethnic Dereshnaya demilitarised zone have added fuel to the fire, and both sides have placed their regular military forces and border units on high alert.
Under the pretext of "securing the rights of the Kurgan peoples", a clique of nationalist military officers have taken over virtual control of the Kurgan Republic's government, and the commander of the Kurgan Army's Black Star Battalion has launched a small pre-emptive invasion into the demilitarised zone, taken over Dereshnaya and attacking the Chomsk National Guard border guard post on the western side of Dereshnaya.
The Chomsk government issues an immediate ultimatum to Kurgan to pull back its forces, but this is ignored. As the armies and air units on both sides go on a war footing and reserves are called up ... the fuse is lit and hostilities escalate as more and more units are sucked into the fighting...
The battles in this campaign are fought out in CM Black Sea by reinforced company-sized units on medium-sized maps (2km x 2km). Each map hex represents about 5x5km approximate -- the CM battle map will represent a critical sector of the map where the actual fighting is going on. Each TURN on the strategic map represents an 8 hour period -- MORNING, AFTERNOON and a NIGHT turn.
I am thinking of both sides issuing orders simultaneously and I as DM will play them out and then set up the CM battles.
There will be limited FOW -- enemy units will be easily spotted and identified, but exact strengths etc will be estimates and based on battle post-mortems.
It's the height of one of the hottest summers in years -- so it's dry, dusty and all the rivers are running low... so plenty of fording points everywhere.
The terrain is mostly flat rural, with some forested and rolling hills (nothing like CMFI Italian hills)
The CHOMSK armies will be using Ukrainian kit and units... the KURGAN armies Russian kit and units (most of it not top of the line)
Below the order of battle of the two sides.... core units are combined arms Battalion Task Groups -- either Tank-focused, BMP mech infantry or BTR mech infantry.
Each side has FOUR regular standing army battalions and TWO reservist battalions which will mobilise once hostilites commence.
(there is an optional third reservist motor rifle battalion for each side -- will see how full the map will get)
There are also independent support units:
Tunguska Air Defence platoons
ATGM vehicle platoons
Ground attack helicopters
Ground attack aircraft
I am thinking of adding in three BRIGADE headquarters for each side (2 regular, one reserve)
Samples of available units:
(thinking of dropping the Engineer platoons as I can't really think of too many functions for them)
Main combat formations are combined arms units: the Tank Battalion Tactical Group, The Mech Infantry Battalion Tactical Group (BMP or BTR), the counters represent company-sized combat units and smaller HQ, artillery/mortar batteries and platoon-sized support units attached to each Btn Tactical Group.
Three main combat units are:
1. Tank Company - 3 Tank platoons (10 tanks total), 1 BMP infantry platoon
2. BMP Company - 3 Mech infantry platoons, 1 tank platoon (either 3 or 4 tanks)
3. BTR Company - 3 Mech infantry platoons, 1 heavy weapons platoon, 1 tank platoon (either 3 or 4 tanks)
UNIT COUNTERS IN DETAIL:
The colour outline refers to the parent Battalion size unit
For simplicity sake, with the prevelance of similar vehicles, all units will have the same movement points.
CASUALTIES
1. Tanks - unit tanks losses are counted individually and the number is adjusted on the counter after each battle (disabled or abandoned tanks are considered recovered by the side in control of the battlefield)
2. Artillery/Mortar units - artillery batteries are usually off map. If a SP artillery unit is caught in a hex by itself by an attacking enemy company, it is considered overrun. Mortars can be placed on a map and crews can fight it out or attempt to retreat. (some Russian units have 82mm SP mortar vehicles)
3. Mech Infantry units - each strength pip on a Mech Inf unit represents a full-strength platoon. When counting casualties, vehicles and rifle platoon losses are assessed as % of total strength, added together and averaged out, rounding up or down. A units suffering more than 50% loss is considered disbanded/destroyed.
When a infantry platoon is considered destroyed/disbanded, the pip is removed from the company unit counter.
NB: ONLY the rifle platoons are considered for casualties, the company HQ units are ignored and are always considered present/replaced when a unit regroups.
Example:
A Russian BMP platoon has 3 BMP vehicles and 24 men (not counting vehicle crews)
In a battle it loses 2 BMP (66,7%) and 14 men (58,3%) ... that averages out to 62,5 % -- the platoon is disbanded.
Another platoon loses 1 BMP (33,3%) and 15 men (62,5%) ... that averages out to 47,9% -- the unit survives.
4. Support unit -- support platoons are counted in similar fashion -- will have a basic chart of all unit strengths and they will be handled in a similar fashion.
Example:
A Russian BTR grenade launcher platoon has 3 BTR vehicles and 16 men
In a battle they lose 3 BTR (100%), but only 3 men (18,8%) ... still averages out to 59,4% -- the unit is disbanded.
5. Air Defense platoons -- SAM launchers deploy on the CM battle field and are counted individually like tanks.
6. BTN HQ units can be deployed forward with fighting companies (they offer additional command and control and arty spotters and air controllers)
AIR SUPPORT
Air support (ground attack aircraft and attack helicopters) are assigned at each turn by the side's CO to a BATTALION HQ and then vectored into action when the battle is announced (or can be assigned during movement orders)
Companies in battles will always have an air controller or spotter automatically assigned if they receive arty or air support.
All aircraft losses during the CM battle are counted individually and deducted from the counters and recombined if necessary. (air support in CMBS always comes in pairs, so single aircraft can't fly missions)
Aircraft and helos will be a scarce resource that must be used judiciously by both sides)
AIR to AIR Combat
I am thinking of abstracting this out ... both sides focused on ground support. Neither side has the resources for much of any strategic bombing.
-------------------------------
Here a map with all the unit counters in place (deployments will be up to each side's CO ... looks a lot to start with, but these units will evaporate in combat quite quickly and there won't be nearly enough for continuous front lines.
(click on map image to zoom in to full size -- I made it with larger hexes than previous version to make more room for the unit counters)
The idea is for this to fun and inter-active with lots of propaganda, disinformation etc...
Campaign ends when either side is so damaged that they sue for peace or one of the capital cities are captured.
--- will update here as I work out more details and nail down the definitive rules.
The always uneasy relationship between the two countries reached a flashpoint about a decade ago with the discovery of oil and gas fields in the disputed border region along the Drashina River valley, centred on the border town Derashnaya, which escalated into
a series of short, sharp military clashes.
A UN-sponsored ceasefire created a neutral, demilitarised zone around Dereshnaya with a revenue sharing put in place with outside oil companies given licenses to do the drilling.
Mutual allegations of graft and corruption over the last few years, have soured relations once a gain between Chomsk and Kurgan and tensions in the multi-ethnic Dereshnaya demilitarised zone have added fuel to the fire, and both sides have placed their regular military forces and border units on high alert.
Under the pretext of "securing the rights of the Kurgan peoples", a clique of nationalist military officers have taken over virtual control of the Kurgan Republic's government, and the commander of the Kurgan Army's Black Star Battalion has launched a small pre-emptive invasion into the demilitarised zone, taken over Dereshnaya and attacking the Chomsk National Guard border guard post on the western side of Dereshnaya.
The Chomsk government issues an immediate ultimatum to Kurgan to pull back its forces, but this is ignored. As the armies and air units on both sides go on a war footing and reserves are called up ... the fuse is lit and hostilities escalate as more and more units are sucked into the fighting...
The battles in this campaign are fought out in CM Black Sea by reinforced company-sized units on medium-sized maps (2km x 2km). Each map hex represents about 5x5km approximate -- the CM battle map will represent a critical sector of the map where the actual fighting is going on. Each TURN on the strategic map represents an 8 hour period -- MORNING, AFTERNOON and a NIGHT turn.
I am thinking of both sides issuing orders simultaneously and I as DM will play them out and then set up the CM battles.
There will be limited FOW -- enemy units will be easily spotted and identified, but exact strengths etc will be estimates and based on battle post-mortems.
It's the height of one of the hottest summers in years -- so it's dry, dusty and all the rivers are running low... so plenty of fording points everywhere.
The terrain is mostly flat rural, with some forested and rolling hills (nothing like CMFI Italian hills)
The CHOMSK armies will be using Ukrainian kit and units... the KURGAN armies Russian kit and units (most of it not top of the line)
Below the order of battle of the two sides.... core units are combined arms Battalion Task Groups -- either Tank-focused, BMP mech infantry or BTR mech infantry.
Each side has FOUR regular standing army battalions and TWO reservist battalions which will mobilise once hostilites commence.
(there is an optional third reservist motor rifle battalion for each side -- will see how full the map will get)
There are also independent support units:
Tunguska Air Defence platoons
ATGM vehicle platoons
Ground attack helicopters
Ground attack aircraft
I am thinking of adding in three BRIGADE headquarters for each side (2 regular, one reserve)
Samples of available units:
(thinking of dropping the Engineer platoons as I can't really think of too many functions for them)
Main combat formations are combined arms units: the Tank Battalion Tactical Group, The Mech Infantry Battalion Tactical Group (BMP or BTR), the counters represent company-sized combat units and smaller HQ, artillery/mortar batteries and platoon-sized support units attached to each Btn Tactical Group.
Three main combat units are:
1. Tank Company - 3 Tank platoons (10 tanks total), 1 BMP infantry platoon
2. BMP Company - 3 Mech infantry platoons, 1 tank platoon (either 3 or 4 tanks)
3. BTR Company - 3 Mech infantry platoons, 1 heavy weapons platoon, 1 tank platoon (either 3 or 4 tanks)
UNIT COUNTERS IN DETAIL:
The colour outline refers to the parent Battalion size unit
For simplicity sake, with the prevelance of similar vehicles, all units will have the same movement points.
CASUALTIES
1. Tanks - unit tanks losses are counted individually and the number is adjusted on the counter after each battle (disabled or abandoned tanks are considered recovered by the side in control of the battlefield)
2. Artillery/Mortar units - artillery batteries are usually off map. If a SP artillery unit is caught in a hex by itself by an attacking enemy company, it is considered overrun. Mortars can be placed on a map and crews can fight it out or attempt to retreat. (some Russian units have 82mm SP mortar vehicles)
3. Mech Infantry units - each strength pip on a Mech Inf unit represents a full-strength platoon. When counting casualties, vehicles and rifle platoon losses are assessed as % of total strength, added together and averaged out, rounding up or down. A units suffering more than 50% loss is considered disbanded/destroyed.
When a infantry platoon is considered destroyed/disbanded, the pip is removed from the company unit counter.
NB: ONLY the rifle platoons are considered for casualties, the company HQ units are ignored and are always considered present/replaced when a unit regroups.
Example:
A Russian BMP platoon has 3 BMP vehicles and 24 men (not counting vehicle crews)
In a battle it loses 2 BMP (66,7%) and 14 men (58,3%) ... that averages out to 62,5 % -- the platoon is disbanded.
Another platoon loses 1 BMP (33,3%) and 15 men (62,5%) ... that averages out to 47,9% -- the unit survives.
4. Support unit -- support platoons are counted in similar fashion -- will have a basic chart of all unit strengths and they will be handled in a similar fashion.
Example:
A Russian BTR grenade launcher platoon has 3 BTR vehicles and 16 men
In a battle they lose 3 BTR (100%), but only 3 men (18,8%) ... still averages out to 59,4% -- the unit is disbanded.
5. Air Defense platoons -- SAM launchers deploy on the CM battle field and are counted individually like tanks.
6. BTN HQ units can be deployed forward with fighting companies (they offer additional command and control and arty spotters and air controllers)
AIR SUPPORT
Air support (ground attack aircraft and attack helicopters) are assigned at each turn by the side's CO to a BATTALION HQ and then vectored into action when the battle is announced (or can be assigned during movement orders)
Companies in battles will always have an air controller or spotter automatically assigned if they receive arty or air support.
All aircraft losses during the CM battle are counted individually and deducted from the counters and recombined if necessary. (air support in CMBS always comes in pairs, so single aircraft can't fly missions)
Aircraft and helos will be a scarce resource that must be used judiciously by both sides)
AIR to AIR Combat
I am thinking of abstracting this out ... both sides focused on ground support. Neither side has the resources for much of any strategic bombing.
-------------------------------
Here a map with all the unit counters in place (deployments will be up to each side's CO ... looks a lot to start with, but these units will evaporate in combat quite quickly and there won't be nearly enough for continuous front lines.
(click on map image to zoom in to full size -- I made it with larger hexes than previous version to make more room for the unit counters)
The idea is for this to fun and inter-active with lots of propaganda, disinformation etc...
Campaign ends when either side is so damaged that they sue for peace or one of the capital cities are captured.
--- will update here as I work out more details and nail down the definitive rules.
