After finishing “Taking the Left Tit“, Martin proposed trying a scenario from the recent Swedish Volunteers pack. I had kind of planned to delay until the MMP-style counters got into VASL, but agreed, and went with one of Martin’s proposals: Absolut Markajarvi.
The Swedes are holding part of the line late in the Winter War (about three days before it ended), and are attacked while some engineers are busy laying wire in front of the line. The Swedes get five squads, a HMG, and an 81mm MTR to defend the board 52 woods, with another two (green) squads, 6+1, and two hexes of wire out in front. On turn two, two squads and a 9-2 enter by the road on either end of board 52. The Russians have twelve squads, HMG, and OBA on board 50. Another squad and a half is out front on board 44 (with three overlays that open things up a bit more by replacing one farm with brush, another with orchards and woods, and the third is out of play), having just run into the engineers. The Russians have five and a half turns to get 10 VP worth of units into the board 52 woods (note, it doesn’t matter what shape they’re in… they just have to be in the woods…).
I took the Swedes, and had the challenge of setting up across most of a board to prevent the Russians from just running in. I put the MTR towards one edge, and the HMG towards the other, and the wire went near some of the only cover on board 44. The forward Russians set up on either side of the engineers, and encircled them first thing (though without result). Then, Martin went for a human wave.
A logical enough move, but I hadn’t really thought of it, so it rattled me a bit. It also took a bit of re-reading, and checking of the basic concepts. Thankfully, deep snow helped slow them down, and I had little I could fire. The engineers actually got a 1MC as the HW ended, but the squad passed. I revealed my MTR, but missed a second stand of trees for the shot to be blocked. His advancing fire broke the 6+1 and one squad of the engineers, and pinned the other, wasting some later rolls that generated PTCs.
Situation, Russian Turn 1, not showing the full board (but showing the full width), nor the mass of human wave movement. North is to the left, deep snow and extreme winter are in effect.
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