Posts Tagged Hakkaa Päälle

3 results.
Apr07

162 Armored Car Savikurki

by Rindis on April 7, 2019 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: ASL

Patch and I decided to go back to the Finns for our next ASL game, which led to us selecting 162 “Armored Car Savikurki” from Hakkaa Päälle. During the Winter War, a small group of Finnish troops (4 squads), aided by a single armored car, is trying to break out to their own lines, blocked by seven squads of Russians. The Finns have winter camouflage (though ranges are a bit short for it to matter), and the Russians suffer from Early War Doctrine, which only means that conscripts suffer a automatic -1 to CC attacks against them.

The Russians are mixed 1st Line and Conscripts, with a Commissar and a 7-0, LMG and HMG. The Finnish 648s enter on the first turn, with the AC following on turn two with a 9-1 AL. They have seven turns to get across half of board 42 and exit 5 EVP (other than the AC or its crew), which isn’t much, and yet is over half their force. I had the defending Russians, and set up a loose line to try and delay the Finns as much as possible. I mostly covered the more open southern route which wouldn’t hamper the AC as much. The north is all woods with a clearing and a single road, and got two conscript squads to hold things up until I might redeploy to cover it. Also, the HMG was in the back as a second line, and placed to fire straight down the road deep into woods. I nearly put the boresight in T9, but decided I was more worried about him avoiding that obvious shot, and put it in V4.

Patch came in on the north route, and his third move put him into T9. The HMG fired down the road (Patch: ‘Did not even think about that. :P’), for a NMC which he passed. His last move gave me an un-Hindered shot from U8, which revealed to do a 1MC which he failed.


Situation, Finnish Turn 1.
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Feb22

174 Lagus Assault Guns

by Rindis on February 22, 2017 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: ASL

After a bit of a delay, Tom Arnold and I got together for another Vassal ASL game, this time with a scenario from the recent Hakkaa Päälle. The Russians have taken the offensive in Finnland in mid-’44 and are back to trying to break the defenses that stopped them in the Winter War.

In this scenario, the Russians enter with eight squads (split between 1st line and elite rifle squads), a couple leaders, a HMG, a T34/85, a SU-152, and a IS-2, and then get six squads of (628) assault engineers with a couple FTs and DCs on turn two. The Finns defend with ten 648 1st line squads, a MMG, hero, PSK, two Sturmis (StuG IIIs in Finnish service), and a 81mm MTR. They’re actually in two groups, but one setup area is just a subset of the other. One squad equivalent gets HIP, and the Finns get to assign two of their available PFs to any unit(s) they wish (probably the hero, but one each to the hero and best leader seems like a good idea). The Russians have seven turns to either take 5 of 7 buildings in the board 17 village, or get 5 squads (not squad-equivalents) and two AFVs past a ‘finish line’ that lies behind the village.

Tom had the defending Finns and set up a defense scattered along his setup line. Interestingly, he used all his available Dummies (6) as large “?”, giving me five possible locations for his two Sturmis. It looks like the normal approach is along the west flank, going through some cover, and driving right at the village where there’s some open ground for the AFVs to operate. I decided to go on the east flank, in the board 32 woods, and try to drive for the goal before he could get everyone to focus on me. Better yet, there’s a nice gap at the beginning of the path that leads towards the village. By securing that, I can keep him uncertain as to which way I’m going. In fact, if he puts too much in front of me, I can switch goals in a hurry. Patch was by while I was setting up, looked things over, and had much the same idea, which was neat.

My initial advance had the two T-34s, covered by a pair of squads, holding my west flank. The main drive went up the 32A5 road, seizing the initial groups of houses for some cover. Tom only made one attack, revealing two full squads at the ‘gap’, and broke two squads who were armored assaulting up the road, while pinning a leader. I put acqusitions on the two squads, and on 17X2.


Situation, Russian Turn 1. North is to the left; the red circle is where the victory buildings are (two are covered by Finnish “?”), and the dashed line is what the Russians need to cross. As usual, green is movement, blue is advance, and red is routs.
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Oct31

161 Arctic Crossroads

by Rindis on October 31, 2016 at 1:00 pm
Posted In: ASL

For our latest ASL game, Patch and I decided to try out the first scenario in Hakkaa Päälle. “Arctic Crossroads” is an unusual scenario in multiple ways. First, it’s happening in the polar night/dawn, and instead of the usual LV that might imply, the scenario has you use a subset of the Night rules, with no cloaking, or straying, or jitter fire, but there is a permanent 4-hex NVR that keeps things isolated. Also, it uses the new light woods terrain, where woods are a Hindrance rather than an obstacle to LOS. Moreover, they’re only +1/per hex instead of the normal +2.

As to the actual forces involved, the Finns start with seven squads, with a couple of MGs defending a couple ART that the Russians are trying to capture. (They also have a fairly nasty .30-cal AA mount with 8 IFE.) The Russians have eighteen squads, but look like something out of the original Squad Leader, with only three leaders, none of which is better than 8-0, with a MMG, a couple of LMG, and a light MTR (with a minimum range of 3 hexes, and max sighting is generally 4…). Overall, the Finns (who can self-rally) have better leadership, and the Russians are only ELR 2. On turn 4 (of 10) the Finns get another seven squads (with a HMG towed along on the new Akhio), which should enter behind the advancing Russians. The Russians need to end the scenario on turn 9 with 12 EVP past the setup line for the ART, and can get 3 extra VP for each one whose Location they Control.

I had the Russians and started out trying to set up on the wrong side of the board (I didn’t notice that the setup area excluded the edge where the Finns later come in). I then set to advance down the middle of board 17, with woods and brush on the flanks, but clear terrain in the center. I tried to force the extreme east flank of Patch’s line, but but his first shot was a 2KIA to eliminate my first squad. My second move generated a PTC that I passed, but it activated his Sniper who then broke the squad. The third squad broke to a NMC.

My fourth squad passed a 1MC. By that point, however, it was obvious I wouldn’t be forcing my way close to anything. I started lining up at and just beyond extreme visual range (4 hexes), and lost another HS to residual (and then the remainder disrupted on a HoB), and then another squad to further fire.

161-1r
Situation, Russian Turn 1, showing the full board. North is to the left.
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