Bolt Action - Game Report 17

Meeting Engagement – Operation Southern Cross I 1946

Introduction

The South Coast Series event at the BIC in Bournemouth included a Bolt Action competition, an ideal opportunity for me to take a force into battle once again. We knew it was going to be well organised and great fun as Michael Smith was a significant contributor to the organisation of the event.

The force level was set at 1250 points and the advice we were given that the lists would not be vetted for competitiveness, but would be reviewed to make sure they were legitimate. It was not until battle was joined that I learnt what this meant. I decided to field my Soviets. The other point was that the nature of my potential opponents certainly stretched my imagination in these battle reports!

The first scenario was the Meeting Engagement.

Situation

After the joint Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941 the situation in the country stabilised it ensured that the communications and resupply route from the Persian Gulf to the Soviet Union for lend lease aid of war material to the Soviet Union was protected. Agreements were made at the time that would ensure that once victory against the axis had been achieved both the British and Soviet forces would withdraw.

However, in the event the Politburo decided to remain, the prize was too great to abandon. Soviet intelligence reported that the Iranian government had called on the British forces to help remove Soviet Forces. Indications were that the British were assembling a force of veteran troops fresh from fighting the Japanese to confront the us. The Divisional Commander had been ordered by the Politburo to advance and throw the British out of Iran.

Enemy Forces

Our forward scouts detected that the British had assembled a partially mechanised force with a light tank. It seems that the force being sent to try and force our removal was derived from British colonial troops from Nepal.

Friendly Forces

Captain Gleb Paskarov 4th Coy, 1075 Rifle Regt was given command; his first battle command and a novice to combat operations. He had under command Senior Lieutenant Alexey Nofkirov commanding 1st Pl, whose core troops from his platoon were in three sections made up from conscripts with no battle experience. 4th Coy was supported by a T34-85 with its tank rider squad, a scout car for recon, a ZIS-3, a sniper team, three tank hunter teams, and a battalion mortar for support. The Artillery Battalion provided an observer. Division had placed the Scout Squad under his command for the operation.

Mission

4 Coy is to advance to contact and defeat the enemy in sector, in order to allow follow on forces to secure the regimental initial objective.

Battle Report

In the centre Lt Nofkirov led a section forward to support the scouts who had forward deployed. They had already come under fire from enemy infantry to their front and needed support.

The goal being to neutralise the high ground to the left and right of the wooded area being used by enemy spotters.

On the left Capt Paskarov led forward the other infantry sections to clear the hills and support the forward deployed tank hunter team.

A similar tank hunter team deployed forward on the right. Two Bren carriers advanced at speed and were engaged by a panzerfaust from the tank hunter team. A hit and the enemy from both vehicles dismounted. The enemy, Gurkha paratroopers, closed to assault the tank hunter team but were destroyed at the point of the Soviet bayonet. The other enemy infantry then rallied and attacked and overwhelmed the gallant Soviet defenders. Sgt Malikov was made a posthumous Hero of the Soviet Union for his gallant action and bravery.

Meanwhile the left tank hunter team did not perform as nobly, they failed to destroy the enemy transport with their Panzerfaust and were pinned down by enemy fire. Capt Paskarov tried to bring the supporting infantry forward to stop the enemy flanking manoeuvre.

In the centre the Scout squad was destroyed before it could assault the hill. Lt Nofkirov committed the tank riders to a dismounted assault against the hill. They managed to secure the hill top and overran the sniper position, but were unable to exploit quickly enough to destroy the forward observer.

On the left the tank hunters in the hut had been overwhelmed and massacred by the Gurkhas. Moments later their supporting Gurkhas launched an assault with their blades against the infantry defending the high ground and destroyed them. These two attacks successfully then led to two further attacks down our flank overrunning first the ZIS-3 and then the second LMG squad. Captain Paskarov narrowly avoided being massacred as well.

Outcome

A victory for the Colonial Forces. The assaults by the colonial native warriors were fearsome to behold!