Chapter 1: Nocturnal Moles
September 22, 0200 hours.
After half an hour of shore bombardment in preparation for the infantry assault, elements of the 3rd Marines from the cruiser Krasnyi Kavkaz begin to land near Grigorievka. Meet our merry band of Mole Poppers as they head towards the shore.
Hey guise, I heard that German aircraft sunk the FROONZ earlier.
The what?
It's our voice acting getting in the way again. He means Frunze.
Oh, I see.
[
Through intercom] Are you Comrades ready?
I'm hearing voices again!
No you're not, you idiot. I'm talking over the wireless.
I see! But Comrade General Secretary, to what do we owe the honor?
Just listen to my instructions. Tonight's mole popping must be absolutely flawless, and I intend to oversee every last detail of the operation.
Yes, Sir!
All in all we have three squads of naval infantry to begin the scenario with. They lack heavy weapons of any description and are armed with a mix of submachine guns, rifles, light machine guns and a flamethrower or two.
Up ahead are a number of Romanian trenches that are being ineffectually assaulted by naval infantry, despite the ongoing shore bombardment. The trench directly ahead of us has two heavy machineguns and is supported by two mortar teams in the rear.
We spread our mole poppers into three groups, two of which will lay down suppressive fire whilst the third group, on the left, will sneak around the unguarded flank.
Leaping from the bushes, our men rush the flank of the trench with grenades and submachine guns, silencing the first machinegun nest!
With the advantage of enfilade fire, mopping up the remaining Romanians in the trench becomes a trivial matter.
Nevertheless, their mortar teams in the rear remain. Whilst two of our squads man the trenches, a third squad advances to silence the enemy mortars.
(Romanian fascist troops manning a Stokes-Brand 60mm mortar. Note the silly helmets)
With the defenders down, the prize is two Stokes Brandt 60mm mortars.
With the trench cleared, two additional squads of naval infantry are landed on the coast as reinforcements.
The mirth of the attackers is cut short, however, by the clatter of tank tracks pounding the ground! Swiftly reacting to the assault, elements of the 9th cavalry lead an armored counter-attack on the left flank of the recently captured trenches. It seems that the mortars will have to be abandoned as our men leap for cover in the trenches, faced with the clunky but deadly interwar tanks.
(R2 tank)
We're caught in the open without any anti-tanks support! Fall back!
Wait!
What?
There is an anti-tank rifle in one of those ammunition crates. Grab it before you go.
You're right! This will come in handy.
Gotta love meta-game information.
Supported by armor, Romanian infantry attempts to swarm the trench through sheer numbers, putting a lot of pressure on the Soviet left flank.
Meanwhile, Romanian R2 and captured T-26 tanks advance towards the right flank, threatening to squeeze the Red Marines in a deadly embrace!
One T-26 ventures too near the lines in an attempt to enfilade the defenders. One well-placed shot from the anti-tank rifle managed to pierce its thin skin, knocking it out of commission!
On the other side, the Marines gave way to the Romanian infantry, allowing them to capture the left flank whilst taking up advantageous positions in a communications trench, allowing them to enfilade fire on any attackers.
The attackers' fate was sealed as the two reinforcement squads moved up, effectively surrounding them. The remaining infantrymen were mopped up without much difficulty.
There remained the problem of enemy armor, however. A number of enemy tanks had managed to reach the last strongpoint that stood in the way between the landing force and Grigorievka, adding their firepower to that of the artillery and heavy machineguns in place. Assaulting the tanks in the open would be folly. It was therefore decided to snipe the enemy tanks, one by one, with the anti-tank rifle, crawling within effective range and aiming for weakspots.
With the first tank destroyed, a squad was moved into the adjacent, unmanned enemy trench, from which the anti-tank gunner could take aim at the next enemy vehicle.
A relatively distant R2 from a bad angle proved to be a tough nut to crack; however, a lucky hit to the ammunition magazine provided spectacular results.
(Knocked out R2)
Having accomplished their dangerous mission, the Pop-a-Tank squad got some well-deserved rest in an advanced trench whilst the next phase of the assault was planned.
The last enemy redoubt was a formidable obstacle, protected by anti-aircraft guns, 75mm Schneider field guns and heavy machineguns, as well as one last remaining tank. An unsupported frontal assault would spell doom for our small force.
(Romanian troops manning a 75mm Schneider field gun)
Fortunately, with the coast clear, the marines were able to reclaim the captured Stokes-Brandt mortars
Firing from cover, the mortars began to soften up the Romanian defenses, silencing the enemy guns in preparation for the coming assault.
(Soviet Marines manning a light mortar)
Taking advantage of the confusion in the enemy ranks, two squads of infantry successfully took up positions in the first row of enemy trenches, dispatching the opposition with grenades and providing them with an excellent field of fire on the last remaining enemy guns.
With the capture of the enemy Vickers heavy AA gun, the Romanian fascists finally lost heart and took to their heels, retreating towards the village and abandoning an intact T-26 tank in their flight. This was a bit of luck, as the vehicle would certainly come in handy on the following day.
With the first objective secured, the assault against the village would be resumed on the following morning.
Well done, Comrades. The operation so far has been a complete success, completing the objectives on time and causing grievous material damage to the enemy. And with zero casualties, no less!
When will we be assaulting the village, Comrade?
The 157th Rifle Division will be attacking the enemy along the Odessa-Bierezovka Railroad today at 0640 hours. This will create a diversion and prevent the enemy from bringing up further reinforcements. I have given the order to your commanding officer to launch the assault from the outskirts of the village at 0800 hours.
What will our objectives be?
To capture the village, of course, but especially to silence any artillery and anti-aircraft artillery that may prevent the arrival of further reinforcements to the area. Unfortunately, Krasnyi Kavkaz will not be able to support you tomorrow, as I have decided to restrict daylight operations in the light of what happened to the PHROONZ -- I mean, the Frunze. The vessel will therefore be returning to its base at Sevastopol now that it has finished unloading.
The enemy showed their true worth today. So what if we lack artillery support? They will be pushed back regardless.
That's the spirit! Now try to get some shuteye before the assault begins. Success tomorrow will determine the fate of the operation.
(To be continued...)
Got to say that I really like seeing this sort of err...'low-tech' action? Infantry, armored vehicles and a few light tanks.
