February crept up on my quickly this year. While the scenario for February has been ready for a while now, I was stuck in Midland, TX for the past week and arrived home only today. Normally, I like to submit the new scenario on the first day of the month. But old man winter and his icy ways derailed me and left me working from a hotel room for the past four days. I was certainly glad to be home after a long drive.
I would get back home at 4:00 PM and then Dan and I would play a quick game at 5:00 PM. We played Schwerpunkt Scenario SP229 The Devil's Congregation. While, it doesn't seem to be a fair fight, we both enjoyed the scenario. But that has left me burning the midnight oil to get this post out.
This month's scenario would come from this excellent volume on SS Panzer-Aufklaerungs- Abteilung 11. This would be the second scenario that has come from this particular book.
I came across an interesting set of paragraphs regarding a failed attempt by the Soviets to land troops behind the German front at Narva. Funny how these kinds of landings seemed to have failed everyone that tried them during the war, with Anzio being perhaps the greatest example. And if memory serves, Patton made a similar attempt during the Sicily campaign, which also led to a great loss of life for no appreciable gain.
Russian General Leonid Govorov of Leningrad Front had determined to make a landing in the Gulf of Finland behind the Germans at Narva. Govorov ordered the 260th Independent Naval Infantry Brigade to make the amphibious assault into the rear of the Germans in Narva. The 260th was an elite unit specially trained for this type of assault. Twenty-six vessels would transport the 260th and land it several kilometers behind the German lines at the town of Merekula. But successful Estonian counterintelligence had predicted just such an attack and the Germans had prepared a defense. The Soviet Marines would land directly in front of German coastal artillery batteries emplaced specifically to repel just such a landing. Attempts to move up the beach and move inland into the town of Merekula were repulsed by counterattacking German and Estonian units. The Nordland grenadiers would contribute their SPW’s and a platoon of Schwimmwagens to the effort. After seven hours of hard fighting, the 517 troops of the 260th Independent Naval Brigade had been annihilated.
Sounds like a super fun scenario for the Russian Player...land in front of German heavy guns and get wiped out. Who wouldn't want to play that?? Well, me for one. I've never been a fan of slaughter scenarios. So, this scenario attempts to game the attempts by the Soviet survivors to push inland and secure a bridgehead that could be reinforced. On the German side, SS recon troops will hastily move to interdict the Soviet movement off the beach and therefore destroy any bridgehead. There will be a lot of movement in this scenario and buildings will trade hands throughout the battle.
With any luck this scenario will give both players a flavor of that tragic February day that resulted in so many Soviet casualties.
As always, these monthly "Basement Quality" Scenarios are offered for fun only and as a thank you to the readers of this blog.
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All Grumble Jones scenarios are available from the ASL Archive website.
(Just search on Grumble Jones)
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