Bessarabia Campaign has ended

The Bessarabia Campaign has been over for some time now but I haven't had the time to write about my results. This time I will make an abstract of the five last missions of the campaign and give you an idea of how they went.

Mission 6 - Escape
We were ordered to harras the Romanian flank an impose as much casualties as possible. We made some progress but lost the mission due to an armored counterattack which both stopped us and gave us some casualties. We had to withdraw.

Mission 7 - Recon
On the 7th of july we were ordered to recon our flanks and stop any Romanian we stumbled upon. We moved out in two groups reconing the area and found a small group in a building. They were swiftly dealt with and we continued our mission. Another building containing a small Romanian force fortified with a AT Gun was encountered a few hours later. Also this building was attacked.We had some casualties here but could neutrulise them and occupy the building. No more Romanians enetred our area. Mission victory.

Mission 8 - Interception
On the 8th of july our orders were to delay any Romanian advancing units that we encountered.
We moved in position and had our MMGs and 81mm MTR positioned in the middle of our sector to have good protection but also good LOS. We ere expecting Romanian tanks and that worried us as we only had our mortars and ATRs to fight them. We als hd some Batallion Oba to help.
At 10.30 we saw he first Romanians approach. They were advancing carefully and we managed to stop them. More and more Romanians entered the scen as time went by and the first Tanks appeared and moved towards our MMg and mortar nests. We got some lucky hits by the mortars and two tanks were eliminated, one burning. And then a very well placed shot by our ATR crew burned a R-35(f) Romanian tank. More bravey was showed by our infantry. They took on a LT vz 35(g) tank in Close Combat and got it eliminated. Great work. Only a small part of the Romanians managed to get by our lines.

Mission 9 - Take the Highway prolonged
We moved on the ENEMY to harras them along the highway. We found a few hidden in some buildings and they were easily taken out. As moved further along the road we found more Romanians garding some buildings and the road. They were to become more of a diffucult struggle then anticpated. The Roamnians had a well placed R-1(t) with an excellent MG gunner that picked out several of our men. We tried to move around but the time just wasn’t there. We had to withdraw. We also had big problems with our weapons that got stuck continouesly or ammunition that were duds. this missin was a great loss.

Mission 10 - Cavalry Charge
As we moved towards the Front line we were attacked by ENEMY Cavalry who charged us at full speed. We found our position to be very unfavorable so we swiftly took cover in a wooded area and could let our firepower lose on the charging cavalry. We managed to stop the charge and killed a lot of Romanians in the process. Sudently Romanian Armored support appeared so we had to withdraw to better positions. The Tanks moved passed our forces bur suppresed our firering MMGs and finaly took out them. In the meantime we managed the stop the remaining Romanian cavalry and we do consider this a success. The Romanians were stoped. Narrow victory.

In total the Russain side won the campaign by 2 points. It was great fun and I highly recomend SASL played in this manner. I gives you a lot of fun in new situations.

See you in the next GSASL campaign.

141 Russian Cavalry BTN in Bessarabia 5 - City Defence

Briefing

5 July 1941. Our orders for today was to defend the city of Bratuseni.

After Action Report

07.00 Our orders in the defence of Bratuseni was to cover the suburbs, screen and slow down the Romanian advance. We had established two defencelines to slow down the Romanians if they broke through the first line. It seams that the Romanians chosed a different way into the city at first but then there was a few units approaching, but they must have been reconing units. We had some skirmishing fights before a group of Romanians attacked a building block to the south east of our first defence line. They attacked in such a way that they must have benn berserk or something. They managed to get a long way before we could wipe them out. Our OBA support was useless today as they were canceled almost immediately. Fortunately we didn’t get that much Romanians in our sector but this could have been a disaster.





Losses: A SWT TEAM

Trophies: Captured a ATR 20L

Log details: AC=3, Romanian RE 4/5 at start, Russian RE= 5/6,

141 Russian Cavalry BTN in Bessarabia 4 - Cavalry Night Raid

Briefing
4 July 1941. Our orders for today was to make a night raid into the ENEMY lines and create a stirr up.

After Action Report
04.00 We approached the roamnian lines and were a bit behind the front line. Our scouts had discoverd to camps containing Tanks. This could be a night camp for an Armored Battalion or a depo for service of the Tanks. We devided our Capmany into two groups to be able to make a surprise attack.


At 04.15 we hit the first camp. A week sentrie force were guarding the camp and was swiftly taken out as was some tank crews trying to get to the tanks.


At 04.20 the other camp was attacked. The first base was neutrulised rather quicly and we started to get those tanks out of action. We moved the rest of the first groups forces swiftly to the second camp to assist in the attack. The second camp also had a weak defence force that was easy taken out of action. The Romanians never had a chance to counter attack and we could get to work on those tanks as well.

The job was quickly done and we could start our return at 05.00 when the light strated to show it self.



Losses: No Losses

Tanks destroyed: 4x R-35(f), 3x LT vz 35(g), 1x FT-17C(f), 1x R-1(t)

Log details: AC=3, Romanian RE 2/3 at start, Russian RE= NA,

141 Russian Cavalry BTN in Bessarabia 3 - Countermove

Briefing

3 July 1941. Our orders for today was to flank our positions and search for Romanians entering our beloved Moldavia.

After Action Report

Company diary B Rota 141 Cavalry Batalyon 176 Strelkovaya DivisiyaCommunication are reestablished with Battalion HQ. We moved in on our flank and setup positions to surprise any Romanians daring to come this way.

9.30 Our positions were taken control of. Now the Romanians are welcome to try come this way.

11.30 No Romanians yet but we can hear tanks rumbling so they must be near by.

15.00 First Romanians were spotted. A short fire fight broke out with the surprised Romanians. We took Prisoners and killed of some woods. A Romanian R-1(t) were spotted. He had obviously problem with his CMG as he stopped and tried to do something with his tank a safe distance from our weapons.

Nothing more happened as the Romanians withdrew.

Losses: None

Trophies: 20 men and an officer captured

Log details: AC=3, Romanian RE 5/6, Russian RE= 4/5,

141 Russian Cavalry BTN in Bessarabia 2 - Recon Rescue

Briefing
2 July 1941. We are to go out on a rescue mission. Elements of the 4th Infantry Btn have been cut-off and are now behind the enemy front but are attempting to get back to friendly lines. It is our objective to find them and take them back.

After Action Report
Company diary B Rota 141 Cavalry Batalyon 176 Strelkovaya Divisiya
Comunication are broken with Battalion HQ. I have sent Mladshiy Leytenant Fedorov to search for Battalion HQ an reestablish communication link. We are in the meantime trying to rescue some trapped recon units.

9.00 We moved on in from the river and started our search. We immediatly fell uppon an 47 INF Gun who oppened fire and caused a lot of time and losses. It took a lengthy fire fights and finaly concentrated fire to take the crew out. The Gun took out an AC and immobilized the other. At 11.00 we captured the Gun.

9.30 To the south Mladshiy Leytenant Suchov had little reistance and found elements of the recon unit. Together with the recon units they turned north for the other survivers of the recon Platoon.

9.50 Mladshiy Leytenant Suchov together with division Mladshiy Letenant Kratscho found more Recon units and were told were to find the last group. Mladhiy leytenant Suchov gathher a small force and went on searching. They stumbled into a minefield and lost some men but went on.

10.40 They found the gruop of the recon unit. They were wounded and slowed he retreat down.

11.30 Mladshiy Leytenant Suchov made it back and we could hear heavy Romanian Armor approaching not to far away. Huridly we turned all our forces to the east to safety.

Losses:
KIA: 2x Battalion SWT teams and Platoon commander Mladshiy Leytenant Antonovich.
MIA: 1x Battalion Crew
Eliminated: BA-6 and crew
Immobilized: BA-6 with crew (fate unknown)

Trophies: 1x 47 INF Gun, 1 x LMG

Log details: AC=3, Romanian RE 4/5, Russian RE= None,

Bessarabia Campaign 141 Cavalry Coy

The new GSASL campaign has started and here is my first AAR.

After Action Report

PREVAILING ATTITUDE: Advance

Friendly ELR: 2

Friendly SAN: 3

Friendly RE: 2/3

ENEMY ELR: 2

ENEMY SAN: 3

ENEMY RE: 6/7

ENEMY AC: 4

Russian VP: 24

Romanian VP: 12

The Romanians were attacking and our orders were to fall back to the Prut River without any significant losses in lives. As we were positioned on a woody hillside with bad sighting locations we moved backwards as fast as possible setting up small spotting nests and to put up delaying actions making the withdrawal as safe as possible. It started out good and by Turn three we had got in positions and made our first contacts with the Romanians.

We discovered some infiltrators in the area and fire fights broke out nearly encircling a part of the company. Two T34 M40 from the 188th Tank Battalion arrived and was pushed forward to help slow the Romanians down as more and more Romanian AFVs appeared. Brave Russian soldiers managed to get in some good shots with ATRs that took out an OA vz 30(t) and immobilized a LT vz 35(g).






The Romanians moved in more troops and AFVs and we had to abandon the delaying positions and move as fast as possible over the river and establish a defensive position. In the process a T60 M40 had problems and was caught up by a LT vz 35(t) and destroyed. The men in the T60 tried hard to fight back and gave their lives to the retreating men. We managed to get across and no more men were lost in fighting although a platoon leader and a squad were taken prisoners when the bridge was blown into pieces prematurely.






My company is in good shape and we are awaiting further orders from Division HQ.


Kapitan Holmquist