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

New GSASL Campaign - Bessarabia

In the next few days the playing of missions of the new GSASL Campaign - Bessarabia will have started. As the long going GSASL Campaign portraying the US Rangers ended last month Charles Kruzshak and Hans Mielants revealed that they were planning a new and much shorter Campaign. Recruiting started and now it's time to get going.

The Campaign will have Companies on both side, the Romanian and the Russian and the side with the most points at the end will be the winner. The Campaign portrays the battle in July 1941 and will end at the end of next year.

I will participate myself as both the Commander of the Russian 2nd Rifle Battalion of the 389th Rifle Regiment in the 176 Rifle Division and as the Company Commander of the B Company in the 141 Cavalry Battalion in the 176 Rifle Division. I will post AARs and reports on my blog.

To the Bessarabia Campaign Site: http://www.mielants.com/Simulation/GSASL9

2 BTN in Ruhr 3 - Flak Hunt

This was sadly the last mission with the US Rangers. Date is now 15 April 1945 and the war has almost ended. This last mission was going to be a tough one, clearing the town of Darmstadt. Lots of houses was supposed to house a lot of Flak Guns. Lots of intense house fighting to be expected.

After Action Report

PREVAILING ATTITUDE: Hold
Friendly ELR: 4
Friendly SAN: 2
Friendly RE: 4/5

ENEMY ELR: 1
ENEMY SAN: 5
ENEMY RE: 2/3
ENEMY AC: 2


Darmstadt houses a lot of Flak that annoys our Air Force. We are to move in and clear the city. The Germans have low moral but could stubbornly fight back and slow our progress down. We intend to move carefully and clear building by building not spreading out to much.

We moved towards the VPO and met first resistance. It was swiftly taken out and the first Gun was captured. Next we approached the VPO with the main force while half of Bravo Company moved in a north westerly direction to scout out the buildings block by block. Approaching the first VPO we got a leader in Alpha company KIAd by sniper fire.

We then moved in on the first VPO building and the boys started to fight for the control. The Germans resisted well but we managed to get the VPO section by section. The Germans really gave us a hard time an the progress was slow. Room by room had to be fougt for but the Germans surrendered group by group. Only fear kept them from surrendering directly. The Nazi propaganda had made its way but war tiredness finaly got the better out of them.

After securing the VPO we moved further out in the city to look for more Flak. The VPO housed two and there were more to be captured. When the game ended we had cleared pretty much a third of the city and more Flaks were out of action. It was a close one but we managed to capture a lot of Germans making he day a good day for the Rangers.

This was it with the Rangers. It has been a truly great time to be part of the US Rangers GSASL Capmpaign. There are a new campaign lurking in the dark so stay tuned for the next GSASL experience.

Signing out Major Holmquist, US Rangers 2 Battalion commander TF Holmquist