FIRST CLASH is a book originally written under contract to, and as a training aid for, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). As such, it is a work of fiction, but is more in the nature of an extended case study than a novel. The scene is West Germany, 48 hours into the next war. The Soviet mechanized juggernaut is marching Westward, pushing the NATO armies before it. The 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (4CMBG) is tasked with blocking one of the Soviet avenues of advance for two days. The successive chapters of the book trace the development of 4CMBG's defence from the initial deployment, through the development of the tactical plans, to the modifications to these plans in the face of the inevitable assault by the Soviet 1st Guards Tank Division (1GTD). In the course of the book, the reader is taken into the Canadian councils to view the situation as seen through the eyes of a defender heavily outnumbered, quite possibly out- equipped, and whose only advantages are good defensive terrain and good command control. Also examined is the Soviet viewpoint - to an extent. In keeping with the case study format, each chapter has at its ends a module entitled "Controlling Factors", wherein tactical factors and considerations governing the just-described action are listed, almost as class discussion topics. For example, chapter 8 describes an artillery duel; the controlling factors include such things as the value of covered infantry defensive positions. Scattered, where appropriate, throughout the book, are clan tables. One compares the antitank guided weapons (ATGWs) used by both sides in battle; another gives the organization of the 290th Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR); yet another lists the night-time illumination effectiveness of various munitions. Finally, a cast of major characters, a useful glossary of abbreviations, and 8 pages of maps tracing the development of the battle are included. If FIRST CLASH has a fault, it is that it is a bit one-sided. The Soviet viewpoint, as noted, is examined, but somewhat Superficially, and their activities are portrayed, not so much as inept, but simply not as well considered or executed as the Canadians'. Still, this book was written as a training aid for Canadian company level officers, and probably wouldn't be very useful as such if the Canadian tactics simply didn't work, and the 4CMBG were routed by chapter 3! Upon completion of a reading of the book (as with any text, one gets different things from FIRST CLASH with each reading), it occurred to me that the book contained many scenario possibilities for miniatures gaming (the realization occurred to several of the members of the local group, but as I'm the one writing about it ... ). What follow are three scenarios drawn from the book. First, let's examine the forces involved in the battle. Overall, a Canadian Brigade is pitted against a Soviet Tank Division across a frontage of approximately 12,000 meters (Map 1). The 4CMBG contains approximately 290 AFVs, while the Soviety 1GTD is comprised of about 1200 AFVs of all types. These forces, while somewhat daunting, do include all of the engineering, recon, artillery, command, and support vehicles that might make their way into the battle. A battle as large as this, however, is probably beyond the means, in both time and materials, of all but the most fanatical game groups, it fought out at a 1:1 troop ratio (I once participated in a Soviet divisional assault at ORIGINS '82 at this scale, and it was not a pretty sight!). The ground scale, as well, must be considered. Most sets of 1:1 scale rules use a ground scale of 50 meters per inch. It is readily apparent that with a battlefront of 12000 meters, a table 20 feet side and at least that deep is required - not very practical. A battle this big might better be fought using a larger scale set of rules. The rules set that I chose to use was CORPS COMMANDER, published by TableTop Games Ltd. These rules use a scale of 1 model = 1 platoon or company of equipment. Standardizing the scale at 1 model = 1 platoon, the number of miniatures required for the hattle drops to approximately 85 vehicles for the Canadians (Figure 1), and 305 vehicles for the Soviets (Figure 2), a game size easily accommodated by any gaming group, and indeed, by most garyiers. CORPS COMMANDER's ground scale, 100 meters per centimeter, also adds to practicality, as a playing Surface a mere 4 feet by 4 feet is in size is require(]. Command Control One more matter needs to be discussed before addressing the scenarios; this is command control. This topic is not often well addressed in wargames rules (arid only minimally in CORPS COMMANDER), and in the following scenarios is very important. In FIRST CLASH, the Soviet attack was distinctly segmented, with substantial delays between each segment. First occurred a probe by recce forces. Next, while the Soviet Command determined how to proceed, there was a pause. Then came an attack by the 290th Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR). When this attack didn't dislodge the Canadians, there was another pause while the Soviets planned... Next came a deliberate attack, followed by a delay. The flow of battle was not smooth or continUOUS. Plans broke down and had to be revised - arid there were delays. In a typical miniatures game, these delays simply don't happen. When the master plan doesn't work, the overall commander, in the space ofa couple of minutes, develops a new master plan and, in one or two sentences, states it to the subordinate commanders, who immediately put it into effect. Missing is all of the painstaking coordination and communication that takes so much time! One method of reflecting this is to assign each side a series of immediate objectives. In CORPS COMMANDER, with hourly turns, these might be objectives to be attained in five or less turns. In this way, a side's overall battleplan would be paid out in incremental steps. The point is that each step would have to be completed before any succeeding steps could be pursued, and no deviation would be allowed from the plan. The overall plan could be changed, of course, but (again, with hourly turns) a delay of, perhaps 1D6 turns would be incurred during which the units in question Could not advance and would remain in place while the new plans were formulated and implemented. If one were ambitious, adds to this numbercould be made dependent upon how many intermediate objectives were changed... This is all a bit Draconian, but does limitthe omniscience of the player commanders. A series of board games under the generic title ASSAULT is published by Game Designers' Workshop. They address the whole issue of command control very neatly. Rules Sections 3 through 6 provide a short, concise explanation of command structure, and a simple method of command control: command elements generate command points. Command points are spent to allow subordinate elements to move tactically. Typically, there are more subordinate elements than there are command points, so not everybody can do something every turn. Certain higher level command elements (NATO Battalion Tactical Operations Centers ' and Soviet Regimental Headquarters) can store command points, within limits. The net result is that higher level commands stockpile command points (develop a battle plan ... ). When an attack is launched, subordinate elements are flooded with command points, (the plan is just unfolding, so they're still under good command control...) and all are kept active. As the command point stockpile dwindles (as events on the battlefield unfold, and holes in the battleplan form...), the attack begins to bog down. In game terms, the attacker "runs out of plan..." I heartily recornmend this rules mechanism - it necessitates buying, or at least reading the appropriate rules sections in ASSAULT. It does an outstanding job of simulating the varying pace of a battle, though. Whether you use one of the above suggestions, or have your own favorite mechanism for simulating command control (in which case you should make air article of it and submit it to THE COURIER! - ED.) you should use something to realistically pace the Soviet attack in these scenarios. FURTHER READING There is a large volume of literature on modern armies, tactics, and land warfare in general, available to anyone willing to make a trip to the local bookstore. If I were to recommend two books to serve as basic primers on the subject, and if I were to exclude any books with only limited distribution (Army Manuals, USAF Soviet Military Thought publications, etc.), they would be the pair put out by David Isby, WEAPONS AND TACTICS OF THE SOVIET ARMY, and ARMIES OF NATO'S CENTRAL FRONT, both published by Jane's Publishing Inc. These two books not only detail virtually all of the equipment used by the Soviet and NATO armies, but provide accurate organization tables for all of the (potential) combatants, and, perhaps most importantly, detail the battlefield tactics espoused by all of the forces. These books aren't cheap, but they are cost effective nowhere else have I seen the wealth of detail and information they contain in a single, generally available source. So there. I hope you enjoy the scenarios. I wholeheartedly recommend FIRST CLASH to any gamer with an interest in modern land warfare! BIBLIOGRAPHY All of the following publications should be available ororderable from your local game shot). If, however, you live far away from anywhere, they can be ordered frorn their publishers, below: CORPS COMMANDER, by B. Rea-Taylor, $10.00; TableTop Games, 5t Mansfield Road, Daybrook, Nottingham, England NC5 6BB FIRST CLASH, by Kenneth Macksey, 1985, $19.95; Arms & Armour Press; distributed by: Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., 2 Park Avenue, New York City, NY 10016. WEAPONS AND TACTICS Of THE SOVIET ARMY, by David Isby, 1981, $34.95. ARMIES OF NATO'S CENTRAL FRONT, by David Isby and Charles Kamps Jr., 1985,S50.00. Jare's Publishing Inc., -30 Fifth Avenue, New York City, NY 10019. ASSAULT, by Frank Chadwick, $18.00. Came Designer's Workshop, P.O. Box 1646, Bloomington, IL 61702-1646. Organization and Scenarios (very slow: 249K) Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. IX No. 2 Back to Courier List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1989 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com