Introduction

"A Summer War" is a Europa battle scenario for Scorched Earth covering the Soviet offensive against Finland in the summer of 1944 that forced Finland out of the war.

Background

After breaking the siege of Leningrad in the winter of 1943/44, the Soviets made plans for a large offensive to put the Finns out of the war for good. This attack was to be coordinated with the Allied landings in Normandy but Stalin first wanted to see that the Allies really launched Operation OVERLORD before he committed Soviet forces against Finland.

Early on the morning of June 9, the Soviets opened their offensive with the largest artillery barrage of the war to date, a bombardment even larger than that of the opening stages of the Berlin offensive in April 1945. After three years of lowintensity static warfare the Finns were not prepared for this type of combat; soon Finnish units routed toward Viipuri.

The crisis soon reached its peak. Viipuri fell on June 20, and Soviet forces threatened to advance into the main part of Finland, but Finnish resistance stiffened around Viipuri. They were now bolstered by the crack German 122nd Infantry Division and some German air support. This German aid was the result of a political trick played by Finnish president Ryti; he personally assured German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop that the Finns never would leave the German side. When the Soviets were stopped in mid-July, he resigned and left the presidency to Mannerheim who was not bound by this assurance. Mannerheim began negotiations with the Soviets, ending in a cease-fire in September 1944.

Components

Components needed to play "A Summer War" can be found in Fire in the East (FitE) and Scorched Earth (SE). The map from A Winter War (AWW) is useful but not necessary.

Map. Use Map 35 from AWW. If you don't own AWW, you may substitute maps 1B, 2A, 5B, and 6A from SE. Primary hex references in the scenario are for Map 35. However, for each Map 35 reference a corresponding SE map reference is also given in brackets immediately following the Map 35 hex number.

Counters. All counters come from FitE or SE.

Charts and Tables. Use the Grand Europa Terrain Effects Chart (from Second Front, For Whom the Bell Tolls, etc.). Use other charts and tables from SE. Be sure to NOT use the combat results table from AWW. The CRT AWW assumes that snow weather is always in effect, which is not the case in this scenario.

Rules. Use the rules from SE, except as amended in this scenario.

Prepare for Play

Set up Map 35 [1B, 2A, 513, 6A]. You can fold the map so only the southern half of the map shows [you can fold SE maps into quarters]. This map portion contains the entire playable area for the scenario.

The Svir Line is defined by the line of hexes between 35:4803 and 35:4808, inclusive [2A:0619, 0725]. The Maselskaya Defile is defined as hexes 35:3604 and 35:3704 [6A:4521, 4620]. The Finnish player owns all hexes in Finland, plus hexes in the Soviet Union that are both on or north of the Svir Line and on or west of western shore of Lake Onega or the Maselskaya Defile. The Soviet player owns all other hexes in the 1939 Soviet Union.

First, the Finnish player sets up his forts and airfields. Then the Soviet player sets up his ground, naval and air units, plus his forts and airfields. The Soviet player plans any amphibious landings for the Jun I turn. Finally, the Finnish player sets up his ground and air units. Both players use all units listed as initial forces in the "A Summer War" order of battle.

Special Rules

Operational Boundaries.

Play is limited to hexes on Map 35, on or south of hexrow 35:3500 [513:4400 and 6A:4400] and on or west of hex column 35:0022 [1B:0008 and 5B:0008], excluding Estonia. Any ground units that exit this playing area are eliminated and permanently removed from play. The only exceptions are that Finnish air units may base in Helsinki, Finnish AA units may move to and from Helsinki, and Soviet air units may fly missions to Helsinki.

Supply.

Soviet units draw supply from any rail hex on the east or south edge of the playing area, or from hex 35:3503 [6A:4419]. Finnish units draw supply from Viipuri or from any Finnish-owned rail hex on the west or north edge of the playing area except 35:3503 [6A:4419].

Rail Lines.

Consider the rail line from Petrozavodsk to Sortavala [2A:01281 to be a high-capacity rail line.

Unit Breakdowns:

Both players may break down units to the full extent allowed by the Scorched Earth counter mix.

Rail Lines.

Consider the rail line from Petrozavodsk to Sortavala [2A:0128] to be a high-capacity rail line.

Unit Breakdowns:

Both players may break down units to the full extent allowed by the Scorched Earth counter mix.

Reinforcements and Replacements.

Both sides receive reinforcements and replacements per the "A Summer War" orders of battle. Both sides accrue special replacements normally. Both sides receive air replacements. One air replacement point replaces one killed or aborted air unit of any type.

A Finnish cadre may be rebuilt even if it is in an enemy zone of control and even if it is not in a city. If rebuilt in a non-city hex or in an enemy ZOC, the rebuilt division may not attack in that turn. Signify this status with a hit marker or other convenient marker.

Do no use the SE air replacement system. Each air replacement received replaces one killed or aborted air unit.

The Ryti / von Ribbentrop Pact.

In the Finnish initial phase of Jun II or Jul I, the Finnish player may declare he is signing the Ryti / von Ribbentrop Pact. If he signs the pact, he forfeits a variable number of victory points based on the turn he signs the pact, but receives German reinforcements as described in the "Conditional Reinforcements" section of the scenario's Finnish order of battle.

Finnish Infantry AT Weapons.

Shortly after the opening of the offensive (and before the signing of the pact) the Germans hurriedly shipped large numbers of infantry anti-tank weapons to the Finns. To reflect this, on the Jul I Axis initial phase, the Finnish player may designate three specific rifle divisions to be in ATEC capable for the remainder of the game.

Weather.

Weather is clear for the entire scenario.

The VKT Line and U-Line.

Plans were ready and some preparations already complete for fortifications along the Vuoksa river -- the VKT Line. Somewhat lesser preparations had been made for defenses north of Lake Ladoga -- the U-Line. Therefore, it takes only one game turn for a construction unit to build a fort in any hex forming part of either line, no matter what the terrain. The VKT Line includes hexes 35:4613, 35:4614, 35:4515, 35:4415, 35:4416 and 35:4417 [2A:0530, 0531, 0431, 0332, 1B:0301, 0302]. The "U-Line" includes hexes 35:4111 and 35:4210 [6A:5027, 5127].

Soviet Preparations.

Multiply the strength of all Soviet Leningrad Front artillery units by 1.5 during the Jun I combat phase, and of all Karelian Front artillery units during the Jun II Soviet combat phase. Soviet naval units fire at normal strength.

Soviet Amphibious Abilities.

Only Soviet naval ground units may conduct amphibious landings using river flotillas. (Other Soviet units may conduct amphibious landings normally using Baltic Fleet units for transport.) Amphibious landings must be planned one game turn in advance.

Soviet Limitations.

For various reasons, the following limitations on Soviet movement and combat are in effect:

On the Jun I 44 turn, Soviet units belonging to the Karelian Front may not use rail or naval transport. They may not attack.

The IL-4 air units that begin the scenario in Leningrad may not fly GS missions on Jun I 44.

Optional Rules

Soviet Artillery Divisions.

Soviet artillery divisions may not advance after combat.

Victory Conditions

Game Length.

"A Summer War" begins with the Soviet player turn of Jun I 44. Victory is evaluated after the completion of the Soviet player turn of Jul II 44. A complete game is three and one half game turns long.

"A Summer War" Victory Point Awards

VPs Event

At the end of the game:
+45 Soviets own Viipuri (35:4517)
+20 Soviets own at least 4 hexes of the VKT Line
+20 Soviets own Ilomantsi (35:3711) [6A:4620]
+20 Soviets own Imatra (35:4317) [1B:0302]
+20 Soviets own Lappeenranta (35:4318) [1B:0303]
+20 Soviets own Sortavala (35:4211) [6A:5128]
+15 Ryti/von Ribbentrop Pact signed on the Jun II turn
+12 Ryti/von Ribbentrop Pact signed on the Jul I turn
+10 Soviets owns Petrozavodsk (35:4305) [2A:0221]
+10 Soviets own hex 35:4417or 35:4518 [1B:0402 only]
+10 Soviets own Medvezhyegorsk (35:3704) [6A:46201

Upon occurrence:
+2 each Axis air unit eliminated
+1 each Axis attack strength point eliminated
-1 each Soviet attack strength point eliminated
-2 each Soviet air unit eliminated
-2 each Soviet river flotilla sunk
-3 each hit on a Soviet BB or CA

Victory Conditions.

Only the Soviet player scores victory points, as outlined in "A Summer War" Victory Point Awards, below.

Levels of Victory
VPs Level of Victory
140 or more Soviet Decisive Victory
120-139 Soviet Substantial Victory
100-119 Soviet Marginal Victory
85-99 Finnish Marginal Victory
70-84 Finnish Substantial Victory
69 or less Finnish Decisive VFc-toi-y

Credits

Scenario Design: Lars Wistedt
Scenario Development: Frank Watson and Rick Gayler
Research Assistance: Jim Broshot
Playtesting: Rick Gayler, John Sheldon, Frank Watson

Soviet and Finnish Orders of Battle