10 – The Combat Sequence

THE COMBAT SEQUENCE

Each following phase of combat normally takes 1 game move as follow.

1. THE FIREPLAN,

2. WINNING THE FIREFIGHT

3. CLOSE ASSAULT. Cannot normally proceed until the firefight is won.

These phases reproduce the pre-battle softening up of the objective, suppression of effective

fire from the defence, and the final assault to capture the position.

THE FIREPLAN – ARTILLERY FIRE

There are two ways of using artillery: as direct fire support during the firefight, or as indirect fire in the move before it.

• DIRECT FIRE during the firefight phase onto the target objective. Most organic infantry gun and mortar batteries fire in this way, but so does any Soviet artillery supporting the attack and all artillery acting as anti-tank guns.

• INDIRECT FIRE in the move immediately before a deliberate attack on a position; or indirect fire called down in response to a new target supporting the defender, in the move before the firefight. Most artillery regiments fire in this way. Units that take casualties from artillery fire of a heavy enough calibre in this way will be disorganised in addition to taking casualties; (see the Artillery Effect Table 4 below).

Targets share out the hits caused by the FU in the same way as direct fire. Troops pinned by a shoot may withdraw out of the beaten zone and then reorganise when they halt in an area free from enemy interference. If they withdraw under fire, they do not count any benefit for cover.

THE FIREPLAN – AIR TO GROUND FIRE

Fighter Ground Attack (FGA) aircraft will always attack as direct fire. Anti Aircraft guns (AA) may be attacked first as priority targets. Firing is simultaneous. Air targets that are hit are driven off.

• Aircraft count as light (L) targets to AA, if attacking ground targets from low level and medium (M) if bombing from higher level.

• Tank hunter aircraft fire as heavy (H) anti-tank attacking L armour.

• Non AA ground targets may choose to expend their fire in self-defence only against low flyers, counting as L fire against H targets.

Any air targets that are not hit, and have not attacked AA, may then attack ground targets of choice.

As a house rule, we allow fighters to deliver L fire, ground attack and bombers deliver M fire. We allow 1 CU per aero engine (not very scientific!). Dug-in ground targets count their appropriate defence status, but with all vehicles as L targets.

Soviet YaG-10 85mm AA from the Author’s collection is rare but excellent for morale in MOSCOW.

True North 1:100 vehicle and Command Decision and 15mm figures