“We will beat the Chechens to a pulp, so
that the present generation will be too
terrified to fight Russia again. Let
Western observers come to Grozny and see
what we have done to our own city, so
that they shall know what may happen to
their towns if they get rough with
Russia.” –General Kvashin, commander of
Russian forces at
Grozny and Komsomolskoye.
Background
Soon after the Custer-like destruction
of the Russian 6th Paratroop company on
Hill 776 at Ulus Kert, another major
battle in Chechnya was developing. In
early March a Russian 200 man security
force seized the town of Komsomolskoye
(5000 people). Located near the
foothills of the Black Mountains. The
Chechen forces were already hiding in
the foothills and, in desperation,
attacked the town with 500 men. This
attack quickly forced the Russian
security force to retreat.
By the 6th, the Russians laid siege with
numerous artillery and MRLS rocket
launchers. By the 12th, much of
the town was in ruins and the Russians
had only penetrated into the fringes.
The Chechens turned the town into a
fortress-like strongpoint and were
determined to make a stand. A new
multi--barrel flame-throwing tank also
was also used to clear out the pillboxes
and basements. These tanks, called
“Buratino”, were used with great effect.
By the 17th, most of the town was
finally under Russian control once
again. By the 20th, it was over. Dead
bodies covered the ground amongst the
rubble. The town was destroyed.
The Game
Each turn consists of an Impulse Phase
that is further sub-divided into two
Action Impulses. A new turn begins when
all of the Activation Markers (AM) have
been drawn from an opaque container.
When an AM is drawn, the owning player
is the active player for that Action
phase. Some Russian AM chits will have a
designation on the counter. This
indicates that only units having the
same designation may conduct an action
in the phase. Leaders are exempt and may
always be selected to conduct an action
if not already marked as Fired or
Actions Complete. When a Chechen chit is
selected, the Chechen player immediately
rolls a D10 die, the result is the
number of units that may conduct an
action in that phase.
Combat consists of Fire Combat, Indirect
Fire and Melee. Units have a Firepower
Rating and a Movement Allowance. The
game uses various random events to
simulate what occurred at the time and
victory is based on a points system.