Friendly Fire Pack #5

Friendly Fire Pack 5 contains ten scenarios featured in the Friendly Fire 2009 ASL tournament:

Skiing in Laponia

Heteoja, Petsamo, Finland, 26 February 1940: After two weeks of war, the Russian 14th Army halted its advance and dug in. The front would be quiet until 24 February, when a Russian ski detachment infiltrated the thinly-held Finnish defenses. The Finns spotted the intruders and managed to not only halt the attack, but trap the Russian force in a motti. On 26 February, the Russian infantry supported by T-26 tanks mounted a relief attempt.

Newborn Partisans

Near Tykocin, Poland, 29 June 1940: As soon as the war between the Soviet Union and Poland in 1939 had ended, men in the Polish Army uniforms began to arrive in the nearly inaccessible forest of Kobielne, where they continued their fight against the Russians. The partisan movement was very successful until betrayed in June 1940. On 29 June the inevitable Russian clean-up operation was initiated.

Crossing Swords at Kyaukse

Kyaukse, Burma, 28 April 1942: The Chinese defeat in Eastern Burma and the loss of the Burma road forced a dramatic change of the Allied plans. The idea of a defense line south of Mandalay was scrapped and the general retreat was to continue. Protecting the withdrawal over the Irrawaddy river was the 48th Infantry Brigade of the Indian 17th Infantry Division. Their advers- aries were the fresh troops of the Japanese Army's 18th Division.

Wunderwagen

Kurkino, Russia, 18 March 1943: In early March 1943 the German Fourth and Ninth Armies initiated the evacuation of their defenses along the Rzhev-Vyazma salient to the considerably shorter Büffel-Stellung. The delicately timed retrograde operation was masterfully executed. Even though the Germans had reached the relative safety of the Büffel-Stellung, STAVKA ordered an attack. Manning the German defenses in Kurkino, north of Spas-Demensk, was a Probation Battalion. Supporting these reluctant warriors was a company of tank destroyers, including a curious field-conversion: a Panzer III-based self-propelled 7.5cm PaK 41 AT gun.

No Country for Old Men

Monte Cipolla, Sicily, 11 August 1943: After a night landing behind German lines, American infantry and artillery took their objective, Monte Cipolla, at dawn and cut off the retreat of the 29th Panzer Grenadier Division. Oberst Dr. Polack, commanding the divisional reserve, was ordered to counterattack. At 3:10 PM, Dr. Polack’s Grenadiers launched their final assault on Monte Cipolla, supported by two Flakvierlinge and their last three Panzers.

Sporck's Eleven

Near Gubanitsy, Russia, 26 January 1944: At dawn on 26 January, the Volksdeutsche, Dutch and Scandinavian volunteers of the SS “Nordland” Division stood ready for battle outside the village of Gubanitsy. A request for armored reinforcements had been denied: they were forced to rely on a few anti-tank guns and Stummel halftracks. Fortunately for the defenders, these weapons were in capable hands, including those of SS-Rottenführer Sporck.

Romania Mare

Târgu Frumos, Rumania, 25 April 1944: The fighting raged around Iasi in northern Rumania. The town was key to the defense of the whole country. To relieve some pressure, the German command ordered a series of spoiling attacks east of Iasi. The resulting chaos would leave the Russians with no other option but to re-prioritize their resources, and restore order in the east. In the early morning hours of 25 April, Târgu Frumos was the focal point of the Axis effort.

Kiss of Fury

Rosochatka, Poland, 19 February 1945: The East Pomeranian operation was designed to cut off German forces in East Prussia and pin them against the shores of the Baltic Sea. On 19 Februrary, this operation was well underway and the next Russian target was Czersk - an important hub in the railroad network. The Russian attack forced the release of one of the few German reserves available; a Kampfgruppe formed around 4. Panzer-Division's recon battalion.

Forest Devil

East of Drávaszabolcs, Hungary, 7 March 1945: In early March 1945 German forces assembled for Operation Forest Devil. On 6 March the operation began as the 297. Infanterie-Division and the 104. Jäger-Division crossed the Drava river from Croatia into Hungary. The Bulgarian 3rd Infantry Division was thrown back. The next day the infantry was augmented with a Bulgarian tank battalion, and ordered to reconquer ground lost to the Germans.

Anhalt Pandemonium

Between Neukölln and the Reichstag, Berlin, Germany, 26 April 1945: In the suburb of Neukölln, SS troopers and the Russians struggled for control of the courthouse. Not until both flanks had crumbled under Russian pressure and two streets were the only open withdrawal route did the SS battalion commander issue the order to retreat. The plan was to withdraw toward the heart of the crumbling Reich and make the final stand there.