North Russian Expeditionary Force, Under The Midnight Sun, Summer 1919 - Fistful of Lead, Bigger Battles

Ironically it was the Bolsheviks, fearing attack by Finns and Germans, who requested Allied troops land at Murmansk, in March 1918. A separate peace, that same month, between the Bolsheviks and the Central Powers followed by an anti-Bolshevik coup in Arkangel, allowed Allied forces to extend their support to the White faction, who promised to keep Russia at war with Germany. The November 1918 Armistice made this all largely irrelevant and The Western Allies were now openly intervening against the Bolsheviks. 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Russian_civil_war_west.svg

The Allied/White forces advanced south and east from Arkangel, aiming for a junction with Admiral Kolehek’s forces advancing from Siberia but this never happened. The morale and motivation of allied troops became increasingly flaky as they wanted to go home. Efforts to recruit volunteers for the NREF met with little enthusiasm in a war weary Britain. By October 1919 the NREF was withdrawn from Arkangel and Murmansk and the remaining White Russian forces soon collapsed.

Today’s game, using Fistful of Lead, Bigger Battles, sees an attack by a combined British/White Russian force against a Bolshevik held position at a railway halt, somewhere south of Arkangel in summer 1919. The decision to withdraw from Arkangel this summer, before the port becomes ice-bound, is High Commands main concern. North Russia is now just a side-show with enough aggression shown to keep the Bolsheviks at bay.

The Terrain: 

What was once a frozen land has melted into bogs and swamps under the mid-summer sun. At least The North Dvina River is flowing freely now, so vessels can move up and down at will; but the forests are just as impenetrable as ever before. To simulate this, every time a unit attempts to move, outside of an area of good ground, a roll of 1 on a D6 means the unit cannot move this turn. The unit can do any other action it chooses. The North Dvina River is also represented on the table, not to the same scale, to allow for riverine actions and support.

North Russian Expeditionary Force

Officer IC

British Infantry officer

3 units of 10 British infantry, with rifles.

Russian Infantry officer

3 units of Russian infantry with rifles

Priest

1 unit unarmed peasants

3 MMG’s

3 medium field guns

Gunboat HMS Fox armed with two medium guns

Bolsheviks

Snr Officer IC

Snr Komisar

Junior Officer

Jnr Komisar

6 units of 10 infantry

1 squad of Red Finns

4 MMG’s

2 River patrol boats, armed with MMG and light gun

Unarmed tug and two barges

2 medium field guns

Deployment: 

Units may come on anywhere on the friendly short side without penalty. Units cannot normally deploy off the riverside, unless transported by vessel. Units can attempt to outflank and come on the landward long side, but going is either boggy or deep dark dense forest and hard to navigate. To enter on the landward long side, roll a D6 for each unit attempting to enter requiring 4 or more for success. There is no limit to the number of times a unit can attempt to come on in this way.

How the game played:

The shabby village next to the railway halt, had been defended with some simple earthworks, but the Bolsheviks left them unmanned, preferring an all-round defence against attack from the forest or the river. The Bolshevik joint commanders, asleep in a railway carriage which they had turned into a comfortable mobile headquarters, were awakened by the sound of erratic machine gun fire and enemy artillery. Franticly cranking the field-telephone, they spoke to the main concentration of Bolshevik forces, further down the line. An unperturbed voice reminded them that they were part of Military Commissar Trotsky’s New Red Army and that reinforcement would be dispatched.

A thick column on the Dniva river heralded the arrival of HMS Fox and fire from her two medium guns forced the Bolshevik artillery to retire pronto. Looking out of their carriage window, what looked like Interventionist infantry and support weapons were exiting the forest line and splashing their way towards the village. Grabbing whatever clothing came to hand the Bolshevik commanders rushed over to inspire and steady the garrison troops. A unit of off-duty Red Army men were roused and sent to bolster the defences, only to walk into a hail of Interventionist fire. At least the small group of Red Finns, deeply suspected by the Commissar, turned out quickly to join the fight.

A large cloud of smoke south of the village heralded the arrival of Bolshevik reinforcements. Leading

the way, was a modern river patrol boats armed with a machine gun and light gun; the experienced sailors knew to immediately put down a heavy fire on the Interventionists nearest to the river bank.

Then followed the tug “October Revolution” (previously known as “Rusty Oleg”) towing two barges

and crammed to the gunwales with fresh Bolshevik infantry. Heavier equipment was being unloaded from an improvised armoured train.. All this settled the nerves of the defenders and their leaders took a more prepared approach toward defence. 

None of this stopped the Interventionist’s infantry making it to the village earthworks, or their gunfire further depleting the defenders. Not to be out done by the Russian sailors, gun-crews of HMS Fox laid down more fire on the Bolshevik artillery forcing it to retire yet again. Only for the inspiring words of a Bolshevik leader to intervene, that steadied the depleted gun crew's nerves. In all the euphoria, the movement of the Red Finns in the direction of Finland passed largely unnoticed.

The Skipper of “Rusty Oleg”, I mean “October Revolution”, wasn’t that committed to the cause and seeing HMS Fox his first thought was to land his passengers quickly and not too close to danger. With this considerable infantry force now landed, the Bolsheviks took up a strong position in the railway siding. The sailors on the river patrol boat were more game and though out gunned engaged the Fox, causing some damage. If they had hoped their superior speed and manoeuvrability would protect them, that was a mistake. A near miss caused sufficient damage and the patrol boat was left drifting in the river.

The battle was now in full swing. Bolshevik heavier weapons, unloaded from the train, and started to appear. A medium gun and a two machine guns commenced their deadly trade. But, unknown to the Bolsheviks a considerable force of newly recruited Whiter Russian troops had concealed themselves in the woods, right next to the artillery’s firing position. “Forward with the bayonet” cried their officer, but not one White solder would budge. The same officer then appealed to another unit of Russian troops, who followed his call and charged the gun position. Caught unawares, the artillerists fell or fled. 

The Bolshevik infantry were consolidating and expanding their position in the railway siding awaiting any attack from Interventionist forces. But the Interventionist troops were still clearing the remainder of the village as they awaited their heavier weapons to move to new positions. While all this was going on, nobody hardly noticed that the Finns had disappeared in the direction of Finland, without so much as “a how’d you do or a by your leave.

The brave Russians who captured the Bolshevik gun were now subjected to the withering fire from three nearby Bolshevik units; inevitably they turned and fled. But their example had inspired the previously hesitant White unit to now over-run a Bolshevik Maxim gun position. And this was not the only example of counter-Bolshevik bravery today; Father Egor had rallied his congregation who now attacked some Bolsheviks hiding in one of the village buildings. Alas for Father Egor, after some initial success the icon of Saint Erasmus seemed to lose its power and the now depleted defenders lost their position. 

Bravery was not just confined to the White Russian side, for on the Dvina a second motor patrol boat burst though the smoke of battle and engaged the Fox with all guns. The same result was inevitable as shot from the Fox cleaved the patrol boat into two parts and it sank quickly. But the patrol boat’s efforts were not all in vain, as further damage was inflicted on the Fox. The Fox’s captain, knowing that he would soon be required to sail his gun-boat across the White Sea to Murmansk, before towing to Rosyth, did not want any further damage to his vessel so contented himself with shelling the railway siding, which was already the main target of the other Interventionist guns.

By now it was clear that superior weight of Interventionist artillery fire would settle the day in their favour. The Bolsheviks contented themselves with the knowledge that the Interventionists and their allies would find it difficult to progress further south down either the River Dvina or the railway line. Rumours were already circulating that British Major General “Tiny” Ironside had ordered the evacuation of Interventionist forces from Arkangel, now it was ice free. As for everybody else in the North Russian Expeditionary Force, they were just happy to be going home in one piece.

Figures are mostly Copplestone Castings, British troops from Woodbine Miniatures, the two large vessels by Sarissa and the patrol boats are 3D printed. Thanks to the players, Vince, Chas, Si and Mark for getting into the spirit of the era. Now, where shall we go next in the less ventured backwaters of the twentieth century?