Twilight 2000; Bridgework
The 7th Infantry Division has suffered greatly in the past year. During the 1998 season, the Soviet high command directed that strategic and tactical nuclear weapons be used on an unprecedented scale against the Chinese army. The 7th Infantry Division, operating against Soviet and North Korean forces north of the Yalu river, was in close proximity of a 5 megaton blast of an SS-18 strike. The entire 3rd brigade was instantly wiped out, and the remnants of the 1st and 2nd were suddenly set upon by soviet and NK mechanized forces, freed from fighting the Chinese forces that had been crippled by the nuclear attack. Brigadier General Mike Polnik (now division commander as MGen Crowe had been killed) ordered a retreat to friendly lines; falling back to the 38th parallel.
The fall back was under heavy pressure, with the division using its advantage as a light unit to great advantage, being able to move through areas that tanks and APCs cant. Now the division has come to within 6 miles of Dandong on the Chineese side of the Yalu river, and a crisis has arisen.
First, half of the division is suffering from dysentery and radiation sickness. The division surgeon has found that most of the cases are non-lethal, and expects many of the members to recover, given rest and decent food (which may be a chancy proposition). In any case, half of the division’s troops are afflicted with general weakness, diarrhea, severe headaches, dehydration, and are barely capable of continuing the march or making an effective defense.
Second, the twin cities of Dandong (on the Chinese side) and Sinuiju (on the North Korean side) are both held by the North Koreans. The NK brigade, part of the 619th Reserve Division which garrisons the cities is well entrenched into the urban area, and guarantees a long bloody fight that may finish off the 7th Division. The bridge over the Yalu river at Dandong/Sinuiju is the only bridge for more than 50 miles. The bridges north of Changsong (North Korea), and the Chosin Dam were both destroyed early on in the war by American air strikes to wreck North Korean infrastructure.
The 7th Engineer Battalion (Combat), the engineer unit for the 7th Infantry division, is as in as dire straits as the rest of the division. There are now 48 men and women left out of the 760 that started out when the division arrived in Korea in 1997. Right now, 30 of the 48 are so sick that they are having trouble doing their jobs. That leaves 18 men and women of the battalion to perform all of the engineer work for the 7th division. That means laying mines, clearing mines, performing demolition work, building obstacles and fortifications, reducing obstacles that the enemy set up, and most important right now, building bridges. And this is where the characters come in.
Major Dave MacGuyver, the commander of the battalion, is fortunately not one of the sick. He has split the effective members of the battalion into three groups to cover all of the work. Sgt Kaufmann is the group leader of the bridging team. MacGuyver gives you a brief on the situation above, and sets out a five paragraph order on your assignment.
Situation
The remanants of the 7th Infantry Division (Light) are unable to cross the Yalu River at Dandong/Sinuiju due to heavy NK units in force and dug in to the cities. However, the division must continue its southward movement to survive. The Soviet 34th MRD is closing rapidly on the division rear guard, and North Korean units moving south are threatening to envelop the divisions positions. There are no other bridges across the Yalu river in the local area.
Mission
Your engineer team is tasked with building a bridge, pontoon ferry, crossing point, or any other method of bringing the division across. This preferably needs to permit the crossing of vehicles. The crossing must also be at least 5 miles to the north of Dandong/Sinuiju; out of range of the NK mortar batteries.
Execution
• The group is being given two of the battalion’s five remaining vehicles and any spare engineer equipment that is available. The battalion has no organic bridging equipment left. The group must use whatever materials can be found in the area to build with.
• The Division Long Range Reconnaissance Platoon will be tasked with assisting the bridge team in finding a crossing point, though all engineer reconnaissance tasks must be performed by the bridging team. No additional help is available. The other two engineer teams are being tasked to lay protective minefields and obstacles to limit enemy movement coming up from our rear, and clear any minefields leading into our crossing point.
• The engineer team has 5 days to complete this task, this being the time estimated by Division G2 staff (intelligence) that the Soviet 34th MRD and North Korean 8th Division will be able to bring its full combat power to bear against the remnants of the 7th.
• You are authorized to appropriate whatever materials you can find for this operation as long as you do not risk yourselves in a major engagement. You are further authorized to use whatever force necessary to defend yourselves from enemy forces and irregulars.
• Any method is allowable for crossing the river as long as we can get vehicles as large as a 5 ton truck across. Abandoning the division’s vehicles is not a very acceptable option considering how many wounded the division has, and will be considered only as a last ditch resort.
Administration
• The 7th ID Division Trains is able to give limited resupply but extremely short on vehicle fuel. Explosives are in short but not critically short supply; the Engineers have priority for need of this equipment.
• Fire support is available from the 4.2in mortars of 332nd Field Artillery. The engineers must share priority with the 1st and 2nd brigades.
•
7th Infantry Division Order of Battle
• 17th Infantry Regiment
300 effectives, 8 81mm mortars, 4 Dragon ATGM
• 21st Infantry Regiment
250 effectives, 6 81mm mortars, 5 tankbreaker ATGM
• 332nd Field Artillery
100 effectives, 16 4.2in mortars
•
• 7th Engineer Battalion
18 effectives, 5 vehicles
• 7th Division Cavaltry Troop/LRP
22 effectives
• 45th Transport Bn
20 effectives, 17 vehicles
• 3033rd MASH
38 effectives caring for over 400 wounded
• 7th Division Trains
143 effectives, 12 vehicles
GM Notes
This is the first of three 4 hour game modules for the 7th Infantry’s Engineers. GMs should work to give a dark and ugly atmosphere to the game. Occasional detection of radiation, lots of dead bodies, remants of towns infected with diseases, and NPCs from the Division struggling to carry their weight. I like to run this scenario with anywhere from 2 to 8 players; if you have less than 4 fill in more engineers with NPCs. For additional equipment, I’ve attached a pair of vehicles with some equipment for the players (not required, or can be added to, use as an example).
Unknown to the 7th Infantry, the NK 619th Reserve Division is stationed mostly along the shoreline of the North Korea/China border. They are a relatively stationary unit with little initiative. But far in front of the crossing area where the Players will be throwing some kind of bridge across the Yalu is the NK 10th Infantry Division. The NK 10th is currently in reserve and commanded by a restless commander who has his troops run frequent patrols. The 7th is likely to be found as they are coming across the Yalu, and attacked by forces in platoon to company strength; the NK 10th doesn’t have larger forces in the area but may call for reinforcements from the NK 619th Reserve Division. Troops coming from the 619th will be novices and less than enthusiastic.
But the greatest threat is the Soviet 194th Motor Rifle Division, which is out behind the 7th and trying to overtake the Americans. But the 194th is a shadow of its former self and even though it has a respectable group of armor, is actually smaller than the US 7th, and has no bridging equipment either. Once the 7th makes it south of the Yalu, the 7th will be effectively out of reach of the 194th MRD.
Here is a quick order of battle for these three enemy units;
North Korean 619th Reserve Division (detachments)
130 Infantry (armed with older SKS and bolt action Nagant rifles)
20 Cavalry
North Korean 10th Infantry Division (detachments)
90 Infantry (initially in scattered patrols of 10 to 15 troops)
Soviet 194th Motor Rifle Division
200 troops
1 T-80 MBT
6 BMP-2
8 BTR-80
The best luck I’ve had with maps online is with either Mapquest (which will probably give just a basic street map for Dandong) or Google Earth (which can give you aerial photos of the area to give a better idea of what is actually there. If you don’t have a printer, most libraries will let you print for much cheaper than copy shops.
The Yalu river upstream of Dandong will probably be the location of the crossing site that the players choose, and though players may even opt to go into Dandong to cross in a urban area, GMs should make this option a long and brutal city and house to house fight.
GMs are free to give whatever scenery to the players they choose but I usually paint the picture of steep pine covered mountain sides, narrow dirt/mud roads, cold wet weather, low hanging clouds, fog, and rain.
There are no single trees or timbers to be found that will span the Yalu; its about 70 to 90 meters across depending on the crossing point. Players will have to improvise materials and methods for crossing the river. If players are stuck, give assistance as needed (for example, a high voltage power line that crosses the river but hasn’t been energized for years).
Have the North Koreans attack the party several times in greater force each time. Also make it clear that the rest of the Division is making a prepared defense against a Soviet motor rifle division behind them. This is where the rest of the player’s parent unit is; la Have the North Koreans attack the party several times in greater force each time. Also make it clear that the rest of the Division is making a prepared defense against a Soviet motor rifle division behind them. This is where the rest of the player’s parent unit is; laying minefields and obstacles to keep Soviet tanks and armored vehicles from completely running the 7th Infantry into the ground. I haven’t added any order of battle for the North Koreans or the Soviets for this game as GMs may want to tailor the enemy forces to reflect the capability and experience of the group.
Also, as a result of all of the rain that the border area has been getting, flood the Yalu river. The players should observe gradual signs of rising water at first, and then make the flooding get worse as the session goes by, especially if the players have rigged some kind of floating bridge or ferry that can bring the Division’s vehicles across.
All in all, make the players feel like theyre being stretched to the limit, but give ways out of the situation that make sense. Above all, make sure the players are having fun and getting the impression that their characters have survived serious hardships (or died in a noble and not futile cause).
|