NATO's nightmare
NATO's nightmare
This is the map of Schleswig-Holstein, the most northern state of Germany.
It is situated between the North Sea in the west and the Baltic Sea in the east.
The 'Nord-Ostsee-Kanal' (canal between the Baltic Sea an the North Sea) divides the two
parts 'Schleswig' and 'Holstein'.
The river 'Elbe' limits the state to the south.
There is a border to Denmark in the north.
The 'Elbe-Lübeck-Kanal' (canal between Baltic Sea an the river 'Elbe') roughly
marks the border to East Germany (today's new German state of 'Mecklenburg-Vorpommern').
During the cold war, there was an American naval base in Bremerhaven (above Bremen
at the lower left side of the map).
Hamburg (in the center south where the river Elbe has two branches) also has a deep water port, but it would have been unreachable in an attack.
Access of big ships to the other North Sea ports is very limited due to tidal restrictions.
In the 1970s, a surprise attack of the Warsaw Pact was NATO's
nightmare in Europe. In this case, some generals proposed to
abandon the worst defendable state of West Germany:
Schleswig-Holstein. Here, you will try to fight for it and see if the
generals were reasonable.
GAME LENGTH: 10 turns (14 turns for long game)
INITIAL FORCES:
- Attacker - Receives 100 points in East Germany. The setup
area contains 2 victory point regions.
- Defender - Receives 40 points close to cities in West Germany
and along the border to East Germany. The setup area contains
19 victory point regions.
REINFORCEMENTS:
Attacker :
- 100 points on turn 2 at the Eastern edge of the map.
- 25 points on turn 3 at the Eastern edge of the map.
- 20 points on every second turn starting from turn 5.
- On every second turn starting from turn 3, you will receive
12 points for landing at one of the three beaches.
- On every turn starting from turn 5, you will receive and extra
5 points in friendly controlled naval bases at the Baltic coast.
Defender:
- 60 points on turn 3 in Bremerhaven.
- 20 points every second turn starting from turn 5 in Bremerhaven.
- 5 points at Husum on every second turn starting from turn 5.
- 5 points at St. Peter on every second turn starting from turn 6.
Both:
- 12 points for the player who controls Eggebeck airbase
on every second turn starting from turn 6.
NEUTRAL COUNTRY:
Denmark will join the battle with 60 points if the attacker decides
to leave the landing area at Sønderborg. Defender must not enter
Denmark until it joined NATO forces.
WEATHER:
There is a 30% possibility of rain starting from turn 4.
TERRAIN COMMENTS:
Herds of cows will provide cover for infantry. Even smallest
villages limit LOS. Railway bridges to islands can be
reconstructed if destroyed. Bridges over rivers can only be
built at fords. Infrastructure between West and East Germany
has been cut off long ago; some bridges have now been
reconstructed by attacker's engineers.