Team Yankee - Czechoslovak People's Army.pdf

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Prior to 1968 the Czechoslovak People’s

Army (ČSLA) had a good reputation

among Warsaw Pact forces and was one

of the only Warsaw Pact nations to not

have Soviet forces stationed on its soil.

In 1968 the Czech government initi-

ated a number of liberalising reforms

introducing partial decentralisation

of the economy and democratisation.

The Soviets reacted badly, fearing the

reforms might weaken the position of

the Communist Bloc in any confron-

tation with NATO and the West. The

Soviets, along with Bulgaria, Hungary,

and Poland, invaded Czechoslovakia

on the night of 20/21 August 1968.

The net result of the invasion was a

forced change in the Czechoslovakian

leadership to a more traditional hard-

line communist regime, and the estab-

lishment of a permanent Soviet force

stationed in the country, the Soviet

Central Group of Forces.

Following the Warsaw Pact intervention

in 1968, the introduction of new tech-

nology slowed and the Czechoslovakian

military stagnated to some extent.

Despite this the Czechoslovakian arms

industry continued to flourish with

many indigenous designs seeing service

with the Czechoslovak forces as well

as with Poland. The OT-64 filled the

role of the Soviet BTR-60 as an eight-

wheeled armoured personnel carrier,

while they also made their own wheeled

self-propelled artillery including the

DANA 152mm howitzer and the

RM-70 rocket launcher, rather than use

the Soviet types. All of the army’s small

arms needs were filled by local designs.

By the 1980s the Czechoslovaks began

manufacturing the T-72M export ver-

sion of the Soviet T-72 tank, already

having plenty of experience producing

the T-55. Many export customers pre-

ferred the Czechoslovak T-72Ms over

the Soviet version for its better build

quality. They also made BMP-1 and

BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles for

both their own forces and export.

Of the approximately 201,000 per-

sonnel on active duty in the ČSLA

in 1985, about 145,000 served in the

army. The majority of the army's sol-

diers, about 100,000, were recruited

through conscription, with compulsory

military service of 24 months for all

males between 18 and 27.

CZECHOSLOVAK 1

ARMY

In the early hours of 4 August

1985 the Soviet Central Group of

Forces in Czechoslovakia and the 1

and

Czechoslovak Armies advanced

into West Germany. While the Soviet

Central Group of Forces crossed

around Cheb, either south through

Waldsassen or westwards through

Schirnding where river valleys and good

road networks provided access through

the hilly terrain leading down to the

Danube Plain of Southern Bavaria and

eventually Munich. Early on 4 August

the Czechoslovak 1

Army moved

across the border and pushed towards

the West German town of Cham. Some

elements pushed north towards Welden

to link up with Soviet forces advancing

from Cheb, while others pushed on

towards Nürnberg.

US cavalry, taking advantage of the

dense terrain, conducting a mobile

defence, disrupting the advance of

the Czechoslovak forces. The US cav-

alry forced some lead elements of the

advancing Czechoslovak divisions to

divert their direction of advance, while

others were brought to a temporary

halt. The US cavalry would then with-

draw, fading into the trees to take up

new positions further west. This game

of cat and mouse with the cavalry

delayed the advance through 5, 6 and

7 August as the Czechoslovak 1

Army

pushed towards Nürnberg from the

southeast.

On 8 August hard fighting broke-

out on the approaches to Nürnberg.

Defensive strongpoints and local coun-

terattacks all along the army’s front

slowed the Czechoslovak advance to a

grind. Some Czechoslovak units briefly

entered Nürnberg in the evening, and

fighting devolved into savage close

quarters battle among the suburban

houses, as infantry elements of the

US 1

Armored Division stubbornly

held their ground. The battle lasted

throughout the evening before the

Czechoslovaks were able to push out

though the town of Feucht and the

surrounding woodland to the southeast

of city in the early hours of 9 August.

The

Tank

Division

and

19 Motorised Rifle Division of the

Army launched another vigorous

assault on Nürnberg on 9 August. With

the rest of the 1

Army flanking to the

south of the city, the US 1

Armored

Division was finally forced to withdraw

towards Bad Windsheim and Ansbach.

However, by 10 August as the 1

Army

pushed beyond Nürnberg towards

Ansbach they ran into the counterat-

tacking forces from the US 1

Infantry

Division moving towards Nürnberg

from the southwest, bringing their for-

ward momentum to an end.

Further west French forces had begun to

arrive in the sector, with Czechoslovak

reconnaissance forces reporting the

withdrawal of US forces and their

replacement with French units. Lead ele-

ments of the 9

Tank Division ran into

a French tank force near Dittenheim on

10 August, with both forces engaging in

a running battle before they both broke

off and withdrew.

The following day saw a protracted fight

for the town of Weissenburg in Bayern.

French armoured infantry attacked into

the town and were met with stubborn

resistance from Czechoslovak motorised

riflemen. The Czechoslovaks held the

town until the early hours of 12 August,

before withdrawing towards defensive

lines established around Neumarkt in

der Oberfalz.

The French continued to push

towards Nürnberg and Neumarkt as

the Czechoslovaks began to go on

to a more defensive footing in the

Army’s sector.

W EST

GER MAN Y

Heidelberg

INFANTRY

DIVISION

FRENCH

CORPS

DIVISION

BLINDÉE

Stuttgart

DIVISION

D’INFANTERIE

CZECHOSLOVAK 4

ARMY

Meanwhile, to the south, the 4

Army

had crossed the West German border on

4 August at the town of �½elezná Ruda

towards Regen and immediately pushed

for the cities of Regensberg and Straubing

on the Danube River. They encountered

a well-organised resistance conducted

by the forward reconnaissance ele-

ments of

4. Panzergrenadierdivision

and

10. Panzerdivision

of the West German

2. Korps,

who, though spread thinly,

were well-prepared to fight a delay-

ing defence.

At Regen the lead elements of the

Tank Division struck ambushing

units of

4. Panzergrenadierdivision,

with

their missile armed tank-hunters taking

a toll on the leading tanks. Through

the rolling hills, densely scattered with

farms, woods and other concealing

terrain, the West Germans delayed

the Czechoslovak advance as they

worked their way through the wooded

hill country of the Bayerischer Wald

(Bavarian Forest).

The following Czechoslovak divisions

pushed around to the north and south of

Regen, through Patersdorf and Rinchnach.

The weight of the advance eventually

forced

4. Panzergrenadierdivision

to pull

back to a line running between Roding in

the north and Bischofsmais in the south.

South of Bischofsmais, the Czechoslovak

8-9

Schweinfurt

in R

i ve r

Motorised Rifle Division on the army’s

flank began to encounter mechanised

units of West German

1. Gebirgsdivision.

The slow grind through the Bayerischer

Wald lasted through 5 and 6 August,

with the West Germans taking every

opportunity to delay the Czechoslovak

advance. However, weight of numbers

made the West German flanks vulnera-

ble and after giving stiff resistance, they

were eventually forced to withdraw

after each encounter.

By 7 August the 4

Army had pushed

through the Bayerischer Wald and

began approaching the Danube River.

Attacks were made on the crossings at

Deggendorf, Bogen, and Wiesent. The

Tank Division clashed heavily with

10. Panzerdivision

at Wiesent, where

the Germans launched a number of

armoured counterattacks against the

Czechoslovak attacks towards the river,

but it was not enough to prevent the

Reconnaissance Battalion from

seizing the Autobahn bridge and scat-

tering a small group of West German

engineers attempting to prepare it for

demolition.

The crossing at Bogen was also taken,

but the West Germans successfully dam-

aged the three bridges at Deggendorf,

leaving the Czechoslovak engineers sev-

eral days of repair work ahead of them.

Riv

However, to the north the Autobahn

bridge proved a much tougher prospect

to put out of action and a steady flow of

lighter armoured vehicles began push-

ing across the Danube.

With the Danube crossings secured the

Army pushed further into Bavaria,

and on 8 August fighting escalated

on the approaches to Ingolstadt.

The 4

Tank Division, followed by

Motorised Rifle Division, pushed

around Regensburg and advanced along

the southern bank of the Danube from

Wiesent encountering West German

forces engaging in delaying actions. The

Tank Division and 15

Motorised

Rifle Division pushed from Bogen,

while the 3

Motorised Rifle Division

trickled across from Deggendorf as

the division’s tank units waited for the

other bridges to be made usable.

The advance and fighting placed a

heavy load on supply and logistics.

Replacements were few and far between

and Czechoslovak momentum slowed

as NATO resistance further stiffened,

French units had began to reinforce the

West Germans. However, by 10 August

additional Soviet and Warsaw Pact

forces began to arrive after the Soviet

Southern Group of Forces that had

pushed through Austria began advanc-

ing into southern Germany.

Marktredwitz

ARMORED

DIVISION

Cheb

Schirnding

Waldsassen

SOVIET CGF

Bayreuth

INFANTRY

DIVISION

Bamberg

Walsdorf

Würzburg

Weiden

Erlangen

Bad Windsheim

ACR

CZ ECH O SLOVA KIA

Pilsen

Waldsassen

Nürnberg

Feucht

Ansbach

Neumarkt in der

Oberpfalz

Freystadt

Dittenheim

Weissenburg

in Bayern

Roding

Cham

CZECHOSLOVAK

ARMY

�½elezná

Ruda

Patersdorf

CZECHOSLOVAK

ARMY

Regensberg

Aalen

Nordlingen

anube River

Wiesent

Bogen

Rinchnach

Bischofsmais

Regen

Straubing

Ingolstadt

10. PANZER

DIVISION

4. PANZERGRENADIER

DIVISION

Deggendorf

DIVISION

BLINDÉE

SOVIET SGF

1. GEBIRGS

DIVISION

Munich

Podplukovník Jan Hajek watched as the tanks of his command advanced before him. They had crossed the

border just an hour ago in darkness, and as dawn peaked over the horizon his battalion’s advance had remained

relatively unmolested so far. Podplukovník Hajek had stressed to his commanders to keep alert, the hill country

of the Czechoslovak-West Germany border was scattered with woods, farms and villages, and would provide

the US forces ahead of them with numerous ambush opportunities.

As he watched the first line of his T-72 tanks push across the thin belt of farmland toward the hills on the other

side of the little valley, he noticed a flash off to the left. Suddenly, one of his lead tanks erupted in flames as its

forward momentum spluttered to a halt. The tanks of the company all immediately swung their turrets in the

direction of the threat.

A second flash was followed by another of Hajek's T-72s exploding, lighting up the early morning like a roman

candle as its ammunition cooked off. The rest of that flank’s tank company quickly responded sending a volley

of 125mm rounds in the direction of the shots at the edge of a wood on the other side of the valley. Soon the

wood edge was lit up with explosions as a number of rounds hit enemy vehicles.

Hajek looked from the other side of the valley as a number of enemy vehicles burned on the far side of the valley.

“Let’s get moving,” he ordered, satisfied that the immediate threat had been eliminated, and keen to keep

moving westwards. He began issuing orders to his subordinates and soon the Battalion was advancing once

again.

The Czechoslovak People’s Army (ČSLA) had five tank divi-

sions (1

, 4

, 9

, 13

& 16

) and five motorised rifle divi-

sions (2

, 3

, 15

, 19

& 20

). These were grouped into two

Czechoslovak Armies (1

& 4

) and the Soviet 28

Corps

(which included the 20

Motorised Rifle Division). The

Czechoslovaks also provided most of the troops for the

Warsaw Pact Central Front (including an airborne regiment

and an artillery division). The Soviets provided one or two

motor rifle divisions for each of the two Czechoslovak armies,

as well as a heavy artillery brigade and an attack helicopter

regiment for the Central Front.

As Warsaw Pact strategy shifted from one of massive retal-

iation to one of limited nuclear warfare, the Czechoslovak

military was assigned a specific role to play in the event of

war with the West, to tie down NATO forces in the southern

part of West Germany. Defensive war plans were to see them

initially take a defensive stance, before taking part in coun-

terattacks into Southern West Germany. A more offensive

plan would involve the 1

and 4

Czechoslovak Armies push-

ing into Southern West Germany, engaging US and West

German forces to hold them in place while Warsaw Pact forces

advancing from East Germany and through Austria penetrat-

ed NATO lines north and south of the Czechoslovak border.

CZECHOSLOVAK SPECIAL RULES

The Czechslovak Army has a number of features and weapons. These are reflected in the following special rules.

AUTOLOADER

The Dana 155mm howitzer is fitted with an auto-loading

system, allowing it to lay down quick, devastating barrages.

When a weapon with an Autoloader fires an Artillery

Bombardment reduce the score required To Hit Teams

under the Template by 1.

BAZOOKA SKIRTS

Czech-manufactured T-72M tanks did not have the BDD

armour of the later model T-72 tanks used by the Soviets.

To compensate for this, the T-72M was fitted with ‘bazooka

skirts’, spaced armour to protect them from light, hand-held

anti-tank weapons.

Teams with Bazooka Skirts have a Side armour rating of

10 against HEAT weapons.

1. TANKOVÁ DIVIZE

‘1

TANK DIVISION’

1. TANKOVÝ

PLUK

3. MOTOSTŘELECKÝ

PLUK

11. MOTOSTŘELECKÝ

PLUK

LIDOVÁ ARMÁDA

T-72M

TANK

BATTALION

TCZ101

BMP

MOTOR RIFLE

BATTALION

TCZ103

WHEELED

MOTOR RIFLE

BATTALION

TCZ111

LIDOVÁ ARMÁDA

T-55AM2

TANK

BATTALION

TCZ109

Attached from

2. Motostřelecká Divize

BATTALION,

ARTILLERY

REGIMENT

ARTILLERY

LIDOVÁ ARMÁDA

RECONNAISSANCE

BATTALION

LIDOVÁ ARMÁDA

HELICOPTER REGIMENT,

ATTACK SQUADRON

LIDOVÁ ARMÁDA

216

ANTI-TANK

REGIMENT

LIDOVÁ ARMÁDA

DANA SP 152MM

ARTILLERY

BATTERY

TCZ126

BMP-1

SCOUT PLATOON

TCZ118

MI-24 HIND

ATTACK HELICOPTER

SQUADRON

TCZ123

SPANDREL

ANTI-TANK PLATOON

TCZ115

LIDOVÁ ARMÁDA

ANTI-AIRCRAFT

MISSILE REGIMENT

RM-70

ROCKET LAUNCHER

BATTERY

TCZ117

BRDM-2

SCOUT PLATOON

TCZ119

LIDOVÁ ARMÁDA

SA-8 GECKO

SAM PLATOON

TCZ128

BMP-1 OP

TCZ125

WARSAW PACT

ALLIED FORMATION

SOVIET GROUND

ATTACK REGIMENT

RED BANNER

YOU MAY FIELD

ONE WARSAW PACT

FORMATION AS AN

ALLIED FORMATION

SU-25 FROGFOOT

AVIATION COMPANY

TS116

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