Rearguard

The city of Vukovar came under siege by JNA forces on August 23, 1991 and withstood the siege for 86 days. In the end, the casualties and bombardment were too much for the Croatian defenders, and Vukovar fell to JNA and Serbian forces on November 17. In the last few days before the fall, Croatian forces were desperately attempting to regroup, leaving only rearguards to delay advancing JNA forces long enough to escape and fortify another strongpoint elsewhere.

Scenario Outline

As the scenario title suggests, this scenario concerns a desperate rearguard action by Vukovar's Croatian defenders against advancing JNA forces. This scenario takes place on the morning of November 15, two days before the fall, and allows players to simulate the bitter fighting that defines the close of a siege.

The Croatian player has a bit more than a squad of militia-class defenders who must delay or otherwise prevent the advance of larger JNA forces across the map until the main body of defenders has had time to establish a new defensive pocket. The JNA player has two squads of regulars with which to penetrate the Croatian rearguard, but he cannot afford to wait to clear them out. The JNA know that if the main body of Croatians has a chance to set up another strongpoint, then the fighting will drag on, and there will be even more casualties. 

For maximum realism, use of the initiative and morale rules is recommended. Players with the ”Advanced Phoenix Command” Rules supplement may wish to incorporate leadership rules as well.

Setup

Croatians set up first anywhere on the western half of the map but can move to other positions once the scenario starts. JNA forces enter on any streets along the eastern edge of the map.

Croatian Irregulars

The Croatian irregulars have been designated a rearguard to allow a body of ZNG troops to retreat to another defensive pocket. These irregulars are little more than civilians who have taken up arms against the Serb-dominated JNA. Their reason for fighting is to protect their homes and their city against Serb domination. Their exact orders will depend upon the Victory conditions chosen by the Croatian player, but all conditions will have them fighting to pin or delay the advancing JNA forces for a certain amount of time, and then retreating off the map.

Croatian Irregular Units

Number               Quality              Weapon

              1                      Line                  AK-47

              1                      Line                  MG3

              1                      Green               AK-47

              1                      Green               Ultimax 100

              2                      Militia                AK-47

              1                      Militia                Kar98G

              2                      Militia                Shotguns

Special Weapons: There are 4 M72A2 LAWs available to the Croatian irregulars to be distributed as the Croatian player desires.

JNA Infantry

The JNA is past the point of fighting to keep the country together. Yugoslavia died when Slovenia and Croatia separated and the war is now driven by irredentism. Currently, the JNA is dedicated to seizing Serb-dominated areas of Croatia from the ethnic Croatians. 

The JNA commander is under severe time pressures and cannot afford to be delayed by a rearguard. He must strive to eliminate the Croatian rearguards and exit at least 6 of his combatants off the western edge of the map as quickly as possible.

JNA Infantry Organization -- Each Squad

                        Number             Quality              Weapon

                          2                      Line                  AK-47

              1                      Line                  RPK

              2                      Green               AK-47 & M-79 Osser

  3                      Green               AK-47

Time and Victory

In a rearguard action, success is measured in time. The longer a rearguard force can delay an enemy's advance without sustaining many casualties, the more effective the rearguard tactics. That the enemy will eventually break through the rearguard line is never in question, but if the rearguard can delay the enemy long enough, then a potentially disastrous enemy advance can be blunted by allowing other defensive forces to regroup and re-establish defences.

The problem in any rearguard action is defining how long the rearguard should be in place. Many rearguard commanders are given the discretion within orders to hold as long as possible and then retreat. Other rearguard situations involve a signal to the rearguard from the main body indicating when to retreat, and still others have a prearranged time for retreat. This scenario allows the Croatian player to experiment with all of these. The choices are listed below. The Croatian player secretly writes down his choice of rearguard retreat and reveals it to the JNA player at the end of the game to determine the victory. 

Discretionary Rearguard: In this option, the Croatian player has discretion as to the length of the rearguard. In short, his orders are to hold as long as possible and then retreat. Both time and casualties determine victory conditions in this option.  The Croatian player must keep a count of the number of phases which have elapsed since the start of the game and he  stops this count when either 6 JNA combatants have exited off the west side of the map, or when the last non-incapacitated Croatian has withdrawn off the west side. He divides this phase count by the number of casualties he suffered in the game to arrive at his delay number. If the delay number was less than or equal to 20, then the scenario is a JNA victory. If the delay number is between 20 and 40, the scenario is a draw. Only a delay number above 40 gives the Croatians the victory in this scenario. 

Messenger: In this option, the Croatian player has arranged with his superior commander for a runner to be sent to notify the rearguard to retreat. Every 40 phases, the Croatian player makes a 0-9 roll. If the roll is a 0, the messenger arrives at the baseline marked on the map and moves towards the nearest Croatian position. If the Croatian commander is not there, the messenger spends 10 AC at the nearest position finding out where the commander is and then moves towards the commander. Upon reaching the commander, the messenger spends another 10 AC delivering the message to retreat and after that, he acts as an ordinary combatant. Once the retreat message has been given, the Croatians may start withdrawing from the map. Note that if the messenger is killed before giving the retreat order, then the retreat order will never be given, and the scenario for the Croatians becomes a hold at all costs situation.

Victory in this situation depends upon the arrival of the messenger. If the JNA have exited at least 6 combatants off of the western edge of the map before the retreat order is given by the messenger, then they win the scenario. Croatians win by preventing a JNA victory in this case. 

Once the retreat order is given, the victory conditions change to saving the lives of the rearguard. If the Croatians are able to exit at least 7 combatants off the west edge of the map, including wounded carried by other combatants, but not counting the messenger, then they win the scenario. JNA  win by preventing a Croatian victory.

Prearranged Withdrawl: With this option, the Croatian commander has agreed to attempt to delay the JNA for at least 15 minutes (450 phases) and then to retreat with as much of his force intact as possible. Victory in this option is simple: if the JNA are able to exit at least 6 combatants off the west edge of the map before the 15 minutes elapses, or are able to kill or seriously incapacitate (>500 PD) at least 8 of the Croatians, then they win the scenario. The Croatians win by preventing a JNA victory.