This week our time-travelling reporter had only to go from 1945 to July 1939, but faced a long and arduous journey along the Trans-Siberia railway to the Soviet-Japanese border, arriving just in time to witness some of the fighting during the battle of Khalkin Gol, or as the Japanese conveniently name it, the ”Nomonhan Incident”. Some incident!
The world has stood aghast as the militarised and pitiless Empire of Japan has ravaged its neighbours. September 1931 saw the Kwantung Army invade Northern China and following a war of extreme barbarism, set up a puppet state known as Manchukuo. 1939 has seen this heartless, vicious regime attack the peace-living peoples of the Soviet Union. Comrade Stalin has despatched General Zhukov to defeat the Japanese and restore peace and harmony to the freedom -loving people of the Soviet Far East. The battle would pitch armour from the Soviet 1st Army Group against the Japanese 3rd Tank Regiment.
On July 9th the massive Japanese force had forced the gallant Soviets from the dominant Baintsagan Hill, but the reinforced Russian armour was set to counter-attack.
The Russians came onto the table with their mighty BT tanks taking the centre and occupying Baintsagan hill,
a heroic, lone T26 taking the southern hill
and the “dummy” advancing across the Northern table edge. The Japanese tanks crawled onto the hills just beyond their start line and settled into hull-down positions behind the crest-lines.
Both sides started to trade long range fire, as the Soviets tried to work out how to attack.
The Nipponophile (yes that is a real word...) Umpire had set the Japanese up in a perfect defensive position. Hull down, with interlocking fields of potentially enfilading fire. A Soviet counter-attack seemed a tall order. Thanks Chris!
Kills proved elusive until the T26 saw the drew a bead on the puny Te-Ke Tankette. The mighty 45mm gun sent its shell whistling towards the Japanese positions and was rewarded with the sight of an explosion and a plume of oily smoke. Thus die invaders of the Motherland!
Back on Baintsagan Hill things weren’t going so well. One BT took several hits, some permanent but managed to inflict severe damage one of the Japanese tanks. Tony claimed a dubious flank shot on the heroic T26 and the less-than-impartial umpire proved his need for glasses by agreeing with him. The T26 took damage. The commander coolly left his tank to brew up with his samovar leaving the others to play out another fruitless turn. Apparently the game finished as a draw.
Simon
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