Bucha, Ukraine - 27 Feb 2022 - 15mm
NATO v. Russia in the Baltic States (Modern Panzer Leader - Hypothetical)
@Oriskany and community member @Elessar2590 bring Sitrep Podcast Gaming back to the modern era with a look at another potential trouble spot between NATO and the Russian Federation: the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
These three former Soviet Republics are actually member states of NATO now, a fact that has NEVER sat well in Moscow. This is especially true since these states block much of Russia’s maritime access to the Baltic Sea, a sensitive strategic issue with Russia since the days of Peter the Great.
A Russian move against the Baltic States would quickly overpower the small militaries of these countries, requiring the intervention of another recent and startlingly powerful NATO ally: Poland.
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The background and setting for the imagined campaign in which this game will take place. In summary, Russia is making a push across the territory of small NATO member states to re-establish a permanent land route to their Kaliningrad enclave on the Baltic Coast. With forces on both sides of the battle area and with only small NATO forces available to mount an immediate response, Russia is gambling on a quick win before NATO can muster a more resilient defense.
The map for today's game. We'll be using 200 meter hexes here (two standard 33x10 Panzer Leader boards), with the Russians coming down from the northeast. They will be met by a force of the Lithuanian "Iron Wolf" Brigade. Although this is the best real-life unit in the Lithuanian Army, they won't hold up the Russians (138th Mechanized Brigade and 76th Airmobile Assault Brigade) very long. Fortunately there is a relief force of the Polish 9th Armored Cavalry Brigade (16th Mechanized Division) coming up from the southwest to relieve their NATO allies. 
Here is 2nd Battalion, "Iron Wolf" Brigade of the Lithuanian Army. They're mounted mostly in "Vilkas" (Wolf) wheeled IFVs with 30mm autocannon amd "Spike" Israeli-made ATGWs. Their support infantry also carry American Made Stinger MANPADs and Javelin ATGWs, JTLVs, HMMWVs, and other assorted equipment. A respectable mechanized infantry force, but it's not going to stand up to the four battalions of front-line MBTs the Russians have (in real life) facing the Baltic States as part of 6th Combined Arms Army and its various constituent units.
Poland is of course a much larger NATO member state with a much larger and more powerfully-equipped military. Even American and British units currently deployed at Orzysz (2Bn / 2nd ACR and "S" Squadron, Royal Scots Dragoons) pale in comparison to the firepower Poland could be able to bring to this particular theater. Having purchaed Leopard 2 MBTs, upbraded their own Cold War fleet of T-72s, and with M1A2 Abrams soon to be added to their force as well, Poland is the only real hope of defending the Baltic States should a full-scale conventional Russian invasion actually come (exceedingly unlikely, to be honest). We're also including drones, Hinds, and mechanized infantry. Currently they are midway through a massive modernization program, and the Polish Army is a fascinating blend of cutting edge Western tech and upgrades of old Cold War-era Soviet gear.
And here comes the big Russian bear. We're looking at the bulk of what used to be a Motorized Rifle Regiment, in the wake post-Soviet reforms this now this is probably the leading half of the 138th Mechanized Brigade, reinforced with some army-level assets live that company of Guards Air Assualt troops in Mi-24V "Krokodil" (Hind-E) gunships. This is going to be a very tough force for the NATO defenders to stop, especially since not all NATO forces even start on the table.
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