Peredovoye Otryad A Soviet Late-war Mobile Exploitation Force Forward Detachment By Andy Blozinski In Flames Of War Given the typical scale of Flames Of War and the rulebook missions, a Forward Detachment is not only a very appropriate Soviet force to represent on the tabletop, but possibly the most common. This article did not have the practical length to discuss all the varieties of Forward Detachments. Many of them can already be represented in the game. A normal Motostrelkovy Batalon (from Hammer and Sickle or Fortress Europe) with medium tanks (or flame tanks) in support, possibly with added sappers and maybe some artillery or recon would be a good representation of a Shock Force Forward Detachment used to aid in breaching an enemy defensive line, for instance. In this Intelligence Briefing we look at the more unique form of Forward Detachments deployed in advance of the Mobile Group during the exploitation phase of an offensive operation.

This Late-war force reflects when the Red Army went on the strategic offensive and had also achieved substantial mechanization. It was during this period that Mobile Groups and their Forward Detachments saw both widespread employment and their most consistent success.  More on Forward Detachments... Download the Peredovoye Otryad Intelligence Briefing (PDF)...