Voyenno-morskoy flot SSSR (VMF) – i.e. The Military Maritime Fleet of the USSR, or the ‘Red Fleet’ for short.
The Russian Armed forces of WWII are an interesting blend of extraordinary innovation and technical achievement, and extraordinary inexperience and foolish management of its huge forces.
Russia had plenty of small ships and boats for both offensive and defensive purposes. These small ships and boats came in many shapes and sizes.
A common class, over 350 being put into service, was the MO small guard ship. It stood for Maly Okhotnik, or “small hunter” and gained the nickname Moshkaor “fly”. These useful vessels were primarily built for anti-submarine work, but soon extra roles were found for them: minelaying and sweeping, convoy, patrol and even supporting ground operations.
Captured craft and lend-lease British and American MTBs were used in their light flotillas. Their home-grown efforts, however, produced the peculiar looking G-5 light torpedo boats.
The G-5s main strike weapon was two torpedoes, stern launched, which was rare in WWII. They were dropped tail first into the water, so a sharp turn was necessary on launch to get out of the way. Unlike most other nations, the boats carried no cannon but were armed with one 12.7mm machine gun and normally two 7.62mm MMGs.
Soviet Navy Fleet
The Soviet Navy then is not a glamorous fleet for the gamer. Rather it’s a solid, unsophisticated affair, with no radar, little radio, few automatic cannons or other refinements. As ever with Russian forces, quantity has a quality all its own. Your best tactic is to get in quick, torpedo your target and escape fast as you are likely to take much damage from concentrated cannon fire. Use the MO boats to support you, use minefields to hide in, and if desperate, use the threat of your terrifying if inaccurate Katyusha rocket! URRAH!
The Regia Marina Fleet Contains:
- 4 x G5 MTB (metal)
- 4 x D3 MTB (metal)
- 2 x Bronekaters (metal)
- 1 x Fugas class Minesweeper (resin and metal)
- 1 x Il-2 Sturmovik (metal)
- Ship Cards
- Wakes
- Plastic Torpedo markers
Cruel Seas, the rules
In Cruel Seas, you take on the role of a naval crew manning their fragile coastal craft as they head out day and night to take on both the sea and the enemy.
Within the pages of Cruel Seas you’ll find the complete rules for small ship action plus full-colour guides, superb art courtesy of Osprey Publishing, history on your fleets, Campaign rules and special weaponry, Aircraft rules and more!
Discover more Cruel Seas
You can discover more of the upcoming Cruel Seas range of miniatures by visiting the webstore here:
Keep up to date with the latest information on upcoming releases and what’s happening in the community by joining and liking the Cruel Seas Facebook group here:
Tom Mecredy