Firestorm: Stripes

Headquarters, 10th Motorisierte Division, near Gera
The situation in the 3rd Army’s sector remained quite fluid. A few days ago 10th Motosierte had caught an Abrams-equipped brigade of troops, some wearing the 3rd Infantry Division patch, as they tried to storm across the Unstrutt River. The rapid movement of a Verloren Haufe, Forlorn Hope or Advance Guard, had disrupted the Ami advance, and the 10th had gutted the brigade trains, capturing hundreds of logistics technicians, including about a hundred women from their support echelon. Strip-searching the women had been a brief novelty and almost caused a riot when the Feld Polizei arrived to take the women off the hands of the Tenth.
While the Division had only accounted for two Abrams tanks that night, the sudden reversal had caused another 10 be abandoned, out of fuel. The brigade’s artillery battalion and part of an infantry battalion had been mauled in the pursuit, as well, and The sudden swing had allowed 10th Motorisierte to motor back to its old stomping grounds at Gera.
NATO couldn’t seem to make up its mind if it was going to Hannover or Berlin. The spearheads last week had turned toward the Saale and that appeared to presage an attack toward Hannover to try and cut off Soviet troops of 2nd West Front fighting in the Fulda Gap. The last two days had seen more activity from the German II Armeekorps. There were even strange reports of American Marines, and yesterday had seen reports of Germans and Americans fighting each other. It was either a messy friendly fire incident or a hallucination. Hitler and Goring had been prone to drug-induced wishful thinking of that kind so it was not impossible the high command had made it up.
It was, however, entirely likely that II Armeekorps and American VII Corps had different agendas.
“Look, Dieter, it’s very simple,” Generalmajor Nagten lectured. “The Germans are heading for Leipzig again. The Amis are trying to cross the Saale again. And we’re in the middle.”
Dieter Gruber was the current chief of staff of the division. He had transferred in from 5th Armee during the ceasefire after the previous chief of staff became ill. Nagten was convinced the illness was a cover for being convinced that his political patron, the former Division Commander, would find success of 10th Division under Nagten’s command an excuse to punish him.
Gruber was the middle of three brothers. The eldest was a former Stasi operative who had mysteriously disappeared after somehow coming to grief with his bosses. Both Dieter, and the younger brother, Simon, were under a bit of a cloud, and Dieter tended to be cautious. Simon was an Oberstleutenant in charge of Kommando 6, 40th Falschirmjagers, and tended to flamboyance. Simon was important to the argument as his Kommando was supporting 3rd Armee. The VA equivalent of Spetznatz, his troopers were patrolling on the western side of the border.
Dieter was being cautious now. “That’s surmise, Herr General.”
“Perhaps, Dieter, they are planning a scenic trip into Bohemia. But everything points to a renewed drive in both directions. I don’t think they realize we are back in Gera with a real division yet. NATO has been overlooking and underestimating these formations since the war started. “
“Yawohl, Herr General. But…”
“Look, Dieter, you can either place me under arrest, or you can write a written protest to protect yourself, or you can get on with the job. 10th Motorisierte attacks at dawn to reach this town, here, what is it?”
“Trogen, Herr General, as you know very well.”
“Ah, yes, Trogen. There we will seize the NATO fuel and munition dumps reportedly accumulating there, at the current terminus of the railroad. The ones your brother reported.”
“The division will be perilously close to fuel deficit by the time we complete the operation, Herr General.”
“That’s the beauty of this operation. Where there is a fuel depot, there usually is fuel. And where there is a fuel depot, there usually are no, or very few tanks. This is a walk in the garten, Dieter. We will sandblast NATO’s supply lines for two corps, help ourselves to fuel, food, and any nasty supplies that we can identify for 5th Grenzers to use, and drive back.”

THE BATTLE
Fitzi was contrained to maneuver or defend as his battleplans, and I responded with ‘Attack.’ His choice of maneuver and a die roll gave us Counterattack. I placed two objectives; one as close to the forward corner of the legal zone, near the junction of his two deployment areas. The other was as far back in the southeast corner as possible.
Fitzi set up first. He had an Armored Cavalry squadron with 3 platoons of M60 tanks and a mechanized company, supported by VADS and A10s. With 10 units, he had to pick five for reserves, and decided to have 3 mechanized platoons, the A10s, and the VADs. He declined to use the ambush; that might have been a good way to briefly preserve the VADs..
Our board had a modest town (part of Trogen) in the southwest corner, and woods and fields extending north and east. Comparatively flat ground, with the exception of a hill in my sector (northwest) and some smaller low rises in the southeast.
There is an area north of the adjoining town of Felitzich and northwest of Trogen that looks ideal for a multifunction support area right alongside the rail line.
This is about 100km south of Gera, four hours march or so, and great potential for a tank raid along three axes of advance. And with confusion of fighting swinging back and forth in Hof and Leipzig, fairly likely to have ill-defined defensive responsibilities.
Fitzi put one infantry platoon in the northeast sector almost backed up against the centerline, and positioned so that their flank was covered by the second platoon, almost as far forward in the southwest sector as permitted. The transports for 1st Platoon, in the northwest, are almost off the map near where his reinforcements could come on. The transports for 2nd Platoon, in the southeast, were hidden in Trogen. As were the VADs, but not hidden enough as it turns out. Finally 3rd Platoon was his tactical reserve, still mounted.
I set up second, and sent the entire 2nd Battalion in my list into reserve. Then I accidental sent the T72 Kompanie in the BMP battalion there, to, forgetting to put it on the table. Hinds and the airlanding kompanie went to loiter, and the remaining infantry and tanks crowded to the southeast corner of my deployment area. Spearhead would have been nice but wasn’t possible.
My support elements – artillery, Spandrels – set up on the hill in my deployment area. One of his VADS was fully visible from the hilltop. Also my artillery observer.

Turn 1
I sent 6 BMP-2s and 3 BMP-1s to contain his raiding force, fully aware I might end up fighting M60s at point blank range over that end. The BRDMs covered the open left flank of No.1 Kompanie. The T72s went down the road between the two infantry companies. No. 2 kompanie, supported by their BMP-1s, 7 T55s, moved straight south.
I then made my stunning play, and flew the Hinds to the distant objective, and landed.
Shooting saw lots and lots of dice fly until his Second Platoon was pinned and had lost one stand. The T72s managed to score one hit on the exposed VADS and then the Spandrels on the hill hit the other twice despite being concealed, GTG. (Luck is nice when you get it). My artillery pinned First Platoon.
I tried to assault Fitzi’s Second Platoon. Stretched out like it was, only two teams could shoot. Being pinned, four dice. Two hits. I failed two saves. Assault over; nobody else could make contact.
Fitzi’s opening phase of his first turn was abysmal. No reinforcements. No airplanes. Nobody recovered pins. That meant no Dragons. Fitzi took a couple pinned, flank shots through cover at my T72s and T55s. One hit, bazooka skirts saved it.
His 3rd Platoon moved toward my Hinds, but couldn’t get close. Fitzi had the possibility of throwing two dice at landed Hinds and passed it up.

TURN 2
Nobody pinned. Begin the drive again, tanks leading on the far right, BMP-1s up the slot, infantry closing in on his two platoons, more tanks on the left. Should be no more nonsense fire flanking the T72s in the middle, because a building is in the way. Shift artillery fire to avoid assault problems, ineffective. Lots of dice against both platoons, this time using tank guns because they are both pinned. A casualty on both platoons. Assault, with the T55s leading. 2 dice yield one hit saved by bazooka skirts.
No hits, but the Amis fail to counterattack.
My No. 1 Kompanie falls on his No. 1 Platoon. Clash of the Premier Units!. His defensive fire is ineffective because of cover, pins, a missing stand, and I kill two stands – SAW team and a Dragon. Fitzi breaks off and pulls back.
Fitzi’s 3rd Platoon, still mounted got the business from my airlanding unit. The infantry blitzed out of the helicopters, moving 4” putting 4 RPG-7s from the infantry in range. Then the helicopters were able to hover up, the blitz not counting as movement. Between the RPGs and the Spirals, two vehicles died and two stands went with them. 3rd Platoon is now pinned.
In the northeast quadrant, my BMP swarm starts engaging the Ami M113s, doing two pins thanks to his being concealed and gone to ground.

Things are not looking good for the Amis. Fitzi starts with pins, and fails to roll off the pins for 1st and 2nd Platoon again. I ask him where his CO is, and apparently Fitzi forgot to put him on the table… 3rd Platoon rolled off its pin, and Fitzi got his first reinforcement, choosing to big M60 platoon. Still no A10s.
Good choice for reinforcements, but then Fitzi chose to leave the cavalry Troop Commander off the table. His reasoning was that he was about to take a risk with the M60s, and if the Troop Commander attached to them he would be with them for the normal movement step. It wasn’t a bad thought, but nothing said the CO couldn’t stay with them and still manage to be out of sight behind a building or something. With my T72s coming down the center of town I guess he felt there was nowhere truly safe. He might have been right.
One M60 bogged trying to get to high ground so he could shoot at my airlanding unit. Still concealed (they hadn’t moved, just blitzed) they took one casualty and were not pinned by his 9 MG dice.
Meanwhile 2nd Platoon tried to dig in its newest location, and failed. 1st Platoon tried to fall back to protect the near objective, now threatened by 1st Battalion’s T72s. 3rd Platoon’s infantry dismounted to support the M60s but made no contribution.

I had no pinned units, again, and I rolled a ‘6’ for reinforcements. A T55 battalion commander and 3 T72s joined the party, and the T72s stalked forward backing up my Airlanding unit. My Hinds adjusted position to shoot the three front-line M60s.
The No. 2 Kompanie finally caught up with Fitzi’s 2nd Platoon. All but one stand was in the open, and between BMP MGs, T55 MGs and the MPs of my infantry, everybody but that stand died. No.1 Kompanie and the BRDMs shot up 1st Platoon, but not quite as badly, with assistance from the 1st Battalion’s T72s, now straddling the near objective.

Finally I executed the M60s. First the RPGs forced a bail. Next, the T72s killed one. I kept the T55 back out of sight because he was no better than the RPGs. Finally, I lit the line up with the Hinds, scoring 3 hits out of 4 possible, and killed the two tanks on the hill.
We stopped right there, after I explained to Fitzi that with his Cavalry Troop broken, there would be no reinforcements except the missing infantry CO. At that point his on table forces consisted of 3rd Platoon, less 2 stands, 1 stand in 1st Platoon (which would take its four untouched M113s with it when it failed morale), 3 stands in 2nd Platoon (which was about to be assaulted again and would almost certainly lose another stand, putting it on bad morale.
6-1, Warsaw PACT.

HOT WASH
Fitzi was fighting a cold, and I think that his headspace issue with the infantry company commander can be attributed to that. I can’t really criticize it as I forgot three T72s in my set up. I was getting over a cold, too, and perhaps not in best form (but I wasn’t hitting the schnaps, either, Kameraden).
I can’t find anything wrong with Fitzi’s setup, other than perhaps…perhaps…the 4 on-table units should have been 2 mechanized platoons and 2 M60 platoons, with both company commanders. This has the very real risk that something important, like the third infantry platoon, or the VADS, aren’t there when you need them. I like A10s, but when they refuse to show up, they are just wasted points, and other than blowing up my flak units, which contributed zip to the game, I don’t think they could have changed the result.
His 2nd Platoon transport didn’t intervene. I think this should have been his ambush, as they could have popped up in cover someplace and did a little shooting at one of my infantry attacks, or some long range fire at the Hinds.
Finally, I think Fitzi should have brought the M60s on and hid them, along with the company commander. He might have lost one or two, but he at least would have gotten one more platoon of them, and then with 5 or 6 M60s, launched his counterattack.

"Herr General, General Bayerlein wants to speak to you." Dieter could scarcely contain his 'I told you so' remark.

"General Bayerlein. I'm surprised the Amis haven't cut the phone trunk."

"Don't be a shieskoph, Nagten, you know our besonderes people have ways of working around that. Since I am talking to you, and the Communications Officer says this line terminates in the misguided part of Germany, I see that you completely disobeyed my orders."

"Not at all, Herr General. Your ordered me to disrupt enemy lines of communications. I have just done exactly that. We are in possession of their railhead, significant quantities of munitions and presumably fuel for both enemy Korps. Perhaps I should give them back?"

"General Koniev wishes to speak with you," said an exasperated General Bayerlein.

The next voice was clear but accented German. "What is your estimate of the supplies you have captured?"

"Perhaps three days of fuel for three divisions, Herr General. Munitions are harder to judge.":
A series of explosions rumbled from the southwest.

"What was that noise?"

"A rail road train with 30 boxcars, manifest said 10 of general purpose artillery shells, 10 of Ami missiles, TOWs, and 8 of Milans."

"The GRU says you have considerable prisoners. What are you going to do with them?"

"Take their shoes and trousers, Herr General, and tell them to start walking southwest. Keep their senior officers, but we really didn't capture many of them, they had vehicles and a head start."

"And if I told you to shoot them?"

"I'd find an excuse not to do it. And have to leave them here. If they walk out, they become a burden on their logistics system. If we take their shoes and trousers, we humiliate them. And, they will doubtless steal either shoes or food from the local citizens. This seems to me to be better than explaining an unnecessary warcrime after the war."

"You are perhaps right. Since I can't control you, Kamerad General, how best can I support you?"

"The 221st Tank Brigade worked well with this unit before."

"Da, I remember the reports. Hold your position there, we may have a new mission for you. Continue to destroy useless munitions and similar equipment, but you might want to hold off on destroying the fuel."

"Zum befel, Herr General"