Firestorm: Stripes

Note: Commisar Wreckyoslovakia was representing the WARPAC forces. A lack of local Red forces is forcing us to play blue on blue to participate in the campaign. All references to WARPAC or Soviet forces refer to Commisar Wreckyoslovakia’s Americans and are included for narrative entertainment.

NATO seemed to be doing well. A broad stroke from Hamburg, and another through the Hof corridor had linked up with British forces defending the Hanover Pocket, and the first echelon of Warsaw Pact forces were trapped on the west bank of the Weser. With the spear point of their attack in such dire straits, the Warsaw pack forces launched several desperate attacks to try and reopen supply lines to the isolated Soviet and East German divisions.

Kampfgruppe Budenny, a motley assortment of German units based around a badly mauled Panzer Kompanie had linked up with a company of the Irish Guards under command of Captain Lawson to form a blocking detachment along the Autobahn. The WARPAC forces were coming to rescue their comrades. Major Budenny and Captain Lawson aimed to prevent that.

It was a race, which the WARPAC forces would win. A hasty attack by forces under Commisar Wreckyoslovakia started, with most of Kampfgruppe Budenny in transit. Only a single Leopard zug had arrived, along with Budenny himself. LARS from Panzer Division 1, and an understrength zug of Gepards arrived in time to offer support against Lawson’s outgunned forces.

Below, an aerial view of the field, just as WARPAC forces (left) attack Kampfgruppe Budenny.

Above, looking down the Autobahn, with WARPAC forces driving over the Autobahn.

Turn 1.

WARPAC forces push hard. 3 Humvee platoons swing left against KG Budenny’s right flank, supported by a platoon of 2 M60A3 and the company command M60. The M60s fire against LARS skulking behind the woods in the corner but hit nothing. The Humvee’s open fire with a hail of machinegun and grenade launcher fire but fail to do any damage to Lawson’s 1st Infantry platoon. WARPAC infantry in the 5 storey building fires Dragon missiles against the British infantry with no effect.

The WARPAC right contains much heavier equipment. The Sheridan platoons both try to blitz onto the tops of hills and engage the NATO defenders with direct fire. The 3-tank M60A3 platoon moved onto the overpass, firing from a hull down position, destroying a single Luchs.

German Turn 1.

Despite British cries over the radio net, Budenny’s forces had not yet arrived. Luftwaffe F4F Phantoms had been diverted to a crisis elsewhere. Budenny would have to hold with what he had, despite the WARPAC pressure.

The Leopard 1 platoon swung right, and engaged the M60s moving to support the Humvees. Only the M60 company command vehicle survived the volley. LARS engaged the advancing Humvees with good effect, bailing and killing several. The Spartan MCT platoon blitzed out of the wood on the right flank, with one vehicle bogging down on a tree stump. The other three engaged Humvees successfully, destroying 2 vehicles. The infantry fired their MILANs on the Humvee company, doing further damage. Two of the three platoons were now in bad spirits, but subsequently held their ground.

On the German left, horrific luck was the order of the day. A full six MILAN shots missed their targets, and the remaining Luchs fired without effect into the Sheidans to their front.

The WARPAC left had absorbed a serious beating with many Humvees destroyed but no reinforcements made a successful defence seem difficult.

WARPAC Turn 2:

Surprisingly, Commissar Wreckyoslovakia appeared to switch to a more deliberate approach. On the left, Humvees blitzed into firing position with their remaining vehicles, and the company command M60, pulled back behind the hill in the German center. The Humvees fired with everything they had against British infantry, killing two infantry stands. TOW missiles fired b the Humvees clipped Major Budenny’s tank, injuring Major Budenny himself. The M109s fired in support, deploying a minefield around the lone Leopard platoon.

On the WARPAC right, the Sheridans opened fire, and for 8 shots destroyed a MILAN attached to the infantry and finished off the Luchs spah.

German Turn 2:

Reinforcements had begun to arrive. At the head of the column, the 2nd Leopard 1 Zug pulled into the parking lot, opening fire without effect on the M60 platoon rolling on the overpass.

The British infantry on the right moved a team to clear the mines, and moved the FV432 transports forward to fire on Humvees. A volley of MILANs from the infantry and Spartan MCTs on the right bailed a couple of Humvees. The Leopards trapped in the minefield failed to destroy anything.

MILANs fired from the infantry on the left, plus the MILAN platoon in the blue apartment building bailed a single Sheridan, which would promptly remount.

Thankfully, an abominable German turn ended.

WARPAC turn 3:

The Sheridans continued to blitz forward, and the Yorks moved up in support, blazing away at the infantry, killing the MILAN. The Sheridans pounded the MILAN platoon without effect.

On the American left, the Humvees continued to try and blitz forward. Heavy fire against the infantry killed one MILAN in the infantry, and destroying one of their FV432 transports. TOWs from the Humvees failed to kill any of the Leopards trapped by the mines. Copperhead rounds against the Leopards in the minefields would all miss.

German Turn 3:

With Sheridans putting pressure on the German left, Budenny decided it was time to reveal the ace up his sleeve. The Flakpanzer Gepard zug opened fire from ambush. The hail of fire punched through the armour of 3 Sheridans in 2 platoons and 2 Yorks, wrecks littering the autobahn.

The MILAN team opened up on the M60s on the bridge, destroying the platoon completely, blocking the overpass with the burning wrecks. Only the M60 company commander remained from the formation.

A volley of MILANs, Carl Gustavs and fire from Leopards on the right finished the rest of the Humvees. LARS ranged in on the large building in the WARPAC deployment area, pounding the infantry and killing both the Humvee formation commander and the 2ic. The WARPAC left flank had almost completely collapsed.

WARPAC turn 4:

Commisar Wreckyoslovakia was in trouble. His left flank had been destroyed and an unexpected obstacle had appeared on his right int he Gepards. Still he pressed the advance.

The Sheridans closest to the overpass pushed forward, with one vehicle bogging on the hill but the other moving into the German deployment area and engaging the Leopards. The M60 opened fire on the Leopards, killing two. The third would pass its morale check.

The Yorks advanced, opening up on the Gepards, bailing two. One would remount. Heavy fire from the remaining Sheridans killed one more infantry team.

Copperheads fired on the mine bound Leopards left one a wreck.

German turn 4:

The Luftwaffe was on the way! The F4F Phantoms had rearmed and were on the way. Soon they should be carpeting the advancing WARPAC forces with cluster munitions.

The MILAN platoon plastered the remaining M60, but only bailed it. Fire from the Carl Gustavs against the Yorks missed, and the Gepards opened up, bailing two Sheridans and both Yorks, all of which would remount. The lone remaining Leopard in front of the overpass opened up on the Sheridan that had advanced beyond the Autobahn. Thin armour wasn’t enough to stop 105mm rounds, the crew leaped from the vehicle to escape the flames.

Lawson decided it was time to attack. One infantry team started clearing the mines around the Leopards. The rest of the infantry on the right rushed forward, mounting their transports, which headed forward. The Spartan MCTs moved forward in support, with 2 bogging. The Leopards surged forward, hoping to put pressure on the destroyed WARPAC left. LARS continued to pound the apartment building, killing another infantry team.

WARPAC Turn 5:

Commissar Wreckyoslovakia continued to push. The poor state of the core of Kampfgruppe Budenny meant that it could be broken, and Wreckyoslovakia knew this.

The Yorks rushed forward, blasting away at the flank of the Gepards, bailing three! The Sheridans continued to unload on the British infantry on the left killing another team. The British were down to four teams.

Two Dragon teams opened up on the two incautious Leopards rushing up the Autobahn, destroying both.

Wreckyoslovakia played a desperate gambit, moving the M109s forward to directly fire on the mounted British infantry. One M109 bogged, but one of the other two scored and improbable hit, forcing the infantry to debus from their destroyed FV432. With one taxi left, the FV432 platoon declined to quit the field.

German Turn 5:

Reinforcements were beginning to arrive. A Luchs Spah, and the final Leopard platoon arrived in the centre. The Luchs had an idea point-blank shot against the Yorks but missed completely.

The British infantry on the right remained pinned. The rest of the infantry debussed and set up to engage the M109s, killing one with a Carl Gustav round. Spartan MCTs fired missiles at the M109s but all struck wrecks of Humvees between the MCTs and their targets.

The remaining Leopard pulled back into a hide, firing two rounds from concealment into the Americans in the apartment building, killing a Dragon team.

All of the British FV432 on the left revved their engines and rushed the overpass. Few WARPAC forces remained to engage, and Budenny was confident that there were more important targets.

The Yorks were engaged by British infantry using ever antitank weapon at their disposal and by a single Gepard. Both Yorks burned.

The MILAN platoon opened up on the last M60, destroying it with 2 hits.

LARS switched fire, plastering the infantry on the hill, killing two teams.

Two WARPAC formations had ceased to exist. The third had lost half of its strength. Reasonable hope of a successful push had evaporated but Commissar Wreckyoslovakia was living up to his name, promising to wreck the core of Kampfgruppe Budenny with his surviving forces.

WARPAC turn 6:

Commissar Wreckyoslovakia urged his men to exact as high a toll as possible from the Capitalist pigs, but fatigue and dwindling ammunition loads prevented the WARPAC forces from doing much damage.

The bogged M109 moved up to support its brother, opening fire on the MCTs without effect.

The infantry on the hill remained pinned.

A Dragon shot from the apartment building missed.

The remaining Sheridans fired on the Gepards without a hit.

German Turn 6:

The Luftwaffe continued to enjoy a USO show at Rammstein airbase.

British infantry and MCTs on the right eliminated the remaining M109s.

A volley from the Gepards and MILAN platoon destroyed the few remaining Sheridans.

German forces began to advance as LARS pounded WARPAC infantry on the hill, killing another team.

With only two platoons remaining, Commissar Wreckyoslovakia conceded. He had done enough damage to make sure it was a 4-3 victory. The field was littered with wrecks. We actually ran out of cotton wool smoke to mark the destroyed vehicles.

The game was a blast!

The phrase of the day is “Phyrric victory”.

Budenny