Firestorm: Stripes

Major Bezarin looked over the field toward the shelled out remains of the village, where the scars of previous actions remained. So many efforts to take this blasted ground, would his finally be the one to succeed? Again, the Americans blocked the way, this time with a newly arrived armored cavalry unit.

With the renewal of hostilities imminent, Bezarin's forces charge forward into no-man's land. Hoping to catch the Americans asleep on their gun sights, Bezarin's tanks and BMPs quickly made it to the small grouping of buildings south of the main village. Knowing that only a few scout units watched this part of the front from the hills across from him, Bezarin was confident his tanks could find a gap and push onward. But it was as they approached the village that the American commander unveiled his cunning deceptive deployment, with a platoon of brand new M1 and IPM1s tanks staring right at him. Bezarin as his tank commanders readied themselves for a close range action, Bezarin looked north and hoped his forward detachment of tanks was having better luck than he.

The American tanks opened fire, catching a T-64 exposed. On the radio, Bezarin could hear his detachment commander screaming that while the way forward was open, American attack helicopters had appeared on the horizon and he needed the SAMs to support him. Bezarin sighed as it seemed the Americans were more prepared for the next wave of attacks then the intel officer had made he believe.

With little choice but to engage at close range, Bezarin moved his tanks closer and ordered his motor rifle unit to move forward and secure the town square and his flank. Meanwhile, his detachment commander, hoping the promised SAM support would arrive soon, also realized that the Americans were sending scout troops at him, moving from rear positions to engage his small force with a hail of missile fire.

In the north, salvo after salvo of missiles are fired by both sides. TOWs from the Americans and SAMs from the Soviets, but neither side can seem to either hit their targets or if they do, kill them. In an irony only war can breed, both sides curse the manufacturers of such cheap weapons and hope they live long enough to tell them in person! In the south, a sort of death spiral has begun, as Bezarin's tanks attempt to flank the American heavy armor, and the Americans seek to do the same to him. Each side loses a tank here and there, until only Bezarin and the American platoon leader are left, and Bezarin is able to hit first.

After several minutes, and both sides swearing they can hear their enemies cursing to the high heavens, the battle in the north ends in a flurry of missile fire. Cobras are downed by long range SAM fire, while the forward detachment loses tanks to US TOW fire. But in the end, it is a side show. While the forward detachment was drawing the American reinforcements north, Bezarin and his supporting motor rifle troops cleared out the US forces in the south. A route had been opened!

NON-NARRATIVE NOTE: Both my opponent and I could not believe how man misses and failed firepower rolls we had in the fight to the north. For something like 3 turns, neither side could hit their target nor kill anything when the did! It was hilariously sad. We both agreed that shoddy manufacturing due to the increased demand for the front had caused a bad string of faulty munitions to hit our units.