Firestorm: Stripes

*radio cracks*”Eisen sechs, das ist Hengst eins, neue Aufgabe, Enemy has miss-dropped some supplies up a head. Intelligence suggests that an enemy armoured vanguard is searching for the supplies break.” Hauptmann Erich Graf, the man behind the Iron six callsign, thinks to himself. Supply interception? Why not Counter attack, the verdammten kommunisten is coming ever closer to Frankfurt, and they are getting ready to cross the Rhine. But he was never one to question orders. *radio cracks again, interrupting Erich’s thoughts* “You are to move your Kampfgruppe up to, intercept, fix and destroy the vanguard element, OVER.” Erich moves his left hand up to the push to talk, lingers for a second, and then transmits. “Hengst eins, Eisen sechs, verstanden, Ende“. Moments later Erich is sat halfway out of his hatch, with binoculars in hand and a map laid out on the roof of his Leopard 2. Here Erich puts his battleplan into motion.

Erich ordered his attached Panzergrenadier Zug to take up position inside a large forest, on the left most flank of the forest. Ready to assault and secure, the area that intel suggests being the drop zone. Leutnant Haas, ever the joker, responded “im Westerwald, Jawohl, Ende“. Just a few weeks ago, if Haas had responded like he just did, he would have gotten a major bollocking from Erich. But this wasn’t an exercise, this was the real deal, and that fact also showed in Haas´s tone. It wasn’t as playful as it used to be. Erich ordered the two Gepards assigned to his Kampfgruppe, to position themselves in the centre of that same forest, so that they could provide air cover, for his entire Kampfgruppe. Just in case the enemy attempted to drop more supplies or had assigned some air assets to the enemy vanguard. Erich then ordered Jäger, who by the twisted irony of Destiney, had found himself in charge of a Jaguar 1 Zug. Jäger and his Jaguars where to take up position in the exact same large forest, on the right flank. Ready to rain HOT hell down, on any enemies that tried to push out of the near-by village. A village that intelligence suggested was currently being occupied by the enemy vanguard element. Hauptmann Graf started putting his map away, and while doing so. Ordered Beck and Franke, his two Spähtrupp commanders to move out, on the far-left flank of the drop zone. From here they could gain eyes on the drop zone and give early warning if any enemies showed up. They both responded, only seconds apart, in their usual monotone way “verstanden, Ende”.
Now with most of his kampfgruppe on the move, Erich only needed to give instructions to Eisen eins, the only Panzer platoon, in his “Tank” company. “Eisen eins, Eisen sechs, form line on me, we are going towards the village” Erich needed say no more. The engines of all four Leopard 2´s started Revving up, and before Erich could finish giving his instructions. He was interrupted on the radio by Leutnant Pfeiffer “Verstanden, Ende” an interruption that Erich would have found unacceptable, if it wasn’t Pfeiffer, who had been Erich’s friend ever since he signed up for the Bundeswehr. Pfeiffer who was so familiar with Erich, that he could almost confirm orders before they were given.

A few minutes later, while Erich and his Leopards where moving through a wheat field and Erich was listening on Beck and Franke´s initial report. They had sighted at least four T-72´s and four BMP´s moving towards the drop zone. Suddenly Erich, out the corner of his eye, sees some shapes in the wheat field on the other side of the road. Erich´s armour recognition training kicks in. “Break, Break, Break, Enemy BMP´s and T-72´s left, Eisen eins, on me, in line, swing left.” Only moments later all four Leopards, staying true to orders, had swung left and now formed a perfect firing line, in their sights, four BMP-2s and five T-72s. Erich queued up the radio for the entire kampfgruppe “Feuer Frei”. In that instant hell erupted in front of him, the first salvo had blown up three T-72s and knocked out a fourth, the fifth deployed smoke and disappeared. Looking through the thermal sights he couldn’t find the BMPs he had seen earlier. The flames from the cooking tanks, had started a small fire in the wheat field. The heat and smoke from all of this made it impossible to find the BMPs. to be sure Erich ordered Pfeiffer´s, and his own, Leopards to fire another salvo into the field for good measure. As Erich stuck his head out of the turret again, he heard the hissing of missiles and some more explosions from the field. Jäger´s Jaguars must have seen the BMPs, and they sounded to be dead by now.

*radio cracks* “Eisen sechs, Eisen zwei, taking control of the drop zone, Ende” Haas and his panzer grenadiers, was responding to the initial scouting report. They were trying to take control of the drop zone, before the enemy element, that was on the move, could reach the drop zone. Just as Erich was about to order the Leopards to start moving again. Two fiery, flickering, hissing balls came towards them from the inferno, that was once a wheat field. Hauptmann Graf thought to himself, as he ducked into his tank. Missiles from the field, those BMPs must still be alive. Before he could give any further orders to Pfieffer or his own crew. the radio scratches “Eisen zwei, Eisen vier, T-72s your north-east they have……..“ the radio transmission abruptly turned into white-noise, before going silent. Haas came on the radio “Eisen vier, Eisen zwei, have…” Haas went silent for a few moments, while still queueing up the radio. “…Scheiße!” the transmission ended. Many thoughts raced through Erich´s mind, did Beck just get hit? What happened to Haas? What about the BMPs in the field? The BMPs in the field! Erich poked his head out the hatch and looked around. There was a hole in the field some 50 meters behind his tank, one missile had missed it´s target. The Leopard to his left had a big scorch mark on the turret. “Pfieffer, Status report, OVER” Pfieffer reported back “1-1 good, 1-3 good, 1-2 no contact, over”. Just as Erich was about to reply, the commanders hatch on 1-2 open and 1-2´s command stood half way out the turret and yelled towards Erich. But the only thing Erich could make out, over the noise of the humming engines and the burning field, was RADIO and KAPUT.

Erich replied to Pfieffer, 1-2 hit, radio down, but else okay” Erich paused for a moment. Before he heard Beck´s fast talking voice in the radio ,in the calmest tone he had ever heard, especially for the situation they were all in “Break, Break, Eisen sechs, Eisen vier, a Hind blew up my Luchs from underneath me, I´m now in 4-2, Eisen zwei has been engaged by T-72s, moving in to assist, Ende” Beck was still alive, he is the luckiest man ever, Erich thought to himself. But the drop zone was very contested. “Eisen eins, Eisen sech, on me, we are going north-west, Ende” he didn’t say anymore, he knew that Pfieffer already knew what the plan was. To try and catch the T-72s at the drop zone, from behind. He would leave the BMPs in the field to Jäger, and hope that 1-2 would be able to catch up and get its radio working again. The remaining leopards entered the outskirts of the small village, and started turning west, north-west.

While they were moving. The Gepards reported in, that they had fired at the Hinds from earlier but with no effect. And a new batch of missiles came from the Jaguars, which again engulfed the field, that had almost burned out, in flames. the Leopards joined in by firing a salvo into the field. but again, due to the fire, not really being able to see much. As the Leopards rounded the first farm house a burst of auto cannon shots came from the charred wheat field. they had little effect, most missed. the ones that didn’t miss, got harmlessly absorbed by the turret front armour of the Leopards.
“Eisen sechs, Eisen vier, in contact with the T-72s, but don’t worry, Sie sind scheiße, Ende“ most of the T-72s had shot at Becks, and all their shots missed him.

Hauptmann Graf´s Leopards had cleared the village and reformed a line. the T-72s Beck had just called shit shots, was in sight. Then suddenly “Eisen sechs, Eisen eins, 1-2´s radio is working again, and he is catching up with us, Ende” Erich who had his head out the hatch, looked behind him over his left shoulder. There he was a couple of hundred meters behind them but catching up fast. As his head turned towards the front again. A new row of HOT missiles emerged from the forest, where Jäger´s jaguars where hiding, flying towards the charred field. now with his head facing front. There was an explosion in front of him, far, beyond the T-72s. this was followed by a stream of red tracers flying out of the forest towards the sky. Beck didn’t luck out on his second encounter with the Hind. “Eisen sechs, Eisen fünf, Beck is dead, moving in to distract, Ende“. Erich thought to himself, Franke is a braver man than most. But I will not lose another friend. Erich ordered his gunner to fire on the T-72s, most of them still having their rear towards the Leopard gun line. This caused a rippled fire effect through the gun line, as the other leopards followed suit. Three more T-72s went up in flames. the last T-72 turned itself around to face the Leopards. Franke came on the Radio again “Eisen sechs, Eisen fünf, there is two T-72s left, one in field, and one behind hill, to your right, Over“ Erich replied “Verstanden, Ende” then he ordered the Leopard gun line to crest that very hill, again in line.

Unbeknownst to Graf at the time, a small group of BMPs had, at the same time, managed to do a surprise attack on his Gepards in the forest. No damage was caused to the Gepards, from the initial fire. But it didn’t last for long. the enemy Hinds had had enough of the Gepards. And fired a salvo of missiles, which managed to destroy one of the Gepards.

Erich, Pfieffer and 1-3 was cresting the hill, ready to blast, the remaining two T-72s, to kingdom come. Just as they started to crest, and the first T-72, the one in the field, came into sight. Two loud booms came, in short succession, from the left-rear. It was 1-2, who had managed to get into the Gun line´s previous firing position, 1-2 had seen the T-72 in the field. First shot hit but bounced off the turret front. Creating a plume of sparks from where the shell had bounced. And sending the shell off left and high. The second shot hit, right in the ammo carousel. The turret of the T-72 was lifted off the hull, by a large *Fhuoomp* explosion. This opening of fire, caused Franke to slew the guns of his two Luchs right, engaging some BMPs. Hauptmann Erich Graf, queued up the radio “Leopards, Crest, Ende” in unison the three Leopards of the gun line, all crested the hill simultaneously. There below them, the last remaining T-72, they all opened fire. Moments later there was noting but flames and scrap metal left, where there once stood a T-72. Then a sudden burst of, rapid firing 30mm, tracers ascended from the forest and into two Hinds. The hinds didn’t take much damage, but they vacated the battle space quickly.

As Erich Graf, looked out on to the battlefield, form atop his Leopard 2. An Erie silence descended. No more fighting left to do, for now. Erich felt ambivalent about the result. He had won a battle with only a few losses. Most of the infantry of the Panzergrenadier Zug, that had gone silent, had survived, but all of their Marders where destroyed with the crews killed. Among them one of his Friends, Haas. Another friend, Beck, and the entirety of Beck´s Spähtrupp. For Erich the price was high. But hopefully ultimately worth paying. *radio cracks*”Eisen sechs, das ist Hengst eins, neue Aufgabe…”.

well that was a long one, my first ever battle report. decided to have fun with some narrative, and since it might be the only one i get to report this campaign, i wanted to try and make it a good one. hope you liked it.