Firestorm: Stripes

SPECIAL RULES:
Ambush (Defender)
Scattered Immediate Reserves (Both Players)

WINNING THE GAME:
A player wins if they start their turn with a Tank or
Infantry team within 4”/10cm of an Objective on the
opponent’s side of the table, and end it with no opposing
Tank or Infantry teams within 4”/10cm of that Objective.
The NATO player also wins if they end a turn on or after
the sixth turn with no Warsaw Pact Tank or Infantry teams
within 8”/20cm of the Objectives in their own table half.

we again decided for a time limit of, 15 minutes per man, per turn.
K. R. as the Attacker decided to attack in daylight.

Part 1:https://firestormstripes.warconsole.com/battles/cryofrost-vs-k-r-knudsen-1521213273
Part 2:https://firestormstripes.warconsole.com/battles/cryofrost-vs-k-r-knudsen-1522372538

After battalions plans for a eastern move got disrupted by a WARPAC counter attack, battalion was ordered to move to the Ruhr area, in order to assist in the defence. While on the way, consolidating its forces and picking up some replacements. It was here Hauptmann Erich Graf found himself, after having spent most of the night moving towards his assigned area, In the Ruhr area on top of a hill over looking a stretch of Autobahn. Pfeiffer, and the new replacement Leopards, were parked up around him, hull-down and concealed by camo-netting and vegetation. Behind the hill, the two Gepards from Linau where parked up. Junker and his Marders where parked up on a small hill, hull down, a couple of hundred meters to the west. with Junker´s grenadiers having set up positions in the southern end of a small wood block close to the Autobahn, ready to move north through the wood block to over watch the autobahn, if the reds came. Jäger was at battalion, coordianating some new Jaguars. as were the Spähtrupps.

Graf was sitting, half-way out of his hatch, looking north-west up the Autobahn with his binoculars, he yawned, he hadn't gotten much sleep. the gunner had just started traversing the turret, in the opposite direction, scanning the horizon. Then suddenly an intense wave of hot air washed over Erich as dirt, dust, sparks and white-hot spalling was flung everywhere around him. the hill across the way was lit up by flashes of light and a hellish roar rung out from the hill. over the intercom the gunner shouted "der Turm steckt fest!". Graf keyed the intercom "Aussteigen!", then yanked hard on the cord to disconnect himself from the tank. in a swift, hard, push with his hands against the roof of the Leopard, Erich shot out of his hatch, swung his legs around, jumped onto the engine deck, with the Loader following suit and the gunner not far behind. Erich ran across the engine deck and jumped off the rear end. he landed badly and started sliding, on his arse, down the reverse slope of the hill.

As Graf was sliding, Pieffer and his Leopards sprung from ambush and opened fire. the ear-ringingly loud blasts from the guns, seemed to only speed up Grafs sliding decent. while sliding, Graf noticed two, oil-drum-sized, craters in the ground close to one of the two Gepards. regaining his footing at the base of the hill, Erich saw behind him that all of his crew, apart form the driver, were in different stages of sliding down the hill. The Gepards revved their engines and started moving, as they revved, a fireball flew erratically through the air, originating from where Junker´s marder were placed. Graf gathered up his men, and they ran between the two moving Gepards towards Junkers position.

They arrived at the Marders, as Junker was in the process of rearming his lead marder with a new Milan tube. Junker, who for once wasn't dismounted together with his grenadiers, saw Graf and his crew, he made gestures indicating to Graf that the rear ramp was opened, so they could get in. as Erich and his men got into the Marder. re-plugged into the company net, Graf learned that, Jäger had just arrived from battalion, on the far Western flank of the AO, where they had eyes on the T-72s that had neutralized his tank, and on a group of BMPs moving toward the highway. The panzergrenadiers had moved north trough the forest, now over-watching the Autobahn. Pfeiffer´s leopards were moving into a new firing position, with the Gepards poised to assist.

Before Graf could announce his re-entrance on the net. Pfeiffer, his 2IC, gave orders for the Leopards to open fire on the remaining T-72s and the advancing BMPs. they, with the help of the Gepards, neutralized two BMPs and hit some of the T-72s. Pfeiffers relay of the damage report, got violently interrupted when the BMP´s responded by firing missiles into the Leopards, Destroying one, and causing an electronic malfunction on the other. Pfeiffers Leo was unscathed but he was shaken up, now Erich announced his re entrance on the net.

Erich, hoping that hearing his voice would reaffirm Pfeiffer, ordered the Jaguars to open fire on the T-72s, and for the Gepards to reposition and open up on the remaining BMPs. the Gepards sent swarm after swarm of 30mm red tracer through the air, towards the BMPs. This resulted in the complete destruction of the BMPs. Jâger´s Jaguars followed up shortly by sending 3 HOT missiles towards the T-72s, who were still parked on the hill, with their rears towards the jaguars. the destruction of the T-72s on the hill, with a single T-72 beating a hasty retreat, happened moments later.

At the Western end of the Autobahn, a lone T-72 had charged across the Autobahn and fired a High-explosive shell into the forest where the grenadiers where positioned. the unteroffizier that was on the ground with the grenadiers, decided that he would not sit in the forest and get shelled. so as a man of the "Junker-schule" he charged with the grenadiers up next to the T-72. they fired their Panzerfausts into the sides of the tank, two rockets went in and detonated on the side, but the T-72 didn't seem to take any damage. then as per the "Junker-schule" they charged towards the T-72, it fired wildly towards the grenadiers, but all the grenadiers arrived within knife fighting range of the tank. but none of them could get shots off with the panzerfausts, one team even attempted to climb the tank but it managed to twist and turn in such a way, that kept the grenadiers away from the tank. The unteroffizier reported on the platoon net, which rung out quite loudly inside the marder, that he was falling back, he had spotted a second group of T-72s racing down the Autobahn.

Pfeiffer reported in on the company net, the other leopard 2, had recovered from its electric malfunction, they were moving up the Autobahn, to assist the grenadiers, against the on-coming T-72s. The grenadiers reported in, that the T-72s had fanned out across the Autobahn, forming what resembled a half moon shape. Hauptmann Erich Graf queued up the company net, ordered the entire company to attempt to gain eyes on and destroy the T-72s. Hellfire ensued. The Jaguars sent three HOT missiles up the length of the Autobahn. they screamed past the Leos, and struck on the front of the front most T-72, it was neutralized. the Leopards opened fire, destroying another, and severely damaging a third. Junker fired a Milan missile from his Marder, that sent a swash of air into the passenger compartment, another T-72 neutralized. the grenadiers in the forest then fired their Milans towards the Autobahn, further adding to the inferno. finally as crew of the few T-72s that was not immediately destroyed were in the process of bailing their tanks. the Gepards sent two bursts down towards the highway.

The Reds were defeated, but Hauptmann Erich Graf, was getting tired of loosing Leopards, tired of this war, of this Scheißding. he wanted this war to end soon, so he could get back to just training war, instead of fighting war. Erich's thoughts got interrupted by Junker - so, i guess you losers need a ride, i know its not as fancy as what you´re used to, but hey its better than nothing. Erich smiled and replied - Yeah, yeah, just get us back to battalion, i have another evening with paperwork and no sleep ahead of me.

Video by Andrew
Pictures by K. R. Knudsen
Text by Cryofrost
Graphics by Cryofrost and Battlefront.

sorry about the size of some of the pictures, something went wrong.

I hate K.R. Knudsen.....
nah joke aside, this battle was a really though one, i had to claw a win out of what seemed endlessly hopeless after loosing my HQ, it basically ruined my plan before it had even begun. the intend was to spring the ambush right next to the HQ, then attach HQ and have a high-skill, armoured, fist race around the board.

so this battle was a lot less fun to write up, because it was a lot less fun to fight. but i managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.