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Firestorm: Stripes

The Team Yankee Global Campaign

Ein super schnelles Ding

60 POINTS
Warsaw Pact
Harald Knauer
VS United States
Oxford

59 points - Bridgehead

While it certainly was true that the NATO warmachine had switched into high-gear and was working tirelessly to meet the Warsaw Pact threat and somehow keep it contained to Germany, the Socialists, despite significant losses, showed no signs of slowing down. If anything, NATO’s tenacity in holding on to territory and counterattacking instead of retreating hardened the resolve of the worker’s and peasant’s armies.

Could be the title of a DEFA-movie...

By now routinely under-strength, Knauer’s Panzerregiment received orders for another push. Now that the Marines’ advance had been stopped by the last counter attack and where barely holding on to their bridgehead, his tanks would push on due north-west, to threaten Hamburg again. For this mission armoured reconnaissance, self-propelled AAA and attack helicopter support carrying air landing troops were made available.

The Marines were still waiting on replacement TOW HMMWVs, but could count upon close air support provided by a flight of Harriers. East German intelligence on the Marines’ strike aircraft was fuzzy and they were assumed to be a major threat. A swift execution of the planned, two-pronged attack was therefore critical to their mission success.

Map of the AO.

M60A1s of 1st platoon had been thoroughly camouflaged within the wheat fields, that lay between two woods. From there on out, it would be excellent tank country, that had to be denied to the enemy. The Marines made the best of what little cover they had available, mined one of the possible approaches and kept watchful eyes and ears on their radios and the horizon.
Shortly after first light reports came in about a large tank force going straight for the Marines’ killzone. Tank crews and infantrymen got ready to repel the onslaught. To their right though, scout elements of an East German tank battalion had snuck up to their flank and guided in a formidable force.

East German tanks break into the Marines' flank unexpectedly and try to force a decision, before reinforcements can arrive.

A barrage of shells knocked out the Army’s AAA, with T-72s, armoured cars and infantry rushing up the flank.

The Marine M60s reacted perfectly, turning their tanks toward the new threat, taking four enemy tanks out of action. Despite their stellar shooting, however, they knew that without reserves, this would be a short fight. With the triple-A knocked out, the enemy attack helicopters had free reign.

The Marines hit hard and often.

Exhausted, the East German tankers had a hard time hitting anything. However, the sheer weight of fire and relatively little resistance ensured that they finally overwhelmed the last defenders.

Adhering precisely to doctrine the East Germans had created a situation where the enemy had to fight overwhelming numbers on a short frontage and was not able to adjust his defense before being overrun. With tanks, infantry and helicopters all concentrating their fire on objective “Boris”, the Marines were forced to retreat before reinforcements were able to reach them.

5-2 Victory for the workers and peasants!

The beginning and end of the video contain bits of other songs, I don't know why. Best version of the song, though.

Analysis

- Scouts were an excellent addition and with the terrain I had a good opportunity to use them for maximum effect. Oxford did not bring any to counter them, this time, but certainly will in the future!

- The mission, “Bridgehead”, played into my favor as well. Again Oxford chose to defend and again it forced him to keep most of his assets off table, due to the “deep reserves”. That meant he had not enough tanks and no air available to stall my advance and not enough infantry to lock down both objectives. More Marine infantry is underway. Until then ‘defend’, despite playing to the M60A1’s strengths, has been deemed a suboptimal battle plan.

- Reserve rolls and infantry saves on Oxfords part were below average - I counted three or four 1s alone (although my armor saves were at least as poor). Again I took a gamble and rushed the objective with everything I had. This time however it was not just a distraction to split his force, it was the main effort. I feared that any minute now 4 or even 6 USMC tanks would pop up right behind me and take out the force on the objective. That they did not arrive in time made this game as short as it was.

- The game itself was exciting (at least for my paranoid self), but it felt weird being this short. Now of course the mission isn’t set up as a fair fight from the get go, but no reserves in combination with the outflanking that “Bridgehead” allows by design was harsh. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to reasonably start another game right after. Nonetheless, as Oxford put it so nicely in one of his reports: It’s always a good time with some tea, chatting and dice rolling. :)

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6 People Recommended Harald Knauer for commendation

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Warsaw Pact
Harald Knauer
Wins

7 Comments

  • PanzerGrau says:

    Congratulations on your victory. Nice report. Thanks for posting.

  • Red Alert says:

    +++

    Your reports are to the Highest standards

    As is your generalship

    You are a true leader of socialist values

    I commend you

  • Stone says:

    Good graphics and photos. So sad to see the NATO loss.

  • bayankhan says:

    Great report. I’m sure we still hold the city, and there aren’t enough riflemen in all the NATO armies to dig out the motor rifle regiments left behind to hold it. It’s going to be another ‘we had to destroy the city in order to save it’, I’m sure.

    Seems to me I remember another army getting fixated on taking a city…

  • M. Nisbet says:

    A futile effort, you have lost Hamburg. This was a desperate move by cornered troops. Lay down your arms, and you will be fairly tried.

  • Nikolai Zhukuv says:

    Great Report!

  • Davehodo says:

    Well done comrade. Push them back. We shall meet in Paris.