Firestorm: Stripes

The East German commander had a smile on his face. Today was the day that the might of German socialism would be made clear to the imperialist invaders of his homeland. Across the countryside, T-55s and T-72s stretched out like a tidal wave heading westward. Supporting them were a small kompanie of Mot-Schuetzen mounted in BTR’s as well as small units of Shilkas, Gophers, and Spandrels. A group of four Hinds was also en route with further infantry support. In the clearing ahead, the Germans spotted the enemy. A lone British Chieftain with an AA unit alongside a unit of Abbot artillery. “Mein Gott,” thought the commander, “We’ve caught them completely unprepared! All units, forward!”

The T-72’s complied immediately and raced towards the AA. On the left flank, T55’s charged through the woods toward the Abbots. As it turned out, the Brits knew they were coming. To the left of the T-72’s, three Chieftains popped out from behind a hill and opened fire, decimating the Germans. The Abbots fired a barrage on top of the T-55’s in the woods, killing three of them. The German commander was stunned, but ordered the attack to continue. The infantry dismounted and made for the woods while the BTR’s and Shilkas raced forward towards the Abbots. Sensing initiative, the three Chieftains proceeded down the center valley to split the German forces. The German commander saw one opportunity to stop them, and was able to get four tanks through the woods in order to flank the Brits. Unfortunately, their aim was less than true, and the Chieftains made them pay for it. Back on the left flank, the T-55’s continued to bog helplessly in the woods. The BTRs and Shilkas faired better, and began knocking out Abbots one at a time. Above the battlefield, the Hinds had finally arrived and attempted to land in the enemy’s back field. Luck was not on their side, however, as mechanized infantry appeared and forced them to retreat. Even worse, the advancing Mot-Schuetzen were caught in the open by machine gun fire, thinning their numbers. The Hinds fell back to the safety of their lines, dropping off the infantry in the field. Up ahead, the Spandrels and T55’s finally drove off the cursed AA. The Chieftains put more shells into them as retribution, forcing the German Commander tl flee the field. With new found confidence, the Hinds began to attack the Chieftains with relative impunity. With the threat of the Hinds, the Brits decided to err on the side of caution and regroup, as did the battered and bruised Germans.