Firestorm: Stripes

Kaptain Kaljuste of the 10 Guards Tank Division of the 3 Shock Army had his orders. They would secure the N237 towards Utrecht. Kaljuste knew very well that the attack on NATO was not going to plan. The 10 Guards Tank Division was almost down to 40% combat efficiency and he was in command of the battalion after they lost their CO in the heavy fighting near Amersfoort. He felt some pride in the fact that the 3rd Shock Army had managed to advance the furthest but for the most part he was sick of this fighting.

The people here had good lives, they had no reason to invade the Soviet Union or any Warsaw Pact countries. Then he had seen the poor refugees, scattered families trying to get to safety. He had even seen dead people by the roadside, parents that had died in futile attempts to cover their children all now mangled together in death's embrace.

The best he knew there were no major reinforcements on their way to push towards Amsterdam. It was down to what they had. Not that the NATO forces were doing any better. Intel informed him that there were West Germans in this sector. It was ironic. The Warsaw Pact forces already had occupied about half of West Germany and here their soldiers were defending Netherlands.

Not that it was any more strange for him. His father was Estonian, his mother was Georgian and he was fighting for the Soviet Union in the Netherlands. Silly when you really thought about it. He wasn't fighting for any soviet ideals any more, he was now fighting for his comrades.

Around his neck and under his uniform he had an Orthodox cross that his mother had given him. Kaljuste wasn't religious and had not been brought up that way, but he honored his mother and believed that it gave him good luck. He had been charmed so far, still unharmed while far too many of his comrades were badly wounded or dead. He knew he was taking a risk to his career by carrying such a superstitious item. But in war all men were superstitious and would look for anything to give them the edge.

SOVIET (RED ALERT)

3-я уда́рная а́рмия
3 Shock Army
10th Guards Tank Division
T-64 Tank Battalion 65 points

HQ
HQ – T-64 6

FORMATION UNITS 49
Tank Coy – 3x T-64 13
Tank Coy – 3x T-64 13
Tank Coy – 3x T-64 13
BMP-2 Motor Rifle – small: 4xAk-74, 3xRPG-7, 4x BMP-2 8
ZSU-23-4 Shilka SAM Plt – 2x 2

SUPPORT UNITS 10
MI-24 Hind – 4x Hind 10

Starting forces, HQ, 2x T-64 companies and BMP-2 infantry.

WEST GERMAN (FRYM3N)

German 1.st Panzerdivision
Marder Panzergrenadier Kompanie 65 points

HQ 1
HQ – 1x G3 1x Marder 1

FORMATION UNITS 58
Marder Panzergrenadier 3x G3 w/panzerf. 2x Milan
3x Marder 7
Leopard 2 Panzer Zug 3x Leo 2 33
Jaguar 1 Jafdpanzer Zug 3x Jaguar 6
Gepard Flakpanzer 4x Gepard 10
Luchs Spah Trupp 2x Luchs 1
Luchs Spah Trupp 2x Luchs 1

SUPPORT UNITS 6
Fliegerfaust Gruppe 2x Redeye 2
Tornado Strike Flight 2x Tornado 4

SOVIET PLAN OF ATTACK

After deployment the West Germans had blocked the advance towards the right objective with mines. So the idea was to go in heavy for the left objective (the photo is the West German view so the sides are the other way around). But if the West Germans would move their main units against the attack then to move the infantry and reserves to go for the right objective. In either case the infantry would always pose a threat so not to give the West Germans a chance to concentrate their forces.

SOVIET TURN 1
Dawn rules - night

RESERVES - None.

Advance according to plan. No firing, hoping that the night would cover them from fire.

W.GERMAN TURN 1

Cautious redeployment, one Leo 2 gets bogged in the woods. No firing.

SOVIET TURN 2

RESERVES - Shilka platoon.

Further advance in the one platoon successfully takes cover in the woods and all tanks get to their positions. No firing*.

*Soviets are at a disadvantage at night so I withheld fire as I could not want to expose myself to counter-fire.

W.GERMAN TURN 2

CLOSE RESERVES - start rolling turn 2 - none arrive.

Mostly cautious redeployment, but the Leo 2 in the woods that had boged down last turn opens fire and scores 2 hits against the T-64 bailing two tanks. The extra armour on the T-64 coming in really handy). Battalion Commander joins and the pass their morale (on 2).

SOVIET TURN 3

RESERVES - T-64 Company (3x T-64)

One T-64 remounts and the Formantion Commander and the other Company move to take on the Leo 2. Meanwhile the infantry and BMP-2's move towards the right objective - with the intent of forcing the W. Germans to split their efforts.

Fire turns out to be most effective. Both tanks of the 1st platoon hit the Leo 2 and blow it up, so the second doesn't have to fire!

W.GERMAN TURN 3
Roll for Dawn, still night

CLOSE RESERVES - None

The West Germans break out their Jaguar 1 Jafdpanzer ambush and move their two remaining Leo 2's to engage the T-64's. In an abysmal round of shooting, only one T-64 is penetrated and then the West Germans fail the firepower test. With two tanks bailed, it is the Formation Commander that keeps them on the field. Then the Jaguars successfully pass the skill test to shoot and scoot only to have two of them bog in LOS of the T-64's!

SOVIET TURN 4
Dawn breaks

RESERVES - Hinds, but with 4x Gepards they are left loitering off the table.

Soviet infantry, BMP-2's and the T-64's from reserves continue to advance against the right objective. Meanwhile the T-64's engage the Leopards and Jaguars, destroying both Jaguars that had bogged, but the last one bravely remains. The German infantry holds on against Ak-74 and BMP-2 fire without loss but are pinned.

W.GERMAN TURN 4

CLOSE RESERVES - Luchs

The Luchs successfully blitz in and move towards their infantry while the Leo 2's and the last Jaguar attempt to take out the imperishable T-64's.

Then everything goes wrong. Despite 8 hits not one Soviet infantry team succumbs. The shooting against the T-64's is poor with one bailed and only one penetrated by a Leo 2 which goes on to fail its firepower test. The T-64's need to take one more morale test and pass.

SOVIET TURN 5

All reserves have arrived but the Hinds are still left off table.

T-64's remain in place and all of them are now remounted. The BMP-2's move closer and one moves through the underpass to take shots at the Marder. The T-64's from reserves take position on the far side of the minefield to lend supporting fire to the infantry, who move up to assault.

At this point in the game the Soviets have yet to lose a single team.

The T-64's take out the last Jaguar but the armour of the Leopards saves the MBTs. Meanwhile the German infantry lose 2 teams and the HQ Marder leaving them vulnerable to an assault. They score 4 hits with no effect in defensive fire and lose one team more and have to retreat from the objective and the West German player is in real danger of losing the game.

W.GERMAN TURN 5

CLOSE RESERVES - Tornados arrive from reserves but are a no show.

The West German player brings everything he can to fire on the infantry on the objective except the Leo's.

After a rain of fire, the Soviet infantry loses 3 teams and a single BMP 2's but are still in a good position. The Germans cannot assault since the elected to fire as stationary.

SOVIET TURN 6

My opponent is ready to concede the game, but I might get unlucky so we decide to continue, if we start by seeing if his infantry survives to contest the objective.

They didn't.

+++ AFTER BATTLE NOTES

A solid plan well executed. But greatly helped by my opponents confounded bad luck (I am more used to it the other way around).

Never before in a game of Team Yankee have I won with so few losses.

Maybe Kaljuste's cross that his mother gave him was indeed charmed.