Firestorm: Stripes

SECRET//ORCON
FROM: JOINT TASK FORCE BANZAI
TO: EUCOM
INFO: NATO COMMAND

SUMMARY: (S) Joint Task Force Banzai, Kampfgruppe Von Stein, reports contact with a Soviet BMP Motor Rifle Battalion, attached to the Soviet 74th Guards Tank Regiment, southeast of Obertshausen in the Frankfurt corridor.

DETAILS: (S) EUCOM command reported Soviet 74th Guards Tank Regiment en route to Frankfurt. Intelligence indicates purpose of Soviet 74th Guards Tank Regiment incursion is to capture and/or destroy U.S. Rhein-Main Airbase located south of Frankfurt.

(S) EUCOM requested Joint Task Force Banzai command provide support forces to interdict elements of the Soviet 74th Guards Tank Regiment prior to arrival at Rhein-Main Airbase. Purpose of interdiction was to delay Soviet forces advance allowing further time for evacuation of civilian personnel from Rhein-Main Airbase. After initial contact, Joint Task Force Banzai forces were requested to withdraw to support main element of defending U.S. forces.

(S) With recent completion of Operation Oscillation Overthruster, Joint Task Force Banzai command ordered Hauptmann Gervas Von Stein to redeploy Kampfgruppe Von Stein from the city of Horstein to Frankfurt (40km) to interdict Soviet Regiment.

(S) Joint Task Force Banzai surveillance elements determined Soviet BMP Motor Rifle Battalion to be 20km southeast of Frankfurt, en route to Rhein-Main Airbase. Hauptmann Von Stein’s forces engaged Soviet BMP Motor Rifle Battalion outside of the city of Obertshausen (50.063632, 8.855542), 18km southeast of Frankfurt.

(S) The engagement between the Soviet BMP Motor Rifle Battalion and Kampfgruppe Von Stein is photo-documented below.

This was my first game in the Adepticon Team Yankee tournament. I lucked out and played against NDNG_Iron_Tom, a fantastic opponent playing a Soviet horde list. Adepticon provided outstanding tables and terrain for the tournament. We were issued the Dust Up scenario, and Iron_Tom played his list aggressively selecting the table quarter concealing a large percentage of his horde from initial view of my West Germans. What progressed over the next couple of turns was Iron_Tom slow rolling onto my defending West Germans.

In reviewing the game after the fact, my initial deployment was good, but I should have traded out units in reserve. With the incoming BMP horde, I really could have used the volume of firepower the Gepards could put out. Instead, as Iron_Tom did not have any air units, I decided to hold the Gepards in reserve (none of which ever showed up). I should have traded out one unit of Panzergrenadiers to have the Gepards start on the table.

My dice rolling was abysmal, to a point where even Iron_Tom started feeling sorry for me. That being the case, I can’t blame the loss on the dice. I got too anxious, seeing the BMP and T-72s massed together, and rather than using the minelets from the LARS on my first turn, attempted a bombardment, which destroyed nothing.

In attempt to further flank the Soviets (and not being aware of the rear armor value on the T-72s), I advanced the Luchs and Marders in what turned out to be the wrong direction. They would have done much better engaging the BMPs advancing on my left flank.

Never having any of my reserves arrive on the table hurt more and more as the game progressed, and in the end, I couldn’t dish out enough damage to counter Iron_Tom’s horde. It was a great game during which I learned a lot.