Firestorm: Stripes

SECRET//ORCON
FROM: JOINT TASK FORCE BANZAI
TO: EUCOM
INFO: CENTCOM
NATO COMMAND
WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM

SUMMARY: (S) Joint Task Force Banzai reports contact between U.S. Marine Company, supported by Kampfgruppe Von Stein, and elements of a Soviet T-64 Company outside the city of Hanau, Frankfurt Corridor.

DETAILS: (S) Having suffered significant losses during the conducting of Operation Yoyodyne, involving the NATO incursion into the Brandenburg corridor, Hauptmann Von Stein and the remnants of Kampfgruppe Von Stein were recalled to FOB Rawhide, located outside of Stuttgart. After refitting, Command, Joint Task Force Banzai, requested Kampgruppe Von Stein to forward deploy, once again, to the besieged Frankfurt corridor.

(S) U.S. EUCOM Command, received intelligence reports suggesting a Soviet T-64 and Guard Motor Company were en route to Hanau, within the Frankfurt corridor, to capture forward deployed NATO intelligence group and fuel reserves. Currently, a company of U.S. Marines is stationed within the Frankfurt region to provide protection to the forward deployed NATO intelligence group. U.S. Command requested the assistance of Kampfgruppe Von Stein to reinforce the U.S. Marine Company and to repel the incoming Soviet column.

(S) Upon arriving in Hanau the U.S. Marine Company and Kampfgruppe Von Stein engaged the Soviet T-64 Company. Engagement between Soviet T-64 Company and U.S. and Task Force Banzai forces is photo-documented below along with the Operation briefing.

This was the last game of the campaign I played, and probably one of the most enjoyable games. Due to an odd number of us showing up for the Team Yankee campaign event at the local gaming store, we ended up having my West Germans and a U.S. player, each fielding 50 points, against Jeremy's 100 points of Soviets. Jeremy brought a large amount of terrain and built one of the nicest tables I have had the chance to play on to date. This made the game very cinematic and enjoyable.

Having the combined arms of my West Germans and the U.S. players Marines was interesting. We initially rolled poorly for reserves, but this may have worked to our advantage in the end as everything came on right at the nick of time (like all good cavalry). Jeremy had some very unfortunate rolls in regards to saving against artillery, which ended up whittling down his T-64 platoons little by little. Additionally, the nature of the placement of objectives led to my two Panzergrenadier platoons establishing footholds at the beginning of the game in buildings immediately adjacent to the objective next to Jeremy's reinforcement entry zone. They proved very difficult to dislodge once dug in, even with the T-64's brutal cannons.

The other objective was quickly secured by the U.S. Marines helicoptering into the adjacent area. The most entertaining play of the game had to be the Marine AAVP-7s advancing on the remaining T-64s and just lobbing grenades at the big tanks. This resulted in the remaining T-64 bailing, and my infantry taking the tank and crew. I found the mental image of the T-64s being harassed by AAVP-7 grenades to be extremely funny.