Firestorm: Stripes

As dawn broke on a fogy morning our small company of Chieftain tanks moved towards the outskirts of a small town. Our objectives, to counter attack and secure the woods to the south of town and a bridge to the north. Due to our lack of infantry support, a German Panzergrenadier Kompanie operating to our flank helped to reinforce our dwindling company numbers.

Suddenly, out of the fading morning mist came a line of BMPs. Without time to burn the kettle our entire company opened fire – within seconds the entire line of BMPs was blazing, the few survives fled to the woods to join the infantry company hunkered down on the critical position. The German 120mm mortars began the long process of softening the Red’s positions in the woods for the eventual assault to take the town’s southern flank. Meanwhile, in the north, the reconnaissance elements of both our Chieftain Company and the Panzergrenadier Kompanie played a game of cat and mouse with light forces of the Soviet army. While the reconnaissance elements made short work of the Soviets to the north and pressed the critical bridge crossing, our artillery and the barrage of fire from the Chieftains could not shift the mass of Soviets in the woods. As dusk fell across the battlefield many burning soviet vehicles littered the battlefield. However, with dark now upon the battlefield, our Company commander was unwilling to send our lumbering Chieftains into the woods as the potential casualties were too risky.

This evening we would retire to return tomorrow – hopefully the dwindling Soviets would not be able to reinforce before we could again press the attack. But there never seems to be and end to their numbers.