Firestorm: Stripes

Initial contact with US Army forces outside Hamburg. First experiences with facing the new American HMMV’s and their unique weapons packages. Also noted first experiences with the improved M-1 model.

Good morning, this is Doug Donnerston, outside of Hamburg, at NATO high command. There are early reports from the front where US Army forces have clashed with WARPACT forces after a recent refitting. These troops, recently arrived from the States, have been equipped with the new HMMV, or Hummer scout vehicles and the Stinger shoulder-fired surface to air missile.

Early reports indicate that while the WARPACT forces were present in significant numbers, their recon vehicles were not to be found. While that did worry the US commander, his initial deployments made best use of the superior fire control of his M1 Abrams tanks.

Despite the strength of the US initial deployments, the WARPACT forces did manage to get an early shot off to bail one of the US tanks.

In response, the US commander, seeing the weakness of the placement of his ITV platoon, they attempted to relocate to a better site. The roughness of the terrain was underestimated, and one of the ITV's bogged down. The superior protection afforded the M1's was sufficient to convince the bailed crew to remount their tank, and kill one T-72, bailing two others. The CIC, seeing the lead tank for the WARPACT tank battalion, opened fire killing him, sending the battalion into disarray.

n an effort to cover the WARPACT battalion commander's foot withdrawal from the battlefield, the previously unseen recon element unmasks, but due to the upgraded front armor of the US company commander's tank, fails to make any impact on the tank. More successfully, however, the T-72 companies combine fire on one of the exposed M1 platoons, destroying one tank, and frightening the other into retreat.

In response, the other M1 platoon sends four T-72's to the scrapyard. While that doesn't faze the DDR armor, the BMP's, having shown themselves to the company commander, are shattered as he destroys two vehicles. The unbogged ITV finds a line and fires on the remaining two recon vehicles, destroying one, and the other seeks the better part of valor and flees the battlefield.

A thumping sound heralds the arrival of East German Mil-24 helicopters, who loiter outside the range of the American SAMs and VADS. One of the T-72 companies receives orders to pull back, and does so, leaving the stronger of the two companies facing the American mechanized infantry. Those who remain fire on the infantry, but score no hits.

The American VADS, noting the appearance of the Hinds, dash to find a better firing position while the HMMV mounted Stingers forge ahead to cover the company commander on the flank. The M1 platoon, seeing the odds lessen in their favor, fire on the T-72's, killing 1 tank.

he Hinds find the M1 platoon, seeking them out and braving the hail of anti-air fire and missiles to destroy one M1 and send the other running for the rear. The T-72's, seeing the advance of the American CIC, shift to try and cover the objective point.

The Americans, in response to the loss of their armored support, shoot down two Hinds with heavy machine-gun fire from their armored personnel carriers. The CIC and ITV carriers make a blitz to break towards the objective points, followed by the VADS unit.

Hearing of the weakened state of the Hind detachment, STAVKA requests their withdrawal from the area of operations. With that loss, WARPACT forces are severely weakened, but their objective is only clear the rally point. With only their HMMV's, VADS, ITV's, and a single M1 Abrams tank, how difficult could it be. The forced reorganization to face the threat at speed rattled the sights on the T-72's, and they could not put an accurate round on the American commander.

They did, however, seem to disorder the Americans, who could not make any hits either, now covering the rally point.

The final exchanges were feeble things, with the Americans crushing the only unit that could prevent them from securing the objective, resulting in a victory for American forces.