Firestorm: Stripes

EINHERJAR ending the campaign in style!

From left to right, Frym3n, Major Beaver, Kristján (didn't take part in the online campaign) Red Alert, and me Victor. Gandri is missing but he is at the EVE Online Fanfest.

Last battle was a Total War Battle. We didn't get around to organizing a larger table so each brought 60 points, West Germans, British, Soviet and East German.

Standard table, Total War rules, 50% in reserve - otherwise the table is too small. We also agreed that to win one side needed to win with 3 points more.

Theater Denmark - Major Beaver is Danish so he is right at home, fighting for Margrethe II.

Great fun.

For out last battle we tried all to come together and only Gandri was missing. We decided to play Total War but only had a standard table.

Each player brought 60 points and at least half had to start in reserve but both players would roll for reserves each turn. These would come in using the rules for random reserves, 1-2 left flank, 3-4 rear line and 5-6 right flank.

Also to win you had to have at least 3 points more than your opponent. 0-3 is a draw. Or if you break the enemy you win 6-1. We will register this battle as 2 battles, Red Alert vs. Frym3n and Major Beaver vs. Victor.

NATO was the attacker so they deployed first.

Our plan was to hold our left right flank and bring the East German horde up the left flank. The Soviets decided to hold the T-64's and Hinds in reserve so as not to give the NATO tanks a chance at first shots while the DDR T-55AM formation was coming up as reserves when the major AT weapons are out of the game (this was decided before deployment).

As it turned out, when we saw the NATO deployment we flipped the plan, the East Germans would advance on the right and Soviets hold the left.

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The battle theater was Denmark, Søren is Danish, but admittedly it is the Americans who are attacking (not liberating the People's Democratic Denmark).

And some music to listen to while reading

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Einherjar club motto:

"The One Who Has The Most Fun Wins!"

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+++ NATO TURN 1
- 2 points - total 2 points -
- No reserves -

Cautious movement, moved to capture the center objective.

Concentrated fire destroyed the Storm unit.

+++ WARSAW PACT TURN 1
- 2 points - total 2 points -
- T-55 reserves -

General advance, strong on the right flank but only to capture the objective on the left flank. 2x BMP-2 and 2x T-55 bogged down in the woods.

Shooting step see revenge for the Storms when the West German Jaguars were destroyed by T-72M's.

+++ NATO TURN 2
- 3 points - total 5 points -
- Harriers and Panzergrenadiers -

The pilots of the Harriers braved the AA fire to attack the concentrated mass of the Volksarmee. On their right flank the Gepards moved against the infantry going for the objective. The Leopard 2's Took out 2x BMP-2s, the Gepards took out the infantry team that was to capture the objective. On the left flank the British tanks managed to shoot at the T-72M's with destroying two. Worse was to come.

All the AA only managed to down a single Harrier.

In return the Harriers destroyed 5x T-72M and 6x BMP-1's. Bailing 1x T-72M and 2x BMP-1.

No matter what happened next the Harriers had paid for every point they are worth.

+++ WARSAW PACT TURN 2
- 2 points - total 4 points -
- T-64 reserves, rear -

The infantry that was to capture the objective had been destroyed.

Recovering from last turns disaster the T-64's engaged a platoon of Chieftains, destroying one and bailing the other and they fled. Infantry moved up against the Gepards along with the BMP-2 and Formation Commander T-64. But together they only destroyed one and bailed another. At least 4 infantry teams were now within range of the objective.

+++ NATO TURN 3
- 3 points - total 8 points -
- More Chieftains and Mortars -

Harriers arrived again and went for the T-64's Chieftains arrived on the right flank and with the Gepards and Leo 2's attempted to destroy the enemies on this flank. They destroyed 4 infantry teams and the remaining two fled. They also destroyed a BMP-2 but the last fled with the infantry. The armor of the T-64 saved it from a hit.

This time around the Harriers were shot down before they could do more damage. The HQ Chieftains took out a T-64.

+++ WARSAW PACT TURN 3
- 2 points - total 6 points -
- Hinds & Spandrels -

With the arrival of the Hinds there was a chance to turn this around. T-64's and a single East German T-72M advanced in the center. Two T-55 moved up the left flank, but the hinds came in on the far right just outside the range of the Gepards.

A T-55 managed to destroy a Gepard, the Hinds destroyed one HQ Chieftain and bailed the other and the bailed tank then saved against the fire from 2x T-64 and T-72 requiring two double bail tests. Nor did it flee. Carnations managed to fire their artillery at the infantry and pinned them. HQ T-64 failed to hit the Leo2's but did manage to shoot and scoot.

+++ NATO TURN 4
- 1 points - total 9 points - (T-64's and T-72 now contesting an objective and the East Germans on the left flank another).
- Reserves; Luchs, Spartans and Scorpions.

Gepard remounts and the last two Gepards move to engage the Hinds. Leo2's were called to stiffen up the left flank. The Chieftains destroyed the T-55 on the right flank. 2 Hinds were lost and the Leos destroyed the T-64's. Several East German infantry units were also destroyed and the Spartans destroyed a T-72. The Scorpions moved to attempt to capture the right center objective.

+++ WARSAW PACT TURN 4
- 2 points - total 8 points -
- T-64's, T-55 and Shilkas -

Hinds left the field for later. 2S1 Carnations targeted the Leo-2's and managed to hit two and destroy one!

A T-55 destroyed a Gepard and the remaining one fled.

T-64 moved with the formation commander T-64 and contested the objective. They then destroyed a Chieftain but the other remained. Hinds failed to hit. On the Warsaw right flank the brawl continued and the Spartans paid for their brashness but little other effect.

+++ NATO TURN 5
- 1 points - total 10 points -
- Last reserves Luchs

This turn NATO moved fully on the defensive. They mostly concentrated on the East Germans and destroyed the Shilkas, all but one BMP, one T-72M and a few infantry but not enough.

+++ WARSAW PACT TURN 5
- 2 points - total 10 points -
- Last Reserves, Hail and T-55

Aside from 2 Spartans the T-64's and Hinds destroyed the last Chieftain. On the right the melee continued, Luchs and Marders being lost and the HQ Chieftain. But NATO still stood firm.

+++ NATO TURN 6
- 1 points - total 11 points -

Spartans cleverly moved to machinegun the Hails, but only destroyed one.

On the left flank the swirling combat continued, as two tired boxers attempted to land the final blow. But this time NATO fire was ineffective for the most part, but a T-72 was set burning and a few more infantry were destroyed and finally the last team contesting the center objective.

+++ WARSAW PACT TURN 6
- 2 points - total 12 points -

The Warsaw Pact had all but broken NATO's right flank. The T-64 company of three tanks moved and had rear shots on the Leo-2's and destroyed on. The sole remaining T-72M Formation commander managed to destroy the other. Spandrels, T-55's and others managed to take out two infantry teams, including a Milan.

It was now 5 hours from when we started and time to end it.

At this point the Warsaw Pact was in a stronger position. No NATO MBT remained and Warpac still had 4x T-64, 1x T-72 and 7x T-55. And then some units, but the score was 12 VP to 11 VP, not enough for a win and it would take at least 4 more turns for the Warsaw pact to manage to win, if nothing unexpected would happen.

It didn't really matter anyway. It had been a great game and exciting right to the end.

The Harries were the unit of the match, and yet despite these losses the Warsaw Pact managed to recover and had broken through on right flank.

A fair draw.

We will report this same battle 4 times:
Major Beaver against Victor,
Red alert against Frym3n,
3-3 draw each one.