"Team Whiskey - Fulda Gap Batrep 1" Topic
28 Posts
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Just Jack | 07 Sep 2015 7:00 a.m. PST |
All, It's 0545 on 1 August 1986, and (for whatever reason, make up your own) the Soviets/Warsaw Pact has decided to launch an invasion of Western Europe. Battalion Task Force 4-11 (fictional 4th Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment) receives the call to arms, moves from barracks to assembly area to defensive positions in the Fulda Gap, awaiting the onslaught of the Red horde.
Here's the overlay of the table, with each side's plan, with north being left. US Order of Battle India Company: Captain Phillips (M-577) 1st Mechanized Platoon: 1Lt Eirserbe 2nd Mechanized Platoon: 1Lt Ensmith 3rd Mechanized Platoon: 2Lt Teigner 1st Tank Platoon: 1Lt Dillon (only two of his tanks made it to the area in time) Elements of Weapons Company (4 x TOW, HMG, 4 x M-113) Elements of 10th Special Forces Group (2 x ODA) Elements of 399th Attack Aviation Company (1 x AH-64) Elements of 999th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1 x A-10) Soviet Order of Battle Tank 1 is 6 T-72s Tank 2 is 6 T-72s Tank 3 is 4 T-72s (coming on Turn 2) Mech 1, 2, and 3 are 6 BMPs and 6 rifle teams each The Hind and SOF are marked where they will insert, and the ZSU-23-4 is with Tank 3.
Looking west to east at the village of Heffe, the Soviet Mech 1 pushes into the urban area while the Mi-24 Hind dashes forward to deliver two teams of Spetznaz…
And runs into some problems coming out of Heineken.
And then, from the US far right, the TOW 2nd Section opens up on Mech 1 moving into Heffe. The fight was epic, with vicious fighting in Weisse, and absolutely legendary fighting in Heffe and atop Hill 23, real bare-knuckle brawling. But the TOWs, the TOWs were magnificent. To see how the fight went, please check the blog at: link Six hours, that's how long this fight took, so please forgive me for how long the batrep is. But the table is set for fight number two, and I'm on my way upstairs, so stay tuned. V/R, Jack |
Lascaris | 07 Sep 2015 7:07 a.m. PST |
Fabulous AAR. I like the listing of the OOB and the map overview before you get into the details of the combat. Really well done and has me thinking about getting back into WW3 gaming! Tom |
VonTed | 07 Sep 2015 7:10 a.m. PST |
Looks cool 😀. What rules did you use?(to be honest I didn't read your whole post!) |
kustenjaeger | 07 Sep 2015 8:27 a.m. PST |
I must admit after I started reading it I went and looked at Pendraken's Falkland range for early-mid 80s British … Regards Edward |
CAG 19 | 07 Sep 2015 8:33 a.m. PST |
Awesome report as usual. Hoping that it gets similar campaign treatment to your other projects |
Captain dEwell | 07 Sep 2015 9:24 a.m. PST |
Remarkable. You have gifted TMP a marvellous present with your report and photographs, and raised the standard bar of what can be contributed to TMP. Hugely interesting. Well done and thank you. |
Tgunner | 07 Sep 2015 10:05 a.m. PST |
HA! Jack is playing the US Army! HA! We'll make a proper GI out of you yet! Keep the reports coming, soldier! |
Weasel | 07 Sep 2015 10:21 a.m. PST |
VonTed – Modified FiveCore Company Commander. This is quite stunning and the mass of photos really give a good feel for the flow of the fight. |
Mako11 | 07 Sep 2015 11:45 a.m. PST |
Wow, looks great! Thanks for sharing all of your pics, and your very detailed battle report. It is superb! Yep, I think those Pendraken Argentinians would be perfect for various factions, e.g. Cold War British with SLRs, Danes, and early West Germans (late 1950s – early 1960s). Sadly, they haven't released any Cold War Russian troops, which is a real shame. I keep pestering Leon about that, and they are coming eventually, but perhaps if you all pester him some more, they might get reprioritized for delivery earlier. Would love a BMP-1, BTR-60PB, and BRDM-2 to go with the T-54/T-55, PT-76, and Polish OT-62/BTR-50. They've got enough Cold War Soviet and Warsaw Pact Armor to permit early to mid-war gaming now, but the only thing holding them back is a lack of ground troops. Vietnam Americans and armor can be used for Europe as well, for the US and early West Germans/Bundeswehr. West Germans can make do with their M48s and M113s, until proper other armor for them are produced. |
Weasel | 07 Sep 2015 12:06 p.m. PST |
Does anyone do Leo 1 in 10mm? |
Cold Steel | 07 Sep 2015 12:18 p.m. PST |
MiniFigs makes the Leo 1A5: link |
Mako11 | 07 Sep 2015 12:35 p.m. PST |
Minifigs does the Leo 1 too – technically 12mm (1/144th scale), though in Britain, I'm told 10mm = 1/150th, or thereabouts, so there should only be about 1mm of difference between the two scales, for most vehicles. Sadly, no early Marder, so e-mail them about that, and other things too, e.g. no: Jagdpanzer Raketes (early ones), JgPz Kanones, Munga jeeps, HS-30s, Spz Kurz, Bo-105 helo with ATGMs, M114 with 20mm turret for the US Armored Cav units, M59 APC for the early Americans, etc., etc.. I'll pester them again as well, on the above. |
Just Jack | 07 Sep 2015 12:47 p.m. PST |
Holy Cow! Wow, thanks everybody, I never get this many replies on TMP ;) I greatly appreciate your comments and support. -Lascaris: Do it man, it's great! I just finished the second fight, and it was a real barn-burner. I do, however, regret to inform you I won't be doing those overlays for each fight. I'd like to, but it's a lot of work, and I really only did them because I'm a solo player and I had to come up with some different concepts to deal with hidden minefields and arty prep barrages. -Edward: Thank you, and the Pendraken Brits are some of my favorite troops in any scale. I used them extensively in my 'Cuba Libre' campaign. -Si: Thank you Sir, and seeing your name here reminds me I need to get back to my air gaming ;) The campaign! Good Lord, I forgot! Please see the bottom of this post. -VonTed: As Ivan mentioned, the rules are 5Core Company Command, which Ivan was good enough to help me make some modifications to in order to 1) play bigger games and 2) make it feel a little more Cold War-ish. -Captain DEwell: You are too kind, thanks a bunch. -TGunner: Yeah, cut it out, you're making me sick ;) You know, you were in there as the 3rd Mech Plt Cmdr. You were also in the second fight, and I've got some bad news… -Ivan: Yeah, a whole lotta photos. About three hours of pre-battle prep, six hours to play, and three to write it up! Glad it's being well received though. ;) -Mako: Thanks man. And yeah, the Argentinians work for all kinds of stuff (I'm sure you've seen them in my Cuba Libre batreps?). My modern US and WarPac infantry is from Minifigs, and they're pretty good models. But I'm with you, I wish Pendraken would spit some more out, quick. **EDIT: I forgot to update my campaign roster, and properly recognize those that need it!** Captain Phillips, CO of India Company, received the Bronze Star with 'V' for his overall command performance in the defense, for exposing himself to enemy fire to launch a Stinger that drove off an enemy attack helicopter, and for manning the last line of defense (in south center, just west of Heineken; he even fired a LAW at a T-72, but missed). Lieutenant Ensmith, Commander of 2nd Mechanized Platoon, India Company, received the Silver Star for his dogged defense of the village of Heffe against overwhelming forces, to include his close assault of an enemy BMP. Sergeant Johnson, KIA, Squad Leader, 2nd Mechanized Platoon, India Company, received the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry which saw he and his team destroy a BMP with a LAW, close assault and destroy an enemy rifle team, close assault and destroy another enemy BMP, then be close assaulted by three enemy rifle teams, which saw his squad wiped out, but also eliminate two more enemy rifle squads. Lieutenant Dillon, 1st Tank Platoon Commander, Charlie Company, received the Purple Heart for being lightly wounded when his tank was damaged by an enemy 125mm round. All four TOW gunners and their assistants received the Bronze Star with 'V' for their heroic and skillful performance against the enemy's armored formations. Lieutenant Eirserbe, Commander of 1st Mechanized Platoon, India Company, received the Bronze Star with 'V' for his desperate defense of Weisse, which saw him captured and his platoon wiped out. Can't believe I forgot that! The Team Whiskey roster, here: link , has been updated too. V/R, Jack |
Weasel | 07 Sep 2015 1:29 p.m. PST |
One thing that would be a really nice touch is if half way through (or thereabouts) you did a status check and posted how many stands were alive on each side at that point. Make it a little easier to follow at a glance. Not super essential though and its fun to see the results once the dust has cleared! |
Rod I Robertson | 07 Sep 2015 1:47 p.m. PST |
Splendiferous and superb report, Jack! Bravo sir! |
Tgunner | 07 Sep 2015 6:00 p.m. PST |
-TGunner: Yeah, cut it out, you're making me sick ;) You know, you were in there as the 3rd Mech Plt Cmdr. You were also in the second fight, and I've got some bad news… Aw man, you made me a mech warrior. You know that's nearly as bad as being a Marine, right? Hopefully I went down swinging. 2Lt Teigner… I should have caught that! Great stuff Jack, keep it coming! |
Just Jack | 08 Sep 2015 5:24 a.m. PST |
Thanks guys, even Rod ;) Ivan – I don't really keep count of losses like that during the game, partly because it makes it (in my head) too much game and too little like a real fight. I think what I'll try to do is not do a 'stat sheet,' but give more updates on unit status, i.e., "well, 3rd Platoon has been wiped out and 2nd's down to half…" Don't worry, Blue, you're about to get your turn. I hope there's enough left my two mech infantry companies (after fight #3) that I can actually keep the campaign going… Tgunner – "…nearly as bad as being a Marine…" You know not the solemn pride. And you did go down fighting, but one more crack at Marines and it's getting changed to "shot in the ass while running away" ;) More to come, the 2nd batrep is almost finished, probably posted tomorrow night. V/R, Jack |
Rod I Robertson | 08 Sep 2015 5:51 a.m. PST |
Just Jack: Lincoln wrote that to an infantry mother, not a Marine one so don't be stealing others' solemn pride. : ) bartleby.com/43/38.html The pest. Rod Robertson. |
Just Jack | 08 Sep 2015 8:47 a.m. PST |
See Rod, ya screwed it up again! I wasn't going with Lincoln's "…the solemn pride that must be yours…" I was going with Jack's "you know not the solemn pride of being a real man in a real unit of an elite (pronounced 'eee-lite') fighting force." ;) But I was trying to be nice… V/R, Jack |
Weasel | 08 Sep 2015 2:19 p.m. PST |
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Tgunner | 08 Sep 2015 4:42 p.m. PST |
I hope there's enough left my two mech infantry companies (after fight #3) that I can actually keep the campaign going…
Well there are always clerks, cooks, mechanics, and other assorted "non-combat" types who can be dragged into the line companies. Old Army tradition it is! I seem to remember my old colonel having to do that during a NTC rotation. Those paperpushers actually kicked the OPFOR off a hill. Every soldier is a rifleman too. Maybe not as good as our leatherneck cousins, but riflemen none the less. Maybe you can get a supply geek to command them too??? Also, maybe some of the captured guys were recovered? The Soviets were basically wiped out. So maybe you could recoup to some of the POWs. Ditto with the wiped out units. Maybe you could regroup some of the dead units into reformed units? Say one effective unit for three dead? You controlled the field at the end, so that isn't unrealistic. Tgunner – "…nearly as bad as being a Marine…" You know not the solemn pride. And you did go down fighting, but one more crack at Marines and it's getting changed to "shot in the ass while running away" ;) Ah, why bother running? You'll just die tired. Shot in the ass. What a way to go. You're just a real prince among men Jack! |
Just Jack | 08 Sep 2015 7:47 p.m. PST |
Ivan – How come no rules have Field Day in them? You could have different rates of movement for swabs, brooms, and buffers, hidden dust bunnies, etc… ;) Tgunner – Yeah, the cooks, bakers, and candlestick makers, as well a the sick, lame, and lazy are gonna have to be rounded up, and more vehicles will have to be 'acquired' from other elements. I can see a point in the campaign where 11th ACR will just be worn down, and I can fill out the ranks by folding in other Troops into Team Whiskey. "Maybe you can get a supply geek to command them too???" Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that. Besides, I already gave Rod a tank platoon ;) Regarding recupe-ing men and vehicles from the first fight, I don't see it as the US holding the battlefield. Team Whiskey had to split; while they pretty much destroyed the Soviet first wave, the second wave is only about 20 minutes behind it, with another arty barrage coming and everything. So they had to pull back, leaving the battlefield to the Soviets. "You're just a real prince among men Jack!" Sorry man, the Corps sucked away any semblance of manners I had. Let me re-phrase: While running away you got shot in the butt-tocks ;) So, it just hit me; if you're complaining about Mech, what did you do in the Army? Must be Airborne to be acting so uppity ;) V/R, Jack |
Tgunner | 09 Sep 2015 1:06 p.m. PST |
Airborne? Pshaw!! Those punks, and rangers for that matter, are worse than Marines! I'm a card carrying member of the Army's true warfighters. We special few who truly rule the battlefield and all we survey. The real big dogs! I'm a M1 tanker of course!! Tgunner = tank gunner. My last job before going civvie. I was one for exactly two weeks! I almost reupped just to go to a gunnery table. Driverdat is probably a better handle for me, but Tgunner has a nicer ring. And let me say that I was very displeased with Dillion's performance. He and his boys should have clobbered those russkies. Imagine, being outshot by TOW stubbers… (hangs his head in shame) Oh well, maybe he had a better outing in your other games. Come on LT! Lase and blaze! Anyway, I'm gathering up my 6mm toys to done some WWIII goodness too. I'll probably do a mech unit with attached armor- the opposite of what I did. I was in a tank pure outfit… I never got that. And yes, mech warrior was an inside crack me and a few geeky Battletech tankers had for our friendly neighborhood crunchies in the 5-16 Infantry. Great guys despite being mere crunchies! By the way, here an old TRADOC book about the armored cav. It has loads of useful stuff about the cavalry and its job and history. It also has plenty of scenario ideas: PDF link Keep up the games! |
Just Jack | 09 Sep 2015 3:27 p.m. PST |
I was actually thinking TGunner was 'TOW Gunner,' but I gotcha. Me, I was a crunchie, as you doggies call them. But there's no denying those Abrams are simply amazing. Look at Kyote getting selfish, hoping to make it out alive ;) V/R, Jack |
Tgunner | 09 Sep 2015 4:37 p.m. PST |
Don't worry, I'm sure Cap Keepers will get fragged in his first action! Yes, the pig is a wonderful piece of equipment. Not only does it move, shoot, and communicate, it'll even warm up your meal and make your coffee. Plus it makes a pretty fair RV. It also tends to attract lots of crunchies when it's cold outside. They think we're mobile space heaters! The TOW is an incredible weapon too. I've seen them rip tanks apart. Scary stuff. Crunchy isn't so much Army slang as it's armor slang. I bet Marine tankers use it from time to time. Afterall, they probably learned it from us. Anyway, great stuff Jack. I can't wait to see my imminent demise while leading mech boys. |
CavScout8thCav | 10 Sep 2015 5:30 a.m. PST |
All hail the TOW's. I got to fire 2 live shots in 6 years as a gunner on a Scout Bradley and M901 ITV. HOOAH! Excellent AAR as well. |
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