"Team Whiskey - Fulda Gap Batrep 7 Part I" Topic

All,

It's 0130 on 7 August 1986, and Team Whiskey is in dire straits. Following the crushing defeat of Kilo Company yesterday in Frankfurt-Am Main, V Corps has been tossing ad-hoc units into the fray to stem the flow of blood as various NATO forces fall back and herd civilian refugees across the last bridge still standing (in the Frankfurt area). As dusk on the 6 Aug 1986 falls, the two sides retract from each other to lick their wounds and reorganize, with NATO stepping up its withdrawals to the south/west bank of the Main river.

However, by approximately 2130 on the 6th, deep reconnaissance noted Soviet armored elements forming up, and by 2300 they had broken through the thin outer line manned by West German Territorials. V Corps, in the midst of evacuating itself, as well as supervising the evacuation of various severely beaten NATO units as well as civilians from a number of European nations, is very disorganized. As a last ditch effort, 11th ACR's commander turned to Lt Col Lacy and begged him for units to stuff into the breach.

Lt Col Lacy immediately dispatched his Executive Officer, Major Kavscott, with Lt Lamanchew's 3rd Mechanized Infantry Platoon of Kilo Company, Captain Sighe's 1st Mechanized Infantry Platoon of India Company, and Lt Dillon's 1st Tank Platoon of Charlie Company. The Brigade also provided a single AH-64 Apache as air support. Lt Col Lacy's last words to his XO were "Major, every second you hold the bridge open is another soldier or civilian saved from the Red horde."

The opposing forces, with Soviets on the left and US on the right. As usual, the Team Whiskey force is badly outnumbered. But this time the Soviets actually have the services of a MiG-23 armed for ground attack at their disposal.

The US has two Mech Inf platoons, 2 machine gun teams, four TOW missile launchers, a platoon of 81mm mortars, a platoon of M1 Abrams, and an Apache. Due to supply issues, each US rifle team is down to one LAW (vice their normal two). The Soviets, with six mechanized rifle platoons, 3 machine gun teams, a company of T-72s, a ZSU-23/4 anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) vehicle, the MiG-23 (making one bomb run), and six fire missions from two 2S1 122mm self-propelled howitzers.

I've got a bad feeling about this…

Overview of table, north is up. The US force is occupying a line roughly from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. The Soviets are entering the table at top right, needing to exit off the board at bottom left. Tanks must use the bridge, but BMPs may swim. All of that gray mess is supposed to represent a paved slipway leading down to the river.

Soviet BMPs return fire as TOWs come running in. To see how the fight is going, please check the blog at:
link

More to come, so stay tuned guys.

V/R,
Jack

Very nice AAR. I probably would have been one of first casualties if this had really come about. 2/36th Mech. INF, 3rd AD 1986-88. I think I was a 60 Gunner at this time and thus a high priority target for Ivan.

Jack…the US isn't doing that badly. If the BMP is immobilized, it can't cross the river. So, that's as good as a kill mate. Keep the faith! Great AAR, Ben

Very nice, Jack : )

I think you've got enough here to stick it all together and sell the book on Lulu!

Hey, thanks everyone.

Grunt1861 – Pretty cool. I imagine you were using the -A1; I was an -E3 gunner in the Marines, albeit almost a decade later.

Ben – Ahh, thanks man, that's great news! So, even though my (your) troops are getting pounded into dust, we may just knock out enough BMPs to call it a draw ;)

Kyote – Not happening. Where's Rod and Panda and Ivan?

Bishnak – Thank you Sir.

Badgers – I assume you're talking about the batreps and not the scenarios, which Mr. Ben Lacy (above) will be putting out very soon? I oughta look into that! Wouldn't take much to clean them up (take out pics of my dice rolls, and other crap like that), and I think it's pretty much free to publish via PDF (hosting elements just take a cut of your sales I think). No doubt I wouldn't make much, but every dime is another dime towards more troops and terrain ;)

I think your platoon is up next in downtown Frankfurt ;)

V/R,
Jack

Dang went and got killed… Great AAR's Jack, I just got caught up on the last few. I have been busy working on my own game.

CavScout,

Don't worry, you're sure to be decorated for it! At least an AAM ;)

And I haven't actually worked out if you're KIA yet, I still have to roll for it, which I do when I've completed the batrep and update the roster. You've got a very small chance of being light WIA and escaping, a better chance of being seriously WIA and captured by the Russkies, and a decent chance of being planted.

Your own game, eh? Any pics?

Kyote – You're the only MIA so far, and that's just so Chuck Norris can come save you. Or not, because you're being mouthy ;)

V/R,
Jack

Still gathering what I need to run it. I was going to do a Fulda Gap campaign but they are popping up all over. I have decided to center mine in the Hof Gap, Fulda's little brother to the south in the 2nd ACR AO. So I need to research Czech units.

Kyote – Sorry man, I think right now Rambo is saving Colonel Trautman in Afghanistan.

CavScout – That's right, I recall you saying you were working on that now, sorry. Can't wait to see it!

V/R,
Jack

I'm going to cheer for the 4.2's just for Kyote's sake :)

"I'm toast then !!!"
It could end no other way ;)

"I'm going to cheer for the 4.2's just for Kyote's sake"
Gotta hand it to you Commies, at least you stick together ;)

Are you working on 'real' wargames right now, or still messing about with Klingons, blasters, and such? ;) Let's go man, I know you're working on something, you always are! Enquiring minds want to know.

V/R,
Jack