All,
It's 0530 on 29 June 1990 and members of the Cuban Liberation Expeditionary Force are on the move in the Balkan state of Cronistria, where the Fall of the Wall has led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia and democrats are fighting communists to determine the future of Cronistria. Cuba sent a small detachment of Special Operations forces to assist the Cronistrian Democratic Movement (CDM) back in April, and since that time the Cuban-backed CDM has made steady progress. Most recently, the CDM pushed into the village of Brezno, several kilometers southwest of the capital of Miran. While the assault ultimately devolved into a stalemate, the fighting proved the CDM had matured into a bona fide force capable of succeeding, and so Cuban leadership decided reinforce the CDM with conventional armored forces. A battalion-sized element consisting of two mechanized infantry companies and a tank company was dispatched to Cronistria, arriving on 20 June 1990.
Nine days later the force, now combined with the Cuban SOF and identified, by the name of its commander, as Task Force Galban, is ready to move. TF Galban is broken down into the SOF element and three mixed battlegroups, each named after its commander. Each battlegroup has a platoon of tanks (actually, wheeled armored vehicles packing a 105mm cannon), two platoons of mechanized infantry (in wheeled armored vehicles), attached heavy weapons (mortars, machine guns, and ATGMs), and reconnaissance elements (in HMMWVs and Scimitars). TF Galban is set to begin Operation Chokehold, wherein the Cubans will skirt Brezno to the northwest, semi-isolating it and Miran, allowing Brezno to be reduced by CDM troops and opening the road to taking the capital.
This operation, which will consist of between eight and sixteen separate fights, is played in 6mm, with troops from GHQ and buildings from JR Minis, using Ivan's "5Core Company Command" rules.
Overview of map, north is up, the town of Kacak, with its key bridge, at center, and Hill 121 at left.
The opposing forces, with Communists on the left and Cubans on the right. I just realized I don't have the command stands for either force present…
The Cuban force, which consists of the company commander, Lt Aguilera (not pictured), six rifle stands (each is a squad, so two platoons), a Milan ATGM, a HUMMWV with TOW ATGM, and an AMX-10RC. The Communists have six rifle stands (each is a squad, so two platoons' worth), a T-62, and a command stand (not pictured). The Communists are on the defensive and will begin the game hidden.
Some bad guys look down on barbecued HMMWV. To check out the fight, please check the blog at:
linkI played a total of four fights this weekend for Operation Chokehold. I figured the entire Op would be about six or eight fights, but it's looking like it will be even more than that, as I hadn't really planned on getting kicked off a map (SPOILER ALERT!). But I don't care, I'm having a blast, feels like the old Cuba Libre "War of Liberation," in which I went for 32 total fights. I figure this Op will last me another two weekends. So stand by for the next three batreps from this weekend.
V/R,
Jack
tackles two subjects from his favorite sculptor.
