All,
AKA, Ambush Alley in South Leon #5
It is now 0330 on 11 July 1990, and Task Force Soares has again penetrated into the Mulan District of the city of Diwala, a particularly troublesome neighborhood known for its hostility to the government of South Leon. Earlier this week, militia members of the Free Leon Army (FLA, the bad guys) ambushed a South Leon National Police (SNLP) patrol. Task Force Razor, a Cuban paratrooper company led by Captain Soares and his trusty sidekick, Lt Hinajosa, moved out smartly, rescuing the SNLP officers, but at a cost of 1 KIA and 4 WIA to themselves. Everyone on the Cuban Liberation Expeditionary Force (CLEF) and South Leon government side were shocked; the FLA insurgency had been but a rumor of war for years, with various low-level bombings, assassinations, and sniper fire, but nothing anywhere near the size and ferocity of the attacks on 2 July.
The following day the FLA attacked an SNLP police station, then ambushed the SLA Quick Reaction Force (QRF) sent to aid them. Task Force Razor was called in to support; Captain Soares and his men were able to save the SNLP and QRF, then return to base, though it cost them: one paratrooper was killed and another seriously wounded. But not long after Task Force Razor returned to base, they received word the few remaining SNLP officers and SLA soldiers had abandoned the police station.
Task Force Razor immediately mounted up, humped to the police station, and occupied it. Several hours later the insurgents struck in strength, but the paratroopers accounted themselves magnificently. Despite losing another paratrooper KIA and one WIA, the issue was never really in doubt. The Cubans held, and several hours later they were relieved. They returned to base to rest, refit, and prepare an offensive to take the fight to the enemy, looking to root the enemy out of their base in the Mulan District. The attack went in on the morning of 8 July 1990, and the Cuban paratroopers literally descended into hell! The enemy initially gave ground, but put up a ferocious defense in the northeastern corner of the neighborhood; one Cuban was killed and five wounded, including the Task Force commander, Captain Soares. Ultimately, the remnants of the assault element pulled back, called for help, then watched as a Cuban F-4 Phantom rolled in and dropped a Mk 83 1000-lb bomb directly on the center of FLA resistance.
Then, bolstered by armor, Task Force Razor again went into the assault, but the airstrike had broken the back of FLA resistance, at least for that day, and the Task Force was able to continue its house to house sweep, capturing a few FLA militants and a significant amount of arms, ammunition, and explosives. And while victory wouldn't have been possible without air and armor, it's very difficult to stamp out a homegrown insurgency, and using air and armor meant there was a certain amount of unavoidable "collateral damage," which only helped fuel said insurgency.
In any case, intelligence sources soon identified the leader of the FLA forces in the Mulan District as "Sheik Khamis," and identified his whereabouts. Task Force Razor mounted up for an early morning raid, with Lt Hinajosa leading the mission in Captain Soares' absence. As usual, the first part of the mission went easy: on a pitch black night, Lt Hinojasa and three assault teams calmly walked into the Mulan District and cordoned off Sheik Khamis' home. Lt Hinajosa and an interpreter simply walked up and knocked on the front door; "You're making a big mistake." "Don't lie to me, we know exactly who you are."
"I didn't say I'm not who you think I am. I am simply saying, my young Cuban friend, that you have made a big mistake, coming to my home like this. And now what? Now you will just turn around and walk me out? Good luck." Lt Hinojasa quickly zip-tied the target, and then formed up Task Force Razor for the exil movement. "L-T, we've got a lot of movement out here. A lot, groups in every direction. Looks mostly like civvies, Sir, but there's a lot of them, and they DO NOT look happy."
"Roger, Razor 01. Steady boys, it's time to step off," and with that, Task Force Razor began escorting its prisoner south out of the area.
Overview, somewhere in Diwala, north is up. Nothing fancy, just a 2' x 2' surface with plenty of buildings and walls. Task Force Razor is at top center, the target in hand, mission to move down south down the road and exit the table with him (bottom center). There are three Insurgent groups: far left, top left (hidden by building), and center right; and five civilian mobs: left bottom center, bottom center right, top right, left center top (in the plaza), and top left (between Task Force Razor and an Insurgent group. You can see Insurgent reinforcement "hotspots" at bottom left, left, top left, right, and bottom right.
I'm playing this out in 15mm using the old school "Ambush Alley" rules, as written. The is the first scenario out of the book, "Contracting Trouble," a classic of modern wargaming. My intent is to play out all five scenarios in the book in a row, to learn the rules, put them through their paces, and see if I dig'em.
Razor 03 moving up, escorting the Sheikh and carrying a casualty, but nearing the finish line. To see how the fight turned out, please check the blog at:
link
Thus ends my five-game mini-campaign using Ambush Alley, and holy crap, that was intense!!! I'm very pleased with the rules; while the games are longer than I generally like, each and every fight forced constant tactical decisions, were extremely tense, seemed pretty realistic to what they're trying to accomplish, and were a lot of fun. Further, they work well solo (or, actually, tandem with my little boy), and there's only one little change I think I'll make (I like the idea of bad guys failing morale = running, rather than simply bumping down a level and seeking cover).
So I can definitely see myself playing more Ambush Alley, and I've got plenty more scenario fodder (I bought each and every one of them Ambush Alley mini-campaign books), so stay tuned for more violence on the streets of Diwala!
tackles two subjects from his favorite sculptor.
