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Firestorm: Red Thunder

The Team Yankee Global Campaign

Defence of Bremen, East Germans

50 POINTS
Warsaw Pact
Baron
VS United States
Max 400

Mission: Dig in and hold for reinforcements

***

Kommendant Baron had sent most of the tanks along with Wilhelm to strike in Frankfurt. The initial reports had come back with positive notes where they had destroyed the American force and secured the area for reinforcements. However, he had also taken a gamble by sending most of his formiddable units to strike against the Americans in Frankfurt. This meant he didn't have alot of highly armoured vehicles defending Bremen. He had stayed behind preparing a defence, just in case there was a counter attack in Bremen that could threaten the front if a breakthough occured. However, the region had been thought of as a low risk from the High Command. The Stavka didn't believe a significan force would arise in the region since the Soviet forces are pushing along the frontier.

But things changed. In the time that Wilhelm had secured a victory in Frankfurt the forward Soviet Battalion had met resitance and been destroyed. A few soldiers that had managed to escape the carnage told a grim story. He had given them transport to the Soviet Supply lines, further depleting his resources of vehicles. The BTR-60 wouldn't how much of chance anyway, so it made sense to send them away with the injuered and tired soldiers.

His reccon element had sent word of an American tank division moving towards his position. Most likely following the defeated Soviets to find new prey. Cleaver bastards. He had deployed most of his infantry in the appartment Buildings with field of view covering a large area. The BMP-1 transports where hidden in the forest to be revealed at a later stage. BMP-2 transports had been air lifted in eariler in the day and stowed away for a future ambush or to clog a enemy breakthrough point.

His second infantry guarded the petrol station where most of the "free" fuel was found. So he didn't want to lose that strategic asset in a war where you could be cut off. the food in the shop also helped his men finding both liquid courage and snacks. He knew they would defend it well.

He looked at his watch, the Mi-24 Hinds where running late. They should've arrived by now with some extra infantry. It was getting dark soon, he thought.

Kommendant Baron cursed the higher ups for putting him in this situation in the first place without proper tank support and only light vehicles. They wanted a quick and hasty win, they wouldn't admit it, but they feared the greater involvement of the Americans and the Brittish.

Suddenly it all turned into chaos.

Several loud bangs where heard in the distance and the hidden BMP-1 tanks in the forest line began exploding as high explosive rounds hit and shreded the forest.

Photoshoot!

Pre-Info:

We never got to play the Denmark trapped behind enemy lines so we decided to give it a ago and use it in Bremen!
Here is the scenario of the East Germans trapped behind enemy lines with no tank/transport with an Armour value of 4+.

Let's see how Kommendant Baron handles being trapped ;)

Deployment

Turn 1

Turn 1 - NATO

- He moved up his two Abrams on the left flank facing of against my BMP-1 in the woods and killed 4 outright.
- His VADS stood still and fired with full ROF at my infantry and killed one base.
- The Abrams on the right flank moved up against my Spandrels also in the woods and bailed 2, killed 1.
- My Spandrels pass their morale test.

Turn 1 - Warsaw Pact

- My infantry on the left flank could reach nothing, the infantry in the middle holding the petrol station couldn't reach either.
- I decide to spring my ambush of 10 BMP-2. With no viable terrain nearby they will deploy 40cm away from his Abrams on the right flank. They fire and kill 1, bail 1. He rolls morale and the tanks flee.
- Two of my spandrels remount and fire at the HQ Abram but fail to penetrate his armour.

Yellow stars - Destroyed, Red stars - Bailed Out

turn 2

Turn 2 - NATO

- He brings up his infantry and move them towards the petrol station in the hopes of killing a few of my infantry. I pass all of my infantry saves.
- He fires with the HQ Abram on the right flank together with the mech transports upon my BMP-2 ambush. He kills 3 and bail 1.
- On the left flank the Abrams continue to pound my final BMP-1, killing the last one, and one diverts his shooting towards the infantry killing one stand.
- The VADS open up again and slay another stand.
- His infantry assaults my infantry at the petrol station but takes more than 5 hits and are pinned. 3 stands are killed in the assault.

Turn 2 - Warsaw Pact

- I fail to bail in the bailed out BMP-2. They shoot at the Abram but fail to destroy it.
- Spandrels fire at the mech transports, killing one.
- My infantry on the petrol station open up upon the few enemy stands still there, killing all but one.
- He passes the morale and the lone survivor stands his ground.

BMP-2 fire towards the US Mech Transports after Spandrels destroyed the HQ Abram
Burning BMP-1's in the forest

Turn 3

Turn 3 - NATO

- He rolls for night and there is no night.
- The lone infantry survivor moves into a building adjacent of the petrol station and begins firing. Killing 1 infantry.
- His Abram HQ fires yet again upon my BMP-2 and kill another 2.
- The US mech transports fire against the infantry at the petrol station, pinning them but not killing anyone.
- The VADS fire again at the infantry on the left flank and score 2 kills inside the appartment complex.
- The 2 Abrams on the left flank fire at the infantry aswell, scoring 1 kill.

Turn 3 - Warsaw Pact

- I roll for night, the table goes dark. Night fighting rules apply.
- I decide that now is a good time to bring in reserves, I roll for my Mi-24 Hind and I get them onto the table. I move them against the two Abrams on the left flank, staying more than 60 cm away from the VADS so I won't get their defensive fire.
- I fire 4 shoots with my four Hinds, and score 2 hits in the dark. On the side armour. I kill 2 Abrams after passing FP.
- My infantry on the right flank holding the petrol station recover from pinning and begin to pepper the last mech infantry survivor with RPG fire and rounds. They kill the last infantry stand.
- My Spandrels fire towards the Abram HQ and he rolls a 1 on the save and I pass a FP test, killing the HQ Abram. (rolled a 6 for range)
- My BMP-2 turn their attention towards the last two US Mech transports and pepper them with high velocity rounds, killing both. (rolled a 5 for range)

By the end of Turn 3 my opponent had his 6 VADS and didn't feel that he would be able to turn it all around in time to claim an objective by turn 6 and withdrew his forces.

The end of turn 3 as it stood.
5:2 Victory for the Warsaw Pact

Conclusion / After action report

Hello everyone!

This game was a quick one that was over within 30 minutes due to playing 50 pts.
I didn't expect the game to turn out the way it did.
I was kind of hoping for a more "it could be anyones games" but when two abrams are gone turn 1 and the last three vanish on turn 3 along with your infantry support and all you have left are VADS it becomes a little difficult to win.

Personally, it was fun to finally be a defender in the missions.
Without the Mi-24 Hind things could've gone very differently, but their arrival was timely with a passing reserve roll.

This was my take on the Denmark mission, bridgehead that is no longer available to play in that sector.

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11 Comments

  • Baron says:

    Tanks guys 🙂 I like doing the reports ^^ I just wish I could funnel that time it takes to make the reports into actual painting 😛

  • bayankhan says:

    Separate point. Applies to VADS (only) VADS had a range only radar that wasn’t linked to the gun, which had to be electro-mechanically laid on target. No slew-to-cue capability. So it relied a lot on the MK I eyeball for fine-tuning.

  • bayankhan says:

    Nice report.

  • AlohaRover says:

    Nice game

  • Nabeshin says:

    I understand the issue with night and AA, other than that this was a very nice report!

  • Storm Caller says:

    Gentlemen

    The night rules and aircraft don’t work will for a number of reason

    1). Shooting at them at night, Most likely you will not be able to see them before they firer! Which in turn per aircraft shooting rules you will only be able to shoot on your turn!

    2). Optic vs Radar, guns and hand held use optic (yes there is one except a West German), vechicles missel use radar.

    With this said here is our house rule!

    Units equipemented with radar don’t have a range limitation under night condition and can fire before aircraft as normal when firing at Fast Moving Aircraft or helocapters. They don’t use optic! We had a few “Duck Hunter” point this out to us.

    There is no defence fire for other system out of range normal night range.

    We tried an after the fact fire in lue of a before fire, The group was split, To some the “back to back” seemed to much, In the end we flipped a coin! And now have no fire which is more in line with the rules as written

    Vr

    Storm

  • Anton Nikolayevich Sokolov says:

    Page 7 of the Team Yankee FAQ(under Night) specifically states that Night effects Radar the same as other weapons, citing concerns over IFF systems malfunctioning and a need for visual verification of the target.

  • fingolfen says:

    Nice report – fair question on the VADS and Radar. The TY main book (page 69) just indicates that they have a range of 32″ and don’t suffer the +1 penalty To Hit for range over 16″ – it doesn’t say anything about their ability to see any further at night. Double checking the Night Fighting rules on page 66 don’t indicate a unit with radar has a benefit to line of sight or night visibility either. Logically it may make sense that they would, but only IR and Thermal Imaging can help your night visibility at this point.

  • Morgan says:

    Great report!

  • Baron says:

    Even at night where he needs to roll two dice of max 60 cm since I hadn’t fired yet?

  • M. Nisbet says:

    Did you both forget that VADS have Radar? Meaning your Hinds would have been in AA range if they were only 61cm away?