Firestorm: Red Thunder

This battle report covers an engagement between an Aufklarung Kompanie and a Panzer Grenadier Kompanie of 6th Panzer Grenadier Division and the vanguard of 4th VA Motosieret Schutzen Division on the morning of 4 August, near Fredeburg, DBR. This is located south of Lubeck on the approaches to Hamburg and covers key crossings of the Lubeck-Elbe Kanal.

Scenario was Fighting Withdrawal

Terrain was generally flat with several large crop areas, constituting low terrain. A large bald hill dominated center ground on the 'west' side of the table. Wooded hill anchored the northern flank. Two small bald hills located on the 'east' side of the table; scattered woods forming terrain compartments with varying lines of sight. Couple of scattered farmhouses; actual town was in NATO's rear.

6th PZ GREN set up with a platoon near/around each objective, usually in front but on the northern flank, within 4". Their minefields covered the center sector, protecting No. 2 Platoon. Leo I platoons on either flank, supporting No.1 PG Platoon and No.3 PG Platoon. 3 Leo II in deep center; in a true case of 'false target' I mis-ID'd them as Leo I. Gepard Platoon in ambush. Second Gepard Platoon hidden behind woods behind No. 3 Platoon on southern flank. Marders and Luchs in crops and/or behind trees for some cover. Total force 3xLeo II, 6 x Leo I (incl Aufklarung Kompanie CO) 6 x Luchs 10x Marders, 3 rifle platoons. Opponent did not use Luchs spearhead capability because stated intention was to withdraw them.

I deployed all the T55s on my southern flank in one long line, and 3 T72ms from 1st Battalion there, as well. No need for spearhead here; field of fire was perfect. 3 T72ms from 2nd Battalion deployed in woods near center of table, where incredibly I still couldn't see the Leo IIs. 3rd Battalion with T72ms all on northern flank. BMP2s and Spandrels deployed on the high ground, such as it was, on my side of table, which neutralized cover (+ gone to ground) for a number of NATO teams. Two small infantry companies were massed to the north of the minefields with the BMP-1 transport and both BMP-1 recon. NO NATO planes so I left the missile launchers off the table.

Opening move - I pushed to within 8" of the Milan teams on the northern flank, protecting my T72s there from being sniped by the missiles and swarmed forward with infantry and BMP-1s to take on 3 Marders and maybe assault 3 Leo Is from out of a crop field. Other than the T72s who slid forward to open line of sight, the T55 line on the south side basically stood still. 17 dice from 3 T72s and 14 T55s produced 3 hits and 3 kills on the Leo I platoon in the opening volley. I then used shoot-and-scoot to display the fine capabilities of VA tanks. On the northern flank Spandrels firing from a hill and T72s firing round a corner of the field did for the Aufklarung Hauptmann and the other two Leo I's with him. Having totally blanked on the Leo IIs the other 9 Spandrel-equipped vehicles proceeded to cherry pick light vehicles, to considerable effect - 1 Marder destroyed and two more bailed, 3 Luchs in different patrols killed or bailed. The 3 T72s in the center passed up their opportunity to shoot the Leo IIs as well. FOG of WAR, what can you say? BMP-1s added a little to the carnage, but not much, as they were flat on the table and thus conceding Concealed+GTG. Finally, I assaulted with my infantry. My northern assault worked like a charm. The north center, not so much. The Marder Zug that had two bailed vehicles managed to kill one team and then the functional survivor fled, allowing me to burn the two bailed Marders. The buddies of the bailed Luchs managed to turn back my assault that turn, but one remained bailed.

Ben came back at me, but with an obviously reduced force. He got a lot of mileage out of the two remaining transport zugs, shooting up my infantry, and forcing pins, which he reinforced with his panzermorsers. A couple of vehicles managed to roll off hits from overhead fire. Ben had a pattern for his six Milan teams. They either missed, or they bounced, or they failed firepower with astounding frequency, to the point we joked about them bringing training ammo. They killed two T55s on this turn, and bailed another. They also bailed a ZSU. The Leo IIs were an entirely different matter. Ben moved them to get them out of line of sight to my Spandrel teams. 6 shots, three hits, one bailed (I rolled a 6) and two dead T72s. Passed morale.

My next move saw me push the 2nd Battalion's 6 surviving T55 into the enclosure and slide the 1st Battalions 5 working (one bailed) T55s to the right. I tossed a lot of MG dice at various targets and got lucky killing a whole one stand. The 3 T72s from 1st battalion ground forward and made him sweat a little by nearly killing a Milan stand. His adjustment of his Leo IIs allowed the BMP-2 missiles to flay his remaining light vehicles, as did the BMP-1 cannon. Nobody was GTG and this saw the remaining 4 Luchs and 7 Marders vaporize. I killed one of the Milans in the northern platoon, but couldn't get my northern infantry company to advance. My artillery continued to pound away at the northern PG platoon, and he continued to save.

Ben was in trouble at this point. My T55s were threatening to move behind the woods on the southern table where they would start eating the Gepards. Ben knew that my Hinds, patiently circling off the table, would then start eating the Leo IIs. So Ben moved the Leo IIs south to the bald hill, maximizing his chance of killing T55s with his Leo IIs, hopefully sweeping an entire battalion off the table. What followed was surprising. The Leo IIs dropped six shots and hit twice. (The odds against that, Captain, are 750 to 4).

I continued to push the T55s. (Bad plan, the T72s should have been here because they can move and shoot with full effect). Couldn't get flank on Leo IIs in the open, and as it turned out, couldn't hit the one Gepard I could see. But as far the Leo IIs were concerned, didn't matter. 6 Spandrels from BMPs plus 3 Spandrells from Spandrel launchers after a blitz plus 5 T72 rounds killed one and bailed 2. Meanwhile the BMP-1s on my northern flank swarmed forward, spreading out to prevent the Gepard ambush from appearing in the northern area. In hindsight, I should have landed the Hinds in a large field that Ben would use for cover as this would have prevented the ambush from appearing anywhere but the southwest corner of the board.

Ben's problems multiplied. After that move, my T55s could see behind about 30 percent of the southern woods, putting the Gepards there at risk, and serving notice that if not stopped, he would have nowhere to place the ambush. Then he rolled to remount the Leo IIs. Failed both. That forced him to bring out the Gepards. The ambush dropped in the field I neglected and the others rolled majestically forward to try to flank my T55s. One bogged the others were successful, and in a hail of dice they managed to eliminate 3 T55s more. The northern ambush performed even better, eliminating 8 BMP-1s. But it was, along with a dead T72 from a Milan shot, too little to late. The Gepards were destroyed but one in the northern flank, mostly by long range missile fire, some by tank cannon. The bogged Gepard ran. Once the Gepards of the Aufklarung company were on bad spirits, it didn't matter what happened to the Leo IIs as nothing else was left of the Aufklarung company. My infantry assaulted and drove away his No. 2 platoon from the center objective. Turn 5 would see me holding the center objective and one stand away from capturing the objective he placed at start, so been conceded. Game over, 4-3. PACT lost 9 T55s (two full units, a BC tank, and a lone tank from two others), plus 4 T72s, 2 ZSUs and 8 BMP-1s. But no formation was at less than two units. Ben's losses were all his vehicles except 3 Panzer Morser and one Gepard.