Firestorm: Red Thunder

Battle of Dolzig Sept. 8th
Prelude
Generalmajor Jakob Nagten had ridden the helicopter with his heart in his throat. Nobody owned the skies of this sector at the moment as the NATO breakthrough had punctured the fixed antiaircraft belt. The pilot had flown through the terrain, barely skimming buildings and treetops with his skids.
Although Nagten knew his frustration with the sudden change in the situation was reciprocated by many high ranking officers, he also knew that his outspokenness about the situation was unwise. Orders relieving him from his position had not been a surprise. Finding himself landing at what was obviously a major headquarters, which was swirling with activity like a kicked ants nest, was.
He was hustled into what was obviously a commanders’ conference, but taking place in a grove of trees while hundreds of clerks and security personnel raced around erecting camouflage netting.
A Soviet officer in the grade of General-Leytenant was holding court. He looked up from his audience. “You are Nagten, yes?”
“Da, Tovarisch General.” Nagten had studied English to know his enemies and Russian to know his supposed friends. No VA officer was under any illusion about the fate of the DDR if NATO went away. That was why the VA units served in Russian armies.
“Welcome to the 30th Army. The 10th, 19th and 20th VA Divisions have been assigned, as well as the 138th and 221st Tank Regiments, and the 4th Tank Division, arriving from the Caucasus.”
“Very well. Which staff section is mine?”
“They didn’t tell you? The Commandant of the 10th Division is missing and the Division retreated without orders, exposing the defense of Leipzig.”
Nagten suppressed his emotions. The only question about the Deputy Commandant of 10th Division’s fate was whether the execution would be smoking or non-smoking.
“And my job?”
“You are replacing the Deputy Commandant and acting as Division Commander. I require the 10th Division to counterattack and regain the lost terrain.”
Nagten glanced at where the Army Commander was pointing on the map. There were a sea of American flags south of Leipzig and a smaller sea to the west, with the red, black and yellow flags marking Bundeswehr units in the middle, creeping north.
The other two Division commanders were looking at their shoes, probably counting their blessings that Nagten had drawn the short straw. As Frederick the Great had once said, “L’audace, l’audace, toujours l’audace.”
“Comrade General, I will attack as soon as I can get even one company in motion. But this is an opportunity. These German units are doubtless part of the II Armeekorps, and have been in action since the start of the war. They are doubtless exhausted, and counting on us to run in confusion, just as the 10th Division did. Instead, a combined operation, using part of the 221st Tanks to augment my command, can shatter them. Then I can exploit the breakthrough to cut off these Americans here, to the west, and doubtless shoot up many supply vehicles. That is doubtless their Akilles heel – they don’t have fixed pipeline infrastructure so they are trucking fuel. Their artillery is likely running low on shells, as well.”
A Russian Polkovnik spoke up. “It is better to keep my unit together! I don’t want them frittered away by some German reservist.”
“Very well, Tovarische Polkovnik. I will take a bust back to Oberst and serve under your command,” Nagten lied smoothly.
The General glared at the Polkovnik. “Polkovnik Barclay, this officer has three times broken through NATO lines. That is why he is here, and now commanding a division. If you command this operation and fail you will be shot. Your uncle on the Central Committee will be disturbed by that, and it will inconvenience me.” The General glared at Nagten, knowing that Nagten had maneuvered the situation to his advantage. “How much of the 221st Tanks do you require?”
“I need a battalion augmented by BMPs, Tovarische General. However, if things turn out as I expect, I would like opcon of the rest of Polkovnik Barclay’s regiment as an OMG, to rip through the NATO units to the west. That will free my T55s and BMP-1s to rampage south, retaining the attached battalion as a reserve. As you know, the mobilization Motorisierte Divisions have no T72Ms or reserve tank battalions.
“How will you break through?” asked a Soviet General-mayor.
“We’ll meet them at the Luppe crossings, then bounce them across the Saale-Elster Kanal. They’ll be looking to cross or defend, and we’ll surprise them by being there and being aggressive. Good timing and a little luck. Dawn tomorrow, I would think. Here at Dolzig, where the B-road crosses the Kanal. NATO tends to focus on the A-roads because of their big fat tanks and even heavier logistics vehicles.”

TURN 1
Dave took the first turn, and tried to be aggressive with his Luchs and Gepards on the east end of the line. He successfully dug in Number 1 Platoon on the west but failed to dig in Number 2 platoon in the center. With Meeting Engagement Rules, he couldn’t use his missiles. His fire cost me one BTR-60 bailed by the Luchs and then toasted by long-range fire from one Gepard. He also killed a BTR-60 with fire from a Marder on the west end of the line.
I advanced all my infantry, pushing the Soviet company into the woods in the west, pushing my No. 2 East German company in the woods that stretched between the country road and B186, and infiltrating over the C-class road, threating to ‘liberate’ my missing division commander, carefully leaving room on the bridge for my T64s. The T64s rolled onto the bridge. The infantry carriers swarmed forward, creating a parking lot in and around the ford.
My fire was devastating beyond my expectations. The Soviet infantry scored hits on two Marders with three dice, killing one (unfortunately) and bailing another. BMP-2 fire shredded the Luchs, bailing both. Four BTR-60s literally rubbing tires hosed down Dave’s No. 1 platoon, as did the stationary AGL-17. 21 dice produced 5 hits, pinning the platoon.
Elsewhere, the T64s wrecked the Gepards while remaining out of sight of the Jaguars. A hail of fire from BTR-60s and BRDMs bailed his eastern Luchs platoon and they were finished off by the Spigots of No.1 Company. A couple missile shots from the BMP-1s managed to wreck one Marder from the center platoon. Dave’s guys passed all their morale checks… but as Suvorov said (not the new one, the old one) the bullet is a weak fool and the bayonet’s the ticket. My No.2 EG platoon charged, survived anemic defensive fire (they were still in the woods and Dave’s vehicles were bailed and his infantry pinned) and killed one of his teams. The two teams able to reach in a counterattack were Milan teams, and Dave elected to break off, sacrificing the Luchs.

TURN 2
Dave was now in serious trouble. Two rifle companies were advancing against a single platoon, and an assault was likely to push him off the objective in such a way that he either lost the platoon by being surrounded or was driven completely off the objective. Dave chose to stand and fight, but decided against giving up gone-to-ground for the No.2 Platoon’s surviving Marders by committing them to the cauldron. He tried to use No.2 Platoons’ Milans for long range fire instead of repeating the failed dig-in attempt. He likewise used No.1 Platoons Milans, preventing him from digging in. Hindsight being 20/20, this was where he lost the game. The Leopard I command tank and his remaining Milans smashed two BMP-2s on the west end of the map, and his Panzerfausts bailed a BTR60 which would later remount.
On the east end of the map, Dave’s problems were, if anything, worse. He had 3 Jaguars left. He couldn’t see to shoot my T64s without moving, and unless he killed the whole leading platoon, he would have its survivors standing on the objective, liberating the ‘lost’ General. If he blitzed, he would have to remain within assault distance of my No. 1 Company to have any shots. That was unlikely to end well. So he used terrain dash to fall back to the ruined building by the objective. Dave’s fire here was two Milans from the center; one missed a T64 on the bridge with a flank shot, and the other wrecked a BTR60.
I could smell blood in the water. I recklessly (in hindsight) went after the Jaguars with the leading T64 company, and moved the second company onto the bridge. After all only a 1/3rd chance of reserves, right? The BTR-60s and BRDMs moved to range 16” narrowly staying on my side of the river this turn. The No.1 rifle company moved up into the woods just recently vacated by the Jaguars.
On the western end of the line the BTR60s occupied the position recently held by now burning Luchs. The BMP-2s squeezed past their wrecked littermates. No.2 rifle company moved into the outskirts of Dolzig, while the Soviets moved through the woods to flank the Marders and part of Dave’s No. 1 platoon.
I even brought my T64 battalion commander out on the road.
Missiles flew. Tracers arced into infantry in the open. Fives and sixes appeared on many dice. And when Dave rolled saves, his dice deserted him, except in the strange case of the Command Leopard I. There he bounced two RPG hits handily. Intact No.2 Platoon was reduced to two stands; almost intact No.1 platoon was reduced to one stand, and one Marder bailed from No.1 Platoon’s transport section. Three T64 shots did for two Jaguars; the other ran. Dave’s infantry manfully stood their ground, but the infantry assault finished off No.1 platoon and the bailed Marder. Again, Dave’s No.1 transport section passed morale, and we forgot to remove the survivor from play because its infantry unit had vaporized.

Turn 3
Dave narrowly passed company morale for the Leopard Company and narrowly missed having a morale check for the panzer grenadier company. He rolled for reinforcements, saving himself from immediate disaster by producing a ‘5’ and then bringing on the Leopard II platoon on the eastern flank to face the T64s. The panzer grenadier company commander and his transport Marder moved to contest the fuel dump objective.
The Leopard IIs performed magnificently, killing two T64s and bailing the third, which promptly ran. But it was too little, too late. Dave’s Leo I commander tossed two quick shots into the smoking junk pile of Luchs and BMPs, killing a BTR-60 and missing another. The other company commander blazed away with his G3, managing a lucky kill on the Soviet infantry. The Marder’’s fire, supported by the transport Marder that shouldn’t be around (fog of war), managed to bail another BMP and another BTR.
My turn. I also rolled reinforcements and chose the Hinds. The BTRs and BRDMs rolled across the western ford while three surviving T64s lined up on the Leopard IIs. My T64 battalion commander took a second bead on the Leopard I while three BMP-1 recon vehicles charged the surviving G3 team of the No.2 panzer grenadier platoon. The panzer grenadier company commander’s ride and his 3 man team became the focal point of 4 BTR60s and 3 BMP-2s. Soviet and East German infantry closed in on the remaining vehicles and the lone infantry stand.
No.1 Schutzen company advanced in column toward the Leopard IIs. Their job would be to drive the enemy Leopard IIs away from the objective by an assault if massed fire didn’t do the job. Their Spigot team remained behind to roll for bail results.
First shot was to destroy the Marder Transports of the No.2 Platoon, so they couldn’t protect the Leopards with anti-helicopter shots. Low odds, but why take chances? BMP-1s did the job with their cannons, destroying both vehicles. Then the BRDM/BTR swarm machine-gunned the surviving stands of PG Platoon 2. Both died.
Now the Hinds. Only one Leo II was in range of the Hinds (I only expected two hits, and was perfectly willing to put lucky hits two per tank; Leo IIs are tough customers). It missed. Got my two expected hits; one was full flank and that Leo died; the other hit front and that Leo died, too. (Gotta love AT=23 missiles).
One Leopard II left. T64s weren’t up to the task; only 1 hit and it bounced. Then the stone that the builders normally reject – the Spigots – hit three times, and the last Leo II double bailed.
On the western flank, the shooting gallery was open. This time I didn’t miss the Leo I commander with RPGs and he bailed, as did the Marder-that-shouldn’t be there. The BMP-2s executed the commander’s Marder, and that left the PG commander in the center of all manner of fire. Amazingly enough, the PG commander managed to dodge, bob, and weave through all manner of MG fire before the AGL-17 which had been dragging along behind my infantry forced a failed save.
In a final ignominy, the assault phase took out the remaining bailed vehicles. Game over.

Post Mortem: Dave's choice for low value on-table units hurt, as did putting No.2 Platoon in the center rather than on the east end of the battlefield. The combination was lethal. As in many battles, the choices we make at the beginning of the game stick with us. That being said, there were a couple runs of luck (mine) that put the game out of reach; as it was, Dave almost lost the Panzer company before any tank platoons made the table, and was really close to losing the infantry company.

Aftermath - Having broken through the advance guard of 1st Gebirgsjager Division, the 10th Motorisierte must now complete the victory by holding onto the crossings of the Elster-Saale Kanal.