Firestorm: Red Thunder

Lieutenant Alexseyev had been given orders to perform a reconnaissance of the area in preparation of the next big attack. With a mixed battlegroup under his command and some attack helicopter support, he prepared to move out when he saw them in the distance. The Americans were here as well, performing their recon, and they had gotten the jump on him!

The American commander is quick to act, pushing out his Mech Platoons to secure the wheat fields and the open lines of fire, while his artillery and armor deploy near the farms into firing positions to cover the advance.

With the Americans already closing in on their objectives, Alexseyev is forced to move more quickly than he'd like. He pushes his units forward to claim their own near objectives while preparing to counter the Americans advance. He orders his Hinds to hunt down and destroy the American armor and artillery to allow him freedom of movement without the threat of their guns.

The American commander, realizing that the Soviets intend to make a fight of it, deploys his infantry into the fields in order to dig in and secure the objectives. Alexseyev slumps a little, as now he will have to assault the American position and force them out and bayonet point. While the American's deploy their infantry, long range fire from their Cobras strikes at his ZSU platoon, destroying it before it can fire a shot. But his SAM platoon does manage to catch one before it get back into hiding, a small victory.

Alexseyev deploys his own infantry and pushes his tanks forward, he has got to get those Americans clear of the objective before they gain to much intel. Luckily, his Hinds report they have destroyed the American tanks after the failed to scoot into hiding again.

But even that success does little to buoy Alexseyev's spirits. The Americans fire missile after missile into his BMPs, with their artillery raining some kind of AT shell on his tanks. This battle is turning into a slaughter before his eyes. He has one last chance, while his tanks and BMPs are dying, his infantry have a chance to get close and sweep the Americans off the objective. He orders them in.

Despite suffering casualties on the charge in, his forces make it in and in a blur of bayonets and hand grenades, wipe out the Americans! Just as he thinks he's accomplished his goal, Alexseyev realizes that the American commander has played him for a fool. APCs charge from cover and open fire on his men, now sitting in the open fields. At the same time, he can see in the distance where an ITV missile platoon and their surviving Cobra have shot down his Hinds!

It's over. Looking over the destruction and death before him, Alexseyev realizes he has failed. His tanks are all dead, his men are all dead, only he remains. As the Americans began consolidating their position and recovering their fallen, he wonders which surrender would be better, to the Yankees or the KGB?

Non-narrative stuff:
Well, after the battle yesterday, my friend Brian came out swinging today! He wanted to play a less tank focused list and requested I take less tanks to mix things up, and that resulted in the forces listed. A fun game, where his mix of aggressive forward deployment and Copperhead artillery helped him win big. He still could not pass a skill check to save his life, but with a more infantry focused list, that was not as much a hindrance. We both had a great time and would play another 50 pt game later in the day after a break for chow and a brief terrain change, just to keep things interesting. Look for that AAR in the morning!