Firestorm: Red Thunder

Being on the more successful junior commanders in the AOR, Senior Lieutenant Bezarin was again assigned to run the gauntlet of NATO fire. His mission objective this time was a autobhan crossroads north of Frankfurt. Intel reported that an American Mechanized company, with new Recon elements, supported by newly arrived Reserve tanks were in the area and likely to respond to his movements.

NON-NARRATIVE NOTE: My friend and opponent wanted to test out some Leopard 1s, but since he has no models and all I have are Soviets and Americans, he ran some M48s and M551s I had as Leo1s by proxy. Since they were painted to match my other Americans for some scenario games I run, they gave a nice feeling of newly arrived American National Guard or Reserve forces just reaching the AOR.

With orders and intel in hand, Bezarin followed his scout units forward, realizing too late that the Americans did indeed have their own scouts and had pushed forward as well. As he looked down the highway, Bezarin understood that both sides had committed early to the objective and the action would be fierce and close quarters.

The American commander, confident of success due to the new found advantage his scouts gave him, pushed his forces forward. His tanks moved into the woods, covering the crossroads and firing at the Soviet Anti-air units, since they knew their guns would have little effect on Bezarin's T-64s at that range. Meanwhile the Mech platoons moved forward to occupy buildings in the village and towards the crossroads exit, preparing to dig in and fight off the Soviet advance.

With the Americans deploying forward, Bezarin had no choice but to meet them head on. His flanking detachment entered the village and began probing the American lines, seeking to disrupt their artillery and force some of their tanks away from the main battle. His Hinds moved towards the autobahn exit, preparing to deploy their troops and support his Motor Rifle unit's charge. Bezarin led the rest of his force towards the objective, with his tanks firing on the American tanks, killing a pair as he realized these tanks were older variants, not as hard to kill as the beast of previous battles. Were the American's running out of replacements and supplies, just as Stavka was saying?

Despite the Bezarin's infantry massing on his right and his tanks starting to lose their fight, the American commander was undeterred. With a fusillade of missiles from his helicopters and ITVs, as wells as Copperhead rounds from his tanks, Bezarin's tanks started taking hits and brewing up. Some of the American tanks also seemed to be targeting his anti-air assets covering his force, no doubt trying to ensure their cursed helicopters could deliver more missiles without threat.

Despite the loss of his SAM elements and some of his tanks, Bezarin remains confident. His infantry elements are nearly in position to launch their assault, and his flanking detachment reports they have engaged the American artillery. As Bezarin surveys the battlefield, he can see another American tank explode as his tanks continue to fire at the American elements covering the autobahn approach.

The American commander had cause for concern now. His right flank was under heavy pressure and his artillery had been destroyed by Soviet tanks, the survivors fleeing to the rear. He quickly ordered another salvo of missiles at the Soviet tanks, hoping to destroy enough of them that their courage would waiver. Meanwhile, the American tankers moved with purpose, with a lone tank moving into point-blank range against the Soviet tanks to challenge them for the crossroads. The other platoon, seeing the destruction of their supporting artillery, flanked Bezarin's detachment, and in conjunction with Dragon fire, wiped them out.

Bezarin's tank takes a hit from an American missile, but the ERA does what it is supposed to and save his tank. After recovering his senses, Bezarin looks around to see only a few active tanks around him and receives no answer from his flanking detachment. But there is a ray of hope, as he can see his infantry support deploying for their assault, their BMPs spraying the American lines. With the brave, but suicidal Yankee tank dead in front of him, it is now up to his Motor Rifle troops for the final victory.

A vicious back-and-forth close quarter assault ensues, in which the American commander take personnel charge. For several minutes, both sides fight, neither side relenting with each charge followed by a counter-charge. Finally, the American commander is slain in his last act of defiance. From across the autobahn, the American XO can see the carnage and knows that he has nothing in place to challenge the Soviet's control of the crossroads. With no response on the radio from his CO, and the Soviet's consolidating around the objectives, he reluctantly orders his forces to disengage. This battle is the Soviet's, but he'll be back. This war is not over yet.

With his infantry reporting success, Bezarin readies himself and the last few tanks around him for the inevitable American counter-attack. After several minutes of anxious waiting, Bezarin realizes that the Americans have broken contact. It's not for a few a little while, until his Infantry commander reports that a ranking American officer was killed in the infantry battle that Bezarin realizes why the American's have retreated. While his tank forces have paid dearly, victory is again his. Bezarin can only hope that soon, the West Germans and the rest of NATO will realize how futile it is to resist the forces of the Soviet Army and their liberation of the west.