Firestorm: Red Thunder

Set up
Josh wanted to use Germans. Again with the damned Germans. He rolled a 5 main book mission. I roll a 1-Free for All. He rolls a 5, I rolled a 4. The German is the attacker. I roll a 2-Dawn!!!!

Situation: With the disaster at Gera, and the failed offensive at Seelingstadt, the Germans are going to move between the armies and strike at a supposed weak spot in the Pact lines. They are going to strike at Threna. The recently activated Polish 31st Reserve Mechanized Division is occupying that piece of ground. The Germans are hoping to push the division back, forcing the Pact forces to withdraw and allowing the allied offensive to regain momentum.

Durchenko arrives at Threna in a strictly advisor role. The 31st is a reserve division, but has shown great spirit and did very well in training. The battalion commander, a major Kaspar Dusza seems bright and eager to get to terms with the Germans. The two talk and Dusza deploys his men and equipment to deal with the Germans.

Night Vision Germans-20 inches
Poles-16 inches
Turn 1:
Not yet first light, the germans move forward. 1st zug captures the apartments and 2nd zug dashes to the Mcpizza King (their bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast biscuits are the best) Germans report negative contact.

The Polish BRDMs move with the T-55 company right behind them. The BMP-1s move up to support the infantry that moves toward the church and the 1st german objective. BRDMs report sighting an antiarmor platoon, but does not want to engage as the BRDMs can do nothing against that unit.

Night Vision Germans 4 inches (rolled 2 1s)
Polish 24 inches

Turn 2:

Cobras!!!! they move and fire at infantry in the open and the BMP1s moving with them. The infantry is unaffected but a BMP-1 is destroyed. Artillery goes off target but lands in the middle of the ZSUs and KIAs the BMP-1 observer.

We fire a lot of AA at the cobras, all miss or do no damage. 3 Spandrel shots at the Jag 1 unit-0 hits, 5 T-55 hits at the same Jag1 unit-0 hits. Polish artillery is also off target, but goes off the table edge.

Daylight!!!!!
Turn 3:
Tornados arrive (all 4) and KIA 3 Polish T-55s and bail another 4. Then manage to get 3 shot down. The Jag 1 unit KIAs another T-55 and the Cobras fire tow missiles and destroy 3 BMP-1s. Marders from 1st Zug KIA a BMP-1 and Marders from 2nd ZUG do the same. a Pnzrfaust 44 KIAs an additional BMP-1 and the infantry in the McPizzaKing kills 2 Polish infantry teams. Ouch!! bad dawn.

We get Hinds and Su-25s. The remaining 2 BMP-1s move to engage the Marders. More infantry arrives to reinforce the church. 2 Marders get destroyed. 1 Jag1 is KIAd by the T-55s. Rolands fire at the SUs-2 hits, they make the save-they KIA 2 Leo2s. Hinds fire and miss.

Turn 4:
The last Tornado comes back!!! The remaining Leo2 passes morale. Leo 2 destroys a BRDM2. Jag 1 KIAs another T-55. German CO in his Marder Hits and destroys another BMP-1. 2nd Zug with its Marders shoot up the Polish infantry in the church-1 polish infantry team is KIA. The artillery and the mortars fire on the church-to no effect on the Polish infantry. The Germans assault the church-both Marders are bailed, the infantry kills 1 Polish team, but in the counterattack-the 4 Polish infantry teams eliminate the 2 German teams. We hold on to the objective. Rolands shot at the hinds-3 hits all saved.

The SU25s come back. Polish infantry overruns the 2 bailed Marders. 1 Su 25 is shot down. Hinds bail 1 Roland, a Polish infantry and RPG-7 team KIA both Rolands. BRDM2 scouts move into a crop field and 3 T-55 shots all miss the Jag1s.

Turn 5:
German CO's marder moves to engage the Polish infantry teams that destroyed the Rolands. German infantry teams pass their morale-2 teams. They abandon the apartments and move toward the cathedral. Jag1s KIA 2 Spandrels. Artillery fails to KIA the Polish infantry team.

The polish T-55s destroy the last 2 Jag1s. The Spandrel passes its morale. The Polish infantry team is surrounded so it surrenders. The other Polish infantry dashes to take the apartments. Hinds fire at the last Leo2 and both miss. Arty hits the now empty hill top.

Turn 6;
German situation is serious. M109Gs move to a direct fire role to stop the last 2 T-55s. One bogs down. The last 2 german infantry fail their morale and flee. The germans abandon the city altogether. The Cobras return and attack the Hinds. They get 8 hits-4 saves and roll........2 5s-crap the Hinds are toast.

The Poles get the BTRs moving toward the hill, the ZSUs move as well. The last 2 T-55s KIA 2 of the M109Gs. the remaining Spandrel misses the cobras. The Polish infantry KIAs a cobra.

The Polish infantry take the apartments and RPG a cobra. The BTRs move to take the hill, the T-55s destroy 2 M109Gs, ZSUs move as well.

Turn 7:
The last M109G fails morale-rolled a 1-and it flees. Cobras move to engage the BTRs. 1 more cobra shot down by the ZSUs. Leo 2 destroys a ZSU. and the cobras bail 2 BTRs

Lone ZSU runs. BTRs realize that the lone German tank CAN take a n objective and head back toward the shed to contest it. Clever Josh-very Clever. with the ZSUs gone there is nothing in the way of that tank. The last 2 T-55s go to take the objective on the hill-1 boggs down.

Turn 8:
Lone leo2 takes the objective, Cobras fire tow missiles and KIA the T-55 on the hill.

The Polish infantry move and fire at the Leo2. They miss and decide not to assault as they can remain out of sight but still within 4 inches of it. All I need for the win is for the 1 remaining T-55 that will be unbogged to pass morale. he rolls a 2......Fails!!!!!!! We both agree to a draw. The last German offensive has ground to a halt. The Poles have held their position!!!

Wow. Josh and all the other guys are getting much better at this game. Almost, if I hadn't caught the tank moving to the objective-I would have lost. I am afraid the easy wins are behind us-its gonna be a real knife fight for the rest of the war.