Firestorm: Red Thunder

A very grueling game!!! and one of the best played by Mike. He wanted ( I made him) to play a game in exchange for gas money. We set it up as a 1/2 he would be german, 3/4 US and a 5/6 British. He rolled a 2-German!!! again!!. We rolled for a quick mission 4-Gauntlet. German was the attacker we set up the board and got ready to fight it out.

Colonel Durchenko and his command detrains near Seelingstadt. His orders were simple-do what you can to stop this endless tide of American and German reinforcements pouring through a gap left near Leipzig. Grim tidings from the front-German armor seen massing just southwest of Seelingstadt. He looks at the latest sir recon pictures-gathers his company commanders and sets his plan in motion.

The plan is simple. I will engage him with 2 T-72 tank companies and tie him down while my scouts, infantry and T-64s move to the hill and objective as quickly as possible. The tanks will bogg him down and force him to engage and he has no scouts so speed is my ally.

Turn 1:
the scouts used spearhead and moved with the BMP infantry and T-64s (6) move quickly toward the hill. The T-72s move to engageand manage to KIA the German CO-he transfers to another tank. My arty moved so no bombardments this turn

The German rolls a 2-no cobras. The German Marders and a Leo2 zug dash toward the hill and objective. The German CO and a Leo 2 zug KIA 2 T-72s and bail 2 others. German arty drops a smoke screen.

Turn 2:
The T-72s remount. they move forward and get 2 hits on the Leo2s but they make both armor saves. We fire the krasnopols-hit a marder but it also makes it's armor save.

The Germans gets his 4 cobras!!! lots of AA leads to 3 hits all saved by the Helos. The Leo2 zugs and CO KIA 4 T-72, 1 T-64 and bail another T-72. The cobras shoot up my BMP2 infantry company-destroying 1 (killing all teams) and bailing another 2. arty tries to direct fire but rolls 3 misses.

Turn 3:
The lone BMP2 from the infantry company passes his morale-the other 2 do not remount. It moves to the edge of the hill where it boggs down. Again everything shoots at the cobras and again do nothing. The T-64s KIA a Marder-the infantry is ok but pinned. 4 Leo2s get KIAd by the T-72s and T-64s. We try the krasnopols again hit a Leo 2 and it makes its save as well.

All the Leo2s pass their morale. The Cobras fire tows and get 2 hits-1 KIA and 1 bail on the T-72s. 4 more T-72s and 1 T-64 are also turned into scrap by the remaining Leo2s. Once again, the M109Gs direct fire and roll worse than the last turn.

Turn 4:
Another infantry BMP remounts and moves to the hill and the objective, The other infantry company BMP takes the onjective. The BMP2 scouts move to the crest of the hill. More AA fire again hits several times, but cant bring down a single cobra. 5 shots a leo2s all miss. 6 mg shots at a German infantry team in the open result in nothing. The Spandrels KIA a Leo 2. Krasnopols do nothing..again.

The German rolls poorly and 2 1 tank zugs flee. The cobras fire tows at the remaining 4 T-64s and nail all of them. The last Leo2 KIAs a T-72 and the German CO bails one and passes his shoot and scoot.

Turn 5
Russian infantry claim the objective. A Roland is KIAd and so is a Jag1. A Leo2 is bailed.

The last Leo2 doesn't remount and we use the Krasnopols on the marders....nope he rolls 2 6s for his armor save-shit!!!

The marders make a run for the objective-the T-64s were blocking him but with their destruction, the way is open. The cobras have moved to the hill-more AA does nothing...double shit-he opens up and bails an infantry BMP, kills 1 infantry team-German CO kills another 2 T-72s....triple shit.

The last infantry BMP makes it to the hill without bogging down-the other doesn't remount-great. The scouts fire at the approaching marders.....miss. ZSUs move up and all hell breaks loose as the sky is filled with lead in an effort to shoot down those damned helicopters. Nope-they pass every freaking save. Krasnopols? do I even need to say it? nothing. just nothing.

The Cobras sweep the hilltop again and KIA 1 more infantry team and 3 BMPs. The marders fire and nothing-the assault begins-the RPG7's and remaining BMP2 scout KiA a marder and bail another-the German infantry assaults-no hits!!! The Russians roll and counterattack eliminating 2 teams-the Germans fall back-the infantry morle breaks and the Russian hold on by the skin of their teeth. 3 teams left.

What a battle. Mike countered everything I tried. He almost had enough to break through the tanks and sweep around the hill. The only problem he had was that my T-64s kept his marders hemmed in until his cobras took them out. If he had a zug or 2 of Leo1s I bet it would have ended differently and a lot sooner. Even with that, if the infantry assault had succeeded, he would have won or achieved a draw.