Firestorm: Red Thunder

Comrade Don peered ahead from the cupola of his T-72M tank as it bounced over the grassy terrain as he raced with his Battalion around the small township. His forces had been driving hard southward from near Hanover through Kassel with orders to seize the crucial crossroads here. Not only would it disrupt the retreat of the 5th American Corps from Fulda, but also lay bare the path to Frankfurt just beyond. More important still as his command tank rounded around the church dominating the center of town, he could see that the valuable intelligence he had procured on the side was indeed correct. Up ahead lay a glorious McPizza King, waiting and ready to be liberated by his valiant Volksarmee forces in 30 minutes or less!

His elation proved short lived, as his BMP-1 scout leader signaled Enemy Contact up ahead. Further rounding about the massive stone Church revealed the sight of an American scouting element comprised of one M113 and ITV camped out in the parking lot of the McPizza King, along with a full platoon of Mech Infantry. Comrade Don's fists balled in rage at the thought of those greedy Americans laying hands on the spoils that were rightfully his, and with a wave of his arm ordered his forces into the fray!

As his Artillery and SAMs were taking up positions in a nearby patch of woods to support his attack, the BRDM-2 reconnaissance patrol sweeping his flank reported seven M1 Abrams driving up to flank his flanking maneuver. Not being one to flunk Flank in battle school, he ordered his T-55AM2s and one demi-company of T-27Ms along with his Spandrels to help hold the line while his remaining T-72Ms supported the BMP-1s of his forward reconnaissance and Mot-Schutzen Infantry Kompanie in the main thrust while ZSU-4-23s rode in close to guard against sightings of enemy Attack Helicopters.

In the distance he could hear the crack of NATO 105mm guns cutting loose upon his rear guard. Sparing a glance back, he could see that two of his half-dozen strong T-55AM2 Kompanie had been reduced to burning wrecks, along with one T-72M. The BRDM-2s had tries to hug a nearby hill for safety, but the American Tanks easy swung around it with surprising speed and laid waste to both.

20mm Gatling fire also chirped in the distance as a pair of AH-1 Cobras laid into his Spandrels sheltering a nearby gas station, but the hail of counter fire from his tanks' 12.7 AAMGs must have upset their aim as they managed only to cause the crew of one to temporarily seek shelter. Although his scouts spotted a FIST lurking up ahead which might indicate the presence of enemy Artillery, no fire was forthcoming indicating that the Americans must have been just as surprised to find his forces here as he was them.

Up ahead the American Mech Infantry and transports had run in a panic to occupy both the McPizza King and a nearby convenience store, while their own Scout elements retreated to the far side of the intersection. Signaling to the Nearby BMP OP officer, he walked the fire of his BM-21 Hails from their pre-sighting on the parking lot over towards the McPizza King with minimal wastage. As much as it pained him to watch the damage inflicted on his cherished prize, the effect was worth it as one M113 detonated under the barrage along with a handful of American infantry flattened while caught out under his rocket's red glare. The 2S1 Carnations also joined in as that pesky FIST was lurking within the zone of their pre-arranged fire, but even though he was sure he saw it take a hit the scrappy adversary was only battered but not broken.

Back on his flank the T-55s tried to reposition to meet the advancing M1s, but with limited options to exercise. Both his BMP-1 Infantry Carriers and his pair of SA-13s shot a barrage of missiles at the pesky Cobras peeking out over the gas station, but scored only a couple of close calls without any real damage inflicted. Two of his Spandrels fired upon what appeared to be the American Company Commander arrogantly driving his tank right down the center of the field, causing enough damage to make its crew bail for cover. This proved to be a permanent state of affairs as his T-72Ms guarding that flank opened up to core the Abrams with a well-placed 125mm round, forcing the unsaddled Enemy Commander to run over and commandeer one of his charges' ride.

The buzz-saw like rattle of four times four 23mm cannons brought his attention back to the fore as they showered the buildings ahead sheltering the Americans, again with minimal results. His T-72Ms running up the other flank managed to sight in and destroy another M113, but with a pair still remaining. His BMP-1 reconnaissance teams split their fire between the enemy FIST and Infantry, but with similarly negligible effect.

Finally it was time for his Infantry to wade into the fray. Charging in to assault the pinned down Americans holding the Convenience Store next to the McPizza King, his troops bravely forced their way inside the building. Just when he thought victory was at hand, the American managed to rally for a counterattack with several of them storming over to assist. The surprise of this counter assault rather than any significant casualties threw his men into temporary confusion, with Comrade Don cursing mightily as he watched them fall back to safer positions.

As if to add insult to this injury, American artillery began raining down upon the square hosting some of his infantry, his AA, and him. Ducking inside his tank just in time, he watched as one Shilka exploded under a direct hit from a 155mm round, while a second's crew fled for cover. One of his recce BMP crews also sought similar cover after a near miss. The infantry, surprisingly, weathered it all in stride with no noticeable casualties.

The pair of Cobras popped back up to assault his forces once again, but this time the hail of AAMG fire brought down one of them, while a well-guided missile from his SAM Battery blew the second clean out of the sky. A trio of American tanks had slipped into his rear flank and made a mess of all but one of the T-55AM2s, who bravely stayed to fight and guard the Artillery that was quickly becoming vulnerable. Meanwhile the other three M1s rode up to the crossroads and laid in shots upon his main advance, detonating one T-72M while bailing out a second. The ITV fired out from its hiding spot to shake up the crew of another of his reconnaissance BMPs. All the while the American Infantry had managed to unpin and along with a few M113s managed to pick of a few more of his exposed Mot-Schutzen forces.

Comrade Don steeled his gaze at the sight and knew that it was time to end this quick, before the situation got completely out of hand. Barking a mixture of Orders and Insults at the bailed out crews and his pinned Infanteers seemingly had not effect. Pausing for a breath, he then went on to praise the virtues of McPizza King's new 99 Cent menu, and how such delicious treats that the corrupt Capitalists had jealously horded lay tantalizing close within their grasp. Before he could take another breath to continue, every bailed out crew in his entire force hastily clambered back within their rides while his Infantry also steeled themselves for another try. With a ride grin upon his face, Comrade Don ordered his forces to concentrate all firepower upon the enemy Infantry standing between them and their Fast Food.

Ignoring the American Tanks trying in vain to draw their attention, his rearguard T-72Ms and BMP-1 carriers joined the fray with the other surviving T-72Ms, ZSUs, BMPs and Infantry. Once more his Hails crashed wave after wave of rocket artillery down upon the American position, joined soon by the 2S1 Carnations re-targeting with instructions passed down from the OP. Tanks, APCs, and Infantry alike laid down a furious barrage of fire, to which Comrade Don added his own contributions until the smoke and haze resulting from such obscured the target from sight.

When it cleared, Comrade Don could see only the dead and mangled bodies of American GIs laying half hanging out of the two buildings before him. The rest of the Americans, seemingly shocked by the fury of his assault or perhaps unwilling to enter into an Urban battle without Infantry of their own, chose to beat a retreat from the field even though their own Tank forces were barely scathed.

Comrade Don let them go, for he had more pressing issues to attend to. The McPizza King before him now had several large holes in its roof where errant rockets had crashed through, and the sign had taken a direct 30mm shell from one of his BMPs and smashed it into smithereens. But as his Infantry forces cautiously advanced into the structure, his knuckles grew white as he waiting impatiently for a status report. Finally the Kompanie commander stuck his head back out the door, and gave the signal to indicate that most of the food stocks had indeed survived the furious barrage. Comrade Don slumped back down into his Tank in relief, utterly delirious with a mixture of exhaustion and elation, before ordering his T-72M forward into the Drive-Thru...

Great game and hard fought on both sides. This was the first debut for some newly released goodies, both in terms of newly acquired Car Parks and letting my American opponent know about the just-announced Scout platoon option. In retrospect this would come back to haunt me a bit as it let him spearhead down the road to mount an effective defense with his Infantry. Perhaps it would have been better to place the nearer objective further towards his side of the board to give my forces a double spearhead to the second objective which was more exposed, but I'd rather have a challenging battle that's fun for all than a game that's over almost as soon as it begins.

MVP for the game surprisingly goes to the Artillery, which also both saw their first use in this game. I had experimented with other's before while learning the game, but as a former Gunner I certainly appreciated the hurt these guys laid down on the US Mech Infantry. Hails in particular were the more nasty of the two with that Salvo template, although it also meant a delicate dance to keep my men in assault and objective contesting range while avoiding 6" Danger Close!

Finally, here's some footage which I feel best captures the essence of Class Struggle and epic Hand-to-Hand combat between American Capitalist Oppressors and the brave Ubermensch of the Volksarmee!