Firestorm: Red Thunder

What there was of a command was his now. Leutnant Martin Goetzka had watched his Komandant’s tank burst in flames when three T-72s concentrated their fire on the Kompanie’s last hope at Wichmanshausen earlier the day before. He was given a quick promotion to Hauptmann, and then ordered to fall back--way back--and regroup in the heights west of Kassel to watch for enemy troop movements there in the morning. Support would be forthcoming, he was promised, but from where he could scarcely imagine.

Goetzka opted for the heights along the A44 Autobahn, above Hasungen. The highway would be of strategic significance tomorrow. It led north and then west toward the Ruhr valley and surely the Soviets would press there to link up with their successes in the vicinity of Bremen. Any spot along the highway would do, but Goetzka picked Hasungen to defend the Abbey that was located there. The thought of godless Russian hordes blitzing into Hasungen brought back stories from his grandmother, and sent chills down his spine.

But it was the radio traffic from his lead Luchs teams that really gave him a start. “Feind davorne!” came a screech from Basten’s Luchs.

“Are you certain?” Martin barked back, desperately in need of some rest.

“Ja, Herr Leutnant, er, Hauptmann” came Basten’s reply. BMPs, kein Panzer.”

Goetzka ordered Basten to halt on the edge of Hasungen. Perhaps he was road weary. He called upon his equal up til now, Rudi Kessler. Kessler commanded the Luchs for the Kompanie. “Rudi,” he said almost whispering, “es wahr? Is it true?

Kessler moved forward cautiously hoping to hide in the undulating terrain north of the heights while getting a glimpse of the enemy as the sun began to set.

“Ja, Martin,” he came back letting comradeship overcome decorum for a moment, “and Basten’s right. No tanks! What now?

Hauptmann Goetzka hesitated, but only for a moment. There would be no battle here in the morning. If the Soviets were this far, they’d roll farther before the next sunrise. His men were tired, but the time to attack was now.

He called back to his Battalion HQ with a simple message: Feinde davorne! Panzern vor!

Goetzka took advantage of his recon spearhead to get his Platoon of Leopard Is into a good position to dominate the open terrain to the northeast. He moved, quickly, deploying into the wooded heights to the north and a little west of town. That was an easy order to give.

Harder was to order Leutnant Iser and his few remaining Panzerjager into Hasungen. It was a desperate hope that they might check the town against what could be a horde of Russian infantry. Iser and his men complied, racing up behind Basten’s men to secure a foothold in the old Kloster on the north end of town.

Now in position, Goetzka couldn’t believe his luck. The Russians appeared to be queuing up around the Esso station, presumably looking to loot whatever diesel fuel they could find in the tanks there. He had the jump on them, and with that, he ordered his men to spring into action!

German Turn 1

Goetzka promised his men covering fire as they took whatever course of action seemed best to them.

Iser used the opportunity to consolidate his position around the Hasungen town square. No need to expose him and his men. Their job was to hunker down and defend the town if attacked.

As Goetzka’s 105s opened up, Kessler gave the order for his two Luchs elements to turn tail and run, heading south through the town in hopes that the Russians would press a frontal assault on Goetzka’s strong defensive position and leave themselves exposed. In his mind he was also thinking “If Goetzka wants to be the hero, let him!”

With most of his force in Hasungen, only Goetzka could see the effect of his fire when it took its toll. Three out of six rounds hit, but only two left their mark in flames. “We’ll need better than that, men,” he yelled to his own crew with his hand over his mic. “Steady, don’t get excited.”

Russian Turn 1

The experience of watching two BMPs burst into flame while queuing for petrol was enough for the Russian commander to snap into action.

No one had seen anything coming from the town, and judging by the victims, Pavel Zaudin concluded the enemy must be in the heights north of town. He ordered those who had line of fire to take that fire at suspected targets with their Spandrels while the rest of his battalion moved into defensive positions. It was hard to know how many more Germans were out there given how far forward he and his men were. Had they really broken through?

To the south of the interchange, a copse of woods on the edge of a light industrial area offered his men some cover. Zaudin ordered those with no line of fire to the enemy on the heights to make for it. Those that drove on into the copse regretted it, as their BMPs quickly bogged. As others wisely bypassed the obstacle and sought cover behind it, however, one caught a glimpse of enemy in the town, and opened up wildly with his main gun. Hasungen took its first damage in this war, but the enemy transport not so much.

Zaudin’s Spandrels, on the other hand, did their job. Despite the surprise, the light cover, and the long range, there were at least two burning enemy AFVs on the heights. Seizing the moment, Zaudin ordered those who had stood and fired to drop back slightly, regrouping into a stronger defensive position.

German Turn 2

It had seemed like such a strong position! Yet Goetzka now found himself alone on the heights. The enemy gave as good as he dealt, and there were so many of them that he didn’t think he could afford to stay up there on his own. His men would have to finish what he started, so Goetzka began to move his last remaining Leopard I off the heights to join them in Hasungen. Trees gnashed under its tracks, but he managed to escape the woods and work his way to a covering position on the north edge of town. If there were more Russians out there, he was all that would check them if they made a dash up the A44.

Kessler meanwhile pushed further south toward the Schosswald behind the old Burg Hasunger. Only a few heaps from the stone walls remained on the hill, but if he could creep to the top without being noticed, Kessler reasoned he’d have the chance to see whether there were more Russians than those Basten had reported initially. If not, he’d order Basten to join him in pouncing on their flank.

But Basten was already in it! Turning off the town square he could see enemy BMPs in the distance, flushing the woods south of town. He pulled his two Luchs up to the edge of town so as to maintain some cover from the main force, and opened up on them with his 20mm cannon. Sparks flew in the dimming light, but no flames. How many more enemy were there in the woods, or on the other side of the highway?

Russian Turn 2

The unexpected battle was having an effect on his men, but Zaudin still had control and knew something his opponent did not. He and his men were the light element of this spearhead north! Based on what he had encountered so far, Zaudin suspected that if he and his men hunkered down in the light industrial area and woods to the south, his opponents would struggle to dig them out and weaken themselves. At that point, the T72s would make short work of them. He would be the anvil, and wait for the hammer.

Zaudin’s men gladly went along with his order. Those that had bogged when entering the woods exited their vehicles and got them moving again before taking up positions in the woods. Likewise, though stunned by the appearance of the enemy recon vehicles, his lead BMPs stayed their ground and returned fire with such ferocity that the enemy crew could be seen ditching their vehicles for the cover a convenience store!

In yet another act of bravery, the Leytnant in charge of the unit’s Gremlin detachment volunteered to lay low near the gas station. The position was more open, and would allow better fields of fire should the enemy have any airborne surprises in store. Zaudin concurred in this decision, and promised him covering fire from a distance. It would be dark soon, but no reason to take chances with enemy aviators before it was dark.

German Turn 3

Goetzka’s chatter had gotten awfully quiet for Kessler’s tastes, and now he knew why. Cautiously summiting the Burg Hasunger, he could see that woods to the south were swarming with enemy activity.

Atop the hill, he opened fire with his 20mm cannon at about the same Basten, who had remounted, did as well. Though the light was starting to get dim, for a moment, the tree line burst into bright light as three enemy BMPs erupted in flames. Men could be seen scrambling from the wreckage and heading for the woods.

Kessler enjoyed the view, and the heroics, from his vantage point on the Burg Hasunger while Basten contemplated pulling back into town even though it meant abandoning his fellow Luchs crew. Ultimately, he chose to stand his ground and share their fate.

Russian Turn 3

“Where are you!” Zaudin screamed into his headset. He’d just watch three more of his BMPs burst into flames, which meant he was down to just seven left. The T72 column hadn’t been that far behind him. What, did they all stop to loot a tavern!

His exposed infantry were understandably cowering in the face of the enemy cannonade, so he and his remaining BMP crews would have to deal with the Germans on their own. There were no enemy tanks in sight, but better to save their Spandrels for that possibility. Zaudin ordered all available BMPs to concentrate their 30mm cannon on the enemy recon. Those who came out of their defensive positions to attack fared poorly, but those that had remained stationary showed the benefits of their training. Sparks and concrete flew into the enemy held town, and flames ensued from two separate enemy platoons. To Zaudin’s mind, he’d bought the time he needed. Any reasonable recon commander would withdraw.

German Turn 4

Kessler heard Basten’s screams as the Luchs next to him burst into flames as well. He’d just meant to take a peak, and now he was in it. Where in the hell was his “Hauptmann,” and had he managed any reserves? When Goetzka didn’t respond to his query, Kessler began to fear the worst and pulled back. At first, he’d planned to just seek cover but, seeing nothing coming from the west as he headed back down into the Schlosswald, he opted to “go look for it” himself and fled the field. There wasn’t going to be anyone left to court martial him at this rate!

Basten’s men, by contrast, had watched their Leutnant’s Luchs burst into flames. Yet rather than abandon their vehicle and join Iser’s Jagers in the town, they mounted back up and withdrew to the town square so that Iser would have some fire support should the Russians storm the town.

Goetzka, meanwhile, was on a private channel to Battalion HQ. “Russian forces in check but can’t hold long without reserves. I know we weren’t supposed to be reinforced until morning, but…

Russian Turn 4

“Three million Pact soldiers moving forward, and I can’t get in touch with but one T72 battalion!” Zaudin screamed.

Hammer and anvil doesn’t work when there’s no hammer, Zaudin focused himself, but his infantry were still in no position to mount an assault on the town. Just sitting here and waiting for his opponent to get some support didn’t sit well with Zaudin, so he ordered the rest of his men out of their tracks to prepare for an assault on the town as soon as it got dark, which should be any moment now. If they were lucky, they’d have armored support for the assault.

German Turn 5

On his way West, Kessler saw the 3 Leopard Is from 1er Kompanie racing down the 251 toward the fight. He turned, briefly to lead them in the right direction, but then continued to flee.

Iser meanwhile had observed the Russians massing for an assault, and pulled his men back, deeper into the town, keeping only his Milan team on overwatch across the A44 from the nave of the Kloster.

Goetzka watched, nervously, on the north side of town as well. Would there be more Russians, or would 1er Kompanie save the day?

Dornberg and 1er Kompanie spun off the 251 and pivoted to face the Russian infantry, targeting their vehicles. In their haste to deploy, fire wasn’t very accurate but what they hit they burned. Russian soldiers scattered about to avoid the flames, and they did so in worrying numbers. The mass of them would take a lot to gun down.

Russian Turn 5

Zaudin couldn’t believe his bad luck. His men had rallied and were ready to go in, but now the only tanks he could see were those of the enemy. His own AFV strength was down below 50%, but the enemy couldn’t be that strong and, with the right concentration of fire, he might take out the enemy tanks and make it into town.

Zaudin moved the three BMPs nearest him to form a line abreast covering his infantry rush, while threatening the enemy tanks as well. Two BMPs stayed put, launching their Spandrels. Both missed the mark. Zaudin was going to have to do everything! As most of his infantry rushed toward the town, he and the BMPs in his line opened up on the enemy tanks. He didn’t have much chance against their front armor, but he was mostly hoping to provide a distraction for the RPG teams who were moving in to their front.

In this, he was successful. One enemy tank team bailed while another was taken out by RPG fire. The threat of three tanks was now down to one. His infantry were halfway to the town and, was it true, the one remaining Leopard I was withdrawing!

Things were turning his way! If only night would fall.

German Turn 6

Things sounded pretty hot to the south of town. Goetzka could here that Dornberg had been engaged, though how hot it had gotten he couldn’t be sure. He had to trust Dornberg’s judgment that withdrawal was the right course of action, but it didn’t matter now. Battalion had not only come through, so too had the big guns over at Panzerdivision!

Up the 251 they rolled! Two Leopard IIs and two Flakpanzer Gepards. There wasn’t much need for the FlaK at this point, but they were just the thing for ripping into an exposed BMP battalion. The friendly panzertruppen of Pz. Div. Dietz were a welcome sight, as well. They joined Goetzka up on the heights again, just in case any more Russians might appear.

Meanwhile, the Flakpanzers ducked south, off the 251 and behind the advancing infantry in order to apply their many talents to the enemy’s rear. Like a match to benzin, the Russian line lit up as BMP after BMP burst into flames. Only one track refused to burn; the first one. From it emerged a frustrated yet determined officer.

Russian Turn 6

Zaudin had watched his whole line burst in flames around him, but he had survived. The last thing he heard on his headset before abandoning his track was a contact from the Regiment’s T72 battalion, coming down the 251 from the East rather than up the A44. Whatever! Night was falling, and his men were falling upon the town. More BMPs could be brought up in the morning. Tonight they would rest in the beds of a real town. Victory was yet in reach.

Zaudin continued forward on foot, ordering his two remaining BMPs to engage the enemy AA that had shot up the unit. His men in their turn rushed forward, entering the outskirts of Hasungen and taking cover in the shadows of the setting sun. Closing on the town square, an RPG team spotted and killed an infantry transport, but Zaudin’s men could not deliver enough fire to suppress the enemy infantry in their murderholes. They seemed few enough that an assault was in order, but their defensive fire was withering. Zaudin’s men hit the streets, many of them dead and only a handful moving forward half-heartedly. His first attempt had failed, and he was forced to fall back while the Germans stayed within their defensive positions.

In the meantime, with all the smoke from his burning tracks, Zaudin’s BMPs couldn’t locate the enemy AA in the twilight. Likewise, Comrade Samasin in the T72 battalion headed north across country toward the heights where the enemy was supposed to be according to Zaudin, but he could not see him amidst the trees in the dim light of the setting sun.

German Turn 7

Goetzka could sense his moment was finally here. The Russian tanks advanced, but did not fire! they must not have seen him.

As the Flakpanzers from Division closed in on the remaining enemy BMPs, he ordered his Leopards down onto the A44 to engage the Russian tanks! The glint of what he knew to be friendly helicopter rotors chasing them in the last light of the sun gave him hope. He got close enough to confirm, and opened up on the enemy force. The Leopard IIs on either side of him were a fearsome killing force, but nothing burst into flames! Still, the victims halted in their tracks, dazed and confused. Just then, a Milan missile from Iser’s infantry came hurtling out of the Kloster, finally igniting one of the enemy. Enemy AA whizzed by the approaching helicopters, who crouched low to the rear of their prey waiting to strike next turn.

To the south, however, it was friendly FlaKers that sealed the Russians’ fate. Moving forward in the smoky twilight, they found and eliminated the last two BMPs. The Russians were there to stay, as they had no way out now.

Russian Turn 7

Zaudin still had a healthy complement of his men left, and the T72 support was out there, somewhere, in the dark. Behind him, his maneuver elements were burning, and so he had no choice but to push forward into the town under cover of nightfall. While his men rushed into town, RPG fire from those on the outskirts hit, and drove off the enemy AA AFVs. His retreat was covered, if he needed it. He put everything he had into the Germans, and they hit back almost as hard. Tracer fire lit up the night, and again many of his men fell in the streets. Nonetheless, they drove the German defenders out of the parking garage they had been holding, and pushed them back all the way to the Kloster on the north side of the town square.

Zaudin consolidated his men, remaining in the ruins of the imperialist castle on the hill, and hoping the Germans in the Kloster would abandon their spiritual opiate and surrender to what, in his mind, was a scientifically forgone conclusion. They did not, however, because they could see the tank duel in the fields to the northeast.

German Turn 8

Goetzka had lost one Leopard II, but the other stuck with him this night. There was really no choice. With the enemy illuminated by his own burning ally, he and the Leopard II went to work in concert with the Bo-105s that had been hovering almost at ground level so that the darkness made them difficult targets for the Russian Gremlins at the interchange. In concert, the Germans opened fire and four T72s burst into flames!

In the Kloster, Iser and his last few men cheered, but there yet remained a serious threat from the enemy infantry. Retreating from the nave of the Kloster, Iser snuck back toward the rectory where he was joined by the last of Basten’s Luchs. Together, these survivors hunkered down, hoping to protect the Kloster by creating a killing field in the town square.

Russian Turn 8

But the streets were dark now. Visibility was limited to what you could see in front of your face, and Zaudin pushed forward with what he could against the remaining Germans in the houses to the west of the Kloster. They fired all they could muster, but it was impossible to tell what they had hit. He chose to lead the assault himself, so that he could see the results in person. Four teams charged in with him, and when the shooting was over, a German Leutnant and handful of his men lay dead. With the success of the assault, the sole remaining Luchs dropped back toward Goetzka’s last known position.

But Goetzka was now engaged on the A44. Samasin, the T72 Commander also rallied to press his advantage one last time. He moved cautiously onto the A44 hoping to gain a flank shot on the remaining Leopard II! But he must have been mistaken, for no explosion ensued. A shot in the dark, yes, but it missed!

German Turn 9

Goetzka could smell victory now. The lone Soviet T72 had exposed itself, and with the help of the Leopard II and the Bo-105s, they were able to finish off the T72 threat. Seven enemy tanks lit up the night in the fields northeast of Hasungen, but to the south there was only silence.

Basten’s Unteroffizier broke the silence, reporting in as he attempted to re-engage. “The enemy have overrun the town. I fear Iser is dead. Die you Red scum!”

That was the last Goetzka heard from the man. A flash of light lit up on the west end of town telling Goetzka all he needed to know. Two tanks and the last Luchs element of his command weren't enough, even with a Leopard II. They were no match for infantry and RPGs in a town at night. Goetzka radioed in that he was falling back once again. Once again, he’d lost everything, and then some. His men had taken many Reds with him, but an enemy commander now occupied the sacred soil of Hasungen.

Aftermath

Zaudin survey the wreckage all around him from the tower of the Kloster. His own vehicles lay burning to the south, and all of Samasin’s tanks burned in the fields to the north as enemy rotors could be heard heading off in the distance. Had he really only been facing a small reconnaissance force? If so, it was going to take more than scientific socialism to supply the numbers necessary to defeat these Germans. The situation would be ugly in the morning, but he would be rested, and reinforced. Bad luck had turned to good, and he would continue on. There might even be a Hero of the Soviet Union in this battle for him. The petrol station hadn’t been damaged one bit!