Firestorm: Red Thunder

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MISSION: HAMBURG NO RETREAT
POINTS: 75

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Mayor Lednik had been given a direct order to advance forward. The plan was to push past the NATO defenses before they could form a solid line. "Get behind the enemy" was the order of the day. But Mayor Lednik thought the plan unsound. He would advance in a solid line and crush the defenders before him and then when the enemy was broken he would push behind enemy lines.

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ATTACKER
RED ALERT - WARSAW PACT

HQ - T-72
4x T-72
3x T-72
3x T-72
4x BMP-2 Recon
Small Motor Rifle Coy, 7 infantry and 4 BMP-2
4x SA-13 Gophers
4x MI-24 Hinds

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DEFENDER
GANDRI - US FORCES

HQ - M1 Abrams*
4x M1 Abrams (In Ambush)
3x M109 artillery + laser guided projectiles
1x M113 Observer
2x M163 Vads

DEEP DELAYED RESERVES

2xM901 ITV
2x AH-1 CobraS
2x A-10 Warthog

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*We know now that there limit on only one unit with front armor 4 or higher includes the command teams so the HQ would also have started in reserves.

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Gandri had made good use of the three minefields he was entitled to and blocked all routes forward except on the left flank which he intended to turn into a kill zone.

Red Alert countered by sending his infantry ahead into one of the minefields to clear it. Red Alert placed little faith in skill 5+ but hoped enough teams made their saves.

"What doesn't kill you makes us stronger."

The minefield delayed part of his forces but those units that could advance did.

In US step little happened mostly because they couldn't make out their targets in the night.

In their second turn the Soviets advanced further and the infantry cleared the mines for the loss of one team. Acceptable casualties Red Alert thought to himself.

In their turn the US made a bold move and sprung their ambush and moved the M1 Abrams platoon to get flank shots on the 4x large T-72 platoon and annihilated the Russian company.

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More foolhardy than bold thought the Soviet Commander and called in his Hinds, and moved everything he could to engage the US tanks. He would return fire with 4x Hinds, 4x BMP-2's with missiles, 3x T-72 tank coy and managed to get two more T-72 into firing postions.

Hinds scored no hits.
BMP-2 scored no hits.
3x T-72 bailed one tank.
2x T-72 managed to destroy two M1 Abrams from the rear.

The remaining Abrams failed morale.

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Even so the battle had not been decided and the US forces did their best trying to damage the Soviet forces, taking out the Recon Platoon and destroying a T-72 and bailing another.

Night turned into day and the carnage continued. Red Alert was well aware this was a mission he could not afford too heavy losses.

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Yet the advance was solid and the Soviet forces gave as good as they got with the Hinds leading the way were they were needed.

Eventually the US Formation broke leaving the field to the Warsaw Pact.

But who had won?

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At the end the Soviets had full command of the field and the US Formation had broken, but no Soviet Units had left according to victory conditions, so how to end the battle?

At that time the Warsaw Pact had remaining:

3 units in good spirits,

one tank unit with 1 tank active and another bailed.

So the question becomes, how did the game end?

1. Formation broke so calculate units lost or 4-3 victory?

2. Calculate units that remain and could have left, remounting bailed tanks or 4 units in this case giving a 5-2 win?

3. Calculate units that remain and could have left in the condition that they are, so 3 units in good spirits. 4-3?

In the end I posted the question on the forum and Phil at Battlefront replied:

"Calculate units that remain and could have left, remounting bailed tanks or 4 units in this case giving a 5-2 win.

Cheers"

Thanks Phil!