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Firestorm: Red Thunder

The Team Yankee Global Campaign

Holding the Line in the North German Plains

100 POINTS
United States
Robert Burnham
VS Warsaw Pact
Jeremy

Bravo Company 2nd Bn 48th Infantry was an infantry task force. It had a mission of preventing a Soviet tank force from breaking through its lines. To do this it had 3 Mech Infantry Platoons with extra Dragons, a M1 platoon with 4 M1s, and 3 ITV Sections. In support it had a 6 gun M109 battery with copperheads and minelets on call, a FIST, a Vulcan section, and two A-10s on call. Additionally we were able to place four minefields.

The company was attacked by a T-64 Tank battalion that had two 6 tank T-64 Companies ( one company had a tank with a mine clearing device and the other company had 2 tanks with mine clearing devices), a recon platoon of 4 BMPs, a Motor Rifle Company of 4 BMPs, and a SA-8 Gecko Platoon.

We were defending along a narrow corridor with a woods on our left, a long narrow village in the center, and a combination of woods and crops on the left. Minefields were placed in the center to channel the armor away from the open area in the center. Since half of units were in delayed reserves, our plan was to delay the Soviets as far forward as possible to give us time for our reserves to arrive. On the left was the 1st Platoon dismounted and dug in in the woods. In the center right was the 2nd Platoon dismounted and dug in in the village, fields and the woods, One ITV section was deployed in the center, one was in ambush, while the M109 Battery was in the center rear. In reserve was the 3rd Platoon, a ITV Section, the M1 Platoon, the Vulcan Section, and two A-10s.

It was night when the Soviets attacked. They used their recon platoon to bring their BMP Company through the woods on our left, the T-64 Company with the one mine-clearing device in the center, and the other T-64 Company to attack on our right. The SA-8s were kept in the rear in support of the T-64 Company on our right.

Turn One: The Soviet advanced cautiously, staying out of the range of our forces. The Recon Platoon and the BMP Company had trouble navigating through the woods having several vehicles becoming bogged down. We chose to hold our fire and not reveal our positions.

Turn Two: The Soviet Recon platoon and BMP Company moved into contact with the dug in 1st Platoon to assault it. It brought the platoon under heavy fire, it did no damage chose. We were able to beat back the assault before it close with our positions by inflicting heavy casualties (four of eight infantry teams destroyed) without taking any casualties ourselves. The two tank companies in the center moved forward and was able to spot the 2nd Platoon and the ITV Section and bring them under fire. However they were unable to inflict any casualties. Realizing his Dragons would not be able to penetrate the front armor of T-64s, the 2nd Platoon leader did not return their fire, but called in minelets and place two minefields on the center T-64 Company. The ITV Section fired on the T-64 company on our right bailing one tank. On our left the 1st Platoon opened fire on the BMP Company with its LAWs and .50 cal machine guns, destroying two BMPs but none of the dismounted infantry.

Turn Three: On our right the BMP Company and the recon platoon disengaged and moved back out of the woods. In the center, the T-64 command gave orders to clear the minefield and those tanks not doing so to continue to bring the 2nd Platoon under fire. The platoon was too well camouflaged and because of the darkness, the Soviets could not spot them. The T-64 Company on our right remounted its bailed tank, maneuvered to avoid the Dragoon teams in the woods and brought the ITV Section under fire, destroying one TOW. We were quite pleased with our holding action so far. Fortunately it was still dark but the sky was beginning to get lighter and we knew dawn would be here soon. Unfortunately our reserves were still moving forward and had not arrived yet. Our two infantry platoons remained quiet, the 2nd Platoon hearing the T-64 company trying to clear the minefield. Although it was dark, it was able to spot the SA-8s and called in artillery on it, with no effect.

Turn Four: Dawn broke. The BMPs and recon on our right continued to maneuver in an attempt to support the center T-64 Company, which had cleared one minefield. Its commander ordered its one one mine clearing tank to move to the 2nd minefield and begin clearing it. The rest of its tanks were ordered to continue to engage the dug in 2nd Platoon. The T-64 Company on our right spotted our FIST and destroy it and the remaining TOW. Our reserves still had not shown up. Dragons from the 1st and 2nd Platoon were able to bring the SA-8s under fire and destroyed one of them. The M109s fire a barrage against the T-64s on our right, bailing two of them.

Turn Five: The depleted BMP company brought the 1st Platoon under fire, destroying two Dragon teams. The T-64 company in the center remained in place because half was still waiting for the T-64 to clear the minefield it was stuck in. The T-64 with the mine clearing device continued to move cautiously to the minefield. On the right the T-64s spotted the M113s of the 2nd Platoon and the artillery battery and brought them under fire, destroying one M113 and a M109. Our reserves finally begin to arrive in the form of the M1 platoon and the A10s. However the planes were re-arming and did not show up. The 1st Platoon having no Dragoons in position to fire, went to ground. The 2nd Platoon moved its M113s away from the T-64s and brought the remaining SA-8 under fire with its Dragons, but missed it. The ITV Section , which was concealed in the crops, sprang its ambush and bailed one T-64 of the company on the right. The M1 Platoon arrived on our right in time to bring the T-64s under fire, and bailed one T-64. The M109 battery brought the SA-8 under fire but could not destroy it.

Turn Six: The BMPs continued to fire at the 1st Platoon but did no damage. The T-64 with the mine clearing device finally made it to the minefield and began preparations to clear it. The other T-64s continued to fire at the dug in 2nd Platoon, destroying two dragons. The T-64s on the right shot at the ITVS and the M1s, but missed the ITVs but destroyed a M1. The A-10s and another ITV section arrived. The A-10 was called in on the T-64 Company in the center. The M109s hit and destroyed the remaining SA-8. The ITV Section that sprang its ambush the previous turn fired and bailed oneT-64. The M1s destroyed two T-64s and bailed one other. With the SA-8s destroyed, the A-10s had nothing to opposed them and destroyed the T-64 that was trying to clear the minefield.

Turn Seven: The Soviet commander was in a tough position. Its BMP Company was down to two BMPs and three stands of infantry. Its T64 company in center lost its only T-64 with a mine clearing device and had three T-64s stuck in a minefield, with four other minefields to its immediate front. While its T-64 Company on its right failed its morale, abandoning its four bailed tanks and the remaining tank withdrew. The battalion commander, knowing it could not break through the American lines, decided to husband its remaining force and withdrew.

Below is some satellite imagery of the battlefield.

The battlefield from the Soviet perspective. The Silver disc is its center. This image was taken several days before hostilities broke out and our Task Force was just beginning to move into its positions.
Initial deployment of M109 Battery.
Initial Soviet Deployment
Soviet attempt to by-pass the minefields (brown circles) by moving along the right flank of the forward U.S. positions. Notice how close to the edge of the battlefield they were. What is not shown is the the center T-64 Company stuck in another minefield that is just outside of the photo to the right of the other minefields. If you look closely at the left center, underneath the photo interpreter's hand, you will see one of the burning ITVs.

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United States
Robert Burnham
Wins

8 Comments

  • AlohaRover says:

    We need to force the US to attack 😉

  • Robert Burnham says:

    Very true about night. But one of the reasons why I did not fire was I did not want to reveal the location of my troops. Since my Dragons could not penetrate the front of a T-64, why shoot. The main reason was to delay them as long as possible until my reserves started to arrive.

  • Tgunner91 says:

    Night is NATO´s friend. I noticed that you didn´t start losing troops until the sun showed up. Great game!

  • Hunts says:

    Nice battle report and analysis. That table did present its problems for sure. Score one for the good guys.

  • Robert Burnham says:

    Red Alert –

    My force is very good on the defense. I would not like to have use it in the offense

    I was a squad leader in the company back in the early 1970s. I understand the concept of acceptable casualties, but it seems a bit too personal to use it when I might have been one of them! 🙂

    As for whether the Soviet player should have been more aggressive. . . possibly. However he was severely restricted by the terrain. One third of it was woods. It would have extremely difficult to get through it with armored vehicles. The other 2/3rds consisted of mostly of a village and fields; but 20% of it was also woods. Those woods extended to about 8 inches of the right side of the table. In the center I had the four minefields that covered about 75% of the open area. On the 2nd turn I was able to place two more minefields on top of his center T-64 Company. This forced him to come through the 8 inch gap on my right flank. It was so narrow the tanks were virtually touching each other.

    Bottom line. . . I felt the Soviet player did as good as possible with the forces he had. But he was severely limited by terrain and darkness. . . which only lifted at the beginning of turn four.

  • Red Alert says:

    Seems to have been a well tailored forces for US defense.

    It might have served the WP player better to be more aggressive.

    Learn the term “Acceptable casualties” – You will thank me later and even if you lose the game is a rush 🙂

  • Baron says:

    I like the way you write as a story teller perspective. I may use that similiar approach for my battle reports!
    Overall, very good and it painted a good picture of how things happend, even though no pictures where added you informed us well of how the terrain appeared.

  • Klute says:

    Great Battle Report Bob and a big win for NATO for the group. Thanks for posting.