Firestorm: Red Thunder

Taskforce 3-68 licked its wounds as they fell back from Fulda. The Cav (3/8 and the surviving troops of the 11th ACR) kept up a screen so that 8th ID could re-arm and re-fit.

The Cav called in reports that the Tank elements of the 39th Guards Tank Division were pressuring the screen and had slipped through. TF 3-68 deployed to confront them.

Pulling into position at 1000, TF 3-68 Armor detected the lead elements of the 39th Guards.

Bravo team moves forward to cover the objectives and then were covered by smoke. On the Right flank 3rd platoon takes a Soviet company under fire, killing 2 and bailing 1. Soviet return fire killed B32.

Soviet Airlanding dropped on the Objective, Accurate tank fire took out 3 Hinds followed by Artillery (Mortars). The remaining Hind failed morale. Artillery would continue to keep the Infantry pinned down.

B 3-68 Armor take out the Soviet scouts and kill 2 and bail 2 of the Second Tank company. 3rd Platoon continues to fire on the right.

TF 3-68 pours more fire onto the lead tank company, killing 2 more a and bailing 2. The bailed tanks fail morale and broke to the rear. Massed MG fire on the infantry on the hill keeps them pinned and with Artillery kills 3 squads. The M113s moved up and assisted with more MG fire. Meanwhile the Infantry for 2-13 move through the woods to cover the objective.

TF 3-68 continues to pummel the infantry with Machine Gun fire and lights up the remaining tanks, killing 4. Left with only one squad and 3 RPG teams the Soviets called game.

We invoked a house rule that does not allow pinned units to take or contest objectives. Otherwise this would have ended on turn 2 (because bailed out infantry started the turn on the Objective). Hindsight reveals I could have moved a tank within 4 inches with no problem.