Firestorm: Red Thunder

After long and succesful campaign, T-55 Panzer Abteilung was ordered to stand down, rest and resupply. One company of T-55 were taken to the rear (for re-armament, and, as some people whispered, re-education) and some spare T-72 took it's place. Battalion forces scattered among the village houses of Germany, resting, eating, and of course maitaning German discipline, just in case.

Chieftains spread out using

BTR-60 are exploding like fireworks on Day of Queen's Birthday, panicked crew running around in chaos.

Forward positioning doomed Gaskins - all but one exploded under Scorpion fire.

Still, things doesn't look soo good - such concentration of Chieftains in one place means one thing : there is no time for tea! Things start to happen very quickly now. Someone signaled other elements of battalion to come as reinfocements, while what was in the field begun to pound enemy with everything they got. T-55 and BMP-1 salvoed at Scorpions, but with just single kill. Spandrels apeared out of ambush, just outside Scorpion fire range, and began to pound Chieftains. BTR manned up and move out of fire line, to allow infantry to use their AT weapons, unfortunately to no avail. Then, Chieftains blitzed again and

Infantry got the most of it. Fragments of bodies were everywhere, and, to make things worse, one AT squad didn't make it. Chieftains added to the mess, devastating BTR and BMP; VA troops just barely kept their nerve. Things looked worse and worse every second, especially when BMP that blitzed from reserves ehind infantry posiotions failed to hit anything. For good omen, this time Spandrels got one Chieftain, and T-55 moved forward and

BTR jumped over the road to ... do something, although agains Chieftains that was rather impossible. Chieftains repositioned a little, to put heavy hunk of forest between them and incoming T-55 and (most) of Spandrels. Then,

At the same time,

But now, the tide turns... VA reinforcements arrive in shape of three T-72 tanks and half-battery of 2S1 Carnations. Each enters from different direction, threatening different side of Chieftains, while T-55 winded around the forest edge to screw Chieftains from behind.

And all that firepower does... ZIP. Chieftains turn their turrets and shot some T-55 trying to sneak behind them, and

Third Carnation couldn't hold its nerve and ran away, screaming. Fortunately, this time luck is on Volksarmee side - company of T-55 arrives! T-72 creeps even closer, to get a glimpse of Chieftanis from behind the wood, while T-72 spread into formation to catch unguarded Chieftains' flank. Last four of T-55 sneaks behind Chieftains back and ...

Was more prepared to do their job and targeted the

From now on fight become more intense, to a point battery in our photo equipment died out. But it just was it ... Chieftains in the wood turned their turrets and shoot at four T-55, killing only two of them. Rest stayed on the field. Rest fired upon T-55 reinforcements, killing some. British infantry came out of reinforcements, and joined the reinforcement mini-tanks that rolled on the table in previous turn. All of those spread aroud the objective, and because it was almost 6th turn, there was no time to waste... T-55 turned on the spot and raced right, toward the objective, while infantry rushed forward, and rushed to assault last Chieftain. Last two remiainig T-55 finished Chieftains in the woods, Spandrels and T-72 vanquished another troop shooting at their backs, and infantry assaulted last tank and killed it off. Brits ceased to exist, and

It was very, very close. I am accustomed to soaking loses, but this time loses vere much, much higher than expected. Add to it poor deployment (AA not hidden in the back, and no AA umbrella over the infantry except their own AA pipes) and slow maneuvering and you have recipe for disaster. Almost happened...

Jarv modified his rooster, too. He was rather displeased with his own infantry, which - although survived until end of the game - weren't able to keep the formation alive, as in this configuration troopers are just a support. It means that next time it won't be so 'easy' for me :)

When we met, on the table bordering us another game was played. Just started... It was blitzkrieg - we haven't had even finished deploying our troops when another game ended and our comerades offered us fully stocked table, with much better (?) and diverse (?) set of terrain ;)
Sorry, Raziel, we hope that you do not lose interest in play :)

PS : I hate Harriers.