Operation Currahee, Fight #3

All,

It is now 0330 on 27 July 1990, and the twenty paratroopers of Lt Villagrosa's ODA-212 are descending to earth below silk canopies, having just departed a loaner C-130 as part of Operation Currahee, the Cuban operation to secure space for Cuban reinforcements to enter South Leon following the full-scale invasion launched by Fédération Socialiste Nationale de Leon (FSNL).  Upon landing they will immediately form up and assault any and all enemy positions identified (in the event, it would turn out that intelligence information provided by South Leon government elements, via Task Group Fulgencio, would prove quite accurate).  This is the third fight of the chaotic first minutes on the ground...

Overview of the entire battlespace (town of Gimbala, with Ruhala River running east to west), north is right.  This fight is taking place on the western edge of Gimbala, on the building near the stone fountain at top center, with Cuban paratroopers coming out of the river and trees at center top.

The good guys, all twenty of them.  Due to the strain of multiple deployments, the War of Liberation concluding only months ago, and the pace of expansion of the CLEF, this unit is more akin to a platoon of US Army Rangers than US Army Special Forces, despite being labeled an Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA).  The troops are lined up in teams, with each row (top to bottom) being a team: at far right is the HQ element, consisting of Lt Villagrosa, the Det NCOIC, and two medics, then team 1, 2, 3, and 4, each consisting of a team leader, grenadier, SAW gunner, and rifleman.

I have created a roster for ODA-212 here on the blog, it's labeled "Task Force Dusty," but please keep in mind there has just been a parachute drop and the teams are scattered and mixed together in "LGOPs" (Little Groups Of Paratroopers).

These are Modern US Marines from Flytrap Factory.

The bad guys, of which I'll be using between five and ten per fight.  These are Battlefront 15mm East German mechanized infantry, with two leaders, two RPK LMGs, two RPGs, and six riflemen.

Overview, north is up.  The FSNL Army troops are in the building at top center left, and at ground level around the fenced-in stone fountain at center right, while the Cuban Special Forces troops are at left center down to bottom left center.  After this fight is over we'll discover there are bad guys in the building at bottom right and far right, but for right now those bad guys are still learning about/recovering from the shock of the Cuban invasion, and by that time these Cubans will be assaulting the FSNL trenchline (just off camera to top center left), while Lt Villagrosa leads a team to take the buildings just mentioned.  It may seem a bit goofy, but such is the chaos of war, particularly with paratroopers dropping into a foreign land in the middle of the night.

The Cubans, from left: PFC Montejano, Team 4's grenadier, dropped out of college to join the CLA and served with the 8th Popular Force Battalion during the War of Liberation; PFC Parra, Team 1's grenadier, the son of a fisherman that joined the CLEF after the War of Liberation; Specialist 4 Molina (in the river at bottom center), Team 1's machine gunner, PFC Montejano's college roommate, they joined the CLA together and served together, but he's got a problem in that he generally can't hit the broad side of a barn, which is why they gave him the machine gun; SFC Medina (in the river at top center), a 34-year old former US Army Ranger that was a member of the CLA's Unconventional Warfare Group in the War of Liberation; and PFC Pineda, Team 2's grenadier (this group has four M-203s and a SAW!), he's a 17-year old that joined the CLEF after the War of Liberation, having been made an orphan by Castro's henchmen.  And he's pretty handy with his shootin' iron, too.

The guys in the river will have to pass a test to get out of their parachute harnesses.  Hopefully no one drowns...

Looking west to east at the bad guys (the good guys are off camera to bottom right), their boss is a Lieutenant, at center, they have rifleman at top right, bottom left, and on the second floor at left center, and they have a light machine gun (RPK) on the third floor at center bottom left.

Montejano (far left) and Parra (top center) look on as Pineda dashes into the river and helps Molina get his parachute off (center bottom), but SFC Medina (top right) is thrashing about, struggling but unable to get his off.  "Sergeant, be quiet, they're going to hear you!"  "You can kiss my ass, you little @#$%!  I've been getting out of 'chutes in rivers in foreign lands in the dark since you were in diapers!"  "Okay Sergeant, but please, be quiet, and, if the mood strikes you, go ahead and get out of that harness."

Montejano and Parra shake their heads; Montejano mutters "we'd better get moving before the bad guys catch us out here in the open.  The two PFCs move up through the forest...

"Hey, we got company."  Parra (bottom center, with Montejano at bottom left) spots the Communist Lieutenant (top center right), but they don't see the bad guys in the building or the flank security at top left.

Meanwhile, SFC Medina (top center left) continues struggling in the river with his parachute harness, drawing the attention of the enemy's Lieutenant (bottom right) and left-flank security (bottom left).  PFC Parra can just be seen poking out from behind a tree at top right.  The bad guys then spot Pineda and Molina, too (off camera to top center, just beyond SFC Medina).

Over on the Cuban left/enemy right, the light machine gunner (on 3rd floor) spots Montejano and Parra (top center).  Tension builds to the bursting point...

The enemy Lieutenant: "Private!  I said Private!"  "Yes, Sir?"  "Go and check that thrashing about in the water."  "Uhhh..."  The enemy flank security troop moseys up to the wall (bottom left), then decides there ain't no way in hell he's walking up there to see who the hell that is in the river.  So he raises his AK and sights in on the dark form that appears to be wrestling a sea monster, and cuts loose a burst!

The rounds zip by SFC Medina (left center), Pineda, and Molina (top center right), and the cacophony is quickly joined by another AK, this time from the 2nd floor of the objective building (bottom center left), but somehow no one is hit!

Over on the FSNL right, the enemy machine gunner hears his comrades open fire, so he joins in, targeting the shadows of Parra and Montejano down below amongst the trees, pinning PFC Parra.

With the enemy machine gunner (top left) firing on Parra and Montejano, the bad guy right-flank security trooper moves up (bottom center right), spotting the Montejano (top center right).

SFC Medina finally manages to get the damn parachute harness off.  He sloshes to the north bank of the river and flops down, out of breath.  But he hears the enemy machine gun (top left) firing on Montejano and Parra (far left), so he (center left bottom) ignores the bad guy shooting at him (far right) and starts popping rounds into the building with the machine gun, to no effect.

Firing wild bursts from the hip, SFC Medina keeps going, dashing forward to cover (left) and PFC Parra.

Parra (yellow bead) returns fire on the enemy machine gun (top center) as SFC Medina (just below him) reloads, and Montejano (just visible left of Parra) spots the enemy flank sentry (straight up from the explosion at bottom left, peeking out from behind a tree)...

Then raises his rifle and fires, but he misses too!!!

Specialist Molina, the SAW gunner, sloshes across the river (bottom left) as Pineda (bottom center) returns fire on the enemy rifleman in the building.

The enemy machine gun fire slacks off for a moment, so Parra raises his M-203 and pops a 40mm grenade up at the third story window...

BAM!  The grenade sails through the window and detonates, killing the enemy machine gunner!

Montejano (bottom right) shuffles forward on the far left, firing as he goes, hitting nothing...

Safely across the river and in cover, Specialist Molina (bottom left, just visible next to the tree) raises his M-249 and rips off a long burst at the enemy flanker near the stone fountain (top center left), totally missing.  Pineda, still in the river (bottom center), is feeling a bit exposed...

So he falls back into cover (bottom right) as Molina (far left) keeps laying down fire.

Para opens the breech and loads another 40mm High Explosive Dual Purpose round into his M-203 (bottom right) as Montejano keeps pushing forward, the shock of his advance apparently freezing the enemy soldier in his tracks.  But this time Montejano's rounds finally find their mark, and the Commie goes down, out of the fight.

SFC Medina (far left) takes stock of the situation as Molina (bottom left) keeps his SAW going on the enemy's flank sentry (top center), though he still ain't managed to get a round anywhere near the guy.  Not even a pin...

Back across the river, Pineda (bottom right) sights in on the enemy rifleman on the 2nd floor (top center left) and fires, hitting the Commie in the head, though it's only a wound.  SFC Medina (far left) sees the bad guy go down and calls out "nice shot, Pineda!"  Molina (just below and left of SFC Medina) mumbles "I wish I could shoot like that..."

Parra fires another 40mm grenade, this time at the enemy soldier Pineda just hit in the head, while Montejano dashes up to the building (bottom left).

The enemy Lieutenant, who pretty much has just been a spectator so far, looks on as Parra's round goes long, hitting high up on the roof.

SFC Medina moves up to Parra and rallies him; "don't sweat it kid, you'll get him next time."  "Thanks, Sarge!"  Which is when SFC Medina spots the enemy Lieutenant in the alley (top center), gawking at the firefight raging all around him (slack-jawed, as Lieutenants are wont to do).

In the objective building, the enemy rifleman Pineda (top left) hit in the head (bottom far right) tries to get himself back in the fight, but he's still woozy from the crease and impact of the round.  The enemy's left-hand flanker (bottom left) raises back up and returns fire on Molina (top center), but he pulls a Molina and doesn't hit anything.

Having said that, Molina (bottom left) is pissed!  He stands straight up, draws the SAW up, and returns fire, and this time a handful of 5.56mm rounds slam into the stone wall near the bad guy, tracers ricocheting up into the night sky, troublesome enough to suppress the Communist soldier!

At this point Pineda (bottom center right) spots the enemy Lieutenant's head (top left) popped up over the stone wall, so he fires but misses.

On the Cuban left, Montejano bursts through the backdoor of the objective building, into the first floor (left), as SFC Medina (bottom center left) and Parra (bottom right, forgot to take the yellow bead off) move up.

SFC Medina (bottom left) opens fire on the Commie Lieutenant; despite being caught in a crossfire, with one antagonist at point blank range, the fire is ineffective.

Damn Army marksmanship...

The enemy leader ducks down as the big Cuban NCO keeps pushing forward, firing from the hip...

Then hopping the wall straight into him!

Putting several rounds into the Communist officer's chest.  Can't miss at that range I guess...

Montejano and Parra sweep and clear the objective building, finally bursting into the room where the enemy rifleman is still reeling from PFC Pineda's round that him in the head.  Parra covered him as Montejano zip-tied the young enemy soldier and drug him downstairs.

Pineda sloshes across the river as Molina lays down covering fire with the SAW, keeping the enemy flanker (top center right) suppressed behind the stone wall as SFC Medina (top left) creeps forward...

SFC Medina pops around the corner, rifle levelled.  He opens fire but, as usual, he misses!  The shocked enemy soldier tosses his rifle into the street and raises his arms.  SFC Medina curses under his breath about his horrible marksmanship, but happily polices up the young Communist...

And leads him back into the courtyard of the objective building.  "Wow, none of us got hit, eh?  Good job guys!  Damn, what the hell happened to him?" queried SFC Medina.  "I did that," quipped Pineda.  "Well, don't be too proud boy, you only winged him," Montejano shot back.  "Oh don't give me that, I saw you and Sarge, both of you had to have the guy hold your muzzle for you before you could hit anyone!  Anyway, what now Sarge?"  "Now we go take that trenchline.  Everybody check your ammo, check your gear, and get a drink, we're moving."

Molina asked "Sarge, what do we do with these guys?" pointing at the two prisoners.  "Don't look at me like that boy, we're not whacking them, they're coming with us."  "Don't worry Sarge," Pineda blurted out, "the safest place they could be is in front of Molina's SAW!"  "Alright, enough jaw-jacking, get ready to go, and they're coming with us.  We'll tie them up in the woods on the north side of the town before we go in."  And with that, they stepped off to the north, picking their way through the woods on their way to assault the enemy trenchline.

V/R,
Jack