It is now 0415 on 27 July 1990, and the twenty paratroopers of Lt Villagrosa's ODA-212 have descended to earth below silk canopies from 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 formed up and assaulted 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 sixth fight following the drop, and the enemy is alert and expecting trouble.
Overview of the entire battlespace (town of Gimbala, with Ruhala River running east to west), north is right. This fight is taking place at an enemy defensive position in the trenchline in the field in the northwest (top right, and the trench isn't there yet, just the field), with the Cubans attacking from their rally point on the road at top center right, between the buildings and the stone-walled orchard.
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. These are Modern US Marines from Flytrap Factory.
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). The Cubans in this fight are:
SFC Medina, the detachment NCOIC, a former US Army Ranger, he fought in the CLA with Lt Villagrosa during the War of Liberation;
Spec 4 Molina, Team 1's machine gunner, former university student that joined the CLA during the War of Liberation and fought with the 8th Popular Front Battalion, he can't shoot worth a damn;
PFC Montejano, Team 4's grenadier, former university student that joined the CLA during the War of Liberation and fought with the 8th Popular Front Battalion;
PFC Parra, Team 1's grenadier, a 19-year old son of a fisherman that joined the CLEF after the War of Liberation;
PFC Pineda, Team 2's grenadier, orphaned by Castro's henchmen, the 17-year old joined the CLEF after the War of Liberation
This is the same group that assaulted a building on the north side of the river in Operation Currahee fight #3. They are continuing north to eliminate an enemy perimeter defense position.
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 building the Cubans secured in fight #3 is at bottom center, the enemy trenchline is at top left, and there is an apple orchard at center, just west of the north-south running road. The Cubans, under SFC Medina's leadership, are reorganizing in the trees at bottom center left; they've treated and tied up the two wounded FSNL troops they captured during their building assault. The Cubans intend on securing the enemy trenchline and then establishing their own defensive position there, following which they will send men to retrieve the two wounded prisoners.
The two enemy prisoners, tied up and left behind while the Cubans move north to assault the enemy trenchline.
Looking east to west, the Cubans move north, with the building they took at top right, the apple orchard at far left, and the two prisoners just off camera to far right. The order of march is (left to right): PFC Pineda, PFC Montejano, SFC Medina, SP4 Molina, and PFC Parra.
The enemy position, looking north to south, with PFC Pineda just visible at top center right, just right of the apple orchard. The enemy has four men in the trench (bottom center to bottom right), a picket in the field just above the trench, a picket at top center (just left of the apple orchard), a picket at top left, and a picket at left (in the group of trees just right of the field at far left). So, plenty of bad guys to go around in this fight!
SFC Medina (center of the three Cubans at bottom center) moves up and takes a knee; something is moving up there where they expect the enemy to be; Pineda and Montejano watch the seasoned NCO.
SFC Medina tells Pineda and Montejano to start moving around the left flank, and they take off through the woods (left) as he motions Molina and Parra to join him (center right) at the wall of the apple orchard.
Pineda and Montejano keep pushing up the left flank as Parra moves to the edge of the apple orchard (bottom right, at bottom right corner of apple orchard, with SFC Medina and Molina at bottom left corner of the apple orchard)...
Where Parra (bottom center, Molina at bottom left) comes face to face with a Commie rifleman!!!
As Parra sputters and spurts (bottom far right), trying to alert the team there are Communists on the east (right) side of the apple orchard, SFC Medina pushes up the west side of the apple orchard, oblivious to Parra's issue. Parra's buddy, Molina (bottom center right) can tell something's wrong as he stops scanning for bad guys and stares at his friend in the pre-dawn darkness, trying to figure out what's wrong.
The FSNL Lieutenant (bottom left) spots movement west of the apple orchard (SFC Medina, top center), and with all the fighting he's heard from the town earlier, he's taking no chances. He leans over to the nearby RPG gunner (bottom right) and orders the man to open fire. The soldier props his RPG against the trench wall, unslings his rifle, and shoulders it. Damn, I can't see anything, he thinks to himself. He shrugs and cuts loose a short burst; SFC Medina almost wets his pants (he was US Army, remember) as 7.62mm rounds slam into the nearby stone wall...
On the east side of the apple orchard, the enemy sentry there (bottom left) is stunned by the sudden appearance of PFC Parra (top center), but he recovers first and lays on the trigger, sending tracers zipping past the 19-year old son of a fisherman's head!
Pineda and Montejano hear the enemy fire (top right) and continue creeping forward, unseen, as all eyes are in SFC Medina's direction (top left).
Looking east to west (the trench is off camera to top right), the sentries in the east are alerted by their comrade's gunfire (center, just below the apple orchard, firing at Parra) and move up to get a better look (center bottom, between two trees, and bottom left). The guy at bottom left is a real problem as he's in position for a defilade shot on Parra and Molina.
SFC Medina bides his time, and when the RPG gunner (top center) stops to change magazines the Cubun NCO springs to his feet and moves left (bottom center), firing as he goes. The enemy RPG gunner falls, a single red hole in his forehead, just below the lip of his helmet!
I rolled a '100' for the first time ever!
With SFC Medina on the move (just visible above the tree immediately left of the orange tracer at center), SP4 Molina (bottom center right) cuts loose with his SAW, pinning an enemy rifleman (top left), while his buddy Parra (bottom right, yellow bead) is still pinned down by enemy fire coming from east of the apple orchard.
While on the far left, Pineda and Montejano are finally in position (bottom right). They easily acquire their targets, and remain unseen by the enemy troops.
With the two Cuban youngsters just visible at bottom left), SFC Medina continues his rampage, moving up (bottom center right) and blasting away with his M-4, dropping the enemy sentry just below the trench!
On the Cuban right, Molina has lost track of where SFC Medina is (off camera to bottom left, approaching the trench) so he ceases fire, not wanting to light up his own guys. The firing on the right has let up, but his buddy Parra is still hunkered down. Molina moves over and gives him a nudge; 'alright buddy, get your ass up and back in the fight.' 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm up,' responds Parra as he checks his weapon. The two peer over the wall (bottom center), spotting the enemy rifleman that fired on Parra (left, just above the orchard), but not the other two pickets (far left top, in the trees, and top center right). The bad guy that fired on Parra still had his weapon shouldered, slowly creeping forward, hoping to find out what happened to the Cuban he fired on.
While all hell breaks loose on the left! Pineda and Montejano check their gear one last time and then break cover, rushing the enemy trenchline, blazing away on full auto...
Montejano drops a bad guy (bottom left) while Pineda turns his fire on the enemy Lieutenant (top left), pinning him (the RPG gunner is also pinned at far left).
Back on the right, the enemy rifleman that had fired on Parra is still creeping forward when the firing on the Cuban left (off camera to right, from Montejano and Pineda) reaches a crescendo. The enemy soldier (bottom center) as well as Parra and Molina nearly jump out of their skins at the sudden torrent of fire, and the jolt is enough for the bad guy to see the two Cuban helmets (top center) jump into view. Again he cuts loose with his AK...
The rounds hit the wall and ricochet into the sky, scaring the hell out of Parra and Molina (top right) but not hitting them. But the enemy soldier is a bit spooked the roar of fire to his right, the appearance of a second Cuban, and the fact that he knows he's got two buddies across the street to his left but he hasn't heard or seen hide nor hair of them, so he continues firing bursts in Parra and Molina's general direction as he falls back to the northern end of the apple orchard (bottom left, from center).
And finally the two enemy eastern pickets get in on the action. As their buddy fires and falls back (off camera to right), the other two sentries move up (bottom right and far left, against the building), and they are both able to spot Parra and Molina (top center right).
With Montejano and Pineda charging the enemy trench (off camera to bottom left), SFC Medina gets in on the act. He moves forward (bottom center) firing on the enemy Lieutenant (top left), totally unaware of the enemy sentry (top right) that was firing on Parra and Molina (off camera to far right).
SFC Medina's (center right, just below the apple orchard) drops the enemy Lieutenant (top left) as Pineda (enter) moves up, covering Montejano as he dashes up and jumps in the enemy trench, nearly landing on the enemy RPG gunner (far left)!!!
Back on the right, Parra and Molina spot movement and are beginning to realize they are in big trouble if something cool doesn't happen real quick. Parra (bottom center, with Molina right behind him) has spotted both enemy sentries on the east side of the road; he quickly sights in on the northernmost guy (top center) and opens fire with his M-16, dropping several tree branches but not the enemy soldier.
While Parra (bottom right) is firing the northern sentry (top left) up, Molina raises his SAW and cuts loose on the southern sentry (top right). 5.56mm rounds stitch the stone wall, forcing the enemy trooper to duck back into cover, but he's not hit.
But Big Sarge is coming to the rescue! SFC Medina hears the firefight to the east; by the sound of it, Parra and Molina are dealing with a team of bad guys by themselves. Seeing Montejano and Pineda have the trench situation under control (off camera to bottom left), SFC Medina slaps a fresh magazine into his M-4 and dashes right (left) to help Parra and Molina (off camera to top right) out. As he moves he spots a head pop up above the wall; SFC Medina sights in and fires but the rounds go wide of their intended target (top center).
Back in the trench, the pinned enemy RPG gunner rises to meet his attackers, but Pineda and Montejano are easily able to finish him off.
And then, back on the right, the simply inexplicable happens: Parra (bottom center) reloads and draws a bead on the northern enemy sentry (top left), exhales, and squeezes the trigger...
Dropping the Communist (top left), as Molina (bottom center) continues squeezing off bursts at the southern enemy sentry, who is pinned behind a ledge on a nearby building (top right). The enemy soldier has had enough of being pinned and decides it's time make a break for it. But he's severely mis-timed his escape: as soon as he steps out from the cover of the ledge Molina cuts loose again, and the enemy soldier takes three rounds in the chest, dead before he hit the ground.
And the fight ends with SFC Medina continuing his charge at the last remaining enemy soldier (bottom left)...
Finishing him off. And as quick as it started it's over; a silence descends over the area as SFC Medina blows three blasts on his whistle to let his men know to rally on the objective area.
SFC Medina rallies and reorganizes his men, setting up a defensive position in the enemy trench. He sends Parra back to retrieve the two enemy prisoners from the previous fight, and once they're back (white beads), SFC Medina can take a seat and relax for a moment. Lighting a cigarette, all his anxiety and energy drain out of him and feels like he's about to fall asleep. But he smiles to himself, unable to process the fact he just led these men through two intense, point blank firefights in less than twenty minutes, digging out superior enemy forces from fortified defensive positions, without taking a single loss. Not even so much as a scratch on any of the four youngsters with him.
SFC Medina looks at his watch: it's barely 0425 in the morning. But he's suddenly stirred from his post-battle bliss by the sound of a large engine emanating from the east. A large engine, like the kind that come on armored fighting vehicles. Montejano calls out, "Hey Sarge, what the hell is that?" "Shut your hole and keep your eyes on your assigned sector! Pineda, shift right some, I want you keeping an eye to the east!" SFC Medina stubbed his smoke out, stood up, and placed his helmet back on his head. Dammit I wish I knew what was going on with the rest of the troops, he thought. Earlier he'd heard what sounded like a pretty ferocious firefight in the vicinity of Hill 57, which ended with the sound of more M-16s than AKs, so he hoped that meant some of his paratroopers had successfully taken the hill, as planned. Damn I hope the L-T has got the right flank locked down, or we're gonna have armor rolling right up our backside!
V/R,
Jack
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