All,
1000 on 4 Aug 1990
Mini-Campaign Fight #3
TF Hawk vs FLA 2nd Company
Bronze Star w/V, Purple Heart, War of Liberation and South Leon campaigns
The opposing forces, allies on left and Communists on right.
The figures are all 10mm from Pendraken, Minifigs UK, and Butler's Printed Models. I'm using Ivan's "5Core Company Command," playing on a 3' x 2' surface with simple terrain to speed up the process. The hootches are from Jimmi at Flashpoint Minis, the roads are from Fat Frank, the hills are from Warzone, the fences are from Sarissa, the fields are from Hotzmats, the trees are cake toppers, and when you see the rivers, they're from Wargamers Terrain. I'm playing solo and will randomize enemy deployment using a system of blinds borrowed from Joe Legan's "Platoon Forward."
In terms of caliber of forces, the SLA, FSNL, and FLA troops will all be treated equally, except for the fact the FLA troops will be treated as fanatics, in terms of their willingness to advance into close combat. The Cubans are more tactically and technically proficient, and so they will receive extra firing dice, better rallying capability, bonus in close combat, and sometimes will have a second command stand on the table.
1st Lt Espinale's force consists of: Command stand, five rifle stands, a Chieftain main battle tank, and two FV-432s armored personnel carriers. These troops are Minifigs' Modern UK with BPM vehicles.
As this was expected to be a mechanized assault on militia rabble, TF Dusty did not participate, was in the rear with the gear, holding down the fort.
This should be easy, right? Highly armed, highly mechanized Cuban elites vs Communist militia? Easy! I heard they do like to get in close and mix it up though...
The Free Leon Army positions, from the opposite angle (looking south from the northeast -bottom left- corner, with Cubans visible at top right): the Communists have rifle teams at top left (two of them), center, far right (two of them), the recoiless rifle at bottom center left, and their commander just right of them.
The Cuban get off to an auspicious start: Lt Espinale leads Hawk 05 up on right (far right) as the mechanized elements push straight up the road (center, from bottom center). Well, the mechanized elements except for Track 02, carrying Hawk 03 and 04 (bottom center, yellow bead). The commander reported engine problems and they're working diligently on it.
*The Cubans rolled up a random event, "Cold Feet," which caused a random team to start the game pinned.
But then the Commies have some fun of their own! The enemy riflemen are lying in their ambush positions, waiting for the Cuban vehicles coming up the road to get close enough, when all of a sudden a sharp *crack* pierces the air! The FLA commander (top center, behind the trees) peers over (white bead at bottom center) to see smoke drifting up and men dazed and wounded milling about. Turns out one of their youngsters pulled the pin on a grenade and milked it, and when it blew it caused several casualties!
*The Communists got a random event of their own, "Accident, apply one Kill dice to a random team." They got lucky it was just a '1' and not a '6,' but could have been luckier if it was a 2-5.
The FLA militia move swiftly: two rifle teams in the south haul ass forward (center bottom right, from bottom right), and one rifle team in the north moves up (top center, from a little bit right of there).
Hawk 05 heard the muffled explosion somewhere on the other side of the hill but is otherwise unconcerned, so they pop on up to the military crest...
Where they (top left) immediately draw small arms fire from nearby FLA forces, pinning them down.
Oblivious to the nearby threats, the Chieftain pushes ahead up the road (top center, from top left)...
"RPG!!!"
The Communist rocket bounces off the thick armor but pins the crew, as Track 01 pushes off the road, straight into the enemy position, opening fire with its machine gun at point-blank range!
One enemy rifle team is knocked out and another suppressed!
As Hawk 01 and 02 dismount.
Lt Espinale dashes left to rally the Chieftain's crew (center, from bottom left. Not sure why I didn't rally Hawk 05 -bottom center left- before he left, I usually allow the elite Cubans to do that).
Track 01 (left bottom) continues its rain of destruction with its single 7.62mm machine gun, firing on a nearby enemy rifle team (already suppressed, top left, with their CO nearby)… Meanwhile, the enemy rifle teams in the field manage to get into the treeline (bottom right).
The enemy team takes casualties and is 'men down'! The CO tries to rally them back into the fight...
But they're done! Having taken too many casualties, the survivors head for the hills!
As the enemy rifle team in the north pushes around the knoll (top left, from top center), working around into the Cuban rear!
Hawk 01 sees them and closes!
The Communists are knocked out (bottom left) and Hawk 01 moves to secure the Cuban left flank (top center)!
While back in the center, Lt Espinale grabs Hawk 02 and the two teams charge the two enemy rifle teams in the treeline! IT's rifles on burst, pistols even, and hand grenades at point-blank range!
One enemy rifle team is knocked out, but so is Lt Espinale's command element! The fight continues between Hawk 02 and the remaining Communist rifle team...
And Hawk 02 is eliminated!!!
Their blood up, the Communist team charges the Chieftain! Luckily the tank's crew sees the enemy advancing and opens up with its coax MG...
But it's not enough to stop them and the Communists close assault the armored vehicle!
The Chieftain is knocked out and the Communists charge Track 02 from the rear!
The FV432 and its crew are quickly dispatched!
At this point the Cubans are down to only two rifle teams are still in the fight, seeing as how Track 02 and its occupants, Hawk 03 and 04 never got off the starting line, so the Cubans grab what wounded they can and fall back!!!
The Task Force XO immediately begins reorganizing TF Hawk for another attack, but is much relieved when Lt Espinale, lightly wounded, comes staggering back in, carrying his wounded radioman.
TF Hawk's attack was defeated, with both sides holding their ground (D3)! Next turn neither side will move and they will re-fight on this same ground as soon as possible.
Wowsers, I did not see that coming! Only three fights in and I've already got my first bloody nose! A couple things made this victory possible: one, sometimes I take the solo-gaming/don't want to know too much stuff too far. What I mean is, I try to have the tabletop dudes act according to what they would/could know in real life, and rather aggressively at that. So, rather than activate like they knew where all the hidden bad guys were (even after the grenade detonation), or proceed super cautiously, I ran Hawk 05 up on top of the ridge to get shot, and I marched the Chieftain and FV-432 straight up the road to be ambushed.
Second, obviously, was that damned "Cold Feet" random event that pinned the second FV-432 carrying Hawk 03 and 04. This meant it was unable to group move with the other two vehicles, and once the fighting started I didn't have the activations to spend to get them unpinned and moved up into the fight. I certainly wonder how the Cubans would have fared, even after the ambush, with another track and two more rifle teams up there. In any case, it doesn't matter, we'll soon see a rematch between these too.
Casualties:
Cuban: ~20 men, one Chieftain and one FV-432 destroyed
Communist: ~20 men
Decorations:
Hawk 01 Team Leader awarded the Bronze Star w/V for defeating an enemy team in close combat then moving to secure the left flank of the Task Force, then conducting an orderly withdrawal, evacuating friendly wounded once the Task Force's center collapsed.
Next up we have 1st Lt Ordonez' TF Redleg attacking the FSNL's 5th Company.
V/R,
Jack
I didn't see that coming either...blimey!
ReplyDeleteGreat terrain and figures Jack! Cracking report too.
Yeah man, that was pretty rough. Thanks a bunch, Jim, I'm looking forward to yours!
DeleteV/R,
Jack