Game 11 - After Action Report - Did You Remember To Close The Back Door, Comrade?

For background/briefing for this game click [here]

Hive Mind: Lightning reports all systems are go

Titanic: Was wet, now dry, eta for standby, 2 minutes...

Fallen Angel: All marks reported in, moving to position, eta 1 minute.

Candyman 1: All teams good to go. Slammer 1 and Satan 1 on the way, eta 90 seconds. Go on splash.

Titanic: Vang Gogh and Picasso are now at altitude. We can see your wife and Boris from here, Candyman, Now in position and good to go. Visual on cargo. Waiting for splash ladies. Break a leg guys...

Candyman: Keep the chatter down Titanic. If I disturb the wife, I'm done for...

Thunder: 81 FRAG, ON THE WAY!

Picasso: Zebra has green paint job - Slamming imminent.

Candyman 2: AT-4 only scratched the paint. I thought you said they were T-55s!

Mama 1: Mama 2 this is Mama 1, straight in and straight out in case you had any doubts! Keep bending and swerving and watch for snipers!

Ian's Socialist infantry take heavy GPMG fire from Ripper

Titanic: Got your back, Candyman, fall back - good to go with claymore.

Slammer 2 Splash

Mama: This is Mama 1, we have the Cargo. On way to Natalia. Mama 2 down, sisters left behind. Get ready to assemble, eta 10 minutes.

The game started with Western forces finding the Easterners a bit tough to crack. Mike, Tom and Paul were hammering away, but Andy's tough Guards were defending strongly (Steve would not accept anything less of anyone controlling his nutter Guards).

Ian was getting reinforcements but back away from the action, and with GPMG and sniper cross-fire was taking a lot of incoming. The game was looking like an Eastern win, until DaveR's arrival, taking control of his own frogmen and the Predator's targeting systems. With a few devastating salvos called in by the UX Spec Ops, hitting their targets, the dark troopers fell back and melted away after receiving very strange orders from Hive Mind.... 

"New orders in.... Overriding Priority 1 and 2 - Let them have the cargo, repeat let THEM have the cargo. They have plans for it that may just benefit us. Intel later. Sounds like two shades of blue getting itimate to me"...."now go take those big guns out, Candyman, you're already late for that other party!"

"Fallen Angel, break your teams from Candyman and go find out what's happened to Thunder. Something's not right - report back as soon as you can."

"By the way, good work gentlemen. Brood Lord's armoured recon owes you one."

"SECURE - HM/LOCAL - "Oh, and next time, Titanic, after you have painted a target, and missiles aren't yet locked, if you forget to switch your designator off, try not to point it at your own team, I thought you were a gonner when Satan 3 hit your position. We wont mention that to Hive Homeworld though. Now get going, looks like its all going to hit the fan very soon..."

to be continued...

Follow on Games:
Game 12 - Let's Get Our Lads Back
20mm Force on Force
Fallen Angel's SPEC Ops, attempt to rescue Mortar Team from their Vampyri captors.

Two games to be played simultaneously
Game 02 - Tanks! Thousands of 'em
6mm Cold War Commander - huge armour clash
and
Game 08 - They Just Wont Die
20mm Force on Force - Candyman's UX attempt to silence field guns, as they support Eastern armour push.

Game 11 - Did You Remember To Close The Back Door, Comrade?

WARNING:
This is a LARGE game!

Eastern Forces Background (Andy, Ian)
Previous Order (to Guards) - Get to location afj725 ASAP, and secure ultra high priority cargo before expected interception. Possible NBC threat. All vehicles remain buttoned. Troops may exit to secure but wear full NBC.

Orders just received (10 minutes ago)
- Cargo under attack and has been damaged. Convoy static. Protection has been dispersed.
- You should be reinforced by the remaining stragglers within minutes - take command of these cowards and get them to form an outer defence immediately. Hopefully they haven't abandoned their RPGs as I suspect we may just need them!
- Await further orders...

(see Game 09 Supply & Demand for previous battle report)

Orders just received (5 minutes ago)
- [Secure Communications/localised] - Enemy armour spotted, approaching your West flank.
- Secure Package top priority

Orders just coming in...
Suspected UX hit and run team have contacted the Package. Condition unknown. Reports UX troops have now left the area. More sightings of Western armour seen to the West. Eastern troops in area ordered to regroup back to the convoy area and reinforce your position - expect stragglers to head back in small numbers. Await further orders.

Briefing
Continue to and secure Package (all NBC troops and vehicles must be within 24" of Package's truck)
- Await inbound specialist team to determine damage to cargo (expect 2 black SUVs imminently)
- Officers in black SUVs will assume command. Expect relocation of Cargo to position "Natalia".
- Enemy Armorued Division spotted 15 miles west, so expect a recon, possibly light tank contact.
- 1 of our Guards Regiment and a Socialist Army Regiment are expected to attack the Western Forces within the hour. We need that package - get there and get it out!

Scrambled radio chatter intercepted.
Coming in now...  (chat in brackets is still unclear):

[start]

Tic Tac Toe N2 TP
Twin Peaks
Gamma (five)
Candyman (free)
Met...
Chocolates have soft centres
TTT eyes white
Little Ivan likes chocolates
Big Ivan (does not)
Priority 2
Outstanding. No wonder these tough guys are paid more than me! Now where the hell is my coffee?!
Er, comms are still open General
Goddami....
[end]

Eastern Forces
[Andy]
Eastern Ukrovian Guard  (elite motorized troops)
3 T-90 (3 men crews with AKs)
3 BMP-2 (3 men crews with AKs) each carrying 7 men - see below
1 BRDM (4 man crew with AKs) carrying officer and Radio Op (AKs)
1 BRDM AT (4 man crew with AKs)
1 x ZSU23-4 (4 man crew with AKs)

BMP Platoon -  Sections 1 to 3 - (all in NBC) 
D10/10 (must fight as D8/D10 due to NBC suits)
Armour +1 D (Yes, armour below NBC suits (they are nuts))

NBC Section 1 (BMP-2)
1 Squad Leader with Pistol/AK

1 PKM
2 AKs
1PKM
2AKs

NBC Section 2 (BMP-2)
1 RPG
1 PKM
1 RPD
4 AKs

NBC Section 3 (BMP-2)
1 RPG
1 PKM
1 RPD
4 AKs

Eastern Socialist Army Forces (Stragglers)
[Ian]
These are Eastern forces from the previous game that are returning to the area, now the fighting has died down and Guards have secured the area (or more specifically the UX forces have now disappeared!).

- Starting Forces: roll twice at start and place at random hotspot, before game commences.
- Reinforcement Forces: roll for reinforcements for the following 6 turns. Place at a random hotspots. Troops are D8/D8 but have limited supply (-1 D)

Reinforcement D6 Roll:
Roll of 1 = a cow or a goat
Roll of 2 = 4 AKs
Roll of 3 = 4 AKs & 1 RPD
Roll of 4 = 4 AKs & 1 RPG
Roll of 5 = 4 AKs, 1 RPD & 1 RPG
Roll of 6 = 4 AKs, 1 RPG & 1 RPD in a BTR (HMG) (with 2 man crew)

Mission Brief
Make contact with the Guards and help put up a defensive perimeter to defend against an expected Western Ukrovian Light Armour attack from the West (West Table Edge).

Map

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Western Side - (Mike, Paul, DaveR, Tom) Equipment and vehicle information to follow
[Mike] = Candyman UX1-2.1
[Tom] = Candyman UX1-2.2 (Tom has to sign the Official UX/Labotomy Act before/after play)
[Paul] = Fallen Angel UX1.2
[Dave R] = Titanic UX 1.2
[Dave W] = United States of Ukrovia - Recon Command A

------------------------------------------------------

After Action Report will follow....

Red Hawk Down

Mission Background

Western Ukrovian air mobile troops from the free Ukrovian Defence Force were sent to secure the border village of Shawcanov ahead of imminent contact with Eastern Armoured divisions. Rebels from the Vampyri are reported to be springing up from various Western districts and are causing havoc throughout Western Ukrovia with nearby rebels managing to bring a Western chopper down, as it lands close to the village's main road. The Vampyri rebels are moving in to finish off the job, but the remaining chopper crew are putting up a strong defence around the downed craft, as they wait for the rest of their air mobile company to  move up to support them.

1. The chopper comes down at the Main Road/Wadi junction.

2. The smoke clears...

3. Western Defence Force troops set up a defensive perimiter around the chopper.

4. Movement is heard in the north.

5. Vampyri forces are spotted appearing from the rooftops...

6. Western Defence Force troops move in from the South.

7. Vampyri reinforcements move silently through the wadi towards the chopper.

8. A Vampyri technical opens fire with its HMG as it hurtles towards the downed craft.

9. Defence Force troops open up and silence the HMG.

10. Western Reinforcements lead the advance and head towards the chopper. 

11. Vampyri fire pins down Western Forces, but the Defence Force's higher training and better weapons pays off, as Vampyri rebels take heavy casualties and their sporadic fire dies down...

12. The Vampryi in the wadi creep closer and closer towards the downed crew and are just about to move in when...

13. A Western attack jet buzzes low over the chopper at high speed.

14. The Vampryi cower in the Wadi, then melt away, terrified by the deafening devil screaming past at low level.

15. Western troops finally reach the downed chopper.

16. The Vampyri take more casualties on the rooftops, but they hold their ground. Another HMG armed technical races towards the chopper, to add further woes to the Western commander. However, their persistent light gunfire manages to inflict minor casualties on the advancing Defence Force troops caught in the open.

17. Western forces, although held back, manage to secure a strong base of fire on the village outskirts.

18. The slowly advancing troops take more fire, halting their advance on the village.

19. More low flying attack runs and a gradual advance of troops causes the Vampyri to rethink its attempt to take the chopper, and their forces start to leave the area.

20. Western troops manage to move up further and start securing the chopper and now move on the wadi.

21. Defence forces finally secure the chopper and move into the village, but the Vampyri have done their job - causing havoc and casualties on their ancient land's enemy. They disappear once again...

The Protagonists

Ian - Western Ukrovia (Defence Force)

Decent tactics and a steady advance, but a tough mission...

Andy - Eastern Ukrovian (Vampyri Rebels)

Volume of fire, no matter how small, paid dividends; in the right places at the right time.

With the aid of another Vampyri ally advancing on the chopper crew, the main rooftop rebels managed to cause enough damage and disruption to achieve a minor victory...

Result

A Minor Victory (2 points) to the Vampyri rebels (Eastern), mainly by way of inflicting minor casualties and delaying an advance by Defence Force troops (Western).

Follow Up
After taking the village, the Western Air Mobile forces set up a hasty defensive position. Now secure, a company of Defence Force heavy amour moves in to bolster the village's defence, just as Eastern armour is seen heading its way on the horizon...

Game 13: The Red Bastogne (Cold War Commander, 6mm)