A Small Airfield in Germany - Part 2 - AAR

OK - On with the game

BAOR recce units move further onto the table, closing on the dug in VDV.

Landie Gunships prepare to engage:


Scimitars bounding forwards:


All the while further BAOR reinforcements arrived from the NATO table edge.

The FO team (in the Spartan) and Milan Sections (in LWB Landies) move up:


While the CO (Sultan) and Mechanised Infantry Platoon (FV432) drive on:


and on...


The last of the BAOR reserves, the Chieftain troop arrive:


Throughout the majority of this time the VDV silently waited until they were able to spring their ambush:

taking out a Scimitar section.

Under cover of the hangers, the BAOR units move forward:


The chieftains following:


Of course as the game intensified I kept forgetting to take photos!

The first VDV reinforcements arrive (a BMD-2 platoon)


Well time as on the Soviet right flank the BAOR mechanised platoon launched a somewhat ill-fated assault. You can see some burning Scimitars in the background:


Things appear to be going badly for NATO as the assault never really gets started and more Scimitars burn:


However, the Chieftains arrive:

and begin to shift the balance.





By now however, the VDV have taken out both Scimitar sections, the Recce Landie platoon and the Milan Platoon, leaving the BAOR with only two units on the board. The NATO player must keep making Company Morale Checks at the beginning of each of his turns - which he keeps doing!

The final VDV assets arrive - the ASU-85 platoon.


The VDV BRDMs and ASU-85s start to move up the airfield behind the hangars:


The BAOR player isn't too bothered as the BRDMs have no chance of scratching the paintwork of the Chieftains, while the ASU-85s must take flank shots.

The BRDMs rush out from behind the last hangar into the cover of a hedge:


and take out the Company Commander's Sultan, killing him and ending the game.




So - for once the Soviets pull out a win. Although the NATO force suffered a large amount of casualties, once the Chieftains came into play the balance began to shift back towards the BAOR as nothing the Soviets had could damage the frontal armour of the MBTs - (I'll have to revisit those stats).

The NATO player could have just waited until his Chieftains arrived and then advanced, but one of the sceanrio rules stated that he had to have at least one team over the 1/2 way mark of the table by the beginning of the Soviet turn six. This drove him forward and made the game that much more interesting.

All-in-all a great game - lots of fun and as we didn't try and fit everything we had onto the table, it was manageable, had a good outcome and was relatively balanced.

So - have fun

Richard

A Small Airfield in Germany - Part 1 - AAR

Not by John le Carre....!

Well we managed to totally complete a game for once yesterday, and it was quite a close game.

Scenario

The scenario was something like this. Some time during a cold war turned hot in the 1980s, Soviet Paratroopers have taken "A Small Airfield in Germany" (hence the name) and are attempting to consolidate their "airhead". NATO, in this case, AFVs and troops from the British Army on the Rhine are attempting to crush the airhead.

Each side has reserves and some artillery off-board.

Deployment
On one edge of the airfield a mechanised VDV platoon have debussed from their BMD-1Ps and have dug-in, awaiting the expected NATO counter-attack. They are supported by two BRDM-2s, and two ATGM teams (who are hiding in ambush).

The Soviet end of the table looks like this:



NATO is appraoching from this end of the table:



A few close ups starting from the PACT end of the table:







NATO photo reconnaissance spots the deployment of most of the VDV:







BAOR recon troops enter the arena:





Part 2 - The Game begins...

Have fun

Richard

Cold War Hot AAR - Part 3

WARPAC forces continued to steam roller up the table towards the FEBA


Mainly T-72s in this case


The first NATO reinforcements arrive and take up position near the bridge.


A convoy of Challengers creeps down the narrow streets


Soviet tanks continue to advance and through a couple of rounds of good shooting and some artillery strikes took out the Panzer-Grenadiers in the small village. The Motorised Rifle Troops who were coming up in their BMPs and dismounted to take on the Pzr-Gren, then had to get back in their BMPs - all for nothing.


T-80s take over the positions previously held by the Scimitars


British Infantry take up their forward positions - ready for the T-80s...


The main unit of T-72s is getting nearer to the bridge. One T-72 is successfully sniped by a Leopard on the other side of the river.

Behind the river a new menace arrives:


A air assault takes place - a Czech (don't ask) Hip lands.


The VDV assault troops take position around the edge of the Landing Zone, seizing one of the games objectives.


The second wave, whittled down by the Gepard, arrives and disgorges the BMDs


British Chieftains race towards the landing zone, backed up by infantry in FV432 in the distance.


A close up of the British Infantry mounted in FV432 drive through the small streets of the town




T-80s drive on the British troops clinging to the forward defensive line in an attempt to assault them out of their positions - but end up being driven off themselves through massed LAW-80 fire.



Eventually though, the situation turned and the infantry were pushed out and the Soviets claimed the FEBA objective.

Back at the LZ


Things were not looking so good for the VDV. The AT-5 missiles on the BMDs proved incapable of defeating the front Stillbrew armour of the Chieftains which had no problem knocking out 3 of the 4 BMDs.


Not impressed with the deaths of their mates, a couple of VDV RPG teams went a'huntin'. In one turn of massed RPG fire they took out the Gepard and most impressively, knocked out a Leopard 2 from behind - thus becoming Heroes of the Soviet Union.


The awards however would turn out to be posthumous when a number of Challengers turned up and machine-guned the VDV in the open


NATO tanks consolidate around the main bridge.

We decided to call the game about there. Basically the Soviets had taken the FEBA, and would shortly likely mow down the remaining British troops and Warriors there. However, on the other side of the river, the VDV were really up against it and, although they may have made life difficult for the NATO troops who were just arriving, its likely they would not have survived the encounter for very long.

The big NATO tanks would have made it near impossible for the Soviet tanks to cross the river, thus the game was deadlocked with victory - in our eyes going to NATO.

A small NATO force along with dense terrain, was able to hold up the Soviet assault long enough so that the air assault could not be supported and was doomed to failure. We had a very enjoyable day and I think everyone left feeling happy with the day's play.

Thanks for viewing. Have fun...

Richard