OK - so I was finally able to replay the CRP Mission - this time solo. I slightly re-jigged the American force so it now looks like this.
On Table at the start of the game:
2 x M3 Bradley CFV, each with 2 dismounts
1 x Improvised road block - in this case the trailer of a semi, tipped over on the NATO side of the bridge
Off-Table immediate support
2 x M106's with HE and 1 x Chemical Smoke Fire Mission
1 x Timed ADAM Fire Mission (I choose where I wanted it to arrive but randomly allocated what turn it would arrive - using 4 shuffled cards - when the Ace is turned over the FASCAM arrives that turn).
Off-Table Reserves
2 x M3 Bradley CFV, each with 2 dismounts. One of these M3's is the Platoon Commander.
I tried to set-up and run the mission in a similar style to the previous game but set the M3's up more to my liking. Well hidden behind their respective woods, but on Reserve Move. Their dismounts were also in the woods, but able to see out towards where the Soviets would come from. As in the previous game the US forces were at A and B and the Soviets would attack along the thin red arrows.
Here's some set up pics.
M3 and dismounts at Point B
M3 and dismounts at Point A
The improvised road block.
The point where the ADAM fire mission would arrive. Carefully judged to cover both the rail bridge and the likely AVLB site.
Before the game starts, the Soviets take a chit for being out-scouted.
The Soviets then get 4 orders (their maximum) and each BMP-2 is given an individual order. The two on either flank are given the Top Speed order and move up and into the woods on either side of the bridge - ready to either shot or go on Ambush Fire next turn.
The BMP-2 on the road makes 1 road move and then opens up on the improvised road block with its 30mm autocannon.
Immediately shredding it. The road block has done its job however, stopping the BMPs doing a 40" move down the road. The Soviet turn 1 ends here.
US Turn 1 and they get 4 orders as well. The US flips the first card on the ADAM stack
No Ace - so no ADAM this turn. Not to worry.
At this stage the US want to keep schtum, but that doesn't stop them successfully calling their off-table mortars and lobbing some mortar bombs down range.
Pic shows where the spotter round scattered to and dice results - not showing the two 1's I rolled! Neither BMP was pinned. Nothing else from the US forces this turn.
Soviet Turn 2 - they get 3 orders and all their reinforcements. So the Engineers in the BTR-80, the NBC team in the BRDM-2RKh, the MTU-55 and the T-72B. A lot of stuff coming onto the board and not many orders. To allow other units to better manoeuvre the BMP-2 platoon uses Battle Drill to allow them all to do something, for just the one order. They all go on Ambush Fire.
The BTR-80 motors up the road to the bridge and the Engineers all disembark.
The MTU-55 grumbles onto the table and heads towards where it hopes to emplace its bridge.
The M3 at Point B is informed of this by its dismounts and decides to use it's Reserve Move to come forward and take up a firing position.
US Turn 2. They roll 6 orders and no reinforcements at this time. Flipping the next card on the deck:
It's the Ace - so the ADAM Fire Mission lands.
Instant minefield covering a pretty damn big area!
Next action is to call the mortars again.
Unsurprisingly, just like last game the spotter round lands in the water, making a pleasant splash - but close enough to fire for effect.
Better results this turn with 2 hits and 2 pins, one each for the right flank BMP-2 and the others on the engineers on the bridge. The BMP-2 takes and glancing hit and is not pinned - so all good there for the Soviets. The engineers only take two hits and one of them is saved - so one of the pioneers is killed. The squad is also pinned.
On the other side of the battlefield, the M3 CFV watches as the AVLB trundles towards the river and decides it's worth the risk to reveal itself and take a iTOW shot at the MTU-55.
Very dodgy special effects by me!
One dead MTU with more of my dodgy effects! That's one option for the Soviets totally scuppered and one more chit taken. There is that T-72B though right behind the dead MTU....
Soviet Turn 3 - 4 orders
The T-72B sees the ATGM launch and strike and decides it's time for revenge
Don't worry - almost the last of my SFX. Sadly for the Soviets the T-72 spots and misses, spots and misses.
The next 3 orders are all used on the BMP-2s. First one, obviously over the constant mortaring, says "Bugger this" (in Russian) and drives up the road to the first corner and also takes a shot at the M3 which killed the brave MTU-55.
He also spots, but fails to hit with his autocannon.
The next BMP-2 has to use a Top Speed order to get up the table.
And then they are joined by the 3rd BMP-2
This has the potential to go really well or really badly. It all depends on what happens in the US Turn. Or not, as seeing all this happening, the M3 hidden just in the woods at Point A uses his Reserve Move to get into position.
Hello!
US Turn 3 - 7 orders (their max) and all reinforcements arrive. Bad news for the Soviets me thinks.
Right in front of the Soviet advance.
So - first things first, the M3 Platoon Commander calls for the mortars to drop their chemical smoke barrage. As an aside I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to use the smoke, or had I been caught up in the whole wargamer, "I just want to kill stuff" mode. This however proves that timing is everything with smoke - its got to be "just right".
So - why would I do that? Isn't this stopping me from shooting at the BMP-2s sitting there in essentially, the open. Well the US forces can't guarantee they are going to kill all the BMP-2s. Each of the M3's has Thermal Imagers - or Advanced Imaging in the rules - so they can see straight through the smoke as if it isn't there. Very few bits of Soviet kit is so equipped so even if they survive, the BMP-2s will not easily be able to shoot back - or move very fast in the smoke. It only lasts 2 turns so the Americans have to make the most of it.
First post-smoke move is undertaken by the M3 that just reserve moved. It's too close to the BMP-2s to get the best result with it's iTOW so it goes down the Bushmaster route instead. It's first shot misses! but it manages a hit with its second. It's not going to be an easy kill (may need to review that) as the M3 needs a '9' on 2D6. It rolls '11' and the first BMP-2 dies.
There are 6 dismounts in that BMP and 3 of them also die. The rest pile out behind their dead IFV, pinned and about to make their morale test.
Which they pass on a '6' and then also pass their "Beyond the Call of Duty" test. But what can they do? They decide to advance towards the M3 to try and take it out with their RPG. Unfortunately they need to do a double move to get a decent shot, and that gets them into cover and out of the smoke.
So the Soviets pull a BR chit for the loss of the first BMP-2 and its "Confusion". The play this on the M3 that just caused the damage, but it easily passed the morale test.
Next the M3 parked in the middle of the road spots the middle BMP-2 and as it's in the ATGM range sweet spot, takes it out with an iTOW.
Not sure why I took the phot from this angle as its showing the wrong M3! Anyway, 2 of its dismounts are killed and they are pinned, behind their dead BMP, but they pass their morale test.
Thinking iTOWs are the best thing ever, the M3 on the other side of the table decides to lay the smackdown on the T-72B with one. It too hits, but fails to penetrate the tough armour of the T-72B. However, the shock of the event is enough to pin the T-72
Soviet Turn 4 - 3 orders
Things are not looking great for the Soviets. They have just lost 2 BMPs and have 2 small units of infantry pinned as well as the T-72. The surviving BMP-2 uses the first order to slowly move back through the smoke to near the bridge. For whatever reason the Engineers decide this is a good time to check the bridge for explosives and do so successfully - there were none. Finally the BTR decides remaining parked on the road behind the bridge is a recipe for destruction, so moves into the woods and out of sight.
The Soviets take another chit to unpin all their units. Their counters are starting to add up and they are getting really close to their total.
US Turn 4 - 7 orders and the last turn of the smoke on the table.
After seeing its ATGM bounce off the T-72B, the M3 on the far flank decides there's nothing wrong with hiding, so embarks it's dismounts and moves out behind the wood.
The Platoon Commander calls up the mortars again, but cannot get through. So no mortars this turn. The dismounts at Point A decide they should take a crack at the 3 recently unpinned Soviets in front of them but fail to spot them at all! The M3 on the road spots the sole remaining BMP-2 through the smoke and fires another iTOW at it. But misses... Not the greatest round for the US so far.
Showing everyone how it's done the M3 at Point A then simply obliterates the 3 Soviets hiding nearby (7 hits in just one round of shooting).
Soviet Turn 5 - 3 orders. This is how things stand for the Soviets
The smoke has cleared. There's a decent bunch of motorised rifle infantry behind one of the burning BMP-2s. Next the BMP Platoon Commander's IFV is intact in the middle of the road. The engineers are on the bridge.
First the infantry cross the road and move behind the stone wall.
The the BMP launches a Spigot ATGM at the M3 still on the road at the table edge.
It misses.... Finally the engineers leg it off the bridge into the woods near their BTR-80.
US Turn 5 - 6 orders
On the far flank of the table the M3 near Point B spends his turn reloading missile launcher.
The M3 that just had a missile fired at it decides it's time to move, so he too can reload his TOW launcher in peace. He heads off towards the farm house
Next the Platoon Commander tries the mortars again. This time he's sucessful. He hope the rounds will land here:
But the spotter round scatters further down the road
So the infantry and the BMP-2 each get 2 potential pins. The BMP-2 is successfully pinned, and so is the infantry, who also take one casualty as they rolled a 1 on their cover save.
The M3 still at Point A now opens up on the infantry at the wall. It spots then causes 5 hits. 3 successful cover saves means 2 more infantry take one for the Motherland. The M3 fails to spot for its second round of shooting.
Soviet Turn 6 - 3 orders
Grimly hanging on the Soviets start to re-order. The T-72B moves across towards the road.
The engineers you can see above re-embark onto the BTR-80 and it moves towards the table edge. The BRDM-2RKh drives of the Soviet table edge. The Soviets take another chit to unpin both the BMP-2 and the 3 remaining infantry behind the wall. They are now on 19 with a break point of 20.
US Turn 7 - 7 orders - the final turn
The M3 at Point B decides to ignore the infantry and fire a iTOW at the BMP-2 on the road. Despite sitting there in the middle of the road, it fails to spot and cannot fire.
The Platoon Commander then calls in the mortars again on the infantry near the wall. The result is a hit, 2 pins and a miss. The hit and first pin are on the infantry and the second potential pin is on the BMP-2. The hit kills 2, so just the RPG guy remains. He takes a morale test and rolls a 6. Another six and he has passed his beyond the call of duty test. He calmly aims at the M3 at Point A and slots it with his RPG.
This is the first chit pull for the Americans and what do they pull - a low ammo chit which is played immediately on the RPG gunner. He's out of ammo!
Outraged by what has just happened to their Track, the two dismounts take aim at the RPG man. They fail to spot on their first attempt - the spot - 2 hits! One save - not quite enough and the brave RPG guy buys it.
The Soviets pull another chit and it enough to send them over their BR limit and they leave the battlefield to the victorious US forces.
Sorry it was such a long one!
Next game the US Forces will change and the Soviets will try again with what they've got.
Thanks for reading (if you made it this far!)
Richard
