POLAND ... April 1982
CPT Rodney Lugnut, Ordnance, Class of 79, sat in his jeep mulling over the frag order he had received a few short minutes before from Support Command HQ. It ordered him to organize a defense of the town of Brzegi and hold its bridge over the Nida river and the two tactical nuclear weapons which had been located there. A Russian force of unknown size was headed in his direction from the south and would be arriving within the next two hours. The possibility of an airmobile insertion was very real and complicated his situation. Lugnut was authorized to commandeer any forces he could lay his hands on to ensure that the small yield projectiles for the Corps artillery units remained in friendly hands.
Looking over the list his senior NCO had given him
Lugnut gave way to a temporary fit of despair. In addition to the Belgian Nuclear Security Squad and his own Ordnance Contact Team (roughly a platoon) all that was available was a leg infantry platoon and a cavalry platoon that had been bloodied in earlier actions. After a few moments, however, he realized that his reputation, as well as that of "The Long Gray Line", depended on his performance here. With that thought he called for a meeting of his platoon leaders.
Our group of gamers was using the TACFORCE rules by GDW and GHQ-a tactical /eve/ set of rules for modern combat. Previously we had played three or four scenarios using these rules with micro-armor. The largest had seen four Russian battalions deployed against two reinforced US battalions. The smallest utilized a US company against a Soviet battalion. in all of these we had found that the forces were too numerous to allow us to reach a conclusion in the time available. This time we were attempting to scale it down somewhat and use units which were not at full strength.
The US forces represents a mixture of Regulars (infantry platoon), National Guard (cavalry), and Combat Service Support elements (Belgians and Ordnance Team). The Russian units were a mixture of first line (paratroopers) and third line units. A// had seen combat previously and were low on munitions. The friendly forces are listed in Table #1, the Russian in Table #2. One miniature in TACFORCE represents one vehicle, Russian squad, or US fire team and ground scale is 1 inch equals 50 meters.
Initial American dispositions are shown in Map #1. The author was cast in the role of Rodney Lugnut. The intelligence just given was all he (1) had to work with. Another cavalry platoon was enroute and would arrive from the west ten minutes into the game. The Soviet player (and referee) designed the scenario and was to enter anywhere along the southern edge of the board.
Doubt once again assailed Lugnut as he scanned his dispositions. The success of his plan rested on the belief that the Soviets would come past the Wygoda mine or along the road leading through the woods from Brzezno to avoid being in the open for long periods of time. Hopefully the lone TOW track would cause the Russians to shift from the road paralleling the Nicla river if they did come down that route. His two tanks were placed near Brzegi to cover the possible Landing Zones (LZs) and provide a mobile reserve to slow any unforeseen Russian move. Whatever second thoughts Lugnut may have had were dashed by the reports of motorcycles moving north from Brzezno.
After leaving the town the recon elements split up to cover the main routes into the Brzegi area. Lugnut cautioned his people about needlessly opening fire and exposing their positions. There was a possibility that the motorcycles would not discover the U.S. positions until the main body was in range.
As the leading elements of the Russian company entered Brzezno, the center motorcycles discovered the abatis across the road. Lugnut ordered his third infantry squad and the two M113s with Dragons to open fire on the enemy scouts which were in range of their machineguns. The results of the sudden barrage of .50 caliber and 7.62mm MG fire were impressive. The two center motorcycles were destroyed and the one near the Wygoda mine was forced to ground and pinned in the open. Lugnut's spirits rose as it looked as if the enemy had been stripped of his "eyes", at least temporarily.
Then he heard the helicopters ...
| TABLE #1 AMERICAN FORCES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIT | #VEH/SQDS | MORALE | AMMUNITION (Units of Fire) | REMARKS |
| Belgian Scty Squad | 1 | 4 | 6 small arms | 4-2 1/2T trucks & 2-5KT nukes |
| Armored Cav. Plt. Mortar Section | 1 | 7 | 15 HE, 2WP, 3 small arms, 2 Laws, 3 units M2 MG | 4 2" Mortar, M2 MG, and 3 small arms |
| Tank Sect. | 2 | 6 | 63 main gun rounds, 10 units for each MG | using M60A1s with Passive Sights, M203 Coax and M85 Cupola MG |
| Scout Sect. M220 (TOW) | 1 | 7 | 3 TOWs, 1 LAW, 3 units, M2 MG | - |
| M113 | 2 | 7 | 2 Dragons ea., 1 LAW, 3 M2 units ea. | 1 fire team per |
| M113 | 1 | 7 | 2 LAW, 3 units M2,MG, 3 of small arms | Platoon Track counts as a fire team |
| Ordinance Coy Mess Team | - | 5 | 6 Units M2 MG | 1 2 1/2T Truck, counts as a fire team |
| Co. HQ | - | 5 | 2 LAWS, 8 small arms | counts as a fire team, has 1 M151 & 1 M577 |
| Squad 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 LAWS, 10 small arms | 3 M561s (Gamma Goats) |
| M109 How. | 1 | 6 | 6 rounds HE | engine out, cannot move, direct fire only, hand traverse -90 degrees per turn |
| Lt. Inf. Plt. | 3 | 7 | 12 LAWS, 10 units small arms each, 4 units net MG | no transport 2 M60 MGs |
| TABLE #2 SOVIET FORCES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIT | #VEH/SQDS | MORALE | AMMUNITION (Units of Fire) | REMARKS |
| Recon Plt | 4 | 6 | 3MG per motorcycle | 4 Motorcycles |
| Tank Plt | 3 | 6 | Full main gun load, 15 MG | T55s (third line) |
| Infantry Co. | - | 6 | 8 small arms, 3 RPG-7s per sqd. 15 MG per R60PB | 9 squads & 10 |
| Eng. Squad | 1 | 7 | 8 small arms, 3 flamethrower, 15 MG per BTR60PB | one BTR60PB/TD> |
| AT SQD. | 1 | 6 | 10 | 1 ZSU-57 (2) |
| AT SQD. | 1 | 5 | 6 Saggers | 1 BRDM-2 with Sagger |
| Airmobile Co. | 10 | 7 | 8 small arms, 3 RPG-7s, 5 SPG-9s | 9 infantry sqds. 1 SPG-9 sqd. |
| Airborne | 10 | 8 | same as Airmobile Company as above | |
Movement is measured in inches and each vehicle type has its own on and off road movement allowance. Infantry moves at the heart pounding pace of one inch per turn (one minute in real time) but can move two inches if under fire or within ten inches of artillery impact. At the discretion of the referee the infantry may move three inches to reflect a sudden increase in the "pucker factor." Moving through woods has no effect on foot soldiers but vehicles pay double movement costs when moving in light woods and cannot move more than one inch into dense woods.
Slopes are broken down into seven different categories based on the distance in inches between contours. All vehicles are classified as to their maximum and restricted slope climbing abilities (MSC and RSC respectively) in accordance with these groups. They are unable to move up slopes in excess of their MSC and move at half speed on slopes between their MSC and RSC. Roads enable them to ignore these limitations. Slopes of 30 degrees or more halve infantry movement. There is also a defilade rating for each fighting vehicle that gives the maximum slope in which it can seek a hull-down position.
Units may not be fired at until they are spotted. There are five categories that units can be put into when someone attempts to see them or search an area. This ranges from infantry stationary under cover (category 1) to a vehicle moving in the open (category 5). Distance from the target unit has the effect of reducing the odds the farther away the spotting unit is. As an example, a crew served weapon moving in the woods has a 90% chance of being spotted at zero to three inches (0 to 150 meters) and a 50% chance of being spotted from eleven to thirty inches (500 to 1500 meters). Once an enemy unit is "seen", a platoon or smaller unit has to pass the spotting off to higher units (Company or Battalion HQ) or to units subordinate to it (in the case of a HQ).
Spotting attempts are made at the end of the movement phase or when units are fired at. Only one attempt per platoon is allowed during the fire phase (if fired at) but more than one may be allowed during the movement phase depending on the unit's situation. A dismounted infantry platoon would be allowed three chances (which could be taken at the same area) and a buttoned up Soviet tank platoon would only have one chance.
Ten HIND-Ds flashed overhead moving west towards Brzegi. Lugnut could scarcely conceal his glee as they landed only some 500 meters away from the tanks he had posted in the woodlines. As soon as they touched down and began disgorging their infantry the tankers opened fire with HEAT rounds and .50 caliber MGs. In less than one minute seven of the helicopters were destroyed along with their passengers. Those squads who had escaped moved rapidly into the outskirts of the town. Lugnut contacted the vehicles carrying the nukes and had them move to the location of the mortar track for added safety.
Suddenly, a report came in from his TOW people saying that the enemy motorized rifle unit was turning down the road paralleling the Nicla River. Lugnut ordered his cavalry platoon leader and accompanying DRAGON track to the east side of the woods so that they could fire across the swamp into the flank of the oncoming Soviets. At the same time he gave orders to the first and second infantry squads to move to the eastern edge of the woods to get into light anti-tank weapon (LAW) range.
The second squad opened up with their LAWs as soon as the lead tank platoon came close enough. Only one was a hit and it had no apparent effect other than to force the tanks to button up. Unfortunately it also irritated them and the T55s turned off the road to counter the hapless squad. This was what the TOW gunners had been praying for. Inside of two minutes the tanks were demolished by the only three TOW missiles left to the platoon.
At this point Lugnut began to feel cocky and started composing how he would present this at the next meeting at the Officer's Club Bar. Then he saw the parachutes ...
The turn sequence is listed in Table #3.
TABLE #3 - SEQUENCE OF PLAY
A. Soviet Movement Phase
- 1. The Soviet player moves all ground and air units.
2. The U.S. player moves all his aircraft.
-
1. Air Defense Fire for both sides.
2. Aircraft attacks.
3. ATCM Declaration: All ATGMs that will be fired in this phase must be declared (and a target denoted).
4. ATGM Spotting: Units eligible to spot ATGMs may attempt to do so. All dodges must be excuted here.
5. Indirect Fire: Both sides resolve f ire missions.
6. Direct Fire: All non-ATGM fire is resolved in order of fire priority.
7. ATGM Resolution.
D. U.S. Fire Phase (identical to B. above)
Unlike in other sets of rules firing is not simultaneous. Units fire in order of their fire priority. The base number is found by taking half of the unit's morale and adding two to it. Several other modifiers may be added depending on the situation (such as -1 for U.S. units firing at a target for the first time). The highest priority units fire first with fire being simultaneous for those with equal pri . orities. If a unit is destroyed before it has a chance to fire that is just too bad . . . it does not get a chance to fire. Units that are firing more than once in a fire phase pump out all second and subsequent rounds simultaneously.
Vehicles of certain types (mainly tanks and scout cars) can move during a player's portion of the turn and fire during the following fire phase under certain restrictions. If the full movement allowance was used no antiarmor fires are allowed (although machine guns may be). If half or less of the movement value is used then a vehicle may make a short halt and fire during the immediately following friendly fire phase but not in the enemy's. Vehicles moving over half but less than the full amount may declare an emergency halt. This allows fire to be issued in the next ENEMY fire phase but not in the friendly fire phase immediately following the emergency halt. in addition, the vehicle can only move half of its movement allowance or less in the next movement phase and fires at a marked disadvantage.
The most unique part of the rules is the card system that is used. Each vehicle and squad type has a card that gives all pertinent data. This includes all armor ratings, weapons effectiveness, MSC, RSC, rates of fire, and more. Only those vehicles or units in play need to have their cards pulled. This eliminates much of the tedium of searching through many tables to get the information required to resolve combats and movements. As an example, when a tank, let's say, fires at a personnel carrier the player takes the card for the carrier and determines its facing.
The tank card is placed on top of the carrier card and using the carrier's vulnerability chart (based on facing and range) a "to hit" number from one to ten is generated. if the "to hit" number or less is made then the tank's penetration factor at that range is compared with the vehicles armor rating and the difference (again a number from one to ten) gives the chance for penetration. Provisions are a/so made for catastrophic hits and suppressing or destroying missile vehicles while their gunner controlled rounds are in the air.
Parachutists were now failing among the remains of the helicopters that had transported the airmobile company. The tanks opened up again with machineguns and HEAT rounds but it seemed that they were having little effect. The paratroopers rapidly moved into the woods opposite the tanks and into the town in force.
The three airmobile squads had by now discovered the M109 Howitzer that was in the town. It had been connected to the M88 with a towbar so that it could be moved and emplaced where needed. Before it could traverse to engage the oncoming foe it was hit by an RPG- 7 round and destroyed. The M88 crew manned the .50 cal mounted on their track but were rapidly disposed of.
The mortar crew was not staying idle either. They fired several rounds in an attempt to find the range of the Motorized Rifle Company but since they had not registered (due to the shortage of ammunition) their fire was inaccurate. The trucks containing the nukes had reached the mortar point and were preparing for a dash to the west and the dubious safety a rapid exit would offer.
To the south things were not going well. The motorcycle crew near the Wygoda mine had recovered and was now suppressing the M113 and crew which had previously pinned them! The two M113s sent to fire across the swamp had taken out one BTR-60PB and its squad with a DRAGON but had lost the DRAGON vehicle to a deadly barrage from the ZSU57-2 firing in an anti-vehicular role. To complicate matters a platoon had detached itself from the company and was now moving to.clear the woods that protected the third squad and cavalry platoon leader.
A second platoon was moving to take out the other two light infantry squads to the north of the platoon leader. The last Soviet platoon was moving towards Brzegi at a fast pace accompanied by the engineers and BRDM-2 SAGGER vehicle.
Lugnut's disappointment at the landing of the paratroopers turned into deep gloom as the maintenance squad in Brzegi and Belgians were rolled over by the Soviets with no trouble at all. On the other side of the town his tanks had closed to effective machinegun range of the Soviets in the woods and had been met with a hail of RPG fire that knocked out one of the two. The survivor pulled back into the woods and asked for instructions.
It was at this point in time that the cavalry arrived on the northwestern most road leading into Brzegi. They took up stations next to the surviving first platoon tank and engaged in a long range duel with the BRDM2 which was just coming into view south of Brzegi. Two of the tanks put two SABOT rounds each into the luckless BRDM and torched it. The other tank scored a lucky hit on one of the BTR60s that dashed across the open area into Brzegi and eliminated the vehicle although the infantry squad escaped.
Two enemy squads were now trying to push across the river at the bridge location. One was taken under fire by the Mess Team and their .50 cal. The other made it to the river bank with little opposition. Once in the river however, they were swept by the current almost directly in front of the machinegun. As they exited the river they were turned into "chili mac*" by the exultant cooks.
*Chili Mac is another ungodly Army concoction in the same vein as SOS. It is macaroni and chili mixed together, really quite good!
By this time however, all of the American forces south of Brzegi had been eliminated. All that was left to Lugnut was the reinforcing cavalry platoon which had the mortar track and tank from the first platoon and the mess team and TOW track (with no missiles) on his side of the river. The outlook was not good. He could hold the Soviets to their side of the bridge for only a few more minutes with his .50 cal as they were running low on ammunition. A temporary stalemate existed on the other side of the river. The Soviets could not advance against his armored vehicles as they would get cut up out in the open. At the same time however, the Americans could not close to destroy the Soviets without coming under withering RPG fire. Lugnut held the nukes, was temporarily denying the enemy control of the bridge, but had lost the town and over half his force.
Then he saw ... a truck???
The TACFORCE rules come in a hard cardboard box the same size as the GDW TRAVELLER boxes. There are three booklets, two sheets of counters (120 each), a set of charts and tables, and 60 plus data cards. One book contains the basic (and artillery) rules, another the advanced rules (air, weather, engineers to name a few), and the the third some forty plus pages of unit organizations. The second book also has an excellent section on scenario generation.
I am impressed with this set of rules. You can pick and choose from the rules you want so as to make a scenario as complicated as you want (to include A-10s and the use of thermal imagery devices) or as simple. Anyone interested in the modern period should definitely consider adding this to their library. BE FOREWARNED! The cards contain only U.S. and Soviet vehicles! If you want to pit the Czechs against the French you will have to design your own cards. This is the only complaint that I have. All in all it is another example of the high quality products produced by GDW and GHQ.
Lugnut stared in disbelief. A "deuce and a half" was barrelling out of Brzegi and headed across the bridge. The dirty &P$#!!&$! must have captured one of the trucks left there by the Belgians!!! A nasty surprise awaited them however, for as they reached the outskirts of Ogierna the other maintenance squad that Lugnut had not yet revealed opened fire with all four LAWs. All four hit. The result was not in doubt. The truck disintegrated and Lugnut was left to ponder what to do next.
The game was declared to be a draw. The Soviets had been ordered to seize the bridge and Brzegi but only had a firm grip on the town. The Americans had saved the nukes but lost the town. In game terms almost twenty minutes had passed. It took three players five hours to reach a conclusion. Our previous games had taken up to eight hours and had not been successfully resolved due to time limitations. Our next scenario though will be more ambitious than this one. An airmobile delay against a tank battalion! Possible with A-10s in support.
Defense at Brzegi Maps 1,2,3 (very slow: 313K)
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