The players took the roles of War-Pac and US on table forces (hidden). Rules used were Rapid Fire, in combiantion with the modern add on 'Peace in War.' Setting WW3 1980's style: As part of a US offensive a major bridge behind the War-Pac lines needs to be siezed to deny the enemy a re-inforcement route (from North to South) and for potential exploitation by friendly forces (from South to North). WAR PAC Forces, Intel report: On Table: 1 Local Defence HQ: 4 figures 1 Security Coy: 6 figures 1 ADA Bty: 1 ZU-23-2 AAG, 1 SA-7 SAM launchers 1 SAM Bty: 1 SA-6 SAM {radar} All units are entrenched. Terrain: Table N-S ~8km, E-W ~3km River running E-W about 1/2 way across the table. 600m wide. Autobahn running N-S, crossing the River near the Centre of the table. Low Hills, scattered woods, scattered BUAs, fields, streams and hedges that provide soft cover. US Forces: ABN Brigade HQ: 1 Command OH-6 (can enter table for 4 turns on call) 2nd/325th Airborne (82nd ABN) Elite BHQ(+), with; Co plus 3 figures and Hummer. 1 81mm Mortar and 3 crew 1 TOW ATGW and 2 crew 1 Stinger (squad 3rd/4th ADA) 1 FAC Stand (82nd ABN)- 2 figures 3 Companies, each with 7 figures and 1 Dragon ATGW Anti-Tank Company(-), with; 1 Hummer with HMG and 1 Hummer with TOW ATGW Aviation Battalion: BHQ, with; 1 Command EH-60 Quickfix Radar/radio jammer 2 Companies, each: 3 UH-60 Blackhawk transport helicopters 2 Attack helicopter Companies, each with; (on table): 2 AH-64 Apache and 1 recon OH-6 In Support: 1 A-10 flight Pre-battle: Air defence Suppression and Strike Force should be able to clear an air corridor as well as conduct some ground attack missions. They will also provide Air-Cap patrols of the air corridor which will be in use by strike aircraft to attack targets in depth and maintained for as long as possible. (it's priorities will be enemy fighters, SAMs then intruders) Ground Force Re-inforcement: 1 Armoured Brigade, arrives from South possibly as early as 1000hrs. At least 1 Bn M-60A3, and 1 Bn Mech Infantry (M113). The Air defence Suppression and Strike Force willarrive at 0600 Hrs what would be your Time line for force arrival and location. eg: 0600 Air defence Suppression and Strike Force, 1/ADA, 2/ HQ 3/ Inf 0615 1st Attack Helicopter Sqn 0630 1st Slick x and y Coys delivered North of bridge etc AAR - Early 1980's WW3 US Abn had siezed a bridge in the War-Pac rear, Local War-Pac Ministry of the Interior forces (Bn +) were to re-capture it.. so that a Soviet MR Regt could move south to counter the US ground forces that were trying to link up with the Airborne. The Game started with the War-pac Ministry of the Interior Bn entering anywhere around the table (the 2 Sov players split the Bn between them and entered East and West side, both South of the River).. the US forces was the 1st Abn wave deployed hidden, 1 rifle coy south of the bridge, another rifle coy in the Town at the Northern end of the Bridge.. a number of 1/2 sz stands were also landed (1 Bn Cmd std, 2 Patrols, 1 Stinger, 1 FAC) north of the bridge.. the Bn Cmd and Stinger staying in the town, a Patrol going West, the FAC and another Patrol East to a hill in a curve in the river that dominated the centre of the table and the River. One of the war-pac players was new to the game/period and proved it by driving into an ambush (Dragons in the Flank/rear).. the other was more experienced deployed his AA assets and moved carefully.. as a result when the A10 tried to attack the ZU-23-2 it took a hit before it could attack with bombs ). The loss of the A10 would have a large impact on future US air support as it created a gap in the air cover. The War-pac were not getting very far when the US second wave entered.. delivering North of the Town another Rifle Coy, the Bn Mortar and the two TOW Hummers, which deployed in the town a turn before another person turned up to play.. they were given one of the MR Regts battalions entering on the North Edge and told the mission was to exit the South Edge to engage and destroy approaching US forces.. they proptly attacked the Town from the north.. and continued to for the rest of the game.. The Ministry of the Interior troops managed to clear the US from South of the Bridge but didn't have the strength to sucessfully get across the bridge in the face of the US forces in the town.. but they did spot the OH-6 sneek on table and hide behind a building.. so that when they "popped up" next turn to spot for the AH-64 that was entering that turn.. it took effective AA fire and was forced back off table.. the next turn when the AH-64 "popped up" to self observe it took a SA-7 hit that destroyed it.. After this the 3rd wave of transport helicopters managed to deliver the rest of the Abn Hummers to a hill south of the Bridge that dominated the centre of the table. At this stage 3 young players turned up.. 2 of then took another MR regiments Battalion between them and the other got a weak US Armoured Task Force: (2 cmd M-60A-3, 1 M-60A-3, 1 Mech Coy (M113), all reg 8), this new MR rgt Bn was allowed to start on the East table edge just south of the river (on the assumption that they had used their Amphibious ability and a snorkel crossing point). These young players proptly moved to engage each other.. the US player failing to penentrate T-72s with TOWs or 105s.. losing a M-60 in return but getting into a hull down position from which the next turns they and the TOWs decimated the MR Bn losing only another M-60 and a Hummer.. they then advanced against the survivors directly into the target zone of a Hind GS mission (planned 4 turns prior when the US armour entered, arriving in the US air cover gap).. unfortunately for the War-Pac players they had nothing capable of exploiting the demoralisation of the US armour and Mech (2 M113s destroyed). They did manage to destroy the last two Hummers that had ammo (a TOW and the HMG) with an AT-4. While this was happening the Ministry of the interior attempted to force the bridge.. they failed.. (they could have employed their remaining BTRs to swim across a coy to flank the US in the town.. but they chose to try driving across the bridge.. oh well).. they did at least co-ordinate their attempt with another attempt by the MR Bn north of the Town. Unfortunately the US had regrouped enough stands and defending from deep in the town they defeated the MR infantry who were not supported by their armour. After this we stopped playing.. a draw was awarded, since the US didn't have enough strength to link up with the Abn, while the War-Pac didn't have the strength either to take the Town and Bridge nor destroy the remnants of the US Armored Task Force. Back to Frontline Vol. 2 Iss. 3 Table of Contents Back to Frontline List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by Rolfe Hedges This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com