Brezel mit Senft: Cold War AAR

Been a long time since I was able to roll d10s in mock anger... but had a chance to do so last night.  I convinced a couple of the local club gamers to participate in a moderns game in 20mm, using Seek Out Close With and Destroy.  This was my first "basement game" in the house.

The scenario was a fall offensive set in 1983 in West Germany.  The Soviets, including veteran units redeployed from Afghanistan, smashed their way through NATO forces, driving a broken force of Canadian infantry back into the town of Brezel mit Senft.  Our game started with the Soviets regrouping for a final try at the town.  A few burning Soviet wrecks litter the edge of the town... but the Canadians have been reduced to the breaking point, and have exhausted their heavy AT weapons.  They do have the support of a pair of French AML 90s... though the entire force has a surprisingly Argentine look to them... hmmmm...  Fast approaching to assist them were a heavy platoon of Scots Guards (veterans of recent fighting in the South Atlantic) mounted in FV432s, supported by a platoon of Chieftains.  The Chieftains would prove to be very formidable foes for the Soviets.  A pair of much lighter Scorpions would be able to arrive directly in the town.

This was a lot of vehicles for such a small space, I was thinking along the lines of a very intense, very desperate action, fought between armored forces at close range.  I expected to see many, many burning vehicles at the end of the game.  A kind of mechanized knife fight.

We ended up one player short, so one player would have to manage both the Canadian and British forces.  I allowed the other two players to select which force they ran... Wagmanov chose the onboard Soviet BTR and T-55 platoons, and Maranovitch chose the arriving BMP and T-72 platoons.  That left the NATO forces to the command of your own Chalfant "Hoser" Smythe-Conley.

Because of several days of rain, the ground was soft.  Some vehicles had the potential to bog if they moved at Fast speed.  A fine drizzle was still coming down which forced a -1 Firing modifier for all shooting over 30" (except for ATGMs and vehicles with any class of Modern sights).  This drizzle did affect some of the infantry shooting.  The table at the start of the game...

... showing the Canadian positions at the start of the game, in and near the objective buildings.
A view of a Soviet BTR platoon, supported by T-55s and a T-62 (the Soviet player was allowed to move his infantry around in the general area, knowing that the Canadians were allowed to move a squad up after he was done)... take note of the workers dorm in the right of the picture, at the edge of Brezel mit Senft... this building placement was to have unexpected consequences for these Soviets.

Maranovitch would arrive from the southeast, and drive straight for the town...

while Smythe-Conley would arrive from the south west....

The board was deliberately terrain intensive.  I used all of my generic modern buildings, plus the Falklands specific buildings, breaking up the board with fields and wooded areas.

Once the BTR deployment was complete, the Canadians pushed up a squad (for free) into the worker dorm.  This squad started the game with fire on some exposed tank riding infantry, and were then subsequently routed from the dorm.  The Canadians were supposed to be bady demoralized so were deployed with an 8 Guts scale for this scenario.  And they failed roughly half of the Guts checks they had to make during the game.  Their small arms fire claimed a handful of Soviet infantry, but most of the hard work in Brezel mit Senft was completed by the AML 90s and arriving Scorpions.

The BTR platoon, having quickly routed the Canadian squad in the dorm, found itself having to channel around the dorm itself, creating bottlenecks that the NATO forces were able to capitalize on.  One after another Soviet vehicle fell victim to the AML-90s and Scorpions.  The workers dorm became the greatest tank obstacle I have ever had in a game.

Meanwhile, the T-72s found themselves completely outmatched by the Chieftains... and the devilishly lucky British dice rolling.  The Soviets scored very few hits against the British tanks, and the only one that penetrated was a track hit that did no damage (other than a single PH) due to the good DM of the Chieftain.

Here the bottlenecks in Brezel mit Senft begin to fill with burning Soviet armor, much to the growing frustration of Wagmanov.....

while Chieftains and T-72s hunted each other in the outskirts of town.  Maranovitch struggled with his own frustration as he was unable to bring down any of the British vehicles.

The terrain impeded the Scots Guards arrival in Brezel mit Senft.  The Milan team walked onto the table (the only British infantry element to do so), taking up a good firing position... though they didn't do much good.  A single Scots squad deployed from their 432 to support a MAG in HMG role (the HMG took one shot the entire game, killing a couple of Soviets hunkered in a field).  The bulk of the British infantry remained in their 432s trying to make it into town.  They only began to disembark at the end of the game and took no offensive action at all.

Wagmanov's infantry were the most active foot elements in the entire game, but they needed support from their vehicles which were tending to spontaneously burst into flames.  Maranovitch's infantry were trying to do their best, including a suicidal move into the open by one squad to get close enough to a Chieftain to fire an RPG-7 (to no effect).  The BMPs managed to mostly stay out of LOS of the NATO MBTs, thought they did try a few shots.  One BMP flew a Sagger into a building, killing 3 Canadians in an attempt to support Wagmanov's flagging advance.

It was around this point that "Hoser" Smythe-Conley began to feel a little guilty, as he fired an offboard 81mm mortar speculatively at a Soviet truck moving across a field.  With no los from the platoon command, I needed a "1" to hit, which I managed to roll... then rolled a "10" for penetration, which meant a "Quick Kill 10" on the results table (modifiers took this up to 12, but who is counting?)... immolating the truck, crew, and all passengers instantly.  The passengers were 2 Soviet PK HMG teams.  It would have been crass of me to celebrate this misfortune by taking a photo, but I managed to do it anyway...

The game at this point wound down.  The Canadian infantry had been mauled, and forced back in several places... but not a single Scots Guard was killed, nor was a single NATO vehicle lost.  The Soviet BMP infantry sustained few casualties (except for those brewed up HMG teams), while the BTR infantry took moderate casualties.  Soviet armor on the other hand was devastated.  They lost 1 of 1 T-62, 2 of 3 T-55s, 2 of 3 T-72's, and 2 of 4 BTR-80's (as well as 1 of 2 trucks).

They were still trying though.  Notice the remaining T-55 desperately trying to get into position for a flank shot on a Chieftain, at the end of the game....

We called it, and by scenario definition NATO could claim a marginal victory.  I failed to take the south east road exit by game's end, so could not claim a decisive victory. 

In post game wrap up, both Soviet players said the force balance was fine (the Soviets had a few hundred points edge in vehicles and infantry).  We did all agree that, while NATO forces did botch some rolls, I did manage quite a few lucky rolls.  Neither Soviet player did.  The primary problem was the terrain.  While the T-72s and BMPs had a straight shot, they were too busy playing with the Chieftains to make a real run into town.  The T-55s and BTRs just could not form a cohesive advance because of that worker dorm.  And once wrecks began to clutter up the board, it became even harder for them to maneuver.  Though it did not have as catastrophic effects for NATO, the Scots Guards had a terrible time trying to get into Brezel mit Senft, and I was convinced to not even try to reach the south east exit road.  I decided to be content with a marginal victory.

It actually did make the game more interesting, having that much broken terrain on the table, with limited line of sights, and plenty of mobility problems.  In conclusion though, the cumulative terrain effect on the primary Soviet assault force was the deciding factor in the game.  But everyone had fun (maybe me more than them!)... I was just glad to finally get a game in again!  I am busy working on our latest project, and actually moving miniatures, rolling dice, and seeing stuff brew up is a big boost for me.

Thanks for reading!

Persian Gulf Wars: Iraqi Armor

Whoa son, has it been a busy month.  I have a number of catch up posts, and will be starting with my progress on the Iran Iraq War project.  Totally intimidated by the sheer volume of Iraqi infantry I need to paint up, I admittedly took the coward's path and started with the vehicles.

This was partly due to the fact that I have several diecast models, already fully painted and ready to go... and partly due to the fact that I like the multipurpose nature of my chosen vehicles and paint scheme.  For the majority of these, I have kept with a sand and green paint pattern that shows up on vehicles used by a number of different nations.  Specifically, I want most of these to also be usable by my 20mm 1980's era Soviets for fighting in Afghanistan.

If I ever want to get the chance to throw these on the table in a Seek Out, Close With, and Destroy game, I need to get a move on.... here is the entire Iraqi armor force, plus 3 uparmored Soviet BMP-2s that I painted at the same time, in the same paint pattern.  The BMP-2s are from Liberation, they are great models, BUT, I regret purchasing them as they are really only appropriate for use in Afghanistan.  I should have bought 3 standard BMP-2s instead.  Still, they are a useful addition to my Soviet forces.  Though this kind of thinking might seem like heresy to some, its a great way for a gamer on a limited budget to get the most out of his dollar (or euro or yen...).  So my Falklands British fight my 80's Soviets which fight my Mujahideen... and these vehicles can show up in more than one theater.  Pragmatic, maybe.  Cheap, definitely.

For the base coat, I used a desert yellow designed for hobby use.  The problem is that it is indeed yellow, I should have more of a whitish-tan.  Some extra paint applied improved the look, but its probably still too yellow.  They turned out well enough for the likes of me.

This next image shows the diecast component, including 3 T-55s from Hobbymaster, painted for Iraqi service already.  I may decide to paint over the Iraqi markings to make them more general purpose.  Also included are 4 T-72s from Forces of Valor, also painted for Iraqi service.  I did repaint one, with tan and green, which helps tie the group into the rest of the vehicles, and also gives me a vehicle to nominate for command function.  These T-72 models are really for later wars against American led coalitions, but they should do fine here in the 1980's.  In the war against Iran, the T-72s were formidable tanks, and the Iranians had difficulty fighting them.

To complete the lot are 2 T-62s, from Combat Ready, and my armored transports, 3 BMP-1s.  These two groups are very useful, and can show up in a number of places as needed... I think that I will need another group of transports eventually.  Maybe something specific to the Iraqis.

Any of these vehicles could show up in Iranian hands too, as captures... effectively doubling my Iranian vehicle pool.  The most likely candidates would be the T-55s and BMP-1s, I think the T-72s would be the least likely to be employed as captures.

Whew!   One step closer to completion.  Thanks for viewing... and look for some quick follow up entries on my Soviets.

Persian Gulf Wars: Iranian Armor

OK, so I didn't intend to post again on my Iran Iraq War project so soon.  I am going to be very busy getting ready for our attendance at Cold Wars 2011 and finishing up the work on our next release, Man Among Men, a supplement for Seek Out Close With and Destroy detailing troops and equipment for gaming Rhodesia.  I took the time to inventory the vehicles I have for both my Iranian and Iraqi forces.  Now, for the Iraqis, there are "mass quantities" of vehicles available in 20mm, 1/72, and 1/76, especially the Soviet armor.  For the Iranians, things are a little scarcer.  In the later war, I will have an easy time working in some Soviet or PRC vehicles to support my Pasdaran.  My early war regulars, on the other hand, need Chieftains, M60A1s, and M113s.  The gripping hand:  those M60s.

Years ago, in a convention flea market, I bought some resin kits produced by Cromwell, the Combat Ready series.  Amongst some other stuff, I picked up 2 Chieftains and 2 Scorpions specifically to support my Falklands era Guards in the event they had to be deployed to Europe with the BAOR (my 80's era Soviets get frisky now and again).  I didn't think about it at the time, but I believe these Chieftains were meant to be P variants used by Iran, though I painted them up for British service.... and they have proved too useful at knocking out Soviet T-55s and BMPs for me to repaint them now!  Plus, I'm lazy.  These are excellent models, I'd recommend them to anyone, and I'd buy them again.  You might notice a few nice Combat Miniatures from FAA, painted up as Scots Guards.

What I have to work with for my Iranians is a little less swell.  I bought a large lot of 1/72 and 1/76 tanks off of ebay for a great price, sold the Leopard 1s and AMX-30s, plus the WWII stuff, and it still left me with a box of tracks, including a few Airfix Chieftains.  These are painted drab, and have seen some use.  I hate building model kits, so for now I can live with the less than perfect condition of these.  Painting will be difficult, they are not going to look great, but once they are in appropriate colors, with some details, they'll be ok.  I bought 3 diecast M113A1s, painted for Vietnam.  As "Booze Hound" in english is about the last thing I think I'd see on a post-revolution Iranian vehicle, they definitely need repainted.  I might keep them in a lighter drab green, but likely they will get a desert tan.  I bought Vietnam era vehicles as later M113s tend to have too many accessories.

OK, the problem children are the M60 Pattons.  Actually, in almost any scale other than micoarmor, obtaining M60 or M60A1 variants, without Blazer/ERA/etc is a real problem.  My good friend Doctor Merkury is having difficulty finding a M60 for use with his 28mm 1980's USMC (anyone have a suggestion for 1/48 1/50 1/56 let the good Doc know).  What I currently have to work with (from the same lot the Airfix Chieftains came with) are three Airfix toys in 1/72 scale, not models.  I believe they marketed these as simply Patton tanks, which of course, is somewhat vague.  Patton Tank covers quite a few things.  Here are the facts (see below), the turret doesn't look right for an M60A1 (maybe the initial M60 production), the gun looks like it might be 105mm (not like the 90mm for early M48s), and hull definitely looks like an M60 (see the straight sharp forward edge of the hull, not the M48 style curved hull).

They need some cleaning.  Based on the ebay prices, these are cheap to obtain in the UK and expensive in the US.  The paint on them is flaking off, I have to thoroughly clean them before applying some bonding spray paint... and I feel the headache of having to defend my use of them, BUT, show me where I can get the right ones.  I was hoping to see some of the M60A3 (no ERA) offered by Altaya IXO, thought I could repaint them and look ok, however, I have had no luck in finding anyone I could purchase any from.  Actually, they supposedly have a huge range of modern diecast, too bad....

Now, for some happy news to finish.  Probably like some of you out there, for me its not always the biggest or baddest toy in your army that you get the most excited about.  Sometimes, its just something that catches you the right way.  For me, for the Iranians, its a pair of 106mm RR armed jeeps I purchased from Liberation Miniatures.  They are not "armor" but its my blog.  Likely these poor fellows will eat it from small arms fire in every game, but I like the idea of very fast tank killers, even if they have no protection.  I should find some dirtbike models and make RPG-7 tank killer teams too, they would fit in perfectly with the way I like to game.  These jeeps won't see painting or assembly until well after Cold Wars.

There definitely will not be another Iran Iraq War update for some time, though I will try to keep up with other posts.  Later, I will go over the Iraqi vehicle inventory, and eventually show some completely finished platoons.  Thanks!