CMBS Rollin' on the River Con vs Undercover Geek AAR - Game Over

[JasonPratt]

Wait, are the turns counting down?? I thought I saw that earlier and dismissed it as a typo, but I'm seeing it more explicitly at the top of your most recent post, "Turn 214 to 213".

[JasonPratt]

Meanwhile, I won't give the context, but for sake of amusement:

Team 'Crunch' - named almost at the start of the scenario when the stationary Sergeant asked for noise discipline and his squad came loudly crunching through the forest behind him

[Con]

Wait, are the turns counting down?? I thought I saw that earlier and dismissed it as a typo, but I'm seeing it more explicitly at the top of your most recent post, "Turn 214 to 213".

I was thinking of trying to count the turns based on the game timer to give a better understanding of where the game clock was to help with understanding strategy.  Also game turns need to be doubled one for myself and one for UCG so when I read AARs it can be confusing is Turn 49 minute 27 etc?

I can see how the timer countdown version can be confusing as well.  Perhaps I will do both; list my turn (or turns if I am combining events in the AAR) along with the time remaining.

Lets see how that works out

Con

[JasonPratt]

Once I realized it was the timer counting down to when the crew you're scouting for arrives, it suddenly made sense. (I thought about that around 30 minutes after asking, smacked my head.  )

[Con]

I am off to sunny southern California for the next four days so no playing until then.  Unfortunately its for work so I will be stuck in a hotel listening to lecturers.  On the plus side I get to drink on the company and I plan to enjoy some nice warm susnets drinking chipotle infused cucumber margaritas or other nonsensical pretentious So Cal drinks that just don't work in the gritty snowy cold of Boston

Con

[JasonPratt]

WAAAHH!!  :'(

...uh, I mean, uh... ... ..... WAAAAGGHHHH!!  O0

[Con]

Turn 047 2:08 remaining
Lets call this one a little payback

The AT-13 Saxhorn ATGM fires at extreme range.  Its listed range is 1,500m and I measured our range as 1,420.  I was somewhat skeptical this was even going to work since the missile was in flight for a good 7-10 seconds so I thought the Trophy system on the Stryker was going to knock it down.  However lady luck smiled on me and it tracked true and penetrated.  The Russian bear finally draws some blood.



Meanwhile I see a rain of fire coming down on one of my recon MT-LMBS on the woods in the left flank.  I at first think it might be gunnery fire from an aircraft or Helo but none of my Tanguskas are lighting up as well as the fact that it seems scattered convinces me its long range auto grenade fire.  Sort of good news bad news since a helo would have vaporized me but bad news in that the US optics are so good that they are engaging one of my better AFVs from long range and I don't even spot them.   I will pull him back since I obviously am being bracketed here.


Action around the embankment suddenly flares up.  I have lots of Yankee track sounds showing up very near to the troops.  I need to push my AT weapons guys closer tot he lip of the embankement.  I will try and get the MMG to carry some AT weapons to help support the angle.  With a crash of the woods  at the last seconds a Stryker emerges from the brush right in front of my MT-LMBS.  The turn ends with us both rotating turrets towards each other.  I order one of my AT units that are disembarked in the woods to hunt towards the Stryker to see if I can nail it with a RPG if my AFV fails.  Who will be quicker on the draw?  Tune in next time same bat time, same bat channel!.

[Con]

Turn 049 and 050 Time remaining 2:07 to 2:06
Both of us slap leather together trying to see who is quicker on the draw.  Turns out Ivan beats the Duke this time and another Stryker goes up in flames.  But I can't celebrate too soon because some unspotted US troops cut down what remains of my Russian platoon.



I use my AFV to lay down suppressing fire and send the last two remaining platoon members to hook right and hopefully catch the US troops in the flank. 

Well apparently Russian conscript training can do with a refresher since the two soldiers despite being on a hunt command blunder into the AFVs suppressing fire and get cut down on a blue vs blue (or in this case red vs red) friendly fire incident.  The hidden US troops to add insult to injury manage to KIA one of the MMG gunners in the far track who decided to jump out early and run into the woods.  Well only one of them makes it.  I am really going to have to write a strongly worded letter to the Inspector General of Army training and morale.  Blind crazy and drunk is not a good combo on the battlefield unless you are a Viking.


The RPG team that I had working my way up slowly to the embankment spots a US MMG but one of them is cut down before they can do any damage back to them.



Between the US recon squad/stryker and my own friendly fire I have managed to lose two platoons of Russians at the railway embankment.  I will have to pull some of the reserve troops out of the village and send them to the corner for additional reserves and to stiffen the line there.  Its going to take them a couple of turns (I estimate 5-8 minutes) to get established and repositioned.  Meanwhile I want to see if I can get any better spotting on the troops behind the embankment.  Being Russian even with my casualties I should have superior numbers.  If I can risk it I might take a couple of the MT-LMBS on the far right over the railway embankment along with their troops and try to push the US left flank.  But first I need to have a bit of a better understanding of what I am facing.  It's too soon to start committing reserves but this Railway embankment is the key objective and my plan of putting ATGMS on it is going to be severely crippled if I cant clear the other side of US troops.  The good news is with us so close and mixed up it will be unlikely that he can call in arty or air on me.

[JasonPratt]

Blind crazy and drunk is not a good combo on the battlefield unless you are a Viking.

Maybe not even then: Russians are named after Viking settlers after all!

Also, what exactly am I seeing in that last photo? A wide-open patch of concrete squares with one (1) pallet of supply sitting out smack in the middle of it? (...is that a brick of vodka cases??)

[Con]

Turn 51  Time Remaining 2:05

Holy Smoke or the Russian Orthodox Equivalent .  That was an exciting turn.  I think I might be underestimating how many US troops are milling around along this embankment and maybe I might be the one out numbered.
Lets start from my left to right most of the action is centering along the rail road embankment.  My poor RPG gunner tries to flee back down to the Russian side of the railway only to get spectacularly felled in a most Hollywood style by US infantry fire (I suspect some dismounted MMG).  My remaining MMG gunner takes up an open position further on the left but has very little supporting troops.  He begins to sing "Lonely...oh so Lonely" to distract himself.


At the same time the Russian RPG two man section that I had pushed over to the other side of the embankment is suddenly beset upon by hordes of US infantry (ok that is a little exageration) but for sure several elelments including a Javelin unit.  My guys like Hans Solo fire first and throw grenades like they are going out of style.  For sure we get 2 KIAs maybe more but this is as close as knife fighting in a phone booth for these guys.


Next a Stryker appears out of the woods surprising my MT-LMBS and lighting him up.  He attempts to reverse down the embankment but it is too late and he joins the growing list of Russian KO vehicles.


Not content with taking out my AFV and while my RPGs are distracted fighting for their lives against other infantry the Stryker proceeds to tool up the RPG 2 man section.  One is killed immediately in a hail of explosive grenades, the other surely cant be long for this world.


Overall situation - Not good I feel like I am outside of the decision loop here and I am reacting and not causing UCG enough problems and distractions.  My left flank is increadibly weak on bodies now and I know that there is at least a platoon maybe more with a Stryker facing them.  The good news is I have 2 MT-LMBS I need to be a bit nervy here and send those AFVs forward supporting each other.  I need their firepower and can only hope that the few dismounted troops that I have will be enough to prevent any US AT fire.
In the center I need to send my troops into any remaining MT-LMBS and acquire more RPGs and launchers.  These can be useful against troops as well and this fight is getting ugly.  I will bring my reinforcements into the middle to try and support them again all of the reinforcements need to be totting RPGS and I will split them into different elements.
On the right I have a half platoon over the embankment I will push them against the US left flank and hope that I can split UCG forces and attention.  Find em, Fix em and Flank em...well I have all three fo those going for me but why do I feel like I am going to get F***ed by em!


Other than that there is shelling in the woods behind th angle so that place will get hot soon as well as shelling in the woods on the far right flank.  I move my recon away and keep loading up the troops in the village to send in as reserves to the railroad embankment.

[Con]

Turn 055 (I think I numbered my turns wrong) 2:04 remaining

All the action still centers on the railroad embankment where despite this being modern warfare we are fighting with bayonets here just like these guys great great grand fathers in WWI.

Starting from left to right on my side of the embankment.  My two MT-LMBS push slowly forwards while the lonely singing MMG gunner gets suddenly cut in half by a hail of automatic grenades.  the right MT-LMBs takes heavy fire (also looks like auto grenades) and retreats back with its radio shot out (no big loss the Russians only use it to listen to the playboy channel).  However the right MT-LMB does his job and hangs in there surprising another Stryker that emerges from the woods.  He pumps round after round into the Stryker.  I am not sure if this is because the Stryker is that much tougher or because the Gunner has enough adrenalin coursing through him to go toe to toe with King Kong.  End result is positive for me the Stryker is KIA.



In the center the reinforcements arrive and disembark
The RPG gunner gets cut down by the US infantry (I would have bet the center Stryker would have taken him out).


Just as it looks like the center will be dominated by that Stryker my little half section of troops armed only with their Kalashnikov s opens up in a suicidal manner on the Stryker facing them.  Just when I am sure that they are all about to be vaporized the Stryker fails morale and reverses away.  My troops proceed to hustle then into the MT-LMB to pick up a launcher and grenades which would have done them a world of good if they had had those 30 second earlier!


I split my platoon on the far right into an AT section covering the embankment and push the infantry down the woods line in hunt mode but so far no contact.  I also take my Tangushka which is loitering at the far end of the railroad tracks under cover of the trees and decide to be foolhardy with him.  I give him a move command to get up on the embankment and use those powerful AA guns to hopefully sweep and destroy any US forces crossing or getting near the railroad.  This could go south on me but if UCG doesn't spot him the Tangushka could club the US like a Canadian on a Harp seal. 

[Con]

Turn 57 and 59 Time remaining 2:02

Two hours remaining and already committing reserves.  Not good not good at all.  However these last two turns did go better than expected.

The Gunner on the MT-LBM 6M was squeezing the trigger for all he was worth because he knew his end was near.  With a hail of grenades probably launched by another Stryker this MT-LBM 6M gets battered and knocked out.  These Russian AFVs even the more modernized versions have not been proving to be made Russian tough.  I guess the old Russian proverb of Quantity over Quality still holds true.
The Gunner tries to make a break for it but he is horrifically cut in two.  Both the MT-LBM 6M and the dismounted gunner never saw their foes even though we are less than 20 meters apart. 


Trees have been removed but here the Gunner meets a sad death


Not all the action this turn is taking place on the railway embankment.  I was going to give the embankment a fancy name like the Russian Equivalent of Purple Heart  Railroad but it turns out that the Russians dont actually have a badge or award for being wounded in combat!  Its a short hard brutish harsh life for your average Soviet conscript.  I in true Soviet style am not shedding many tears over losing my soviet pixel troops.  Just send more of them into the grinder.

The other action is at the weather station where another Stryker (recon variant) has finally popped up.   My recon HQ unit that is hiding on the Weather station upper floors opens fire with their RPG.  With a deafening bang the rocket impacts on the Stryker and causes a massive detonation.  Strike one Stryker.  The recon unit then proceeds to light up a US recon team that was snooping around.  Based on the number of US sound contacts around the weather station my guys are not going to be around for long.  Its time to make a last stand with them but they have already made a mark on UCG task force.


Back to the bloody embankment and more of my troops get cut down (another 2 in the remaining section on my left flank).  This corner is now dangerously thin and I estimate that there are at least two strykers and a mix of 2 heavy weapon sections a HQ and a US platoon of infantry facing them.

My left flank is doing better.  My RPG unit and Infantry platoon are sweeping forward through the woods on a hunt.  I know there are US troops here but hopefully I hurt them and rattled them with my previous RPG unit and having them hit in the flank will cause them to pull back even more.   With a crunch my quiet sweeping forward is rudely interrupted by the appearance of another Stryker (this one a regular one not a Recon or HQ type)  appearing suddenly in the underbrush and heavy woods.  What luck one of my MT-LBM6M in overwatch can engage it and begins to rain down a hail of 30mm HE and APDS on to it.  Multiple hits impact the Stryker.  My infantry react by facing it.  By the end of the turn the Stryker is still alive but I doubt for much longer.


My latest idea for the embankment is not to throw any more troops into the cauldren on my left flank.  The opposition is just too strong.  Instead I will push some AFVs and troops to support the right flank other side of the embankment push.   I will continue to bring at least two platoons of infantry over as reinforcements from the village.  Slow and sure we have over two hours left to play so I dont want to over commit my forces here yet.


I lifted this idea of a BloodBoard from another AAR where they listed the AFVs/Tanks that were KIA for both sides.  I have added in the Stryker that is currently getting pummeled by my MT-LBM6M as a kill.  Lets hope that I was not being to prideful to add it before it is confirmed.  However you can see I am beginning to move the needle in my direction by inflicting pretty serious AFV losses on UCG.  I just need to stop losing so many troops.

Blood Board
Russian                                US
3X MT-LBM 6M                      5X Strykers
2X BRDM-2M

[Con]

Turn 061 2:02 minutes remaining

This is going to be a loooooong war filled with really intense moments

My faith in the MT-LBM 6M was not misplaced and it pulverizes the Stryker into a slagged heap of burning metal.  No survivors crawl from it.  I know that its platoon disembarked earlier and this is a regular version of the Stryker an M1126 equipped with Reactive Armor Tiles.  Comparing it with another Stryker I conclude I was damn lucky this one was equipped with the deadly Mk.19 40mm grenade launcher.  Looking at the other KO Strykers I count 2 with the 50cals and 3 with the Mk19.  I want those Mk19s dead they wreak havoc on my infantry.  Those of my poor bloody infantry who have so far survived would agree with this statement.





As my RPG and Platoon section slowly sweep forward my far right MT-LBM 6M charges over the embankment and railroad line to help support them in overwatch.  Seconds later he spots a Javelin AT gunner taking aim at him.  Utilizing good self preservation tactics (hit every god damn button you can find) he launches smoke, backs up back over the embankment like an Italian valet being given the keys to a Ferrari and unleashes a hail of 30mm HE over the heads of my RPG team (scaring the crap out of them) into the vicinity of the Javelin gunner.  Amazingly all this action worked and my AFV survived as the Javelin gunner never got his shot off (he could have been too close since you need a min of 75 meters).  The poor sap suffers the same gruesome fate that my guys were experiencing on my right flank.




Meanwhile in the hexenkessel of death and destruction that is my right flank strange happenings are occurring.
I spot two separate Strykers one opens up and suppresses my lone alive trooper with its 0.5cal.  Suddenly another one appears...not only does it appear its rear is facing me....I am being mooned! 



This insane Stryker is armed with a Mk19 and I prefer being mooned then being shot to pieces.  Well the US driver must be panicking since not only is he facing the wrong direction from me he precedes to fire smoke to HIS rear and then backs up TOWARDS my positions.   Unfortunately the one MT-LBM 6M that could have given him a good rectal exam with its 30mm APDS had been driven back earlier by the Stryker with its 0.5cal causing some penetration into the engine compartment.  I can imagine the Strykers commander stroking out over the actions of his panicking driver and explaining that get the F*ck out of here means moving FORWARD!.



The turn ends with no additional kills on either side.  In other news my recon element hold up in the weather station lost another team member as more US recon elements close around him.  Still he did his job and if he can take any more Yankees with him to Valhalla he has already exceeded my expectations.

[JasonPratt]

I swear to god if Con puts a scratch on it im going to fly to Steve Grammonts house and punch him in the neck.

[Con]

I have about three turns to type up

Lots of good Hollywood style action.  UCG is throwing the kitchen sink at me very early

Con