Undercovergeek v Con - CMBS PBEM - Con can read if he wants to

[undercovergeek]

From disaster to some kind of recovery, it starts bad..............

Here the Javelin team can see the Kornet crew on the corner, and behind them an intermittent contact with a Chuckguska, i see it on the move but when i settle down to aim i lose it again



And the Chuckguska sees us first - theres nothing scarier in game than seeing this barrage coming toward you



Because of the angle, thats 2 members of a 3 man sniper team x 2 and one member of the Javelin team and yes OBVIOUSLY the guy with the Javelin gets shot!!



Trees removed for clarity - this guy, the Strker gun platform gets a LOS to the Chuckguska right at the end of the turn. Its 45 minutes before Con sends the turn back, and all that time is spent looking at the map thinking 'will it hit, will it hit the trees, will it miss and the Chuckguska pop smoke, will it hit and do no damage?



BOOOOOOOM, you M*****F*****!!!!!!! Victory dancing actually causes Undercoverjunior to shout down from her bed telling me to be quiet!! I hate those frikking things, 3 seconds later the crew bail



Glass half full/half empty now - the lead Gun Platform also gets LOS to an enemy APC in the village and takes it out, made only possible by the wonky Tac AI pathfinding that takes the vehicle out of the perimeter of the woods and no doubt straight into LOS of the Chicken Shed Kornet. I shall call these Grammontisms, after 3 in a game i really will fly over there and slap his beard off



Yup, the lead vehicle gets Grammonted as suspected, partly my fault because i knew he was there and should have done something about it - the Chuckguska killing Stryker has LOS to the Kornets shadow but not the platform itself - area fire from hell will rain down on him next turn



Meanwhile at the top of the map just to the west of the foresty-spine i spy an APC. My Stryker on Cons side of the rail departs with the usual direct fire and sends a glorious volley of grenades into the sky



The first volley hits and the second volley goes up as what seems to be a fully loaded APC starts abandoning ship. The grenade rain starts a-falling as the infantry and a HQ unit get out, theres not a lot left after the second volley, i think Tee Hee is the agreed response here



So 3 enemy vehicles for one, but one of mine is much more valuable than the rabble i destroyed - 50/50 id say

[JasonPratt]

Tunguskas are freakin AWESOME.  In fact I will rename them Daleks because they are crap at going up stairs but will EXTERMINATE everything in their path.

Then he starts singing a song. About Tunguskas.

Incidentally, the one that bisected your team? -- the driver had promised to buy the gunner the best whores in Russia if he didn't need two shots.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" {US infantry realizing their recruiter has fed them a line of bullshit}

[undercovergeek]

Working their way up the spine, this comes into view

Please dont see me, please dont see me



Then the HMG team and a Stryker with HE grenades opens up on it, believe me when i say i was sat in the dark saying out loud 'youre only going to make him mad', 'please dont turn, please dont turn'



Then the Styker gun platform catches sight of him, and its all over



To the right of the spine a javelin team spy an APC



looking good



KA-Booooooooooooooom, if the gods of war are smiling on me, it was full of sneaky Russian dogs



Might as well get the victory flags out now, i spy two more and have LOS with javelins, tee-hee-he..............ooooo fk  :o

[Barthheart]

Tanks! Why does it always have to be tanks?!?

[undercovergeek]

4 at least - time to summon the Apaches

[JasonPratt]

Keeping in mind, AFVers doesn't sound as macho. (It isn't necessarily tanks.)

Or, it could be tanks.

4 at least - time to summon the Apaches Mechs

Fixed that for you. :)

[undercovergeek]

Chaos reigns

Firstly the ATGM Stryker goes up in smoke, fortunately theres no extra guys on board just the poor crew



Secondly, whilst all his friends around him hit the dirt this guy isnt having any of it - he launches a Javelin at the first tank on the left



Then, a second Stryker explodes, this a standard variant empty of all but crew, in the background the enemy tank receives its Javelin with good grace



Its a thing of beauty, first the detonation and then i think the ammo goes up





Then the gun platform, who had just literally deleted a Kornet crew in the fields to my right, i mean shot him right in the face with the HE round, spots another tank and puts two rounds in it



The clock ticks on and within seconds of the end of the turn the tank switches from active to dead and the crew bail



Then the gun platform spots this guy right at the end, those cannisters in the air are the tank popping smoke, i know from another game Russian smoke takes a second or 2 to come down, im hoping theres enough time to kill it before this happens

[JasonPratt]

I decide to try and think like UCG to see how he would now act faced with T90s...  Still thinking like UCG I go and make myself a bacon sandwich....mmmm bacon.  Then I wonder if insects sweat.  Lastly I decide that I need to Google some midget porn.  Realizing that thinking like UCG is only distracting me I decide to make my own plans and try to anticipate his tactics which are obviously inspired by trying to choose the most exciting action that can involve flames, alcohol, firearms and an alluring sheep in suspenders.

[undercovergeek]

HAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA, say again, i repeat, say again

..........static...............

3 more Russian armour assets inbound...............

*£"^$&$*"!

So, theres the first 4, now 3 more, and if i recognise that correctly thats the first 2 elements of an armour company which means theres another 3 or 4 due to arrive.

The CO checks his briefing notes again, 'recon loading zone, weather station and forest and escort A company out of area eastbound and exit via rail link to east. Hold the loading zone and railway bridge'

'The errrr, theres no armour for us? just making sure, because i errr, i think theres 10-12 T90s on the other side of this forest'

Theres nothing inbound - now at the start of the battle, 6 Apaches, 2 hellfire armed drones, 3 gun platforms and 3 ATGM Strykers probably sounded enough to take on 'some tanks'. But now i have 4 Apaches from that list everything else is burning in the forests, some due to my ineptitude and some due to Grammontisms.

Its time to actually follow my orders and get A company out of here. I will discuss at the end of the scenario my confusion about the briefing but for now, lets get these people to safety and live to fight another day

The spine of doom. From the bottom - there are 2 operational HE Strykers, these are reversing back through the woods in good order, short of 1 Grammontism where one came out of the spine ass first they should make it. Then they will head west to support the boys in the woods. Above them, battered, shocked and shredded the remains of 4th platoon, reduced to scraps after 3 or 4 turns of incoming HE fire and arty from the Russian dog Con. Theyre heading North, firstly to escape the arty fire and secondly because there are still Javelin troops here that can take out some Russian tanks and maybe infiltrate the village. Above them 2 Javelin teams, 1 with eyes on a tank as the turn finished, and then the snipers, hunting forwards getting firing solutions on the armour line



To the south and west of the spine near the loading area, the mortar Strykers pack up and start heading east to the exit area, i believe Con is woefully short of infantry and the mortars effectiveness will be minimal, even so, there is enough HQ left behind to order an attack from them as they wait in the exit area if needs be. Above them a small group of men had been hunting west clearing the forests, they were covered by a Stryker that due to a Grammontism just exploded, with tiny hunt waypoints forward he decided to turn 90 degrees with his ass to the suspected enemy area and promptly exploded, i make that 3 actual vehicle losses to not been able to traverse forested areas properly (not a complaint, just a grumble)



The middle, Team Wascally Wabbit still guard the weather station, everyone else is heading to the HMMVs and leaving east



The bridge - more mortar Strykers here start to pack up, the Stinger teams in their HMMVs also, i will leave the recon team from the start, their HQ armed with a javelin and the ammo truck. There are 2 serviceable MG mounted Strykers, these will head west to support the guys on the flank



And lastly, the left flank, waiting patiently, theres enemy to the front maybe 30 - 40 ft maybe 400 - 500 yards but i know theyre there - i may be wrong but i think Con fears what might be here and theyll stay til the end, guarding the loading zone and will hold on as long as possible

[JasonPratt]

HAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA, say again, i repeat, say again

..........static...............

3 more Russian armour assets inbound...............

*£"^$&$*"!

I can only imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth UCG must be having.  He probably sounds like a cat trying to take a crap through a sewn shut anus.

[undercovergeek]

Ok, roughly 10 turns of pain and tears have passed - believe me when i say it mostly involved exploding men and Strykers

The spine with trees on - thats all thats left of 4th platoon, shattered by an endless assault of arty and tank HE fire, the survivors are slowly making their way to the top to try and recon the back lines for my apaches and remaining arty strikes. There are plenty of AT4s among them, but lots of empty Javelin launchers............



Trees off, The Corner of Doom, the survivors pick over the dead bodies of fallen comrades looking for Javelin missiles to finish off the armoured onslaught



Looking west from the root of the spine back to my left flank. Mortar Strykers on the left are engaging a Kornet team harrassing the evac attempt over the bridge to the right flank. In the middle ground are 4 Strykers and a rag tag bunch of men clearing the forest and listening for any tanks that may have simply driven around 4th platoon on the left flank and headed for the embankment



The men of 4th platoon, tasked with holding back the tanks with whatever means at their disposal (sticks and stones), they wait, sporadic sound contacts did show 2 tanks driving straight into this section but they were never seen again, one massive HE explosion that obliterated a half squad was all that was heard next - theyre either in there and now stationary or have backed out again. In the background a suicidal Stryker fires HE grenades at a T90, smoke has been launched and hes retreated into the woods, hopefully the targetting systems down or the guns damaged, i dont think the tank saw the Stryker



The left flank, about 5 HUMMVs have made it over the bridge and out of the area, they were various HQs for sections im not using so no great loss. One Stryker was caught crossing the bridge by the Kornet team that is now receiving the aforementioned Mortar barrage, all that will remain here is the recon element, sniper and the HQ and the spotter



The bridge, the Stryker and a recently destroyed HMMV burn here, i dont think they actually block the exit to the bridge. An issue now is small arms fire from the forest opposite, enough to slow down and deter Strykers so the mortars surpressing the Kornet team will switch fire here



I would be proud of this if i didnt know there were another 5 or 6 out there!

[undercovergeek]

Three set off, one came out alive - 3 mortar strykers set off on convoy, apparently the grass embankment higher than they are isnt enough to shield them from a Kornet team on the other side of the field, puzzled by the LOS but not a problem, we all get lucky breaks. The biggest problem this poses is it leaves me with 3 mortars and these were all en route to the bridge to lay down as much  smoke as possible to cover the evac over the bridge. Im 33% less smoke now, well see how it goes, AFAIK 2 kornet teams and a tank cover the bridge so it needs to be quite smokey round there



The surviving mortar approaches the one already in situ to wait for the 5th which is now detouring round the back of the forest COMPLETELY OUT OF LOS MR GRAMMONT!!!! in case any more 14 ft high Kornet teams are about



The far left flank, the team here have now crossed back over to my side of the rails, i have a sneaky feeling theres no more infantry here, and the tanks have definitely withdrawn, the only option is to stay in the woods and get mortared trying to get a possible LOS to a tank, or pull back, strengthen around the actual target area, the loading zone, and wait. The smoke is from an Apache strike, a lot of missiles and shells were expended but i dont know if anyone is there anymore, im also unsure if the helicopters hold their fire if the target area is empty - if they dont, theres either an unlucky tank in there or a lot of ammo got wasted on corn. Another chopper is lost to Tunguska fire too



In the spine up the middle, my desperate band of wartorn heroes cross from left to right looking for targets for the arty spotters to rain down on - the vllages seems empty from here, i know its not, but i cant see anything. on the left is a Kornet team that has been running away from my small arms fire now for 5 minutes theyre either broken or liking playing chicken against the snipers

[JasonPratt]

Even in Death they continue to serve me well.

[undercovergeek]

A full scale retreat is underway - the last dozen or so turns have gone by with me simply getting pummelled by more arty and more tanks - the watchers in the woods final act before they exploded was to confirm the arrival of another platoon of T90s/T72s - im out of combat effective Javelin launchers, the casualties have been that extensive that i have squads with launchers and no missiles, squads with missiles and no launchers, and no matter how much i loot the dead i cant pick up whats required.

I have barely any control of the men, my global morale is so low im surprised the AI hasnt initiated my surrender - i can give orders but the slightest mouse fart from the other side of the woods puts them in the dirt for the rest of the turn

These are the stragglers on my far left, just over the rise a T90 appeared, destroyed a half squad with AT4s that i thought were hiding well but the tank came into contact pointing right at them so they cant have been too concealed, the last squad and the last Stryker are trying to meet so the squad can get on board but falling arty and the presence of the tank causes either or both to stop carrying out orders, i fear the tank will simply come over the rise and destroy them before they can escape



This is the taxi service to get the hell out of here - these Strykers have a slightly higher morale and will carry out most of their orders, the men in the background have not, the strykers have just been ordered to reverse up to the men instead of the men coming to them - it will be faster and hopefully less sporadic



One time of Javelineers remain intact, with launcher AND missiles, there is an occassional confirmed sighting of a few vehicles in the village, they wait here in the tree line to see if any can be tagged - there here til the Stryker taxi service comes past, then theyll leave like the rest



......and the biggest problem, the bridge, covered by at least one tank and a kornet launcher - the remaining mortar vehicles cant lay down enough smoke for me to blanket the area and make good a sneaky escape. The massive 155mm off map arty has been ordered to drop smoke at the entrance and exit to the bridge, thats on its way in 5 mins, which is when i hope the strykers with the shattered men should arrive - and all that relies heavily on the hope that the bridge entrance and exit isnt physically blocked with burning wrecks - if i cant cross the bridge then its game over and ill get the white flags out

[JasonPratt]

Nice irony there at the end.

A comment I wrote on Con's thread before the hiatus of his business trip seems appropriate here (I had meant to post it in this thread earlier but forgot):

Not to give any spoilers from reading his side, but I honestly could not even begin to guess who will come out ahead in the end here; not from this point, yet.

I roughly figure there's a less than 50% chance that both sides will continue eating each other until the fighting sporadically dies in the latter third of the game, at which point each side will go back to maneuvering for victory points -- with what result I have no idea, although there could be patches of small, bitter duels over them until the end of the game. Possibly resulting in option 2 at last, in a more limited fashion.

I figure there's a better than 50% chance that one or the other side will suddenly develop a breakout lead in force, either from a late reinforcement being far more effective on the reduced field than it otherwise would have been, or from one or two types of unit on a particular side just managing to survive long enough to be far more effective on the depleted field than otherwise. The other side simply won't have enough troops with ammo / will to fight against this newly developed force advantage, and the collapse will happen quickly with a surrender to follow.

I'm very curious to see which way it will go. And I certainly don't want to speculate further on how it might go, since that might give either of you ideas.  O:-)

It hadn't occurred to me to factor in the blocked bridge.  :-[