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

[JasonPratt]

UGeek was pretty terse on his side this time, so nothing vaguely amusing I can quote mine there (without giving away spoilers).

[Con]

I have about three turns queued up that I have to write.  Might explain his ternses a little bit.  Mine as well :o

Con

[Con]

Turn 137 Time Remaining 1:24

Arty continues to reign down in the bloody corner of the tree line and the embankment
I need to start saving some of these tanks.  I order them to pop smoke.  Two of them I pull back to my map edge.  Since the BTR made it to the village safely I decide that I need to get 2 T90s in behind the buildings as well.
The other T90s continue in overwatch.



My Tunguska on the far right spots the ATGM Stryker and pours fire into it.  I count multiple hits but not any penetrations.  After a full minute of loving from the Tunguska I decide to pull him back into the woods.



I am hoping I can whip the T90 crew from platoon back into their tank if it survives the next couple of turns.  Hopefully the smoke will save it.

Over the din of battle I start detecting chopper blades.....

[Con]

Turn 139 Time Remaining 1:23

The two T90s ordered to the village back up and rotate before throwing their tracks into the "Get me the F*** out of here" gear.  Smoke billows from the T90s in overwatch.  That sneaky MGS Stryker manages to clip the abandoned T90.  Even though it says partial penetration on the T90 (heh heh)the tank blows up spectacularly with flames shooting up into the sky.  If Battlefront had the animation I am sure the turret would have flipped up into the air and probably with my luck landed on the crew.  Maybe those cowardly tankers were cleverer than I thought at least they got out alive.  Congratulations tankers since you survived you are prime candidates and have just been volunteered for the Russian Federation Infantry.



The Tunguska continues to scour the ATGM Stryker resulting in several penetrations.  While the Stryker crew is preoccupied with the sounds of its armor being ablated away they fail to pay attention that they are backing up into the sights of one of the overwatch T90s.  A 125mm round proceeds to give them an anal probing that any alien would be proud of.  It begins to burn with sheets of flame leaping from it.  The ATGM platoon (if the standard formation of three is used) has been wiped out.  Vehicles and men.  Note to self never volunteer to be an ATGM Stryker crew.



The remaining MGS Stryker also finally gets his due (though this guy has been a 1 vehicle wrecking crew).  The Kornet team from 1400 meters out spots him and sends a Korent ATGM scorching his way.  It impacts on the side of the MGS Stryker listing as another penetration.   Even though the Stryker does not register as a KO its turret stops moving (and historically even near misses) with Kornets have KO's Strykers.  I am guessing this one has gone to the happy Stryker hunting ground in the sky as well.





Incredibly I spot 2 more Infantry Strykers in the same woods line.  Spotting is difficult because of the ferocious amount of haze and burning palls of choking black smoke.  But using the funeral pyres of the burning Strykers I can paint a pretty picture for the Russians



With the chopper sounds getting louder I decide to move the two 2nd platoon overwatch T90s to the right flank embankment.  There are some scattered Russian troops there to provide the illusion of supporting fire.  I leave 1T90 from 1st platoon in the center to continue overwatch.
After all this time the lone remaining recon trooper in the weather station has been creeping forward to scout the woods edge (an objective).  He spots a Hummer with troops and readies his RPG.  Could these Recon troops finally do something useful?

[Con]

Turn 141 Time Remaining 1:22

The lone recon troops continue to exceed expectations and misses a Humvee from less than 100 meters out.  The Humvee safely backs away while taunting (mooning) the hapless recon trooper.  I give him orders to crawl to the edge of the woods. 



2nd platoon two T90s continue screaming towards the embankment tree line

1st platoon tank on overwatch spots another Stryker this one attempting to get back to the US side of the embankment.  The T90 give the Styrker a 125mm suppository that stops it in its tracks.



I order the spotter in the field in front of the embankment to send Arty fire along the embankment.  There are too many US troops still milling around there.
I also order the spotter in the village to send arty fire along the tree line as well.
Chopper sounds are getting louder

[Con]

Turn 143 Time Remaining 1:21

Arghhh this should be called the Turn to Far.  I knew I should have pulled that T90 off overwatch but it was positioned in a good spot and doing a good job if any more Strykers had popped over the embankment.  However those damn Javelins did me in.  Not one but two Javelins are fired from the left flank tree line.  I dont know how UCG still has viable troops there since i dropped enough arty to blow off the leaves on all the trees.  However he still managed to keep enough men alive (probably bleeding from the ears) which is very very annoying.  I feel for all those people who are complaining about US Javelins being as readily available as crack at Charlie Sheens house.







The death of this T90 means I have lost almost 40% of my reinforcing T90 tanks in less than 10 minutes.  At least I have 4 T90s left 2 in the village area and 2 on the right flank embankment.

I am moving my Kornet ATGM to roughly where some of 1st platoons T90s are blazing to hopefully become the backup plan for any more Strykers crossing the embankment.

The remaining 4 Tanguskas light up the sky again.  First towards the south and then the South East.  That means two aircraft are coming back in (maybe this could be UCG reinforcements).  The Tanguska in the far left woods has actually ran dry of SAMs and 30mm ammo.  He is now only a giant paperweight.







Activity starts at the railroad bridge.  Two Strykers (infantry versions maybe) pop out from behind the woods and start racing towards the corner of death.  They are using the embankment for cover but my ATGMs in the middle of the field see them.  It still might work because they are moving so fast that I don't seem to be able to keep a continuous LOS on them which is needed to allow them to launch their missiles.



A mortar Stryker crosses onto the railway line where it is taken under small arms fire by my recon group.  It quickly backs down.  A Humvee does make it across the bridge.







I think UCG is beginning to run out of things to throw at me but I am just as worn down.  We are like two battered prize fighters landing haymakers on each other.  Someone is going to have to fall to the mat and its going to be really really ugly when it happens.

[Con]

Turn 145 Time Remaining 1:20

I did a quick calculation and in 10 minutes of fighting (from 1:30 to 1:20) game time UCG and myself have lost 8 AFV each.  That is just a shocking amount of carnage in such a short time and it's not over yet.  We still have over 80 minutes of playing time left.  I will have nothing but shattered remnants left crawling around the battlefield before time is up.  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.

First a little infantry on infantry action since we haven't had that for a while.

The auto grenade launcher on the center of the embankment spots some US infantry creeping up on them.  They unload their clip at them killing one US grunt.  Probably not a good use of fire control since now the rest of the US squad rushes up.  With his launcher needing reloading the gunner rears up without warning the Sgt and starts unloading his Makarov pistol at the very surprised US infantry (who were expecting a face full of grenades).  Even more surprised was the sergeant launcher who while still on the ground with his Kalashnikov watches in horror as Private Terehkov proceeds to try and go John Wayne against a half squad of body armor wearing US infantry.  Not surprisingly it does not go well for the auto gunners but the sergeant is the one who gets killed first.  His last thoughts as he bleeds into the ground is that he hopes the US bayonet Private Terehkov in the balls for being such a screw up. 



The lone recon guy actually achieves a recon objective scouting to the edge of the woods.  He is of course immediately cut down by a hidden Stryker which pops smoke and unleashes auto grenades at him.



On the railroad bridge the mortar Stryker deciding that small arms fire is not so bad trundles accross the trestle bridge.  They are absolutely correct small arms fire is not bad.  Kornet ATGMs on the other hand.......not so good.   The M1129 Mortar carrier Stryker explodes in a shower of sparks and the mortar crew rapidly perishes inside their burning vehicle.



The two Strykers streaking for the Death Corner continue to dip in and out of LOS of the missile crews.  I think they might make it because I need them to be in LOS for at least 10 to 20 seconds and they never are that long.  A tank on the other hand would have no problem taking them out......hmmmmmm.  Need to ponder this one.

The two T90s on the far right embankment are looking at the trees and cant believe they made it here alive.  With a crash a Stryker appears in the shrubs visible to a lone HQ unit.  I order the HQ to fire its RPG 26 at the Stryker without much hope.  The T90s I order to hunt towards the Stryker hoping to get a lucky spot on it.  The MT LBM 6M that could possibly be in LOS of the Styker is ordered to pop smoke.  I know how my luck goes with the Russians in trying to spot first. 



Tunguskas continue to spread fiery death around in the sky.  I looked up the points cost of Apaches and almost fell out of my chair.  Those tin cans are expensive at 2000 to 2500 points each depending on whether they are light armed or AT armed.  No wonder UCG wants to take out those Tunguskas they are murdering him.  I am leaning more towards UCG getting additional air power as reinforcements but I am not 100% convinced that some Abrams are going to suddenly pop up at the embankment.

Russian                  US
12 MT-LBM 6M               11 Inf/HQ/Recon Strykers          
3 BRDM-2M               3 MGS Stryker
1 BTR-80 1V152               3 ATGM Stryker (*assumes a kill)
2 Tunguska               1 Mortar Stryker
3 T90A
Points total ~3750            Points total ~4075 (doesn't include air losses

[Con]

Turn 147 Time Remaining 1:19

On the right flanks the T90s rumble into the gloom of the forest.  A pair of US infantry low crawling find themsleves in the wrong place at the wrong time and are annihilated with thermobaric shell.





Private Terehkov continues to pull of his John Wayne impression and actually kills some poor US grunt with his Marakov pistol. 



US troops continue down the left flank tree line

[Con]

Turn 149 Time Remaining 1:18
Private Terehkov almost pulls a Clint Eastwood in unforgiven but this although he wounds another US soldier this time he is taken down in a chatter of M4A1 rounds.  Imagine the damage he could have done if he had been armed with a Kalashnikov.



Other than that I bring the far right flank MT-LBMs up into the woods since I am worried that the choppers might target them.  The Tungusaks continue to fire into the sky.


In the recon woods near the railroad bridge I bring the recon MT-LBM up the woods edge to see if it can spot that stryker that is popping mortar rounds down around where the Kornet ATGM is located near the chicken coops.

[Con]

Turn 151 Time Remaining 1:17
More of my troops on the right flank of the embankment continue to get chewed up by unseen US small arms fire.  Heavy arty starts dropping on the Kornet ATGM near the chicken coops.  Despite the risks I tell them to skedaddle fast out of there.  Most of the crew are KIA from arty but the missile unit is still operational

Turn 153 Time Remaining 1:16
small arms fire causes one of MT-LBMs to reverse out of the woods on the right flank embankment.  It is promptly knocked out by a US RPG.  More of the Russian troops are killed in the woods by unseen US Infantry.  God I hate how we spot.

[Con]

Turn 155 Time Remaining 1:15

US Troops continue to work their way down the treeline.  On the right embankment all the remaining  Russian troops have been killed.  Fearing for my AFVs in the woods I pull them out.  Arty fire is 2 minutes out.  As the turn ends 2 Infantry style Strykers appear near the center.  I have two remnant units there but only one has an RPG 26



On the far left flank the recon troops try and spot the mortar Stryker. 

[Con]

Turn 157 Time Remaining 1:14

Unbelievably the RPG finds it mark and another Stryker starts burning furiously.  The remaining Stryker backs up over the embankment hurriedly but does spray enough rounds to kill one more Russian soldier.

Arty fire starts zeroing in on the embankment and the tree line.

[Con]

Turn 159 Time Remaining 1:13

The game giveth and the game taketh away.  As my visually challenged Recon AFV tries to spot the Stryker a 155mm Excalibur high precision munition comes screaming out of the sky and impales the MT LBM 6M.  I was going to blame the recon crew but I think this is like the hand of God.  No warning and much wrath.



Out of the blue a 3rd platoon of T90s appears as reinforcements.  This actually concerns me both because of the proximity of US javelin toting troops as well as the fact that this many T90s makes me wonder what reinforcements UCG is getting.  I just bet its Abrams.....

I split the orders for the 3rd platoon of T90s.  One goes Fast North to join he two T90s on the left side of the embankment.  One goes to reinforce the two T90s in the village area.  The last one stays where it is and helps add to the mayhem and carnage in the tree line by direct firing HE into the mix of 152mm General Purpose Arty that is dropping in there.  I hope that I can winnow down UCG troops.

[Con]

Turn 161 Time Remaining 1:12

Continuing booming rolls of thunder from the arty dropping.  the dust and earth make spotting anything difficult.  I can only hope UCG troops are suffering under this barrage

Turn 163 Time Remaining 1:11
More of the same punishment

Turn 165 Time Remaining 1:10
I pulled the T90 out of overwatch trusting that the arty would keep UCG troops heads down in the tree line.  Well that trust was misplaced as a Javelin arcs down and spits the T90 like Gus with a fork going after the last pork chop on the plate.  In hindsight I should have popped smoke first and then beat feet.  I cant believe that the US troops are still able to fight under that maelstrom of death and destruction in the tree line. 



Turn 167 Time Remaining 1:10
I had noticed a Humvee earlier trying to navigate across the railroad bridge towards the US rear (a tactical advance to the rear perhaps).  Now another Humvee tries the same maneuver.  The still burning and smoking mortar Stryker doesn't give UCG much room to move and as he is driving the heavy vehicle over the tracks one of my T90s in the village gives him a parting gift.

[JasonPratt]

So, so epic...