This AAR covers part of an ANZAC BG Thursday evening event, with four players playing Blue (2 US and 2 West Germany), and two members playing Warsaw Pact.
The situation – Red has broken through and is pushing towards Neuhof. Blocking them are US and West German units which have already been in action and are tasked with a hasty defence. The US forces (5 tanks and some mech infantry) hold the left, in a position around Reichlos. The Germans hold position around Welkers to the east. To the south, a natural water barrier formed by the Hangsberger Wasser may delay the Red advance, but has many crossing points.
The US formations are not only at about half strength (my unit, 2-1/A, has just two tanks running out of 4), but almost all ‘runner’ callsigns have damage of one kind or another – broken thermal sights, busted stabilisation or coax MGs etc. While the Germans have more running equipment, they are in the same boat damage-wise.
The plan – the US Officer Commanding (OC) – Panzer Leader – marks the map with some battle positions and likely axes of enemy advance. On the left, the enemy advance is expected down the A66, either from the Northeast towards Reichlos (Objective Alexander), or from North to South along the boundary between US and German forces.
The plan for US on the left flank is to initially occupy a ridgeline NE of Reichlos with 2-1/A supported by the OC’s tank, attrit enemy as they approach and then reposition to the south of Reichlos to do the same, before relocating about 5,000 metres further south to Neuhof (Obj Caesar). Another half-strength M1A1 unit will cover the right, with mech infantry further south to cover Red crossing points of the river, once they push us back, aiming to have US forces finally converge at Neuhof for its defence.
We just don’t have the combat power to stand toe-to-toe with the expected Red push so we must conduct a fighting withdrawal. My OC tells me to think like a cavalryman – to strike and then reposition quickly.
The mission – the attack opens with Red artillery striking to our east and south and we can hear lots of action developing on the German side of things. We wait, until a BRDM is spotted on our north-eastern approach. It is quickly dispatched by my second callsign.
As we wait for the expected Red armour juggernaut to follow the recce BRDM, the OC’s tank spots a T72 to the east and kills it with a flank shot. It soon becomes clear that the Red main effort is down the north-south road to our east. We are perfectly positioned to fire into its flank and soon all three tanks north of Reichlos are pouring fire into the Red column. This is a classic Red move – right down the seam between the US and German AOs, exploiting a potential weak spot. Our two-tank 1-1 unit stands against them.
The OC’s tank is tracked by a return shot and is immobilised, with the OC taking the decision to fight in place and suffer the expected Red artillery and armour counter-stroke, rather than abandon his vehicle.
The flank battle continues, with 7 tanks destroyed, followed by BTR80 kills as infantry follows up on the same axis. Still the expected artillery retaliation doesn’t fall on us. We know we should jockey away from this battle position soon, but we are in a target-rich environment and killing many more of the enemy than we had expected.
However, despite the fire of our three M1A1s, three T72s have made it through the gauntlet and are now heading south.
Finally the Red rage finds its voice and a barrage falls just south of our position, just as our two runners begin to retreat to a position south of Reichlos. We escape almost unscathed (minor damage) and move south as fast as possible, racing the Red thrust. The OC is left as a forlorn hope to fight to the end.
My two tanks arrive south of Reichlos just as the last of the two 1-1 tanks are destroyed. My M1s are in range and retaliate, killing two enemy T72s, but at the cost of one tank tracked and immobilised. My unit is down to one running but damaged tank, and the enemy are still striving for Obj Caesar!
As the Red tanks begin to pick apart 3-1, our mech infantry blocking force, the OC orders me to take my remaining tank south as fast as possible to help protect Obj Caesar.
I fly as fast as possible through forest roads and tracks, racing for Caesar. The infantry forces holding Caesar and its approaches spot a T72 on route A66, less than 2,000 metres north-east of Caesar. It is a race against time – can I get my lone tank in position to take out the T72 before it carves up our infantry and Red controls our last objective?
Just as my tank emerges from the treeline north-east of Caesar, we spot, engage and destroy the enemy!
Red revenge is swift however. I quickly jockey back, to get out of the expected rain of artillery that will surely fall on my last known position, but I don’t move far enough. A devastating artillery strike hammers my tank, leaving it almost combat-ineffective. In fact I report my unit as unserviceable before my gunner realises the auxiliary sight is working. No range-finder, no stabilisation, no TIS. Big trouble and a lot of pressure on the gunner.
Another T72 approaches and smashes a round into my tank, luckily doing no more than tracking an already immobilised vehicle. My gunner fires once… twice… and… hit!
At this, the scenario ends. We hold Caesar for the moment, but are pushed to the very south of the map. Despite taking a heavy toll on Red tank companies and supporting mechanised infantry, we have almost no effective forces on the left flank of the battlefield. The scenario is scored as a defeat for both Blue and Red, but I have had the best fun, and most nail-biting experience ever in Steel Beasts.
Smith
