Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm – Part 4 of 5

frontier wars 728x90 KS

Author: Al Sandrik

Scenario: 11 Bravo

During Part 3 bad weather continued to hamper my plans. Limited visibility meant that the Soviets could get up close and personal before I could engage them. Reinforcements arrived to help out, but a wing of Soviet Hinds was battering one of my Abrams tank companies. Would the Cobra’s arrival come in time to tip the scales in my favor?

Turn 6, 08:50-09:20: The Soviet Hinds circling northeast of Delta/2-32 Armored didn’t disappoint and hit their position about 08:55.  As the unit was prepared three (3) Hinds went down within five (5) minutes with the remaining Hind observed headed southwest. Radio warnings were relayed to Bravo and Charlie Companies and within minutes that Hind indeed attacked Charlie Company, majorly pressing its attack. For at least fifteen (15) minutes that lone Hind engaged an Abrams Company before it to exploded into a ball of flames.  2-32Armored’s S-2/Battlefield Information Coordination Center (BICC) has analyzed the likelihood of continued Soviet attack helicopter activity to be low and accessed the Soviet battalion to be rendered combat inoperative due to losses and damage.

Elsewhere the Soviet assault continues to attempt to overrun Charlie/2-36 positions in Michelbach and while they are close to breaking Charlie Co had driven back every assault so far.  Plan on them being eliminated within the hour, but they have bought time for Bravo/2-32 Armored to enfilade the Soviet assault’s southern flank (Figure 23).

Figure 23

Figure 23

More good news has come my way as the Cobra’s of 227th Aviation are arriving in my Area Of Responsibility (AOR) and have ordered them to hit the Soviet Flank north of Michelbach.  Between the Cobra’s, Delta Co to the north, Charlie Co to the west, Bravo to the south, and the arriving M150s; Michelbach is going to become a living hell for any Soviet breaking into the town.  Really feel I am getting the upper hand here and my overall strategy is paying dividends.  One negative to my plans is Soviet jamming has increased and I ran out of opportunities to give orders this (and the previous) turn.

Turn 7, 09:20-09:50: Over the past half hour things have gone pretty much as expected with the battle for Michelbach turning into a mini Stalingrad (or Beirut). Positions have changed hands numerous times with hand to hand fighting reported. Bradley 25mm chain guns have even opened up on the rear flanks of T-80s within a few meters of each other! AH-1 Cobras have arrived and have opened up from the northern flank of the Soviet advance. Signals Intelligence has detected a Soviet HQ and the 94th FA has hit them, but conversely the Soviets have returned the favor for TF 11 Bravo!  American fields of fire (yellow, Figure 24) are pummeling the Soviet thrust from three sides and artillery is continuing to blast mechanized infantry caught up in the mine fields (see a recurring theme here?).

Figure 24

Figure 24

So the plan through 10:20 local time?  Other than shifting the position of HQs that were hit within the past half hour (the A/I has already displaced them but will move further), the only other action I really want to take is to bring the newly arrived AH-1 Cobra’s to the southeastern flank of the Soviets and cause their rear some problems.  Let’s see if we can find a vital HQ and really screw up their command and control! Overall, it is my assessment that the Soviets will break in the next hour to two at the most.

Check in next Thursday for the conclusion of this battle.

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