Team Yankee - Deep Attack

Yesterday at the Uni we had our first 'Team Yankee Day" - an opportunity to spend all day working though a game in slow time on a larger than usual table. The table layout was based on the setting on page 12 of the TY rulebook, but with a bit of a home brew scenario, adapted from 'No Retreat'. The US would be counterattacking from Issel, with the objective of getting 4 x M1s off the northern, or Korberg, table edge. If they got 3 off it would be a draw. They started off with all their platoons from a 100 point force. The soviets were defending, with half of their 100 point force on table, deployed half way down the table, but with the rest of their platoons in delayed reserves. No turn limit was set, which was probably a mistake!

Looking north from Issel to Korberg. The US forming up area to the left of the woods.

Looking South from Korberg to Issel - the Soviet patch.

Looking from west to east across the table from 'The Keep'. Its not clear from the map, but to break up the fields of fire a little we placed a ridge halfway down the table.

Now looking from east to west. I think the key to highlighting terrain as Cold War, rather than WW2, are modern roads and power pylons. The 'empty battlefield':

BMP1 Arty Observer hiding in a crop field...

A Bundeswehr study from 1981 estimated that fewer than 15% of the CENTAG terrain afforded unobstructed fields of fire of more than 2,000 metres. Lots of crop fields scattered around help break these up without bogging movement down...

Gary and I as the Soviets could deploy 5 platoons straight away in defense. A no brainer was to hold Korberg with a Motor Rifle company, and deploy their BMPs, with SPANDREL long range ATGW, well forward to cover the US approach. We also deployed our GOPHER SAM battery forward but in the lee of the ridge. Naturally, being Soviets, we had our trusty CARNATION 122mm SP howitzer battery on table, with an observer well forward. Our 4th platoon was of 5 x T-72, waiting in ambush...But we anticipated our main striking power would be our platoon of 6 HINDs...



As it happened though, it was our GOPHER battery that drew first blood, downing both US Cobras in the opening moves...

Nothing daunted, the US armoured punch came on very professionally, speeding from one piece of cover to another... 

 

Whilst making quick work of our BMPs - tanks they aint!

It was time to commit the HINDS - we knew they would take heavy casualties from the damned US SPAA - which clung to the rear of their tank platoons like glue - but we knew if we could just destroy half their M1 force it would be game over!

We duly lost 3 x HINDS to the Vulcans - 50% of the force - but were reasonably happy to take that in exchange for one brewed M1...

After all the Yanks still had a lot of ground to cover, didn't they?

They made their Mech Infantry work hard, getting them to methodically occupy the woods down the side of their advance, denying us the opportunity to ambush them from the flanks...

Great infantry - armour cooperation...

 

Our HINDS kept hunting M1s, but the cost was high and the initial success hard to recreate...even in the open an M1 is hit on a 4...

Whereas their 'Devil's Crosses' found it only to easy to avenge their Cobras by taking out our SAMs...

As the US armoured fist drove deeper into our deployment area, it became harder and harder to find an advantageous place to spring our ambush...

Having dismouted their infantry, they used their M113 as a forward screen to reduce our 'ambush bubble' - eventually we were forced to deploy right in front of Korberg...

With the reinforcing T-72 backing the ambush up from within the town...surely this much firepower would bag a few M1s!

Suffice it to say it didn't go well...



The belated appearance of the might Soviet Frontal Aviation...

Did little to restore the situation:

With the remaining reinforcements only arriving in time to 'go in the bag'!

My appalling dice throwing apart, a very enjoyable game in good company and, with all day to play, nice to be able to relax and have the time to take lots of photos...which I hope you enjoyed too!