LARIAT ADVANCE! Prep for our Team Yankee mega game

0300 hours, Sunday 4th August 1985. Private 1^st Class Larry ‘Lamb’ O’Brien surreptitiously reached into the depths of his ruck to pull out his Sony Walkman – at least an hour before stand to, the Old Man had just gone off around the Team’s position, and every other dude in the platoon was racked out. If the Army was going to screw him around with yet another dumb ‘Lariat’ fricking ‘Advance’ alert dragging on and on, well, he was entitled to  mess around too – besides he needed some rock chick soothing …Plugged in, Nena’s haunting lyrics picked up the mood…

99 Düsenflieger
Jeder war ein großer Krieger
Hielten sich für Captain Kirk
Es gab ein großes Feuerwerk

Apart from the Captain Kirk bit, he was baffled, but it sounded good, and she sure was hot…

Holy Shit! What was that! As jet fighters boomed overhead, Nena’s sweet vocals drowned out and Sergeant Polk appeared from nowhere and unceremoniously ripped the Walkman, earband and all, from a stunned Larry and shoved him back to the Track:

 GET ON THE .50 AND LOCK AND LOAD YOU DUMBASS!

For our first attempt at a Team Yankee campaign game, a type of firestorm campaign game, I've long thought that the Fulda Gap, southern Germany, would provide a great source of large scale scenarios, with its many parallel valleys, all potential Soviet axis of advance, providing ample opportunity to stage seperate but linked games...

My mate Bryan has translated these into onto maps to give us four 6 x 6 foot scenarios, which will be laid out over two parallel 12 x 6 tables.

The first game will consist of two linked scenarios over the first 6 foot into the two tables, then depending on the outcome, a further two scenarios moving into the top half of the tables:

The game will be held at Wollongong Uni this Sunday, 14th May. Yes I know, some dimwit picked Mother's Day for an all day wargame - yeah, that would be me! Whereas we had hoped to attract players from far and wide, my major planning bubu means there will be only 7-8 of us. But if its a success, we will learn from this mistake and make this a regular annual event - kind of like the NATO exercises themselves!

One thing we have done right is our research though, its great that Team Yankee can now give some sort of point to all the reading I've done about WW3 what ifs...

Although the sources on the Soviet side are very conflicting, depending on their period and perspective. It seems the Soviet Army was either a useless paper tiger, with crap equipment and fed up, ignorant conscripts, or an unstoppable force armed with superb technology...perhaps deciding what would have happened had the unthinkable occured is part of the fascination?

Anyhow, the Team Yankee orbats and stats seem to take a middle of the road position, and if sometimes its a challenge playing the Soviet side, at least you get a lot of toys down on the table!

The Soviet team will have 300 points accross the 2 tables in the first wave, dependent on each scenario's reserve rules - the units with a green flash will be on table first. followed by a 20 point Regimental Artillery Group in the second wave. The Guards Independent Tank Regiment will only deploy in case of dire emergency - it's use concedes any hope of victory!

The NATO force has a similar number of points, again many of their platoons being placed in delayed reserve, but all NATO ontable units will start the game either bailed or pinned down, as a result of the overwhelming Soviet artillery and rocket barrage which will initiate the war...the onus is on the Soviets to make ground fast!

Obviously with a game of this size, terrain will be an issue! But Bryan came up with the idea of simply printing out enlarged town images from the maps...

Which will save a lot of bother! So for the rest of the week the armies are gathering - more to follow after the action!