Cuba Libre – Liberation Batrep 10

[Just Jack]

All,

It’s 0730 on 1 Feb 1990, and I Company, 10th Popular Force Battalion is charged with destroying a bridge near the town of Pedroso (#10, north-northwest of the Bay of Pigs, south-south east of Matanzas), with the goal being to screen the Bay of Pigs landing site from the Castro-regime garrison at Matanzas. The bridge is held by the Castro regime’s 86th Provincial Militia Company of the 5th Territorial Infantry Battalion.

So far we’ve had:
1) B Squadron SOF destroyed a radar site in support of amphibious landings at Playa Colorada (5). B Sqdn then egressed and linked up with CLA rotary wing assets for their follow-on mission in Havana (6).
2) C Squadron SOF destroyed a the Cuban military’s communications center.
3) 1st Para Battalion dropped in and seized a bridge to screen the landings at Playa Colorada (5).
4) 2nd Para battalion dropped in and eliminated a Castro-regime garrison to screen the landings at the Bay of Pigs (just west of (4).
5) 1st Marine Company, 3rd Infantry Battalion, made an amphibious assault at Playa Colorada.
6) A Squadron SOF attacked a Castro-regime SAM site near Havana, which failed to clear the way for B Squadron’s helo assault into Havana.
7) 2nd Marine Company, 6th Infantry Battalion, landed at the Bay of Pigs then turned east and ran into a strong enemy force, which it handily defeated.
8) B Company of the UWG pursued and destroyed an enemy garrison in the Escambray Mountains.
9) B Squadron SOF conducted an aerial insertion into Havana to seize a radio station and broadcast news of the invasion.
10) 10th Popular Force Battalion seizes a bridge near Pedroso, NNW of the Bay of Pigs.

The opposing forces, with regime troops on the left and CLA troops on the right. The regime forces are made up of Pendraken Australians (Vietnam range), heavy weapons from the Pendraken Indo-china and Vietnam ranges, and an armored car from the Falklands range. The CLA forces are Brit and Argentinian special forces from the Falklands range, and the heavy weapons are also Vietcong/NVA/Vietminh from the Indo-china and Vietnam ranges.

The CLA force consists of the Command Stand, four rifle teams, an HMG team, two RPG teams, and their battalion commander. The regime force is comprised of a Command Stand, four rifle stands, an HMG stand, an LMG stand, and a Panhard armored car.

Overview, north is up. The bridge (objective) is at top left, with Bunkers 1 and 2 (left to right), and the Cuban barracks at top right. The CLA force entered the fight at bottom left. There is a small village at bottom right. Hill 25 is at center left.

Gettin’ down to business: a CLA RPG team looses a rocket towards a Castro-regime Panhard.

To see the whole fight (and you won’t regret it 😉 ):
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2015/06/cuba-libre-liberation-batrep-10.html

Hope you like it, I did; the fight was ferocious!

V/R,
Jack

[kyoteblue]

Alrighty !!! Oh and you used a mortar !!!!!

[Just Jack]

Yeah man, but it wasn’t very useful as the enemy’s MLR consisted of the two bunkers, which I count as having overhead cover.

I should be able to post another batrep this evening.

V/R,
Jack

[kyoteblue]

Cool I’ll look forward to reading it.

[Rod Robertson]

Just Jack:

That was quite a battle! A real scrap. Why did the Regime forces move the Panhard-90 forward without infantry protection? It could have used its main gun and coaxial at range and stayed out of RPG range. That seemed to be the only unsound move in an otherwise well fought and gripping battle. Well done, sir and keep up the great work (at a slightly more moderate pace).

Cheers and good gaming.

Rod Robertson.

[Just Jack]

Rod,

Thanks man.  Here are the answers to your questions:

1.  Why did the Regime forces move the Panhard-90 forward without infantry protection?
In these rules you don’t get to do everything you want, so moving infantry up and moving the Panhard up in the same turn were not an option.  And the issue of ‘do you send the vehicle first or the infantry first’ is sort of a chicken and egg scenario; if I send the vehicle first, it may get popped by an RPG, and if I send the infantry first, they may get popped by mortars/MGs.  Given that it was RPGs vice ATGMs, and the lower quality of the regime infantry, it made sense to me the vehicle would lead and the infantry would follow.

2.  It could have used its main gun and coaxial at range and stayed out of RPG range.
Negative, it was already in range, the board in only maybe 200 yards across, so if there’s a historical inaccuracy it’s the size of the board, not the tactic.  But, from my standpoint, I’m not changing the board; these fights are short and vicious because they’re happening at such short range.

So the armored car could have stood off and been a less lucrative target for the CLA RPGs, but then its weapons were not as effective at that range either.  That is, firing a 90mm gun at infantry you can barely see on a jungled hill is not that great a shot, so the armored car moved forward to maximize its own firepower potential.  Getting close meant it’s weapons would be devastating; not that the capability of a 90mm HE round changed, just the ability of the crew to deliver accurate fire changed (dramatically).

Please realize that, with this small table, the margins are very thin.  That is, someone was going to get hurt, either the RPG or the Panhard.  The RPG got off one shot, and got a hit; had he missed, he more than likely would not have survived to make a second shot.   So I’d just remind everyone that the small table is on purpose, and it is indeed small; this wasn’t an armored vehicle hanging back at 900 yards to pump HE rounds into a hill, the armored car was already in the thick of the melee!  Your options at that point are to leave the fight or get stuck in 😉

V/R,
Jack

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