French Foreign Legion in Estonia, Fight 2

[Just Jack]

 

All,

August 11, 1993: Major Louis-Louis called Captain LaPieux into his command post: “Captain, we believe the Sirellists (rebels, named after their commander Colonel Sirel) are encamped northeast of Talinn, in some very rough ground, very swampy. I need you to conduct a route reconnaissance, and secure for the task force a means through the marshes. Take a look at the map. You’ll see here (pointing to the map) is probably the most likely spot, with a semi-improved road crossing two fords through the marsh, as well as a railroad line on a raised embankment with its own bridge. Take your task force and secure our route through the marshes!” “Oui, Major.”

At approximately 1530 local time the company task force approached the grid coordinates, comprised of two infantry platoons in armored personnel carriers, a platoon of light tanks (Panhards with 90mm guns), and an HQ section of the Captain, 1st Sgt, Medical Orderly, RTO, and an 81mm mortar section in Land Rovers.

The table is 3′ x 3′, top is east and is the ‘bad guy’ baseline, bottom is west and is the ‘good guy’ baseline.’ You can see the road leading right through the two fords, the railroad on the left, and a small hamlet in the center. The ‘rivers’ are actually streams which can be crossed by infantry (at a small penalty) but not vehicles, which must use the fords or the railroad bridge.

The French force, commanded by Captain LaPieux. Only one carrier platoon will be represented on the table top as three of the infantry teams were ordered dismounted as the task force neared the objective area.

The Sirellist force, with a platoon of T-72s, two platoons of BMPs, and six rifle teams, four of which have RPGs.

It was great fight, this time with extra close combat 😉

So stop on by the blog to see how it turned out:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2014/11/ffl-in-estonia-fight-2.html

On a side note, if you’ve been paying attention here you’ve probably noticed I’ve been anguishing about an Imagi-Nation-type situation to serve as a background for another campaign in which I’ll bust out my 6mm and 20mm forces. I’m starting to think it will spring from this campaign; the French are here to protect the liberal government from regressive, Soviet/Russian leaning forces. I’m thinking that Poland, Estonia, and Latvia begin banding together as a means to stave off Russia (whom they know will return to power at some point in the future) as well as the Sirellists. So my Legionnaires come in, do their job, and leave, and NATO begins pumping arms and equipment into Poland, Estonia, and Latvia, but the Sirellists become stronger and stronger, until ultimately a ‘civil’ war erupts. Voila, a decent amount of land to work with, and WarPac and NATO equipment on both sides, with qualitatively similar forces. Pretty clever, no?

V/R,
Jack

[Rod Robertson]

Juste Jacque:

A very interesting engagement which you have narrated well. The FFL probably did the right thing by taking a more defensive stance and not moving far off the positions they took at the start of the meeting engagement. To try and manoeuvre Panhard-90’s against BMP’s and T-72’s would likely have been suicidal. The best that the FFL could hope for was a strong counter attack by fire while their infantry attacked by manoeuvre and fire. Why are the FFL using War-Pact equipment and not French VAB’s or French trucks?

Rod Robertson

[kyoteblue]

Looks good Dude, moved into the house…tons of room for gaming stuff. Now we just need an internet connection !!! More soon.

[Just Jack]

Rod,

Thanks for looking and posting comments.  It was a lot of fun, an I had another today which I’ll post when I can.  Regarding the loss of initiative, you’re absolutely right about not wanting run the Panhards up against T-72s, but what I wanted to do was push up the infantry AT teams to engage on my terms, rather than having the bad guys come charging all over me!

“Why are the FFL using War-Pact equipment and not French VAB’s or French trucks?”
I’m not following you, what do you mean?  In this fight the French had Panhards and AMX-10Ps.  Are you referring to the last paragraph about the future campaign in the Baltic States?  What I’m talking about there is a setting for my giant 6mm war, between pro-Western elements and pro-Soviet elements (“Sirellists”) in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.  This will occur after the French in this campaign conclude their mission to quell Colonel Sirel’s rebellion.

The idea is that this French campaign will conclude in one of two ways: the French kill Colonel Sirel and leave Estonia proudly, or the French try to kill Colonel Sirel and fail miserably, with heavy casualties, and depart Estonia with their tails between their legs.  For my purposes, the Baltic States band together as a means to keep Russia from intervening, but then the pro-Western/pro-Soviet split intensifies (dead Sirel  is a martyr, live Sirel is lionized) and ‘civil war’ breaks out.  I get a decent-sized land mass to fight over, Russia is not directly involved, the forces are qualitatively similar, I can field NATO and WarPac equipment on both sides (as former Soviet Republics/satellites they had WarPac equipment, and NATO pushed in equipment in an attempt to gain influence; military leadership was roughly equal in loyalty to either faction, and so when leaders made their choice they took their units and equipment with them), and I can draw up OOBs and doctrine however I want!

***I NEED YOUR HELP!  Sorry I wrote a damn novel, so I hope you make it this far.  My Google-Fu is weak, and I’m not able to find French military citations for valor.  Do you have something, in order of precedence?  All I’ve found is a really weak Wikipedia page that doesn’t answer the mail in terms of precedence (it confuses things by stating there are military medals and civilian medals, and then there are military AND civilian medals, they’ve mixed in discontinued medals with no real way of telling what is current, there seem to be some missing (I know I’ve heard of the French Croix de Guerre, but I don’t see it listed), and (perhaps most importantly) they don’t explain the criteria or similar US medals (i.e., this is given for heroic action in combat, this is given for heroic action going above and beyond…, or this is equivalent to a US Distinguished Service cross, etc…).

Kyote – I’m glad to hear things are going well, now hurry up and get in the fight!

V/R,
Jack

[Rod Robertson]

Just Jack:

I thought the AMX 10P’s were BMP-3’s. They were a little hard to make out. I don’t think the FFL use AMX 10P’s so my French  AICV radar was not on.

Try looking at this sight for military honours of France. Scroll down for some more recent ones. There are other sites in French but this one is in English:

http://www.gwpda.org/medals/frenmedl/france.html

More comments to follow but I am in a rush now.

Rod Robertson.

[Rod Robertson]

Juste Jacques:

Have a look here. It is in French but should be easy enough to follow.

http://www.medailles-officielles.com/medailles-et-decorations-militaires,medailles-pendantes-francaises-actuelles,41,41,0.html

Does le Pieux have a first name and is it by any chance, “Pepe”? Just wondering because if that is the case he must be driving around in a German Iltis and no other vehicle!

Cheers.

Rod Robertson

[Just Jack]

Rod,

Awesome, thanks for the help!  I need to study it a bit more, it’s still a little confusing.  It looks like it really comes down to only one real decoration for valor (Légion d’Honneur), which also gets you the Croix de Guerre as sort of a bonus, and the Médaille Militaire, which is only for high-level commanders or NCOs that distinguish themselves in combat.  Am I reading that right?  I hope not…

“I don’t think the FFL use AMX 10P’s…”  They did when the intervened in Estonia in 1993 to take out Colonel Sirel 😉

“…is it by any chance, “Pepe”?”  Uh-oh, they’re on to me.  Major Louis-Louis actually calls him by his first name in the next batrep, which I wrote BEFORE I saw your comment!

Thanks for your help Rod.

V/R,
Jack

[kyoteblue]

I are back on line !! More laters.

[Rod Robertson]

He’s back!

[kyoteblue]

Yes I’m back but busy unpacking all of Joyce’s stuff and doing load after load of laundry… My gaming stuff sit’s forlorn in the corner of the Man Cave….But for yall I would have no hobby.

[Author]

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