Home Forums Modern On NATO's Northern Flank, circa 1985

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  • #21934
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    All,

    Well, I got a game in, but it’s not what you or I expected. Yes, I’m a wargaming butterfly: I’m supposed to be finishing up the dogfighting rules, I’m supposed to be playing 6mm moderns for 5Core Brigade Commander, I’m supposed to be playing KG Klink for 5Core Company Command, I thought I might try some Napoleonic stuff, I’ve still got a mountain of lead I can’t see the top of, and I go and do this… But ya know what? It was fun.

    Another reason I did this was because someone on TMP (Sasquatch on the Cold War board) said he was getting into Cold War/Modern stuff and was looking for a 1:1 ruleset, and The Commissar mentioned Company Command and linked to my old KG Klink batreps. I figured the least I could do was play a Cold War/Modern game and post it. Not to mention, I’ve been dying to get my modern USMC on the table.

    So, what do we have? Well, it’s roundabouts 1985 and the balloon has gone up in Europe; the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division (whom I have a passing acquaintance with) is the air alert battalion and immediately departs for Norway, NATO’s northern flank. As they land, gear is already being off-loaded from the Maritime Pre-Positioned Ships for battalion to fall in on. They hit the marshaling areas on the run, and patrols are immediately sent out. In this case, an attachment from 2nd LAI (Light Armored Infantry Battalion, which is what they were called before they became Light Armored Reconnaissance, or LAR) spots Soviet forces moving in on the village of Smellysardinso (fictional). A call for reinforcements goes out, and Marines are immediately dispatched from Alpha and Weapons Companies. But the Soviets are aggressive and push across the ford, arriving in the ville just as the Marine reinforcements arrive. A quick, sharp fight ensues; the Marines are victorious (of course), the Soviets recoil (fall back to have an artillery regiment flatten the entire grid square).

    What follows is the account of the Battle of Smellysardinso (at the blog):
    http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2015/04/on-natos-northern-flank-circa-1985.html


    I was going to show both sides’ forces, but I know we really only care about the USMC side, right?

    The Marines: these are pretty much all Minifigs. Command stand at top left, two Amtracs (plastics from Takara). Each carries two fireteams, then one has a SMAW and the other a TOW. Then there’s an LAV carrying a fireteam of scouts and an MG team. Lastly we have a Combined Anti-Armor Team, or CAAT, of two HMMWVs. One has a TOW, and the other is a gun truck (with a .50 cal to suppress the tank while the TOW is in flight). The LAV and HMMWVs are Minifigs.

    I love playing campaigns, hate ‘one-off’ games, as the toys are just pieces, no personality. I’ll be using such dramatic identifiers as “Team 3,” “the MG team,” and “Track 2.”


    These have been such a hit with my modern dogfight games, I just had to get them on the table: a Marine TOW let’s rip at a Soviet T-72.

    A thoroughly enjoyable fight, which could have easily gone either way (and was really looking like it was going to be the Russkies coming out on top), in about an hour and a half. I also got quite a bit done on the troops for KG Klink in France; they’re painted and based, just need to flock them (for some reason I haven’t been dull coating lately). The invasion of France is on schedule for next weekend, stay tuned.

    V/R,
    Jack

    #21937
    Avatar photoIvan Sorensen
    Participant

    Very nice.
    Did you make any changes for fire teams or just keep things simple?

    #21945
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Semper Fi !!!

    #21955
    Avatar photoRod Robertson
    Participant

    Just Jack:

    To thyne own self be true! But 63 photos, only! Perhaps its time do a report using stop-motion filming so you can animate it like a Ray Harryhausen film. Marines vs. the Gwangi.

    A very interesting report which kept me up past my bed-time and which will result in me being a cranky boy tomorrow. Poor students. I think I will have to read the narrative again because I just tried to say something smart or insightful and I am drawing a blank. But I do remember liking it. Good night and I will re=post when I am lucid!

    One sheep, two sheep, three sheep…..

    Cheers and good gaming.

    Rod Robertson

    #21958
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    I still love your pipe cleaner missile plumes !!!

    #21964
    Avatar photoJozisTinMan
    Participant

    Nice!  I like seeing your USMC stuff, as it is a nice change of pace from what most people game (myself included) with hordes of T-whatever’s versus M-1/Chieftan/Leopard.

    Great looking table and pictures too.

    http://jozistinman.blogspot.com/

    #22021
    Avatar photoRod Robertson
    Participant

    Just  Jack:

    Great report. As Kyote said I love the pipe-cleaner missiles. The battle was fun to read and as always Jack, you know how to describe a military action to a tee. I would think that Marines would object to being”kicked out” all the time. Perhaps it’s time for them to unionize! : ). The decision to withdraw and fight in and around the ruins of the village was an interesting one which I don’t clearly understand. Also, since the Soviets already had the ruins preregistered from the earlier bombardment why not drop some fire into the town while the Soviet Road Opening Detachment is still advancing and have them lean into the barrage. This hopefully keeps ambushes suppressed and allows the armour heavy tanks and BMP’s to get in close and to dismount protecting infantry as soon as the fire lets up. The Soviets should have arrived during the barrage, not minutes after it! That is Soviet doctrine Comrade! Ask David Isby if you don’t believe me! Perhaps poor road conditions? That’s why they should have an IMR with them! Shoot the retreating Soviet commander please! Reinforce success and punish under performance.

    What were the minimum ranges in inches for the Dragon ATGW’s, and the TOW I Missiles? They seem to e engaging enemy targets at very close range but maybe thats an illusion due to the ground scale. The terrain was very closed but a T-72 or two is going to be a big problem if it gets under the minimum range of the American ATGW’s. The minimum range of the TOW at this time was around 75 yards if memory serves me correctly and the Dragon was about 160 yards wasn’t it? My memory is vague so I may be wrong. Had the Soviets driven their heavy armour from their road opening detachment down the American throats things could have gone very badly for the Yanks. So why did the Soviets not get stuck in faster? Is this a choice that you (Jack) made or is there a mechanism in the rules which determines how aggressive the maneuvers of the enemy will be. Soviet doctrine in the 1980’s was very aggressive, especially with the hasty attack off the road march.

    All in all a fascinating report and an intriguing scenario! Too many pictures however, they just distract me from my Buddha-like contemplation  of Just Jack’s “War on a Lotus Blossom” mini-games. Oh did I say Lotus Blossom, I meant ratty rug segments!

    Rodina Robertski NKVD

     

    #22023
    Avatar photoRod Robertson
    Participant

    Oh Jack, I forgot to mention that the models looked great! Bravo, sir.

    #22024
    Avatar photoIvan Sorensen
    Participant

    I didn’t assign minimum ranges, purely because it’s generic so an “AT unit” can be anything from an AT rifle to a Panzerfaust team to a Dragon, depending on era.

    Players can assign those as suits their time frame.

    (Cheap, I know 🙂 )

    #22026
    Avatar photoRod Robertson
    Participant

    Ivan:

    No minimum ranges? Well then I guess I’ll just have to let Just Jack off the hook for that one and invite you  for a chat at the Hotel Lubyanka!

    Don’t trouble yourself. We’ll send over the black sedan and the badly dressed bully boys!

    Rodina Robertski NKVD

    #22028
    Avatar photoIvan Sorensen
    Participant

    I’ve already denounced you as a defeatist traitor to the chairman himself.

    Don’t sully your desk when they take you away, more loyal citizens, who are totally not me, will want it in neat condition.

    I should probably add a note about it though, for good measure

    #22030
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    I thought something was missing…. now we know it was the Pride of the Soviet Army the Artillery !!!!

    #22031
    Avatar photoRod Robertson
    Participant

    Ivan:

    Have you ever played the board game called Kremlin? Your now apparent skill at Soviet style intrigue and back-stabbing would make you a natural at this game.

    I also have been meaning to ask you if you ever played the RPG RuneQuest? I think I saw an e-mail address of yours that lead me to think that you might have.

    Kyotebleu:

    I just took delivery of my Soviet Era tanks, MICV’s and APC’s for my modern skirmish game. Now my Afghan, Middle Easten and African baddies will have some heavy weapons too. T-55’s, T-62’s, BMP-1’s and BTR’s ! It’s going to be fun painting a super-weathering these fine Khurasan models into Third-World near-wrecks and growlers.

    Cheers and good gaming.

    Rod Robertson.

    #22032
    Avatar photoIvan Sorensen
    Participant

    I haven’t but I play a pretty decent game of Twilight Struggle 🙂

    And yes, big fan of Runequest since the old days. I actually played it before D&D. (Or more accurately, a Swedish origin game that was based off Runequest).

    Still the game I compare every other RPG to.

    #22033
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Good for you Rod, I didn’t think Khurasan was still in buisness.  I have 24 T-55’s  mostly BF  5 T-72  from QRF and some other Russian odds and ends I should take a picture of them and post on my facebook…..

    #22034
    Avatar photoIvan Sorensen
    Participant

    I think that’s more than the real-life Albanian military 🙂

    #22036
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Damn, too much here to address all at once, I’m trying to post another batrep!  Quickly –

    “I would think that Marines would object to being”kicked out” all the time.”
    We’re used to it 😉

    “The Soviets should have arrived during the barrage, not minutes after it!”
    But they didn’t and the Marines got their in-between.

    “What were the minimum ranges in inches for the Dragon ATGW’s, and the TOW I Missiles?”
    I was running the TOWs at about 6″, and I didn’t have Dragons, those were AT-4s, which I was using point blank.

    “So why did the Soviets not get stuck in faster?”
    Each turn I come up with a few different courses of action, the roll to see which on the enemy will follow.  The dice said they were less than aggressive, though, to be fair, to be super aggressive simply would have meant running T-72s up into AT-equipped infantry in houses (in such cases I make the tanks roll to spot infantry that haven’t fired, giving the edge to the infantry).

    “Oh did I say Lotus Blossom, I meant ratty rug segments!”
    Oy ye bastid.

    “I’ve already denounced you as a defeatist traitor to the chairman himself.”
    Man, you two really ARE communists!

    And enough with the Rune-Twighlight-Dragon crap, we’re trying to talk about proper wargaming here 😉

    Stand by for another batrep.

    V/R,
    Jack

    #22037
    Avatar photoIvan Sorensen
    Participant

    Jack is trying to hide his Gandalf costume.

    #22038
    Avatar photoRod Robertson
    Participant

    Ivan:

    I was and still am a hardcore RuneQuest Junkie! I bought my first set of rules in 1980 and fell in love with Sandy Petersen’s game mechanics and Greg Stafford’s exotic and fascinating world of Glorantha.  I played and refereed games using RuneQuest I, II, III and the experimental IV rules. I never made the transition to Hero Wars or HeroQuest and I haven’t made my mind up yet about RQVI.  Do you still get a chance to play once in a while? I have a couple of old friends with whom I have played RQ for 35 years now and we very occasionally get together to play a session or two every year. Good stuff that.

    Also you should have a look at Kremlin, it’s a riot to play the silly version of the game and the historical version will have you sweating bullets.

    Cheers and great gaming.

    Rod Robertson.

    #22039
    Avatar photoIvan Sorensen
    Participant

    Pop me a message at [email protected] and we can talk shop 🙂

    #22040
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”

    #22041
    Avatar photoRod Robertson
    Participant

    Ivan:

    I’ll do that soon but I’m bushed  now so I’m going to pack it in now. I’ll drop you a line in the next couple of days. Who knows maybe we can convert these reprobates into RPG players. I can see it now. Kyotebroo, Just Jack’o’Bear, the Praxian War Panda, the possibilities are endless!

    Cheers and good gaming.

    Rod Robertson

    #22043
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Hey Guys I posted the pics of my QRF modern-ish Soviet/Russian armor to my facebook. So if ya want you can go take a look at it…yeah I need to repair and repaint it but it’s all there.

    #22045
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Never got into Rune Quest but I love Call of Cthulhu . Played some Twilight 2000 back in the day and ran Chill and Ghostbusters .

    #22060
    Avatar photoRod Robertson
    Participant

    Just Jack wrote:

    “Man, you two really ARE communists!” Jack of course we’re not communists, we’re International Revolutionary Trotskyites!

    And now for some light entertainment from our cousins in the decadent and corrupt USA:

    Cheers and World Revolution against the running-dog capitalist imperialists and their soft-socialist lap-dogs.

    Comrade Rodin Robertski NKVD.

    #22084
    Avatar photoRod Robertson
    Participant

    Just Jack:

    You wrote:

    “I was running the TOWs at about 6″, and I didn’t have Dragons, those were AT-4s, which I was using point blank.”

    Hey, wait a minute! AT4’s were not in the US inventory until 1987 and they were only used in anger for the first time in Panama in 1989. These c. 1985 Marines either have a secret Swedish source for ATGW’s or there is something fishy going on here. You should have had Dragons as the M47 was the only medium to short range ATGW available to the US forces in or around 1985. And Dragons do have long minimum ranges!

    I insist that you replay the game with the proper equipment for the time and then write on the black-board, “I will not add anachronisms into my wargames again.”. Write that phrase fifty times on the board please and think about the concept of temporal constraint while you do it. If this should happen again I will have to contact your parents and have a long talk with them about your future!

    Cheers and good chronology.

    Rod Robertson.

    #22085
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    The Horror !!!

    #22130
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    I meant M72 LAWs 😉

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