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  • #99639
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    All,

    Current situation: It’s 27 July 1990 in South Leon. Free Cuba had a small force, Task Force Fulgencio (a company of Marines, a company of paras, and a detachment of Special Forces), on the ground since 1 May, assisting the government of South Leon with its internal insurgency by the Free Leon Army (FLA), supported by its Communist neighbor to the north, Fédération Socialiste Nationale de Leon (FSNL), which not only supports the FLA against the South Leon government, but has quietly infiltrated troops, weapons, and supplies to them across the DMZ for years. But all of that became not so quiet on 24 July 1990, when the FSNL Army launched a cross border invasion that marched all the way to the center of the country, capturing the capital city of Pendrakenville and the major regional hub, Diwala. The Cuban forces in country were quite fortunate at the timing of it all: the company of Marines, AKA Task Force Redleg, under 1st Lt Ordonez, had recently fought a series of short, sharp fights on the DMZ, followed by the company of paras, AKA Task Force Razor, under Soares, was sucked into a series of hellacious fights in the urban sprawl of Diwala, against a suddenly very aggressive FLA.

    Following the fights in Diwala, TF Razor was in very bad shape, so Captain Soares pulled his company out of Diwala to lick its wounds, falling back to the northwest, just north of Pendrakenville, and TF Redleg withdrew south from the DMZ to cover them. This was quite fortunate as soon after the FSNL Army stormed across the border, running roughshod over the South Leon Army units in its way, pushing south to capture the capital, then east to capture Diwala. Task Forces Razor and Redleg found themselves isolated and cut off, but relatively safe, for the time being.

    Back in Havana, troops were immediately marshalled and dispatched. The heavy forces, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles of Major Chavez’ A Company, 4th Armored Infantry (AKA Task Force Hammer) and 1st Lt Madre-Animral’s F Company, 8 Commando (AKA Task Force Bowie) required a beach or a port in order to put ashore, so 1st Lt Villagrosa’s SF Detachment 212, AKA TF Dusty, was ordered to parachute in north of the landing beaches to draw FSNL/FLA forces away (Operation Currahee), and then 1st Lt Espinale’s paratroopers, AKA TF Hawk, jumped in to screen the landing beaches (Operation Geronimo). Both airborne drops were successful, allowing TF Hammer and Bowie to brings their vehicles and heavy weapons ashore. They immediately began pushing east, towards Pendrakenville, bagging large numbers of FSNL/FLA prisoners, which actually slowed their advance and allowed enemy forces in the Pendrakenville area to face about and prepare a defense. The newly arrived Cuban forces went firm, securing their lodgment in South Leon and beginning the task of stockpiling ammunition and supplies for the upcoming fight. Meanwhile, TF Razor and Redleg remained cutoff north of Pendrakenville, as FSNL forces continued to flow across the border into South Leon.

    The immediate focus of Brigadier Habanero became to repatriate his wayward Task Forces, and to stop the FSNL Army in the north from reinforcing Pendrakenville and Diwala. 1st Lt Gouveia’s ODA 313 (AKA TF Black), located with TF Razor and Redleg, and TF Dusty were tasked with Phase 1 of Operation Chunky Bandit, the reconquest of South Leon. Phase 1a would see TF Black attack east of Route 1 (the major north-south route in the center of the country, running from the DMZ to Pendrakenville), establishing commanding observation points to aid in the delivery of interdictory strikes by Cuban tactical air support. Phase 1b would see TF Dusty and Captain Stelosavo’s B Squadron, OD Phoenix (TF 23, Cuban Tier 1 operators) attack west of Route 1 in order to locate and neutralize the FSNL command and control center there.

    Phase 2 would see Major Fulgencio lead Task Forces Razor and Redleg in a breakout to the west, where they would link up with Cuban forces that just landed, and then Phase 3 would see the combined force push east to liberate the capital city of Pendrakenville, and then Diwala.


    The Phase 1a series of fights sees Lt Gouveia’s TF Black move into an area northwest of Pendrakenville, just east of Route 1. To their immediate northwest is Hill 114, the dominating terrain feature they’re looking for to establish an OP on and call in Cuban tactical air. The past two days have seen South Leon Army forces attacking FSNL troops occupying Hill 114, to no avail, and so the Cubans have stepped in to take over the area of operations. Knowing they have time as freshly landed Cuban task forces (Hammer, Bowie, Dusty, Hawk, and 23) form up and prepare for the attack on Pendrakenville, and being severely outnumbered, Lt Gouveia has made the choice to carry out operations to reduce the enemy forces in and around Hill 114 only at night, where he figures his highly trained Special Forces troops will have a significant advantage. I’ve also worked in a neat little campaign mechanic for Phase 1a.

    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/08/operation-chunky-bandit-mini-campaign.html
    Phase 1a campaign plan

    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/09/operation-chunky-bandit-1.html
    Fight #1

    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/09/operation-chunky-bandit-2.html
    Fight #2

    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/09/operation-chunky-bandit-3.html
    Fight #3

    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/09/operation-chunky-bandit-4.html
    Fight #4

    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/09/operation-chunky-bandit-5.html
    Fight #5

    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/09/operation-chunky-bandit-6.html
    Fight #6

    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/09/operation-chunky-bandit-7.html
    Fight #7

    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/09/operation-chunky-bandit-8.html
    Fight #8

    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/09/task-force-black-roster.html
    TF Black Roster

    Next up is a series of fights where TF Black augments local South Leon Army forces to assault Hill 114.

    V/R,
    Jack

    #99641
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    You have put a lot of work into this Jack. I’ll post more as I read each AAR.

    #99643
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Read the first one love the mat the terrain and kinda felt let down over the walk over the Cubans had. Maybe they will get into a real fight in the next one.

    #99693
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Number 2 is another walkover for the Cubans.

    #99694
    Avatar photoDeleted User
    Member

    So you’re the one behind Cuba Libre. I’ve been following the blog for a while especially the air combat batreps. Those blogs were behind a lot of my wargaming motivations. This board looks really good, I really like the tall grass and the jungle style trees. The layout looks legit, I’d bet those were fun games.

    I’m tempted to go 3mm/6mm version of this.

    #99700
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Mission 3 and another walkover for the Cubans.

    #99705
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Mission 4 and the Cubans take some casualties.

    #99709
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Mission 5 was much better both sides fought well and it was give and take down to the last action.

    #99710
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Kyote – I’m sorry you’re not happy when the good guys win; you seem disappointed things are going easy for my boys.  I have some bad news: every time I play I’m hoping to win, and win easy 😉  I have good news for you though, soon the Cubans will begin getting their asses kicked.  Also, you don’t need to do a one-line synopsis of each fight, let everyone else read’em themselves! 😉

    Thomaston – Yes Sir, that’s me, and I’m very happy to hear that about my blog.  I’m constantly banging on about four blogs I used to read that motivated me to get off my lazy ass and start playing more games and blogging them, and so it’s awesome to hear I might have helped a gamer out, too.  And yeah, I’ve gone all in, here are my blogs (minus Cuba Libre, which you’ve already seen, and are linked above):

    https://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/
    The is the original, the one where it all started.  Now it’s mostly all my completed painting projects, but there are still almost 200 batreps on there, including several big campaigns (“Kampgruppe Klink” is probably the most infamous, and still ongoing).

    https://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/
    Here’s my blog for Marines in the Pacific during WWII.  At least it started that way, it keeps growing, adding sea, and now air, probably some Australians…

    https://swordofgideonwargaming.blogspot.com/
    This my blog for following a platoon of Israelis through the Arab-Israeli Wars.  Dormant for a year now, I will most definitely get back to this.  This is part of what your Mirages and MiG-21s were for.

    https://hakunamatatawars.blogspot.com/
    This was a blog for the modern day wars between two African Imagi-nations, played out in 3mm.  It’s been dormant for the past two years, and I don’t believe I possess the necessary strength to re-energize it.  I’m about to start a massive WWII Caen project, and I think what’s going to happen is I convert Hakuna-Matata to host my Caen fights.

    On a separate note, could you email me, please?  big jack mac (at) hot mail (dot) com

    V/R,
    Jack

    #99712
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    I like an even fight, Jack.  Australians you say!!! Gona the Kokoda trail??? Give me details damn it!!!

    #99716
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Mission 6 Zoom, zoom.

    #99717
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Mission 7 now that was great!

    #99718
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Mission 8 was … man, you got your butt kicked.

    #99750
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    An even fight???  Why would I want an even fight, I’m trying to win, and not get all my guys whacked in the process!  Just for that, I’m not going to tell about my plans for the Australians.

    Other than to say I’m going to follow a squad or platoon through North Africa vs the Italians, then call them home for New Guinea, got turned on by the book “Touched by Fire.”

    Anyway, don’t want to distract from this. Next up the South Leon Army, with Lobo’s guys serving as advisors, will attack and hold Hill 114, then the high speed shooters are going after enemy command and control, then the Marine and Paratrooper companies in the north have to break out of the encirclement, then the combined Cuban forces have to take Pendrakenville and Diwala, and then launch a counteroffensive to push the FSNL back across the border to the north. And there will be an aerial campaign running concurrently.

    V/R,

    Jack

    #99753
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    An even fight makes for a more exciting read…. I’m going to have to get that book!!! Who wrote Touched By Fire????????

    #99762
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Eric Bergerud, published in 97.

    Again, I can’t have, and don’t want even fights all the time.  I actually took a lot of satisfaction in the first three missions going like clockwork, elite troops whacking average troops they ambushed, it went down just like plenty of actions I’ve read from the Vietnam War, only difference being the Cubans didn’t use claymores.

    V/R,

    Jack

    #99764
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Thanks for the name, I’ll try to get it via the library.

    #99770
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Why not let the Cubans use Claymores??? The other guys got booby traps.

     

    #99773
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Because that would be even more of a one-sided fight.  You’re complaining about the Cubans successfully executing an ambush, now you say they should initiate the ambush with Claymores; there’s not going to be much of a fight afterwards (when facing only a 7-man enemy patrol), just checking for intel and egress.

    V/R,

    Jack

    #99774
    Avatar photoDeleted User
    Member

    Finished reading the whole thing. I’m disappointed there wasn’t a single helo medivac. I liked how things gradually got worst as attrition took it’s toll.

    Suggestion, maybe instead of sticking to the planned encounters you could add in choices of calling in reinforcement/evac/medivac in exchange for inactivity in the next encounter. Weighing between short term success against long term.

    #99775
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    If Jack’s games were set in Vietnam instead of South Leon maybe we would see some Medivacs. The setting always weirds me out.

    #99777
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    But I do like your maps and how you handled patrol movement.

    #99780
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    First, let me explain the whole Cronistria/South Leon/Free Cuba thing.  Kyote and I have been through this a dozen times, but I’ll hit it once quick for the new guy 😉  I made up my own world history, which is intertwined with real-life history, so that I have the freedom to do whatever I want, using whatever models I want, in whatever kind of terrain I want.  So for this part of the operation, I felt like playing some Vietnam-era Special Forces vs Vietcong, so I worked it into the narrative.  The next set of fights is going to 10mm US Army vs NVA, followed by some skirmish fights using ultramodern figures (the SEALs from Khurasan), then on to more 10mm action using modern US, Brits, Israelis, and French, vs insurgents and WarPac troops.  All because I feel like it 😉

    Second, what do you guys mean you want to see medevacs?  Do you mean actual medevac, i.e., medical evacuation, or do you really mean helo extraction?  From my standpoint it didn’t really make sense to do medevac; one, the actions were taking place in the middle of the night, which discourages the use of medevac in hostile territory, and second, you’d really want to get the casualty out of no-man’s land to a relatively safe area in order to perform the medevac.  That is, you want to get the casualty stabilized and moved away from hostile fire, then call in the helo to pick him up and take him to the field hospital, so, for my purposes, that was getting the guy off the table via the bottom right corner of the map.

    Having said that, I did consider using a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) when the Cubans started getting their butts handed to them, or even doing a “Uncommon Valor”-style hot extract (met overwhelming enemy force, call for extract, and running for the helos), but I ultimately decided the point of this eight-fight exercise was to test out the campaign system Jimmi gave me, not to do a bunch of messing around with it.  Yet.

    I did play one of those ‘running for the LZ’ type scenarios years ago, it was incredibly fun.  Here it is:
    http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2013/08/recon-on-run.html

    I hope to get through the assault on Hill 114 and into the SOF hits on the bad guy command, control, and comms centers this weekend, so stay tuned for more batreps!

    V/R,
    Jack

    #99823
    Avatar photoDeleted User
    Member

    I was expecting the Cubans to have more support and have a helo on call since they were commandos. Extract the casualties and the rest possible continue with their patrol.I was thinking along the line that they had to come back every day it would have made more sense to set up a little patrol harbor and stay in the field.

    From the moment I saw the board I was already eyeing possible landing zones so I was a little bias.

    #99825
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Thomaston if you have not read Jack’s other blogs they are much better….Sorry, Jack I just like the Marines and Israelis better.

    #99827
    Avatar photoDeleted User
    Member

    I’ve been following his blogs on and off for a while. With this board layout shouts HELICOPTER to me.

    #99831
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    LOL.  I know right!!

    #99837
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Oh, you two are killing me! 😉

    You have to keep in mind that I try to keep ground scale roughly 1:1, so that whole table is only about 600m x 400m, dominated by Hill 114 to the northwest, a known enemy defensive position, so not a great spot to set helos down.  The small table is also why I decided to play the fights out at night; during daylight hours the whole table would be in LOS, and that’s why I’m saying the Cuban SF patrol base was established off table to the southeast, probably another klick away that direction.

    Regarding the other blogs, I’m working on it.  I’ve already told Kyote the hold up (inspiration on how to move forward after my platoon got shot to pieces) on Sword of Gideon, and there are several problems with Old Lead Breed:

    1) I need to catch up with naval fights (if I want to stay in chronological order)
    2) I need to catch up on the aerial fights (if I want to stay in chronological order, and Thomaston is helping me with this very problem as we speak!)
    3) I cannot decide how to proceed with the Marine platoon, if I’m going to continue to play platoon-sized fights, or move lower and play (linked) squad-sized fights.  Part of this is pure lazy on my part: I enjoy the platoon-level fights, but they simply take soooooooo long in terms of setup, play, takedown, and write up.  I’m just worried I won’t get the right flavor playing squad-sized, but I’ve really got to be in the right mood to play those long platoon-sized fights, and it takes me awhile to get back into that frame of mind to play a set of those fights (witness the gap between the Philippines and DEI).  Also, I don’t really have a good island/beach setup, guess I need to fix that…

    Anyway, I’ll leave you two tactical geniuses to figure out your own schemes of maneuver, and I’ll handle mine 😉  But don’t worry, in the next set of SOF fights (TF 23 and TF Dusty) there will be some ‘hard hits’ where helo/fast rope insertions will be the order of the day, for which I’ve got Blackhawks and Little Birds.

    V/R,
    Jack

    #99846
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Woo Hoo we get Choppers !!!

    #99849
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Indeed, there shall be choppas…

    #99954
    Avatar photoDeleted User
    Member

    What rules did you use for Hakuna-Matata? Never mind found it on the blog.

    #100072
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    All,

    Current situation: It’s 0530 on 4 August 1990 in South Leon, and 1st Lt “Lobo” Gouveia has solicited the support of local South Leon Army (SLA) units to divert precious resources to carry out an operation to take Hill 114, following which Lt Gouveia’s ODA-313, AKA “Task Force Black,” will establish an Observation Post (OP) overlooking Route 1 (the major north-south artery which enemy troops are using to reinforce Pendrakenville and Diwala) and call in air strikes to halt the flow of enemy forces, which was the original plan. Lt Gouveia’s team spent the past week engaging enemy forces in vicinity of Hill 114, both inflicting and taking heavy casualties, and on the night the Cuban commandos were set to infiltrate Hill 114 and establish their OP they were ambushed on Bridge #1. Not only did the Cubans not accomplish their mission, thereby forcing the delay of the coming offensive to re-take Pendrakenville and Diwala, but they also allowed an enemy logistical column to sneak “special munitions” out of the area.

    Lt Gouveia has been promised a SLA mechanized battalion, and he has secured (limited amounts of) Cuban air support. The desired end-state is joint Cuban/SLA possession of Hill 114; to that end, the SLA battalion scheme of maneuver is to probe to the northeast of Hill 114 (this fight, which is taking place directly north of the map used for Operation Chunky Bandit fights 1-8), seeking to find an opening in the enemy defenses and exploit it with a hasty attack on the objective, or go firm and secure the right flank of the attack. While this is occurring, Cuban air support will pound Hill 30 (at center right of the Op CB fights 1-8), and then SLA forces will assault and hold Hill 30 (will be Op CB #10) to secure a position to support the Hill 114 assault by fire and secure the left flank of the attack. The SLA command, of course, expects the enemy to vigorously counterattack Hill 30 (will be Op CB #11). Then SLA forces will conduct an air assault to the northwest of Hill 114 (off the map for Op CB fights 1-8 to top left) to isolate the objective, preventing withdrawal and reinforcement (this will be Op CB #12), and then the assault on Hill 114 will commence (will be Op CB #13). Again, SLA leadership presumes the enemy will vigorously counterattack if Hill 114 falls (will hopefully be Op CB #14, assuming the attack on Hill 114 succeeds, but that applies pretty much to all of these).

    So Staff Sergeant “Tahoe” Gallarraga has been assigned to accompany the SLA mechanized battalion’s A Company, whose mission is to see if they can catch the enemy off guard and sneak onto the backside of Hill 114, or, if not, secure some terrain features northeast of Hill 114 in order to secure the right flank of the assault on Hill 114.


    Overview, north is up. Hill 114, the ultimate objective, is at bottom left, though I wouldn’t expect the SLA troops to be able to just mosey on up there. At top center is Hill 27, at right is Hill 29, at center is village #1, top right is village #2, and at bottom right is village #3. The river is crossable, with penalty, by infantry anywhere; vehicles can only cross at the three fords (top left, top center, and bottom center), and infantry cross at the fords without penalty. Unfortunately for the SLA/Cubans, the bad guys were expecting trouble to the northeast, so they’re well prepared, with defensive positions on Hill 114 (bottom left), an outpost on Hill 27 (top center), and roving patrols between them (top left). The SLA forces had divided into two roughly equal parts: top right, and far right, with their mortar set up on the lee of Hill 29 (far right).


    The opposing forces, with SLA on the right and FSNL (communist neighbors to the north) at left. The troops are all Pendraken 10mm, except the Cuban (singly-based dude at bottom center right), which is Minifigs UK. The M-113 ACAV is also Pendraken, though the M-48 is plastic from Takara. The two bunkers at bottom left are from Flashpoint Miniatures, and the sandbagged position is from Miniature Building Authority. I’m playing this series of fights (the SLA operation to take Hill 114) using Ivan Sorensen’s “Squad Hammer” rules, modified a bit.


    It’s tough work cleaning out bunkers. To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
    http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2018/09/operation-chunky-bandit-9.html

    Anyway, next up is the fight for Hill 45. Hill 45, you’ll recall from Operation Chunky Bandit fights numbers 4 and 5, is not a happy place, the Cubans having been dealt a bloody nose their, twice. In any case, Company B, with SSgt “Gundog” Baerga, is currently in the assembly line, preparing to step off in the attack, as Cuban F-4 Phantoms mercilessly pound Hill 45 and the village of Siagnoa.

    V/R,
    Jack

    #100081
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    I first thought the orange pipe cleaner was a flamethrower M-113 ! Good fight.

    #100170
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Nah, just representing the Ma Deuce firing straight into the bunker’s embrasure.

    V/R,
    Jack

    #100172
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    I know that now, but I was kinda excited for a bit.

    #100177
    Avatar photoRod Robertson
    Participant

    Jack:

    Good looking terrain and models/figures. Only read the first bat. rep. so far but it was excellent as per usual with your posts. Well done, sir! You’ve come a long way since the days of carpet hills and tiddly-winks.

    Kyoteblue:

    Hello!!!

    Cheers.

    Rod Robertson.

     

    #100180
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Hey Rod!! Good to see you.

    #100258
    Avatar photokyoteblue
    Participant

    Got the book, Touched with Fire this morning, I’ll start it tonight.

    Oh, and Rod. Post more will ya!!

    #100260
    Avatar photoDeleted User
    Member

    Haven’t finished reading the batrep yet I was distracted by the road side bushes, how did you make them? Clump foliage and small trees? I wonder if you’ve also painted them, I haven’t been able to match color like that. I’ll be adopting that tone of green for my trees in the future.

    #100262
    Avatar photoJust Jack
    Participant

    Rod – Hey man, I never thought I’d be so happy to see you, everybody’s run off and left me with crazy old Kyote! 😉

    It’s good to know you’re still alive and kicking; I assume that’s true, unless your post was one last spasm.  And yes, I’ve come a long way. Still nothing to write home about, but I was looking at some old batreps, back when all my walls and buildings were simply spray painted khaki…

    John – I hope you like the book.

    V/R,

    Jack

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