Cuba Libre!

Started by bigjackmac, 31 May 2015, 03:39:37 AM

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Techno

Hear, hear !
Cheers - Phil

ronan

I always liked the Panhard.
Good AAR with heavy fighting, thanks !

bigjackmac

Thanks guys!

And just so you know, on another forum someone asked why the regime vehicles didn't simply blast the hell out of the helos on the LZ; the game didn't start until the CLA troops were on the ground and the helos had left.  The pics of the CH-47s coming in were just for dramatic effect ;)

V/R,
Jack

ronan

In a role-playing way, I'd say the vehicles were not in position / surprised by the helos.
That's how I read your AAR  :P
:)

bigjackmac

Ronan,

Yeah, exactly, that was my intent.  I'm trying to stay away from talking too much about the rules at this point, because I hope you can just read the batrep as a story about a firefight, as opposed to a game ;)

But sometimes I'll still bring up certain aspects of the rules, usually when something crazy happens.

V/R,
Jack

bigjackmac

All,

It's 1530 on 1 Feb 1990, and the CLA's Golf Company, 9th Popular Force Battalion, finds itself in very interesting position, insofar as they about to attack a larger force.  Captain Elias, G Company's commander, turned to his superior, Colonel Bustamante: "Are you sure about this, Sir?"  "Yes, Captain, we will strike at the enemy while he is still preparing to strike at us."

Generalissimo Waraldonez' orders to Colonel Bustamante, commander of the 9th PF Bn, were to delay the enemy garrison at Matanzas from striking south (towards the Bay of Pigs landing site) or west (towards the Playa Colorada landing site).  Colonel Bustamante conducted a map reconnaissance and realized there were three highways leading out of the Matanzas area that could be used by the enemy.  Col Bustamante was adamantly opposed to assigning one of his companies to each of the highways, as it would leave him without a reserve, nor could he afford to play a 'guessing game' with the enemy, trying to ascertain which route(s) they might use.

So Col Bustamante decided the best course of action was to seize the initiative and conduct a spoiling attack against the enemy's 43rd Infantry Company, 7th Infantry Battalion, as it was preparing to depart the Matanzas military base and strike for the CLA landing areas.


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 seized and destroyed the Pedroso bridge to protect the Bay of Pigs landing site from the Matanzas garrison.
11) 1st Airborne Infantry Battalion successfully fought off a regime counterattack near the bridge at Sandino, protecting the western (Playa Colorada) landing site from the Pinar del Rio garrison.
12) 6th Infantry Battalion fought through an enemy ambush while pushing inland from the Bay of Pigs landing site.
13) 8th Popular Force Battalion ambushed a mechanized column of the enemy 2nd Armored Battalion, just west of Havana.
14) 2nd Airborne Battalion engaged enemy armored forces of the 6th Armored Battalion in the village of El Rincon, en route to the Bay of Pigs landing site.
15) 4th Infantry Battalion's 1st Air Assault Company conducts an air assault southeast of Sandino to counter enemy mechanized forces of 3rd Infantry Battalion (forcing 1st Airborne Battalion's right flank).
16) 9th Popular Force Battalion conducts a spoiling attack on the regime's 7th Infantry Battalion in the Matanzas garrison.


The forces, with regime troops on the left and CLA on the right.  The CLA are made up of Brit and Argentinian SF from Pendraken's Falklands range, with VC/NVA/Vietminh for heavy weapons, while the regime force is made up of Argentinians from Pendraken's Falklands range.

The CLA force has a Command Stand representing the Company Commander, five rifle teams, a single RPG team, and a single leader figure representing their battalion commander.  The Castro-regime troops have a Command Stand, seven rifle teams, and a .50 caliber HMG.


Overview of the map, north is up, with the regime's Matanzas military base on the northern half of the board.  There are three rifle teams on the ground, falling back to the trucks (at top right), where the Commander and the other four rifle teams are already mounted up.  A single rifle team has just left Bunker 1 (if you count the three bunkers from left to right), and two rifle teams are next to Barracks 1 (if you count the two buildings from left to right).  The HMG is in Bunker 2.  The CLA force is along the bottom (south) edge, with Colonel Bustamante, the RPG team, and a rifle team in the bottom left corner, looking to provide a base of fire from Hill 15 (bottom left), while Captain Elias leads the assault of four rifle teams coming through the thick jungle atop Hill 25 (bottom right).


The CLA attacks, and is beaten back.  The enemy counterattacks, and Colonel Bustamante almost single-handledly beats it back, then leads a rifle team into a series of close assaults, this one against an entrenched heavy machine gun! 

To see how it turns out, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2015/07/cuba-libre-liberation-batrep-16.html

Two more batreps to post, then I intend on posting an end of day SITREP to show where we're at with regards to the entire campaign.  I'll be in touch ;)

V/R,
Jack

toxicpixie

You've been going great guns here! As have the CLA and FAR :D
I provide a cheap, quick painting service to get you table top quality figures ready to roll - www.facebook.com/jtppainting

Techno


Duke Speedy of Leighton

Nice oneJack. Looks like a kW a job for artillery
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

ronan

Colonel Bustamante : stupid or brave..  :-\

Thank you

bigjackmac

Thank you gentlemen, it's been a lot of fun.  I played two more games this morning, just need time to write them up!

Ronan - As we used to say in the Marine Corps, "good initiative, bad judgement." ;)

V/R,
Jack

toxicpixie

On the axis of ability and energy, nothing is more dangerous than a motivated incompetent...
I provide a cheap, quick painting service to get you table top quality figures ready to roll - www.facebook.com/jtppainting

kipt

As we used to say in the Army about the Marines, "Hey diddle, diddle, right up the middle".

bigjackmac

All,

It's 1700 on 1 Feb 1990, and the CLA's 2nd Air Assault Company, 7th Infantry Battalion, having only recently come ashore at the Bay of Pigs landing site, has taken up defensive positions.  The CLA's 2nd Airborne Battalion twice dealt the enemy heavy blows at El Rincon; the second severe enough to send the enemy's 6th Armored Battalion wheeling and in retreat towards its base at Cienfuegos.  Looking to seize the opportunity to put a major enemy armored formation permanently out of the fight, Generalissimo Waraldonez ordered the 2nd Air Assault Company lifted into blocking positions east of El Rincon to cut off the enemy's retreat, placing the enemy troops between 1st Airborne Battalion in the west and 2nd Air Assault Company in the east.

A bold move to be sure, but the CLA has now placed the enemy in "death ground," that patch of real estate in which the enemy cannot sit still and they cannot run, they must attack for the sake of their very own survival.  2nd Air Assault Company was about to reap what the Generalissimo had sown with his overly ambitious battle plan...


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 seized and destroyed the Pedroso bridge to protect the Bay of Pigs landing site from the Matanzas garrison.
11) 1st Airborne Infantry Battalion successfully fought off a regime counterattack near the bridge at Sandino, protecting the western (Playa Colorada) landing site from the Pinar del Rio garrison.
12) 6th Infantry Battalion fought through an enemy ambush while pushing inland from the Bay of Pigs landing site.
13) 8th Popular Force Battalion ambushed a mechanized column of the enemy 2nd Armored Battalion, just west of Havana.
14) 2nd Airborne Battalion engaged enemy armored forces of the 6th Armored Battalion in the village of El Rincon, en route to the Bay of Pigs landing site.
15) 4th Infantry Battalion's 1st Air Assault Company conducts an air assault southeast of Sandino to counter enemy mechanized forces of 3rd Infantry Battalion (forcing 1st Airborne Battalion's right flank).
16) 9th Popular Force Battalion conducts a spoiling attack on the regime's 7th Infantry Battalion in the Matanzas garrison.
17) 2nd Air Assault Company, 7th Infantry Battalion, inserts east of El Rincon to block the escape of the regime's 6th Armored Battalion.


The opposing forces, with regime troops on the left and CLA troops on the right.  The CLA force consists of US troops from Pendraken's Vietnam range, while the regime guys are Argentinians from Pendraken's Falklands Range with Takara plastic T-34s in support.

The CLA force has a Command Stand representing their Company Commander, seven rifle teams, an HMG team, a TOW ATGM team, a Charles Gustav team, and a single leader figure representing their Battalion Commander.  The enemy force has a Command Stand, seven rifle teams, and four T-34 tanks.


Overview of the map, north is up.  The enemy is in the bottom left corner, fleeing from the west, trying to escape to the east.  The CLA force is divided into two elements, with the rail line, which sits atop an embankment, splitting their defense down the middle.  The Colonel is in the north, atop Hill 33, and the Captain is in the south, atop Hill 35.


Enemy tanks surged forward all along the line, with CLA anti-tank assets doing what they could to stem the armored tide.  To see how it turned out, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2015/07/cuba-libre-liberation-batrep-17.html

One more still to post from last week, then I played four more fights this weekend.  I also have a SITREP for D-Day to post, then I got into some other stuff as well, so keep your eyes peeled ;)

V/R,
Jack

Techno

Great stuff...... and cracking pics, as usual.
Cheers - Phil