Operation Chunky Bandit

[bigjackmac]

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

[Terry37]

Wow!!! A truly awesome looking game,and report, but that game board is outstanding!!!!

Terry

[Techno]

 

Stroll on...That's my reading material for the next couple of weeks !! 

Cheers - Phil

[petercooman]

Stroll on...That's my reading material for the next couple of weeks !! 

Cheers - Phil

He probably took as long to write it all down!!!

Nice table jack! Is the middle bridge (bridge 1) the one from pendraken?

PS: did you lose sight of a guy for a few turns during the games? I know i would on a dense table!

[paulr]

Impressive

[Steve J]

That is one great looking table and, as always, a very impressive AAR

[mad lemmey]

Well, I know what I'll be reading later tonight, fab work Jack.

[Womble67]

Lovely looking table

Take care

Andy

[d_Guy]

As always great story telling, Jack. I have not yet begun to get all the way through the story yet. Love the table - it always looks like you work from air recon photos. 
Plus - I can’t get this out of my head:

[bigjackmac]

Hey, thank so much everyone, I appreciate the support and kind words, and I hope they're fun reads for you guys.

Didn't lose anybody (the games were small, pretty much all 7 bad guys vs 7 good guys), and the bridge is 15mm from Novus Design Studio (formerly JR Miniatures?).

And yes, it took me a long time to type up and post these things, I played the games three weeks ago.  I would have posted the batreps one at a time, as normal, but due to the nature of the campaign, I figured some of them would be rather unfulfilling if I posted them by their lonesome.

No candy bars were harmed in the making of this war

V/R,
Jack

[petercooman]

Didn't lose anybody (the games were small, pretty much all 7 bad guys vs 7 good guys), and the bridge is 15mm from Novus Design Studio (formerly JR Miniatures?).

Ok, looked a lot like the pendraken one!

[toxicpixie]

After reading the first paragraph I have an urge to listen to the Sex Pistols

Iiiis this the FSNL, Iiiiiis this the FLA, etc etc

[Techno]

After reading the first paragraph I have an urge to listen to the Sex Pistols

The Mother - In - Law's paper.....a couple (?) of days ago, had a photo of Mr Lydon (J. Rotten Esq.) waiting in an airport lounge.

Those of you who worry about your weight should have a look at that !.

Jeepers !.....He's more overweight, than I'm underweight. 

Cheers - Mr Skelington.

[toxicpixie]

Wow, just looked at the piccies and that's a superb outfit for messing up cameras with

Definitely now a "chunky bandit", but given the dudes a pensioner and has never given any f-'s about what anyone else thinks, I can't imagine he's very fussed

I agree with Janet Street-Porter (not something I often say, tbh) - "Let’s raise a glass to John Lydon, for proudly letting it all hang out in sweat pants."!

[bigjackmac]

Easy, stay on point, we have a lot of work to do!

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