Cuba Libre!

[FierceKitty]

Casualties from friendly fire don't appear to concern your rocketeers!

[bigjackmac]

Thanks Lemmey.

FK - I can't see where any unit endangered another unit, do you mean from their own rocket fire (the photo above)?  If so, part of that is my fault, in terms of giving the LAWs only 6" range (trying to make it harder for myself); the other part is, I'd rather take a little shrapnel from my own rocket then get run down by an armored car rattling machine guns and firing bee-hive out of its 90mm gun

V/R,
Jack

[FierceKitty]

Well, I admire the resolution and fortitude of that rifleman, standing firm with a big firey projectile flaming past his ear like that.

[bigjackmac]

FK,

No man, no one is shooting through that team, that team is the one that fired the rocket.  And the big, fiery projectile thing might be a little out of scale

V/R,
Jack

[paulr]

But looks cool

[bigjackmac]

Appreciate it, Paul 

V/R,
Jack

[jchaos79]

Hi Jack, congratulations for your history arc.

I really love the tables, they have the flavour of cuban landscapes.

[Techno]

Very good again, Jack !
Cheers - Phil

[ronan]

"Holy crap, what a mess, and what a fight! "

Yes ! 

[bigjackmac]

Thank you JChaos, Phil, and Ronan, I appreciate your kind words.

I'm still writing up the next two fights; #25 is okay, but #26 was another incredible fight.  For me, it was the funnest game I've played in Cuba Libre so far.

Having said that, I'm 26 games in to the War of Liberation, and I'm about ready for this to be finished, I have too many other things I want to do! 

Thanks again fellas.

V/R,
Jack

[bigjackmac]

All,

It's 1330 on 3 Feb 1990, and the CLA's B Company, 6th Infantry Battalion, with support from 3rd Troop, 5th Tank Battalion, begins the process of reducing the regime's Cienfuegos garrison, consisting of the remnants of the enemy's 6th Armored Battalion.  The enemy launches a spoiling attack, rolling out to meet the CLA's thrust, just west of Cienfuegos. Two lines of armor clash!


So far we've had:
D-Day
...
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.
18) C Company of the UWG fought a running battle in the Escambray Mountains to delay/halt the regime's 12th Mechanized Battalion moving west.

D+1
19) A Squadron SOF holds off the regime's 2nd Airborne Company, 1st Airborne Battalion at the Radio Station in downtown Havana, while B Squadron SOF and 8th Popular Force Battalion move to reinforce.
20) 2nd Airborne Battalion, attacks north of Sandino to eliminate the regime's 4th Infantry Battalion.
21) 7th Infantry Battalion, attacks north of Sandino to eliminate the regime's 5th Territorial Infantry Battalion.
22) Colonel Huistrella's Unconventional Warfare Group fight another desperate holding action in the Escambray Mountains, this time against the regime's 10th Territorial Infantry Battalion.

D+2
23) The 5th Tank Battalion squares off against the regime's 2nd Armored Battalion just west of Artemisa.
24) 9th Popular Force Battalion holds the line at Matanzas as the enemy's 7th Infantry Battalion attempts to break out to reinforce Havana.
25) 6th Infantry Battalion, with support from 5th Tank Battalion, engages the enemy 6th Armored Battalion's spoiling attack.


The opposing forces, with CLA on the right and regime on the left.  The CLA is made up of Pendraken Americans from their Vietnam range, with plastic Takara M-48s and Shermans, then Pendraken M-113s and a Panhard.  The M-113s have gunners from Minifigs (one .50 cal and one TOW).

The CLA force has a Command Stand, three rifle stands, two dismounted TOW teams, two M-113s (one HMG and one TOW), a captured Panhard armored car, two "Super" Shermans, three M-48s, and a single leader figure representing the 6th Infantry Battalion Commander.  The regime force has a Command Stand, two rifle stands, two dismounted MILAN ATGM teams, 6 T-34s, and three T-55s.


Overview, north is up, with CLA forces spread across the left (west), and regime forces attacking out of their garrison at Cienfuegos (off map) at right (east).  This is nothing but a bare-knuckle brawl; no room for maneuver, just pure guts and marksmanship (or lucky command and firing rolls).


One more rocket shot?  LAWs vs T-34s; weren't expecting that, were you?

To see the whole fight, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2015/07/cuba-libre-liberation-batrep-25.html

One more to post.  I regret to inform you that I didn't get any games in this past weekend, due to a weird combo.  On the one hand, it's summer, and it was beautiful out, so spent some (extra) time with the family (even slept in a bit).  On the other hand, I really felt like painting, so the time I did have went to that. 

Stay tuned, more to come.

V/R,
Jack

[Techno]

Another good one, Jack.
Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Good fight!
The CLA would have really struggled without their infantry!

[bigjackmac]

Thanks fellas.

And yeah, Lemmey, it was interesting that most of the tank kills came courtesy of the infantry.  I've rated the ATGMs pretty highly, so it's more of a surprise when they don't get a kill/immob, but two tanks to the LAWs of Team 3 was pretty cool 

V/R,
Jack

[bigjackmac]

All,

It's 1700 on 3 Feb 1990, and the CLA's 1st Troop, 5th Tank Battalion, supported by F Company, 4th Infantry Battalion, follows up its earlier victory against the enemy's 2nd Armored Battalion by carrying the attack forward, pursuing them into the streets of Artemisa.  The CLA pushes in with armor supporting dismounted infantry, but the CLA is about to discover the horrors of street fighting, and it will be particularly difficult as the CLA's spearhead has been cut off from the main body by regime artillery, forcing the CLA to push into the initial assault with a relatively small force.


So far we've had:
D-Day
...
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.
18) C Company of the UWG fought a running battle in the Escambray Mountains to delay/halt the regime's 12th Mechanized Battalion moving west.

D+1
19) A Squadron SOF holds off the regime's 2nd Airborne Company, 1st Airborne Battalion at the Radio Station in downtown Havana, while B Squadron SOF and 8th Popular Force Battalion move to reinforce.
20) 2nd Airborne Battalion, attacks north of Sandino to eliminate the regime's 4th Infantry Battalion.
21) 7th Infantry Battalion, attacks north of Sandino to eliminate the regime's 5th Territorial Infantry Battalion.
22) Colonel Huistrella's Unconventional Warfare Group fight another desperate holding action in the Escambray Mountains, this time against the regime's 10th Territorial Infantry Battalion.

D+2
23) The 5th Tank Battalion squares off against the regime's 2nd Armored Battalion just west of Artemisa.
24) 9th Popular Force Battalion holds the line at Matanzas as the enemy's 7th Infantry Battalion attempts to break out to reinforce Havana.
25) 6th Infantry Battalion, with support from 5th Tank Battalion, engages the enemy 6th Armored Battalion's spoiling attack.
26) The 5th Tank Battalion and 4th Infantry Battalion take part in heavy street fighting in Artemisa against the regime's 2nd Armored Battalion.


The opposing forces, with CLA on the right and regime on the left.  The CLA is Pendraken Americans from their Vietnam range, with a WWII jeep and plastic Takara tanks.  The regime is Minifigs modern Warsaw Pact, with a Pendraken German WWII FJ mortar team and plastic Takara tank.

The CLA force has a Command Stand representing Captain Chavez (infantry company commander), four (only four!?) rifle teams, two M-48s, and a jeep stand representing the 5th Tank Battalion commander.  The regime force, remnants of their 2nd Armored Battalion, has a Command Stand, five rifle stands (with RPGs), an AT5 Spandrel ATGM team, an 82mm mortar team, and a T-72 tank.


Overview, north is up.  The CLA force is spread across the left side of the map, at the outskirts of Artemisa, while the enemy is in the city.  The regime troops are well aware Artemisa is their last stand.


See all those explosions on the left side?  That's the CLA getting its butt kicked right on its start line, trying to push into the city.  It would get darker before it got lighter...  To see how this crazy fight went, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2015/07/cuba-libre-liberation-batrep-26.html

Thanks for looking, and hope you like it.  For me the fight was amazing, wish everyone one of them was like it.  This is the last of the write-ups for the fights I've finished so far, and I regret to inform you there will be no fighting this weekend as the family and I are off to the beach this weekend.  But feel free to comment, I'll still be checking!

V/R,
Jack

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Ouch!
Good try Jack.

[toxicpixie]

Dang cheatin' running dog lackeys!

Good fight

Hope the beach is good and the weather fine.

[Techno]

Good stuff again, Jack ! 
Cheers - Phil

[bigjackmac]

Thanks fellas, and today's beach-capades were fantastic.

On a Naval note, tomorrow we're visiting the USS Lexington. On a Texan note, Sunday were visiting The Alamo.

V/R,
Jack

[paulr]

Well planned that man