All,
I've been using Ivan Sorensen's rules "Five Men at Kursk" quite a bit lately for skirmish gaming (not to mention his Five Men in Normandy and 5Core Company Command); a great set of rules 'as is,' but I just can't help myself when it comes to tinkering with rules. I've been looking at getting heavily into Vietnam-era and Modern wargaming, but I wanted something a little different. Being me, I wasn't exactly sure what all that entailed, but I definitely wanted to make it a bit more violent in order to take into account the greater lethality of modern warfare, as well as to better differentiate between modern, Western, professional forces and various hostile militia/insurgents. So, without thinking too much about setting and forces, and wanting really just to play a game to see if any of my ideas would work, I jotted down some ideas, grabbed the closest forces to hand, threw up a quick table, came up with a quick scenario, and got to it.
The next thing I knew I'd played three linked games and decided I should sort of retroactively come up with/turn this into another campaign. Put simply, I was having a great time and didn't want it to end. I hope you guys like this much as I do. So a quick background, which is only semi-historical (i.e., I'm taking liberties with the units and all town/village and hostile personality names are fictitious).
The time is May 2011, and the Royal Marines' 45 Commando has deployed for another tour in Afghanistan, this time to Helmand province. The area has been semi-quiet the past few months, but as we move from Spring into Summer the Taliban is becoming more active and the Royals are taking steps to counter these new enemy initiatives. The campaign will follow a Royal Marine rifle section during their missions in Helmand; I'm not going to do up a proper roster. Owing to the fact I'm rolling up forces for each side based on the scenario, it's not likely I'll ever have the entire section on the table at once, so you'll see various characters come and go, though I plan (as usual) on following a key, central group.
The scenario is this: a team from our Royal Marine rifle section is on a normal, foot mobile presence patrol, having left their base and moving east to west. About an hour and a half into the patrol the radio crackles; approximately two kilometers to their north a local Taliban commander, designated "Raven," has taken a force into the hamlet of Tashur, apparently on a tax collection mission. The Royals quickly huddle up, do a quick map study, formulate a plan of attack, and begin moving in that direction. HQ radios that no air is currently up, but should be in support by the time the Royals make the village.
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JusD665KhRs/V27pTvjmJNI/AAAAAAAAWHs/WaIJsbi8gKwVoJCVZyzaDp9MPbqSzYDIgCLcB/s1600/IMG_6343.JPG)
Overview, north is up. The village of Tashur is at top, and the Royals will enter via the road at bottom center right. There are two craggy outcroppings (bottom left and bottom right) which may offer good vantage points, though the one in the southwest (bottom left) is not reachable as the river is deep enough to be not fordable. The road is hardball though heavily potholed, and there are a few fields and trees spread throughout.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nq0AN2aCoMc/V27pZG9hzMI/AAAAAAAAWIA/Q5H1RDimRqktafGhWIXaGFPZYxkzmcKGgCLcB/s1600/IMG_6348.JPG)
The Brits are, from left to right: Pvt "Gimlet" Grabowicz (SA80), LCpl "Sparks" Anderson (SA80), Pvt "Jonesy" Jones (SA80 w/UGL), LCpl "Knocker" Dawes (top center, Minimi), and Corporal "Corp" Choudhry.
Sorry for the crappy lighting...
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bKsvAjH-L6g/V27qNJ5p6II/AAAAAAAAWL8/LBX6gx7Ub2cZ0efVKdXOhz3eNd0ty6lYwCLcB/s1600/IMG_6384.JPG)
Sparks and Knocker have gotten up top on the eastern hill; Sparks is on the radio while Knocker makes good use of his Minimi. To see how the first fight went, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2016/06/royals-in-helmand-circa-2011.html
Well, what a fight! That was a tremendous amount of fun! Quick, bloody, decisive, a bit heroic, it really felt right to me, like what I want out of these games. As I said, I'm writing after the fact, but at the time I wanted to see if this really worked the way I thought and I ended up playing two more games. And yes, I'm very happy with them, and will get the batreps out as quick as I can, and hopefully play some more this weekend (baseball is over, so no reason I know of that it won't happen.
V/R,
Jack
Thought we were gonna get a Prince Arry story there ...
Nicely done, Jack :)
Quote from: jimduncanuk on 30 June 2016, 08:56:46 PM
Thought we were gonna get a Prince Arry story there ...
Me too ;D
I also thought this would be a Prince Harry scenario.
Excellent report Jack, great trade.
Sorry, couldn't find an 'Arry in 15mm ;) :P
Glad you guys like the batrep, I figured it would go over well, especially here with the large Brit population ;)
And yeah, Lemmey, the trade worked out. But my 6-year old boy put the beret on and said "Daddy, I'm going to be a Marine when I grow up."
I said, "sure boy, but real Marines don't wear berets." :o ;D :d
V/R,
Jack
Yes they do! :d
Btw: Royals? most Marine units I thought referred to themselves as 45 Commando or the equivalent! ;)
Quote from: mad lemmey on 01 July 2016, 04:19:24 PM
Btw: Royals? most Marine units I thought referred to themselves as 45 Commando or the equivalent! ;)
Yup, I thought guys on horses too!
http://www.army.mod.uk/28089.aspx
And:
That would be four five Commando not fortyfive Commando.
Definitely
Hell, I dunno, I'm (luckily) not British :o :-* ;D
So, when I said "Royals," I was talking about Royal Marines in general, not a particular unit. I recall hearing them called "RMs"; I went with "Royals" cause I liked how it sounded ;) And our own member, Sunray, referred to them as such, so I figured I'd follow suit.
In any case, quit yer cryin' about my terminology, and stand by for the next batrep, which I should have posted in a couple hours.
V/R,
Jack
Quote from: bigjackmac on 01 July 2016, 08:01:20 PM
In any case, quit yer cryin' about my terminology, and stand by for the next batrep, which I should have posted in a couple hours.
Look forward to it.
All,
Alright, it's time for the next episode of Royals in Helmand! In the last mission, Corp and the boys saved the village of Tashur from the evil clutches of the Raven and his Taliban henchmen. It's now 7 May 2011, six days since the last fight. After a couple down days and several patrols with no contact, trouble is brewing again.
This mission is pretty similar to the last (as I was playtesting I didn't really put a lot of thought into the scenarios, just lined them up and fought it out). Corp and his men are out on foot patrol when a local farmer approached to inform them a Taliban cell was up ahead in the village of Lisham. Corp brought the boys together and formed a plan of action then moved on the village, intent on evicting the unwelcome guests from the village.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tmrXDwnu4SY/V2_p9uvIuRI/AAAAAAAAWNU/OdECT7k0_iIEiIHv73rhaUixp3wZ030kACLcB/s1600/IMG_6389.JPG)
Overview, north is up. The Royals will enter from bottom right, attacking into the village of Lisham. There are rocky outcroppings in the southwest and northeast, and a river running roughly west to east. The river is fordable along its length, though with a movement penalty. There are several fields and trees present, and stone walls throughout the village. These are low walls, maybe four feet high, not the customary eight or nine foot walls often seen in Afghanistan. A severely potholed hardball road runs through the village.
To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2016/07/royals-in-helmand-fight-2.html
Another great fight, a lot of fun. I'm really enjoying the rules mods, and now I'm really enjoying the story of this group of guys. I've got one more fight to post, wait 'til you see this!
V/R,
Jack
Excellent, Jack.
Cheers - Phil
Lovely report Jack
Thanks Phil and Lemmey, next one coming right up!
V/R,
Jack
All,
It's now 12 May 2011, five days from the last fight. True is still recovering from his gunshot wound, but the rest of the section is good to go and raring for a fight. This was actually a down day for the unit, pulling rear echelon duties around camp when a local source came in and reported the Taliban would soon be moving on Pasha Gal, the head of the local village of Khowt Gin. A UAV was dispatched to the area, but nothing out of the ordinary was noted. However, when another source came in and provided very similar information, suggesting the Taliban wished to convert the nominally neutral Pasha to their side or make an example of him, HQ decided to dispatch Corp and they boys to go and check it out.
The team mounted up in their armored troop carriers (sorry, I don't recall what they are called and I'm too lazy to look it up right now) and headed out the 20-some odd kilometers to see what was up. About a klick out from Khowt Gin the vehicles laagered and the section dismounted, covering the rest of the distance on foot.
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HCr_Vt_X4QE/V3B7D5fZ-gI/AAAAAAAAWdQ/8Axkx9WGax8FDYMKRhRz7kwsiTObKIrNgCLcB/s1600/IMG_6527.JPG)
Overview, north is up. The village of Khowt Gin is at top left, with a craggy outrcop at top right and a river running roughly north south. The river can be forded anywhere along its length at a movement penalty. Again the walls are approximately four to five feet high, and the area is covered in crop fields, which the Royals will be coming across. The Pasha's house is at top right; having heard of the coming trouble, the locals have fled the village except the Pasha and his wife, who have moved to the roof of their home to await their fate. And they have their trusty goat (provided by Kyote) near at hand.
To see how the fight turned out (and man, it was a doozy), please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2016/07/royals-in-helmand-fight-3.html
No game today, my wife had plans. I did get a little painting done (still working on Jimmi's fantastic ARVN rifle platoon), and I printed out THW's "Hell Hath No Fury," so tomorrow I plan on at least playing some of that. I'm going to go with 6mm, but I don't have any WWII stuff available right now, so I'm going to test it out with some modern stuff. I haven't played them yet, but I like the rules so much I just placed an order for some WWII GHQ from Noble Knight Games.
My plan is for the boy and I to play coop against the AI (yeah, if you can't beat'em, join'em). We'll be a German tank platoon from 13th Panzer Division, starting off with Barbarossa and playing through the whole war on the Eastern Front.
As always, more to come.
V/R,
Jack
Hell of a report.
Wot Will sed. 8)
Cheers - Phil
Wot Will and Phil sed ;)
Thanks guys. And no Royal Marines games this weekend; they're on a stand down until I get my 'proper' Taliban painted up.
I also think I'm going to flip the script a bit here (recall that I just kind of hopped into this without any planning); I'm thinking about changing this up. I'm thinking these should be Royal Marines in Parwan Province 2002, then follow them through Iraq (maybe OIF I in 2003, then in Basra in 2007). Then out to Helmand in 2011. Maybe even hit a little Libya and/or Syria?
V/R,
Jack
I dunno, but I do hope when CWCII is released it's got stats for actual modern stuff, and 10mm figures not far behind.
I'd quite like a Mastiff or three in 10mm, now!
Good games, Jack :)
Btw Jack, you need to watch all three series of this:
https://youtu.be/qvhZC2LP18M
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh what have they done to the pitch?!
That's terrible :S
Quote from: mad lemmey on 04 July 2016, 04:45:48 PM
Btw Jack, you need to watch all three series of this:
https://youtu.be/qvhZC2LP18M
Also this: Gary: Tank Commander (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gary+tank+commander)
Quote from: mad lemmey on 04 July 2016, 04:45:48 PM
Btw Jack, you need to watch all three series of this:
https://youtu.be/qvhZC2LP18M
Yes. Yes, you do. :D
Gary Tank Commander! Classic!
Looks cool, but I don't know when I'll ever have time!
V/R,
Jack
All,
First up, a couple admin notes:
1. We're changing the script. First, I've been using 45 Commando as my unit, and that's a real unit. It happened because I wasn't planning on a campaign and I thought it was cool to throw in, but I'm not a fan of using real units for a lot of reasons, in particular because these brave men (and women? I don't know if the battalion has women or not) are still in harm's way. So, the unit we are following is now a rifle section from 27 Commando, Royal Marines. Second, I'm backing this whole thing up; this started as "Royals in Helmand (Province)" in 2011, but now I've got bigger plans. So this is now 25 Commando, Royal Marines in Parwan Province, May 2002. I plan on following these brave lads through this tour in Afghanistan, then the invasion of Iraq in 2003 against Saddam's troops, then in peace-keeping operations in Basra, Iraq (not sure which year yet), then we'll do Helmand Province in Afghanistan, then maybe look at Libya during the Khaddafi takedown, and maybe even Syria versus ISIS. So we are now in Afghanistan, based out of Bagram Airbase, in 2002.
2. A lot of folks have been asking me what changes I've made to "Five Men At Kursk" to 'modernize' it a bit. My changes are in this blogpost, on the blog.
It's now 24 May 2002*, twelve days since the last fight, and the section is out on a presence patrol, showing the flag and keeping the peace, looking to warm the populace up as the first elections are drawing near. A day that would be known as Black Friday for the Marines of 27 Commando...
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sNubu0fI-XQ/V4L5rwZGf-I/AAAAAAAAW44/QIcycYrmb_QsyIg9khll8PUUGjnlxV8lgCLcB/s1600/IMG_6747.JPG)
The patrol moves up, and enemy troops come on the table. Overview of map, north is up. There is a village at right, an outcropping at bottom left (southwest), a smattering of trees, bushes, and cultivated fields, a hardball road running southeast to northwest, and two canals fordable by men, but at a movement penalty. There are also a couple stone walls in play, serving as hard cover.
To witness the carnage, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2016/07/royals-in-parwan-fight-4.html
Well, I don't hope you liked it, but I hope you enjoyed the game. I'm caught up, now to get some more fights in this coming weekend.
V/R,
Jack
Good report.
Anyone with a VC would have been home for their own safety by now anyway ;)
8)
Cheers - Phil
Thanks guy, and he's home now, just not the way I wanted.
I even cheated a little bit; for Sarge I did the casualty roll, came up "severely wounded, evac'ed home, discharged due to his wounds." So I tried again, and came up the same thing. I stuck with it, then rolled the next guy, got the same damn thing...
V/R,
Jack
All,
It's now 3 June 2002, ten days since the last fight, and the "Loya Jirga" ("Grand Assembly, where tribal leaders were invited to Kabul to vote on the leadership of a transitional government) is drawing near. Pasha Gul of Khowt Gin has been invited, but the Royal Marines have received information that the Pasha (as many have been) is being targeted by the Taliban, as well as powerful warlords, trying to sway his vote, or keep him from voting altogether. Pasha Gul is determined to make the trip to Kabul; in order to ensure his safety he's been offered helicopter transport, as well as an armed convoy, both from ISAF. But not wanting to look a tool of the Westerners, he has declined both, insisting there is no threat. But battalion has received credible information the Taliban is moving on the Pasha this very moment. This comes at a very bad time, when much of the battalion is already committed, so our rifle section, beat up as it is, is sent.
It's 2345 local time; the section has moved as quick as possible to Khowt Gin, and now they have dismounted and are entering the Pasha's compound on foot.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JhjTLhOinRA/V4qrJM_96xI/AAAAAAAAW8s/AIMdw0RRgOMlsLTjZ0RYxvEYztYTohBBgCLcB/s1600/IMG_6819.JPG)
Overview, north is up. The Pasha's compound is at far right, with another villager's home just below (bottom right), a third home at bottom left, and an orchard between them. There is a dense thicket of woods at center left, known as Central Park, and other than that the battlefield is made up of cultivated fields. You can see the forces at right; a bit of a disparity with nine bad guys and five good, but the Royal Marines will have the advantage of night vision gear.
To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2016/07/royals-in-parwan-fight-5.html
These fights have been very quick and bloody; I reckon none of these have taken up more than four minutes of 'real-life' time. It certainly feels right for the era. I hope you liked it, I'm working on the next one. I only got two games in this past weekend, both RMs in Afghanistan, though the table is set for Panzer Aces. I've also been painting...
V/R,
Jack
Good report!
Sounds like they've been set up with Faruq 'It is agreed' Harrif.
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc94/madlemmey/image_zpsrijvec1x.jpeg) (http://s214.photobucket.com/user/madlemmey/media/image_zpsrijvec1x.jpeg.html)
Nice one, Jack. :-bd
Cheers - Phil.
Thanks guys.
And Lemmey, your friend there looks quite formidable; perhaps his real name is "Ahma Faq-Uyap." Then you get to my alias: "Ah-Sheet Mahdrahrs."
Working on the next batrep.
V/R,
Jack
All,
It's now 20 June 2002, seventeen days since the last fight, and Royal Marines are in Kabul. They escorted Pasha Gul safely to the Loya Jirga, and maintained security for it (as part of ISAF) until its close on 19 June 2002. But with their protection mission completed the Section is looking to visit the merchant recommended them by Pasha Gul, the man that can tell them who ambushed them and their location.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fBaQDYQyIno/V4quMQ9ZxZI/AAAAAAAAW_I/4_esxNq2d_0kvyWoQeQeTl5JHLJ0eGORgCLcB/s1600/IMG_6853.JPG)
The outskirts of Kabul, north is up. A built up area with a canal running north-south down its center, the Marines will enter from the east (right), looking to reach the Merchant's home and place of business, the large compound at far left. You can also see the forces at right, ten Marines and ten Taliban.
To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2016/07/royals-in-parwan-fight-6.html
More to come, though first up will be the second Panzer Aces fight from the tank platoon embroiled in Operation Barbarossa.
V/R,
Jack
Terry took a tonking!!
8)
But I need to come back, and read it really properly later.
Cheers - Phil
Thanks guys, and Phil: hurry up with the proper read ;)
V/R,
Jack
Quote from: mad lemmey on 21 July 2016, 07:14:21 AM
Terry took a tonking!!
Certainly did - great batrep Jack :) 8) :)
Thanks, Nik!
I'll probably finish up the last two fights for these guys in Afghanistan 2001 this weekend, not sure where I'll head next. My plan for them is Iraq in 2003, but I'm not sure if I want to move straight into that or not. I'll also be getting in at least one more 6mm Panzer Aces game in this weekend with the boy. But I'm kind of scared; the Russkies are gonna have a KV-1 parked on a bridge, and I'm really not sure how they hell we're going to deal with that as there's no way for us to get around behind him.
And yes, I know all the 'real-world' ways to take care of it, but this is my game: it will just be my four little Panzer IIIs vs that damn monster! The only thing I can think of is charging ahead to point blank range and trying to get to the flanks where we can either immobilize it and hope the crew bails, or fire at the KV-1's main gun to knock it out (this was actually done in real life, it comes up a couple times in the Panzer Aces books). Either way, I'm not really looking forward to it, feels like we're going to get our asses shot off... And also keep in mind, the KV-1 will probably not be the only forces on the board, there will be two other PEFs (blinds)...
V/R,
Jack
Shoot the bridge, man, shoot the bridge...
You're welcome ;)
It's a big stone bridge (enough to support a KV-1), and all I have are little (short) 50mm guns...
V/R,
Jack
Pioneers
Bit hopeful sending the pioneers in if the KV-2 is still active :D
Well, plenty more where they came from, the tank will run out of ammo eventually!
I'm not sure the technical, close combat and engineering elite of the Heer will take kindly to that suggestion :D
Perhaps sending in the SS would help? They may not be good soldiers but at least they know how to die!*
*Opinion of the Falschirmjagers. Although they also followed it with "... or how to run away" so not even as limp an endorsement as it first looks.
I don't have pioneers, and I don't want the KV-1 running out of ammo by shooting my little platoon to pieces!!!
V/R,
Jack
Does the mission objective allow you to ignore it..?
Negative. The scenario is called "The Troll;" the objective is to take a bridge at the far end of the table, with the point being every bridge has its troll. In this case, the troll is a KV-1...
V/R,
Jack
You have two choices Jack,
if you don't need the bridge intact...
Send in the Stukas
or if you want the bridge intact....
bring up some 88's/other heavy artillery
I think those were about the only choices the Germans had when they first encountered KV-2's...historically there are some cases of whole divisions being halted by single KV's for a day or more, they just couldn't touch them any other way IIRC.
Good Luck with the KV mission :)
Got to say I always really enjoy reading your blog stuff - your figures and table always look excellent and your write ups are very readable - don't know how you find the time!
Pierre,
Thanks man, and I do need the bridge intact. Also, I don't have air/arty/ATGs, just my four Panzer Mk IIIs.
V/R,
Jack
It was nice knowing you Jack ;) :-h
Yeah, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. I'd say my plan is just to rush in, get as close as possible, and pour fire into it until the gun is knocked out and/or the crew bails, but first I've got to play it straight. That is, we've never seen a KV-1 before, so I've got to engage it at first in order to discover we can't penetrate it. At that point we will be very vulnerable; once we're able to get moving at speed he'll have to get pretty lucky to hit one of us, and then we'll be vulnerable once we get to point blank range and we're pouring fire into him, if we don't bail him relatively quickly.
And don't forget, there are two other PEFs on the board as well...
V/R,
Jack
You're going to have fun (and your work cut out) with this one :D
Well boss, it was real, and it was fun, but it wasn't real fun. I'm about to post the batrep under the 'Panzer Aces' thread.
V/R,
Jack
All,
It's now 0530 on 3 July 2002, thirteen days since the last fight, and the Royal Marines are on the hunt. It's early morning twilight, still mostly dark, and soon the sun will rise, and contact is imminent.
While they believe Pasha Gul's statement that the Merchant could be of use in identifying and finding their ambushers, Sherlock and the boys were a bit reticent about the Merchant's wife claiming he was abducted by the Taliban at the same exact time the Royals were coming to pay him a visit. So the Section was doing it the hard way; lots of patrols out to meet with local informants, and to identify new ones. The constant patrolling and presence finally paid off; a local stated the Merchant had been spotted in a nearby village, and battalion was able to confirm this via SIGINT.
So the Section mounted out to the village, and thus began three days of constant patrolling, looking for the Merchant and consistently showing up five minutes after he'd just left. They tracked him through the mountains, and through Tamir Pass, but now they had him. The Section had called up support, and the rest of the platoon was brought forward. They formed a circle and began pushing in on the only area the Merchant could be; the only question was, who would find him first? The Section was sure they had him; he's pinned up against the Neral River, with only two crossings within a few kilometers. The Section split up, with Sherlock taking some Marines north to a fordable spot, and Knocker taking the res towards a small bridge. The other two Sections of the platoon were on the opposite (west) side of the river, closing in on the ford and bridge.
Knocker's team finally found them.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w_WomJSZ-Pw/V5Uv5GWHdJI/AAAAAAAAXQ0/lw8ONumt45kr_Je5RYJpBFj83gDzDK8VACLcB/s1600/IMG_6979.JPG)
Overview, north is up. The river is at left (west), running north and south, while there are dirt roads crossing the bridge and running north-south. There is a small farmer's compound just east of the bridge, an orchard just across the street, and the edge of Tamir Pass can be seen at right.
Yep, those are the new roads and rivers. To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2016/07/royals-in-parwan-fight-7.html
The battalion will soon be ending its deployment, returning to Jolly Olde England, and the Section absolutely wishes to see off their ambushers prior to going home, to get some modicum of retribution. How they're going to do that is still a bit up in the air, however.
V/R,
Jack
Painful
Good stuff, again, Jack.
Cheers - Phil
Thanks guys! I'll get the next one out tonight.
It's actually the last one for the Afghan 2002 campaign.
V/R,
Jack
All,
It's now 2030 on 17 July 2002, fourteen days since the last fight, and the Royal Marines have caught a break in their search for their "Black Friday" assailants of 24 May 2002. Having discovered the death of the her husband, the Merchant's wife stumbled into one of 27 Commando's patrol bases. Distraught and incoherent at times, she spilled her guts to the Royal Marines; her motivation was the fact the Taliban had killed her beloved husband, and no one present had a mind to disavow her of that notion. But she provided information not only on who the leader was, but where he was currently located, and what he was doing, which just happened to be a meeting with his senior Lieutenants to hash out plans to strike hard against the Royal Marines of 27 Commando prior to their redeployment home.
The entire platoon was dispatched, with two Sections taking up blocking positions to isolate the objective, while our Section was the assault force. But isolating the objective would prove quite problematic: the meeting of the Taliban commanders was happening in an urban area, a house on the outskirts of Kabul. The mission needs to take place right away; SIGINT and other HUMINT reporting has indicated the meeting will end at 2130 and the leaders will split up and return to their home bases. The reason for only a single platoon assigned to the task is partially one of transport; there is not enough lift available. Royal Marine Chinooks could carry more men, but are ill suited for the mission; for such a precise insertion the Royal Marines will be using three MH-60s from JSOTF (Joint Special Operations Task Force) at Bagram, of which only six are available for the mission.
So the two Sections taking up blocking positions will have a very difficult time blocking blocking to the west, where the target compound abuts the rest the city proper; necessarily the blocking Sections will be more concerned with keeping Taliban in Kabul from rushing to, reinforcing, the target compound, and less focus will be put on blocking escape from the target compound, where there are simply too many routes to cover. But the Platoon is ready; broken into sticks, they mount the helicopters and begin winging south to Kabul.
On an admin note, this will be the last fight for this campaign, "Royals in Parwan." I've figured out that eight is about how many fights I can do before my interest turns to something else, so this is it for now. But I'm not leaving them forever; I plan on doing further blocks of eight games, following these guys to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, Back to Basra in maybe 2005 or 2006, Afghanistan in probably 2008 or 2009, over to Libya in 2011, maybe to Syria after that. We'll see; in any case, stand by for a helluva fight!
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ggf9cr0NUeM/V5U0XR9TOMI/AAAAAAAAXVs/M7RTYgjLSxk5R10xkQKw5V1YJIRHBRA7wCLcB/s1600/IMG_7052.JPG)
Overview, north is up. The target compound is spread across the bottom left side of the board; in there is where the Taliban leaders will be meeting. The RMs will look to kill or capture everyone located here, but the top commander, the man that planned and led the Black Friday ambush, is the prize. The Marines must keep him from exiting the left (west) edge of the board, where he can simply disappear into the sprawl of Kabul.
I am running a die-driven clock to determine when the Taliban leader will begin his run for the board edge, and I am using a blind method to figure out which building he will start his run from.
Two Blackhawks zoom low over the city, spot their LZs, then flare. Ropes are pushed out, and the Royal Marines fast rope to the deck...
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lpj1wUaf04E/V5U0nfFr_8I/AAAAAAAAXWQ/8r7CFNB2dmkHtZY804dRZLXNGx0hiN38ACLcB/s1600/IMG_7062.JPG)
Their cargoes disgorged, the helos dip their noses and egress to the east. Sherlock's stick is at bottom left, Knocker's at top center, moving towards the target building.
The target is finally flushed...
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eqyxHc1NkUk/V5U8v_EjsGI/AAAAAAAAXcM/Zppb2egpDaQWO03hUDgZgf7RU2MuS5ITwCLcB/s1600/IMG_7153.JPG)
With the Target at far left, Geeves (bottom center right) and Knocker (bottom right) both move up. Knocker yells, "don't shoot him, get him alive!" To see what happened, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2016/07/royals-in-parwan-fight-8.html
So that was the last fight of their first deployment. Here's a rollup of the eight fights:
Taliban: 49 KIA, 3 captured
Royal Marines: 3 KIA, 4 WIA and medically discharged/retired, 1 WIA and retained for service but not fit for combat duty, and four other WIA that were able to stay with the unit.
More to come!
V/R,
Jack
Good stuff, Jack !
Cheers - Phil. (PS....He went thataway. ;))
Top game Jack! 8)
Glad you liked it guys. And thanks Phil, but it's too late! 27 Commando is back in the UK.
V/R,
Jack
I'll return the drone to base, then. =)
(I dunno.....You follow someone around for hours and hours and then get told it's not wanted anymore...Pah !!! ;))
Cheers - Phil
;D ;D ;D
;)
Cheers - Phil