All,
AKA, the 10th fight of Operation Payback
It's 0415 on 20 July 1990, and a new fight is afoot. Operation Dragon Forge resulted in the capture of "The Persian," who provided a treasure trove of information relating to enemy activities against Cuba. The major facts of the case so far are: a Venezuelan paratrooper Captain named Chavez coordinated with an Iranian mid-level bureaucrat with ties to the IRGC named Ahmedinajad for the ambush in Morocco. This made sense as the Castro regime had ties to both of those countries; during the war for Liberation, Chavez led a failed Venezuelan attempt to evacuate Fidel Castro, and Cuban Liberation Army troops defeated Iranian 'advisers' in Havana on two separate occasions. Lastly, The Persian informed Cuban Intelligence that Chavez and Ahmedinajad established a base of operations on the nearby (fictional) Caribbean island of Avalor, where they recruited, formed, trained, and equipped Castro-regime holdovers for strikes against the new Cuban government.
El Presidente was astounded that an enemy base could be located so near the home island, right under Cuban noses, and Cuban Intelligence had no inkling it was happening. El Presidente immediately ordered the CLEF to eliminate the enemy base. CLEF leadership began planning, but intelligence sources came across information the enemy forces on Avalor were aware The Persian was captured and, fearful of compromise, they began evacuating the facilities on Avalor. El Presidente ordered them to act audaciously; the CLEF would attack immediately, in what was now known as Operation Rush Delivery, a sub-set of Operation Payback.
The Plan - Major Halabrio, commander of the 6th Parachute Battalion, Callsign "Pro-6," is overall mission commander. His 18th Grenadier Guards are the supported element, his 16th Parachute Infantry are the mission reserve, two teams from 10th Special Forces Group and various aviation assets are supporting elements, and Unit 101 is operating in the battlespace in a coordinating relationship.
1. Reconnaissance and Surveillance Teams from Captain Wallestre's ODA 424, 10th Special Forces Group, will insert at 0330 on D-Day and occupy three OPs to aid in coordination of friendly force actions, acquire and monitor enemy forces, and distribute supporting fires.
2. The 18th Grenadier Guards, 6th Parachute Battalion, will make an airborne assault into three platoon-sized drop zones at 0530 on D-Day. They will form up and assault the enemy training areas and barracks.
3. Direct Action Teams from Lieutenant Estevez' ODA 525, 10th Special Forces Group, will stand by as QRF for the R&S and airborne insertions, and then support 18th Grenadier Guards' assault of the enemy training areas and barracks.
4. Major Villanueva's Unit 101 will insert via Special Operations Aviation to capture or kill "El Commandante," a former Venezuelan Army officer in command of the facilities on Avalor, and "The Adjutant," the senior Iranian official on Avalor.
D-Day
Back to the batrep: it's D-Day, 20 July 1990, and Captain Wallestre's three R&S teams of ODA 424 have inserted via Zodiacs. They came ashore quickly, stowed and concealed the boats, and set off on three different courses to reach their assigned observation posts. Team 1, headed by Captain Wallestre himself, had no issues, but things didn't go so well for Teams 2 and 3. We pick up our story at 0415 with Team 2, ODA 424, as it makes its way towards OP Juliet in the pre-dawn darkness in the Avalorian jungle.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oCtKJGj6qXg/WOBSIcxelfI/AAAAAAAAcZc/9l3qSCt3hfUqgGLoMgKIbWeCiARAn4WyACLcB/s1600/IMG_1426.JPG)
And here is said Avalorian jungle. North is up, we've got a scrabble intersection, a small ville in the south, a few crop fields, and Hill 45 in the southeast (bottom right), the military crest of which will serve as OP Juliet. The Cuban team is at top left, making its way to the OP at bottom right. Bad guys are spread across the table. The table is 3' x 2' and I'm playing these fights solo using Ivan's "Five Men at Kursk," slightly modified to get a more modern (and deadly) feel.
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kTWppTxGnQQ/WOBR8PdStUI/AAAAAAAAcZM/r3gBALIlICoZBhUSnZZIh8cEP_0QbjjfACLcB/s1600/IMG_1423.JPG)
The opposing forces, with good guys on the right and bad guys on the left. The good guys are Flashpoint Minis' Vietnam-range Australians, and the bad guys are Eureka Modern Chechens, both in 15mm.
The good guys of Team 2, ODA 424 (Callsign Rebel 22), from top left: Woody, Thump, Ben, Grady (bottom left), and Ev. Bonus points if you can say where those names came from (though the last one is not a perfect match)!
The bad guys. There are ten of them present here, comprising an RPG, a PK machine gun, a sniper, and seven riflemen. I don't know the composition or quantity of what I'll face on the tabletop though. I have a marker for each of these guys, and I have five 'dummy' markers. I mix them together, count out ten of them, and place them on the board. Then I flip them over and see what I've got. At minimum there will be five bad guys, with the marker determining the mix of rifles and RPG, PK, and sniper; at max will be all ten men shown. These guy represent the Cuban hardliners (and other mercenaries/terrorists) being trained by the Venezuelans and Iranians.
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K49TomT9h_Y/WOBUB1meD2I/AAAAAAAAcbw/jpLVjZZr_aYi7AS5bRaTcMgcCkxHx6tqwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1465.JPG)
Rebel 22 (bottom right) has its hands full: under heavy fire and taking casualties, they fight for their lives, returning fire and calling for air support on the radio. To see how the fight turned out, please check the blog at:
http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2017/04/operation-rush-delivery-fight-1.html
More fights to come; right now I've got Operation Rush Delivery scheduled for nine fights, more if things go bad and I have to keep fighting to accomplish the objectives of the operation. So keep an eye open for more batreps!
V/R,
Jack
Ouchies!
Yeah, rough start to the invasion!
V/R,
Jack
All,
AKA, the 11th fight of Operation Payback, AKA, The Death of Rebel 33
It's 0430 on 20 July 1990, and the Cuban invasion of Avalor continues. In the last fight we saw one of 10th SF Group's Reconnaissance and Surveillance (R&S) teams, callsign Rebel 22, run into trouble on the way to OP Juliet. They got into a fierce firefight, took a couple casualties, and were extracted. Nothing's been heard from Captain Wallestre and Rebel 11 outside the normal comm checks, so they're assumed to be good to go, likely almost to OP India, and here we've got Rebel 33 on the way to OP Kilo, with 18th Airborne Grenadiers scheduled to jump into their DZs in exactly an hour. But all is not well with Rebel 33...
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nZmYJMAsmc4/WOBXh8X-GZI/AAAAAAAAcdI/XAK1hmmFEjce-6g25T0LmajasUyob8B9QCLcB/s1600/IMG_1507.JPG)
Overview of the table, north is up, we're a little west on Avalor from the last fight. We've got a couple scrabble roads, bunch of crop fields, and a small ville in the southwest (bottom left). The Cuban team will enter in the southeast (bottom right) and will have to exit the table in the northwest (top left), heading for Hill 97 (off camera to top left) to take up OP Kilo. The table is 3' x 2' and I'm playing these fights solo using Ivan's "Five Men at Kursk," slightly modified to get a more modern (and deadly) feel.
The table is set, and the bad guys are now aware something is amiss. The reports on the radio are a bit confusing, but it's clear there are intruders on the island, intruders with helicopters. The Cuban SF team is at bottom right, with bad guys strewn across the board. Please note there are eight bad guys to five good guys. I'm not really giving the Cubans any kind of advantages in activation or combat, so this is likely going to be a bit rough...
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fyB-FmNW-7s/WOBX2gbhzDI/AAAAAAAAcdg/bI80MeXPgfME_Dym-HXu3ZPV9KcJt__KwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1514.JPG)
Rebel 33 is in a hurry to get to its OP, get settled in and get comms established before the jump begins, so they're cutting a few corners when it comes to crossing danger areas, and it's probably going to cost them! The SF troops continue forward in the dark, with Syko leading them at center left, Rose just behind him, and Wade has just popped through the treeline on the same side. But Rod and Cole are still on the other side of the treeline. Contact is imminent...
To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2017/04/operation-rush-delivery-fight-2.html
The next three fights will be LGOPs (Little Groups of Paratroopers) versus bad guys on the DZs as the Cubans land and look to form up before moving on the objectives.
V/R,
Jack
:o
All,
AKA, the 12th fight of Operation Payback
It's 0532 on 20 July 1990, and the invasion of Avalor, a small Caribbean island-nation near Cuba, upon which Castro-regime holdovers have been organizing, training, and launching attacks on the homeland, is underway. Previously three Reconnaissance and Surveillance teams from 10th Special Forces Group were inserted to support the invasion; one is in position in OP India, but the second team was compromised and extracted, and the third team (Rebel 33) was ambushed and wiped out. Now 1st Lieutenant Huerta's 18th Grenadier Guards of the 6th Parachute Battalion are jumping from C-130s onto three separate Drop Zones (DZs) in the pre-dawn darkness. They will immediately form up and march on their objectives, the terrorist training areas and barracks on Avalor, manned by terrorist trainees and their Venezuelan and Iranian trainers.
Here we pick up the action at DZ Crow, where bad guys alerted by the earlier firefights with Cuban R&S teams are watching paratroopers of 2nd Lieutenant Jaramiho's 1st Platoon descend and crash to the earth.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fphAZXFvj1M/WOFSbdlweGI/AAAAAAAAcho/Z9hyjgz3MFIjVsFMl4skV1Y7EnYsfyWPQCLcB/s1600/IMG_1574.JPG)
Overview, north is up. We've got a small village at center/top center left, a dirt road/intersection, several crop fields, and scattered jungle. The table is 3' x 2' and I'm playing these fights solo using Ivan's "Five Men at Kursk," slightly modified to get a more modern (and deadly) feel. As luck would have it, this is an even up, six-man on six-man fight, and the two sides are intermingled due to bad guys trying to concentrate forces from outlying areas and the Cubans being air dropped onto the field of battle. Let's get some closeups.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xeVyTQnXcd4/WOFTiqv7MtI/AAAAAAAAcjg/YMNCmwUyMiAxCXXRGwywrWro8Kaj7MpFQCLcB/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG)
The fight is hot and heavy; a rifleman moves up (far left) as his partner takes fire and is pinned (yellow bead at top) and the machine gunner is suppressed (red bead at bottom right). To see how the fight for DZ Crow went, please check the blog at:
http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2017/04/operation-rush-delivery-fight-3.html
Next up is 2nd Platoon hitting the DZ, and it's a real doozy!
V/R,
Jack
Nice one Jack!
Thanks buddy!
V/R,
Jack
All,
AKA, the 13th fight of Operation Payback
It's 0533 on 20 July 1990, and the invasion of Avalor, a small Caribbean island-nation near Cuba, upon which Castro-regime holdovers have been organizing, training, and launching attacks on the homeland, is underway. Previously three Reconnaissance and Surveillance teams from 10th Special Forces Group were inserted to support the invasion; one is in position in OP India, but the second team was compromised and extracted, and the third team (Rebel 33) was ambushed and wiped out. Now 1st Lieutenant Huerta's 18th Grenadier Guards of the 6th Parachute Battalion are jumping from C-130s onto three separate Drop Zones (DZs) in the pre-dawn darkness. They will immediately form up and march on their objectives, the terrorist training areas and barracks on Avalor, manned by terrorist trainees and their Venezuelan and Iranian trainers.
In the last fight we saw Lt Jaramiho's 1st Platoon successfully seized DZ Crow. Here we pick up the action at DZ Bluebird, where bad guys alerted by the earlier firefights with Cuban R&S teams are watching paratroopers of 2nd Lieutenant Escobedo's 3rd Platoon descend and crash to the earth.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5CMpeGLv_wI/WOFXQQsv9HI/AAAAAAAAcmM/qvOw2BZpMNk6_u6GLoBkiLFLbWodtWb8wCLcB/s1600/IMG_1644.JPG)
Overview, north is up. We've got a small village spread across the map, a dirt road running east-west, several crop fields, and scattered jungle. The table is 3' x 2' and I'm playing these fights solo using Ivan's "Five Men at Kursk," slightly modified to get a more modern (and deadly) feel. It's gonna be a real hoot! The Cuban paratroopers and bad guys are both spread across the entire map, intermingled, and the Cubans have a 7-man vs 6-man advantage.
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zd3p9hRPAg4/WOFYz31Dn2I/AAAAAAAAco8/nlyeAlHNl0oMuubkLNxzlPqAwUKI73w-QCLcB/s1600/IMG_1687.JPG)
The Cuban paratroopers have closed off the west end of the Drop Zone (top), but as they move up (behind trees at top right) the damn bad guys begin launching RPGs indiscriminately!!! To see how the fight turned out, please check the blog at:
http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2017/04/operation-rush-delivery-fight-4.html
Now we move to the final DZ to see how 3rd Platoon does, probably posting on Thursday.
V/R,
Jack
:o
I blame the return of the goat!
I think you may be on to something ;)
V/R,
Jack
He's a baaaa'd boy!
Sorry to bleat on about it.
That rocket looks really cool :)
I'll have to say I agree since I just realized they aren't photoshopped in.
All,
It's 0534 on 20 July 1990, and the invasion of Avalor, a small Caribbean island-nation near Cuba, upon which Castro-regime holdovers have been organizing, training, and launching attacks on the homeland, is underway. Previously three Reconnaissance and Surveillance teams from 10th Special Forces Group were inserted to support the invasion; one is in position in OP India, but the second team was compromised and extracted, and the third team (Rebel 33) was ambushed and wiped out. Now 1st Lieutenant Huerta's 18th Grenadier Guards of the 6th Parachute Battalion are jumping from C-130s onto three separate Drop Zones (DZs) in the pre-dawn darkness. They will immediately form up and march on their objectives, the terrorist training areas and barracks on Avalor, manned by terrorist trainees and their Venezuelan and Iranian trainers.
In the last two fights we saw Lt Jaramiho's 1st Platoon successfully seize DZ Crow and Lt Escobedo killed in action while trying, unsuccessfully, to secure DZ Bluebird. Here we pick up the action at DZ Albatross, where bad guys alerted by the earlier firefights are watching paratroopers of 2nd Lieutenant Reyna's 3rd Platoon descend and crash to the earth.
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5p1U_d97jLs/WOFc4vIupwI/AAAAAAAAcq0/tKgUjDrAJkkemlY3OreCCyZOPA58J2RSACLcB/s1600/IMG_1716.JPG)
Overview, north is up. We've got a small village spread across the map from south to north, a dirt road running east-west with a sub-net running south and back west off of it, several crop fields, and scattered jungle. The table is 3' x 2' and I'm playing these fights solo using Ivan's "Five Men at Kursk," slightly modified to get a more modern (and deadly) feel.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_frzb18TGk/WOrbsliF72I/AAAAAAAActg/kJnd4RUUiuovOAreTmcgO0MMslSsA6r6ACLcB/s1600/IMG_1754.JPG)
A Cuban paratrooper punches out one of the bad guys. To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2017/04/operation-rush-delivery-fight-5.html
I took a bit of extra time to go back and name (or at least ID) all the Cuban troops, hopefully it made for an easier read. I'm looking at about four more fights to seal up Operation Rush Deliver: two platoon+ sized fights, one to take each objective, and two small SOF hits (Unit 101 taking down the HVTs), plus the dogfights over Havana. Coming right up!
V/R,
Jack
What hope have the Cubans when you drop your topic in the wrong thread!
And the goat! 😱
Hey, I fixed that!
V/R,
Jack
All,
AKA, the 15th fight of Operation Payback
It's 0705 on 20 July 1990, and the invasion of Avalor, a small Caribbean island-nation near Cuba, upon which Castro-regime holdovers have been organizing, training, and launching attacks on the homeland, is underway. Previously three Reconnaissance and Surveillance teams from 10th Special Forces Group were inserted to support the invasion; one is in position in OP India, but the second team was compromised and extracted, and the third team (Rebel 33) was ambushed and wiped out. Next, 1st Lieutenant Huerta's 18th Grenadier Guards of the 6th Parachute Battalion jumped from C-130s onto three separate Drop Zones (DZs) in the pre-dawn darkness, planning to immediately form up and march on their objectives, the terrorist training areas and barracks on Avalor, manned by terrorist trainees and their Venezuelan and Iranian trainers.
In the last three fights we saw Lt Jaramiho's 1st Platoon successfully seize DZ Crow, Lt Escobedo killed in action while 2nd Platoon was trying, unsuccessfully, to secure DZ Bluebird, and then Lt Reyna's 3rd Platoon successfully seize DZ Albatross. The Company Commander, Lt Huerta, rounded up his paratroopers, formed them up, then linked up with Lt Estevez's ODA 525 for the assault on the objective areas. This fight sees Lt Huerta leading Lt Jaramiho's 1st Platoon and three Special Forces teams from ODA 525 to secure the terrorist training areas on Avalor.
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3dPE8Yl17-M/WQYZha8cO1I/AAAAAAAAc8k/r28kJUCqHU0pLG_8_iOCeLfZF6SfqY0JgCEw/s1600/IMG_1899.JPG)
Overview, north is up. The training areas are spread across the center, with some admin buildings in the southwest and north, and Hill 48 at top left. There is a deep, swift running river running northwest to southeast, bridged at top right and just off camera to lower right. The Cuban forces will enter at bottom right (Paratroopers) and top right (Special Forces), while the enemy will be spread across the board. Ultimately, the Cuban objective is to take and hold Hill 48. The board is 4' x 4' and I'm playing in 15mm using Ivan's "5Core Company Command," using the traditional "Five Men in Normandy"-style activation.
To read all about it, please check the blog at:
http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2017/06/operation-rush-delivery-fight-6.html
Next we have Unit 101 making a grab for an HVT, followed by 3rd Platoon's assault on the terrorist barracks, then another Unit 101 HVT grab to finally bring Operation Payback to a close.
V/R,
Jack
Great report Jack, that's a big fight!
Lemmey,
Thanks man, and you're absolutely right. I've been getting the hankering for some bigger, company-sized fights, but it kinda bogged down with all the individually-based troops, so I'm looking at doing some re-basing :'( :'( :'(
I probably had too many bad guys on the table as well, lucky to get out of there alive!
V/R,
Jack
Magnetise your bases, get Leon to cut you some sabots, magnetise them, flock, viola... removable figures on bigger bases.
Hmmm, that's an interesting concept, hadn't really thought of that. And I just ordered some bases from Litko last night...
Thanks anyway, Lemmey!
V/R,
Jack
All,
AKA, the 16th fight of Operation Payback
It's 0950 on 20 July 1990, and the invasion of Avalor, a small Caribbean island-nation near Cuba, upon which Castro-regime holdovers have been organizing, training, and launching attacks on the homeland, is underway. Previously three Reconnaissance and Surveillance teams from 10th Special Forces Group were inserted to support the invasion; one is in position in OP India, but the second team was compromised and extracted, and the third team (Rebel 33) was ambushed and wiped out. Next, 1st Lieutenant Huerta's 18th Grenadier Guards of the 6th Parachute Battalion jumped from C-130s onto three separate Drop Zones (DZs) in the pre-dawn darkness, planning to immediately form up and march on their objectives, the terrorist training areas and barracks on Avalor, manned by terrorist trainees and their Venezuelan and Iranian trainers.
In the last four fights we saw Lt Jaramiho's 1st Platoon successfully seize DZ Crow, Lt Escobedo killed in action while 2nd Platoon was trying, unsuccessfully, to secure DZ Bluebird, and then Lt Reyna's 3rd Platoon successfully seize DZ Albatross. The Company Commander, Lt Huerta, rounded up his paratroopers, formed them up, then linked up with Lt Estevez's ODA 525 for the assault on the objective areas. Then we saw Lt Huerta lead Lt Jaramiho's 1st Platoon and three Special Forces teams from ODA 525 to secure the terrorist training areas on Avalor. This fight sees Major Villanueva leading Unit 101 to capture El Commandante, the Venezuelan Army officer running the training camp which has been preparing and funneling terrorists into Cuba.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0AthrAXvWk/WX5nUmwzU2I/AAAAAAAAfCc/mQXQR1jHlt0k9wmkhEXI30Py-2cWlzXmwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3652.JPG)
Overview, north is up, with bad guys atop the hill at top center left, good guys advancing from the south. There is a small village astride the river (bottom center right), which is fordable anywhere along its length. A gravel road leads from south to north, up the hill to El Commandante's compound. The table is around 3' x 3', using my teddy bear fur mat with towels underneath. Major V's team is at bottom, in skirmish line, spread across the map from left to right, wading through the knee deep river. The bad guys are mostly at top center left, in and around El Commandante's compound, though they do have a couple of sentries on foot patrol in the jungle at center left and far right.
I'm using Ivan's "Five Men at Kursk," modified to give it a bit more of a modern and violent feel, and I'm playing solo.
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-84Q3Dz471jE/WX5o5tiyAeI/AAAAAAAAfE8/OvxrqBbZQegHoZDqzY9jzNAoNQUmCGlAgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3691.JPG)
Major Villanueva takes a shot at a bad guy that's sky-lined himself coming over the crest. To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2017/08/operation-rush-delivery-fight-7.html
Following the helo evac/pickup, Major Villanueva linked up with the rest of Unit 101 and they set a course and began humping to the terrorist barracks, where they expected to encounter their next High Value Target, the Iranian known as "The Adjutant." Along the way they received word from Rebel 31, friendly Special Forces, that the terrorist barracks was abandoned, but that The Adjutant was holed up in a compound nearby. That was good news for 1st Lt Huerta's beat up company of paratroopers, they wouldn't have to fight to clear the enemy barracks; the terrorist training areas had proven to be quite expensive. Major Villanueva coordinated with Lt Huerta to have his paratroopers isolate the objective; no one in or out of The Adjutant's compound. "We're on our way."
V/R,
Jack
That was a good un! Tight!
You bet it was, and so is the next one, coming up Monday.
Thanks Lemmey!
V/R,
Jack
All,
AKA, the 17th fight of Operation Payback
It's 1330 on 20 July 1990, and the invasion of Avalor, a small Caribbean island-nation near Cuba, upon which Castro-regime holdovers have been organizing, training, and launching attacks on the homeland, is underway. Previously three Reconnaissance and Surveillance teams from 10th Special Forces Group were inserted to support the invasion; one is in position in OP India, but the second team was compromised and extracted, and the third team (Rebel 33) was ambushed and wiped out. Next, 1st Lieutenant Huerta's 18th Grenadier Guards of the 6th Parachute Battalion jumped from C-130s onto three separate Drop Zones (DZs) in the pre-dawn darkness, planning to immediately form up and march on their objectives, the terrorist training areas and barracks on Avalor, manned by terrorist trainees and their Venezuelan and Iranian trainers.
In the last four fights we saw Lt Jaramiho's 1st Platoon successfully seize DZ Crow, Lt Escobedo killed in action while 2nd Platoon was trying, unsuccessfully, to secure DZ Bluebird, and then Lt Reyna's 3rd Platoon successfully seize DZ Albatross. The Company Commander, Lt Huerta, rounded up his paratroopers, formed them up, then linked up with Lt Estevez's ODA 525 for the assault on the objective areas. Then we saw Lt Huerta lead Lt Jaramiho's 1st Platoon and three Special Forces teams from ODA 525 to secure the terrorist training areas on Avalor, followed by Major Villanueva leading Unit 101 to capture El Commandante, the Venezuelan Army officer running the training camp which has been preparing and funneling terrorists into Cuba.
Reconnaissance and Surveillance teams from ODA 424 scouted the terrorist barracks and discovered it had been abandoned, so Lt Huerta had his reduced company of paratroopers and ODA 525 encircle the compound believed to be inhabited by The Adjutant, an Iranian working with the Venezuelans to train and equip terrorists for attacks inside Cuba. The Adjutant was believed to have a unit of bodyguards comprised of members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC, providing close security for him at all times. Unit 101's executive officer, Rake: "I don't like it Boss, heading in against these guys. They're tough, well armed, well trained, they know we're coming, and we're coming in broad daylight, with no support (no air or mortar support as they want to capture The Adjutant alive)." "I gotcha buddy," said Major Villanueva, "but ours is not to reason why..."
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ym9iZlYmfxo/WZTY9r9LsxI/AAAAAAAAfWM/lG6un9GDqVYeo7hohDLax2a3JsrSL6_AQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3932.JPG)
Overview of The Adjutant's compound, north is up and the table is 2' x 2'. The target building is at top right, the Cubans will enter at bottom left. Numerous dirt roads criss-cross the area; there's a mini-plantation of rubber trees at bottom center left, and a park with a pond at bottom center right.
As usual, I'm playing this game solo using Ivan's "Five Men at Kursk" skirmish rules. Usually I play them slightly modified to give (to me, at least) a more modern feel, but today I've modified a whole bunch of stuff, not sure even Ivan would recognize them. The biggest issue is that I'm working on a pared down version of a "Threat Generation System" I recently got from a buddy (don't worry, I intend on using the whole thing, just not for this game), and so enemy troops will pop up somewhat randomly. Which, for me, means at the worst possible time in the worst possible place (foreshadowing: you better believe it! The target building is at top right, we never even got anywhere near it!). With that, the enemy became primarily a reactionary element, and so that necessarily drove some changes to what I was doing. Then I started getting the ever-loving crap kicked out of me, so I had to bend a bit more. When it wasn't getting any better for me, I had to throw the Threat Generation System out (to be fair, I was just planning on bringing in new bad guys in perpetuity, I guess, where even the real Threat Generation System, i.e., the introduction of new enemy units onto the table, is only scheduled to occur for a certain amount of time.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DTuptNTL5Yc/WZTaDMwvR_I/AAAAAAAAfYE/v8f-bM7ONcUvMBQ6Uow-pCcGeK0SYOqQACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3962.JPG)
With the team pinned down under heavy fire (top left), Trinity says hell with it. He hops the stone wall and charges through the rubber tree plantation, intent on coming to grips with the terrorists in The Thicket. To see how the fight turned out, please check the blog at:
http://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2017/08/operation-rush-delivery-fight-8.html
So, my darlings, that finally wraps up Operation Payback, I hope you enjoyed it. Next up, I need to finish up Phantoms Over Havana. Then I've got more projects then I know what to do with!
V/R,
Jack
Good report Jack, thought they were a gonna for sure!
I dunno....cheating again. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Great report, Jack.
Cheers - Phil.
Thanks guys, and if ya ain't cheatin' ya ain't tryin' ;)
V/R,
Jack