PBEM AAR, Belphegor vs. Oleg - OLEG thread

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 9. Interesting turn again. Here's what happened...

First, my helo detachment 2/N (Cobra + Kiowa) went to recon to the east. They practically bumped into enemy Mech INF platoon. Mech INF fired, and missed (non AA units have very low probability of hitting a helo - it's not entirely impossible but the odds are very low).

My helo unit immediatelly retreated (note the "bubble" popup saying "Forced move due to doctrine"), without firing - so they work as advertised.

Helos also spotted enemy Mech INF company in the forest to the southwest. Sneaky Ruskie!!

Doctrine for my helos says to put at least 5000m distance (perhaps I overdid it a bit) between them and spotted enemy, so my helos rushed back to safety, their task done.

Picture shows this: 1. - helos flying in, spotting the enemy, and 2. - retreating to NW.

O.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 9 contd.

Next, my useless mortars fire their arty barrage on (they did that independently, with no player interaction) position of spotted enemy Mech INF company in the forest. My artillery fires on supposed position of enemy regimental HQ deep in the rear. No hits.

BUT, his previously spotted Mech INF unit was obviously on the move, as it was spotted again few minutes later by my 2/D M1A1 platoon and fired on. Two hits are scored, and for all practical purposes this Mech INF platoon is rendered combat ineffective (pic below)

[Oleg Mastruko]

Yeah!

Thank you USAF!

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 9 contd. Turn replay is finished.

2/D platoon has excellent field of view to the east (picture below), and is dug in. Helos did their job, as did 2/D M1A1 guys.

So, he is trying to sneak on me from the east, and it appears that he does not plan one massed attack, but rather sneaking in bits and pieces.

OK, so I remain dug in for some more turns, perhaps scooting with my helos.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 9 contd. Got some A10s. Do I send them to try to smash the recently spotted Mech INF Coy in the forest?

Hell yeah!

(Note I gave them 2 hex discretionary zone radius, in case target unit moved in the meantime (I don't have it observed anymore, since the helos pulled back.)

OK, more waiting for my ground units. I plotted some FASCAM drops in the forest where Mech INF Coy was observed.

And that's it for this turn. It's 1400 hours. 15 turns, or 7,5 hours till the end of scenario. I plan to wait till cca 1800 hours and then start clearing sector 6.

O.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 10. Very noisy turn - lots of rumbling of tank and wheeled vehicle engines (audio "leads" are very important in this game). My airstrike went in - held fingers crossed, but the A10s appeared to miss the target(s) altogether - no losses.

More rumbling of tank engines, and then he repeats turn 2, which was bad news for him. His mech INF Coy enters what is I believe the same hex that was entered on turn 2, and suffers devastating losses. 4/A (Bradleys) open fire, killing 5 BTRs and 1 AA vehicle. 3/A Bradleys join in scoring no less than 10 kills, and finally M1A1s of 1/A deliver coup de grace, killing the last vehicle from a spotted unit. Ouch.

Ammo level for 3/A dropped to 17 (ammo is measured in values 1-60). I *think* we play with limited ammo rule ON, so I have to take care to pull them back to rest and refit should they risk running out of ammo. I think they have enough for 1-3 combat rounds, and are, of course, dug in, and of course I don't want to un-dig them only to send them to get more ammo right now. Their fatigue is 4, and morale is 3 (on a 1-20 scale, lower is better) (slightly stressed).

Towards the end of the turn replay - more tank engines, and arty and mortars from both sides opening up on (presumed) enemy HQ and ARTY positions. No hits were scored. For the first time he targeted my mortar units - time to shuffle them around.

Orders phase. I put my southern helo unit on recon/scoot doctrine set, and send them to peek to the SE.

O.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 11. His damned Hind unit appeared on my right flank, again (1.). He flew in front of my lines, getting a good picture of my dispositions, and drawing fire from like 4-5 units. My units fired 8-10 times on his helos but scored no hits.

How many helos he's got?? Problem is I don't have any dedicated AA vehicles in my OOB and I don't know what to do to help defend vs. this flying menace. His helo unit fired several times, killing two of my vehicles in two different platoons (M1A1 and Bradley).

Helos finally disappeared to SW...(2.)

Mech INF Coy appeared E of my small minefield, near that river, again, and was spotted and fired on, by my three dug in units. Sovs retreated (3.), drawing fire again. Bradleys killed LOTS of targets, but I noticed M1A1s from that tank platoon missed whenever they did shoot (and they did shoot three times). Ammo levels for these three units are dangerously low - 15, 14, and 9 (9 for M1A1 platoon).

During orders phase, I decide to use my C Coy (the one that's not dug in anyway, and has full ammo), to advance between A Coy positions and that river (and minefield) towards that bridge to the SE (4.). Helo unit is to help them with that task. If I get to control that bridge I'll control practically whole of the sector 6. Also, with C Coy as most advanced unit, then maybe, just maybe, A Coy units may be given Rest and Refit orders (to replenish their ammo supply) where they are, without having them pulled back.

I switched my helos to somewhat less cautious doctrine, though they are still ordered to hold their fire and pull back when they meet the enemy.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 12. Ugh! An ugly knife fight! I was stupid and lost 6 vehicles this turn!

First my helos went to do recon to the SE. direction bridge. They spotted enemy SAM SP unit to SW, and immediatelly retreated (good for them!). No shots were fired (pic).

O.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 12 contd.

C company started moving towards assigned objective (bridge to SE), but were observed by two enemy mech INF units on the edge of that damned forest to the E!

M1A1s of 1/C platoon lost two tanks in opening salvo (pic below), but remaining two tanks continued moving in SE direction, firing all the time, and killed 4-5 BTRs from that north enemy unit. 2/C and 3/C platoons just wandered into enemy field of fire and sustained casualties (4 vehicles altogether - damn!)

[Oleg Mastruko]

Zillion of mortar and arty rounds were fired, but I think only one hit was obtained (on WP HQ vehicle far in the back). There were many other fire exchanges but all ended with misses. Pic shows WP arty shells falling on previous 1/C position after platoon already moved - heh heh

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 12 contd. As I said, 2/C and 3/C platoons just wandered into enemy field of fire and sustained casualties.

Yellow arrows below are moving paths, red (or purple) ones are fire exchanges.

Orders phase. Chems, arty, mines, you name it. Too bad I don't have nukes authorised. I'll go medieval on him. Trees in that forest will grow sideways for decades to come after I finish with him.

Helos are put on combat footing and ordered to actively engage any enemy units. Mortars will drop chemical on and around enemy positions in that forest. It's not just a matter of revenge, it's matter of controlling sector 6 on the map. Arty is ordered to open "neutralizing fire" on observed enemy positions (and presumed paths of retreat). A10s are unavailable for this turn (damn).

3/C is given "screen" orders. It won't save their asses, but will make them sell their skin dearly.

(Why not "hold" orders? Well you have to be either "covered" or "dug in" to "hold". Units in "exposed" posture, caught flat footed in the open, like this unit, can only "screen".) 1/C is given "screen" orders as well - that means continuing fire exchange with Soviets, but this distance is favorable for my M1A1s.

2/C is given orders to retreat quickly out of sight - it may actually save their asses (I hope so).

Close range knife fight with BTRs is something you want to avoid, because their numbers come into play in such distances. Ideall, you want to pick them off from a distance, using your technological and targeting superiority.

O.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 12 closing arguments.

In case you wondered why he hid his units where he did, and why he choose well, here's field of view for that north company of his.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 12.

...and here for the southern one!

As you see - he managed to avoid my three dug in units that caused him so much pain so far, while still having NW-SE "corridor" under observation. Belphegor you sneaky commie! [:D]

O.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 13. Lots of close range knife fights with spotted enemy mech companys. I was happy to see no other enemy units this turn, fearing he might overwhelm me from south.

Lots of fire exchanges, I came off slightly better this turn. His units didn't retreat, but my did, and some vehicles survived. My SE helo unit bumped into 1 BTR remnant of some unit and destroyed it, then continued flying to it's designation.

Seems like gloves are being taken off. 11 turns to end of scenario - we'll see some brutal brawls in sector 6. I think he does not realistically count on getting any points for sector 1, so 6 is his only hope for winning (and mine too, unless I manage to kill 100+ units more than he does - nearly impossible).

Pic:
"Chemicals keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Cryin's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothin's worryin' me"

O.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 14. No losses sustained. Wasted TONS of ammo, and I mean tons. Helos fired like 8-10 times on his units (not kidding) but managed to score only 2 kills. Obviously forests provides cover for damn T80s and BTRs. I guess his units must suffer morale loss, and be low on ammo. I know mine are. His northern mech coy retreated into minefield. He didn't suffer any losses but I am sure Belphegor didn't do that on purpose. This unit must have suffered some sort of morale/doctrine/ammo check and decided to retreat.

I begin slowly edging towards SE and that #$%& bridge with my B Company units from the western flank. I even "undug" some units from their prepared defensive positions (breaks my heart when I do that).

One of my helo units has ridicolously low ammo level - I can put them on rest and refit or use them purely as recon. I decide to do recon. I again send them towards the bridge but this time doing a wide left hook, like letter "C"... (pic below)

1/C plt has ammo level of "0" - oh great so that's why they retreated without orders? Lets move them back 1-2 kms and rest and refit them.

Batallion arty has ammo level of mighty 5, lets lay some FASCAMs while I can. Then I'll be without arty but he does not know that heh heh heh

O.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 15. Did recon by helos. 2/N did "C" left hook, encountered no enemy units. 1/N went SE directly towards the bridge, spotted some units along the way, fired on some, hit some, and got hit in return!

He killed my helos! <sobbing incontrollably>

What killed them? It *appears* as if they were killed by artillery fire! My helos are GONE!

In other news, arty scored a hit killing one enemy tank. Yipee.

Pic: unwelcome visitors are coming to a party. Spotted by my helo unit which got creamed a bit later.

O.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 16. Spotted relatively weak Mech INF platoon on the right (western) flank, opened fire, killed some vehicles.

I am starting to slowly and cautiously move forward, with getting control over sector 6 in mind.

Since many units are running out of ammo or dangerously low, I have 3-5 units on rest and refit now, including batalion arillery SP M109 unit.

O.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 17. If I win this game, then this turn was the game-winning turn. I destroyed cca 25 of his vehicles for no losses on my side.

His most formidable surviving units wandered into minefields and chemical clouds in SE corner of sector 6. BTW - his units are BIG, and for victory tally purposes all vehicles are counted. To "win" sector 6, all he has to do is sneak 2-3 of his large, 17 or 22-vehicle units, in some unobserved corner of sector 6 and wait till the end of scenario. It's not "gamey", it's just how it is. If he has like 50 vehicles in sector 6, then for all practical purposes NATO does not control that sector and deserves to lose the game IMO.

OK, his units took losses from mines (a tank in each unit), and then 1/A, 3/A, and 4/C and 2/B from other side of that river, opened fire, massacring 20-some of his vehicles. That big 22-unit suffered ~75% losses and was observed retreating towards SE (mortars sent some shells their way to wish them goodbye).

All units are slowly moving, converging towards sector 6. But I am not forgetting to safeguard my back. Sector 1 brings him 100 points, and he may be planning to sneak some unit(s) there. I repositioned my units on right and left flank, as to better cover the approaches (I undug most of them). With 1-2 units observing on my left and right flank, all other units are to be used in sector 6 if needs be.

1/C plt, moved back to rest and refit, resupplied its ammo level to 18, and is back in action.

My gut feeling is that this is all but over but we'll see.

O.

[Black Cat]

Interesting AAR.

It`s much appreciated. Some questions.

What is the hex size ?

Can the Mech. Inf. fight dismounted, if so how does Terrain affect that ( if it does? )

I`m curious how Arty. spotting works in the game, as well as it`s overall effectiveness. ( in Game terms )
Can you go into some detail on that please, especially delays, and if the same model is used for both sides.

Also why did you chose to defend with a River at your back [X(]

PS: If his Arty. is killing your helos that a rather serious Game flaw.........................

[Oleg Mastruko]

Turn 18. UGH!!! UGHHHHH!!! Scratch that last sentence above!

A brutal turn for me. He simply sent his 4xHind helo unit from SE straight towards my lines, and they killed everything in their sight. As simple as that. I lost 10 vehicles up to this turn (I think) and 11 in this turn alone! Hot damn!

I don't know how many helos he has, or how much ammo they have, but this is outright brutal!

Mortars - god bless them - opened opportunity fire, and managed to kill one Hind. Ground units fired on helos with direct fire zillion times, never scoring a hit.

BTW, I admit I don't have slightest idea how realistic this helo thing is. I have no idea how would you kill a modern armored attack helo on a realistic battlefield. I don't know how hard (or if it's even possible) to kill a helo using main tank gun. Can tank or IFV shoot down modern armored helo with MG? Bradleys 25mm autocannon has AA capability in this game but I guess it must be really HARD to hit a helo with that? Can arty really kill a helicopter? I guess arty can kill anything if shell manages to land right on the vehicle.

I saw Rambo shoot down a Hind with RPG, but it's just a waste of ammo if you ask me - he could have done it with his knife. (Yes, Belphegor, I am reusing my mail jokes [:D])

Anyway, grand total of 3 helos were killed in this game - all three by arty (cannons and mortars).

BTW, I have NO dedicated SAM AA assets, so my only hope is his damned Hinds run out of ammo or eat some lucky mortar shot as in this turn.

Turns like this are *utterly* frustrating - this game is good at giving player "layers" of great gaming enjoyment intertwined with layers of incredible frustration. But who am I to tell? I can only guess the frustration Belphegor felt ahen he lost like 12, 15 or 25 vehicles in a single turn.

Arty unit replenished its ammo supply. Good. He can't win with his helos alone?

I will send my two surviving helos (of which, one is unarmed recon Kiowa) towards his helos, maybe they kill each other?

1/A - my best unit so far, is left without ammo in exposed position! Do I try to pull them back (thus un-digging them, and making them temporarily exposed in front of enemy uber-helos) or do I leave them where they are (dug in, but without ammo, with enemy Hinds in sight??). Decisions decisions.

5 more turns to go... Why I am not authorised to use tac nukes? This ain't no way to fight a WW3...

GO US GO!!!

O.