Narrative AAR: Hell on Wheels Campaign 1

[bootlegger267]

2AD (Forward) HQ’s 2207890300z Vicinity Drestedt

MG Funk was pacing between the 577’s that made up his Tactical Operations Center (TOC). His orders to defend vic Buchholz was not a surprise, but the delay in getting that order was. Two days prior, the Soviets had crossed the IGB in the 1/11ACR Sector, from Bad Neustadt to Bad Hersfeld. The “Blackhorse” Regt had slowed the advance of the initial attacks, but at gruesome cost.

By the end of the of the first day, there were still only recon engagements within NORTHAG’s sector , but no major assaults as the Soviet attack was still centered on Fulda. The question was why only one axis? Why there? The level of losses on both sides was staggering, and Cdr, V Corps had to commit the 3rd AD earlier than he wanted. By midday of the 21st, JSTARS aircraft had picked up the westward movement of the lead elements from the Soviet 2nd Guards Tank Army.

By 0200z the Russians had crossed the border.

Funk’s S3, Maj Sam Warren came running out of the TOC and handed him a message form. “Sir, we just got the intel dump” said the Maj. Funk read the message and took note of the units heading his way. “The Dutch 41st is in heavy contact as well as the German 3rd Pz Div. Damn, he’s got us tied up across the front and now we have the 2nd Guards Tank Army moving south of Hamburg.” Funk said more to himself.

“Sam, get on the horn and get the word out to the rest of the Brigade. It won’t be long before their lead elements get here” said Funk. If the reports from Fulda are any indication, Ivan is going to hit hard and not care about losses. 3/41 has to slow them down at Buchholz. They have to deny them easy access across the river. They have to limit the number of avenues the enemy has. If they can, we can fight on better terms.

Funk reviewed the defensive positions one last time…

C/4/41 Inf was positioned in Spotze to defend in an arc NE to S to contain any breakthroughs.

TF D/4/41 Inf was his initial reserve with a threefold mission. Defend the B75/B3 intersection from vic Trelde with on call missions to conduct a Movement to Contact North along the B3 to the A1 Autobahn, or south to the B3/K75 Intersection. Scouts are screening the left and right flanks of 3/41 Inf.

The remainder of his Brigade, which was guarding the 2AD POMCUS site, was moving west, trying to get to Buchholz as soon as possible.

[bootlegger267]

2207890300Z 3/41 Inf TOC

Lt Colonel Joe Miller, the Commander of TF 3/41 Inf (Mech) was not in a good mood. He had three of his four Company’s situated in defensive positions on the east edge of Buchholz, but his most effective force was still enroute and at least an hour out. It was the requirement to guard one of the 3rd Corp’s POMCUS sites that had thrown his command into react mode. Now that the Soviets had pushed across the border, initial intelligence said they were advancing down the A1 corridor. The area around Buchholz would become the focal point. TF D/3/41 was released late from its guard mission and had road marched all night to close on Buchholz.

“Bob, has Alpha coordinated with the Scouts?” asked Miller. Maj Bob Thomas was the S3 of 3/41. He had just returned from Charlie’s positions and their coordination with the Scouts in Holm-Seppersen . “Yes Sir, Fire Plans and Arty TRP’s were exchanged and verified.” came the reply. “Are the personnel responsible for blowing the bridge briefed?” snarled Miller. Maj Thomas knew his Commander was under a lot of pressure. The total fuck up with Delta had caused him to spread his Battalion more than he wanted. Charlie Co was supposed to be in the center of the defense, but with D Co’s delay, they had to also cover the southern portion of the city along with blowing a bridge. The kicker was the southern approaches to the city were devoid of any obstacles. That’s why Delta’s superior firepower had that sector….had.

“Yes Sir….Sergeant Jackson and his team are standing by. The charges were primed by the Engineers and they gave Jackson a review of the procedures. I just finished talking to him and he’s up to speed”. Miller looked at his S3 and a small smile peaked through his hard face. “Good job Bob. I know I’ve been a prick lately and you’ve put up with it. You already know why so we’ll skip that portion. We’re about to get hit with a shit storm” said Miller as he handed his S3 the latest intel report from NORTHAG.

Thomas read it, skipping the half page of bull. The 2nd GTA had crossed the IGB approx. 0200z. Four Divisions, the 21st MRD, 94th GMRD, 207th MRD, and the 16th GTD had attacked on a narrow front concentrated south of Hamburg. The Dutch 41st Ar Bde had been fighting a delaying action but had to pull back as the weight of the attack became apparent. The Russians had hit the Dutch hard and NORTHAG’S line broke…the Russians were heading for Bremen.
“Oh that ain’t good” muttered the Maj. “How long before…” Miller interrupted him. “One, maybe two hours tops. That means no Delta.” said the Commander. Thomas knew their mission just got that much harder.
“Get em’ ready Bob. We are going to get hit hard.” said Miller. Maj Thomas grabbed his CVC as headed towards his tank. He was going to Charlie’s sector. Even one tank could make a difference….

[bootlegger267]

Lt Stevens was scanning his sector through his Thermal Sight. His force of 4 M3 Bradley’s and an M1A1 (HA) was the only thing between the Russian’s and town of Sprotze, 7km’s down the K72. They needed to cause as much damage as possible to any Russian force. As he scanned along with his Gunner, they both saw the approaching vehicles at the same time. Some thirty hot spots had appeared……

“Sirrrrrrr” moaned his Gunner. “Yeah, I see it. 6, this is Black 10, Contact tanks, PC’ south east, Out!!!” Black 1 and 2, you see em?” transmitted the Lt. “Roger, Roger” came the response. “Lite em up at 3000m” ordered the Plt Ldr. Four TOW2B missiles launched with seconds of one another. By the time they reached their targets, the range had closed to 2800m. Explosions lit up the high ground across the valley. The M1A1’s 120mm main gun was firing a round every 5 seconds. The carnage being brought by the small element was immense, but the overwhelming number of vehicles and firepower took its toll. Within 20 minutes all of the Sct’s M3’s were either damaged or destroyed.

2AD (Fwd) TOC…..
2207890404z…….”Contact Tanks, PC’s east out!” came the radio report from the Scouts inside of Holm-Seppensen. Then the rest of 3/41 Inf reported contact. The low sounds of the battle slowly penetrated the canvas of the TOC.

Comms were spotty at best on all the radio nets. Every element of 3/41 Inf was reporting some sort of contact within their sectors. The Sct’s in Holm-Seppensen had transmitted a more detailed report of 30 plus tanks with BMP’s That in itself was a concern. That they destroyed over 40 vehicles, based on their reports and what could be heard eavesdropping on their Plt Net, was staggering. But what was known: Ivan was on the attack and pushing hard……

2207890421z….In every sector of 3/41 defending Buchholz, there was contact. Alpha reported BRDM’s and confirmed 5 kills. Bravo and Charlie were spotting and engaging large numbers of Russian vehicles. It became a slugfest….
3rd Plt Bravo, 3/41 was positioned on the high ground in the easternmost portion of Buchholz, over watched by 1st and 2nd Plt’s. There was a heavy minefield to their front but they were the “Tip of the Spear”. SFC James saw them coming and gave his Cdr a spot report. “White 6 Blue 4, 5 plus PC’s moving west vic 355185, engaging, out” James gave the fire command to his Platoon and missiles left their launchers as 25mm Cannon fire also added to the fight. Five targets were hit immediately but the Russians came fast. A company of T80’s came over the hilltop and got caught in the minefield, and the 2nd volley of missiles took out 3 more. Volley fire from the 10 tanks at close range hit all 4 M2’s…..

What little was known at this time was that the Russian’s had committed a reinforced regiment in the Buchholz sector. There was little to no recon element probing the line. They came in full bore….

[bootlegger267]

0421Z

[bootlegger267]

2207890441z…

HQ’s 3/41 Inf: Ltc Miller had just pulled away from B Co’s Hq’s position in his tank when the eastern sky lit up with multiple flashes. “Driver, move the hell out! Kick it!” commanded SFC Duke, the Bn Master Gunner and TC of HQ’s 66. “Sir get your ass inside the turret and close the damn hatch”. Miller dropped down and released the hatch lock. He grabbed the handle and pulled the hatch closed, and locked it down. “Incoming! “yelled Duke into his CVC as he also dropped down but kept his hatch in protective open. The M1A1 hit third gear when the first rounds landed on the east edge of Buchholz.

When HQ’s 66 arrived at the Bn TOC, the artillery barrage was still landing. Getting down from the tank, Miller opened the rear door of the S3 M577. The Asst S3, Cpt Lowe, had just put down the mic and was writing in the Bn Log. “Status Cpt?” asked Miller. Cpt Lowe wrote for another few seconds as more spot reports came in. “Sorry Sir. Both Bravo and Charlie have two Plt’s combat black. Two green. Alpha has two green one yellow. Those last messages were from Black 20. They’ve engaged recon elements on the A261 leaving Nenndorf.” reported the Cpt. “Tell everyone to start pulling back.” ordered the Commander to the RTO. “If you don’t get an acknowledgement, send a runner to each HQ’s”. “Be prepared on my order to blow that bridge Cpt” said Miller as he headed for the S2’s vehicle.

“Brad, what do have for me?” called out Miller to his S2, Cpt Brad Fuller. Miller climbed into the vehicle and sat on the bench opposite the intel map. Just as Fuller was about to speak, another round of artillery started to land on the forward positions……

“Sir, we’re getting hit with a Regt, maybe reinforced. Three axis of advance. Two in the center along the roads, one from the southeast. That’s what Black 10 got hit with. We’ve lost contact with the ground element but the Aero Scout is still reporting. The Russians are in Holm-Seppensen with at least a tank company.” Fuller paused for a second and let that sink in. The importance of that information made Miller get up and stick his head out the ramp door. “Lowe, get on the Bde net and give 4th Bn the warning.” yelled Miller. When he sat back down, Fuller continued. “The two center attacks are still in the obstacles and have been chewed up by our guys. The new contact report from Black 10….I’m guessing another attack. They’re hitting us from four directions Sir” said the Cpt.

LTC Miller left the S2 track and before going to his tank, asked Cpt Lowe if Bravo and Charlie were pulling back. “They are trying to disengage now Sir, but……..” Miller knew………..
Miller went to his tank and told his Master Gunner to head for the C. Co. CP

4/41 Hq’s….The TOC was on the move when the code word came over the Bde net from Cdr 3/41. LTC Forilli passed the word down to C and D Company’s, located in Sprotze and Trelde. M2 Bradley’s and M1A1 HA’s moved from their hide positions and they knew what the move meant.

[bootlegger267]

0441Z

[bootlegger267]

HQ’s 2AD (FWD)…

Gen Funk was standing on the ramp between the S2 and S3 M577’s. The ramps were raised equally to provide a level walkway between the two tracked vehicles. He was listening intently to the radio reports from 3/41 Inf. Based upon what he was hearing, 3/41 was taking a heavy toll on the enemy but at a cost. He knew that he had to sacrifice that Battalion to slow the Soviet advance long enough to get the rest of his force into position. It was not what he wanted to do, but he had no choice. Ltc Joe Miller, the Cdr of 3/41 knew the deal and accepted his Battalion’s fate.

“Sam, get Col Miller on the horn” ordered Funk. Maj Warren grabbed the mic for the Bde Cmd net, depressed the transmit button, and waited for the radio’s cooling fan to spool up. “Dagger 6, Fwd 3 over” spoke Warren. “Dagger 6 Fwd 3 over”, Warren said again. “This is Dagger 6, over” came the response though broken and barely understandable. The Soviet ECM was degrading the radio communications to the point of making radio comms almost useless. “Dagger 6, sitrerp over”, commanded Warren. “3 this is 6, (once the identities were established, call signs were reduced to limit the amount of transmission time) all Dagger forces currently engaged, break”…..Miller was separating his transmissions into short reports to make it hard for any Soviet RDF to pinpoint the location of the radio in use. “Alpha Green, Bravo Yellow, Charlie Red, break…” That bit of information told Warren that A 3/41 was still above 75% combat strength, Bravo was at or above 50% and Charlie was below 50%. “Approximately 125 enemy destroyed, they are still east of the blue, phase 2 now, but may not complete, over”. “Roger, out!” said Warren.

“Sir, Dagger is Yellow, they are reporting 125 kills, and are starting to pull back but Col Miller is reporting that they are still heavily engaged.” reported the S3.
Funk looked at his map. Collins had reported that the Russian’s were still on the east side of the Steinbach which was the only good news so far. He needed 3/41 Inf to hold for at least another hour as his other Bn’s lead elements were closing in on Moisburg….

Hq’s 4/41 Inf…Ltc Forilli was pissd. He had to send his two Hq’s M1’s to blow the bridge that spanned the Este at 145285 as no other force was available. Based on what he heard from Bde, the Scouts had punished the Russian’s south of Buchholz, but there was nothing to stop them from running due west to Toldtgusingen. His Charlie Co was moving to occupy the ridge that both the K72 and N3 crossed to hold the right flank while TF Delta was forming the second line west of Buchholz.

2207890459z….The Russian’s had reached the Steinbach in several locations. Ltc Miller ordered the bridge blown that his Hq’s troops had responsibility for. A, B, and C Co’s were all combat ineffective. It was now up to forces arrayed to his west to stop the Soviet advance.

[bootlegger267]

2207590521z…

Small, desperate battles were being fought in Buchholz, east of the Steinbach. Squads of American soldiers, remnants of Plt’s, were fighting and dying in the hopeless task of delaying the Russian’s as long as they could. The Co Hq elements of Miller’s Bn were the only troops on the western bank of the river, and they too had been battered. Only the Charlie Co Hq’s was fully intact and with his own Hq’s, formed the only mobile force he had. There was an enemy mechanized Company moving up the west bank of the river from the south, and his two Hq’s had to slow their advance. His Battalion had done its job and more, but at a terrible price in men and equipment.

Hq’s 66 D/3/41..

Cpt Burt followed the battle as best he could on the Bn net. He knew this much, many of his friends and comrades were dead. In the lead of his Task Forces’ column, he received his orders from the Bde Cdr, not Ltc Miller. Set up an ambush position to hit the Russians as they came down the A1, and get it set quickly, with a secondary mission of supporting D/4/41 to the SE.

2AD (FWD) TOC…Gen. Funk had just put down the mike when the S3 informed him of the demise of 3/41 Inf. “That was Burt. He was entering Hollenstadt. He should be in position within 30-45 minutes. What’s the status?” asked the General. “From what we can gather, the three Companies of 3/41 are destroyed. The Russian’s are still on the east side of the Steinbach. A force of Company strength is moving north from Holm-Seppensen. The bad news was the northern bridge on the B75 is still intact. We placed a FASCAM mission there to give em something to think about. HQ’s 3/41 and HQ’s C/3/41 are setting up a blocking position on the west bank to delay the force coming up from the south.”

[bootlegger267]

2207890554z… Inside of the turret of Hq’s 66 3/41 Inf

Ltc Miller had just finished loading the main gun with one of the few rounds remaining when he heard the radio report that D/4/41 was in contact. That meant the Russian’s were behind him. It also meant that his mission was complete…..

Hq’s 66 D/3/41….Cpt Burt’s Task Force had just arrived into their positions when 3rd Plt reported contact. Burt has given 3rd Plt their position because they were his “Sniper” Plt, excellent long ranged gunnery performers. They had to cover both the A1/B3 intersection to the northeast, and the B75 to the east. It was along the B75 that they began to engage at 4000m plus…..

“Knight 6, Spearhead 6 your net over” came the radio call. “Knight 6 over” replied Burt. “Knight 6 you’ve been chopped from Dagger to Bayonet, acknowledge over” “Burt pushed his CVC toggle switch to transmit and acknowledged the order. That meant only one thing, his parent Battalion was gone…..

[bootlegger267]

2AD (FWD) TOC…

Gen Funk had given his chopper pilot the word to get his Blackhawk helicopter ready. He needed to see the front but walked into his S2’s track before leaving. He stared at the intel map and made notes on his own.
He left the track and climbed into the chopper. As soon as he was secure between the two pilots, the chopper lifted off and headed east towards the B75/B3 intersection. They stayed low, flying NOE as they neared Trelde. “Sir, 1000m straight ahead, see where the highway crests the rise? That’s as far as we go. On the other side is TF D/4/41 and 1000m past them are the bad guys.” stated his pilot.

The forward motion of the chopper slowed as the craft reached the rise. Slowly the pilot brought the Blackhawk to hover and started to gain altitude. As he cleared the rise, Funk first saw the tanks of the task force. Then the muzzle flash from a tank firing off to his left caught his eye and it was only then did he take in the carnage. As his eyes traveled down the road leading northwest he spotted two enemy tanks burning along the road. He then brought his bino’s up to his eyes and continued to scan farther down the road. The wrecks of multiple tanks…”Lead Company took a beating, and the next is just up the road” he said more to himself then to anyone. Then, looking to his right he saw the heavy smoke rising over Buchholz. After observing for a few more minutes, the Blackhawk dipped below the rise. They went north first, then to the south. Satisfied that he had seen all he needed, Funk ordered his pilot to return to the TOC.

[bootlegger267]

2207890630z…

The battle for the B3/B75 intersection was nothing like Buchholz. The Russian’s rushed down the B75 highway from the northeast in Bn strength after their Advance Guard had been mauled by the M1A1 (HA) tanks of TF D/4/41. They got to within 500m of the forward Plt’s position when the combined firepower of the Task Force and the M2 Bradley’s from TF B/3/41 stopped the assault, for now. To the southeast, Russian tanks were exiting Buchholz in Bn strength, also heading for the intersection.

Hq’s TF D/4/41…

Cpt Davis’ defensive setup was 2 tank Plt’s up, and one back. In reserve was his Hq’s Section along with a Mech Plt in Trelde. Once the plan was set he knew the fight was going to be in the hands of the Plt Leaders. He need not be on the leading edge. The pace and breath of this fight dictated that. Every weapons platform was needed for a particular mission. He monitored the Co radio net as his Lt’s reported in. He could hear the cannon fire, the staccato of the machineguns, and the explosions. The smoke on the horizon told him more…..

“Delta 6, White 1, contact tanks NE out!”came the first report. Now he would wait…He acknowledged the contact report and waited. Next came Red 1’s report, which was the same. He waited. The fight was in their hands and to distract them with useless radio traffic was, well, distracting. The report of tanks firing was ferocious. It was a continuous sound of thunder that never let up. Finally the first details came over the radio.

Red, White, and now Blue reported destroying over 70 vehicles. They all also reported ammo status Red, which meant they were down to less than 10 main gun rounds per vehicle.

Cpt Burt of TF 3/41 had dropped to his net and reported moving another one of his tank Plt’s south to support from long range. Davis wished they could get closer but he knew their mission was to his north and he appreciated that Burt was “stretching” his sector farther south than planned.

Hq’s 2AD (Fwd) TOC….

The battle for Buchholz was over. The Russian’s were pouring out of the city from the northeast and southeast in regimental strength. Gen Funk looked at the situation map hanging in the S3 track and listened to the Cmd net radio. The desperate fight being put up by TF D/4/41 at the intersection was tough to listen to. He knew there was a good chance that this unit was about to be overrun by the massive amount of tanks the enemy was rushing forward. No maneuver, no pretense. They were slogging forward regardless of the losses they were taking, and losses they took. The tankers were making them pay in spades.

The leading edge of the battlefield was a scant 5km’s to his east and the sounds of battle were now reaching the TOC. The vehicles of his Hq’s were now dispersed, at least 50m’s between each, drivers in their compartments, engines running, waiting for the order to move on a moment’s notice. The arrival of TF D/3/41 into the battle area, and the subsequent report that the enemy was not pressing his northern flank down the A1 Autobahn made his decision to allow Cpt Burt to shift his position south viable.

[bootlegger267]

2207890704z….

The ground between the B75 and K72 roadways that led from Buchholz to Trelde and Sprotze was a cauldron of destroyed and burning Russian vehicles. The Russian’s, in an attempt to bypass the tanks defending the crossroads, sent a reinforced tank company down the K72 towards Sprotze. Hoping the American commander defending the crossroads would pull back to defend his exposed flank, the Russian’s were instead hit with a brutal fusillade of flanking fires from the crossroads.

[bootlegger267]

0704z

[bootlegger267]

2207890758z…

Cpt Davis kept wiping his face as the rain swept over the area. Even though the visibility kept changing, the advantage was his as the thermal sights were still able to see the heat signatures of the enemy vehicles. The bigger issue was the number of burning vehicles in his sector. His crews had destroyed over 130 tanks and BMP’s and ammo was at a premium. His Co 1SG was continuously bringing up main gun ammo in the Co M113, dropping the containers at the intersection. Individual tanks would pull off the line and scramble to get a few rounds into their turrets. It was not doctrine, it was dangerous, but they could not pull back. They had fought off three separate attacks, the last got to within “knife fight” range, but they still controlled the crossroads.

[bootlegger267]

2207890855z… 2AD (Fwd) TOC…

Gen Funk paced between vehicles. Two tank Companies were converging on the crossroads and Sprotze. TF D/4/41 had stopped at least a three attacks by the Russians’ but they needed to be relieved. He now had some 30 tanks converging within a 4km front to reinforce the crossroads position but he still wasn’t sure what the Russians’ had left.

D/2/66 Ar was ordered to retake Sprotze and secure the right flank of TF D/4/41 at the crossroads. B/2/66Ar was ordered to initially take positions behind Cpt Burt’s TF and await orders to advance to the crossroads itself and relieve whatever was left of Cpt Davis’ TF.

The Crossroads…

They were running out of ammo and operational tanks. To Davis’ best knowledge he had 3 tanks. His Hq’s section made it 5. The intensity of the battle had initially rattled him but then his training, and that of his troops overcame any indecision. The fields in front of him told the story.

“Green 8, this is 6…status over” radioed Davis as he released the toggle on his CVC. “This is 8, got another 20 on the way along with 10k of MG. I’ll drop in the same location, over”. “Stay safe and thanks, we need it, out” transmitted Davis. “Boys, the relief is coming. Just a little longer and we can pull back” said Davis to his crew.


Hq’s 66 D/2/66Ar….Cpt Fisk jumped back onto his tank after talking to the Cpt Allen of A/4/41 Inf. Allen’s unit had been ordered to defend Kakenstorf. His unit over watched Sprotze some 3km’s to the east. He informed Fisk that there was no enemy activity between the towns, but C/4/41 had taken a pounding in Sprotze but the Russian’s hadn’t followed up the initial attack.

Fisk wanted to see the situation first hand before his Company closed on Sprotze. “Driver, turn right and once we clear the town open her up” ordered Fisk. As soon as the last row of houses passed his view, the driver of Hq’s 66 twisted his throttle grips to the stops and the M1A1 responded. The tank was through all four gears in less than 10 seconds and was cruising down the K72 at 40 mph…..

As they approached the outskirts of Sprotze, the tank slowed as the damage from the battle became visible. Rubble and craters from enemy artillery made traversing the terrain dangerous. Throwing a track here would not be good. Finally, the gunner spotted the Hq’s Bradley of C/4/41. Fisk pulled alongside, dismounted, climbed into the back of the Bradley, and was briefed by Cpt Collins. “What ya got for me Roy?’ asked Fisk. Collins came down from his TC’s position and Fisk saw the strain on his face. “Climb up and take a look. We’ve been watching the center of town where the roads come together. They attacked with a company plus…I had a Plt here with me set up on the high ground to the south. Fucking artillery was brutal. We managed to stop em, but my track is all that’s left. Can’t believe they didn’t press on. I have another Plt 1500m down the road. They attacked down the road with a tank company. Lost a Plt in that fight…” his voice trailed off. “The bad guys are still probing here and here” Collins pointed to the wooded area to the south east his map. “Destroyed a Recon Plt here about 40 minutes ago, but we’ve seen no activity since then.”

Fisk climbed into the TC’s position and asked the gunner to slowly traverse left and right, telling him to hold when they came upon destroyed Russian vehicles. When he had seen enough, he climbed down and said, “Roy, my company will be here in less than 30 minutes.” Once we get set, you can pull your unit back and head west. Your Alpha is picking up the mission to hold the road. Until then, I’ll position my two tanks and hang out awhile.”

[bootlegger267]

2207890910z…

As the Russian armor crested the rise out of Buchholze, they found themselves in a FASCAM minefield. The long range gunnery experts of Cpt Burts’ TF D/3/41 opened fire at 3500m’s…

Within minutes, a Russian tank company was destroyed and the remainder of its unit pulling back into Buchholze. Another attack was stopped before it could close upon the crossroads.

[bootlegger267]

2207890940z…

The Russians attempted one last attack to gain the crossroads. Out of the carnage and smoke that was the K72, 12 T-80 tanks tried to deploy into something of an assault line. Again they were taken under heavy direct fire from multiple locations. One by one, tanks were exploding, but 3 managed to make it to within 300m of their objective….Then, from 3 different directions, all three were destroyed.

Hq’s 2AD (Fwd) TOC…

Gen Funk was receiving JSTARS reports that the Russians were no longer moving west in his sector. What little movement being picked up was in fact moving east. “Sam, put out a net call and get me a sitrep from all the units. I need to know what they see.” ordered the General.

As his S3 put out the call, the reports came in. To the north, the 2/66Ar Scts, which had been chopped to his command, reported entering Emsen with no contact. All the TF’s were reporting little to no movement in their sectors at the present time. Ammo, fuel, and vehicular status were passed along the Admin/Log net.

As the reports came in, Funk was handed a set of recon overflight photos of Buchholze and the surrounding area.


As he looked at the photo’s, Funk saw at least four regiments of equipment in and around Buchholze. His decision to place 3/41 Inf in the city had slowed the Russian advance long enough for his tanks to get into positions to block their advance out of city. It was a close call…Without the amazing performance of TF D/3/41 at the B75/K72 crossroads, the Russians may well be on the way to Bremen.

[Lowlaner2012]

Hi bootlegger, are you planning to carry on this aar, I am quite enjoying It

[Galahad78]

Wow, very nice! It will be very interesting to compare my newbie progress (or lack of thereof [:D][:D]) in this campaign against a pro's [:)]

[bootlegger267]

I will be continuing the narrative....as soon as I find time!

Thanks for the compliments!

Bootlegger