PBEM | 12 Bravo
Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2026 3:30 pm
Scenario: 12 BRAVO
22 July 1989, Kahl am Main, West Germany | United States vs Soviet Union
Length: 8 hours
Side: NATO
Opponent: maynard
Scenario background:
The 2nd Brigade, 3rd Armored Division, was driven back from Fulda with heavy losses. 3rd Brigade was making slow progress through the choked civilian roads and Warsaw Pact air attacks…By the time the Americans were reorganized and moving again, valuable time had been lost. The 2nd Brigade had been hit so hard they had pulled back in disarray.
The question was, how to buy the 3rd Brigade time? … It is time for the combat engineers to earn their combat pay.
The Soviet thrust was south of Frankfurt am Main. The home barracks for the 23rd Engineer Battalion Combat was at Hanau. The Soviet thrust was to bypass Hanau to the south at Alzenau and make a crossing of the Main River at Grosskrotzenburg…They would not strike directly at Frankfurt am Main or Hanau as the Americans expected.
After the debacle at Nordheim vor der Rhön the 79th Guards Tank Division was ordered to stop and change directions…The 66th Guards Tank Regiment was in the lead and aimed at the Main River crossings near Hanau…79th Guards Tank Division, having broken through American forces, is set to make a major river crossing of the Main River. Only the 12 Bravos from Hanau am Main are in the way.
Our Forces:
3rd Brigade 3rd Division
On map:
23rd Combat Engineers Battalion which consists of 4 companies(3x Cbt Eng Platoons and 1x M728A1 squad
Reinforcements:
2-3rd FA Battalion (M109A2) with stinger SAM team; West of Main River; ETA0730
Brigade’s Chaparral and Vulcan platoons; West of Main River; ETA 0630;
2x AH-1F sections and 1x OH-58D section; West of Main River; ETA 0800;
2-32 Armored Battalion; North of Hanau; ETA 0700-1000 (Scouts first, HQ and mortars last)
2-36 Mechanized Battalion; Hanau and South of Hanau; ETA 0615-0900 (Scouts first; D company last)
Enemy Forces:
Intel reports indicate that two columns of the 79th Guards Tank Division are moving towards Hanau with the intention of crossing the Main River. The two columns are composed of the 66th Guards MRR (South-East) and the 17th Guards Tank Rgt (North-East)
20 to 20 Reconnaissance subunits; 6 to 10 Helicopter subunits; over 80 Tank subunits; over 80 Armored Carrier subunits; over 80 Infantry subunits; 6 to 10 SP Anti-Tank subunits; 1 to 5 Anti-Tank subunits; over 80 Headquarter subunits; 6 to 10 Engineer subunits; 50 to 60 Air Defence subunits; 40 to 50 SP Artillery subunits; 20 to 20 Utility Vehicle and 6 to 10 Depot subunits
Objectives:
First, move as quickly as possible to vicinity Hanau and blunt the Soviet attack and deny them access to the Main River.
Second, relieve the 23rd Combat Engineer Bn
Weather:
Mainly overcast 10k visual, 100% illum, 400-1080m cloud ceiling.
Initial Situation, my assessment and plan:
*Playing this scenario for the first time.
I did not change anything in Combat Engineer’s positions - it’s optimal, only moved 2 fortified positions.
I plan to engage the enemy as soon as he touches the minefield to inflict maximum damage.
Overall Eng Bn positions are compact and capable of holding the enemy enough until reinforcements arrive.
I’ll probably split 2-32 Battalion in 2 groups 1st to reinforce A/ and D/ -23 with Cobras support and 2nd to position with Kiowas on the south side of Kahl river to overwatch plateau, from where 62/GMRR should operate.
2-36 battalion forces will be used where needed.
I expect the enemy to attempt direct attacks from north and north-east by 17 GTR and East from valley by 62/GMRR ASAP. I think he’ll try to use a few companies to recon and probe my right flank by crossing the Kahl river valley south in the Rothengrund-Feldkahl direction.
But due to the dosing schedule of reinforcements I’ll play it by the ear.
0600-0700
For the first half an hour the enemy was shelling possible ambush positions, only 2 units got hit.
Enemy attempts to cross mine fields on the north and our forces spotted enemy armor SW. Moments later enemy vanguard mechanized infantry appeared right in front of B/23rd position and were bogged in the minefield and destroyed.
Enemy BRDM recon section invaded D company armor position but were able to quickly disappear in the woods.
2-36 Scouts arrived. - I decided to position them on our right far flank to screen possible enemy flanking units.
2-36 A Company along with 2-36 AA section arrived and are moving behind scouts. - they have to secure the north river bank along our SE flank.
0700-0800
Around 0720 2-36 Scout platoon spotted enemy scouts and engaged them.
Having them so close is bad, I have to make sure that there are no major forces behind them, so 2-36 Scouts continue to their designated positions.
At the same time D/23rd HQ position was invaded by an enemy mechanized unit (aparently scouts) but were destroyed. D/23rd HQ sustained menial casualties.
Enemy tanks previously spotted by Horbach after discovering minefields (I assume) moved closer to the center behind 2nd assault attempt on B/23 fortified positions.
More enemy units were spotted, parts of 66 GMRR assembling north of Kahl river and looks like they will attempt to assault A/23 positions cutting off B/ C/ and D/ Eng companies as well as future reinforcements.
B/2/36 Company arrived and moved to support their scouts and A company.
Finally parts of 2-32 arrived and they will position themselves behind C/23 Engs. To do it fast they would have to move by road and there is a very dangerous turn which can be hit by enemies. Mortars will provide a smoke screen.
Artillery is finally available, 1 SPA will provide CB, rest are on-call.
2/A/2-36 Platoon was ambushed from a side by enemy armor and was destroyed.
0800-0900
Enemy helicopters appeared on a horizon - East of 3/A/2-36 and immediately used ATGM on moving Bradleys. Thankfully the company's AA stinger section was close and destroyed 3 out of 4 Mi-24s. The last one was downed by 3/A/2-36 Bradley autocannon fire. Enemy AA spotted closeby - artillery fire ordered on last known position.
C/2-36 arrived and moving to position between A/23rd and D/23rd rearguard. This way they can overwatch the Kahl river valley. Shortly after enemy armor units appeared from the woods and finished off D/23rd HQ.
Helicopters arrived: Cobras will assist B/23rd, Kiowas will stay behind 2-36. Artillery should take care of AA and Kiowas will stay far enough.
Electronic Emission spotted - far NE, CB artillery unit was taken off CB duty and ordered to strike that location - I don’t know results but enemy was able to shoot 3 SAM at my Cobras - 3 misses.
Enemy engineers trying to work on minefields on both axis of attacks. 17th GTR armor units attempt to cross minefields and bite into urban environments.
A/2-23 armored company arrived, but I did not move them yet. - Every area is covered well so far.
0900-1000
The enemy attempts to break through minefields from the north, but is very sluggish in general with progress in D/23 company area. They also attempted to cross the minefield in the far north point, A/2-32 company was sent there to prevent it with B/2-32 far behind.
However, enemy advancement from east along the Kahl river valley is very firm and they have reached Michelbach outskirts. D/2-36 sent to overwatch Michelbach-Valley direction.
I’ll use remnants of A/2-36 to advance a little further.
1000-1100
Lost 1st AH-1F to enemy manpad from NE forest. The remaining Cobra was able to destroy a few BMPs and was downed by another manpad from E forest - right between A/23rd and 2-36 position. I thought there’s only 1-2 recon units.
A/2-32 arrived on their positions and engaged enemy mechanized forces
Around 1040 the whole Red Army teleported from Red Square to the valley by Konigshofen, SE direction. - I don’t know how else to describe it.
*My opponent suspected that I had looked up his reinforcement schedule beforehand, despite my intention to play the scenario blind. He believed I had set the appropriate range and SOP for my ambushing forces to destroy reinforcements HQ upon arrival. Unfortunately, these reinforcements turned out to be a bigger surprise to me than to my opponent. More on that in the conclusion.
The road to Khal am Main is open, probably VP at Grosauheim too. I don't have forces to close that direction or secure the town in time. I’ll use B/2-32 from the reserve and Cobras to emergency cover the south flank of A/23rd but other than that I don't have any forces to get there or cover my rear. Moreover my artillery and AA covering them are in danger too.
I hope my opponent does not realize his situation and won't exploit it to 100%.
1100-1200
After enemy reinforcements, parts of 2-36 in Area 2 got jammed between enemy forces marching south and enemy forces reinforcing their attack through the valley.
B/2-32 company got to their position on time. I've decided to take A/2-32 company from the north direction and move them to Kahl am Main too.
The opponent did not stop and kept moving.
1200-1400
Enemy forces spotted crossing Main. Cobras are going back to FARP to rearm. Chaparrals were able to down the Mi-24 section. Closer to 1300 platoon sized mechanized forces crossed the river, entered the town and engaged my AD and Artillery reinforced by 2nd mech infantry platoon - cobras were biting back, but that’s not enough.
B/2-32 engaged enemy armor on the outskirts of Kahl am Main, A/2-32 entered the city, but enemy forces marched through in the direction of Grosauheim. Unfortunately the 2nd wave of soviet tanks pushed A/2-32 out of town.
The enemy forces keep putting pressure on Michelbach from the valley.
2-36 forces in Area 2, effectively left behind enemy lines, engage in random skirmishes.
Conclusion:
Well…what can I say - read the map and intel and read it correctly.
For some reason I decided that both 66th Guards MRR and the 17th Guards Tank Rgt start somewhere in the NE corner relatively close to each other and the main attack would go from there. I held on to that assumption until 1040.
The whole defence, positioning, reserve, etc. was based on wrong assumptions..
If I processed intel correctly I would play this scenario absolutely differently. Giving circumstances - not a bad result.
This match is a good example of two things:
Had he concentrated his forces on just one or two directions, he might have been able to crush my defenses. The combination of my starting forces and dosing nature of reinforcements was barely enough to stop one or two equally concentrated attacks. However, by spreading his attacks across my entire defensive line, he kept the overall pressure relatively light and allowed me to react where needed.
Thank you!
22 July 1989, Kahl am Main, West Germany | United States vs Soviet Union
Length: 8 hours
Side: NATO
Opponent: maynard
Scenario background:
The 2nd Brigade, 3rd Armored Division, was driven back from Fulda with heavy losses. 3rd Brigade was making slow progress through the choked civilian roads and Warsaw Pact air attacks…By the time the Americans were reorganized and moving again, valuable time had been lost. The 2nd Brigade had been hit so hard they had pulled back in disarray.
The question was, how to buy the 3rd Brigade time? … It is time for the combat engineers to earn their combat pay.
The Soviet thrust was south of Frankfurt am Main. The home barracks for the 23rd Engineer Battalion Combat was at Hanau. The Soviet thrust was to bypass Hanau to the south at Alzenau and make a crossing of the Main River at Grosskrotzenburg…They would not strike directly at Frankfurt am Main or Hanau as the Americans expected.
After the debacle at Nordheim vor der Rhön the 79th Guards Tank Division was ordered to stop and change directions…The 66th Guards Tank Regiment was in the lead and aimed at the Main River crossings near Hanau…79th Guards Tank Division, having broken through American forces, is set to make a major river crossing of the Main River. Only the 12 Bravos from Hanau am Main are in the way.
Our Forces:
3rd Brigade 3rd Division
On map:
23rd Combat Engineers Battalion which consists of 4 companies(3x Cbt Eng Platoons and 1x M728A1 squad
Reinforcements:
2-3rd FA Battalion (M109A2) with stinger SAM team; West of Main River; ETA0730
Brigade’s Chaparral and Vulcan platoons; West of Main River; ETA 0630;
2x AH-1F sections and 1x OH-58D section; West of Main River; ETA 0800;
2-32 Armored Battalion; North of Hanau; ETA 0700-1000 (Scouts first, HQ and mortars last)
2-36 Mechanized Battalion; Hanau and South of Hanau; ETA 0615-0900 (Scouts first; D company last)
Enemy Forces:
Intel reports indicate that two columns of the 79th Guards Tank Division are moving towards Hanau with the intention of crossing the Main River. The two columns are composed of the 66th Guards MRR (South-East) and the 17th Guards Tank Rgt (North-East)
20 to 20 Reconnaissance subunits; 6 to 10 Helicopter subunits; over 80 Tank subunits; over 80 Armored Carrier subunits; over 80 Infantry subunits; 6 to 10 SP Anti-Tank subunits; 1 to 5 Anti-Tank subunits; over 80 Headquarter subunits; 6 to 10 Engineer subunits; 50 to 60 Air Defence subunits; 40 to 50 SP Artillery subunits; 20 to 20 Utility Vehicle and 6 to 10 Depot subunits
Objectives:
First, move as quickly as possible to vicinity Hanau and blunt the Soviet attack and deny them access to the Main River.
Second, relieve the 23rd Combat Engineer Bn
Weather:
Mainly overcast 10k visual, 100% illum, 400-1080m cloud ceiling.
Initial Situation, my assessment and plan:
*Playing this scenario for the first time.
I did not change anything in Combat Engineer’s positions - it’s optimal, only moved 2 fortified positions.
I plan to engage the enemy as soon as he touches the minefield to inflict maximum damage.
Overall Eng Bn positions are compact and capable of holding the enemy enough until reinforcements arrive.
I’ll probably split 2-32 Battalion in 2 groups 1st to reinforce A/ and D/ -23 with Cobras support and 2nd to position with Kiowas on the south side of Kahl river to overwatch plateau, from where 62/GMRR should operate.
2-36 battalion forces will be used where needed.
I expect the enemy to attempt direct attacks from north and north-east by 17 GTR and East from valley by 62/GMRR ASAP. I think he’ll try to use a few companies to recon and probe my right flank by crossing the Kahl river valley south in the Rothengrund-Feldkahl direction.
But due to the dosing schedule of reinforcements I’ll play it by the ear.
0600-0700
For the first half an hour the enemy was shelling possible ambush positions, only 2 units got hit.
Enemy attempts to cross mine fields on the north and our forces spotted enemy armor SW. Moments later enemy vanguard mechanized infantry appeared right in front of B/23rd position and were bogged in the minefield and destroyed.
Enemy BRDM recon section invaded D company armor position but were able to quickly disappear in the woods.
2-36 Scouts arrived. - I decided to position them on our right far flank to screen possible enemy flanking units.
2-36 A Company along with 2-36 AA section arrived and are moving behind scouts. - they have to secure the north river bank along our SE flank.
0700-0800
Around 0720 2-36 Scout platoon spotted enemy scouts and engaged them.
Having them so close is bad, I have to make sure that there are no major forces behind them, so 2-36 Scouts continue to their designated positions.
At the same time D/23rd HQ position was invaded by an enemy mechanized unit (aparently scouts) but were destroyed. D/23rd HQ sustained menial casualties.
Enemy tanks previously spotted by Horbach after discovering minefields (I assume) moved closer to the center behind 2nd assault attempt on B/23 fortified positions.
More enemy units were spotted, parts of 66 GMRR assembling north of Kahl river and looks like they will attempt to assault A/23 positions cutting off B/ C/ and D/ Eng companies as well as future reinforcements.
B/2/36 Company arrived and moved to support their scouts and A company.
Finally parts of 2-32 arrived and they will position themselves behind C/23 Engs. To do it fast they would have to move by road and there is a very dangerous turn which can be hit by enemies. Mortars will provide a smoke screen.
Artillery is finally available, 1 SPA will provide CB, rest are on-call.
2/A/2-36 Platoon was ambushed from a side by enemy armor and was destroyed.
0800-0900
Enemy helicopters appeared on a horizon - East of 3/A/2-36 and immediately used ATGM on moving Bradleys. Thankfully the company's AA stinger section was close and destroyed 3 out of 4 Mi-24s. The last one was downed by 3/A/2-36 Bradley autocannon fire. Enemy AA spotted closeby - artillery fire ordered on last known position.
C/2-36 arrived and moving to position between A/23rd and D/23rd rearguard. This way they can overwatch the Kahl river valley. Shortly after enemy armor units appeared from the woods and finished off D/23rd HQ.
Helicopters arrived: Cobras will assist B/23rd, Kiowas will stay behind 2-36. Artillery should take care of AA and Kiowas will stay far enough.
Electronic Emission spotted - far NE, CB artillery unit was taken off CB duty and ordered to strike that location - I don’t know results but enemy was able to shoot 3 SAM at my Cobras - 3 misses.
Enemy engineers trying to work on minefields on both axis of attacks. 17th GTR armor units attempt to cross minefields and bite into urban environments.
A/2-23 armored company arrived, but I did not move them yet. - Every area is covered well so far.
0900-1000
The enemy attempts to break through minefields from the north, but is very sluggish in general with progress in D/23 company area. They also attempted to cross the minefield in the far north point, A/2-32 company was sent there to prevent it with B/2-32 far behind.
However, enemy advancement from east along the Kahl river valley is very firm and they have reached Michelbach outskirts. D/2-36 sent to overwatch Michelbach-Valley direction.
I’ll use remnants of A/2-36 to advance a little further.
1000-1100
Lost 1st AH-1F to enemy manpad from NE forest. The remaining Cobra was able to destroy a few BMPs and was downed by another manpad from E forest - right between A/23rd and 2-36 position. I thought there’s only 1-2 recon units.
A/2-32 arrived on their positions and engaged enemy mechanized forces
Around 1040 the whole Red Army teleported from Red Square to the valley by Konigshofen, SE direction. - I don’t know how else to describe it.
*My opponent suspected that I had looked up his reinforcement schedule beforehand, despite my intention to play the scenario blind. He believed I had set the appropriate range and SOP for my ambushing forces to destroy reinforcements HQ upon arrival. Unfortunately, these reinforcements turned out to be a bigger surprise to me than to my opponent. More on that in the conclusion.
The road to Khal am Main is open, probably VP at Grosauheim too. I don't have forces to close that direction or secure the town in time. I’ll use B/2-32 from the reserve and Cobras to emergency cover the south flank of A/23rd but other than that I don't have any forces to get there or cover my rear. Moreover my artillery and AA covering them are in danger too.
I hope my opponent does not realize his situation and won't exploit it to 100%.
1100-1200
After enemy reinforcements, parts of 2-36 in Area 2 got jammed between enemy forces marching south and enemy forces reinforcing their attack through the valley.
B/2-32 company got to their position on time. I've decided to take A/2-32 company from the north direction and move them to Kahl am Main too.
The opponent did not stop and kept moving.
1200-1400
Enemy forces spotted crossing Main. Cobras are going back to FARP to rearm. Chaparrals were able to down the Mi-24 section. Closer to 1300 platoon sized mechanized forces crossed the river, entered the town and engaged my AD and Artillery reinforced by 2nd mech infantry platoon - cobras were biting back, but that’s not enough.
B/2-32 engaged enemy armor on the outskirts of Kahl am Main, A/2-32 entered the city, but enemy forces marched through in the direction of Grosauheim. Unfortunately the 2nd wave of soviet tanks pushed A/2-32 out of town.
The enemy forces keep putting pressure on Michelbach from the valley.
2-36 forces in Area 2, effectively left behind enemy lines, engage in random skirmishes.
Conclusion:
Well…what can I say - read the map and intel and read it correctly.
For some reason I decided that both 66th Guards MRR and the 17th Guards Tank Rgt start somewhere in the NE corner relatively close to each other and the main attack would go from there. I held on to that assumption until 1040.
The whole defence, positioning, reserve, etc. was based on wrong assumptions..
If I processed intel correctly I would play this scenario absolutely differently. Giving circumstances - not a bad result.
This match is a good example of two things:
- How crucial intel is. Having the information available is one thing; interpreting it correctly is another.
- How the fog of war affects situational awareness. An incorrect assumption can shape your entire understanding of the battlefield.
Had he concentrated his forces on just one or two directions, he might have been able to crush my defenses. The combination of my starting forces and dosing nature of reinforcements was barely enough to stop one or two equally concentrated attacks. However, by spreading his attacks across my entire defensive line, he kept the overall pressure relatively light and allowed me to react where needed.
Thank you!