Big TEAM YANKEE Game: 100 Point "No Retreat" Scenario

Ken and I played the first portion of a larger "Team Yankee" scenario with 100 points per side (99 on mine and 98 on his) this afternoon on Ken's table.  While the issue is very much in doubt still and the game was "paused" I thought I would post the first batch of pictures from this nail biter.

Scenario features a US Company Team defending with the Soviets attacking.  The Soviet force consists of a tank company, BMP2 company, along with a flight of 4 x Hinds, a 6 gun artillery battery, and of course a ZSU 23/4 ADA section, fighting against "Team Yankee" with 2 tank platoons, a 1 mech platoon, a flight of 2 AH-1 "Cobra" gunships, and some more "stuff" in reserve that has not made its way to the battlefield yet!

I'll let the pictures tell the story, then comment in at the end.

Battlefield.  The Americans are deployed at the far end in the woodline.  The Soviets coming from the right of the picture.

Bannon or Uleski are behind the hill...

Soviet aerial recce 

US Tanks wait for targets.  

Soviet tanks advance!  They will eventually hit a minefield and be forced to move around it.  In No Retreat, the defender gets 1 minefield marker for every 25 points worth of kit.

Soviets grind their way forward!

The 4 red markers on the right are where the US player put the mines.  Doctrinally they should be covered with fires but unfortunately my Artillery is late to the party...

It's gonna be a looong day with these Hinds inbound and no ADA on the table yet...

Ken's magnificent 1/100 Battlefront Hinds.  He makes some great points about 1/100 aircraft.  My helos are all 1/144

Using the "Spearhead" rule, the BMPs follow the scouts and reach the village, assembling for their assault on the suspected American positions.

mines don't stop Hinds!

But mines do have a tendency to slow tanks down!  Ken would flank the minefield on both sides but the woods would give him a hard time getting his tanks through them.

meanwhile things were shaping up in the village.  The 2 lead BMPs nose forward and are promptly dispatched by long range US tank guns.

"What's the holdup comrade?"  The BTRs are Zvezda and are substituting for the recon platoon BMPs.

Ken placed his "RANGED IN" marker right on the woodline, which was great because I placed my tanks right on the woodline!  Good thing for the "shoot and scoot" rule.  1 US AFV is KO'd by an AT-5 fired from a Hind gunship.  Again....NO SHORAD to keep them away.

The Hinds are satisfied and move to another target.

meanwhile in the village, 2 BMPs are KO'd on the village road.  some infantry survivors collect themselves 

 

Shooting and scooting!  1 US Abrams gets stuck trying to move back.

The ITV firing its TOWs like crazy at the BMPs before they get the crazy idea to close the range. ...

ITV!

Comrade Commander Ken deciding on his next course of action

After KOing a BMP, the Hinds are dispatched to protect the infantry from the fire in the treeline.  If ONLY I had my Vulcans!

Unbelievably, a lucky shot from a .50 cal downs a Hind.

Ken flanking the minefield with his T-72s.

An artillery gunner or FSO's dream.  If only the guns had arrived!

And the bogging begins!  

 

The BMPs mass to assault the woodline (and the American objective!)

Unfortunately, I forgot my US infantry mech dismounts, so we used Ken's WW2 Americans...

2 T-72s who were able to free themselves from the forest move past a burning T-72 from the earlier engagement

More T-72s start to trickle through.

Ken swings his ACRV - subbing as a BMP OP) around to call for fire next turn

This is how we ended the battle (PAUSEX for now - will resume at a later time)  Ken's mechanized infantry conducted a dismounted assault against the US position with his up-gunned BMPs (BMP2s) providing some great fire support.  Even though the first volley from the 30mm didn't hit anything, I'm thinking it's only a matter of time before they do!

Then Team Yankee's CO is knocked out.  I shrewdly only purchased a 1 x vehicle command element so this was it.  either Bannon or Uleski is TOAST.  Somebody had better call Harold Coyle....

Lessons Learned
Besides reading the parameters of the scenario better?  I think a big win for this one (so far - the game is far from over) was the minefield.  I chose a natural choke point and looked at the terrain around it.  The trees that flanked the mines had a decent chance of at least disrupting the Soviet attack and I think they were used to good effect as it is taking a few frustrating turns for the Soviets to organize their tank assault.  It's allowing me to snipe at individual tanks, which is a win for the US player.

The Hinds have been a real nuisance but have not been as dominant as I'd initially feared.  There was a big concern over committing the next tank platoon or the SHORAD (M163 Vulcan ADA Section) and even thought I forgot about them, I'm glad I committed the M1s.  I need tank killers and with the helicopter's unsurpassed mobility, it's hard to even predict where the Hinds will strike next.  The M1s give me an option for a limited counterattack as well.

The dismounted Soviet infantry attack has me nervous.  The last thing I want my reinforcement tank platoon doing is counterattacking infantry in a forest...Plus the Soviets are very close to seizing an objective there.

Stay tuned!  Another exciting round of Team Yankee coming up soon.

Ken - if you're reading this - excellent fight and am looking forward to the next round.  We ended on beginning of US turn, second half of turn 3!