Week 8 - To catch a tiger by the tail (and not get bit)

This last Sunday we played a quickly formulated scenario in the parallel Special Forces campaign, Mark and Kevin started but were joined by Frédéric visiting from New Caledonia, and by Luke from Brisbane.

The setup

With confirmation that the Mad Bomber was in Azmakassar, and that he had setup a bomb factory in what is locally known as the “hotel” a mission to capture the terrorist mastermind was rapidly formulated at PB55.  The "hotel"  was built to be a hotel back in the heady days of the 2004, but now it was a empty hulk with broken windows and unhinged doors.  A brave informant had walked into the “hotel” to eyeball the Mad Bomber, a secret camera in his turban gave a 90% confirmation.

Major Richard Sole has confirmed with Washington that the Mad Bomber is the number 1 wanted HVT in the world.  The Mad Bomber is rumoured to have a dirty bomb in Europe or the US.  Recent evidence found on a cargo ship and from the interrogation of several HVTs captured in a recent operation have all but confirmed a major attack is imminent, and that the Mad Bomber is the mastermind.  Washington has ordered an immediate kill and preferably capture the Mad Bomber “at all costs”.

Major Sole has decided to send in all his resources, the US ODA and the Australian SASR.  Major Sole decided on a double flanking move into Azmakassar, the Australians are to move on foot from the south, while the ODA is to be driven straight down the main streets of Azmakassar in HUMVEEs, borrowed with their drivers from the US Army in Patrol Base 55.  The plan is to converge on the “hotel”, capture the HVT, and extricate with a Chinook or the backup Superpuma.  Furthermore, if it all goes wrong an Apache is available to pummel the “hotel”.  Next door to the hotel is the local governments half built offices, a recon flight identified a 14.5mm AA gun on its bare roof.  A ODA team has been designated to take out the gun.

The first two maps:

The SASR slip through the orchard past a team of sentries.

The HUMVEE/WMIK convoy speed through this map, giving the locals no time to react

The Raid

The US ODA team drove quickly through the winding roads towards the target, Major ordered the drivers, “No speed kills”.  At around 2am the convoy of HUMVEEs roared past a mob of locals awakened by the roar of the engines; the Americans drove straight past the surprised men before the Malikastanis could react.  A dozen cellphones lit up as the locals phoned the various militiamen.  Forewarned, several Hotakistani regular troops positioned at a key junction readied their RPG's, but fortunately failed to spot the Americans in the dark.  

The Hotel before the storm - note the AA gun on the government building

The three HUMVEEs and two WMIKs arrived in clouds of dust outside the hotel.  The two WMIKs sped past the hotel and skidded to a stop outside the government building, three ODA soldiers leapt from the vehicles and stormed into the dark building.  The first two humvees slammed to a halt outside the hotel, while the TOW armed HUMVEE sat a distance off to fire a missile into the top floor of the hotel.  The first three ODA to debuss are met with a rain of grenades from the top storey of the hotel, two of the team go down in a hail of shrapnel.  A RPG then slams into the HUMVEE, setting fire to the vehicle. The US soldiers escape the rapidly burning vehicle and follow the ODA into the hotel.

The ODA fall under a rain of grenades and RPGs.  The Mad Bomber praises his men.

A moment later a TOW missile shakes the building sending showers of glass and concrete  down into the street.  Three ODA from the remaining HUMVEE stack and blast their way into the lower floor of the “hotel”.  A further three ODA exit the TOW HUMVEE and run into the hotel.  Just then the large pile of garbage across the street reveals itself to be a T-55, before the US Army driver can speed off a 100mm shell destroys the vehicle, the driver dies in the arms of his gunner.

The TOW finds the rear of the T-55.  The buildings are the excellent Gamecraft buildings.  The HUMVEEs and T-55 are Peter Pig.

The six ODA in the hotel form up and are joined by the two US Army vehicle crew.  They climb the steps clearing floor by floor.  In the neighbouring office block the three ODA run up the stairwell.  A firefight soon ensues with the AA gun’s crew, who stand little chance.  The crew and the gun are soon eliminated.

The TOW Humvee reverse and drives around the souk building, a TOW missile is quickly loaded and then the driver drives into line of sight of the tank.  The TOW missile destroyed the rear of the T-55, setting the tank on fire, the hapless crew leapt from the tank, two men on fire and badly burnt.

In the “hotel” the six ODA storm upwards, eventually wiping out three squads of enemy and finally capturing the Mad Bomber.

The Australian SASR pincer found itself in slower going.  Their NVG's spotted a squad of regular troops, and they decided to stealthily move around them, rather than get delayed in a firefight.  A second squad was identified in a drainage ditch across an open field, blocking the route to the target.

The SASR (Khurusan figures painted by Mark) slip past the sentries

The Aussies moved swiftly, shooting down the enemy with their suppressed weapons, and assaulting the survivor in the ditch; the enemy did not even know what hit them.  The first enemy squad heard the muffled commotion, and made the mistake of moving into the field. Halfway across, they died under a hail of bullets, without even seeing where they were shot from.  The SASR teams moved on through the night. A little further on, a dozen Hotakistanis were spotted, clustered around three technicals armed with machine guns.  Their presence close to the target area determined their elimination; they did not manage to return fire. However, the sounds of fighting from the target, combined with comms chatter, informed the SASR that the ODA were now securing the area, and they needed to move quickly to assist.  The SASR arrived at the hotel as the Chinook touched its rear wheels down on the hotel roof, the ODA with its prisoners boarded and flew off.  The SASR then mounted the HUMVEEs and exited heading south through Azmakassar.

The operation was considered 100% successful, though one US Army soldier died and two ODA were seriously wounded.  An estimated 26 Azmakassari’s and Hotakistani’s were killed in the raid.