Gunfight at Malika City Airport

Introduction

The Hotakistanis had been been slowly infiltrating insurgents into Malikastan for several months, and then in the last few weeks everything from helicopters to main battle tanks had been joining the insurgents.  Throughout Malikastan the UN troops had been noticing a general increase in activity, it was at first explained away as the regular "mid-summer" increase in activity.  Then parachutes were seen blossoming over Malika Airport, the road to the airport was cut and car bombs exploded across the city.

Major Heidi Clare had at first reported that the parachutes were UN, but this was soon found to be wrong when the dozens of parked aircraft at the airport began to explode and burn.  By the time the main fuel dump exploded sending a massive black plume of smoke into the sky Malika City itself was in chaos.  The UN HQ had been all but flattened by a massive truck bomb, and hundreds of sleeper cells of Haqiqa had revealed themselves.  A desperate struggle for survival has begun in the capital and airport of Malika City.

S and M played the UN and K took the Hotakistanis.  The primary UN unit was the TQ8-MOR10, and they became British, the secondary unit was a TQ8-MOR8 and they became South Africans. For support the UN received an Apache, two batteries of light artillery and a medical team.  The Hotakistani primary unit was a Paratrooper TQ8-MOR10, support by Haqiqa insurgents TQ8-MOR10.  For support they selected Firepower+1 and a medium tank.  The only objective was for the Hotakistani's to push the UN out of 2/3s of the board, otherwise victory was down to casualties.

Hotakistani platoon's A1 and A2 take on the UN MA1 and MA2

Day 2 - The Malikastani Incident

Following the fight around the hangars on Day 1 the UN forces had fallen back on the administration and accommodation blocks.  A British lieutenant found himself in command, he had no vehicles, no air support and his radio was on the fritz.  He rallied his platoon.  A surviving Apache contacted him and asked if he needed assistance, his radio gave out before he could finish his affirmative.  The sound of an approaching tank gave him hope, especially when he saw it was a Malikastani T-55.  His hope was soon shattered when he saw foreign paratroopers moving up in formation with the tank.

The initial moves and fire

The British moved forward to take up positions to repulse the attack.  A platoon of South Africans, the reserve, were ordered forward, but they would take time to arrive.  However, a South African fire team with a MGL and GPMG took up positions in a derelict bunker, they were to prove themselves invaluable throughout the fight.

Another view showing all the UN positions and advancing forces.

The T-55 advanced scanning the buildings.  The commander of the tank was not willing to expose himself and so he failed to spot the UN forces.  A squad of paratroopers flitted between the buildings to the north of the road.  The British held their fire.  Then up from a drainage ditch leapt a squad of paratroopers and a unit of Haqiqa insurgents.  They sped across the open field between the ditch and the first administration building, only to be met with withering fire from the SAfer FN-MAG.  The British moved up to the windows overlooking the open field and joined in the fire.  This British team, combined with the FN-MAG team, were instrumental in stopping the Hotakistani's from crossing the open field, and it soon would become a killing ground from which there was no escape.  The South African FN-MAG supported by the MGL was a continuous thorn in the paratroopers side, it seemed as if they could not move anywhere without suffering the attention of this small team.

The British at the Golden Holden about to be assaulted by the four insurgents at the blue BMW.

Several insurgents made it to the cars parked next to the forward administration building, and were involved in a bitter close combat, resulting in four British infantrymen dying.  But, before the insurgents could enter the forward building they were cut down by accurate British fire from a fire team which had taken up a position behind a pile of storage containers.  The paratroopers failed to cross the open ground.  The paratrooper PKM team located at the HESCO barrier proved a major threat to the UN defence until they finally suffered two casualties.

The T-55 (Peter Pig) continues to pummel the building.

A view from the other side, a formidable defence, a patient defence.

The T-55 proved extremely hard to kill, firstly the British JTAC struggled to contact the Apache, and when the Apache arrived it managed to loose of three Hellfires, all failing to destroy the tank.  The British fired nigh a dozen LAW and AT-4 at the tank, and the South Africans added several more RPGs.  The tank survived the maelstrom, damaged it continued to rule the fight.  The infantry supporting the tank were soon stripped away by British and South African MG fire and finally a South African RPG slammed into the turret, wounding three of the crew, as they bailed the MAG opened up and the crew fell next to their tank.

The T-55's luck finally ran out.  A RPG destroyed the vehicle and the GPMG finished off the surviving crew.

The PKM fire team arrives to rally the stalled paratroopers.

The paratroopers staged a late rally, but by this time the British and South African's had more firepower located forward and the regrouped paratroopers were destroyed.  A final surge of Haqiqa insurgents arrived to late and only managed to add their bodies to the carnage.

The British bolster their frontline.  Making any further attack by the paratroopers an impossibility

By the end of the morning the fighting had died down, both sides had sustained heavy casualties, but the Hotakistani paratroopers were worse for the wear and fell back across the open ground under fire.  The British and South Africans had repulsed the first attack on the administration block.  It would not be the last.

The UN had been supported by two batteries of mortars, but they did not manage to fully utilise these assets due to poor radio communications, though the mortars were instrumental in delaying the paratrooper regrouped attack and allowing the British to move into position to finish them off, with the assistance of the overheating South African FN-MAG.  The T-55 led a charmed life, surviving up to a dozen and half attacks with LAW, RPG, Hellfire and AT-4.  The paratrooper Colonel at the air field found the supporting Haqiqa and gave them a severe chewing out over their lack of support for his attack.

UN: 26VP (win by 8VP) [Fatigue: +1, fought mission]

Hotakistan: 18VP [Fatigue: +3, fought mission, lost mission, gave away +25VP]

Malikastan Escalation Campaign - Turn 1

M and A played the first turn of the Escalation campaign.  Both did things I was surprised by, and therefore I am happy with the general design as they did not do what I thought "obvious".  After playing the asymmetrical portion of the campaign for over a year we now kick off the more symmetrical campaign.

A total of 6 missions were generated, we will probably try play at least two of them in the next 2-3 weeks, and hash out the mission generation rules for the campaign.  Two asymmetrical missions and four regular.  Two of the mission include the Malikastani forces.  Two of the missions involve MBT platoons, and three involve mechanised infantry.  So a good mix.  The UN has decided to rest its artillery assets, while the Hotakistani's have unleashed three batteries of 107mm rockets.

Here are the missions:

We did not have time to play this one, so roll-off battle occurs
Hotaki Malikastani TQ vs 2+ score 6 (Primary Attack Unit)
UN Mountain Platoon TQ vs 2+ score 5 (Primary Attack Unit)
UN Armoured Platoon TQ vs 2+ score 1 (Not In Battle)
UN Malikastani Infantry Platoon TQ vs 2+ score 2 (Secondary Attack Unit)

Hotaki Malikastani final TQ: D8
UN final TQ: D10 (+1 DShift for two platoons, +1DShift Arty and -1DShift for attack Defences)

Roll: UN D10: 10
Roll: Hotaki D8: 1

UN win a decisive victory, +1 Fatigue to UN platoons (FAT3+), +3 Fat to Hotaki Malikastanis (FAT5+)

Losing unit rolls TQ8 vs Fat5+ and scores 2, the Malikastanis rout, and then roll MOR8 vs. Fat5+ and roll a 1, and therefore are destroyed.

Summary.  The UN Mountain troops, supported by a platoon of loyal Malikastani T-55s attacked the pro-Hotakistani infantry in the patrol base in Bahijandal.  The attack quickly overwhelmed the defenders and during the rout the defenders were destroyed or melted away. 

Roll-off battle occurs D6 vs 4+: 5 BATTLE OCCURS

Haqiqa Insurgents TQ6 vs 2+ score 5 (Primary Defender Unit)
UN (UK) Armoured Platoon TQ8 vs 3+ score 5 forced to reroll scores a 7 (Primary Attack Unit)
UN (UK) Armoured Platoon TQ vs 2+ score 1 (Not In Battle)

Haqiqa final TQ: D8 (D6 +1DShift for Arty support)
UN final TQ: D6 (D8 -1DShift attacking Defences)

Roll: UN D6: 5
Roll: Haqiqa D8: 4

UN wins, +1 Fatigue to UN platoons (FAT3+ and Fat4+), +2 Fat to Haqiqa Insurgents (FAT4+)

Losing unit rolls TQ6 vs Fat4+ and scores 2, the Haqiqa fallback, and then roll MOR12 vs. Fat4+ and roll a 6, and therefore safely retreat to Azmakassar.

Summary.  Major Zaster attempting to gain time attacked the recently lost Patrol Base 55 with a platoon of Mechanised British Infantry supported by three Challenger tanks.  He decided to rest his artillery.  The Patrol Base was defended by a platoon strength unit of Haqiqa insurgents supported by two batteries of 107mm rockets and a Haqiqa ground-attack aircraft.  The British attacked, though their tanks failed to co-ordinate and the infantry went in without their support.  The Haqiqa support artillery and air failed to halt the attack and the insurgents fell back to Azmakassar.  The British now occupy the Patrol Base. 

Roll-off battle occurs D6 vs 4+: 6 BATTLE OCCURS

Haqiqa Insurgents X2 TQ8 vs 2+ score 1 (Not In Battle)
Haqiqa Insurgents 33 TQ6 vs 2+ score 6 (Primary Defender)
UN (French) Mechanized Infantry Platoon TQ8 vs 2+ score 7 (Primary Attack Unit)
UN (French) Armoured Recon Platoon TQ8 vs 2+ score 1 (Not In Battle)

Haqiqa final TQ: D6 
UN final TQ: D8

Roll: UN D8: 1
Roll: Haqiqa D6: 1

UN DRAW, +1 Fatigue to UN platoons (FAT3+ and Fat3+), +1 Fat to Haqiqa Insurgents (FAT3+)

Summary.  Major Zaster attempting to gain time sent the French contingent across the river to deal with the growing insurgent threat to the derelict air strip and his Line of Communication to Malika City.  Once again the UN was unable to co-ordinate the armour and the infantry.  The UN French attack was a dismal affair, but the Haqiqa insurgents were equally dismal.  Little gun fire was exchanged.

Malika Airstrip Addendum: UN includes support from attack helicopters (Fatigue 3+).
Played 3/11/12.  UN Victory 29 vs. 17 points.  UN units MA1 Fat4+, MA2 Fat 5+, Hotaki Para A1 Fat4+ and Haqiqa Insurgents A2 Fat4+ 

Played at club meeting.  DRAW, UN HQ L3 FAT3+, Malikastani MP1 FAT3+, HVT Insurgents FAT3+ and Haqiqa Insurgents MC3 FAT3+

Roll-off battle occurs D6 vs 4+: 3 NO BATTLE

The situation at the end of Turn 1 is as followed:

A nice start, I am looking forward to playing any of these six missions, knowing that a Pyrrhic Victory is no victory at all.