AAR - To catch/kill a mad bomber

Four of us played the mission at the Grange Football Club.  The mission briefing can be found here: http://bigfof.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/mission-briefing-to-catch-mad-bomber.html

The ODA team (a) finishes off the one patrol, while the second ODA team at (b) wipes out the two insurgent patrols (C). Two insurgent teams reacting to the fire move up (d) and (e).  Once again the mysterious Golden Holden is present!

The ODA team split in two, moving stealthily along each side of the walled orchard.  Both teams soon bumped into insurgent patrols, in the north the ODA opened fire on the unsuspecting insurgents, dropping two severely wounded.  They then assaulted the survivors and finished them off.  There would be no prisoner taking on this night.

The south team saw a patrol moving north through the ancient city wall. They opened fire, the unsuspecting insurgents never knew what hit them, they fired but found no targets.  A second insurgent team joined the first and they joined them in Paradise. The fire alerted a few insurgent patrols and two of them moved towards the fire.  Both were to pay with their lives for running to the sound of the guns.

The northern ODA team moved along the north alley of the NGO building and there neutralised another patrol of insurgents.

The southern ODA team then tried to breach the back door of the NGO building, and after three attempts could not open the emergency exit doors.  The northern ODA then went through one of  the front windows into an empty room.  But then they tried to breach a second room only to find their breaching explosives would not explode.  Finally the southern ODA blew down the emergency exit door and surged into the large hall on the ground fall.  A single hostage was surrounded by three men with AKs and a man in an explosive vest, two of the insurgents died immediately, the suicide bomber tried to blow his vest, but fumbled, and then died.  The hostage was freed.

The northern ODA then cleared the second ground floor offices. A Predator spotted a team of insurgents forming up on the roof of the NGO building, a Hellfire exploded amongst them and three of the four insurgents were eliminated.

The Predator drone fires at the insurgents on the roof of the Malikastani Organization For Unity Creation building.

The Golden Holden!

The southern ODA moved upstairs and breached the first room, in the room were five men, in a sharp and short melee the five occupants were killed.  One of the dead was The Mad Bomber.  One of the ODA team was killed in the fight.  The ODA bagged the insurgent's body and moved down to the ground floor carrying their fallen comrade.  The northern ODA joined them and exited the building, they saw a few insurgents taking cover in the buildings across the road, but held their fire.

The gunfire at the NGO building had drawn more insurgents, but behind the insurgents was a lost UN fire team from the US Army, the men followed the insurgents and then attacked them in the open area in front of the building, they gave and received.  Two of the UN soldiers were wounded, and two of the insurgents.  A Cougar drove up and the SASR on the 12.7mm finished off the last insurgent in the road.  The SASR convoy had arrived, one vehicle down.  It had travelled through the winding roads and fought of several ambushes. One of the uparmoured HUMVEE's had been destroyed en route and two of the SASR section were seriously wounded.

[The Tale of the Route March to be added here]

The convoy negotiating the tight streets (HUMVEES from Peter Pig and the MRAP Cougar from QRF (with a turret from Rebel Minis))

One HUMVEE down, the survivors boarding the MRAP Cougar/Mastiff

The ambush.  

The HUMVEE's joined the Cougar and they the ODA started to board the vehicles, a group of four insurgents on the second floor decided this was their chance and opened fire, but died before they did any damage.  Following the convoy was a Toyota Hilux mounting a PKM, it fired into the rear of the HUMVEE to no effect.  The UN force returned fire blowing a front tyre.

The TOW on the HUMVEE spotted an RPG gunner in a a building overlooking the exfiltration route, a TOW missile left the HUMVEE and smashed the window on the second floor and exploded at the rear of the building, killing four further insurgents who were moving through the rear of the building.

The convoy began its exit, firing at the RPG gunner, the RPG gunner fired, but it was a dud.  The Cougar and two HUMVEEs then raced past the building.  A group of three lost Hotakistani paratroopers spotted the convoy and raced to intercept the convoy, the paratrooper RPG gunner knelt to fire, but as he fired the Cougar vanished around the corner.

The mission was over. Major Heidi Clare had the body of the Mad Bomber and a rescued hostage.  The mission had cost the SASR two wounded and the ODA one dead.  Major Heidi Clare in an interview on a satellite phone said, "We got him the second time, there will not be a third time."

The reporter at the other end of the phone asked.  "Firstly, do you think this will satisfy your critics that you should have flown out the Mad Bomber when he was first captured?  And, secondly, I have heard a rumour that the man killed was The Mad Bomber's brother?".  Fortunately the satellite phone dropped out before Major Clare answered.

The chief spokesman of the Haqiqa insurgency in Malika City is reported to have said, "He [The Saint/The Mad Bomber] has double the virgin, not seventy two, but a gross virgin."

Comment: Scenario was finished by turn 11. The convoy arrived on turn 9.  The D10 special forces out fought the D8 insurgents with amazing results.  The insurgents barely touched the special forces.

AAR - The Fight at Ok Koreli Madrassa

The land south of the bridge at FOB Breakbone has seen more than its fair share of fighting during the insurgency.  Most the people had left.  But, special forces reported a growing population of foreign fighters and a fanatical rabble in the area.

The road between FOB Breakbone and the derelict airfield led through the area.  Major Zaster had no choice but to secure the road.  The insurgents were also a threat to the reconstruction of the airstrip.  The engineers were all but defenceless.

Major Zaster ordered the two French platoons to seek and destroy the insurgents to the south while his British platoons fought the Hotakistani armour to a halt to the east.

The French vehicles were worn out after hunting insurgents for the previous year.  To bring their force to full strength they borrowed a heavy armoured car and a Ratel APC from the newly arrived South Africans.

The French crossed the river and started trying to tempt the insurgents to show themselves.  The insurgent's  were not playing ball, and for several days the French could not bring the insurgents to the fight.  Eventually, just after dawn on the 5th day the French broke leaguer and moved in extended line southward, and then they spotted people.  Initially it was difficult to ascertain if they were combatants.  The crew of the South African armoured car judged the furtive figures to be armed, and then all hell broke loose.

The French arrived from the left, with a flanking force arriving from the right.

Sitting on the roof of the old madrassa in Ok Koreli were four foreign fighters, some from Somalia, one from the Caucasus and the fourth an Hotakistani corporal.  By the end of the day they would destroy an armoured car, wound some French, but they would also all be dead.

Just before dawn they heard the heavy grunt of diesel engines.  The Franks were on the move.  Soon they had a visual, and shouted down to the sleeping men inside the madrassa.  Within seconds a 76mm shell exploded against the northern wall, collapsing the roof and sending the men sprawling in the dust.  The foreign fighters scrambled to the windows and loopholes.

The AMX10RC and the Rooikat moved forward, and from cover blasted away at the abandoned madrassa's thick walls.  Two VABs then moved forward, one to the left and one to the right.  The VAB on the right immediately bogged in a drainage ditch and would remain bogged for the remainder of the fight.

The firefight starts, both sides taking hits.

The VAB on the left debussed and the infantry immediately drew fire from the madrassa, wounding two of the French soldiers.

The French commander ordered the Ratel around the northern flank and to attack the madrassa from the front gate.  As the Ratel approached the madrassa a group of insurgent ran across the road and an RPG smashed into the front of the Ratel destroying its steering and one front wheel.  The men debussed, two of the South African crew were seriously wounded.

Suicidal insurgents pour out of the madrassa destroying the Ratel with an RPG

The passage of the Ratel around the flank had not gone unnoticed, and a stream of insurgents followed it in.  The first to arrive were quickly despatched by the French, but then from within the corn surged screaming fanatics and in a rough melee three of the French soldiers were killed.  The South Africans crew ran and stumbled for the cover of a ruined qalat to the north.  The remaining French soldiers then neutralised the victorious insurgents.

The Rookat is destroyed - The Insurgents charge in close combat and two teams of insrugents go down under withering fire.

Around this time the VAB to the north moved and bought fire to bear on the insurgents in the road, killing or wounding them all.  The Rooikat was hit by an RPG round around this time, starting a fire and the crew bailed.  The fire was extinguished, but the Rooikat was out of action.  The South African crew was riled up, they grabbed their rifles and joined the fight, eventually moving through the fields and ensuring the downed insurgents were down.

The special forces squad joined the fight and put and end to an insurgent squad attempting to attack the French in the corn field.  The special forces fire was critical in turning the battle.  Though, eventually heavy fire was brought to bear on the madrassa, killing or wounding all the occupants.

The South African crew from the Ratel ran from their cover in the ruin when insurgents sought cover in the ruin, and crossed the road to the west, eventually capturing an insurgent.

The madrassa is reduced by superior fire power.

The few surviving insurgents were either killed or managed to crawl away.  The French had secured the road to the airfield.  The French victory had come at a cost, five dead, one seriously wounded, and two of the South African crew seriously wounded.  The two vehicles were damaged, but repairable, and would be towed back to the leaguer for repairs.

French (Shane): 40VP
Insurgents (Kevin): 18VP

UN fails to make headway in Malika City

We played the fight in north Malika City, a platoon of HQ security and a platoon of Malikastanis, with a special force unit in support, took on two Haqiqa foreign fighters groups, supported by two T-72’s.

MC1 and MC3 fights L3 and MP1

Major Heidi Clare's Audacious Attack Failed

The UNSAF(East Malikastan) spokesperson, Major Heidi Clare, found herself in command of the UN forces in Malika City following the death of the General in a car-bomb blast.  Instead of sitting in the legation district, and waiting for relief forces to arrive, she hatched an audacious plan to not only free Malika City from the insurgents, but then to advance and clear the airfield.

Firstly, she sent a platoon to the south of the city and a platoon to the west of the city to guard those approaches, and then she contacted a group of Australian SASR (who were busy hunting Haqiqa to the east of the river) and requested they cross over the river and secure the eastern flank of the city.  She then personally led a platoon of Malikastani infantry and her HQ group to the north to clear the city of Haqiqa.

This attack came as a surprise to both the Hotakistani’s in Malika City.  In fact, the UN HQ security platoon was surprised even more so when Major Heidi Clare declared her intention to free Malika City from the clutches of the Haqiqa.

Moving north through the streets the platoons managed to stay in line a breast and were joined by a four man team of special forces from the US HVT hunting contingent.  What was to ensue was a bloody close quarters fire fight in which both sides suffered casualties and no one gained an advantage.

Major Heidi Clare led from the front, maybe because of criticism from Major D. Zaster, but she was generally more forward than the majority of her men.

The first contact occurred between an insurgent group in a five storey building open fire on the two lead US infantry fire teams, both US fire teams sustained casualties before entering the building.  By the battle end four of these men were seriously wounded and the remainder lightly wounded.  But in the end they captured the building and destroyed the Haqiqa insurgent defenders.

The US point fire team coming exchanging fire with the Haqiqa

Across the street, a second insurgent team held a position from which they could bring fire to bear on all advancing UN forces, they were to be a thorn in the UN’s side for the remainder of the day, and were one of the major reason for the eventual withdrawal of the UN forces.

The Malikastani platoon, men from northern Malikastan, had no love for the Haqiqa and advanced boldly along the central and eastern flank.  The central Malikastani force walked into a captured T-72, they fled to cover but suffered casualties from the Haqiqa in the 2^nd building and from the machine guns on the tank.  A US GPMG tried to attack the Haqiqa in the second building, but fell to returning fire.

US pushing forward and trying to bring fire to bare on the central buildings defenders.  The T-72 fell back from this position following the special forces unit attempting to flank it. The US team on the roof of the mosque destroys the technical.

The T-72 retreats under threat from the special forces in the central building.

The special force unit entered the 2^nd building, but were spotted before they could fire the AT-4 at the side of the T-72, the T-72 reversed and the AT-4 exploded harmlessly against the ERA on the front of the tank.

Meanwhile, a technical sped towards the US forces on the western flank, but was soon destroyed by a LAW.  The US and Malikastani forces brought heavy fire to bear on the Haqiqa in the second building, but to no avail.  When Haqiqa started to reinforce the building the special forces moved up to block any movement from the top storey.  A dozen insurgents fell upon them with complete surprise and massacred the team.  At the same time the US in the first building suppressed the defenders and two if the team bravely charged in killing all the defenders.

The special force team is overwhelmed and destroyed.

Further tit-for-tat fire ended the day, both sides uncertain of their position fell back and the centre of Malika City was left to the city’s lost dogs and not so lost rats.

Both sides scored 25VP.  A draw.  The mission design for an insurgent-only force needed a few adjustments.  Better chances of getting reinforcements to compensate for the loss of hotspots, or maybe units which fail to arrive at hotspots enter on the friendly edge.  Will also simplify the force selection for the insurgents.

The rules and support cards have been updated form lessons learnt.

Hotakistani 25VP [Fatigue: +2, fought battle, gave away +25VP]
UN 25VP [Fatigue: +2, fought battle, gave away +25VP]