The 6x8 board set up, based on a Afghan valley, with steep sided rough wooded hills either side, a dried river bed running down the valley floor, and a Russian held compound/village at the far end.
The scenario was based on a Russian Compound being held by a unit of Green recruits straight from the training fields, who were to be re-supplied by a platoon of regulars coming up the valley floor next to the river bed in 2 BTR's and a BMP1, and a Para troop platoon in the hills on hunter killer missions...
The Mujahedeen were gathering from various villages under a Senior Commander, they are to attack the compound and the relief convoy...
Chas, Chris and Mike took the Russians...
Paratroop Platoon
Platoon HQ - Elite- 6dice
Leytenant - Senior Leader- Pistol
Platoon Serzhant - Superior Junior Leader - AKM
Squads 1 to 2 in berets
Serzhant - Junior Leader-AKM
1 Sniper
1 RPG7
5 AKM
Squad 3 in sun hats
Serzhant - Junior Leader-AKM
1 RPK SAW
1 RPG7
5 AKM
Mechanised Platoon
Platoon HQ - Regular- 5dice
Leytenant - Senior Leader- Pistol
Platoon Serzhant - Superior Junior Leader - AKM
Squads 1 to 3 in helmets
Serzhant - Junior Leader-AKM
1 RPK SAW
1 RPG7
5 AKM
2 BTR 60's 1 BMP 1
Garrison Platoon
Platoon HQ - Green- 4dice
Leytenant - Senior Leader- Pistol
Squads 1 to 2 in Ushanka
Serzhant - Junior Leader-AKM
1 RPK SAW
1 RPG7
5 AKM
1 BMP 1
Special rules for the game:-
Advance for the Motherland
Russians forces may advance 1 dice and fire at full effect, 2 dice and fire at 1/2 effect...
Wrath of the Gods
The commander of the Paratroops may call in airstrikes using a CoC dice, Hinds with straffing runs 12x6" effect 16dice, or Frogfoot with Napalm attack 12x6" 20dice... this would be conducted as with barrage attacks, so deviation is always a possibility...
Vince, Tom and Jason took the Mujahedeen forces...
Mujahedeen
Command Team - 4 command dice, some of which can be allocated to other units...
1 Senior Commander - AKM
2 combat teams
1 junior leader-AKM
10 man team 9 AKM's/rifles 1 RPK SAW
1 HMG 3 man crew
1 RR 3 man crew
1 LMG belt fed 2 man crew
2 snipers
1 Technical with HMG
Combat Teams
2 Combat Units each with 4 command dice -
3 junior leader, 2 10 man teams all AKM/rifles 1 10man teams 9 AKM's/rifles 1 RPK SAW
Limited amounts of RPG's will be available...
Special rules for the game:-
Melt Away
Any Mujahedeen unit that is within 12" of jump off point may Melt Away so long as it is not pinned or within 12" of enemy units... they may then re-appear elsewhere on the board...
Home Ground
Mujahedeen forces may advance up to 2 dice and go Tactical...
Sneaky Beakies
Any single six rolled in command may be taken as a 5 and added to the CoC dice...
Mujahedeen players start with 3 CoC dice in hand...
To the game itself, the Taliban had the choice of first go which they handed over to the Russians...
Chas deployed his green recruits into the compound with his BMP1...
The Relieve column of Mike came storming down the valley turn one, all three vehicle making it onto the board with his troops tucked up nicely inside their armed vehicles...
The Para force commanded by Chris deployed two of his three squads on turn one heading for the known Muja jump off points
The Muja's then deployed overlooking the valley... to be able to fire on the column of armoured vehicles and also to cover the advance of the Paras who have tried to outflank them...
A lucky snap shot from a deployed Recoilless Rifle on the hillside takes out one of the BTR's, which bursts into flames, luckily all but one get out of the quickly burning vehicle, unfortunately this last man out was the Junior Leader of the squad...
They quickly run to the river bed to take cover...
Muja's under fire as the paras advance up the hill top... quickly pinning the first team with volume of fire from two para squads and fire from the vehicles in the valley...
Second squad bundles out of the BTR to take cover in a bit of dried rough ground...
Muja's under intense fire are about to break... they cannot melt away as they are pinned and the paras are too close... lesson No1... don't get too close...
Ambushes keep on springing up with snipers, and LMG's...
HMG's add to the fire power... onto a flanking unit of paras infiltrating onto the Muja flanks threatening some jump off points...
Paras get to the edge of the wooded area to see their target lingering in front of them...
Veiw across the Valley as the armoured vehicles wind their way through the obstructions...
The Muja's deploy to defend their jump off point trying to hit and kill the tough paras...
Muja commander Al' Tom looking pensive with the Russians giving his troops some grief...
However Tom fires his RR again...
And again Boom... the other BTR goes up in smoke... once hit they tend to burn you know...
fortunately this one was empty of troops...
Meanwhile at the compound Comrade Chas was holding the line very well, he had forced the enemy to recoil back with loads of shock to re-gather their momentum, in the lull in the fighting his troops aim and prepare the next onslaught with Overwatch on the hills...
Comrade Chris in command of the Paras calls in for air support with a shout of friendlies close the Frogfoot Napalm run overshoots the intended target by 14" and nearly fries the compound walls!!!
The forces of Vince's Mujas advance once again to the edge of the wood to be met with a hail of fire from the compound, however they then return fire back...
The Technical arrives (first outing so its going to die horribly you just know it...) with its HMG on board, lets off a burst of fire onto the Russian paras, who reply with a couple of RPG rounds, one misses and the other hits the vehicle but amazing the rocket goes through the vehicle and out the other side, the driver so shocked by this slips on the accelerator and drives forward towards his assailants, who then shoot the crap out of it with crossfire from the remainders of the para squads and the regular squad...
The regular squad, climb the steep hill only to get into hard cover to have their Junior leader hit and killed... two NCO's down out of the three casualties received!!!
Another shot from Tom and his RR take out the BMP at the compound, its starting to look sticky for Chas in the compound now...
View from the hill top belt fed LMG firing down onto the Russians in the river bed...
The armour hasn't advance much in the last view phases but the BMP gets into action and deploys squad behind the burning BTR and starts fire fight with Muja's...
With the Muja's advancing onto the compound, and Chas down to a handful of men, Morale rocky for the relieving forces and the paras pinned down on the valley entrance, the commander of the paras orders a final airstrike with his Frogfoot Napalm attack, this overshoots again, but not far enough, hitting the wooded area where the senior commander of the Muja had just recovered one of his combat teams, 5 dead and 6 shock being the effect the commander has to get a lucky roll to survive, guess what he didn't and was fried... he-hoh one of the junior commanders now takes on his role...
With that as the last phase of the game, I stated a moral victory for the Mujahedeen who take the village, but at great loss in warriors and the sad sacrifice of a great leader...
Many thanks to all that played in the game, for being great sports and playing the game in good humour and the period well... well done lads, thank you... next time will the Russians re-capture the village?
