WWIII Team Yankee - T80s perform. M1A1s don't show up.

A T80 tank Battalion took on a US Mechanised force fielding M1A1s, M113s and Apaches. The mission rolled was 'Probe'. This enabled the Soviets to attack, with scattered immediate reserves, whilst the Americans defended with scattered delayed reserves. The US player kept the M1s in reserve; the Russian player rolled in his reserves in his first turn, which enabled him to deploy all of the available T80s form the onset. 

The T80s were left to run amuck for three turns, assaulting the US infantry off their objective and taking out a few Bradley scouts. In a crucial dice role, the Americans failed to bring in their reserves, giving the Soviets yet another turn to secure the objective and win the game. Also mentioned in despatches, the Soviet AA Gophers, took out the 2 Apache attack helicopters and the Sergeant Yorks which took down 3 out of the 4 SU-25s. Other than that, the T80s, whilst very expensive in points, were the stars of the show - for once!

This was another one of those games that could have swung either way on a number of key dice roles, but the failure of the M1s to show up signalled defeat for the Americans.

Four Games in One Evening – WWIII, Crusades and FoW X2

The club hosted four separate games on Monday night. The Team Yankee WWIII engagement saw an East German Tank formation tackle a highly defensively minded US Mechanised formation. The ‘Ossies’ fielded some new T72Bs, a BTR60 company and a large amount of air assets, including SU-17 and Mi-24 helicopters. In the Strategic Withdrawal mission, the Warsaw Pact assault was thwarted by extensive use of pre-deployed minefields and additional minelet fields dropped by M270 MLRS ‘Gypsy Wagons’. This made it very difficult for the Germans to get to grips with the dug-in Americans. The US formation was bristling with TOW2s and Dragon ATGWs. Despite the SU-17s clearing out the American ‘back line’ – including taking out the three M1A1s - the Americans held on stubbornly to eek out the narrowest of victories.

 

Members put on a great looking game based in the Crusades using Lion Rampant (first edition)Rules. The Norman Knights appeared to be a one shot weapon, benefitting form a thunderous charge, but seem to flag after that. Either way, the Arabs were victorious in this encounter. I am informed that the guys have purchased the new edition of Lion Rampant, so hopefully we will see some games using this new set of rules soon.

There were two Flames of War WWII match-ups. Unfortunately, both saw attacking British formations lose to their defending German opponents. Still, it was great to see some Cromwells on the rampage and a pair of King Tigers make an appearance.

‘Blue on Blue, but Orange Prevails’ – 1980s Dutch in Action

In this NATO vs NATO / Blue on Blue 120pt Team Yankee clash, the Hollanders managed to overcome an air-heavy US force to notch up their first victory. They were helped by the American player plumping for a rather imbalanced force consisting of small mechanised infantry platoons, zero AA cover and, the very expensive, M1A1HC Abrams option.

A combination of Leopard 1s and 2s assaulted a small pinned down infantry platoon to take an objective and secure a win in the ‘Contact’ mission. It should be pointed out that the Netherlands had to be aided by the arrival of West German allied BO-105 helicopters that managed to neuter the Abrams ‘Heavy Commons’, to help out their Dutch friends (and rivals).

Team Yankee Dutch

A Classic 1980s Dust Up – Iran vs Iraq

Another great game of Team Yankee which pitted some expertly painted Iranians, equipped with mainly British and American kit, against their arch-rivals, Iraq, equipped with French and Soviet hardware.

Playing to the Dust Up mission, the Iranians attempted a flanking manoeuvre with Scorpions and Chieftains. This was brutally stopped by Iraqi T72s and Saggar missiles, fired from well positioned BMP1s. The Iranians then suffered a series of crucial, unlucky die rolls for both their morale and delayed reserves, enabling a flight of roaming Iraqi Mi-24 Crocodiles/Hinds, equipped with Spiral missiles, to pick off the remaining Chieftains.

Other games this evening included an 18^th Century ‘Rebels and Patriots’ game and a FoW game, utilising another combination from the German Bulge book.