Raging Tiger: The Breach

[pigpen]

AAR: Raging Tiger (The Breach) � by Pigpen

Planned to breach enemy lines in two places:
First spot: Just west of �AA Clapton�, then follow the road where it parallels the river (separating where the river turns abruptly west), then heading north thru the hills to �OBJ Limelight�. This route will be taken by B / 2-72 AR, consisting of Scout Platoon, Mortar Platoon, Tank platoon, motorized AT teams, ADA vehicles, and a platoon of Engineer vehicles.
Second spot: West of �AA Kiss�, where the road runs east/west, then zigzagging thru wooded areas to �OBJ Freebird�. This route will be taken by C / 2-72 AR, with a similar makeup as previously described for B / 2-72 AR. In addition, A / 2-9 Infantry with motorized infantry teams will be traveling a parallel course for mutual support, since this area was expected to be heavily defended.
Infantry, AT teams, and armored vehicles were also emplaced along the border to support the first push thru the front, and to prevent the enemy from counterattacking our rear. These forces will be stationary in their emplacements.
Before any movement of the attacking forces, we planned to recon with Predator UAVs, giving us an overview of enemy ground forces, but more importantly, giving us the location of enemy ADA postions. We planned to hit those high priority targets with field artillery, knocking them out before attacking with our air assets (Apache helicopters and A-10 strikers).
On the start of the attack, the enemy destroyed one BMP and several AT teams before friendly forces could target them. While the two breaches were taking place, friendly arty fired several volleys of smoke at the breach points, trying to deny the enemy exact placement of the ground forces involved.
B / 2-72 AR made good time along the western breach point, taking out multiple enemy tanks, AT teams, and one ADA emplacement.
C / 2-72 AR moved into the central area breach point, destroying several enemy armored vehicles for the loss of one M113 sapper team. However, A / 2-9 got never moved from their starting positions, even when given alternate routes. They subsequently were not a factor in any of the fighting. (I need to check on what happened here).
Recon with Predator UAVs went very well, exposing the enemy�s ADA positions, and also destroying several armored vehicles with their Mavericks. In addition, the Predators used their AIM-9s to good effect on enemy attack helos, destroying a significant number of them before they came into range of our Linebacker ADA units.
However, the plan to knock out enemy ADA units with arty did not work well at all; attempts were made with both HE and DPICM rounds, fired variously in �converged�, �linear�, and �open� patterms, using different N/S and E/W orientations. After all the fire missions, only one enemy ADA position was destroyed by artillery.
The nearest enemy ADA positions were then planned to be attacked by ground forces, and routes were revised to include those enemy positions. It took some time for friendly ground forces to reach them, but the two nearest ADA positions were destroyed.
With several of the furthest enemy ADA positions still in place, we then tried to use our Apache attack helos to clear out enemy armor that was relatively near friendly ground forces, but emplaced well enough that friendly forces could not get a clear shot. We attempted to route the Apache�s using ground cover wherever possible, and this worked for several sorties, with the helos destroying several emplaced enemy tanks and AT fire teams.
However, we ultimately pushed to Apaches too far forward and they were all destroyed by the remaining enemy ADA positions. SA-11 �Gadfly� systems were terribly effective against the helos, with �one shot, one kill� capability at significant distances.
Enemy fixed wing aircraft (SU-39s) tried to attack the friendly armor columns, but fire from the Linebackers and other armored units destroyed them before they could do any damage.
By this time, friendly forces were scattered along the planned routes; trying to keep all the various vehicles together for a massed strike at the objectives was impossible. Meanwhile, friendly ground forces were pushing thru the remaining armored and AT positions with relatively light losses, and friendly armor finally destroyed the remaining enemy ADA emplacements.
Several individual armored vehicles did reach each of the OBJ Limelight, but they were �strung out� at a distance from each other and could not support each other. They were ultimately destroyed by enemy armor and fire teams hidden in the town.
In the same way, a single M1A3 Plow tank entered OBJ Freebird; however, this single tank totally �kicked butt� of the enemy forces at the airfield. MD-500s, BMPs, MG teams, AT teams�this single tank took them all on; at times, this tank was completely obscured by the yellow flashes of shots sent and received, but when the smoke cleared, all the enemy forces were destroyed and this single tank was still alive!
During this time, our A-10 Warthogs were set loose, and proceeded to ravage both the enemy artillery emplacements, as well as the few enemy armored vehicles that still survived. I was surprised to see that, although the A-10s were very effective with their Mavericks and bombs, they were much less effective (or hesitant to use?) their guns. I had seen/read many accounts of how destructive those guns were against armor, but in this situation, that did not seem to be the case.
The Objectives were secured.
Enemy losses:
Vehicle Type Starting Ending

AT Team (RPG-7)
10 1
MG Team (PKM)
6 1
Type 63A Amphib Tank
16 0
BMP-1 IFV
6 0
SOF Team (NK)
6 3
Artillery Battery FDC (NK)
2 0
Mi-17 Hip Multipurpose Helo
4 0
SU-39
4 0
MD-500 (NK)
4 0
SA-11 Gadfly SP ADA
4 0
M1985 152mm Towed Artillery
12 0
M1990 30mm Gatling (ADA)
3 0

Friendly losses:
Vehicle Type Starting Ending

SK Fire Team (Mech Dismount)
3 3
Dismount Rifle Sqd (US-ROK)
7 6
Weapons Sqd (US)
5 5
Dragon Team (SK)
7 4
M1A3 Tank SEP
23 16
M2A3 IFV Bradley
13 12
M3A3 CFV
4 3
M6 Linebacker
8 8
M1064 120mm Mortar Carrier
4 0
M-7 FIST-V
3 3
M58 Smoke Carrier 'Wolf'
4 4
M113A3 Sapper APC
4 2
M1114 HMMWV Scout (HMG)
3 3
M1077 PLS-E
2 2
PLS Flatrack (IF Ammo)
2 2
M109A6 155mm SP Paladin
6 6
M992 FAASV
12 12
AH-64D Apache Longbow
8 0
K9 155mm SP 'Thunder'
6 6
K200A1 KIFV
4 1
BMP3 IFV (SK)
4 3
M1 Grizzly Breaching Vehicle
4 3
K2 MBT
4 4
K277A1 FDC (SK)
2 2
M4 C2 Vehicle FDC
2 2
Dismount Scout Team (US-ROK)
4 3
M1A3 Tank SEP (Plow)
7 6
MQ-9B Predator UAV (Armed)
3 3
T80U MBT
3 3
T-80U MBT (Plow)
1 1
OA-10 Thunderbolt II
4 4
Observations:
Enemy arty not really a factor, possibly because they could not get �eyes on� our forces.
Enemy air, although a viable threat, was not a factor because of our ADA.
Conversely, enemy ADA is a killer; no air attacks until their ADA is removed. Best way to do that? Ground forces are effective, but take a long time to silence distant ADA positions. (After playing this mission, I found some other AARs about this mission; the other writers mentioned using arty to successfully destroy enemy ADA. I nearly exhausted my entire HE/ DPICM stock of rounds, with little effect.) After reading in several other AARs about this mission, I went back and played the first hour or so again, trying to kill the ADA with arty�still not very successful: 2 positions out of 6 killed by arty. What�s the trick?
We lost too many armored vehicles to �ambush� tactics, with the enemy emplaced in perfect positions where they could fire at our vehicles one at a time as they approached. More use of smoke, and attacks by multiple vehicles from several directions could reduce this number. More use of arty to suppress those positions?
UAVs are truly a �force multiplier�. In addition to recon, they were able to take out some armored vehicles and aircraft, while not being targeted by enemy ADA (physically small = small radar cross section; no jet engine to provide heat signature target). Even after their weapons were exhausted, they were still valuable in their �primary� function of recon.
Breaching obstacles causes too much separation between attacking units/platoons. Having a rendezvous point on the far side of the breach would probably help; have all platoons cross the breach and gather there before proceeding. Use of smoke at the rendezvous point to prevent enemy arty?
Use of dismount squads was minimal here; learn to use the dismounts.
Why did those Bradleys fail to move, even when given alternate routes?
END.