AAR: The Iraqi Lost Legion - generated campaign

[raginis]

AFTERMATH:

The town was liberated of all American presence. Grateful residents supplied enough recruits to replenish Marauder losses. Not wishing to further endanger the town by remaining in it, the battalion continued West, utilizing the roads leading out of the town. Although beaten, the Americans were not gone - their remaining troops chose to fight a delaying action. Having fought enough battles against varied opposition, the Marauders found themselves in possession of quite an arsenal of Western weaponry; however, Lt. Col. Mustafa has not yet decided on how best to equip his troops with unfamiliar weapons, so this battle will still be fought with the faithful Mosins and AK-47s...


BATTLE 08: Iraq ADVANCE vs. U.S. Army DELAY
Visibility: 55
Turn Limit: 31 turns

TERRAIN:



Hilly terrain with some woods, orchards and fields, and good visibility. The 100+ hills are all on the American side of the map, overlooking the valley where the scattered VPs are located. The big question will be how well defended are the hills that form the eastern side of the valley, marked with the straight line. No VPs there, and the hills should provide enough of a LOS break to permit approach, even if there are observers on the 100+ height hills... Due to the spread of the VPs, the Marauders will spread out and probe for weaknesses. I don't want to use the roads too much, but the fields slow down ground troops so much that I will strive to avoid them whenever possible.

Turn 01

Already first blood is drawn. A Dragon team takes out my BTR, but is itself destroyed by a HMG. Other than that, Marauders advance without opposition.



Turn 04

The northern advance encounters a MMG section with two MMGs. It is well positioned to cover the road, but is itself vulnerable to the Scout section that has a sniper rifle. The Americans cause the first casualties, but eventually that sniper rifle disposes of them.



Turn 08

The center advance along the SE-NW road encounters a full enemy platoon. A proper infantry-only firefight ensues, as the mortar fire called in blind by Lt. Col. Mustafa succeeds only in barely suppressing the enemy infantry. Armed with an MG and a GL per section, the U.S. Army troops inflict casualties, but I expect that the weight of two full companies will overwhelm this force.



Turn 09

Indeed, the central advance routed the platoon in front of it, due to a combination of overwhelming numbers and fortuitous mortar bombardment. On the same turn, however, the northernmost company ran into its own opposition, with another 2xMMG section and what is most likely a full platoon hidden in an orchard. There is still at least one Dragoon team at large, which means that basically none of my vehicles have moved since the loss of the BTR on Turn 1. Just to the south of this skirmish, however, another Marauder company is advancing along the road without further opposition, and should begin to capture VPs in the next few turns.



Turn 10



Some of the northern American troops were within range of the small "fire base" set up around the HQ unit on a 80-elevation hill. With the range of 2,500m, the AAMGs are particularly useful.

Turn 15



Even with fire support, the northern advance is slow going. The Americans have at least two platoons of infantry hidden in the orchard, plus Dragons and at least one MMG section. A Company is being ground to bits slowly but surely and cannot sustain their frontal advance without losing units. Most squads have 2-4 casualties already. Z-fire from support units is providing some help, but there are simply too many American units to suppress. At least one people's army company will need to be diverted to the northern orchard.

In the south comparatively little happens, with the southernmost company encountering their first resistance, but the extent of that resistance is not yet known.



And what a difference a turn makes... Americans had close to a company of infantry hidden in the northern orchard, and that company is now breaking out to try and re-capture some of the VPs. My troops are fairly spread out, trying to reach the scattered VPs, so the next few turns will require consolidation and careful action to preserve the troops. The enemy advance is protected from indirect fire by the slope of the hill, so this will be close infantry combat. The good news is that the southernmost American troops are also on the move, so the company advancing in that area will be hitting moving troops, and not hidden stationary ones.

...

There were no further tactical surprises. The battle of the orchard claimed two full squads from E Company and bloodied about a dozen more, but the Americans were thoroughly defeated, and all VPs were in Iraqi hands. Venerable A Company, although about half its squads were withdrawn due to suffering 4+ casualties, actually provided the decisive push. Enemy troops on the slope of the hill were softened up with Z-fire and then taken at close range by experienced troops that could withstand a point-blank volley and actually shoot back. The Iraqi units that found themselves on the western side of the orchard would have been in a good position to surround the Americans - but they were too inexperienced to withstand the firefight. Additionally, their retreat direction is east - so the retreating units were moving straight into the American troops... in the end, it was fortuitous that only two squads were wiped out. A decisive victory, with only the enemy A0 unit surviving. A number of Marauders became veteran units, and now Col. Mustafa and his quartermaster need to come up with a sensible plan for dividing up the captured western weapons...

[raginis]

<<<< NEW RULES >>>>>

I made some rudimentary modifications to the OOB (essentially imported some Western and generic "primitive" weapons, per suggestions, and created new squads that use them). From now on,the Marauder units will receive promotions based on experience, or demotions based on losses. The new rules are:

0. The first rule is that the rule for excessive casualties (resulting in a demotion) is checked before the rule for promotion. The same unit cannot be demoted and then promoted after the same battle.

1. A unit with 60 experience is eligible for promotion to a different type of militia unit - gives access to PPSh-1 submachine guns, molotovs, shotguns, and firebombs - primitive or older weapons.

2. A unit with 70 experience is eligible for promotion to a second-line infantry type unit, which may be equipped with Western weapons, to model the fact that Marauders now have access to a considerable amount of western equipment. Ammo for these weapons is reduced, per the suggestions above.

3. A unit with 80 experience is eligible for promotion to a first-line infantry unit, which again may have Western weapons. It may also be an Iraqi engineer squad, for example. Sufficient Marauders have perished to mines, and sufficient Western engineers have been defeated, such that one or two engineer squads could be fielded.

4. Should any unit reach 90 experience, it can become elite. At this point, it can be promoted to an elite-type Iraqi unit, or a modified unit (with Western Terminator-tier weapons). The Mountain platoon is "grandfathered" into this rule (meaning no demotions of Mountaineers if less than 90 experience), but if any Mountaineer unit is excessively damaged/eliminated, it has to be demoted/start over as a People's Army squad.

5. Any non-heavy-weapon Marauder unit that is lost in battle must start over as a basic People's Army squad, learning the ropes with nothing more than a Mosin or AK-47 and a few grenades. This includes scouts and the Mountain platoon. Snipers start over as mere sharpshooters, and will progress within their own hierarchy, already provided in the basic OOB.

6. Any non-heavy-weapon Marauder unit that loses 50%+ of its complement is reduced in rank by one, to reflect the fact that the Marauders replenish their forces from the available manpower - perhaps there are some Iraqi military stragglers around, but most of the time the only recruits available are completely raw young men. Therefore, a first-line infantry unit cannot simply be "repaired" - it must be replaced with a second-line infantry unit, to reflect an overall loss of experience. Replacing units carries its own in-game decrease of experience, further punishing excessive losses.

6. Heavy weapon units (grenade launchers, HMGs, mortars etc.) can be replaced as normal - loss of experience is a sufficient punishment.

Additionally, I will add some "dead" points to the force. For Battle 09, I've added a company of Republican Guard tanks as support units. After this battle, I will add a permanent force of "dead" points to the core. These units will not participate in the fighting, but will boost the total force points of the Marauders, which in turn should give extra points to AI. I don't want to simply set AI points at some arbitrary figure in the Preferences, because my understanding is that the AI will then get that amount of points for EVERY battle, regardless of its posture. I do want AI strength to vary depending on mission type, and this is my workaround (suggestions welcome).

[raginis]

BATTLE 09
Iraq vs. Saudi Arabia, Iraq Assault
Visibility: 14
Length: 37
Special Battle

There are two VP clusters, one in the North, one roughly in Center. A Southern approach along two roads is possible, and could potentially be used to flank the VP positions. A visibility of 14 means that infantry will be able to engage freely, but any units with 20+ vision will be able to act with impunity... the battlefield is dominated by two 50-height hills on the Saudi side, including one in the center that contains 2/3 of the VPs. On the Iraqi side, there is a 40-height hill that should form a good base for Marauder support weapons. An entire company of Republican Guard tanks appears on the Iraqi side, not to fight, but to boost AI points.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After defeating the Americans, Col. Mustafa decided to immediately move his troops along the roads he had just cleared, without stopping for reinforcements, or to re-equip the Marauders with captured weapons. This proved a momentous decision, because without the benefit of rest and resupply, the Marauders found themselves face to face with fortified Saudi positions, with a frontal assault the only way forward. Col. Mustafa decided to split his infantry into three columns, each roughly equal to a reinforced company strength. This accounted for the fact that about two companies had suffered serious casualties in the previous battle that could not be replenished. Indeed, several Marauder squads never moved from their trenches in this battle, their numbers too low to provide any help.





Col. Mustafa adopted the same method as he had used in previous battles - a wide front of three axes of advancement, with emphasis on probing enemy positions and taking advantage of the numerical superiority of the Marauder squads. This strategy had worked before, but now the Marauders could only field roughly three companies, without dedicated engineers, that would have to advance on a prepared position sure to be protected with minefields...





... precious veteran scout units took the job of moving in advance of the infantry columns. This proved a mistake, as a scout squad advancing up the southern road was stupidly lost to mines, without learning anything useful of the enemy. In the north, the sniper Mulazim Saqqaf perished because of a mine, again unnecessarily and without any gain. Still, both the northern and the southern advance made contact with the enemy, and the battle was joined...



... the southern advance consisted mostly of troops equipped with AK-47s, although with 20/20 hindsight it should have been Mosins. The Marauder troops found themselves under accurate fire from numerous entrenched Saudi troops, firing their MGs at 600m, compared to the 400m range of the AK-47. The only available cover were two villages - the one along the southernmost road was too far away to allow trading fire, and the one accessible via the paved was defended. Additionally, the few Marauder vehicles providing support were quickly knocked out by as-yet-unseen missile units. Col. Mustafa decides to completely abandon the southern advance, in favor of a concentrated assault on the center.

The northern advance encountered no such difficulties. With only a few Sauid squads opening fire in piecemeal fashion, the Mosin-armed Peoples Army troops are able to advance at a steady clip.





The souther attack is now completely abandoned. The cluster of buildings Marauders hoped to reach looks to be defended. Only a HMG and a sniper remain to keep the Saudis honest. In the center-north area, the Marauders are slowly advancing up the central hill, having identified two tracked TOW vehicles responsible for stopping the southern advance.



The Marauders painstakingly set up for the assault on the center hill, using available cover as they are harassed by Saudi mortars. The elite Mountain platoon knows that it will have to knock out the TOW vehicles, and the ATGs are also moving into position to engage. Because the visibility is only 700 meters, the ATGs, with sights of up to 1,000m, can set up in relative safety from Saudi infantry - but the TOW vehicles, which can see up to 2,000m, must be suppressed to allow the trucks towing the ATGs to get in position.



The slow, methodical attack through the center made considerable progress. Mortars were used to provide smoke cover against Saudi MMGs - it turned out there were no fewer than 6 MMG sections defending this one slope. Z-fire through the smoke proved crucial to suppress those weapons. The Mountain platoon and the ATGs each took out a TOW vehicle - a TOW missile being useless against either infantry or a gun. Marauders possessed the sheer numbers in this sector, so even though the MMGs, the TOW MGs, and the Saudi mortars each took their pound of flesh, there always were enough unsuppressed Marauder squads to press the advance. In retrospect, this was actually perfectly logical - the AI was always likely to mine the flank approaches, and defend the center with actual firepower. Lacking engineers, the Marauders' best course of action was a mass assault down the center.



Perhaps sensing that a breakthrough was imminent, a Saudi platoon launched a counterattack in the central village, abandoning its dug-in positions. This proved a mistake. Saudi troops were engaged at close range, and made to run by experienced, if depleted, Marauder squads.



The battle for the central hill/village/VPs is not over yet, as Saudi reinforcements arrive from the south, and AA artillery opens fire on the advancing Marauder infantry. Having now been in the thick of two battles without rest and refit, some Marauder squads must hang back or risk destruction. Indeed, most units are either in imminent danger of being wiped out by one bad volley, or are at half-strength. Nevertheless, with all three attack axes now focused on the village, the Marauder numbers put paid to this threat as well. With no further protection, the Saudi VPs are captured.



The end result of the battle was a Decisive Victory, but the interesting part was that roughly a company of Saudi infantry, set up to defend the southern approach, never left their foxholes, even when all the VPs were getting captured by the Iraqis. It is unclear to me why, although they would have had an impact in the center had they moved. As it happened, it was simply never necessary to defeat them. Of course, had the southern advance not been halted 1/5 of the way through the battle, these entrenched Saudi troops would have likely shredded my southern company, and possibly prevented a victory at all.

[raginis]

Having just won two significant victories, albeit with heavy casualties, Col. Mustafa halts his units for some rest, replenishment and refitting. Captured weapons and ammo are inventoried and distributed to the deserving troops. Fresh young recruits are inducted into the ranks. With the experience of almost ten battles, the Marauders are feeling confident and capable - yet the loss of every man hurts, because Iraq no longer has the military infrastructure to train soldiers, so each new man will have to learn by experience, or die trying...

... and there are plenty of opportunities for it, as the locals once again inform Col. Mustafa that an American force, including tanks, is powering down on the Marauder position. Without time to dig in, the best the Marauders can do is delay the enemy advance...

BATTLE 10
Iraq vs. United States, Iraq Delay
Visibility: 46
Length: 32



The battle takes place in probably the best visibility conditions to-date, and it is also fought on very flat terrain, with only one east-west road in the northern part of the map. There are no rough patches, wadis, or any other elements that would slow an advance. Extensive grass provides some concealment, but in the area where battle is expected to be joined, there is nothing. The few hills on the Iraqi side do have a few "rough" spots, where AT guns will be placed. HMGs are placed somewhat behind the lines of infantry. With a 2,000m range, the HMGs and AAMGs should command the battlefield once American AFVs are knocked out. This is shaping up to be a bloodbath.



A platoon of Abrams tanks approaches in the southern sector. In this terrain, with this visibility, the key will be to knock them out quickly. The tanks advance on my objectives, instead of hanging back, even though from a distance of even 1,000m they would be effectively impervious to my return fire.



Most of my troops have been given the order to cease fire (0m range). The southern ATG, however gets a rear shot on an Abrams, and takes it, successfully.





On the following turn the remaining tanks advance, and turn their flanks to the ATGs. Virtually without any return fire, each Abrams is knocked out by a side or rear shot from one of the ATGs. Colonel Mustafa, hidden in a forward position (where he can serve as FO), decides to take a shot at a retreating crew and earns his second kill. There are a couple of Vulcans approaching, but other than that, the American armor looks to be finished.



Five more turns pass. The Americans clearly possess mortars and 105mm artillery, but these have not yet done any serious damage. American infantry has not appeared yet, either. One Vulcan is down.



On turn 17 the American infantry finally arrives, and the bloodbath begins. They are attacking in the northern half of the map, where there are a couple of hills that block the view of my support weapons considerably. Placing these weapons on the hills themselves would expose them too much. My infantry moves only slowly, because any fast movement attracts fire from as-yet unidentified American MMGs. There are also minor pushes in the center and southern half of the map, but these should not result in a breakthrough, as they are smaller, and my support weapons can target them easily.



The final elements of the American attack arrive by helicopter. They do not attempt to penetrate the lines, or otherwise provide a tactical surprise, but just their appearance is very cool. My HMGs and AAMGs take a few potshots but don't score a hit. The arriving force is roughly a reinforced platoon.



The following turns are simply a meatgrinder, where American forces are slowly whittled down, but any attempts to flank them are stymied by American MMGs. The northern attack had four MMGs concentrated right behind it, and more in the center. I do move some units in the north and south forward, but the MMGs can simply stop them with relative impunity. The American infantry captures some VPs, but it is clear they can only hold them for as long as the MMGs are providing cover fire. The U.S. 105mm artillery drops a few barrages that shred a number of my squads to below 50%. My infantry in the center moves only cautiously and tries to engage the Americans, because by now time is running short.

Eventually, a simple smoke barrage blinds the US MMGs long enough for my infantry to close and defeat them. Without that support, the U.S. troops are defeated piecemeal, and all VPs recovered. Decisive Victory results.



AFTERMATH: a few units regained regular/veteran status, after losing some experience due to changing their equipment, but there are no outright promotions. There are perhaps half-a-dozen demotions, though. Overall, had the Abrams stayed back, they could have dominated the battlefield. The Air Assault was completely unexpected, even if ultimately it did not turn the tide...

[raginis]

With the most recent attack repulsed, the Marauders quickly replenish losses, and set out on their way. Near dawn, with the darkness barely lifting and visibility still much reduced, the column approaches the outskirts of a new town. As the troops march down a dirt road between two low hills, first one horse rider, then several, then several more trot onto the road - and their leader approaches the Marauder column...

It turns out that a tribe of Bedouins has heard of the Marauders' exploits and wishes to travel with the force, to serve as scouts, messengers, and perhaps also the occasional support in combat. They possess several old British machine guns, some old British .303 rifles, as well as home-made explosives and grenades, but the chief weapon of the majority of these men remains the sabre...

BATTLE 11
Iraq v. GB, Iraq Assault
Visibility: 7
Turn: 39



Having no desire for close combat in urban terrain, Col. Mustafa decides to advance only in one sector, in relatively more open terrain, and capture a low hill from which support fire can be provided in all directions. The infantry will push forward as a column, achieve a breakthrough in the center, and then spread out to capture the scattered VPs. The Bedouin cavalry remains as a mobile reserve. If used improperly, the men on horses present nothing more than huge targets for machine weapons; however, in a suitable situation, their mobility and close-quarters combat capability may yet prove useful...



The southern road eventually reaches an intersection with a North-South paved road that could be used to quickly shift units into promising sectors of advance. The intersection proves to be defended, and the Britons draw first blood. The advance company will continue to probe the cluster of buildings, to see if they can be captured without excessive loss of blood, but in the meantime the columns advancing behind it are diverted north.

In the center the advance has not yet encountered resistance.



The southern advance suffers a few more casualties to the British Terminator squad (15 vision, giving it twice the vision of my units, the SA-80 rifle with ACC 6 and 450m range, plus the 2xMG per section). My tactic will be to use cover as much as possible and bypass the dug-in Terminators whenever possible.



The advance has essentially stalled. British minefields extend all the way to the center of the battlefield, and the advance companies, being less experienced, have no sappers. A total of three veteran Marauder squads have picked up the sapper skills, and they are advancing to the front, but have not yet even begun to clear a path. And the battle is already about 1/3 over. In the center, a British infantry unit is in excellent position, essentially a reverse slope with flanks covered. I can bypass him, or I may have to brute-force him.



Without even waiting for the sappers, the Marauders begin to pour through as soon as the ground appears empty of mines (that is, as soon as troops stop dying to mines). The original plan was to advance in the southern sector, but now the entire force has had to switch to the north-central sector. Advance units are encountering fire, but do not stop to engage - smoke shells from the light mortars provide enough cover for the attack. Needless to say, any form of organization among platoons and companies has already broken down. I will have to rely on the experience of the troops, but on the other hand, do not wish to expose the veterans to too many losses...



The few squads that managed to sneak through the minefield in the south eliminated an 81mm mortar section, and then exchanged fire with the Terminator unit in the reverse-slope position. Although they paid a hefty price, they did distract it long enough for the troops in the main advance to retreat it and finish it off. Center appears to be ours. The full strength of the five Marauder companies has probably never been concentrated to this degree before, but the plentiful housing offers good cover. The Marauder fist is within striking distance of the forward VPs now. And yet, of the expected 3-4 enemy companies, perhaps 6 squads have been identified so far...



As the Marauders capture the VP hexes, they come under fire from an entrenched British squad. I make a tactical error - instead of smoking/retreating, I move a squad east along the paved road to support. A second British squad opens up from close range, causes 2 casualties, my squad retreats east - that is, toward the Brits - gets OP fired again (2 more casualties), then again, then it retreats onto a British unit. It is slaughtered in the next turn. The Brits themselves begin to move to recapture the VPs, and close-range firefights ensue, with their Terminators doing tremendous damage. A BTR moves up in support and is taken out by a LAW. It is unclear whether this damage can even be repaired...



In the south, the Brits are moving up a barren hill to reclaim/protect some VPs. Some of my units are on that hill, without any cover, and the Brits open up, causing some initial damages. Rallying and retreating my units doesn't work, which puts these few units at risk of annihilation. Therefore, I decide instead to make a push on that hill, in hopes of giving the Brits too many targets to shoot at. Due to the open nature of the terrain, and visibility restricted to 350m, their units are able to target mine from 400-450m, whereas mine can only engage at 350m or less. Again, the Terminators have a 750m night vision - my units have none except for the Mountain platoon, which has 250m. Still, I have the numbers - but they have a couple of mortars. This will be a straight-up slaughter...

...there were no further tactical surprises. Brit units in the north and south continued to attack my positions and, due to the Vision advantage, were able to inflict some losses, including the complete destruction of several units (another BTR was destroyed by a LAW). I will replace the BTRs with a truck and a jeep - there are only so many times a BTR can be repaired. In the end, a decisive victory was achieved.

[raginis]

The Marauders defeated the British force and were masters of the battlefield, but the locals insisted that at least a company of British infantry managed to get away, possibly to get reinforcements. Unwilling to risk the local population, Col. Mustafa instead ordered his troops to fortify themselves on the four high hills just to the west of the town. If the Marauders expected an immediate response from the coalition troops, they were disappointed, as nothing happened for the rest of they day. As twilight approached, however, the unmistakable rumble of powerful engines could be heard to the west. Heard, but not seen, as visibility dropped inexorably with each passing minute...

BATTLE 12
Iraq v. U.S. Army, Iraq Defense
Visibility: 6
Turn: 36



The VP clusters are located on the western slopes of the four hills. The hilly terrain will of course slow any movement, meaning that reinforcement of troublesome sectors will be difficult. The extremely low visibility means that units with extra vision will rule the battlefield, and the 0-vision Marauder units will be unable to support one another with fire. I expect localized carnage - wherever the Americans choose to push, it will be without advance warning, and whoever stands in their way will simply have to do their best.

The veteran troops are positioned behind the VPs - their job will be to re-take any captured VPs and to provide the hopefully decisive punch in any particular sector. The forward troops include the Bedouin tribe - with their horses, these troops can at least hope to detect the American approach, and then retreat if necessary. Of course, any units with superior vision will just be able to cut them down even as they retreat - so their mobility will be key.

Ultimate success will depend on identifying the attack routes taken by American high-vision units (including armor), and then setting up side and rear shots to eliminate the expected armor. The hilly terrain will make long-range Z-fire more difficult to conduct. It remains to be seen whether these four non-descript hills will become the Marauders' Golgotha...



If the early smoke barrages are any indication, the attack will occur right down the middle of the VP clusters. Several Marauder companies are in the way, but the overall distribution of AT weapons is scarce.



And yet, it is down the road that the initial American advance appears to be moving. One Marauder AT gun is beginning to engage the opposition - and since most of the American AFV have 0-vision, the AT gun is firing with relative impunity... this is a rare situation where the vision advantage has worked in the Iraqi favor.



Until it doesn't. Six Abrams tanks appear in the northern sector. The Bedouins are effectively trapped in their trenches, and the AT gun is receiving effective return fire. Since most of the infantry was concentrated further south, where two of the three VP clusters lie, the northern hill looks in danger of being completely overrun...



There was simply no way to stop the Abrams tanks - of which there appear to be at least eight. The Bedouins are slaughtered, and the crew of one AT gun simply goes AWOL rather than face the monsters. When an Abrams tank approaches a neighboring hex, the entire crew abandons the AT gun; it does not save their lives - but it does reduce my most effective AT weapons by 1/3 with no shot fired. The Mountain platoon is slowly moving up in support - but can they stem the tide? It may be a case where the tanks have to be drawn in, and isolated from their infantry support...



By turn 13, the Marauders have managed to knock out 1 Abrams - but the remaining juggernauts have the run of the battlefield. With their superior vision, they are able to shred any unit that opens fire, without taking any fire in return. RPG and Recoilless sections have been decimated. Ordinary infantry sections with AT weapons are seemingly never where they would need to be to take a pot shot at one of the lumbering giants. Slowly, slowly, Marauder squads try to position themselves for ambushes, but without success so far. All VPs are in American hands presently. About the only thing that is going well is that U.S. infantry assault through the wooded sector in the southern part of the map is being repelled.



Without a doubt, this is the greatest slaughter the Marauders have experienced. Several veteran units are eliminated - since they were the only ones with AT weapons, they were also the only ones taking shots and getting spotted. Remaining Marauders sit tight with their small arms and grenades. Those with Molotovs or fire bombs attempt to at least make a difference against the remaining American armored vehicles, but with limited success. The Abrams are essentially invisible - they appear like ghosts or fire unseen, dealing death at will. They operate in groups, which makes ambushes difficult - but when one Abrams left the company of its fellows, it was successfully ambushed by an engineer unit... two down, at least eight more to go.



The Abrams tanks are drawn toward a VP cluster to recover it, and finally an ambush goes off. The final AT gun immobilizes one and takes out another, only to be itself destroyed by a third Abrams. If only the first two AT guns had put paid to 4-5 Abrams, the Marauders would be in much better shape now. As it is, the cat-and-mouse game will continue...



A Marauder engineer was surrounded by Abrams tanks and biding its time for a possible assault; instead, it was spotted and attacked by the American tanks. The engineer absorbed some damage, then fired at an Abrams, frontally, and... destroyed TWO tanks with one shot of the flamethrower. The warhead size of 45 probably helped.



Slowly, slowly, the Abrams ranks are thinned, but at appalling cost. The battle draws near its end, and the best I can hope for is to avoid unnecessary losses and perhaps take out the remaining tanks. Enemy infantry advancing across the northern hills has caught up, and is now supporting the tanks - which means that my non-AT units finally have targets to shoot at, but it also means that my AT units are easier to spot for the Americans. Still, with each turn, with each Marauder drop of blood, the enemy is being reduced...



As the northern sector has been quiet, I use the remaining Bedouins to charge forward to engage enemy mortars. Even then a Stinger unit, of all possibilities, opens up and pins one of the Bedouin bands. Therefore, only two Bedouin bands are actually fit enough to charge the four identified 81mm mortar units, each of which has 3 81mm M29 mortars. These weapons have been responsible for considerable carnage on my side, and have thwarted several attempts to close assault an Abrams simply by pinning/routing my squads. The Bedouins will hopefully provide some payback.



Tactically, nothing further changed, except for that small Bedouin excursion in the north. Enemy tanks made their push to recapture the southern VPs and were eventually ground down to dust, with fire bombs proving effective in both destroying and routing the tanks. The last kill came from an Abrams which was routed by a fire bomb, escaped, returned to the battlefield, and then its crew bailed out and was eliminated by the Marauders. This is the reverse of the situation with my AT gun earlier in the battle. I suspect that the Abrams was still in a "routed" status, it attempted to withdraw east, but encountered a Marauder unit which caused its crew to automatically bail. The tank itself was then destroyed. Enemy infantry met a similar fate, although some of their units had Vision 10 - fortunately they were on the move to recapture the VPs. By staying in the woods, Marauders were able to take pot shots and retreat as necessary. Eventually, the infantry advance was whittled down.

In the end, a decisive victory was achieved, but given the cost, it was not worth it. The battle looked bad from the start - low visibility, hilly terrain making the use of support weapons more difficult, and the fact that it was an assault defense - meaning that the Americans could afford that Abrams company - all combined to create a battle where heavy losses were always on the cards. About 1/2 of the Bedouins are down for the count (of course, their ranks will be replenished with tribesmen seeking revenge), and B company has ceased to exist as an experienced battle unit - it will be reconstituted with raw recruits, to be guided by the few veteran squads. But before any reinforcements, the Marauders must make ready for an American counter-attack. A special battle ensues...

[raginis]

BATTLE 13
Iraq v. U.S. Army, Meeting Engagement
Visibility: 42
Turn: 22


The inevitable had to be faced. With his troops unreplenished after their toughest fight so far, Col. Mustafa had to draw on his deepest reserves of morale, and use all of his tactical cunning to preserve his force, never mind achieve a victory.



The battle is fought in good visibility, with precious little cover available to the Marauders. The two commanding 100m hills, and the wooded areas, are all on the American side. The VPs are scattered, so hopefully the Americans will divide up their forces in an attempt to capture them all...



Perhaps due to the roughness of the terrain, nothing much happens for the first 40% of the battle - which is just fine by Col. Mustafa. However, finally, inevitably, an Abrams appears...



Col. Mustafa attempted to use his 120mm mortars to destroy the wooden bridges, in hopes of stopping the juggernaut, but it will most likely not work...



It appears that the Americans brought only the Abrams tanks, albeit three of them, with some support units that probably won't make any difference. No shots have been fired so far...



One Abrams runs into the same hex as a Marauder's infantry unit and locates it on the next turn. The slaughter begins - the job now is to contain it to as few units as possible.



A fire bomb attack does its job - an Abrams is taken out.

AFTERMATH: The Americans did have significant infantry forces following up after the Abrams tanks, but there simply wasn't enough time for them to get involved. Instead, the Marauders suffered their first Marginal Defeat of the campaign - but as no Marauder units were eliminated, this was all to the good. Finally able to rest and resupply, the Marauders were ready for whatever fortune may bring next...

[Suhiir]

Fun fighting tanks with infantry isn't it

[raginis]

BATTLE 14
Iraq v. U.S. Army, Iraqi Advance
Visibility: 51
Turn: 29

After its grueling experiences in the previous battles, the Marauders decided to strike out across a road-less area, hoping to avoid any enemy concentrations. Col. Mustafa moved his men in a wide formation, with the infantry marching in columns and support units following behind - in the case of the old T-55s, well behind. With the sun shining and the sky clear, the Colonel hoped to reach a line of hills some three kilometers ahead and get a better view of the land ahead. Alas, as the Marauders were making their way through a patchwork of agricultural fields, the Bedouins came under machine gun fire - from the direction of those hills. With good visibility, no cover, and only some concealment offered by the extensive crop fields, the Marauders were caught in the open - and Col. Mustafa concluded that the best way out is through. With only 29 turns available, the battle will involve the Marauders marching into the teeth of the defenses, with their support weapons giving them a fighting chance...



The crop fields are the only notable feature of the landscape. If Abrams tanks are present, then the high visibility will mean that they will rule the battlefield, with smoke useless against them. The advance will occur in columns, in spaces between the fields.



The Bedouin units, being on horseback and thus more visible, draw the first fire from enemy MGs... No casualties so far, but a follow-up artillery barrage is to be expected. The lack of concealment and cover works both ways - the American MGs are located in the open terrain, and eliminated by Iraqi HMGs.



Marauder attack continues apace. American rifle squads eventually open up as the Iraqi forces get into range, but they are again just as exposed, and almost as easily spotted, as the advancing Marauders. Long-range support weapons are enough to pin these units, and the infantry continues to inch toward the VPs.



It appears that the Americans chose to place their defenses within the crop fields - this means that the Marauder advance is not encountering them head-on. The fights are piecemeal, with sufficient support weapons being brought to bear to avoid major losses.




It looks like the major American resistance in advance of the VPs was concentrated in the central sector. The southernmost push, consisting of two PA companies and the Bedouins, overwhelmed its opponents with sheer mass, and was not significantly slowed. The lone company pushing directly through the center had to spread out and engage the Americans shooting at its left flank; its most advanced squads have also already received fire from the VP defenses on the hills. The northernmost two companies have not been fired at yet - they continue their advance at a steady clip, still in column formation.



Like any other respectable Iraqi irregular force, the Marauders do possess several MG-armed pickup trucks. These units can be useful as mobile support weapons, but they are extremely vulnerable to pretty much all kinds of fire. A Super Dragon launcher puts paid to one of these trucks, but is itself quickly spotted.



The US forces have additional troops near the VPs, but as before, these soldiers open fire in a piecemeal fashion, and are quickly suppressed and dispatched. The Bedouins to the south avoid the VPs for the moment, and instead will seize the high ground and determine if the Americans have any reserves - if past battles are any indication, the capture of VPs should trigger a counter attack. The tribesmen have acquitted themselves well, using their old Bren MGs en masse to suppress the few units that stood in their way, and even closing to saber range against a retreating squad.

AFTERMATH: A Decisive Victory was achieved with, perhaps for the first time, every single opposing unit being eliminated. The increased visibility would have served the Americans well had they possessed units immune to small arms fire. Alas for them, they brought only infantry with some MGs and 60mm mortars for support. The American units were very easily spotted - for example, the Iraqi HQ unit was able to spot a MG section from over a kilometer away, after the latter had fired perhaps 2-3 times. And so, with their superior support weapons, the Marauders have punched through this defense. After two battles where the Abrams tanks took their toll, this relatively easy contest was a welcome respite... although Col. Mustafa knew that this luck would not hold.

[raginis]

BATTLE 15
Iraq v. G.B. Army, Iraqi Defense
Visibility: 62
Turn: 35

The Marauders had successfully disengaged from the American forces, but were now slowed by difficult terrain, with a rough-sloped river bed and a lengthy bridge over water too deep to ford. As Col. Mustafa pondered the best way to get his men and equipment across, he received an urgent message from scouts who had occupied a 100m hill on the other side of the river - what looked like a sizable unit was moving along the road toward the river. Perhaps inevitably, given the presence of a river and a bridge, the troops turned out to be British - but unlike the previous engagements, this time it would be the Marauders who would have the time to dig in and prepare for the coming assault...



The battle will take place on an interesting map from the Iraqi perspective. There is an exposed 100m hill on the British side of the river, from which fire can be directed at the road. The bride is long, and wooden - a sapper unit ought to be able to destroy it, as could, theoretically, the 120mm mortar section. Should the Iraqis do that immediately? Count on being able to do it in the heat of battle? Should the exposed hill be manned by defenses, recon only, or no one? To give up the western bank is to give up the westernmost VPs, which are quite valuable. In the difficult terrain, it may be possible to stop the British and defeat them in detail, with a possible decisive victory in the end - but that means that the westernmost VPs have to be kept, or recaptured. Thirty-five turns is long enough for the British to do the same type of damage that the Americans did a few battles back - or it may turn out to not be enough for them to advance, given the terrain. Finally, both the northern and southern edges of the map offer avenues of advancing behind British lines. The northern one offers more rugged terrain for protection - but it is the southern one that is well-away from the road that the British are likely to use, and it is somewhat screened by the hills. We shall see what happens.



With the battle taking place in excellent visibility, the British are quickly spotted. Marauders did choose to place some units on the big hill on the western side of the river, and the Bedouins are waiting in the valley just south of that hill. The Brits brought a helicopter, but it is an anti-tank variant.




The Scimitars forged ahead and were quickly dispatched by close assault, but now the Challengers are following up, both in the south and in the center. The helicopters were chased away with some AAMG fire - the few recorded hits were not enough to get past their front armor, though.



The Challengers advance straight toward the southern-most objective, and are successfully ambushed. British infantry has yet to appear. Marauders have suffered some losses - one AT gun and its truck are gone - but in general the defensive line is barely touched.



The infantry finally appears, and is able to target the forward slopes of the big hill in the south. This means that the remaining Challenger finally has some support. The few Iraqi squads in this area are effectively pinned down by the British grunts. Because of the rough terrain immediately behind the forward Marauder units, bringing up reinforcements is time consuming - but that same rough terrain protects those reinforcements from British artillery...



... while in the center, the British just merrily drive their Challengers right into a prepared ambush - these are definitely the easiest tank kills the Marauders have had so far.



The British continue their infantry advance, with the final Challenger immobilized...



Reinforcements are flowing toward the main battle area, but the British maintain their local advantage - their infantry squads are excellently equipped, as usual.



In the center, a British infantry unit finally makes contact with the Marauders. Heretofore, only a few tanks wandered blindly into an ambush and were obliterated at close range. Due to the cover, the British again have local superiority, while any reinforcements will take a while to get involved.



The British essentially did not use the bridge as an attack avenue. The few squads sent this way were chased away by Marauder HMGs. A Marauder engineer did try to take out the bridge, initially, but fortuitously failed (despite using up all of its satchel charges) - this means that now a small flanking maneuver can be attempted...



... which never really gets off the ground, as the battle ends - with no captured VPs and mounting losses, the British simply break off the engagement.

In the end, this was a short, brutal, localized fight, with the painful loss of a few more veteran units. Rough terrain meant that not all Marauder sections could get their shots in, which affects unit development. B Company, for example, remains essentially a green unit. However, one should be careful with complaints, because the gods of war have a strange way of granting one's wishes...