AFTERMATH:
A few units achieved veteran status, including a first Peoples Army squad. These units prove resilient, due to their 10-man complement, and due to the high number of squads, they always present a sufficient number of targets to the enemy to prevent any one squad being ganged up on. Only a few of these squads have been completely destroyed so far in the campaign.
Beyond rest and refit, no new units join the Marauders, and the force remains at its 2,000+ point status. However, the Marauders' recent battlefield successes must have gotten someone's attention, because a local intelligence report indicates that a large U.S. Army force is on the way to the Marauders' location. With ample time to prepare a defense, Lt. Col. Mustafa chooses to withdraw back to the recently-liberated town, and await the U.S. assault there. Unfortunately, the supply depots provide no further aid to the Marauders - neither barbed wire nor mines are anywhere to be found. Nevertheless, there is some hope that in the narrow city streets, Iraqi RPG sections may even score some kills against enemy armor...
BATTLE 07: Iraq vs. U.S. Army
Visibility: 64
Turn Limit: 35 turns
The VPs are in two clusters, roughly on the SE outskirts of the town (their total value is roughly equivalent to the entire Marauders' force point value). The VP location means that the enemy will have to advance either through the entire town, or try to bypass it from the south, to get near the VPs. It is possible to deploy troops in advanced positions, and essentially have a gigantic bloodbath in the town itself, but that will inevitably mean high losses as Mosin + hand grenades will not hold up to Assault Rifle + MG + hand grenades. Wishing to preserve the force and avoid unnecessary losses, even at the price of not winning the battle, Lt. Col. Mustafa opts to put the majority of his force in positions that allow for easy retreat. No particular subunit will be expected to either stop a determined enemy advance, or to die trying. Rather, observation and careful application of especially the primitive anti-tank weapons will be crucial...
Here is the Veteran Mosin squad. These are the types of units that should not be thrown away into an urban meat-grinder. Their best engagement distance is 500m, where a Mosin will find range, but many (most?) ARs will not. 10 rifles vs. 1-2 MG is a fairer fight than a 100m fight.
By Turn 5, Enemy APCs have captured some central VPs, which was expected. An Abrams is prowling the city streets, but I don't have any RPGs there to take it on. The infantry continues to hide, as it can't do a thing about enemy advance. Due to the location of the VPs in a dip in the ground, it actually is not easy to cover the VPs with fire.
This AT gun is able to cover some of the VPs, but it is also very close to them - within range of return fire. There was no position further north or east where that AT gun could still cover the VPs, but be at a much greater distance from them to make spotting and return fire more difficult. A price will be paid for this.
In the south, the enemy advanced along the road and then dismounted troops from APCs. Again, without the ability to use AT guns from a distance, this was expected.
Turn 13
While they pay a price, the U.S. troops capture all VPs in the center. With an Abrams tank standing watch, and additional infantry advancing from the West, the Americans look to hold the VPs. An Iraqi counter-attack aims to cut off the reinforcements. By this time, the AT guns have been knocked out - they were too close to the action, were quickly spotted, and then destroyed with direct hits from the Abrams main guns.
A similar situation occurs in the South. The advance U.S. troops are bloodied, but do manage to capture the VPs and place an Abrams to defend it. My infantry continues to hide in cover and will seek only to prevent reinforcements from reaching the VPs. The AT gun is knocked out, so either RPGs or recoilless guns will have to take out the Abrams.
Turn 21
This is the center position by Turn 21. Enemy infantry continues to pour east along the same road as they have for the previous 10-12 turns. There seems to be an endless supply of that infantry, but if there is anything the Marauders have, it's numbers. What permitted the recapture of VPs was the destruction of the Abrams - it took an RPG to the back from a Mountain squad. The Mountain squads have been shredded by the Abrams tanks, but did account for 2 of them.
The southern attack is quite similar... continuous advance by American infantry squads, with my troops attempting to engage them at range and prevent them from reinforcing the VPs. The southern Abrams is still going strong, and I won't try to flank it yet as it would require my AT units to leave their positions and risk getting shot up by enemy infantry.
By turn 25, some of the troops that managed to secure the central VPs finally make their way down to reinforce the southern defense. The American advance has run out of steam, but their infantry remains a problem in terms of flanking the Abrams.
Eventually, I use the tactic of drawing the Abrams' fire with infantry units, and then shooting it from the side with a T-55. After about 3 hits, that final Abrams goes down and the Marauders secure all VPs with some time to spare.
In the end, a major victory was achieved, but the losses for Marauders were still painful. All three AT guns, plus two precious scout units with great experience were totally eliminated... the loss of comrades hurts, but new volunteers will fill the ranks, and the Marauders' adventure continues on...
Lessons on hand (not saying "learned" because that remains to be seen...)
1. AT guns are extremely vulnerable to tank main-gun fire. All three were knocked out by single shots, with all crew becoming casualties. They did help destroy a few M113A2s, but overall they are much too vulnerable to use, except as "snipers" that carefully balance each shot taken.
2. The only hope that a Peoples Army infantry squad has in a city setting is to be stacked with 1-3 additional Peoples Army squads in the same hex, and let the enemy come to them, preferably to grenade range. Cheesy tactic, but with some US units having assault rifles, plus 2xMGs, plus a grenade launcher, plus a LAW (which I believe were used against my units - perhaps in stone buildings?), any sort of firefight at range was just too disadvantageous. Here's a picture of a US Rifle Squad:
Interestingly, the 2xMGs still only have ACC 21. Here's how they compare to the British Terminators (and the only squad MGs that Marauder Mountaineer (rangers) have):
Weapon----------ACC---KILL
M249 SAW (2)----21----9
5.56mm LSW (2)--30----5
7.62mm RPK SAW--19----5
Per wiki, the M249 and the LSW both use 5.56x45mm NATO and have comparable muzzle velocities. The British weapon may also use a LDS (lightweight day sight), which possibly grants it higher accuracy - but why the difference in lethality? And if indeed the (2) signifies that the squad has two of these weapons, then why does the Iraqi SAW have the same lethality as the two British LSWs? In any case, any squad equipped with these weapons is a nightmare to go up against if all you have is rifles.
3. There was no point in having scouts positioned in the town to warn of approaching enemy. In theory, the scouts should have been able to blend right back into the buildings and remain undetected, but in practice they simply let the enemy M113A2s waltz right past (scouts have no AT weapons), and ended up surrounded and eventually killed. Waste of veterans and, to add insult to injury, my scouts' entrenchment was used to great effect by enemy units.