BATTLE 04: Iraq vs. Great Britain
Type: Meeting Engagement
Visibility: 51 (2,550m)
Turn Limit: 22 turns
MAP OVERVIEW:
Yet another brook, yet again flowing from NE to SW, but this time there is a bridge, and a road! South of the bridge, the cliff on the British side goes from elevation 10-15 to elevation 90-95 in a single hex, with lots of impassable hexes. Given the high visibility, attempting to push over that cliff will be too risky. This is too bad, as two VP clusters are behind that hill. In the northern portion, the Marauders will be able to deploy west of the river, relatively close to the third VP cluster. That VP cluster is located right between two hills of elevation 100, so that position should allow the Iraqi force to dominate the battlefield. At least that's the plan - strong push in the north, with pretty much the entire force, followed by either a defense or a push south, with the two 100-elevation hills serving as a fire base for the support weaponry.
More Marauders!
Given that the enemy forces in all three previous battles consisted of infantry only, and given that this is most likely due to the low point cost of the Iraqi force, I've decided to buy two sections of ammo carriers (2 vehicles each), a platoon of 100mm AT guns (mechanized, as all units with speed less than 3 need their own transport to keep up), and a platoon of T-55s. These additions swelled the point cost of the force, which will hopefully allow the AI to purchase some armor or artillery, but the units themselves are intended for limited use. The ammo carriers will never fire in anger if I can help it, unless perfectly safe. The AT guns provide a slightly better (still low-tech) answer to enemy armor, but are not particularly effective vs. infantry. The cost of each gun, including its dedicated transport, is 60 points, or about two Peoples Army platoons. Finally, the T-55s are not intended as front line troops, but rather as precious assets that the Marauders intend to preserve. The supply lines no longer exist, scrounging the battlefields yields mostly ammunition for the ubiquitous AK-47s and such, but not necessarily T-55 ammo, and no one has the time to fix a damaged tank. So, the T-55s, while costing full points, will essentially be kept out of combat.
Support Units
For the last time, the two batteries of 130mm M46 FG will make their appearance - again, their 10km+ range allows them to aid Lt. Col. Mustafa and his men without having to actually join the Marauders themselves. No other support is available.
A Sporting Chance
The map includes, yet again, a brook, and the opponent is, just as with the earlier brook, the British. Commanded by Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount of Alanbrooke, perhaps? I can try to wish away those 90-elevation hills on the side of the brook, but the realities of the battlefield err... brook... no argument... in any case, the hope is that the British finally bring some armor, artillery, or perhaps even aircraft to the battle. Their "Terminator" infantry units are dangerous enough by themselves, but in full daylight and not dug-in they will almost certainly provide a lesser challenge than before. The Marauders, of course, are gaining experience with every battle, while the AI troops remain the same...