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.