USA versus Warsaw Pact 1986-Ferg

[daferg]

My first AAR! Woo Hoo! I have read just about all of the AAR posts here to get ideas. I will keep my first one simple.

Long Campaign
Map Height/Width-70/90
All starting stats (sighting,hitting, etc) are at 100 for both.
23,000 points for both sides
1986 for game year.
Starting in April and ending in September.
Opponents-Soviet Union, East Germany, and Poland.

Core Force:
2 M1 Tank Company
2 M113 Mech Infantry Company
2 M901 Platoon (8 M901's)
2 SPAA Sections (Vulcan)
1 SPSAM Section (Chaperal) (2 Launchers)
1 SAM Section (Hawk) (2 Launchers)
8 M109's (SPA)
8 M110's (SPA)
6 81mm Mortars
2 FIST-V (FO)
4 SP Mortars (107mm or 120mm)
4 AH-1 Cobra (armed with-20mm, rockets, TOWs)
6 Ammo resupply vehicles. (trucks)

First Battle:
Meeting Engagement against Soviet Union. Text box said Fulda Gap.

Map was a random generated one. All victory hexes clumped together running down the center of map.

Map layout-No significant elevation. Highest point on map is 23. Rolling terrain with clumps of trees. No water. One road on northern top of map running from east to west. Victory hex cluster in center of map is on a small hill that is surrounded by buildings but no road. Victory hex cluster in north is along road and on slight elevation. Victory hex south is in a draw with heavy forest to its front (east) and below it (south).

Visibility is 14.

I bought 3 off map 8" gun batteries and a single FASCAM section with support points.

Deployment: I plan to rush to the victory hexes and take up defensive positions there. My core force lacks any real type of recon assets. It will be a movement to contact and then a hasty defense. I deployed my force so that 2 platoons of M1's and two platoons of M113 Mech Infantry to occupy each objective. 1 M1 platoon will provide overwatch while the infantry and other tank platoon advances. I placed one M901 in the north and the other down south. There are slight hills just in front of the deployment line that I plan to occupy on turn one with these. I know that the M68 105mm cannon on the M1's will not penetrate the frontal armor of Soviet MBT's so I need to rely on flanks shots to kill them. The AH-1's were in the center of the map at a high altitude and with rockets disabled. Artillery was scattered in the backfield with alternate positions picked out. The SAM's were placed on low hill masses north and south. The Vulcans would advance with the main body in the center of the map. My HQ's unit is in a stand of trees in the center of the map.

I pre-plotted my artillery as follows: DPICM from the M109's to fire on likely tank staging areas. Mortars to fire smoke along the line of advance. On map 8" (M110's) fired at likely staging areas of mech infantry. I withheld fires from the off map 8" units so I might do some counter battery fire on the Soviet initial salvos. I plan to use the FASCAM on the road to the north after turn three or so.