Re: Generated Campaign - Romania 2007
Lt. Col. Lungu reviewed his forces. The losses weren't that high; actually when comparing the casualties on both sides, one would think that the romanians have won. Sadly that wasn't so. The forces in the area still had a decent foothold and could launch a counterattack any time. He decided to slowly start replacing the lightly armed 330Ls with the 330D gunships. The IAR-330 model was similar to the Mi-24 series of the russians. It had decent speed, could carry a decent amount of men and also a wide range of weaponry. A transport and gunship all in one. Also he purchased a set of two ammo APCs where his helos could rearm. Now all he had to do was wait for further orders.
SECOND BATTLE: January 2007
Romanian Delay vs Hungarian Advance
Location: North of Debrecen
"Gentlemen, we now reap what we've sown...", started Lt. Col. Lungu."The hungarians have launched the counterattack HQ was expecting. Our job is to hold this road junction and the woods south of it. We won't have that much support this time since most resources have been diverted to support the advancing spearheads. Still, HQ did spare some ATROM mobile artillery. Actually these have just rolled off the production lines and they wanted us to test them. Their 155mm guns should prove useful. Intel about the enemy forces is scarce. We can expect anything from a full armored assault to enemy commandos. we will deploy in strategic areas and wait for them to come to us. The helos will be kept in the back as highly mobile machinegun and anti-tank platforms."
His forces were in place. The hungarians started in force with a mortar and 122mm artillery bombardment. Now all he had to do is wait...
"Sir! Our recon helicopter just reported in. He was under fire from enemy SAM and machinegun fire. Sublt Ardeleanu isn't sure, but he believes that enemy armor is present. He also saw a patch of smoke several kilometers away. Might me those mortars."
"Very well... Send the coordinates to the ATROMS. I want those mortars silenced for starters. Tell them to use cluster shells."
Cluster munitions were quite something. He heard from Maj Ivanovici that the ones the Lancers dropped during the last mission inflicted severe losses on the enemy. The public really looked down on them because they hit anything... including civilians... but war is war.
Another bombardment. This time the hungarians laid some smoke in the center. It wouldn't be long before his men made contact. He decided to send the agile IAR-316b for another recon run. "Check the south first.", Lt. Col. Lungu ordered.
Sublt. Ardeleanu wasn't quite comfortable. Had had been shot at with SAMs the last time. The missle didn't lock on but still... He climbed high and began patrolling the area when once again machinegun fire came from the same direction, follow by another SAM. "They've got some SAMs sir... also maybe some tanks", reported Sublt. Ardeleanu as he brought his small helicopter to safety.
The hungarias meanwhile kept laying smoke further to the north, but still no contact. Then the mortars started again, this time they concentrated on the troops securing the southers woods. But it also meant that the mortars have given away their position. Col. Lungu quickly ordered a counter-barrage. No soone did he finish giving the order than a ferocious bombardment started pounding the area. One, then another and another... it never seemed to end. It was an almost eerie feeling of being watched after seeing how the hungarians have zeroed-in on his HQ's position.
Corporal Balan and his men were quietly waiting in the woods beside the road when something drew his attention: the sound of a car. Not a tank, but a car. An UAZ. There it was, clamly driving down the road. Perhaps a scout team? Or even worse, artillery observers. Nevertheless, he and his men calmly took aim and opened fire. The car was soon riddled with bullets, the driver and front passenger killed instantly while the passenger in the back frantically got out of the car and ran for shelter. He didn't get far however...
A UAZ? That was odd... Perhaps the hungarians got overconfident? Anyway, Lt. Col. Lungu's forces were soon about to find out.
But before he could finish his thought the mortars started hitting again... this time they fell on the ATROMs... When it was over two of them were in flames. Seconds later a familiar screech in the sky... A hungarian Grippen streamed towards his troops. The Gunships promtly launched their Strelas, but the jet fighter easily shoot their aim off. Fortunately this supressed the iplot enough for him to target the helos instead of the well hidden infantry... The Grippen strafed the IAR-330D gunship to little effect. Then the fighter's wingman dived in but also took aim at the helicopters. The air raid accomplished little... but then the bombardment started again, and this time a direct hit on one helicopter send it down in flames.
"God damn it!"... Col. Lungu was seething... he ordered all his remaining ATROMs to target the suspected mortar positions.
"Contact!"... two T-72s were reported to the south. Finally he could exact some payback.
Sublt. Bucur and his wingman moved into position. He would slow down and creept on the tanks so that his Euro Spike AT missiles can get a good lock.
Sublt. Pmutz and his men readied themselves as they prepared to assault the approaching armor. Hiding behind the trees he could see the T-72 only 50 meters away. His men fired their RPG-7s and one of them hit the tracks... the tank was stopped dead.
"Go for it!", Sublt. Bucur encouraged his wingman. The tank was now immobilized and an easy prey for the Euro Spike. He would go for another T-72 spotted closer to the objective area. He slowly manouvered along the trees and came up behind the tank. Once in his sights he opened fire with his autocannon and rockets... the T-72 didn' last long and finally there was the fireball he wanted to see.
Sublt. Ardelean once again took his small helo higher to take a look at the battlefield and... "Mother of GOD!...". there they were... 1,2,3,4,5,6 T-72s... 7 including the immobilized T-72.
Lt. Col. Lungu immediately ordered his newly aquired Gunships to move to the area and prepare to engage.
"Let's see what this baby can do...", thought to himself Lt. Moraru as he manouvered his new 330D into position. Gone was the puny machinegun he had on board last time. Now he had some serious firepower. And he would rain it all on the T-72s hiding somewhere in the woods.
Sublt. Saguna furiously swung his helicopter left and right as he tried to hold back the onrushing tanks. "There must be an entire company over there!"... His gunner no longer bothered to take aim at this distance and just sprayed the advancing mass of armor with shells and rockets.
As his wingman struggled to keep the tanks at bay, Sublt. Bucur outflanked the tanks and began to fire his autocannon and rockets from near-point-blank range. Soon four attack helicopter were buzzing around the tanks... but the problem was that the vaunted Euro Spike missiles refused to lock and so the helos were forced to hit the tanks with only their cannons and rockets. Most of the shots bounced harmlessly off the thick armor...
One by one the gunships depleted their ammunition and headed for the ammo carriers far back... Meanwhile the furious counter-artillery barrages continued.
The armored assault continued unabated as another Grippen strike hit the ATROMs. This time they used Maverick guided missiles... to deadly effect. Unless the gunships were rearmed soon, the situation could become disastrous. The infantry platoon to the south rushed to meet the tanks as the SOCAT gunships returned. But still there was little that could be done against the thick armor or the T-72s. With the Euro Spikes malfunctioning the autocannons and rockets were all the gunships could offer as support. At best, they could immobilize the tanks and force their crews to bail out. meanwhile, both the center and northern groups reported having made contact with enemy infantry.
The enemy bombardment reached a peak intensity and then... a huge fireball from the south... "No!"... another one... the several secondary explosions... "No!Damn it! NO!!"... The ammo carrier, together with the two helos rearming were completely destroyed... what little AT capability Col. Lungu had was now gone... it was up to his men now. He immediately directed all his ATROMs tu fire cluster munitions at the tanks which were still pinned down. meanwhile the other infantry platoons reported more and more enemy infantry. Still, this was far from absolute disaster. He still had plenty of artillery with which to slow the enemy down.
... Corporal Averescu hit the deck as the T-72 exploded. It was the second his team destroyed in the space of a few minutes, not counting the one that was immobolized and abandoned. It had been a really bad day... the Euro Spikes malfunctioned so all the helos could do was slow down the tanks with their cannons and rockets. But soon they ran out and they were left to fend for themselves. Two sections of his platoon had been destroyed and one section took heavy casualties. so it was up to him to take back the woods. He heard heavy fighting further to the north... Lt. Culda must be having a bad day too...
Slowly but surely Lt. Culda's men were being pushed back, despite the heavy bombardment the remaining ATROMs rained. And just when he thought things couldn't get worse, at T-72 entered the field. Lt. Culda's section and another section opened fire with grenade aunchers and RPGs, but to no effect. Lt. Culda could only take cover wait for the next bombardment.
Lt. Col. Lungu grimly listened to the radio... the center objectives had been taken by the hungarians and Culda's men were retreating... "God damn those Euro Spikes!..."
Eventually the situation had been stabilized. The southern woods were eventually secured, the lone T-72 tank was ambushed when it tried to take the crossroads and the enemy infantry was slowed down by friendly artillery and fire support from the remaining 330L helos.
It had been a victory... but a very costly one. The only thing that made Col. Lungu feel better was the knowledge that all of the T-72s meant for the breakthrough had been destroyed... mostly by his elite infantry. But still, it was a victory none the less.
Col. Lungu now implemented some changes. With the Euro Spike a complete failure, the two original gunships were traded for two IAR-317 Aifoxes. An older model, smaller and slower, carrying only 4 missiles. But at least these were Malutka-M missiles, which proved their reliability time and again during exercises. These would be the tank hunters. The rest of the helos would be slowly converted to IAR-330D type since its autocannon and 57mm rockets were ideally suited for supporting airborne infantry.
Col. Lungu reflected on the last battle... The hungarians almost achieved a total victory had it not been for the determination of his mountain troops to stop the enemy armor. The failure of the Euro Spike had certainly been the fatal surprise of the day. Second, hungarian artillery struck with frightening precision, destroying no less than two ATROMs on one bombardment. Also a helicopter had been shot down in the same manner, as well as an ammo carrier receiving a direct hit and two gunships being destroyed a s a result. Still, the ATROMs, when benefitting from accurate spotting can deliver devastating firepower, the cluster munitions being especially deadly.
Third, the hungarians had one last surprise: the Saab Gripen. Only luck made it so that the Gripens targeted the helos on their first pass and released their bombs randomly. But on their second pass they targeted the ATROMs and managed to destroy one of them.
Still... the greatest threat to victory had been the enemy modernized T-72s. But with the Airfoxes this would no longer be an issue.
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very good reading!
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