AAR: Long Generated Campaign US v Communist

[Hermit]

We have returned to the Korean peninsula, to head off another incursion by those pesky Chinese. The terrain is rolling hills with moderate woods clumped in groups. We're moving in from the east, expecting to encounter the enemy after taking the objectives due to our superior mobility, armor, and the relatively good lines of sight. This will allow us to advance quickly without worrying about ambushes from enemy units. The warm summer weather has made the ground firm and we'll be able to move cross-country and take advantage of the terrain for cover and firing positions. Two roads pass through enemy territory from West to East, and then angle towards each other, eventually crossing in our territory. A large village borders the dirt road on a hilltop just in enemy territory, and this is expected to be a primary encounter area.

Several platoons of M59 APC's have been requisitioned from the motor pool to provide mobility to the leg infantry, and four heavy-lift helos have also been lent from the local air wing. A flight of A-26 Invaders with cluster bombs have been made available for overhead cover. No enemy air activity is expected. At the last minute, division called and said two batteries of 105mm will be at our disposal, in case we need to suppress any stubborn enemy units. The battalion was joined by two platoons of armored infantry on the way to the battlefield, along with their supporting section of 106mm jeeps and M21 1/2-track mortar carriers that we'll use as fighting scouts.

***

As hoped, we have moved swiftly to take up positions beyond the objective areas in the northern and middle areas of the battlefield. We haven't been able to reach the southern objective yet, but chances are good we'll take that without much resistance as well.

Enemy artillery pounded the roads with a surprising number of HE rounds. 122mm, 85mm, 76mm ... you name it. It's fortunate we've chosen to advance over the countryside, or we'd have taken a beating this morning. Our own artillery has returned fire, with an estimate of about 1/2 of the enemy guns out of action within 20 minutes. We sent our light attack helos forward behind the hills, so that we can scout out the enemy disposition. But the minute they exposed themselves, all hell broke loose. The enemy is saturating the air with light SPAA fire. It seems they've recently aquired an APC with twin AAMG's mounted on it. And they have a multitude of them. Our helos are defenseless against this nefarious new vehicle, as their own machine guns cannot penetrate its thin, yet sufficient, armor. For the meantime, our helos will have to cower behind the hills and wait for another opportunity.

The enemy has also apparently loaded up with mortars, as 60mm and 82mm rounds are starting to fall everywhere. Fortunately, only one barrage hit our troops and was ineffective, except to scare the crap out of the inexperienced APC drivers. We're trying to get a fix on their location, so at the moment we hope they continue firing, since they're not doing any damage.

***

One helo managed to get a peak around the hills without bolting for cover, and reported back some really good news. The Chinese have a column of trucks advancing along the road approaching the village. We took some of our 155mm artillery off counter-battery duty, and plotted in the coordinates of the road just outside the village, figuring they'll stop and unload before entering the village. We were rewarded with the sight (and sound) of many secondary explosions, and thick clouds of greasy black smoke rose into the air as a dozen trucks blew apart and burst into flame when the artillery rained down on them. The A-26 pilots radioed that they were going to make a pass down the road to pick off the survivors fleeing back toward their momma's. The Colonel waved them off, however, worried about all the enemy AA fire that was waiting to riddle those slower, bigger aircraft.

[Hermit]

We've got one of the scout platoons emplaced and creeping toward the village, while our infantry has unloaded in wooded areas all across the battlefield. The infantry line will be used as trip wires and ambush points in the trees, while our armor is taking up overwatch positions to cover the clear areas between the woods. We've also helo'd in a few AT guns to provide extra fire support to watch hilltops where we expect the enemy will try to establish tactical advantages.

We're moving the M45 Pershings and the Sherman Flame tanks up to support infantry positions in the woods, where their short range heavy weapons will take out enemy armor and provide overwhelming destruction on enemy ground troops.

Some more artillery is being changed from long-range to short-range CB fire to take on enemy mortar teams, and also a few AA batteries we've located. It seems this enemy commander is relying on truck transports, T-34/85 tanks, the new SPAA MG APC's and LOTS of mortars. That and the typical horde of Chinese infantry. No other enemy vehicles have been spotted so far.

***

The Colonel has decided to move a platoon of nearby infantry into the Eastern edge of town, since the scout platoon has laid low and allowed several enemy squads to take up positions concealed among the buildings. They're doing a good job of spotting, but it appears that the enemy will be overrunning the place soon unless we get some troops up there. Calling in a barrage of artillery would probably solve the problem, but HQ has ordered us to minimize collateral damage. We were concerned about the civilians too, but apparently they've all fled by now.

***

The first wave of enemy tanks has surged forward and ran smack into our overwatching armor. Most of the enemy tanks erupted in flaming wrecks as soon as they made their appearance out from behind the woods, but a few managed to dodge and weave enough to avoid being hit in the first volley. However, their advance quickly ground to a halt and we began hunting down the survivors. Our infantry in the woods also managed to get some kills with minimal casualties. One squad unsuccessfully launched an assault, and two nearby enemy tanks laid into them with MG fire. After popping some smoke, they let out an old-fashioned "rebel yell" and charged back at the enemy tank again. This time they were not halted by the presence of the enemy armor, and succeeded in getting some grenades into their objective that put it out of action.

Another team placed a well-aimed bazooka round into an enemy tank from 200m away. The impact made a "Crumpf!" sound as it impacted the side of the turret. A small hole appeared, and shortly thereafter smoke began to billow out of both the hole and some of the hatches. They waited, trying to decide if they should let the crew escape or gun them down as they bailed out, but no one emerged from the vehicle.

[Hermit]

Enemy units have been reported in the area of the southern objective, and they've probably occupied it by now! We'll have to push some infantry teams forward far enough to get a look-see and find out what kind of presence we'll be facing down there. Gauging by the distance covered by the enemy, its got to be some armor, so we'll also have send some supporting armor of our own. Two M48 Rollers have been dispatched from the armored engineers to assist, as two infantry platoons work their way SW through the woods. Nearing the edge of the woods, the men don't hear any vehicle noises, and are wondering if the enemy have also set up an ambush by turning off their engines to hide their presence. This thought is dispelled when the nickering of a horse is detected up ahead. It turns out an enemy cavalry patrol is the culprit. Rather than revealing our presence, the troops lay low in the woods and keep watch, waiting for the armor support to arrive.

After the scout teams in the village laid a small smoke screen, a platoon of infantry was rushed up to the outskirts of the town in their APC's and unloaded. Four Patton tanks were also moved up to cover the edges of town on the northern slopes of the hilltop. Two of the Sherman Flame tanks have also pulled onto the road and used it to gain quick access to the crest of the hill from the east, where they can remain in ready position without being seen by enemy tanks. Two enemy infantry squads came hurrying down the road through the smoke laid by the scouts, possibly having noticed our platoon of troops disembarking at the edge of town. The accompanying APC's tried to suppress them by using machine gun fire, but it was only good enough to cause the enemy to spread out and temporarily stop advancing. A few minutes later they got up and came forward toward us again. By this time our infantry had organized itself and also laid down some fire. After taking a few casualties and popping some smoke, the enemy ran into one of the buildings and hunkered down. However, as soon as our troops moved the slightest bit, the enemy once more started shooting. Two more enemy squads also advanced through the smoke and joined the fight.

By this time, one of the M21 1/2-track mortars had worked its way into a position that gave it a good line-of-sight on the hilltop and edges of the village. It launched some WP rounds behind the two squads in the road and provided a screen from any enemy heavy weapons. The APC's used their MG's to rake the buildings holding the enemy infantry, causing them to again seek cover behind the walls, while our infantry, also now in cover in the buildings, exchanged fire with the enemy troops in the road. Lacking discipline, one of the enemy squads got up and ran back into the smoke. Taking advantage of the enemy's distraction, the two Sherman Flame tanks crested the hill and advanced on the enemy troops. One stood guard facing the smoke screen and approaches from up the road, while the other hosed down the buildings concealing the enemy troops. It was a frightening display of the horror those vehicles can have on people. Normally, out in the open or in a woods, the flames aren't as concentrated and their effects are less pronounced. In those close quarters of the buildings, the napalm and flames just pile on top of each other, roiling and tumbling over and over. We could feel the searing heat even from a hundred meters away. There were ghastly screams from inside the building, and a few "men" came staggering out into the street. They were really nothing but moving masses of flame, like human-shaped torches. Even the buildings seemed to groan and recoil in reaction to that onslaught. Obviously, the Colonel's directive not to cause collateral damage will have to be modified slightly.

[Hermit]

After a long hiatus due to (1) a divorce, (2) a job change, & (3) a move, I've returned to SPMBT and the forum. I hope to post some more "stories" when I get a bit more time (hopefully including map pictures this time). In that vein, with no more protests from the spousal unit, I finally was able to purchase the enhanced version and reward the developers for their efforts. Thanks to Don and Andy for their continuing work to keep this awesome game updated.