Big Table BatRep – WWWIII: Team Yankee edition

With V2, or “WWIII: Team Yankee”, now out and a couple of new Yankee players in our local group, it was time for another big multiplayer game.  We played on a 12ft x 6ft board with standard rules with a single amendment; reinforcement rolls would be tripled (3 rolls of one dice on turn 3, 3 rolls of two dice on turn 4 and so on).

Paul and Jordan would be fielding 200pts of Soviets – tank heavy lists with solid infantry support and light air.

NATO (me, James and Ben) would be fielding 200pts of mixed British and American.

James was supplying the solid Brit infantry core (a second and third infantry platoon isn’t shown here – the Milans are!) with Mortar and Rapier support

Ben brought the chieftains, swingfires and more Artillery

And me?  Well it was finally time for Team America to bring all the toys!

Yep, that’s all the armour and all the air 🙂

Mission selection

NATO chose manoeuvre and Pact chose to attack, so we ended up with the old stalwart Encounter.

Setup

Pact left off their Hinds and most of their tanks.  NATO left off all the air support and some smaller Brit units.

Soviet infantry in defence
Forward fortified position secured with Spearhead
Spearhead push for my Abrams but not used due to later deployment threats
Swingfires in solid ambush position
Centre board, Mortar and AA support
Centre board within strike range of the 2 NATO objectives.
Near centre board hill, spearheaded vantage point
The other soviet objective defended with a full company.

Turn 1 – Soviets

With the soviets winning the dice off, they start their push.

Jordan’s T72s push down our left flank, taking out one of my Recon platoons with help from his BMP2 scouts.
BMP1s push into the centre, ignoring the Milan teams in the houses and raining shots into the Scimitars.  3 bails only.
On the left flank, the spearheaded BMP2s rain fire onto the Brit platoon, causing several casualties and pinning them.

Turn 1 – NATO

The Scimitars all remount and between them and the Milans inflict heavy losses on the BMPs.
The US tanks assist the Brits, and rain fire on the BMPs…
… with the desired result.
End of turn 1.  It’s a heavy Soviet push on our right flank, with the rear BMPs carrying troops and T72s advancing down behind the Oil Refinery.  Lots of work to do to stop them.

Turn 2 – Soviets

The BMPs continue to push, with the T72s swinging behind the hill to get cover from the 7 NATO tanks looking to draw a bead on them.
In the centre table, the BMP1s finally inflict a couple of kills on the Scimitars, bailing a 3rd.

On our left flank, Jordan’s T72s stall a little on their advance due to entering the woods and failing cross-checks.

Turn 2 – NATO

I pull the IPM1s back and drop long shots into the BMPs, with the Chieftains following suit.
With heavy casualties inflicted, the Brit infantry is able to keep it’s head down.
Mid-table, the Scimitar remounts and the plucky pair take down more BMPs, assisted by the Milan teams in the houses.
Brit Swingfires advance into the woods ready for a blitz move next turn.  NATO artillery bombards the soviets in the distance that have so far failed to dig in.

Turn 3 – Soviets

Reinforcements arrive, with the HINDs landing ready to disgorge their troops.  The T72s swing into view and hit the now dug-in Brits.  Firing machine guns, they cannot pierce the Brit foxholes.
Jordans’ BMP2s take aim from their vantage point…
… and destroy the Brit observer and a Mortar team.
Jordan’s T72s free themselves from the woods and are now presenting as a threat
NATO is being pushed on both flanks.

Turn 3 – NATO

The Brit Arty and Mortars combine to pour smoke across the left flank.  The swingfires look on in dismay, having made their blitz and cross-checks to take up an excellent fire position on the T72s 🙂
With my Abrams withdrawing to support the left flank, the Brits nonetheless inflict heavy damage on the T72s…
… Whilst the Shilkas are dealt with
2 T72s burning, but the Hinds and their cargo are untouched.

Turn 4 – Soviet

No reinforcements this time for the Soviets.  The T72s push hard, using cross here orders to clear the walls.
The Hinds disgorge their troops and break for my IPM1s, at point-blank range from the Rapiers.  Unbelievably, the Rapiers fail to down a single Hind whilst a Mortar’s MG brings one down!  A trio of Spiral missiles head for my tanks, with one landing and destroying its target.
The T72s advance with the newly dropped troops, but the Brits weather almost all the fire coming their way.

Turn 4 – NATO

Still no reinforcements for NATO.  The swingfires finally find their targets and take out 2 T72s.
My IPM1s rush the left flank whilst the Brit mortars and infantry mobilise to protect our objectives
Chieftains inflict three more casualties on the T72s
Still lots of work to do, but with another Brit platoon on the objective we’re feeling much less threatened.
Overview of the carnage, not a car park in sight!

Turn 5 – Soviets

The rest of the Soviet reinforcements finally turn up!  A pair of large companies, one each of T64s and T72s rush down the back of the Oil Refinery to push the right flank.
The remaining T72s on the NATO left flank try and dig out the Swingfires, to no avail.
The Soviet infantry assaults and forces back the Brit platoon and are now in striking distance of the objective.

Turn 5 – NATO

With three guaranteed reinforcements, it’s time for the air support to arrive 🙂  Eight Cobras and four Hueys pour fire into mostly unprotected Soviet infantry.  Backed by Brit fire, they virtually eliminate them.
Between the IPM1s and Swingfires, the T72 threat on the left flank is also ended.
The Soviet push has been blunted.  The remaining advancing tanks are facing three Chieftains, eight Cobras and several Milan teams in their next turn.  It’s 1230am, the Soviets have run out of Vodka and NATO has more than ample forces to counterattack the Soviet positions now.

We call it there, and both sides head to bed.

Wrap-up

A top game as always.  Ben and Jordan learnt a lot (it’s only their 3rd / 4th TY game ever).

Brit infantry stood their ground as always.

The V2 rules really shone through for NATO, with it saving the Scimitars (by allowing the tanks to remount, eliminating the need for a subsequent platoon morale check) from an early rout and heavily increased the abilities of our Artillery.

The US rapid assault list was fun but I really needed to be on an attack mission to get everything in play.

Next list will be Huey mounted Marine formation supported by a LAV formation and all the air again 🙂