NGP85 "81: Better Dead than Red v1.1"

[JDR Dragoon]

Players notes and considerations.

This turn is afternoon (14 to 16 pm), Visibility is still 3 hexes (4,5 km).


Still no Spetsnaz caught this turn, and they remain as annoying as ever. In addition, heavy WAPA strikes on the airbases around Kaiserslautern mens, that the arriving REFORGER-brigades personnel must divert to airbases in Belgium. So far the delay is livable, but I need those units if I am to hold.

At Göttingen the armor of the Polish 10. Arm. Div. slips south to join the 2. Mech. Div., while its BMP mounted infantry holds Göttingen. They get a few firemissions from the 65. Panzerartilleriebataillon for their troubles. The 2. Mech. Div. seems to be moving up to the startline for their next attack, although not unmolested. The OT-64 equipped mechinf companies moving into the abandoned W-German positions gets shelled heavily, and the T-55 tank company anchoring the Polish right gets the ”Treatment”: HOT-missile firing helicopters and Jagdpanzers, finished off by two strikes by clusterbomb-armed Alpha Jets, cuts the company in half.




West of Witzenhausen, near Hessisch-Lichtenau, the Poles seems to grasp that the West-germans may slip away, and intensify their pursuit. The T72 equipped Tank Regiment from the 5. Arm. Div. runs into a W-German blocking position, where the Leopards of the 14. Panzer Brigade take their toll. In desperation the Poles call for air support, but one of the attacking SU-7s gets shot down. The W-Germans then disengage and pull back to Hessisch-Lichtenau, daring the Poles to repeat the experience. Meanwhile, air reconnaissance confirms, that the Polish 4. Mech. Div. seems to be going cross-country, likely in an attempt to cut around the covering force to the north.




The 57th GMRD, now joined by the 20th GMRD, continues to steadily force the covering force back another hex. The advance doesn´t go as planned everywhere though, since A & C Troop/3-12 Cavalry Squadron decide to stand their ground and maul the advancing BTR equipped infantry company instead of retreating.




On the boundary between the 20th GMRD and the 39th GMRD, a single BTR equipped infantry company cautiously probe the American defenders. Unknown to them however, it is a trap: what actually appears to be a single defending tank company is actually the entire 2-32 Tank Battalion, w. 50 M60A3 (Passive) MBTs. The soviet company rapidly deploys into the town of Eiterfeld upon coming under fire, but the American battalion commander first calls in the fire of 5 artillery battalions and then follows up by torching the last BTRs as they try to flee the ruined town. Another WAPA company destroyed!




The rest of the 39th GMRD seems content to cool their heels as well. It looks like the divisions BMP equipped infantry regiment will be the next unit to try and force my position though, as evidenced by the units reappearing deeper in the Rhön. Their accompanying T62 tanks gets a dose of TOW missiles from V. Corps Attack helicopter Battalion, which should dampen their enthusiasm some.




On the boundary between V and VII Corps, the 79th GTD and parts of the 39th GMRD, heavily supported by attack helicopters, starts pressing forwards again. They get a healthy dose of artillery, but it doesn´t appear as if this will dissuade them for long. I need a brigade in reserve behind this sector, and I need it pretty damn quick...
Another item of interest here is confirmation of the fact, that an E-German formation is hovering near Meiningen, where it can reinforce the attack on either the Meiningen-Bad Kissingen axis or the Coburg-Bamberg axis.




West of Pfarrweisach the 27th GMRD comes out in force, and as I feared, they are busting out to the south towards Bamberg, w. a T64 battalion and a T62 company leading the BMP infantry carriers. The lead tank units gets the ”Treatment”: First the Cobra Attack Helicopters from the 3-7 Cav and 3rd Aviation Battalion strike, followed up by multiple strikes by A-10 ground attack aircraft. The 4-64 Armor Battalion then closes in and fires into the disrupted enemy units. The net result is, that both units are cut in half, with the loss of almost 20 T64 and T62 tanks between them. The only fly in the ointment is the loss of an A-10, which got hit by AA and crashed into the nearby hills. The rest of the 27th GMRD also gets hit hard by NATO artillery, as they assemble for the next attack. Near Pfarrweisach, the covering forces of the 3rd ID begins to disengage and pull W-SW-S in accordance with their orders.




Coburg finally gets occupied by the Reds, and I now have to lose only 7000 VPs more from objectives before the next 1½ day has gone, before I lose the game by default. NATO forces in this sector have disengaged cleanly and slipped away to the SW towards Bamberg or directly S across the Main river. SIGNINT again confirms the presence of more WAPA units in depth.




South of the Main river things are a bit mixed. Spetznaz infiltrators ambush and kill the liaison officer carrying the authorization to fire the demolition at the Main river bridge at Lichtenfels, and the heavy jamming makes it impossible to get permission via radio. The bridge is thus still standing, albeit not currently threatened by enemy forces. This might soon change however....

Slightly to the SE of Lichtenfels, the 2nd Squadron/2 ACR spreads out and prepares to contest the onrushing 6th GTDs crossing of the Main river. So far, no engineers are in evidence, but I am pretty certain they will not be far behind the tanks. Near Kulmbach, East-German BTR infantry carriers from an unidentified Motorrifle Division shows up, but since the bridge across the ”white” Main is blown, they cannot do much more than glower at the American tanks. The BTR is amphibious however, so it is possible they will simply cross the river using their own means. Further to the east, the E-Germans realize that the Americans are getting away and speeds up their pursuit, using the major roads for speed. This brings punishing losses in the form of F111 strike aircraft interdicting the bunched up columns, causing heavy losses in men, vehicles and guns, as they move off in pursuit of NATO. The 1st Squadron/2nd ACR give the E-Germans the slip again and disengage without losses, but the presence of E-German attack helicopters make it clear, that they are now earnest in their pursuit. In addition, it appears as if the E-German 7. Panzer Div., currently unaccounted for, might be trying to advance between Münchberg and Kulmbach, thus cutting off the 1st Squadron/2nd ACR. As their last task before disengaging according to their orders, the 2nd Brigade/3rd ID covers the retreating cavalry. As soon as all units are safely back behind the ”red” Main, they too will pull back.




The annoying E-German Army HQ near Erfurt betrays itself again be sending too heavily. Unfortunately, yet again my recon and strike assets are tied up with more urgent tasks. 3rd Air Force F-111s operating from England takes a chunk out of the WAPA units moving behind the front though, by constantly interdicting traffic junctions, railyards and airfields.




The score markedly improved during this turn, partially due to interdiction against units moving behind the front, partially due to him being more aggressive and thus suffering higher losses. The destruction of another enemy company sized unit is of course always welcome as well. The only fly in the ointment was the loss of an A-10, since these cost an obscene amount of victory points. Oh well, it probably won´t be the last to be shot down....
If only those reinforcements would get here ASAP, then I could really get rolling!