Just before Christmas Rob, Andy and I played a Cold War battalion sized game in 6mm using the Battlegroup NORTHAG rules (and its CENTAG supplement). The scenario was based on a Soviet attempt to seize an autobahn auction outside a West German town (which looking at a map of the Fulda Gap could well be the E40 and Bad Hersfeld!)
The Soviet Forward Screen pushed rapidly forward, looking to identify any US ambush positions...
...which they did, pretty much by getting blown up!
The US Forward Screen largely comprised of M60A3's...
,,,and M910 ITV's in the urban suburbs.
Despite the loss of the BMP's in the Soviet Forward Screen, two T-64's pushed forward...
,,,and one took out an American M60 hiding beside a wood!
Turn three saw the arrival of the American Vanguard which included a platoon of M1's...
...a couple more M901's...
...and another platoon of M60's.
The US armour took up position in the BUA...
...the M1's spotting the T-64's of the Soviet Vanguard...
...which had moved swiftly towards the important autobahn junction.
The crack of an 105mm M68 gun spilt the air, a glancing blow pinning one T-64's.
Whereas the American attempts at artillery missions had been largely ineffective, the Soviet artillery crashed down on target, pinning three AFV's and wiping out the US FOO.
With the T-64 company of the Soviet Vanguard pushing across the autobahn, the M60A3's opened fire...
Knocking out a Soviet tank.
Behind them the Soviet Main Column pushed on, one T-64 company going pedal to the metal down the road towards the fighting.
Whilst second company followed more accepted Soviet doctrine by advancing in line across country...
...towards the guns of a second M60 platoon.
The reckless Soviet tactics then looked like they were to prove disastrous as the US commander managed to call up an airstrike which targeted the T-64 column on the road (not having an A-10 model to hand we used a Harrier).
Fortunately for the Soviets the RAF pilot was pretty useless and only managed to take out one tank in the 'target rich environment' before veering off!
Meanwhile more US forces arrived, a third platoon of M60's moving into the industrial area of the town.
But the Soviet advance was relentless...
...with the T-64's crossing the autobahn and engaging the M60's on the American left flank...
...unerringly accurate fire saw the T-64's take out one M60...
...the another!
Whilst on the US right, Soviet tanks moved into the town...
...and into the centre.
With three companies of Soviet armour now pushing across the autobahn, it was clear to the US commander that he had lost the vital junction and would be unable to recapture it, so decided to withdraw his remaining forces to fight another day.
This was the second game of Battlegroup NORTHAG played in the last few weeks, but for the first time in 6mm and it must be said it looked and played a lot better than it did in 15mm. Whilst I need to finish off the infantry for the forces used (and pick up some air support and other odds and sods), I think for this size of game we'll probably be sticking with NORTHAG, though we will be using historical TO&E's and largely ignoring the point system in the rulebook.
