With no sign of the fascist forces of workers oppression, BMP-1's of the Soviet Forward Screen cautiously pushed forward looking for evidence of NATO forces...
Unable to storm the objective, with several tanks burning wrecks on the battlefield and the Soviets advancing on both flanks and through the centre, Andy decided discretion was the better form of valour and conceded the battlefield at Petersberg to the Red Army!
Along with the BRDM-2's who were probing the left flank...
And a couple of T-64-B's doing the same on the right.
The Americans swiftly moved their forces to try and block the Soviet advance, a platoon of M60's leading their Forward Screen...
Mechanised Infantry being deployed around a small power station.
The Soviet FOO thought this offered a perfect target for an artillery barrage...
Which smashed into the US infantry (we realised a turn later we had completely forgotten and messed up the rules here making the artillery barrage far too effective so the destroyed and pinned units were brought back to life!)
As the battle entered Turn 3, the Soviet Vanguard arrived - a company of T-64-B's, pushing forward on the Soviet left towards the farm...
The M60 platoon from the US Forward Screen moving forward to block the Soviet armour.
Meanwhile on the Soviet right their Forward Screen T-64's and BMP's moved through the built-up area.
The M901's of the US Vanguard moving up but missing the opportunity to target the Soviet vehicles who made use of the cover the buildings provided.
The US Vanguard also saw the arrival of their FOO who immediately called in the artillery...
Hammering a barrage into the Soviet T-64 company...
But only leaving one a smouldering wreck.
The rest of the US Vanguard then arrived - a platoon of M1s moving towards the central built-up area...
Where the Soviet Forward Screen T-64s...
Tried to make best use of cover and look inconspicuous!
Back on the left the Soviet tank company split into platoons, one moving through the centre towards the US M60s.
The second moving towards the right to flank the US armour...
The third pushing far left to try and catch the M60s on their other flank.
The central platoon swiftly came under fire from the M60s, losing one tank, a second being pinned.
Whilst a T-64 from the right flanking platoon suddenly went up in flame!
The victim of an M901 on an adjacent hill (sometimes it is easy for forget how big the battlefield is in 6mm!)
Back in the town the Soviet infantry debussed from the BMPs...
As the M1s pushed forward through a copse...
Taking out the T-64 that tried to hide behind the supermarket!
Back on the left flank a second T-64 in the central platoon was destroyed...
But not without loss to the Americans as an M60 was brewed up!
The right-hand T-64 platoons returned fire at the M901s...
Destroying one almost immediately!
Entering Turn 5 the Soviet main column arrived with another company of T-64-Bs entering the town...
Whilst the Soviet Motor Rifles occupied the strategic target that was the West German supermarket!
The Americans, with typical lack of care for the infrastructure of the local community, called down an artillery strike on the supermarket but slightly overshot, inflicting a couple of pins on a section of Motor Rifles and parked BMP-1s.
The M1s pushed forward...
Destroying the remaining T-64 of the Soviet Forward Screen.
Back on the left flank an RPG team in the farm targeted an M60 that had approached a little closer than it should...
The American tank brewing up as the anti-tank rocket slammed into it!
The Soviet Vanguard though was still taking casualties as the platoon that had flanked out left lost a T-64...
Though the M60 platoon lost a third tank - this was critical as once they lose three tanks NATO forces have to take two Battle Rating tokens each subsequent time they lose a tank, making their morale fall quicker.
And that didn't take long as an M60 from a newly arrived tank platoon exploded to a shot from a Soviet BRDM-2 with AT-5 Sagger ATGW!
The T-64 company of the Soviet Main Column moved into the built-up area...
Detaching a platoon to cover its flank.
Entering Turn 6 a Motor Rifle Platoon in BMP-2s arrived on the left flank...
Along with another T-64-B company which moved up through the centre towards the power station.
Back in the town the Soviet and American tanks played cat and mouse between the tower blocks - a T-64 falling victim to an M1!
Whilst the second M60 platoon of the US Main Column came under fire from the T-64's on the town's flank, two more being swiftly destroyed - more BR token woe for the US as they were now six tanks down, so subsequent BR tokens and to be taken at three times the normal rate form now on!
With the American right flank starting to crumble the Soviet armour pushed forward past the farm...
And in the town, though the fog of war (or my dodgy spotting rolls) saw this M1 go unnoticed by the advancing T-64s! (buttoned-up or what?).
However a second M1 was spotted and shots from two T-64s took it out at close range.
In a desperate 'Hail Mary' move to seize the vital Supermarket objective the Americans charged a platoon of infantry in M113's towards the building as the Soviet RPG teams had been pinned...
Debussing, the American infantry tried to storm the building but were beaten back by the Soviet Motor Rifle teams inside.
Again Battlegroup NORTHAG had proven to be a lot of fun and reinforced its position as our 6mm Cold War rules of choice - it would not be several months until our next game!
