Seven Days to the River Rhine: Kaboom Power Plant Scamble: Lost Ark: 5th Nov 2022

 

Game two of the Lost Ark mini convention. 15mm Cold War, using the ‘Seven Days to the River Rhine’ rules. The premise of the game was that ‘rogue’ Warsaw Pact elements were threatening to seize the Kaboom Nuclear Plant. Three Warsaw Pact elements deployed in locations Red 1, 2 & 3, while 3 ‘scratch’ NATO Combat Teams deployed in locations Blue 1, 2 & 3. The British being in location 2, the West Germans in location 2 & the US Marines in Location 1. Each force nominally comprised of a tank platoon, supported by a mechanised infantry platoon.

The game opened with Rob’s more superior T72s (compared to the other WP T55s!!) dashing forward to cover the left flank of the advance on the Power Plant, while Phil’s more elderly Polish T55s covered the right flank & Dave’s equally elderly East German T55s advanced on the Plant itself.

Simon’s BAOR Chieftains ventured out to engage Rob’s T72, but quickly had lost 2 of the starting 3 tanks, for only similar number of T72s being knocked-out in reply.

On the WP right flank, Phil’s Polish T55s and OT64s managed to fight their way into Threlsville, but only after suffering massive losses from Chris’s mast equipped LAV/TOW system.

In the centre, Dave’s East Germans managed to breach the Power Plant’s perimeter fence & seize the main control facility & reactor building, before Greg’s West Germans could start to contest the Power Plant’s accommodation blocks.

The rest of the game was attritional, with Infantry fighting it out among the Power Plant accommodation blocks, while tanks & APCs manoeuvred to provide fire support. By the end of the game, the WP elements were down to a single operational T55, while the British retained a single Chieftains and the West German & US Marines still had a couple of tanks left running. Fire from these remaining MBTs, plus the surviving APCs, was thought to be sufficient to drive the remaining WP infantry elements out of the Power Plant, thus re-securing Kaboom for NATO.

As ever, SDttRR is a quick & bloody game, but a fun in-fill for what was left of the afternoon!

Soviets try to outflank the Yanks

Today we played another game of Seven Days to the River Rhine; this time actually near the Rhine rather than the Nile.

The brief for the Canadians was "Soviet forces are pushing around the flank of the main US army forces to the South. A Canadian battle group has been detailed to prevent the Soviet forces turning the flank. Your objective is to either drive off the approaching Soviet forces or to hold the crossroads at the centre of the table".

Both sides deployed their recce forces and raced to capture the cross-roads.

The Canadians won the race and deployed infantry into the buildings surounding the cross-roads.

Things were looking dicey for the Canadians as a lot of Soviet armour were headed their way.

The Canadian Leos started to arrive but the dice gods were not kind.

The Soviet T72s tried to outflank the village...

but the Leos in the south soon stopped this but paid a heavy price.

The Soviet infantry started to clear the Canadians out of the village with support from the BMPs.

With the Canadians in the village under severe pressure one of the Leos in the north raced to the village to help out...

and managed to knock out one of the BMPs...

whilst his mate brewed a T64 that was advancing towards the village, with a nice flank shot.

The Soviets managed to clear the Canadian infantry out of the buildings but the Canadians were hanging on, just, with just the armour contesting the cross-roads.

Seven Days to the River Rhine (or should that be Nile), a meeting between two arch enemies

This game is a "Meeting Engagement" between the Egyptians and IDF with the objective to capture and hold three of the four objectives marked A to D.

The forces are as follows 

 

Egyptian:

Turn 1: 3x T55s + 6x BTR50 APCs with Infantry section, deployed up to one normal move from the East table edge (Column M).
Reserves – Enter Turn 3: 3x T55s, entering Eastern table edge. One T55 in the Reserves is nominated as being a “Command” element.

The Sagger Teams may be carried in any nominated BTR50, along with the Infantry section.

IDF:

Turn 1: 3x Magach 3s + 3 M3 halftracks with Infantry sections, deployed up to one normal move from Western table edge (Col A).
Reserves - Enter Turn 3: 3x Sho’t Centurians + 1 “Command” M3 half-track, entering on Western table edge.

 

Both the Egyptians and IDF deployed into tactical positions to allow them to advance onto objectives.

 

The IDF managed to seize the woods (objective A), the orchard in the centre (objective C) and the dunes in the south (objective B), however the Egyptian T55s moved into firing positions and brewed up two of the Magach 3s. Things were starting to look a bit sticky for the IDF. The Egyptians also seized the woods to the south of the mosque (objective D).

The Egyptian infantry tried to close assault the IDF in the orchard but were pushed back into the mosque.

The IDF tried to bring up some infantry to support the troops in the orchard but unfortunately they came under fire. Luckily the infantry managed to bail out of the burning M3.

 

The Egyptians now brought on a platoon of 3 T55s and in response the IDF deployed a platoon of 3 Centurians. A firefight ensued with both sides losing a tank. A BTR charged forward into the dunes to the south of the orchard and immediately came under bazooka fire but managed to somehow survive.

A Super Sherman deployed to the South to try and outflank the Egyptians but soon came under fire from a Sagger team in the far dunes. The firing was too accurate and armour not good enough so another IDF tank went up in flames.

Another Centurian brewed up...

 

although the last remaining Magach 3 put a sneaky shot into the northernmost T55. Another dead tank.

 

The Egyptians moved up more infantry hoping to push the IDF out of the orchard...

but the survivors of the burned out M3 moved into the orchard to support their buddies.

The last surviving Centurian headed for cover behind the northern woods...

and the infantry in the orchard finally put paid to the plucky BTR. 

The IDF in the orchard were hanging on by their fingernails with the Egyptians bringing up yet more infantry.

The Egyptians at last got some luck with a combined attack finishing off the IDF infantry and support M3 that were holding onto the dunes in the south. The Egyptians were now holding two objectives with an increasingly fierce fight going on in the orchard.

The IDF were holding off in the Egyptian infantry when they heard the rumble of an approaching T55. The Egyptians were getting desparate as they were running out of infantry.

 

 

However it was now the end of turn 7 with neither side managing to take and hold three objectives, so the game was called a draw. It was a tough fight with both sides finding the infantry difficult to beat.

Seven Days to the River Rhine Arab Israeli War Game

With Phil's new setup it was decided to try out a game of Seven Days to the River Rhine (SDttRR) using Zoom. This was to be enhanced with the modified close up cam (added power pack) so hopefully this will have enough power to last the game.

The game was setup as an "Escallating Enagement" during the Arab Israeli Wars. The forces were as follows.

Egyptian:
Turn 1: 3x T55s, 2x BTR50 APCs with Infantry section, deployed up to one move from Western table edge #1.
Turn 2: 3x T55s, 2x BTR50 APCs with Infantry section, entering Western table edge.
Turn 3: 3x T55s, 2x BTR50 APCs with Infantry section, entering Western table edge.
IDF:
Turn 1: 3x Magach 3s, deployed up to one move from Eastern table edge #1
Turn 2: 3x M51 tanks, 4x M3 Halftacks with Infantry section, entering Eastern table edge
Turn 3: 3x Sho’t Centurions, entering Eastern table edge. 

The table was laid out as shown

The Egyptians entered from the west whilst the IDF advanced from the east to try and take up good defensive positions, with one Magach 3 managing to get into a good firing position in the woods to the south. The Egyptians fired a barrage at the IDF but only had a minor effect as the IDF is hard.

A BTR50 managed to get to the orchard and deployed its infantry but came under fire which had no effect. Two T55's advanced in the centre.

Both sides were now reinforced, with the IDF deploying Super Shermans and Infantry. The T55 on the road traded shots with the Magach 3 to its front and came off best. However, the T55 to the south was brewed up by the Magach 3 lurking in the southern woods. The Egyptians advanced more BTR50s in the north whilst 3 T55s lurked behind some sand dunes in the south. The IDF desparately needed more tanks to hold off this threat.

The Eqyptians deployed their infantry into the woods but unfortunately their anti-tank weapons were too far away from the IDF tanks.

The Egyptians also deployed another 3 T55s in the centre. Things weren't looking good for the IDF but they did manage to destroy the BTR50 in the orchard, which the nearby infantry weren't very happy about and the crew of the T55 on the road decided that hiding in a ditch was preferable to being target practice for the IDF. To counter the threat of all these T55s the IDF deployed another Super Sherman and Centurion into the woods in the south to keep the Magach 3 company.

Things were starting to look better for the IDF with two more T55s being hit but unfortunately the Magach 3 in the woods also took a hit. Meanwhile in the north the Egyptian infanty were keeping the IDF infantry behind the sand dune busy. A T55 slowly crept through the woods to the north of the road and took immediate fire from several IDF tanks. Lots of hits and a very scared crew but nothing fatal.

The Egyptians moved one of the central T55s forward and managed to knock out one of the Centurions. However, this drew fire from several IDF tanks and it soon paid for its boldness.

However, this was a good turn for the IDF as they managed to brew up another two T55s and knocked one more out, for no further loss. At this point the morale of the Eqyptian players failed and the game was called.

 

 

Some after action shots.