A Taliban's Tactical Assault AAR

[snake_eye]

I may be wrong but i think the only way you can get a dismounted M2 is if you get a heavy machine gun plt with the marines. I don't think any of the vehicles will take the .50 with them when they disembark, I know the british don't (they take the GPGM)

I was able to do so with the Marines. But it doesn't work with the Army. Too bad

cheers

[snake_eye]

The “ALAMO”

This is the precise reporting of the worst blow the ETT have had since the beginning of the village’s battle.

The Taliban’s attack against the Peschawar exit bunker had just been halted and everything tended to make me think that we had just inflicted a defeat to the attackers. Well, I was wrong, terribly wrong.

It all started by fighters in black coming in great number toward the house being defended by 3rd squad A team. They came in two prongs. The right one with as many as 12 fighters or more, the left one, made of 3 or 4 fighters provided a base of fire.

The principal assault was directed toward the side of the corner’s house down the slope. They fired burst of AK 47 and threw grenades while running. Right behind them came more Taliban’s firing madly.

When they all reached the side of the house, the A team defenders were already seriously wounded and unable to defend themselves. Some Fighters got into the house. The Humvee 50 cal only crew member left, put on a terrific fight with its rifle, since he could not use the HMG. He fired continuously from the Humvee’s open hatch.

With the support of the1 st platoon HQ Lt. beleaguered into the next house, he finally forced the attackers to retreat, leaving behind their dead and wounded.

[snake_eye]

The situation is rather bleak at the beginning of the next turn.

The front line has certainly been stabilized on the Peschawar exit. The left and right spears brought to a stop with the mortar barrage. However, if the Jalalabad exit is contained or seems to be, the uphill infiltration and the assault that has just been made toward the 3rd squad A team house, the seizure of it and the loss of 4 soldiers is a hard blow. More, The 1 st Platoon HQ Lt. is hiding in its house and I don’t see how I shall be able to get him out of it without being shot down by the fighters next door. I will also have to check about the Humvee crew. Is he still around ?

The ANA 2nd platoon 1st and 2nd squads are deployed onto their objective. I think I should conduct a recon by fire or have a squad climbing uphill and get to an over watch position.

I think I shall try to see if the ANA Company HQ team is getting some intelligence about the whereabouts of the Taliban’s,probably hidden around the bridge exit area and down to the village.

In any case it is highly recommended to avoid the road. IED must be sited along it. I won’t take any risk driving tracks on the road toward the village. Besides AT teams must wait for the ANA

These following turns are going to be delicate and no mistake will be forgiven.

Cheers

[LongLeftFlank]

I love those heroic one-man stands.... It's one of the things I love about the game, and is surprisingly true-to-life.

[snake_eye]

I may be wrong but i think the only way you can get a dismounted M2 is if you get a heavy machine gun plt with the marines. I don't think any of the vehicles will take the .50 with them when they disembark, I know the british don't (they take the GPGM)

Just a short digression to reply to JONNY (FGM) as I made a mistake in my reply concerning the way to have the HMG set aground with an Army crew.

.The bail out order works with the Marines but also with the Army. I have been using that order in my scenario Defend Jsir Al Doreaa, which is in the Marines repository and I did not recall that.

http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314&func=fileinfo&id=574

Here are shots of the crew doing it. You have to use the bail out order and then the deploy one to finally have the tripod set and the ammo belt feeder brought along the gunner.

The fact of not being able to have the only crew member left, move the 50 cal outside, seems to indicate that they should be at least two of them to do it. That should be checked. I am going to try it as soon as it will be possible without too much danger.

Cheers

[Gpig]

Just wanna say, that shot you got of the Hummer turret gunner going to town with his M4 is awesome. It's like a shot from a "Zapruder" type film. The man on the grassy gnoll, or somefink.

On a more serious note, does the turret gunner get a cover bonus while in that position? He's even "hull-down," so to speak.

Love it. Thanks for doing this AAR Snake_eye.

Gpig

[Alan8325]

More, The 1 st Platoon HQ Lt. is hiding in its house and I don’t see how I shall be able to get him out of it without being shot down by the fighters next door.

He still has plenty of hand grenades left. Perhaps with a target order on the building next door he will throw a few in there. If you want to get him out while the enemy is still suppressed from the grenades, you may be able to do it with a pause of 30 sec or so and then a move out.

[snake_eye]

He still has plenty of hand grenades left. Perhaps with a target order on the building next door he will throw a few in there. If you want to get him out while the enemy is still suppressed from the grenades, you may be able to do it with a pause of 30 sec or so and then a move out.

Well snake eye is really not an eagle eye, no wonder I have not looked at the ammo left for the HQ Lt. I had done an ammo assessment before and just forgot all about it.

I really think that your advice is better than what I was thinking to do next turns. I thought of having the BTR coming around, but that is not such a good idea. If there are RPG around, that will be the end of it.

Thanks

To all of you, thank you for looking at the AAR and the next turns tomorrow

Cheers

[Alan8325]

Well all of the fire support you can get would be helpful. If there are no RPGs around or if you can get the BTR into a spot where it's sheltered from the surrounding areas where there may be RPGs but has LOF to the house, then by all means, spray it with some 14.5 and 7.62!

[snake_eye]

TURNS 19 - 22

There are days, you think that it will have been better not to wake up. I had the feeling that these turns might be like these days. They surely were that way, on the village front line and slightly less on the bridge objectives. But let’s go back to the beginning of these turns.

I have decided to let the ANA 2nd Platoon on its over watch position, ready to support by fire its 1st and 2nd squads located on the other side of the river.

2nd squad will remain on the objective, while 1st squad will walk up hill to an over watch position of the village’s valley. It will leave its BMP with 2nd squad.

Meanwhile, ANA B Company HQ is plotting a mortar fire mission on the Jalalabad village exit area. It will start in about 7 minutes. 2 tubes will be used, for a medium duration

In the village, 1st Platoon HQ Lt. will defend from its present house, since it can not get outside without being shot for sure. I shall try to move closer from him, 1st squad B team, first in the house defended by 2nd squad. From there they see how they can free him. Their move , can be done, since their position in point does not seem any more necessary. As a matter of fact, the repeated assaults from the valley floor have been brought to a complete halt. That, we are not to complain about.

From now on, for the sake of clarity and in order to avoid relating a very confusing series of action during these crucial turns, I shall first give you an insight of the ANA at the bridge head and then of the ETT and ANA at the village.

The bridge head front line

Contact! The indication, that the ANA 2 Platoon squads was in a firefight, was rather yelled than said. They were taken by surprise and did not expect to be hit with RPG’s and AT rockets. The volume of fire taken is rather high.

A rocket or RPG’s grenade booms on 1st squad BMP

[snake_eye]

The bad news is that the platoon HQ team is unable to support by fire its squads. Something will have to be done quickly in the coming turns. The best choice would be to move up hill the BMP and in the rear of the assaulting Taliban’s and then cut them down.

1st squad took up to now, 4 casualties and a lightly wounded. The remaining soldiers, rather rattled are pinned down on the slope. They can’t move farther up hill. Let’s forget about the over watch objective.

Their BMP has taken few hits and is now immobilized. 2nd squad BMP’s has retreated cautiously farther away.

The Taliban’s are unimpressed by the return amount of fire. They take casualties for sure, but they keep moving forward into the gulley to get closer to the bridge embankment. The BMP’s have brought down a protective smoke barrage along the river.

ANA 2nd platoon is holding the ground in a defense posture. It can not move by fire, for the moment and in no way it can start to probe the valley entrance. Looks like they will have to wait for the US QRF and secure as much as they can the bridgehead, preventing the Taliban’s to get closer.

[snake_eye]

The village front line

Things are not going the way I planned them. I thought that the 1st Platoon HQ Lt. could bring down some suppressing fire into the house taken by the Taliban’s. He had no chance being given and was a fatality right away. The Humvee crew member fare the same fate. That is a real drawback.

Then the Taliban’s are renewing their assault. It seems now that they are have had at the less a platoon for the preceding assault

1st squad B team has done its tactical move to the house, where 2nd squad defends. The news of the Lt. becoming a casualty reaches them. A rescue attempt is immediately done. They are rushing toward the next house. They come in contact right away with Taliban’s going downhill firing madly. 2nd squad is providing a base of fire, the best it can due to its dwindling ammo level.

[snake_eye]

2nd squad seems pinned by the attacker’s volume of fire.

.It looks like some fighters have been able to run past the corner’s house toward 3rd squad B team house.

The tactical situation analysis is showing that something has to be done quickly. They might be overrun on their left flank, if the enemy reinforces its assaulting team.

It happens that the ANA 2nd squad A team, hunkered in a house has decided finally to fight. They have left the cover of the house, 2 of them are in the near trench shooting at any one showing near the valley exit, while a 3rd one is throwing grenades. They seem to have some success. At last!

I have to relieve the pressure on the 2nd squad and the 1st squad B team right now. I have decided to move the BTR-60 on to their house front to take in enfilade any actual or subsequent assault. If I don’t do so besides the fact that it is a risky move with RPG’s around, I am afraid that the Taliban’s will push through the line of defense and nothing will stop them.

The valley entrance has no real enemy activity so I can envisage to switch some forces on the other side.

More the ANA QRF won’t be here in the coming turns, so I don’t have that many choices. The mortar barrage can not be changed without enduring more delays. The ammo level is becoming a real worry. Our Platoon leader and 3rd squad A team casualties can not get buddy aid in their respective houses, since there are occupied.

The situation stinks and I am very preoccupied about the way, the turns to come will end.

[snake_eye]

The BTR-60 moves cautiously toward the house corner and then the Taliban’s are seen rushing down the slope on the left flank. Its 14.5 mm is doing a great job. At the end of the turn the Taliban’s are forming a pile of corpses. It looks like the idea of rushing the BTR-60 over here was not so bad.

I feel confident and I decide to move the BTR-60 forward to clear the left flank. At the same time, 1st squad B team will move toward the house where the platoon leader Lt. is awaiting urgent buddy aid, that if it is not too late.

The BTR-60 moves forward while 2 fighters reveal themselves behind it and take shots to 1st squad B team.

1st squad B team moving outside the house, gets in full view of the 2 fighters shoots them down and takes refuge in the house behind them, since Taliban’s are shooting them from the occupied 1st platoon leader’s house.

[snake_eye]

The BTR-60 decides to reverse from its advance position. While doing so it takes some shots, then grenades and gets immobilized. An RPG grenade destroy it. Its 2 crew member bail out and make a run toward 2nd squad house to no avail, being cut down while running.

I am sure that the BTR-60 loss has not been an error. Sure enough it will have been better to have it around, but as I said earlier, we were on the verge of being overrun. I think that they bought us by their courage and abnegation time, which is what we need most.

It is time to play turn 23 and onward. I have to move cautiously (if needed) in the village. I would like very much retrieve the Humvee 50 cal, if it can be done.

Near the bridge, I won’t be able to move the ANA QRF as long as the threat of the attacking Taliban’s has not been cleared.

Cheers

[snake_eye]

Turn 23 – 27

Overall tactical situation

In the village

During these turns nothing worse from what we already had in the previous turns happened. The front line has been stabilized in the village and despite the renewed efforts from the Taliban’s to take the village, they did not succeed.

1st squad B team remained in the house where they took refuge. The Taliban’s, 3 or 4 of them, in the next house peered at them and did not put any fight against them.

In front of 2nd squad house the Taliban’s about 4 of them are still attacking. Actually they are

crawling and trying to get nearer to the house.

After some grenades had been thrown, the enemy retreated.

The ANA B Company Recon left the house it defended and dashed to the other end of the village toward 3rd squad B team house. They just took a casualty, while nearing the house, from a fighter hidden in the orchard on the slope leading to the strongpoint uphill. They returned fire and laid prone on the road.

[snake_eye]

The first mortar ranging shots were announced on the radio. They impacted near the cliff, where a sniper used to lay in wait. At the end of these turns the fire controller call, “for effect» had just been overheard on the radio while the tactical situation in the village has been stabilized.

Near, the bridge.

I had decided to move the ANA B Company HQ BMP to a better position in order to have it give some support. Since it can not fire toward the valley entrance, I had it moved to a hill crest, from where it will be able to see the Taliban’s move near the bridge. He got there at the end of the turns.

The 2nd platoon HQ BMP has moved behind the Taliban’s. From its position on the hill ridge it provided a very effective suppressive fire on the bridge. Many fighters lost their live due to its action. As a matter of fact the Taliban’s have been stopped cold at the entrance of the bridge.

2nd platoon 1st squad has been moving a little bit backward in order to get near its wounded and give them, if possible some buddy aid.

2nd squad sustained a wounded and remained in the trench. Meanwhile, its BMP moved back to get a better field of view of the bridge.

At the end of these turns it seems that the bridge won’t be taken by the enemy and that the attacking platoon size Taliban’s have been more or less decimated

Intended tactical move for the next turns :

In the village, we shall consolidate our position and see if we can use, more quickly the mortars. Anyway we don’t have the necessary strength and fire power to do anything else.

Near the bridge, we shall start to move the ANA QRF toward the valley entrance, only if the bridge area has been cleared. The move should be a Recon by fire one. We don’t know how many fighters are there and what their fire power and forces are made of. When there will be some intelligence coming from the recon party, it will be time to decide what best next tactical move should be made.

Anyway, I think that the US QRF is coming, if I don’t make any mistake within 3 minutes. It will be the spear tip against the fighters that might be in the valley entrance. Maybe, I should wait to have the Apaches on station overhead to make that assault?.

Cheers

[snake_eye]

Turns 28 – 34

At the bridge

The US Cavalry came just on time. The ANA QRF had nearly cleared the bridge head.

It was just a question of a minute at the most for mopping up the trench at the bridge entrance and what seemed its last defender.

So, when the first Bradley got on the bridge, there were no Taliban’s around and no shots were fire.

However the Platoon HQ team took 4 casualties on the bridge causeway, the RPG team got unscathed. I am not sure that their casualties were entirely made by the enemy. The BMP (the one immobilized with its track thrown and or damaged) firing from the other side of the river toward the trench had its cannon shells and MG bullets whizzing in the direction of the HQ Team after passing just over the trench. That was maybe a Blue on Blue case?

Because of the casualties, the Team remained where it was and did buddy aid.

[snake_eye]

However, it looked like someone was still on the hill from where the previous assault had begun. A Bradley and a 50 cal Humvee were sent to investigate.

They found the remaining fighter and dispatched him. The Humvee gunner was slightly wounded in the fire exchange.

The Humvee went downhill toward the bridge, just cleared. The Bradley took an overwatch defensive position on the ridge aimed at the valley entrance. Its squad dismounted with its javelins. That kind of missile is pretty handy to get rid of HMG, AT crews and snipers.

The second Bradley, on the road, came to support the one stopped at the bridge exit, allowing it to move out and reach a forward hunkered down position on the left. The squad dismounted, took along its javelins missiles toward a small knob. At that time, the Bradley gunner sighted a snipers nest and engaged it with success.

Meanwhile the ANA 2nd squad had advanced along a ditch toward the road with its BMP alongside. When a HMG was sighted they hit the ground and waited that the HMG could be silenced.

The first Bradley (forward on the left bridge ground) putting down a suppressive fire, the second one went on the right side of the bridge exit, reached the Phase Line and took a defensive position in a ground recess. Under the cover of a smoke curtain, the squad dismounted, taking along the javelin LCU and the missiles.

[snake_eye]

The Fire Support Bradley FO was unable to ask for the mortars since they were dry. The Bradley remained where it was on overwatch of the valley entrance.

At the end of of the 34th turn. The Phase Line defined for starting an assault toward the valley entrance had been reached. The Taliban’s surrendered and a Tactical victory obtained. I was a bit surprise, since they had quite a few fighters in that area sealing the valley entrance. The AAR report is shown at the end of these turns report..

What happened in the village before that surrender?

The ANA Recon HQ team was able to do some buddy aid to its arms’ brothers in the infamous house. The other squad rejoined them in the street at the end of the turns, since there was no more threat coming from the valley.

The 1st squad B team has sent a smoke grenade and under the smoke cover, made its way back in the 2nd squad house to be able to distribute all the ammo left between the defenders.

They were capable to inflict some last casualties to the Taliban’s and doing so, to set ablaze the BTR-60 which in any case was already destroyed. The enemy stayed during these last turns in the same emplacement doing some buddy aid or laying prone on the ground. They did not seem to have much ammo left.

[snake_eye]

The Tactical Victory AAR

Why the Taliban’s surrendered?

The main explication can be found by the fact that the village defenders did not give any ground and that, despite of being low or without any ammo, the village was held. That was the main objective. The ambush of the ANA and US Cavalry QRF was set only to deter the QRF to come at the rescue of the village defenders.

If the village defenders had been entirely and or almost annihilated, the ambushed Taliban’s will have fought. Just to prevent the village to be taken back.

Since the village did not fall and due to the fact that they did not have any forces and ammo left to make a decisive assault, being tactically beaten the game A.I decided for their surrender. If the setting had been changed, they might have taken the village, but I think that the valley entrance would have been taken with the Bradley’s and the help of the Apaches.

I have played the game that way before. Never however, I had been able to save but one guy in the village. I was playing Real Time, Elite. That is why, I praised so much the Turn by Turn game, the way I have discovered it. If you want to win, you must forget Real Time

The keys to victory

It is absolutely essential to have the ETT and the ANA out of view in the village. They should preferably take cover in the reinforced houses, (the ones with low stones walls around them) which are sustaining better the RPG’s grenades hitting power. You should, at the most avoid the upper floor and stay on the ground floor.

As a rule, once the fighting positions have been set, don’t move the guys away around. Have them stay were they are. Choose positions where they can provide to the others some fire support. Mutual support is very important. Don’t forget it.

The BTR-60 and the 50 cal. Humvee, should hide in the central street of the village and they should not be in direct view of the enemy approach axis. That way, they can fire in enfilade with success toward the exit of the village whichever you chose.

The BTR-60 by its enfilade fire support closed the exit of the valley on the right enemy axis.

The Peschawar exit bunker did the same but on the left enemy axis. That is seen in the ending battlefield map after the AAR.

Numerous casualties are really paving the way to the village.The Jalalabad exit bunker did not fare as well as its counterpart. But this is due to the limited field of view due to the numerous trees.

However, I consider that the bunkers were well sited. That I can judged by the fact that they were positioned to make enfilade fire. That is what HMG do best. That way, they were more difficult to take out with RPG and AT launchers. They were when the enemy closed in under continuous attack. These succeeded finally on both of them. But it took time, affording delay in the assault and numerous casualties to the enemy.

The mortar plotting should be done at the earliest, yet not to soon, knowing, that it needs 7 minutes. Range it on a likely avenue of approach. The timing and the area are not really easy to estimate. You won’t have another chance to use them, so think twice and the best you can.

This is a fight of attrition. Kill the most fighters you can, while sustaining the less casualties, you can or better, none. Don’t rely entirely on the ANA in the village. They are unpredictable. They did the worst and then the best, when I did not expect anything good from them.

Try to keep your ammo level sufficient by firing wisely and do not expend ammo against low priorities targets.

You are buying time. If you can close the exit of the Peschawar valley, you will be free to switch your fire against the Jalalabad coming fighters. The first wave, you can surely deal with it. But beware of the second one. That is the one assaulting the strong points, on top of the ridge, near the bunker. That human wave is the most dangerous one. I really thought that I was done with it.

If you can keep your village force together and partially unscathed till the time, when the ANA QRF and latter the US QRF come, you can win. For that you have to keep low and not loose any ground till the QRF are able to clear the bridge and set a foot on the phase line.

Then depending on the degree of casualties sustained by you and the Taliban’s a victory is feasible. It might be a total victory, a minor or a tactical one.

Well, its largely time for you to make your comments, let us discover your tactics and the way your fights were fought.

Thanks to all of you for having waited the end of the AAR for doing so. I hope that this AAR has pleased you and will have you try your hand on that scenario. I might have contributed a little to show you that a victory is feasible, contrarily to the belief that we could have had after sustaining casualties and defeat repeated times.

Cheers

P.S : Thanks to Adam MILES, without his comments, I will not have done that AAR. I was unable to answer to his remarks, but this way, since I could not respond to him, his mail reporting an error.

I hope that he will find in the reading of that AAR all the answers to its numerous questions. But let’s not forget that CMSF is before all matters a game, yet very close to reality, but still a game. No computer will be able to take in account all that happens, all of a sudden in a firefight. It will help you in your tactical review, but the fight on the ground is left to you, for the best or the worse.