BATTLE REPORTS - CHOPPER HOPPER

 

Chopper Hopper

This was one of the first scenarios where we tried out our home-grown helicopter and aircraft rules. Someone, uhem, had thought it to be well-balanced and with great possibilities for all sides - only to find out that his wife had other designs and definitely a better eye for placing units...

The Location:

Soeliland (where else), yet another village.

The only attraction of this really tiny village is one of the very few working Coke machines in the country. Therefore PLAoSS command has tasked a whole platoon with guarding this important asset. Due to some unfortunate informations cockup one of MADOps' clients took this Coke machine for an important piece of high-tech machinery that went missing in Soeliland. Therefore a small force of MADOps operatives was tasked with recovering that machine.

The MADOps force was split into two elements, a ground element consisting of an armoured car section and the HQ section tasked with securing a landing zone, and an airborne element consisting of an assault helicopter and two squads of infantrymen.

The plan (this shot was taken after the battle; note the windows in house 6 offering no visibility towards house 2; smoke thrown by UN troops to cover their APC): put the chopper down, get the infantry moving.

A small UNOCS contingent had little other function than to look nice and blue on the map...

Above you can see most of the village. MADOps entered the map behind house 6; the UN contingent was quartered in house 5. House 3 and house 2 sat both on a hill, house 3 overlooking the landing zone, house 2 overlooking the area between house 3 and house 5. The Coke machine is the red blob just to the right of complex 1, a collection of houses put together to allow for some vicious house-to-house fighting. Well, you need two tor tango, as they say, and one was never to appear outside complex 1...

The Objectives:

MADOps has to secure the landing zone by securing house 3, then calling in the chopper, storm complex 1, seize the Coke machine and then bring it back to the chopper.

PLAoSS, quite naturally, has to prevent that.

UNOCS, well, should avoid getting shot at...

The participating forces - 1. PLAoSS

Force HQ +2

Platoon

HQ +2

3 Militia squads (green)
1 PC +1

3 rifle team

1 MG team

terrorist group

2 independent infantry squads (elite)
1 PC +1

1 rifle team

1 MG team

1 AT team

mortar section
1 81mm mortar

1 Spotter
tank section
1 T-55 +1

1 M-47
technical section
1 AT technical PC +1

2 MG technical

The participating forces - 2. MADOps (elite)

Force HQ +2
1 AD team

1 MG team

2 MADOps squads (green)
1 PC +1

2 rifle team

1 AT team
armoured car section
1 Ferret +1

1 Saladin
helicopter
1 Commando

The participating forces - 3. UNOCS

Force HQ +2

1 engineer squad (average)
1 PC +1

2 rifle team

1 engineer team

1 AT team

support section
1 APC

1 softskin

Although PLAoSS had numerical superiority, MADOps had higher quality troops as well as airstrikes available. Consequently the MADOps commander was supremely confident. Man, what a lesson in humility he was just about to get!

Phase I: Initial moves

PLAoSS deployed around complex 1, in house 3 an in house 2; house 4 was left unoccupied. Most notably, an AT team was put atop house 2, which was to have a momentous influence on the game, but see for yourself.

Most of the PLAoSS vehicles were kept in reserve, with the T-55 being parked very perfidiously immediately behind the Coke machine. Little chance to get at it without having to deal with it before...

Closeup of T-55 guarding the Coke machine
Complex 1 from behind, showing PLAoSS mortar an T-55 guarding the Coke machine

Only the M-47 was put in a position from where it could rumble into action, which turned out to be a very wise decision. The UNOCS commander occupied house 5 and did little apart from keeping most of his men hidden inside the buildings.

Complex 1 again; note house 2 on hill in the background and M-47 behind it
UNOCS occupying house 5; APC on standby

A detachment of the UNOCS force was tasked with clearing some mines off complex 1.

UNOCS clearing a minefield; note stray dog on the right

Even after the initial deployments and moves the MADOps commander stayed rather confident and occupied house 6. Somehow he had not yet completely realized what the AT team atop house 2 could possibly do...

Phase II: MADOps attacks!

Having moved into house 6 the first thing the MADOps commander noticed was that from the windows of this building he could do almost nothing - as there was a wall right outside the building. Talk about a poorly-planned operation...

Undaunted, the MADOps commander decided to have a go at house 3; the plan was to close in with the armoured cars, pour fire into the buildings until everyone inside is suppressed or eliminated and then move the infantry into the building.

MADOps armoured car section and HQ section
The proposed landing zone; house 3 to the left, house 2 barely visible at the upper left

It was only then that he realized how much house 2 and the AT team atop it actually dominated the landing zone. In fact, getting in front of house 3 was impossible without drawing reactive fire from that team. How very funny! Considering briefly to storm house 5 to get into a better position, the MADOps commander decided to take the risk and move his armoured car section out into the open.

In came a RPG round aimed at the Ferret, but luckily missing it and going wild. The section was on the landing zone, hurried into a place where the AT team couldn't place a second shot and prepared to assault house 3.

Still confidence reigned among the MADOps forces...

Phase III: %$*#§%$ !!!!!!!!

And then it all went down the gutter big-time, and really fast. Already the first attempt at firing at house 3 resulted in a change of initiative. Moving the spotter into house 3, the PLAoSS started raining mortar grenades down on the MADOps armoured cars, immobilizing the Ferret. Then a MG team inside house 3 opened fire finally resulting in the loss of the Ferret.

Having put the Ferret out of action the MG team tried to immobilize the Saladin, but failed. The MADOps commander then decided to call in his airstrike, sneaking a squad leader into a position from which he could see both house 2 and house 3.

It was sooo obvious what the smart thing to do would have been - attacking house 2, of course! Atop the building, the AT team did have little protection, so there would have been a fair chance of at the very least suppressing it.

Well, that would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, the MADOps commander decided to attack house 3. And in came a MiG 21...

House 3 from behind - all the second airstrike did was suppressing two rifle elements, one inside the house, the other one outside...
Airstrike!

And what a lot of good it did! Two successive airstrikes did no more harm than suppressing the units inside house 3. So it fell to the Saladin again to try to remove the threat from house 3. However, already the first shot somehow, uhm, missed the mark.

M-47 on rampage
No chance to land the chopper outside the firing arc of the AT team!

Which finally allowed the PLAoSS to start the engine of its M-47. Off it went, moving daringly onto the landing zone, drawing fire from the Saladin in the process. However, even though firing at point blank range, the Saladin failed to do more than a dent to the M-47. Instead, return fire from the tank put the Saladin out of action and with it any hope of regaining - or rather attaining in the first place! - control over the landing zone.

Well, that was it. Run out of options the MADOps commander considered very briefly a mad charge against the UN-held building before deciding to cover his head in shame and withdraw.

So, what can be said about the game?

Never was a game summed up more easily - PLAoSS won and MADOps was thoroughly waxed. It was abundantly clear that using his airstrikes to attack house 3 was uber-dumb by the MADOps commander. Had one of the airstrikes managed to silence the AT team atop house 2, the whole game might have taken a different turn - as it would have allowed the MADOps commander to get his infantry on the table!

Well, would have, might have... As it were, with the airstrikes gone, no artillery available and PLAoSS preparing for a counteratack against house 6, the MADOps commander could do little but throw the towel into the ring.

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