Falcon 4 Allied Force - Sortie #`1093 - Debrief

Lt. JC ... Cowboy 11 ... Mission number 1093 foxtrot ... Six AGM-65Ds ... Two AIM-9s ... Two AIM-120s ... Take off time is 0900 ... Date is 13Jul11 ... Tail number is 582.

Falcon 4 Allied Force - Sortie # 1093 - Briefing

Yesterday's timid bombing by NATO had no apparent effect on the Serbs. The Serbs have now moved a tank battalion across the border with Albania and they are heading south. A Serbian aerial defense battalion is fully operational providing cover to the advancing forces. The Albanian government has officially asked NATO for air support.

Falcon 4 Allied Force - Sortie # 1024 - Debrief

Serbia continues to provoke the Albanians with violent across-the-border raids. The entire population of the Albanian town of Babine fled just in time for the arrival of a battalion-sized raid party of Serbs. The Serbs overstayed their visit this time. They spent the night in Babine and don't look like too enthused to either move forward or withdraw back to Serbia ...

Lt. JC ... Cowboy 11 ... Mission number 1024 alpha ... Two MK84s ... Two AIM-9s ... Two AIM-120s ... Take off time is 0910 ... Date is 12Jul10 ... Tail number is 582.

Gettysburg - Indie Wargame Now Available at a Reduced Price

I wrote about this one a time ago but haven't had time to enjoy it since then. It's a budget war game, easy to play and learn. I will be posting an AAR sometime in the future.

It's the early afternoon of July 1st, 1863 and things are starting to get interesting. I am commanding the Union forces.

Just a quick alert that now the price of the license is $5.00.

Squad Battles Falklands - Top Malo House Scenario - Video AAR

A bloody and fierce skirmish at the Malo river. Heavy casualties on both sides.

I video recorded the playback of the replay file. This is the whole battle, turn by turn. I hope you can understand how the action unfolded. The video capture software can't grab in-game sounds, so the first part of the video is silent and then an Argentine folklore tune starts. It's named "Nevando Esta" (It's snowing).

The victory dialog ended up like seen below.

Cheers,

Squad Battles Falklands - Top Malo House Scenario - Taking the Fight Outside ... Sorta

This is a continuation from a previous entry.

An Argentine special forces section reinforced with a GPMG has spent the night at the Top Malo House and  is getting ready to resume its march towards an extraction point when it is surprised by a British counterpart (a special forces section reinforced with a weapons team).

Things do not start well for the Argentines (green icons): they received fire from the British (tan icons) right from the start of the scenario. The British appear to be posed for a flanking assault on their left flank supported by the weapons section. Note the precarious, exposed  position of the Argentine GPMG (blue icon near the green counters). 

In this entry, the tactical choices for the Argentines.

Argentine Military History - My Book Collection Expands!

My mother in law arrived from Argentina this morning for a month-long visit.

To my surprise, she brought quite a present for me: the five volume military history of Argentina by Isidoro Ruiz Moreno!

I've been looking for this collection forever! Dr. Moreno is one of the best military historians in the south hemisphere.

Cheers,

Falcon 4 Allied Force - Landings Never a Worry Again

If the goal is consistently getting killed or damaging the Viper beyond recognition during landings, nothing is better than following the manual (both the original and the Allied Force version) to the letter.

Back in the good old days of the original Falcon 4, I remember myself landing the Viper easily. It was hard to learn, but after serious practice landings were not a worry. After recently getting back into the cockpit, the cold sweats on final were back.

Check the Blog From Your Mobile Device!

Just to let you know that you can check the blog from your mobile device. So I have been told by Blogger ... can't check it myself because my cell phone sucks! :)

Cheers,

Squad Battles Falklands - Top Malo House Scenario - Backstory

A night under a roof, dry clothing and the frugal breakfast of hot cocoa and saltines were to be the only high points for the men of the 1st Section, 602 Commando Company. Embarked in a deep recon and interdiction mission, the section of Argentine special forces had a miserable evening descending from their observation post at Mt. Simmons towards their extraction point near Fitz Roy. The combination of the equipment plus ammunition weight's was unbearable. They would take turns to carry the machine gun while slogging through the damp, soft patches of peat-like terrain. 

The decision to spend the night at a house near the Malo River was a fateful one. Argentine sources cite that the previous night the section had to endure a snow storm without proper polar equipment and that they decided to take shelter in the house because of an incoming second storm.

The snow stopped at 3:00 AM and the men were uneasy about being confined within walls, but exhaustion caved in.

The game's briefing follows: 

After the British broke out of the beachhead at San Carlos Water, the Argentine command moved their special forces forward to try and gain information on British movements.  Plans also included the possibility of using man portable AA missiles to try and down the helicopters that were supporting the advance.  One such unit was Captain Verseci's 2nd Assault Section of the 602 Commando Company.  Captain Verseci's unit established an observation point on Mount Simon, near the center of East Falkland.

602 Commando Company had just arrived on the island and were not yet acclimated to the weather.  Rain and snow showers pelted their hideout.  They listened to their comrade's fight on Mount Kent to the east, but were unable to do anything to assist.  They could see helicopters in the valley below them, but their radio transmitter failed and they could do nothing about it.  Captain Verseci elected to try and return to the Argentine positions on foot and his unit headed east, towards the abandoned buildings at Top Malo House.  The commandos were cold, wet and miserable after fording the waist deep Arroyo Malo.  Verseci decided to house his troops inside for the night so that they could warm up out of the wind.

However, the commandos had been spotted by an Arctic and Mountain Warfare Cadre patrol.  This was the Royal Marine unit that taught cold weather survival and tactics to the Marines for their possible deployment to Norway as part of their commitment to NATO.  The war had started just as their leader course was winding down and the final exam was a deployment to the Falklands.  Brigadier Thompson used the cadre as a brigade recon troop and had them patrolling across the island.  Lieutenant Haddow, the commander of the patrol, initially thought that his unit's hide had been compromised and the Argentines were there to assault his position.  However, it soon became clear that the Argentines were seeking shelter rather than a fight.  Haddow radioed for assistance.  There were no Harriers available for an airstrike and Top Malo House was out of range of the artillery.  The only military unit available was the Cadre itself.  Captain Boswell, the unit's commander, gathered nineteen men and arranged for a helicopter to fly them in.  He split the men into a seven man fire support group and a twelve man assault unit.  At 0830 the next morning then were flown in and Boswell deployed his men on the low ridge above the abandoned buildings.  The fight started when the support group fired LAW rockets into the house, catching the defenders at breakfast and a bit surprised.