Nicolas Michon who is an avid player of WAW 85 has been kind enough to consolidate all of his writing from the WAW85 Facebook page run by Lock N’ Load Publishing so we can all read them! These are snippets of action with a great narrative flair – enjoy.
Scenario 1: Storming the Gap
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Official Bulletin of the Soviet Army – May 31, 1985
Colonel Zuzana Davisova (1/15 GTR) has been awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously) for courageously leading a T-80 charge across the Eichhoffsiedlung bridge, thereby delaying the imperialist forces long enough to allow the rest of her unit to conduct an orderly withdrawal.
Scenario 6: Vertical Strike
Niddatal – Phase Line Fargo – Federal Republic of Germany – May 30, 1985 – HQ, Team Alpha, 1/11th ACR
“Major, Division Intel reports Soviet armor approaching Team Bravo’s position.
– Do they have contact yet?
– Negative, Sir.”
Suddenly, a noise not unlike a swarm of really angry giant bees was heard inside the command tent. Major Clark went outside, just as the M1 platoon on the hill fired at … several flights of low-flying choppers – Mi 8 Hips, if he recalled his identification sessions properly – barely missing one. “Well, maybe they don’t have contact, but we sure do” he grumbled, before taking charge of the defenses.
Scenario 7: Tripwire
HQ – 15. Panzer Brigade – 20 km from the East German Border – May 26, 1985 (Tripwire – sc 7 – AAR part one).
“Danke, Herr General” – former Lieutenant, now Hauptmann Von Michon saluted smartly, then turned on his heels and exited the command tent. He was glad his nerves had held in front of the general. Von Michon headed straight to the improvised mess, got a cup of coffee (weak, almost as bad as American coffee, but he needed the fix), and was happy he had finished it when his hands started shaking again, violently.
They had been doing that regularly since that fateful engagement two days before, in Nentershausen. His Panzergrenadiere platoon had been forming the rear of the column when all hell broke loose on the airwaves: “Sowjetische Panzer Battalion 2.000 m Ost von unsere Positionen!” screamed the driver of the lead Marder.
Then, came the matter of fact voice of Hauptmann Becker, the former company commander: “Erste Zug, Verteidungspositionen annehmen beim Altdorf (hex J6)” [First platoon – take defensive positions in Altdorf]
“Jaguar 2 Zug, mit mir, im Wald 200 m Ost von Altdorf” [Jaguar Platoon, with me, to the woods 200m to the East of Altdorf”]
“Von Michon Zug, Verteidigen Sie Nentershausen.” [Von Michon platoon, you will defend Nentershausen].
The Recon Luchs platoon was already in Altdorf, and moving to ambush positions in the town sitting on the road to Nentershausen. Then, radio silence for a few tense minutes, as the Bundeswehr soldiers took their positions – then the unmistakable “whoosh” of TOW-2 missiles launched from the Jaguar – and the crack of answering 125 mm cannon….
HQ – 15. Panzer Brigade – 20 km from the East German Border – May 26, 1985
Von Michon took another sip of the brew they called coffee at the mess, and shuddered at what he’d heard through the airwaves. From what he could hear on the battalion net, the Jaguar had scored hits, but the verdammte Soviet tanks had that brick-like armor which appeared to soak off most of it, and return fire had killed Hpt Von Beck, who was cut off in mid-sentence.
Things were looking bleak as spotting rounds were seen around Altdorf, but Soviet artillerymen somehow managed to put the entire salvo 300 m too short. Emboldened by this turn of event, and despite several T-80 platoons taking positions around the hill, Lt Schroeder, the maverick CO of the Luchs platoon had engaged at close range a hapless platoon of soviet light AT vehicles, dispatching them in short order, under the nose of several T-80’s, before dashing under the protective cover of the woods.
Things were also looking up around Altdorf, since the Marder mounted Milans, firing like they were on the training ground, destroyed T-80 after T-80 from a small group that had tried a pincer attack from the North.
But the remaining Soviet heavies returned fire, and, despite good evasive maneuvering, the Marders soon fell silent. Lt Müller, the new CO, managed to keep things under control and claimed a few more T-80’s, as the Luchs finally fell silent. Given the amount of smoke emerging from the woods, it appeared the Soviets had engaged in massive overkill, and managed to start a major fire.
That’s when the Soviet armor turned its full attention on Altdorf: under massive covering fire, two platoons, including the one that had taken casualties, managed to take the town, whose defenders had been disorganized by a barrage from these massive 125mm smoothbores. Things were looking bleak, even though the Soviet tanks could be killed. Said Soviet tanks were now creeping up, using all available cover, on their objective, and his Marders had expanded their last missiles in vain. They abandoned their firing positions and retreated into the town.
Von Michon recalled the heated argument before he authorized the Marders to conduct a charge on the unsuspecting Soviet tanks creeping up North of the river. After an intense exchange of gunfire, they, too, fell silent. Only later, when captured Colonel Traktonov was brought to brigade HQ to be interrogated, did he learn that their sacrifice had not been in vain : caught with open hatches, the Soviet heavy tanks had lost a couple of tank leaders, and taken some light damage, the combined effect of which put a full platoon out of action for the next hour or so.
Von Michon recalled he had thought there was nothing left to do but stand and die. He waited, and waited some more as it appeared the Soviets weren’t moving anymore. Col. Traktonov, fully cooperative, had explained they had been receiving contradictory orders from division headquarters, as it looked like an armored counterattack was headed their way.
But, finally, the Soviets attacked. Von Michon’s careful planning fell apart when a T-80, shooting on the move, killed the Feldwebel commanding one kill team next to the bridge, throwing his entire defensive plan into disarray. A couple of T-80’s came in from the North, but, leading the 5 men he’d been able to rally, he shot the first one just above the tracks with an Armbrust rocket launcher – and it went up like a Roman candle. The crew of the second one, thinking itself surrounded, threw the tank into full reverse – and their engine gave up, a huge flame erupting from the rear compartment – after which the crew bailed. That’s when sporadic fire from the southern bridge was heard again.
Von Michon barely remembered rushing in with his small team, emptying his entire G3 clip in the general direction of the lead tank, whose CO was manning the huge AA machine gun, spraying the nearby buildings and the cowering remnants of the platoon. He must have gotten lucky, as the tanker toppled – and the tank started going in reverse, blocking the way of the other two. Von Michon had then thought they’d only won a temporary reprieve, but 2 minutes later, as it looked like the tanks would attack again, and more were spotted to the North, the rumbling sound of Leopard II engines made itself heard – just as a BO-105 took out the lead tank in front of the bridge with a well placed HOT missile.
The Leopard II’s trained their guns on the platoon still hiding in the woods, and captured Traktonov. Von Michon and his men had been greeted as heroes by the tankers, but, to him, this did not feel heroic at all. It had a bitter taste of survivor’s guilt – just like that coffee. He threw the cup away and started the long walk back to his unit. They were moving out again in the morning.