Sunday, November 22, 2015

Flashpoint Campaigns Germany Reforged - Escape from Beckeln

A new scenario pack/expansion and patch has been released for one of the greatest computer wargames ever made: Flashpoint Campaigns Germany Reforged. This blog entry is part of a multi-point of view narrative of one scenario that was part of the good old Flashpoint Germany and now had a huge facelift with the new engine.

The AO assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. The mission was to stop the Soviets from securing a route north via the A84 highway. The pink lines are the schemes of maneuver for each unit and the blue area is the deployment zone.
This narrative is for the first two hours of action of a 3 platoon detachment from Troop C (one of the units highlighted in the south).



Separated from the M1 Abrams tanks by a few kilometers, we moved towards Beckeln to establish an observation post near the west crossing of the city. To our surprise, our orders changed into defending the crossroads within the city. Assisted by a 2 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and 2  KIOWA scout helicopters from the regiment, we established contact with an enemy tank force of 4 T-80Us just 15 minutes after reaching our destination.
Although not visible from our position, the engines of vehicles from Troops A, B and D could be heard. This shows their scheme of maneuver, conceived to establish a kill zone west of Grafschaft, between the river and the massive ridge near the highway.
We didn't spare time to start engaging the enemy vehicles moving northwest along the highway. Although most of our rounds didn't hit the enemy, we could get at least one of the tanks and a couple of support vehicles. The enemy fired at us with all fury, but our covered positions kept us alive for a while. The AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters scored far more hits until it withdrew, completely out of ammunition. One artillery mission called on the follow on enemy infantry forced them to dismount.
A downpour starts and the visibility goes down to 500 meters. The radio network blazes away that four enemy Hind attack helicopters did crest the hill at which troop A is located. These enemy helicopters wreck havoc among the less armored vehicles, like the M1062A2 mortar carriers. Several Stinger missiles are fired upon the intruders, but in the end is the 2 AH-1 Cobras hovering nearby who succeed in blunting the aerial attack.

But we have our own problems. Probably our long range fire poked a stick into the hornets' nest and now the enemy is attacking our position. With such a speed and determination that didn't allow us anything else than to remain and stand firm. Is close range street fighting. The enemy has no less that 10 tanks in our vicinity, and their armored infantry is following suit. 
They were just too strong. Their artillery support was murderous. One of our platoons attempted to escape north and was destroyed. My platoon escaped towards the southeast, thanks to the low visibility the heavy rains have brought again. 

Cheers,










6 comments:

GH65 said...

Excellent narrative. You made the statement "one of the greatest computer war games ever made." Absolutely spot on. I find myself playing this game more and more frequently with the new update and scenario pack. Who would of thought you could have this much fun with a 2D game.

JC said...

Thanks. It is a great war game indeed.

Stefan P. said...

I absolutely love your blog, JC! And I agree with GH65, excellent narrative you've started here. Keep it coming our ways. I myself enjoy Flashpoint Campaigns a lot, although I haven't picked up the Germany Reforged AddOn yet. I'm particularly interested in gaming a Cold War gone hot because I was born and raised up in a small village on the Western side of the Iron Curtain, along the then by the border disrupted A4 express highway. Observation Point (OP) Romeo was pretty close, overlooking the highway. Nearest American forces were stationed in Bad Hersfeld (McPheeters Barracks, 3rd Bn, 14th ACR).
Thanks a lot and best wishes,
Stefan

JC said...

Hi Stefan and thanks for reading.

OP Romeo! That one I heard a lot about ...

Have you looked at Steel Beasts ProPE? That one is full of Cold War gaming goodness too.

Cheers,

Anonymous said...

@Stefan P.:
Please have a look at the 'Eiterfeld' map included in Flashpoint Germany. It's a 40x30km map capturing the northern Fulda corridor, from Bad Hersfeld's former Werve Thompson Army Air Field down to Hofbieber, and from Geisa west to Angersbach. It probably doesn't include the town you where you grew up, but it should be very familiar to you.
We worked hard to represent the late '80s terrain, reinstating some of the now defunct rail-roads, the old B84 trajectory near Huenfeld, etc..

You can check out the map (graphics) by downloading the one of the alternative graphics packs from the OTS web site. See this forum thread: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3969482
To play the map, you do need Germany Reforged!

William

Stefan P. said...

@JC:
I had the pleasure of playing a demo of Steel Beasts ProPE. Great game with an intense atmosphere. However, I made for a rather bad tanker during the trial period. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading your AARs a lot.

@William:
Thank you for pointing this map out to me. Indeed, it does look familiar, judging from the screenshots. Between Rasdorf and Geisa is the location of the former Observation Point (OP) Alpha; now a memorial worth visiting. It's just some 40 kilometers south of Wildeck-Obersuhl, where I spent my youth. I think I'll get myself a nice present with Germany Reforged this year. Awesome alternative map graphics!!!