This topic contains 484 replies, has 35 voices, and was last updated by 
madman1960 5 years, 7 months ago.
-
In addition to the Falklands wargame we’ve had recently, we’ve also had a weekend web wargame with @rasmus in Valor & Victory: expanded to 1982 Lebanon. My reinforced IDF mechanized infantry platoon was charged with going in and securing a Palestinian-help village in the norther Bekka Valley.
Things … didn’t go so well. Although I did get to RUN OVER a Palestinian technical with my Zelda APC!
Okay, here is the map and the two forces. My IDF has to come on the map from the south, and take at least three of the hexes marked in yellow “target” icons (objective hexes).
My IDF has a company commander, two under-strength platoons (or really, one reinforced platoon), and four APCs. Three of these are the M113 “Zelda” – and one is a Zelda machine gun carrier.
The PLO has three platoons, three technicals with DShK 12.7mm HMGs, and one big one with x2 23mm AA autocannon.
The PLO sets up on defense. They’re hidden out of initial lines of sight, hoping to deny the Israelis any easy free kills with off-board mortars or their one helicopter gunship strike. Also keep an eye on those civilian counters. Neither side really controls them, but they can definitely be used to the PLO player’s advantage.
Things seems to start well. The Israeli APCs roll in, the PLO moves up RPG teams to attack them, and we get opportunity fire as they do so, killing and pinning them as they move.
On the west flank, things go much worse. One Zelda takes a flanking RPG hit from the right, and it blows up, producing casualty token. I have to move officers and medics in to evac the casualty, but this overextends that squad and they wind up taking fire from four directions. I can even return fir in many cases because, yeah, those civilians BLOCK my line of fire, but they do NOT block PLO fire.
With this battle already pretty much going off the rails, I decide to get cut loose and just enjoy myself on the east wing. I try to open fire with my “gun Zelda” and her infantry squads, but roll double sixes (worst roll possible) on one of my antipersonnel firepower checks. This “summons” a PLO sniper, who brains out my company commander and his whole command team. The terrified gun Zelda crew decides to gun it, and overrun the PLO treeline! (Like I said, clearly this game is already lost, now I’m just having fun).
Here we can see the PLO sniper to the upper right, my gun Zelda overrunning the PLO ZU-23-2 technical (hell yeah!) … and the helo strike taking out another PLO technical in the center. Unfortunately, the PLO with counter-assault this runaway gun Zelda, and Molotov-cocktail the hell out of it, knocking it out and producing yet another casualty marker, this one behind PLO lines. I’ll end in ANOTHER Zelda to try and evac that casualty, I actually manage to get the gun Zelda’s crew out, but then the second Zelda is also hit and I lose that crew as KIA / POW.
A small mercy, Rasmus also rolls double sixes at one point and an Israeli sniper also makes an appearance.
But here’s where Rasmus really wins the game. Two assaults southeast, into these woods, partially covered by orchards, ruins, and civilians. Not only are these five casualty markers inflicted on my, but since Rasmus CONTROLS these hexes in which the casualty markers are placed (successful assaults), they count as casualties in enemy hands. So these guys will be tortured or killed on the spot or held hostage until traded back for PLO prisoners, etc. In game terms, it’s double victory points for Rasmus on these casualty markers, and he gets x3 what I get for a casualty marker anyway. So now it’s x6 victory point awards here. Definitely a grim day for the IDF here.
Final situation – the Israelis have lost this game 81-to-10. Yeah, THAT bad. 🙁 But hey, congrats to Rasmus! And these games show that with a properly-designed system and scenario, asymmetrical games can still allow a big win for the side with obviously inferior firepower and resources.
I’ve spent most of today gearing up Rory Crabb’s Naval Command system for play in the Falklands War. With a ground scale of 1cm = 1 nautical mile (roughly 1:180,000) this is really the only kind of game that even comes close to representing the scope of modern naval operations. In physical play, the table is usually 6 ‘ x 4’, and the ships re often 1:3000 with groups of aircraft represented by counters at 1:300 or 1:600. (6mm or 3mm).
Of course, to facilitate play online or take screen shots to use in battle reports of use in future Ops Center episodes, I’ve been building everything virtually.
Of course, given the historical course of events, this kind of thing might wind up being more of a “campaign tracker” than an actual live game. Then again, we can always run with the suggestion of a hypothetical game where the Argentinian Navy masses together for one all-out strike at the British, and we actually get the latter-day sea battle that (thankfully) never really happened.
Let me know what you think, or whether you’d ever be interested in trying this out over the next couple of weekends online.
Starting off, I have a 10-foot map here (120 inches across, each grid is 1″). So, converting the game from centimeters to inches, I’m landing on ROUGHLY 1″ = 2nm, which is what is scaled out here. Obviously the ships are not to scale with the map (although they are to scale with each other). Same with the aircraft, with a yellow dot in the center of each piece showing the group’s actual location on the map. This map shows just about everything the two sides had INITIALLY, although of course they were never all crammed this close to the Falklands all at once like this. This is meant simply as a staging file, which can be copied and used to quickly build future scenarios by selecting items off this “shopping list.” Or, we could run an alternate history all-out sea clash …
I would suggest opening images in a new tab for best viewing. 😀
The Argentinian carrier task force, comprised of the ARA Veinticinco de Mayo and her escorts. You can see where the carrier has launched four Skyhawks on a strike mission (S-4, historically this never happened), while keeping four Skyhawks back in CAP in a “fighter” configuation (F-4). Sea King ASW (antisubmarine warfare) helos have also been launched, as well as an S-2 Tracker, keeping a wary eye out for HMS Splendid (submarine sent to sink Veinticinco de Mayo) or other British warships. Aircraft are huge in this game. Detection and electronic warfare are everything. There is no armor, and all weapons automatically hit, if they find you and reach you. Your “armor” is your electronics. Welcome to modern naval warfare.
The spearhead of the British amphibious landing force approaches the north coast of East Falkland, and is about to attacked by a major Argentinian air strike launched off the mainland. Those British destroyers and frigates have SAMs at the ready, however, and of course two flights of FRS1 Sea Harriers are vectoring in to intercept. The Mirage IIIs and Daggers will mix up in a dogfight, while the Canberras and Etendards make their bombing runs.
The one major part of the naval war that really did happen, the fateful encounter between the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror and the Argentinian cruiser Belgrano. Note there are no ASW helos launched, dropping sonobuoys or ASW torpedoes. That’s because Belgrano is an old American WW2 light cruiser, and her escorts are old American WW2 Sumner class destroyers. No helicopter pads. Not good. In modern naval combat, helicopters play an absolutely crucial role – not so much in combat, but in keeping your fleet safe, and keeping you informed.
In contrast, the leading element of the British support fleet (made up of five “Round Table” logistic support ships – escorted by British frigates) has plenty of helo support. Each of these little British warships carries a Lynx helicopter, which can be configured for ASW, AEW (airborne early warning), strike, or transport roles. The Argentinian Navy did have a handful of older submarines, only one of which (ARA Santa Fe) had so far been accounted for. When it comes to enemy submarines, caution is always a good idea.
Here’s a little bit of a zoom-in where things get really tight. This is a ROUGH historical approximation of the initial British landings at San Carlos. Note there are NO Argentinian ships, by now they were fighting this naval war almost entirely by air. But these airstrikes were incredibly ferocious, the British would soon call San Carlos “Bomb Alley.” At least six of these British ships would be hit and three of them sunk, although Argentinian aircraft losses were also high. We also see burning “Pucara” ground attack aircraft to the northwest at Pebble Island, where SAS and SBS had landed and blown up the airfield there. Meanwhile, landings are underway, first of SAS in Gazelles (some shot down), then 3 Para and 42 Commando to the east and 40 Commando and 3 Brigade HQ to the south. 1 Para and 45 Commando would follow up.
I second what @grimwolfuk is saying – I would love to see someone try the engagements at Pebble Island, San Carlos, Goose Green, Fitzroy, Longdon Hill, The Two Sisters, Wireless Ridge, etc. And if you do, SEND ME PICTURES, I will use them in Part 03 of Falklands Ops Center and give you full credit in the video!
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
