After Action Review
US: Riki Tikki
OPFOR: Chuck Bracey
6/26/99
The following is an after action review of my most recent game with Chuck Bracey, with whom I just completed our second game of the Mad General. Okay, it's not really an AAR, but rather another one of our storytelling type e-mail exchanges. I did not include all e-mail, however, just the more informative ones.
Since we are writing to each other during battle we obviously did not want to give too much away, so the bulk of this review is pure fluff -- for entertainment only. Maps are attached, however, and after the email portion of this report I added our debrief discussion and some of my own observations which is where you will find the learning, if any. Actually, I learned a great deal -- first and foremost, that I have a lot *more* learning to do about conducting a special forces night op. <g>
If you recall from last time, the Mad General is a capture-the-bad-guy mission played on Map 100 in which a NATo task force has to go deep into Bosnian-Serb territory and snatch a rogue general before Serb armor brigades can close in. (The General has a personality profile showing a tendency to verge on paranoia, hence the need to encircle him before closing in -- otherwise as soon as any shelling hits his CP he will bugger out.) By choosing the Special Ops package, game time is reduced to 45 minutes. I also went with the night option, which limits vis. to 1000m, thermal to 2500m, and vehicle smoke defeats thermals turned on.
This time Chuck played the General, and did a masterful job. His very choice of CP location alone had me bamboozled for almost the whole game, as he picked what I thought would have been an extremely vulnerable position at the northeast edge of the Cauldron -- the bowl-shaped valley in the center of the map (see attached map, below). Obviously I was wrong. It was quite defensible.
U.S. deployments
Light blue lines indicate usual paths of approach for my. helos... dark blue represents ground deployments. X's mark my mortar and assembly areas. If you click the close-up shot (below) it becomes clearer how these paths put helos in jeopardy given Chuck's fairly dense river defense.
The General is at 059023. On TacOps screen shot (below) this is just underneath the infantry unit which is between the minefield and the BTR.
Turn 42, last turn of the game.
The General is just barely visible peeking from underneath the infantry unit at 059023, located between the mines and the BTR. Click the screen shot to see larger area surrounding the encampment, and you will see that Chuck's defenses are still pretty much intact and as threatening as ever. (Note the trail of fire along the bottom of the shot, most of which were helos).
E-mail repartee begins...
07:02
> The General is rudely awakened in the early morning hours
by his
> camp-de-aide with news of intense fire at what appears to
be NATO
> helicopters crossing the Rikistov River. News is trickling
from the
> frontlines of fireballs in the air. The General hopes these
are of
> shotdown helos. In his groggy state of mind, he barks to
his aide, "Get
> my Air Defense commander in here, NOW!!!".
> Blackhawk Down! is heard repeatedly over the radio inside
the Joint
> Operations Center, and suddenly a top secret extraction operation
is
> turning into a search-and-rescue nightmare. The Night Stalkers
are
> supposed to be among the best special ops team-ups in the
world, but
> you'd never know it from the way the first 5 minutes of this
operation
> is turning out. Already 7 Blackhawks are down. The U.S. commander,
> newly assigned to the Ranger/Delta/160th SOAR Task Force
is unfamiliar
> with the proper way to conduct a night mission, and it shows.
The
> remaining pilots and team leaders can only hope he learns
quickly. Very
> quickly.
07:04
> The night sky is lite up by the secondary explosions of
the AH-64
> crashing. The General wonders if either pilot has survived
for future
> interrogation.<evil grin>
> More choppers go down in flames as the command net becomes
a cacophony
> of screaming orders, counter-orders and confusion. The U.S.
commander
> desperately tries to get a handle on things, but before he
can focus his
> attention on eliminating a SAM site in one area another springs
to life
> in an even more critical location. Teams that were dropped
into hot LZs
> are requesting assistance, but now there is an airlift shortage
and
> there are too few mortars to go around. This is going to
be a long
> night...
07:08
> The U.S. commander slips into an apoplectic stupor as
still more helos
> are blasted out of the sky, and ground units continue to
take
> casualites. In less than 7 minutes, his plan to snatch the
notorious
> General in a lightning-fast surgical strike has come to an
end, and with
> it, his career. The XO, seeing that a firm hand is needed,
screams into
> the microphone for everyone to stop talking and begins issuing
orders to
> each of the team leaders one by one. The rest of the staff
remains
> stunned, but slowly realizes what is going on. While no one
has said
> anything officially, it is clear that their commander has
just been
> relieved.
> The Major in charge of intel shrinks at the prospect of
trying to
> explain to the General his failure get reports from the spies.
He knows
> the bearer of bad news is usually not seen again in this
"maniac's"
> encampment. He decides not to tell, instead continues to
monitor the
> radio net.
07:09
> Small arms fire and grenades can be heard up and down
the river. The
> General is very concerned about lack of info on the enemy's
strength.
> He gets the feeling that members of his staff are purposely
misleading
> him. He knows how to deal with such impotence, as he chambers
a round
> into his US-made Colt .45.
07:10
> The pandemonium in the JOC begins to ebb slightly as the
XO gradually
> begins to re-route the deployment of the ground units in
response to
> various enemy sightings. He is glad to see that the superior
training
> of his Rangers and his Delta teams are beginning to pay off
in the form
> of good marksmanship in taking out some of the General's
SAM teams and
> other high-priority targets. But he's also aware they are
a long way
> from accomplishing their mission, and there's only 35 minutes
left to go
> before heavy enemy armor units threaten to close in and break
up the
> operation.
> The intel chief never knew what happened. The General
hopes this
> display will show his staff he is serious when he asks for
updates.
> "Get this coward's body out of here!", he barks
to the nco next to the
> fallen body.
07:12
> "Nailed that BTR in the north town!" pipes a
Javelin shooter. While
> this is only a tiny victory, it is something for the Rangers
to rally
> behind. Little by little, a sense of order is beginning to
replace the
> chaos inside the U.S. command post, and the casualty reports
are finally
> starting to become less frequent. But the XO knows this is
only
> temporary, due to his pullback and consolidation of assets
away from
> enemy lines of fire. Eventually the madness will start again,
as he
> must order more helos and recon teams into the heart of the
General's
> lair -- that is, once he finds it.
> The CP is abuzz with the arrival of one of the captured
men from a
> downed helo. He isn't of the same appearance as the other
POWs. No,
> this one is different says the General to himself. So, the
Americans
> have sent members of their mafia-type hitmen. "We'll
burn him alive!",
> shouts the General.<g>
07:16
> The XO didn't notice at first that the Serb BTRs were
the more modern
> version, with thermal sights and ATGMs. Damn, intelligence
said the
> General would probably not splurge his modest war funds on
such a
> hi-tech APC. But at this point the XO has just about thrown
away any
> so-called intelligence reports from Brussels and starts to
trust his own
> eyes and instincts instead. Stlll, it bothers him. He tries
not to
> think about the fact that had he noticed this little detail
earlier,
> some of his recon crews might still be alive.
> Helos with lights off can be heard overflying the town.
The General
> imagines from the tactics used and the information extracted
> voluntarilty from the hitman that NATO has probably using
some of the
> SAS troopers. He orders his patrol units to radio back the
first
> contact with his armor when it arrives from their encampment.
07:18
> The XO's mind goes numb trying to keep track of all the
Serb targets.
> Between the numerous SAMs along the eastern riverbank as
well as the
> various recon, BTRs and the odd machine gunner both along
the river and
> inland, the U.S. mortar crews are quickly being overloaded
with fire
> missions.
07:22
> The XO tries to block out the anguished screams of the
helo crews heard
> over the command net and puts in another request for helos
capable of
> performing SAR missions. He tries not to lose it in front
of the
> staff. The commander is still catatonic in the corner of
the JOC,
> murmering to himself. The rest of the command element has
long since
> ignored him.
> More fireballs can be seen along the river. The General
grins as he is
> told of a deafening explosion just reported north of the
city. Looking
> at his watch, he realizes that he can get video to the western
media of
> downed Apaches and Blackhawks in time for the primetime newshows.
Now
> he has justification to eliminate all who opposes him, especially
the
> Americans.
07:24
> With only a few recon teams inserted, the XO isn't getting
enough data
> to triangulate a position to the General's HQ. He looks at
his watch
> and sees he has only about 20 minutes left to make the grab.
Who came
> up with this crazy mission? he thinks to himself. <g>
> Concern is on the face of the General. Reports of helo
sightings in
> both the north and south can't be confirmed due to loss of
OPs. He
> knows that his armored brigades will arrive 20 mins. to repel
this
> invasion of his homeland.
07:26
> Course words are heard between the XO and the mission
commander for the
> 160th SOAR. It seems the aviation boss is more than a little
upset over
> the horrific misuse of his flyboys. The XO stops listening,
however...
> he has other worries. Like trying to find a slippery weasel
of a
> General in the middle of some 8-10 kms. of dense Bosnian
woods. And
> doing it before heavy Serbian forces in outlying areas can
converge on
> his troops.
07:28
> The XO is pleased to hear that the superior marksmanship
of the Rangers
> is once again paying off here and there, which comes as a
much-welcome
> moral victory. But he knows the Serbs still have plenty of
BTRs and
> infantry prowling through the woods, and he is disturbed
by the latest
> satellite photos showing heavy Serb armor moving into the
region.
> The General rejoices at the news of 2 more helos being
down. He wonders
> how the western press will react to videotapes he is edting
in his
> CP.<g>
07:32
> The S3 taps the XO on the shoulder. It's Brussels, on
the red phone.
> The XO declines taking the call. The way he figures it, his
career will
> be over at this rate anyway, just like his C.O. Better to
risk
> insubordination now and try to catch the General than to
stand there and
> have NATO command rip him a new one. <g>
07:34
> Already the operation is on the brink of disaster when
the XO realizes
> yet another problem -- logistics. The XO's S3 did not work
out a
> careful rotation of helos to ferry all the Rangers in from
across the
> Bosna, and now there is too little time and too few helos
to do all the
> work by themselves. He will have to work with what he has
07:36
> "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Screams the XO, who
cannot hold back his anger
> and frustration any longer. Signs of the General's base are
begining to
> appear, but the XO is too overwhelmed with reports of downed
choppers
> and the thought of all those boys killed in midair flight
at his order.
> The staff begins to worry that now he, too, is starting to
crack under
> the pressure, just like the old man did.
> Fire and smoke envelop the wreckage of the 2S6 AAA vehicle.
> Illuminating the night sky, the glows are having a negative
effect on
> the cheap NVGs the General purchased last month in Tehran.
07:38
> third-guessing himself many times, then gives his S3 the
nod to go ahead
> and give the codeword. He knows the whole thing is a longshot
since he
> only has a vague idea where the general is -- still no confirmed
> sighting -- but what else can he do? He closes his eyes and
listens
> intently to the radio...
07:40
> The XO winces as he watches a moderate disaster turn into
a
> catastrophe. At least 5 more Blackhawks are lost in the most
recent
> push on what turned out to be a veritable hornets nest of
AK-47s and
> machine gun fire. Most of the Rangers assigned to the assault
died in
> the wreckage of their helos before even getting a chance
to get out and
> fight. The XO now has a pretty good idea his forces are close
to the
> General's command post, but this wasn't the kind of verification
he was
> looking for. <g>
> The sound of small arms fire can't be heard amongst the
raging fires at
> Devil's Fork. The action is so intense that the General didn't
notice
> his aide telling him the armored brigade will arrive on time.
07:42
> The XO hangs his head, trying to absorb the shock. His
S3 has just
> informed him that the Rangers have taken an estimated 68%
casualites.
> That's it, he says, simply. Time to pack it in. A general
retreat is
> ordered, and the staff begins to orchestrate the next phase
of their
> nightmare -- extracting the special ops force before the
arrival of
> Serbian armor. S2 personnel busily begin burning maps, papers,
all
> paper traces while the logistics officer (who is still on
the XO's sh*t
> list for not factoring in mortar and engineer transport)
conducts the
> breakdown of the command post. The old man begins to cry,
slowly at
> first, then in big, convulsive sobs. The staff pretend not
to notice.
> Someone finally covers him in a blanket and walks him to
the mobile
> ambulance unit. As the XO climbs into the mobile command
vehicle he
> takes one last look to the east across the Bosna, toward
the vicinity of
> where he suspects the General is hiding. Someday, after this
is all
> over... we will meet, he and I... and I will learn how he
beat
> America's finest...
(Game is over if US casualties exceed 65%)
This ended the e-mail exchange. Debrief follows. First Chuck...
> Can't think of any other Tacops game of short duration
(45 min) that
> I've enjoyed more. Talk about a nailbiter! Just wanted to
share a few
> thoughts and Monday morning QB'ing.<g>
>
> 1. Deployment: By placing the General at vic 059024 Easting,
I would be
> able to mine all 3 bridges. This also allowed the base security
forces
> to be prepositioned along the Bosna River without risking
being spotted
> in transit. ( The General expected a mainly land-bound force.)
The
> recon/sniper teams covered most of the open valley from cities
or the
> east bank hills.
>
> 2. From 7:02-7:10, US lost 8-10 helos. That was 1/4 of the
total
> transport assets. Not to mention the loss of cargo ( troops,
etc.). At
> 7:12, 1 UH60 buzzed within 90-100m N of the General. Thought
the fella
> was toast!<g> That's why the intel officer bit the
dust.
>
> I figured you had found the HQ at this time because you started
to ferry
> units across the northern edge of the map eastward. The FARP
would have
> been ideal. Most of the Serbian units were committed to river
defense.
>
> 3. 7:20-7:35> The majority of Opfor vehicles had been
damaged or
> destroyed making transport impossible, except by foot. By
having a
> static rather than a mobile defense, you were able to out-flank
my
> positions quickly. The 3 AH64s downed during this time; firepower
and
> mobility the US force can't afford to lose at crunch time.
>
> 4. Game End> Had the casualty count not exceeded 65%,
it's a good chance
> the General would be in the Hague by now. The early loss
of transport
> helos certainly disrupted the quick timetable necessary for
a night
> operation. And the loss of stealth in the first few minutes
didn't help
> either.
>
> Had you chosen the Sat Recon option, I certainly would NOT
have place
> the General that close.<g>
As for my own conclusions...
Well, it was not just a loss. It was a bona fide U.S. disaster. Many careers along with my own would have ended that day. :-<
I think the mistakes I made, in no particular order, were...
1. Chose a night mission using only 2 paratrooper Ranger recon units to scout rear areas. At 1000 m visibility it is difficult to get much useful recon out of them. Probably should have gone with the satellite option (though I'd love to see someone prove me wrong! <g>)
2. Lost a huge number of helos in the early minutes. This not only took a big dent out of my airlift capability but greatly delayed my getting ground units to recon the interior regions. The latter is what prevented me from starting to narrow down possible hiding places early in the game, which explains my ignorance on the General's whereabouts until the end of the game.
3. Perhaps the biggest error was that I just didn't get it into my head that Chuck had a very heavy defense along the main river valley. This is partly becasuse I never saw more than a couple of SAMs or infantry unit at any one time, but if I'd been keeping track of my sightings I would have probably figured it out. I think I had a mental block against a relative newcomer to the Mad General using a forward deployment. I have noticed that habitually, first-time General players tend to pick rear areas. So much for my keen-eyed character assessment. <g> Had I gotten this thorugh my skull earlier I would have a) given the defense proper respect and spent resources to clear at least part of it, rahter than smugly try to keep flying past it and getting shot down over and over, and b) it would have been a *huge* hint as to the whereabout of the General!
4. Never cleared a ground path across the river (Chuck controlled the whole river valley at all times), so I was 100% dependent on airlift. That stretched me pretty thin when I started to lose helos.
5. Did not keep track of sightings too well, epecially SAMs. Once they fired, I shoul have spent more time to studdy their postions and move snipers in to kill them. Several of Chuck's SAMs had 2nd and 3rd shots -- shame on me.
6. Totally screwed up my logistics support at a crucial moment. (Hence the reference to the Log officer who was reprimanded . <g>) Just when I needed mortars to be moved forward I realized I had not planned for this ahead of time. Meanwhile several empty helos sat in the rear areas, doing nothing. I had a lot of mortar rounds left that were never fired. Criminal! :-<
7. It seems there were times when I lost vehicles to ATGM fire, something I might have been able to prevent with vehicle smoke.
8. Never detected enough entrenchments or mines to tip off the General's location until the very end of the game.
9. Simply refused to believe the little evidence I had that the General was as far forward as 059 easting, *west* of "Devil's Fork." My logic was: *I* would never have placed him there -- ergo, my opponent wouldn't either. That'll teach me. Er, at least I hope it teaches me. :->
10. While the forward position still seems fairly vulnerable to a ground attack to me (at least a Marine or US Army ground attack, which were my other potential choices for this scenario) it was actually fairly difficult to approach from the rear due to a lack of roads and clear LZs. The terrain forced me to make my final air assault right into the teeth of the enemy.
11. I was sloppy at managing my mortars at times. Could have been a little more organized with fires and timings.
12. I realized I could get a lot of helos by Chuck's SAms simply by flying them all at once and overloading them with too many targets. But once I began losing significant numbers of helos I was afraid to commit any more until the the final push. This caution actually hurt me, I think, because that means when I did use helos it was only one at a time, usually over "hot" areas, and usually only when I really needed its cargo. So of course its chances of survival were limited and it would likely be shot down just when I was most desperate to deploy whatever was in it.
13. Did not systematically eliminate obstacles along a single path, but rather wasted my resources all over the map, hoping against hope I could find a weak spot in the river defense in short order. BZzzzt! Wrong! <g>)
14. Even though my forces were almost entirely heliborne, a tough, forward river defense can really ruin your day. Even if you had just intended to fly over it.
15. I occasionally fogot to reset the Evade SOP on helos in accordance with the situation, leading either to their destruction or a missed drop-off due to being chased away from the LZ. There are times when it is worth it to take the risk of being shot down and get to the LZ on time.
There were some things I did right, I think... though nowhere near as many. :-<
1. Came around through the "back door," by setting up "FARPs" deep in OPFOR's rear, where there was little to no defense to stop me. This was even safer than being west of teh Bosna, since I could be seen by his river forces there more easily unless I constantly smoked the river.
2. Despite my failure, I believe my speed and mobility allowed me to keep OPFOR off-balance a bit, never giving him quite enough info on my whereabouts, or letting him zero in on a cluster of juicy targets with his artillery. (The General purchased some black market ICM rounds, I believe). Judging from Chuck's emails after the battle, this at least made the game feel closer than it was, I think.
Last point. Even though I co-authored the scenario it I never really fully explored the night option before. I can see I have a lot to learn. OTOH, I am proud to say that the scenario felt like a whole new game for me, and was a blast to play -- I don't know when I've ever had so much fun losing by so huge a margin!
Comments? Criticisms? Tutoring??? <g>
Thanks for your attention...
Riki