Originally, the game for the day was to have been a continuation of the
Genforce game begun on May 17th (now to be continued on June 7th -
visitors are welcome to observe and/or join in - get the map "vic
Hammelburg" off the web site  http://www.sterrett.demon.co.uk/ to
follow the action); however, at the last minute none of the US side
could make it, so an impromptu game was declared instead.  The game
start was delayed by difficulties printing the map, getting people up
to speed with IRC,  and sundry other problems - many of them things that
get sorted out during the week prior to the game normally.

  The scenario opened with a US tank battalion approaching the town
at 06/02 along the road from the SW, a mech company nearing the
075055 woods from the west, and a tank battalion in reserve at 01/03.
The US scouts (2x 6 M-3) were on the eastern central ridge at approx
easting 9-10.  Opfor was deployed in mirror image; it had a mech company
headed to the southern spur of the central ridge, a tank battalion headed
to the north central woods, with a tank battalion and a BMP battalion in
reserve just south of the eastern city.    Opfor's scouts (6x BMP and
6x BRDM-AT) were on the western central ridge at apoprox easting 04-05.
Both sides were told to exit forces off the far edge of the map while
preventing the enemy from doing the same.

The US began with a very tank-heavy force,

M3 Bradley             24
M1A2 Tank             116
M2 Bradley             13
        Total: 153

and Opfor was a bit more balanced:

T80U Tank              75
BMP2 IFV               87
BRDM2 AT                6
        Total: 168

  In fact, this is one of sources of the imbalance in the game.  Because
the US tanks kept firing while the BMPs reloaded, the BMPs tended to get
much the worst of the exchanges they had.  While missile-firers have a
long range advantage over tanks, this never happen for Opfor an on a few
occasions happened against it.

  The US kept its lead battalion trucking up the road to the NE while Opfor
sent its flanking mech coy forward over the hill; the US flanking company
edged forward through the north woods and set up an ambush position,
dropping off the Javelins and setting the M-2s to an engagement range
of 150 meters.  Every time the Javelins fired, RT mpicked them up with
the Bradleys and moved them a few hundred meters.  While Rocky pounded
the north woods with mortars and arty, a combination of failure to spot
the Javelins, and bad luck, kept this company from losing more than a
single Javelin gunner during the course of the game.  In the meantime,
it launched repeated ambushes against companies from Opfor's lead tank
battalion as they tried to maneuver in that area.

  The lead company of Opfor's lead battalion spotted the US company
clearing the town at 06/02 and opened fire.  It scored no kills, and
the return fire from the US battalion's scouts and lead tank companies
destroyed the Opfor tanks.  The US stopped, pulled back, and considered
its options, defending the north-east approach to the town.  At the same
time, Opfor's flank mech coy and its accompanying tank platoon crested
the southern spur of the eastern ridge (075010) - and were spotted by
the US scout groups, by then at easting 10.  The BMPs and tanks were
quickly dispatched; much of the infantry survived and held the southern
section of the spur for the rest of the game.

  Though RT didn't realize it, he'd won the opening exchanges.  A
combination of lucky scouting rolls in the south and clever tactics in
the north had soon inflicted nearly a battalion of losses on Opfor for
virtually no US losses in return.  Rocky chose to move his reserve forces
south, sending the BMP battalion into the southern valley (vic 09/01) and
the tank battalion up the ridge.  The tank battalion swiftly lost a
company to the scouts by then emplaced in the 100015 woods, though those
were in turn killed.  A BMP company from the tank battalion, sent north,
traded shots with the second M-3 group (098034) and eventually won the
fight.

  As the BMP battalion finished getting into place, RT sent 2 tank
companies over the southern spur of the ridge.  Through a combination
of factors, these managed to engage the BMP battalion piecemeal and
mostly wiped it out.  The tanks also did extensive damage to the tank
battalion moving up the ridge before being killed by ICM fire, the tank
battalion, and the remnants of the BMP company that had gone north.

  By this point, Rocky had a BMP platoon and 2 tank companies still
mobile.  RT's forward battalion had lost two companies, and his rearward
battalion had lost a handful of tanks killing off the Opfor scouts.
While RT was still quite fearful of a massive Opfor onslaught, Rocky
was preparing his last-ditch defence - fog of war in action.  We ended
the game because people had to go.

  The result was a clear-cut US victory, with the Opfor force gutted for
relatively light US losses.  Part of this was due to good US tactics
(especially in the north) and part of it was due to luck - the US got
good spotting rolls and practically always got in the first shot, an
advantage that cascades in the first-firer's favor because of the
suppression of the target and the reduced number of things firing back.
In addition, the plans of each side interacted badly for Opfor.  Opfor
would often move at times that, unbeknownst to it, fitted nicely into
the times that the US was ready for such moves, though the US was not
planning such a result.  In the south, for example, some of the BMP
units were caught moving to new positions as the US tanks came over the
spur - a combination of moves not planned on either side but resulting
in a US advantage.

  The US tanks turned out to do very well.  Most of the engagements were
at short ranges (<2km) where they hold an advantage over missile-firers
in the number of effective shots they get off.  Opfor's BMPs, when they
got a chance to fire at all, tended to get off one shot and then died
under the hail of return fire while trying to reload.

  Finally, the use of M-2s in the north was interesting.  RT did not
permit them to fire their TOWs, using them instead as taxis for the
Javelins.  This kept the M-2s hidden (no Opfor spotters close enough
to see them moving in the woods) and helped retain the mobility of the
US strike team.  Continual shifting of position helped dogde the incoming
mortar and artillery fire.  While this style of defense would probably
not have fared well trying to hold ground against a determined attack,
it did quite well in the sniping role that it was assigned, and was
lucky to find that role to be the one the tactical situation demanded.