TEAM YANKEE

Soviets vs. West Germans

Somewhere west of the IGB, 1985

My longtime buddy Ed and I met up this weekend at METAGAMES in Springfield, MO, for a gaming weekend.  Nice hobby shop there with excellent gaming area!  Highly recommended.  We start off on Friday night with a couple of games of TEAM YANKEE. 

Ed's bringing 80 points of Soviets (two T-72 companies, recon BMP 2s, Shilkas, Geckos, and Hails with Frogfoot air support).

I have 80 points of West Germans that I've been working on in their wargaming debut (Leo2s, Marders with Panzergrens, Jaguar1s, Gepards, Luchs, PAHs and F4 Phantoms standing in for Tornadoes).  To match up with the Luchs, I have some camo netting to do on the rest of these guys but overall I'm very happy with how the army came out in their mid-80's Bundeswehr scheme!

'Ere we go with a nice game of ENCOUNTER.

 

I've got PAH's and Jaguar1's backed up by the Leo2's in a strongpoint position in the middle of the table waiting to see where the Soviets head to and will respond from there.

 

 

The enemy sends a T-72 company around my left with recon BMP2s and a second T-72 company coming right at me.

 

 

My Leo2s move out using Stabilisers to shoot rate of fire 2 on the move.  They and the PAH's open fire and decimate the center T-72 company while my Jaguar1s lay some supporting fire for a couple of tank kills on the enemy's left flank company.

 

 

 

I lose a PAH to guided missile fire from the recon BMP2s and the remaining chopper passes morale and relocates over to the right flank!

 

 

The Leo2s, committed, move out to the left and begin destroying the remainder of the Soviet tanks while losing 1 tank to enemy return fire.  Tank fights are deadly and quick in this game, and the Leo2 is currently the "Apex Predator" as someone called them.  Lots of points, but incredibly deadly even on the move and also have good survivability chances against most hits.

 

 

 

Gepards come in from reserve to secure an objective and fire a few shots at the recon BMP2s moving up to threaten the Jaguars.  At least two Gepards always remain in AA mode in case Frogfoots threaten the Leos while the other two can fire at ground targets.

 

 

As the game is coming to a close I get Phantoms making a run at a lone enemy tank from the center company.  In our second game, a flight of two of these attacked a tank company and, even after losing one of the planes to Soviet AA fire, decimated the company with the Salvo sized sub-munitions attack these planes have.  No missiles and very little gun, but if they make it over the target whatever is under that salvo template is in trouble!

 

 

 

The second game was DUSTUP and, once again, the Bundeswehr defend the Fatherland from the Soviet hordes, losing a Jaguar platoon and taking a tank casualty from a Frogfoot missile strike.

 

Fun gaming!  Never thought I'd be into Cold War Gone Hot, but as soon as the Bundeswehr were released for TEAM YANKEE I was in.  GITSUM!