Opportunities to meet up for a game have been scarce this year, so m'colleague Neil and I decided to play out solo games of Cold War Commander today. My collection of troops is exclusively NATO, so I decided to use a scenario that the group have been discussing of late: a Turkish invasion of the Aegean islands (inspired by the Operation Nostalgia article in Miniature Wargames Magazine of old and Grymauch's solo wargame blog).
The ongoing war of words between Greece and Turkey has escalated into a hot war and Turkish troops have invaded several islands in the Aegean. The hard pressed Greek government has requested assistance from their NATO allies. 41 Commando, on exercise in Cyprus, have been tasked with liberating one of the occupied islands.
Initial table set up, with buildings set on the sea front.
2 companies of Turkish defenders, dug in and ready to defend the beach.
The Royal Marines commenced the game by landing a company in Sea King Commandoes to take out a dug in AA site on the hill overlooking the beach.
The main attack then began. The first company successfully arrived ashore on their BV206s, looking to turn the Turkish right flank. However, they strayed into range of the defenders and lost a platoon to Opportunity fire. The second company HQ managed to blunder on his first command roll and got himself knocked out by a crossfire. They'd obviously been enjoying the Cyprus nightlife a little too much, as the third company HQ also blundered and called in friendly fire on his own troops thankfully without loss. The Marine CO then took command and succeeded in rolling a double 1, using the opportunity to get his troops ashore.
The immediate Turkish response was muted: the HQ at the beach failed his command roll and the CO also blundered, calling more friendly fire on his own troops.
The dice gods were clearly bored today, as turn 2 started with yet another blunder by the 1st Marine HQ, who ordered his troops to pull back. Unfortunately he was attempting to call in mortar support at the time so the Marines' mortar platoon promptly disappeared off the table edge, back out to sea. With one of his HQs absent, the RM CO took command and started to roll up the Turkish defenders on the beach. In the meantime, the company inland close assaulted the dug in platoon defending the AA guns, knocking them out and blasting the Bofors guns.
With the AA guns out of action, the Marines could call in air support, pounding the Turkish defenders on the beach. The replacement HQ for the 2nd company landed ashore and distinguished himself by immediately rolling yet another blunder.
Despite repeated bombing runs by RAF Harriers, the Turkish troops were mounting a determined defence and, with the Marine commanders apparently incapable of rolling anything but a double 6, the battle on the beach became bogged down in hand to hand trench clearances.
Meanwhile, the air assault company had despatched the Turkish Bofors guns and were moving to a blocking position to cover the beach from any counterattack.
The Turkish reinforcements finally arrived and found that the Marines had 2 Milan posts dug in and a village occupied.
The Turkish tank company came under fire from the RM Milan posts. Despite pummelling the hilltop with HE rounds, they were unable to shift the dug in Milan team.
The Marines finally mopped up the last of the dug in Turkish platoons on the beach.
The Turkish reinforcement mechanised companies battled to relieve the beach, but came up against the Marine air assault company, now occupying the village.
With the beach defenders wiped out, Harriers lurking and casualties and suppressions mounting, the Turkish CO decided that he did not have sufficient numbers to break through to the beach so, giving up his position by the Acropolis View Hotel, ordered a general withdrawal.
A victory for the Royal Marines, but certainly not a foregone conclusion and a far more difficult fight than I expected. We have been kicking around the idea of an Operation Nostalgia 1986 campaign, featuring either Soviet naval and airbourne troops as the occupying force or a NATO internecine struggle, with Greece and Turkey at loggerheads. I would definitely be keen to explore this scenario further.
Having vowed to not build any more armies I am now researching the Greek Marines. Vietnam era US troops would look about right...
