Dos Amos campaign - first encounter

With the wife and children away at the East Coast for the bank holiday, I am using the time to get a summer holiday solo game in as well as undertake some DIY by painting the bathroom. Dropping and spilling a massive tin of paint in the shed was a good start... 

However, I have begun the opening moves of the Dos Amos campaign. Using the rules laid out in the Programmed Wargames Scenarios book, the US 82nd are to follow a strategy of a twin pronged assault on the east and west coasts. They aim to capture the settlements at A6 (Carriafou) and F4 (At George) before moving to the main objective at G9, Mount Argyle. A small screening force will push to the bridge at E5. 

The Cuban 'volunteers' are screening with patrols along A3, B3 who will not engage but shadow any Americans. 

The first engagement was on Day 2. task Force Kroesen entered St George, where the combined forces of F3 and F4 were to fight a delaying action. I decided that the Cubans would be happy with delaying the US advance for 3 turns before withdrawing to the next line of defence. 

the main settlement at St George. 

US 82ND TASK FORCE BURNHAM 

CO

2 HQs

FAO

FAC

A Coy

3 infantry 

1 FLASH launcher 

1 HMG

2 Gama Goats 

B Coy  as above

Support Coy

1 Dragon, 1 TOW, two 4.2" mortars, 2 Gama Goats. (These never got onto the board)

2 Combat engineer platoons, 1 Gama Goat

Off table support one 4.2" mortar 

2 Recce jeeps, 1 Recce jeep + TOW

Air support roll D6, 1-3 AH1 Cobra, 4-6 A7 Corsair II

CUBAN DEFENCES

A Coy

CO

2 HQs

FAC

A Coy 

3 infantry, one 82mm mortar, 2 BTR60s

B Coy as above but HMG instead of mortar

2 82mm mortars. 

Air support roll D6 1-3 Hind D, 4-6 Mig 23 Flogger

The Recce squadron learns it's lessons in the crucible of combat. 

The Cubans set up their infantry in the houses with the FAO on the hill to the north and the mortars on the hill at the eastern end of the village. The 82nd would enter via the road. The US were hampered by poor rolls, A Coy entered and then faltered. The Cubans took advantage and used mortar fire to destroy a Gama Goat with it's infantry still mounted. 

The Hind rakes the lead company with rocket and gunfire. 

The Cuban CO used the mortars and HMG to knock out the Recce squadron and lead infantry elements. 

The US called in their help support. The Cobra fired on the infantry to the front of the US advance. 

Supporting fire from the remaining.50cal, infantry and off table mortar knocked out more Cuban infantry. 

The Cuban FAC knew his stuff. A second air strike in Turn 3 plus a command bonus from the CO saw the mortars fire twice, the combined fore knocked out the Recce squadron and more infantry. 

However, the US continued to advance to the point where they had a foothold in the village. The Airborne troops brought up their fearsome FLASH launcher and used it to good effect, knocking out an infantryo stand in one round of firing. 

By turn 4, the remaining Cuban forces had mounted up in their APCs and were retreating along the road with the US forces being left to consolidate their gains. It had been a hard fought win, with the tactical victory going to the US, the strategic victory went to the Cubans. 

I opted for a simple post-battle recovery and replacement system the US get back losses on a unit by unit D6 roll of 3-6. The Cubans get forces back on a 5 or 6. 

US LOSSES

4 infantry (3 recovered)

1 Gama Goat (recovered)

2 Recce jeeps, 1 keep + TOW (all recovered)

CUBAN LOSSES 

3 Infantry 1 recovered)

82mm mortar (recovered)