BATTLE REPORTS - GOING AFTER CUSTARD

 

Going after CUSTARD

This was one of the first scenarios with CUSTARD as a playable faction. Also, we wanted to include a very special piece of architecture, a beautiful norman abbey building (built back in the 11th century by the long lost Christian kingdom in the northern part of Soeliland).

The abbey of St Rognvald

The Location:

Soeliland, the northern coastal plain.

The Northernmost part of Soeliland is home to a closely-knit group of white settlers of Irish origins. Many of them live scattered across the fertile coastal plain on farms; the area has only a few larger villages and one major town which is at the same time the only useful harbour town in the North of Soeliland, Rognvaldstown. This city is at the same time the main stronghold of CUSTARD, the militia that was formed among the settlers during the long period of civil unrest after the central government proved incapable of protecting the farms of the coastal plain.

A few miles into the coastal plain lies at a strategically important position a small village boasting the old abbey of St Rognvald; the village controls one of three routes into Rognvaldstown.

The strategic importance of this village is no secret, which is the reason why the latest attempt by the PLAoSS at capturing Rognvaldstown was planned to begin with the seizure of the village; General Mahmut's intelligence team had reported the absence of any garrison, so PLAoSS thought this to be quite an easy exercise. Obviously, CUSTARD command thought otherwise.

Interestingly, at the same time a US task force operated in the area tasked with arresting certain terrorist elements at that time serving under PLAoSS command. In all, the PLAoSS commander was heading for trouble.

The picture above gives a general impression of the village. At the back is the abbey of St Rognvald, the houses 1-3 and 4-6 formed two lines of defence where the CUSTARD garrison was deployed. Note that there are two streets leading up to house 4-6, each separated by houses and walls. As happens rather often, the picture was taken very late in the game, so ignore all the burning hardware.

The Objectives:

PLAoSS has to capture the abbey, as the main route towards Rognvaldstown can be controlled from there.

CUSTARD has to prevent this at all costs.

The US task force should capture or kill all terrorist forces.

The participating forces - 1. CUSTARD

Force HQ +2

Platoon

HQ +2

priest +2

3 Militia squads (green)
1 PC +1

3 rifle team

1 MG team

1 engineer squad (elite)
1 PC +1

2 engineer team

artillery section
2 114mm FG

1 Spotter
armour support
1 Ferret PC +1

1 Saladin

1 Centurion

The participating forces - 2. PLAoSS

Force HQ +2

Platoon

HQ +2

1 AT team

3 Militia squads (green)
1 PC +1

3 rifle team

1 MG team

3 Militia squads (green)
1 PC +1

3 rifle team

2 independent terrorist squad (elite)
1 PC +1

1 rifle team

1 MG team

1 AT team

artillery section
1 81mm mortar

1 105mm gun

1 Spotter
armour support
1 Stuart PC +1

1 T-55

1 M-47

1 M-48
technical platoon
1 AT technical PC +1

2 MG technical

The participating forces - 3. US Task Force

Force HQ +2

 1 SAM team 1 M 113 ACCC
3 infantry squad (green)
 1 PC +1

2 rifle team

1 AT team

1 Bradley IFV

engineer squad (average)

 1 PC +1

2 engineer team

2 Hummer
armour support
 1 M1A1

PLAoSS should have a useable numerical superiority over CUSTARD; however, the undeniable might of the US task force raised fears very early into the game that it might be very unbalanced against PLAoSS, so we were seriously thinking about giving PLAoSS the ability to respawn units.

Well, that is what we thought in the beginning. It didn't quite turn out that way, but see for yourself...

Phase I: PLAoSS' opening moves

PLAoSS began operations with entering the village from the lower left side on the map below; houses A and B were occupied in order to command the streets immediately in front of them, and a firebase was established right behind house A. CUSTARD on the other hand had deployed in houses 1-3, leaving houses 4-6 unoccupied; this would soon turn out to be a mistake. Additionally, CUSTARD had artillery support with guns at position 1 and 4; position 2 was occupied by the force HQ, while the bunker at 3 was left unoccupied, another rather questionable decision.

The PLAoSS commander soon discovered that house 4 was unoccupied. As it commanded its immediate surroundings, he decided to push through the CUSTARD lines at that very point. The plan was to move forward, occupy house 4, assault house 2b and then break into the clear ground in front of the abbey. The CUSTARD commander only belatedly realized the mistake he had done by leaving house 4 occupied; he put his hopes in the stamina of his infantry and the armoured support that was promised to arrive "later in the game" at point 4.

Phase II: PLAoSS attacks

It did not begin particularly well for PLAoSS. Moving towards house 4 resulted first in the loss of a technical at position 2 and then in the loss of the initiative. The CUSTARD commander then had the brilliant idea to move a part of his forces forward to occupy houses 6 and 5. While house 6 offered the option to control the area behind house 4, moving into house 5 was much less intelligent, particularly as house 4 controlled the street between house 3 and house 5 - going into house 5 effectively was a mission of no return. Veeeery smart...

At least moving into house 6 payed some dividend as it allowed to eliminate the technical at position 1. Attempts at firing from house 5 resulted in the loss of the initiative, and then hell broke loose...

Phase III: The battle for house 4

Having regained the initiative the PLAoSS commander began a clever multi-pronged assault culminating in the occupation of house 4. Troops were put into the house left of house 4 and a tank put right onto the square outside house 4. Then a squad of PLAoSS forces charged across the street behind house 5, managed to dodge the bullets coming out of house 6 (you wouldn't believe how abysmally bad one can throw...), close assaulted house 5 and eliminated the CUSTARD forces inside.

Suddenly there was not only a big gap in the CUSTARD line of defence, house 4 was also now in PLAoSS' hand; fortunately the initiative passed again after a short firefight between the forces inside house 5 and those inside house 1. CUSTARD decided to deal with the tank first, knocking it out with accurate artillery fire.

Then it finally dawned on the CUSTARD commander that regaining house 4 might be a good idea, particularly as his losses were mounting, and attrition was not a particularly sound strategy against an enemy enjoying numerical superiority. A series of firefights with changing initiatives brought no results, so CUSTARD finally decided to get as many troops together as possible and make a close assault against house 4. In a way it was a gamble, a last attempt at regaining control over that part of the battlefield.

CUSTARD making the final close assault on house 4
The victorious squad with spiritual support

Quite contrary to expectation, the result was spectacular. Led by one of their spiritual leaders, the CUSTARD militiamen charged forward and manage to throw the PLAoSS out of house 4. The right flank of CUSTARD's line was secure.

Knocked-out PLAoSS M-47
The general situation around house 4; CUSTARD and PLAoSS forces all around

It came at a heavy price, however. CUSTARD had by now lost almost two squads of infantry and little in the way of reserves left. Although now an armoured column was about to appear, another push by PLAoSS had good chances in reaching the abbey.

Phase IV: Strange ongoings...

In fact, it was exactly that what PLAoSS was about to do - throwing a terrorist squad into house 5 the PLAoSS commander then got into house 2b and tried to push through towards the abbey. Now CUSTARD had to pay the price for leaving the bunker unoccupied - some terrorists managed to get outside house 2b and put one of the two guns out of action. Only the direct fire of the gun at position 4 (see above) prevented further mayhem there. Now finally did a small CUSTARD column appear on the scene, knocking out the PLAoSS Stuart and regaining control over the street behind houses 4-6.

Meanwhile US troops had finally entered the village, trying to occupy the houses in opposite house complex A. For some reason or other the idea of going into the village with the vehicles first followed by the infantry had great appeal to the US commander. Not that he was not told otherwise...

Anyway, now some very strange events unfolded. Strongly believing in the invincibility of his Abrams tank, the US commander tried to force his way into the left part of the village. While he managed to knock out the PLAoSS T-55 positioned there, the Abrams was first immobilised and then finally succumbed to repeated hits by the main gun of the PLAoSS' M-48.

US Abrams preparing to push through
One Abrams exchanged for one T-55 - who has made the better deal?

Not that this taught the US commander much. If the Abrams didn't make it, why not send in the Bradleys? At least there are three of them, so they might achieve more than the single tank. Of course, the Bradleys have much, much thinner armour...

PLAoSS/terrorist AT team, aka "The Terror of the Bradleys"
This happens if you let your armour advance independently from your infantry...

Not exactly unexpectedly, the Bradleys didn't last long. One was immobilized by the M-48 only to be knocked out by a well-placed AT team afterwards. After some intense fighting between US infantry that had finally appeared on the site and the PLAoSS forces inside house complex A, the AT team managed to knock out the other two Bradleys.

With all his armoured vehicles destroyed the US commander was forced to call it a day and retreat. We ended the game at that point; with its rear positions again fairly secure CUSTARD would probably have managed to push the remnants of the PLAoSS forces entirely out of the village, even though a determined attack might have led to a breakthrough at House 2a. In the event, the PLAoSS commander decided to call his troops back.

So, what can be said about the game?

As (almost) always it was great fun - there was some really intense stuff going on around house 4, and things turned out quite strange for the US task force causing many a funny moment during the game.

Again as is often the case the PLAoSS attack was well executed at what was definitely a weak point in CUSTARD's defensive dispositions, while CUSTARD's first attempts at counterattacking failed badly. It was only through the supreme courage of CUSTARD's militiamen led by Father Francis that they managed to push PLAoSS out of House 4, thereby turning the tide on PLAoSS' left flank.

The commander of the US forces was supremely confident in the power of his armour, only to find out (what some actually told him beforehand...) that using them within the confines of a Soelilandian village was quite a tricky exercise, all the more so if one displays a stunning cluelessness of what actually to do with one's infantry...

As for the results, the US clearly lost, while the fighting between PLAoSS and CUSTARD could best be described as a draw.

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