CapnJim's Modern Stuff (Aid Convoy Escort AAR Complete...Pg 27 - 30 Apr 24)

[mikedemana]

Sounds like the things are going south quick for Ted and Gene! Looking forward to the Capn Jim sitrep...ha, ha! 

Mike Demana

[Sgt_T]

Great thread!
I'm totally going to steal lots of it for games set in my own fictional African counrty.

T

[CapnJim]

Built the tension nicely there Jim.

Now, if any of the aid trucks contain the members of Band Aid, could you please ask the Gambolans to make sure they kill Geldoff, Phil Collins, Sting and Tony Hadley?

Sorry, carlos - no musicians were harmed in the playing of this game.  Well, not any that we're aware of, anyway...

Hands off ! 

Please see comment above...

Sounds like the things are going south quick for Ted and Gene! Looking forward to the Capn Jim sitrep...ha, ha! 

Mike Demana

Yeah, things could have gone better for the convoy.  Please see Part 1 below...

Great thread!
I'm totally going to steal lots of it for games set in my own fictional African counrty.

T

Thanks, Sarge!  Steal away...

And, now, ladies and gentlemen, our feature presentation...

Part 1:  Contact!

LT Garner, SFC Connor, their squad leaders, the Marine Recon team leader, the helicopter pilots, the 3 aid truck drivers, and the Gambolan NCO who would command the Gambolans that were part of the convoy escort met to figure out the plan.  LT garner was pleased to learn that the Gambolan squad was a Loyal Gambolan Raiders unit.  They were some of Northern Gambola's best troops, and they could be counted on to remain loyal to President Mundane (pronounced moon-DAH-nay). 

The plan that they came up with would have the Gambolan Saladin armored car take the lead, followed by the Gambolan Raiders in their truck.  LT Garner would follow them in hisi Humvee (he would also have the Gambolan interpreter with him) and he would be followed by the Rangers' 1st squad in their 5-ton.  Then, the 3 aid trucks, followed by 2nd Squad in their 5-ton.  SFC Conner would be the tail in his Humvee (he would also have the medic).  The Little Bird would be overhead, keeping an eye on the convoy.  The Marine Recon guys would be waiting on the tarmac in their Blackhawk, adn could take off at a moment's notice.  Should anything happen, the plan was to fight through and keep moving.  With the plan figured out, everyone mounted up, and the convoy hit the SP right on time.  And they headed east toward Bangerizi proper on the MSR.

Things were quiet at first.  LT Garner called in Phase Line Gunsmoke as the crossed the bridge over the Dewitumi River.  They scanned the buildings along the route, but so far hadn't seen much.  They would see the periodic pedestrian out for a smoke walk, but that was it.  No traffic though, which the LT thought was a bit unusual...





What the Lieutenant didn't see was a rebel Gambolan officer and his runner directing groups of civilians (men, women, and children - he didn't care) out into the streets from a marketplace, perhaps at gunpoint (he, of course, stayed hidden in the shadows on that market place).





As the convoy crossed the bridge, LT Garner made a decision.  He, SFC Connor, and the Gambolan Raider Officer all had a bad feeling about the whole thing.  LT Garner directed the armored car to take the Secondary Supply Route.  It did as ordered.  As the Saladin rounded the corner of the compound in the crotch of the "Y" in the road, it turned its turret up the road.  It's crew spotted a car heading slowly toward them (in fact, the only car they had seen out driving so far).  And the 2 guys out having their smoke both moved to get behind cars parked along the side of the road...

 



Civilians moved out into the middle of the street, and the car veered around them.  The Saladin, its crew not sure if the car was a threat or not, held its fire.  No one had seen any weapons yet...



The civilians on the other street moved as a group along the sidewalk towards the convoy...



LT Garner had his driver move his Humvee up alongside the Gambolans so he could see what was going on.  The convoy slowed to a crawl.



That's when it happened.  The suspicious white car sped up, and headed straight for the armored car.  Just before it slammed into the Saladin, it exploded.  Miraculously, the armored car was undamaged, save for scratched paint, although the crew was a bit rattled.  And relieved.



Their relief didn't last more than few seconds.  RPG rounds and small arms fire from the walls of that compound peppered the armored car, knocking it out and killing 2 of it's 3 crew.  The survivor bailed out, and the Gambolan Raider squad dismounted, preparing to move to return fire.  1st Squad's 5-ton moved closer to the compound.  While the Gambolan Raiders tried to get into a position where they could return fire, LT Garner's .50-cal gunner opened up on the rebel Gambolans at the wall of the compound.  The convoy had ground to a halt.



The OH6 Little Bird that was flying top cover for the convoy flew in, and opened up on the rebel Gambolans in the compound with its mini-guns.



The rebel Gambolan officer, sensing that the civilians he had sent out into the street were having second thoughts about their part in this thing, moved out into the street behind them with his runner.  He could better, er, encourage them that way.



Without anyone herding them along, the civilians on the other street took their time approaching the convoy.  But, a cell of Gambolan militia, the first to appear on the scene and full of vim and vigor, moved up to a gate in the wall, ready to spring out to further surprise the convoy.



While the Loyal Gambolan Raiders, LT Garner's .50-cal gunner, and the Little Bird, were dealing with the rebel Gambolans in the compound, the Ranger's 1st Squad Leader, his blood up, had his driver move the 5-ton around the knocked out Saladin.  He then ordered his driver to hit the gas.  His driver did so, and drove right through the civilians in the street, heading straight for the rebel Gambolan officer.  Unfortunately, 2 of the civilians couldn't get out of the way, and were struck and killed by the 5-ton truck! 



As that was happening, the Gambolan militiamen sprang out of the gate they were behind, and opened up with RPGs and small arms on SFC Connor's Humvee.  They didn't manage to hurt the Humvee, but they surprised the hell out of its occupants...



And I'll leave it their for now.  Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon to a device near you...

[CapnJim]

Accidental Post - Please Ignore...

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Come on, leaving us in suspense is so unfair.
Very good AAR so far.

[carlos marighela]

Come on, leaving us in suspense is so unfair.
Very good AAR so far.

X2 and you killed my favourite armoured car.

[has.been]

Exciting stuff. Looking forward to the next episode.

[mikedemana]

Good luck on the suicide bomber car, but not so much on the rolls immediately after, I imagine! Sounds like it is going to be a heck of a fight! 

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Come on, leaving us in suspense is so unfair.
Very good AAR so far.

X2 and you killed my favourite armoured car.

Thanks, fellas.  And sorry carlos.  I'm rather partial to the Saladin myself, but it had to be done.  Everyone knows you kill the lead vehicle in a convoy first...

Exciting stuff. Looking forward to the next episode.

Good luck on the suicide bomber car, but not so much on the rolls immediately after, I imagine! Sounds like it is going to be a heck of a fight! 

Mike Demana

Thanks, guys.  And read on for Part 2...

Part 2:  It Gets Worse...

As the Ranger's 2nd Squad was kind enough to park their 5-ton right in front of the main gate to the compound where the SSR splits off the MSR, the rebel Gambolan DShK team just inside the gate swung the gate doors open wide, and let loose on that 5-ton.  Didn't kill it though, but it did damage it and freaked its passengers out a bit.  It didn't freak them out enough to prevent them from returning fire though, which they did - killing the whole DShK crew!  Oh well.  And the Rangers' 1st Squad, along with the Little Bird and LT Garner's gunner, took care of the Gambolans at the wall of that compound.

As all that was going on, as you may recall, the Rangers' 2nd Squad's 5-ton had just run over 2 civilians heading for the rebel Gambolan officer in the street.  They didn't make it to him, as a team of rebel Gambolans came out from the market area and lit up that 5-ton with RPG and AK fire, knocking it out and putting 5 of the 9 Rangers out of action.  The other 4 Rangers in 1st Squad unassed the truck as it went up in flames. doing their best to get the injured squad-mates off the truck as well.



The civilians that 1st Squad's 5-ton didn't run over scattered toward the market area.  The rebel Gambolan officer ducked into the market place as well.  The Loyal Gambolan Raiders drove their truck around the burning 5-ton, and engaged the rebel Gambolans in the street.  just as they did so, they approached a pile of garbage.  The Gambolan in charge of detonating the IED hidden in the garbage mis-timed things, and the IED went off just a little too soon.  Another oh well...



Meanwhile, over at the tail of the column, SFC Connor's gunner, with the help of the Little Bird, had wiped out the Gambolan militia in the street at the NW corner of the compound.  The civilians there huddled in the cover of the compound walls, not interested in seeing what that .50-cal would do to them.  The Little Bird had turned to help SFC Connor's gunner with that militia.



Back at the head of the column, the Loyal Gambolans shot up some of the rebel Gambolans there, and sent the remaining 2 scattering back into the market place.  It seemed that the Loyal Gambolan Raiders weren't overly fond of the rebel scum...



Back at the tail of the column, the group of civilians there decided to start backing away from the fight.



The remnants of the rebel Gambolan squad had retreated deeper into the market place, as their officer followed them.



As the Little Bird began to fly up the MSR, the convoy was still a jumbled mess.  The Little Bird was running short on ammo.



The Little Bird flew up the MSR, stopped and turned to cover the rebel Gambolans in the market place.  The pilot needn't have worried, as LT Garmer moved his Humvee up, and his Gunner fired on the Gambolans in the market area, dropping them both.  The rebel Gambolan officer had ducked into a little corner at the rear wall of that compound.



The convoy started moving again, slowly winding its way through the now-crowded street of the SSR.





It was around that time when LT Garner called for the QRF.  Their Blackhawk helicopter came in from the west.



The now dismounted Ranger 1st Squad had some of its men who went down when their truck was KO-ed get themselves up and back in the fight.   Just then, some Gambolan militia who had come on from some woods from the SE had worked their way up the the SSR.  A teenager with an RPG fired at the Little Bird, and just barely missed.  The Little Bird's pilot reflexively jinked out of the way of the RPG round, but he was now a bit concerned - and he had ran his guns dry shooting back at them.



The Little Bird's day got worse.   A rebel Gambolan squad came out of a building, up on the roof, and fired at the OH6 with AK and RPK fire.  This time, they were able to damage the helicopter, and its pilot went from being concerned to being nervous...it was time for him to go!  In the meantime, a team of the dismounted 1st Squad Rangers headed into the market place and captured the rebel Gambolan officer.



At the same time, another group of rebel Gambolans appeared on the roof of a building.  Luckily, the QRF chopper was in a position for it left-side door gunner to do something about it.

 

Now, things got even more interesting.  A press crew showed up, driving down the MSR in their jeep.  The photographers got out, and bagan moving to get shots of the action.  We may never know how they found out about the convoy, but the rebel Gambolans on the roof above them didn't fire at them.  Hmmm.



Somewhere along the way, LT Garner's Humvee had taken fire, and was slightly damaged.  The dismounted Rangers moved up the SSR, their prisoner in tow, adn engaged the militia cell that had fired at the Little Bird.  That militia cell was no more.  As the supply trucks maneuvered through the crowded street, another Gambolan militia cell had appeared in those woods to the SE, and fired at the lead supply truck damaging it.  Its driver had had enough, and jumped out, running away toward a nearby alley.  A Ranger team from 1st Squad got into and up on the now-damaged supply truck, ready to keep it moving.  The QRF UH60's door gunner had taken care of the rebel Gambolans on the nearby roof.



And that's it for now.  Part 3, the thrilling conclusion to our convoy's harrowing experience, will be posted here in the very near future...stay tuned!

[Freddy]

Wow, what a cool game!

[carlos marighela]

Very cool!

[has.been]

Edge of (driving) seat stuff.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Very cool!

What he said.

[CapnJim]

Thanks, boys!

Let's find out if the convoy (what's left of it) makes their getaway...grab your snack and beverage of choice, sit back, and enjoy!  And now, Part 3 (the final part) of our feature presentation...

Part 3:  Can It Get Any Worse?

Turns out it can.  Right after the aid truck driver skedaddled from his truck, and the Ranger 1st Squad team climbed aboard, it got shot up again by some more militia in the woods to the southeast.  Another dead truck, and 3 more wounded Rangers (1 had already recovered from a previous wound - this is the second truck shot out from under 1st squad... ).  The Loyal Gambolan Raiders squeezed their truck around the now knocked-out aid truck, while the QRF Blackhawk returned fire (with its right-side door gunner) on the militia in those woods.



One of the press crew worked his way through the market place, snapping photos of the convoy as it crawled past on the SSR.  The other 2 members of the press hopped into their jeep, and headed down the street.





The Loyal Gambolan Raiders led the way out of the kill zone, firing at the militia in the woods as they went.  The second aid truck snaked its way through the street and out of the kill zone.  LT Garner had his driver try to push the dead aid truck out of the way with their Humvee.  It didn't budge at first.  The remaining vehicles in the convoy slowly crept forward.



     

The dismounted Rangers moved up the SSR, keeping an eye on the woods to the southeast, while the QRF chopper moved to a better position.



A Gambolan militia officer and another cell came on from the north, while the Rangers' 2nd squad 5-ton and the 3rd aid truck got out of the kill zone.  LT Garner's Humvee had finally been able to push the KO-ed aid truck enough out of the way.  That truck's driver was nowhere to be seen.  That left the 2 Humvees, and the dismounted Rangers with their prisoner.  The press guy made his way through the market, out into the street, still snapping photos.







The Gambolan militia and their officer that had come down from the north made their way into the market area, firing at the Blackhawk and damaging it.  The Blackhawk, of course, returned fire.



The 2 members of the press in their jeep got to the the site of the original ambush.  They hopped out, and the photographer started snapping pics.



Even more Gambolan militia showed up in the woods southeast of the kill zone.  Having taken cover in the woods among the bodies of their friends, they traded fire with the dismounted Rangers and LT Garner's .50-cal gunner.  The militia came out on the short end of that stick.



The QRF Blackhawk flew to a position where it could better fire on the militia in the market place.  The left-side door gunner dropped the leader and a couple militiamen.



At this point, the dismounted Rangers, and the 2 Humvees got out of the kill zone.  The convoy was now clear and with the Little Bird having flown back to the Bangerizi airport, the QRF chopper followed the convoy, now on top cover duty.  As the remains of the convoy made its way to the distribution point, the few remaining Gambolan militia celebrated around the knocked-out aid truck.  The press milled around, snapping photos of the carnage, including the dead civilians...







And that was it.  The convoy got through, more or less.  More less than more, really.  They lost the Gambolan armored car and a Ranger 5-ton, as well as an aid truck.  And, 7 Rangers were wounded, although all of them were able to get back into the fight, thanks in part to the medic tending to the men hurt when the 5-ton was killed.

Epilogue:  Consequences

The remaining vehicles that made it through the ambush got to the distribution point, albeit with fewer supplies than were sent.  The dismounted Ranger squad (with their prisoner) holed up in a building just east of the ambush site, further tending to their walking wounded.  The JTF at the Bangerizi airport send out a recovery mission, which was able to pick up the holed up Rangers and their prisoner.  But, the Saladin and the 5-ton were write-offs, and by the time the recovery mission got to the ambush site, the aid truck was empty and stripped... 

Worse, the next day, LTC Kurts was called into the JTF Commander's CP.  When he got there, the Navy Captain's TV was on.  He asked Kurts "Have you seen this?"  "Seen what?" replied Kurts.  "Look", the Captain said, pointing at the TV "It's GFN.  They are showing photos of the convoy's wreckage and some pieces-of-shit militiamen celebrating around the broke-dick aid truck.  And that..." he said, as a couple photos flashed on the screen, showing the 2 dead civilians under the front of the burnt-out 5-ton.  "What the f**k, Henry? The Gambolan rebels are saying one of your trucks ran those civilians over.  On purpose."  inquired the Captain.  "Shit!  First I've seen it.  But really, Sir, what of it?  Shit happens." Kurts retorted.  "Really, Henry?  That's your response?  Admiral Cheatham's up my ass about this.  You know we gotta play the f***in' PR game..."  Kurts snorted, took a deep breath, and said "With all due respect to you and the Admiral, Sir, my men have suffered 19 dead and 17 wounded, just in the last few weeks.  Hell, Alpha Company's down to 2 operational platoons.  Plus, the flyboys have had 6 of other helicopters shot up.  All because of that dickweed Isgood.  I'm havin' a hard time dredgin' up much sympathy for people who don't have the brains to get out of the way of a damn truck!"  "Look, Henry" the Captain shot back "We gotta play the game.  At least make it look like you're gonna do something about it.  If you don't, the Admiral's talking about an Article 32 investigation, and maybe calling in CID.  And, we don't need that crap."  "OK, Sir.  I'll look into it.  Maybe a desk-drawer Article 15. I'll let you know what I come up with."

The Navy Captain relaxed a bit, and offered LTC Kurts a drink and a cigar, and waved him into a chair.  "Good, because we have bigger fish to fry.  The good news is that rebel scumbag officer your guys scooped up squealed like a stuck pig when the spooks from Langley had a chat with him."  The Captain winked at Kurts as he blew out some cigar smoke.  Once we confirm his info, it looks like we know where one of their base camps is.  And like I told you before, the gloves are comin' off.  If his info pans out, we're gonna hit the place, and hit it hard.  I assume you want a piece of that action?"  "Hell yeah!  My guys' blood is up. You can count us in." replied Kurts....   
 

[has.been]

Ahh, you've done it again!
Leaving us on edge waiting for the next episode.
You cad.