CapnJim's Modern Stuff - Killing General Isgood FULL AAR...Pg 30 - 16 Jul 24)

[carlos marighela]

O que é isso companheiro? 

I think the kidnapping of a US ambassador (Iran, 1979 aside) has only been successfully carried out once, in 1969. BRAZIL FOR THE WIN!!!!! 

There's a decent, fictionalised, version of the event that largely tells the story. Fifteen political prisoners of the dictatorship released and flown on a Brazilian Air Force C-130 to Mexico, ambassador released by the guerillas. Result! So your Balsakistanis have a high bar to jump.

Bit of inspiration if you haven't seen it and a decent time killer.

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Also a better doco called Hércules 56 but I've not seen a version with English subtitles.

You'll want a figure that resembles the late and sadly departed Alan Arkin. The beauty there being you can also use an Alan Arkin figure as a New York dentist in another, fictional, Latin American dictatorship If you can find a Peter Falk figure that is. 

[CapnJim]

I may have to watch that.  Thanks!

And my US Ambassador and Balszaki Interior Minister (yes, see below...) will resemble other folks...

But first, some Balszaki infantry.  These fellers are 28mm (of course), and are a mix of Eureka Miniatures Soviets and Khurasan Miniatures Ukranians.  I was going for a mix of uniform and gear - some older and some newer (well, newer for 1990 or so, that is), with a vaguely Soviet/Russian look to them.  Thus, I painted them up that way, and I think I succeeded.  These chaps won't be it - they are just enough to do the scenario outlined below.  I will at some point add 2 more riflemen to these 2 squads, and add a third 7-man squad and a platoon sniper.

But on with what I have done.  Here is the platoon Lieutenant:





Here is the basis for the platoon's 1st squad:





And the basis for the platoon's 2nd squad:





And these are the whole batch together...





They will paly a role in the below game, which is scheduled for tomorrow (Friday, the 10th).

The scenario is inspired by Scenario #2: The Big Villa, in our own Mike Demana's Wars of Insurgency, and Scenario Kilo: VIP Extraction, in Dan Mersey's Xenos Rampant.  We will be using Xenos Rampant to play the game.

As you can see, it will involve 4 different factions - US Marines (with the US Ambassador's security detail), Balszaki infantry (with their Interior Minister's security detail), and 2 different forces from the Balszaki Freedom Front (BFF).  Here are the Scenario Info Sheets for the 4 factions...









Kick-off is at 1100 hrs. tomorrow.  Of course, I'll do up an illustrated battle report after we've played the game.  In the meantime. stand by!

[carlos marighela]

The Opfor look very good! Looking forward to the AAR.

[CapnJim]

Thanks. Carlos!  We did indeed fight this action this Friday past.

Before I get around to doing the battle report, a couple administrative notes:

1.  We found 2 typos on the scenario sheets.  The Balzsaki Interior Minister's sedan should have an Armor rating of 4 (listed on the Balszaki Infantry's sheet).  And, conversely, BOTH of the BFF #1's pick-ups should have Armor ratings of 3... 

2.  SPOILER ALERT!  Xenos Rampant does not say what happens to passengers in a vehicle that is destroyed.  So, we made something up - we did a normal shooting attack on the passenger unit in a vehicle that got KO'ed.

3.  If a unit that has the Ambassador or the Interior Minister took casualties, we rolled a d6.  A result of 6 meant that the Ambassador or Interior Minister was a casualty instead of one of the troops in the unit.

I'll get to the battle report soon.  I promise...

[CapnJim]

And here we go...

First off, here's the battlefield looking from the south.  It matches the scenario map pretty well. 



All the units deployed per the scenario sheet.  It was Ted and me - Ted played the Marines and Balszaki regulars, while I played both BFF factions.  We rolled for initiative for each faction, and it went Marines, BRR #1, BFF#2, Balszaki regulars each turn...

Here's Part 1 of the battle report...

Things started fairly quietly.  The Marines moved cautiously up the road toward the country house, while the Balszakis moved deliberately through the orchard toward the house (they got their BTR80 up by the house fairly quickly).   





The Interior Minister's security detail went in the house to escort the Minister and the Ambassador down and out to the vehicles, while the Ambassador's security detail kept an eye on things outside.  Both groups of rebels moved toward the house, one through the pasture, and the other through the crops.   





First blood went to the Marines.  As the moved along the road and the nearby wood-line, they spotted some BFF folks, dismounted the Humvee, and opened fire.  The Marines and the BFF cells closest to them traded shots, the Marines giving better than they got.





The 2nd BFF cells kept moving up the hill to the house, with some getting up the the wall and exchanging fire with the security detail.  Meanwhile the Marines and the Balszaki BTR dueled it out with 1st BFF cells. 





The Humvee, BTR, and the 2 BFF technicals were engaged in a heavy machine gun fight, with one of the technicals taking some hits, and backing off.



Inside the house, the Interior Minister's security detail had the Minister and Ambassador downstairs, waiting to go outside.... 

Find out what happened when they did go outside, in the 2nd (final) installment of this battle report....

[carlos marighela]

Great looking game Jim!

[HESH]

Great work and very inspirational 🫡

[Ash]

Very nice looking set up. Looking forward to the next installment.

[HESH]

Terrific set up - lots to love👍

[CapnJim]

Thanks, gentlemen!  And now, back to our normal programming...

The Ambassador's security detail had plenty of targets.  Luckily, the Balszaki BTR had come up, and was lending a hand with things. 

 

The Balszaki security detail brought the Interior Minister and the Ambassador out to their vehicles, trying to stay out of the line of fire.



Down the hill, the Marines were set in the wood-line, with the Humvee taking on the BFF's technicals.  The Balszaki regulars were making their way (slowly) toward the house.



At the house, the Ambassador's detail, and the Balszaki BTR and a squad of regulars, were holding off the BFF fighters.  The Interior Minister's detail got him in their Mercedes, and crashed the gate to try to get away.



The Ambassador's detail got him in their SUV, while the BTR took out several BFF men.  BFF men at the wall sprayed down the SUV, and the driver punched it in reverse.  And the Marine's Humvee had driven one of the BFF's technicals back.



Then disaster struck.  As the Ambassador's SUV cleared the compound gate, a BFF cell in the wood-line let loose with RPG rounds, and took out the Ambassador's SUV, killing 2 of the security detail.  The other 3 hustled the Ambassador out of the burning vehicle, taking cover.  The Interior Minister, on the other hand, was being sped away in his car.  BFF fighters came over the wall, but there were queet a few less than before.





Some BFF men who had crossed the wall closed in on the Ambassador and his detail, taking the rest of the detail out and grabbing the Ambassador.  The BFF men hustled the Ambassador down the hill, with the Balszaki BTR on their tail.  Meanwhile the crew of one of the BFF technicals had abandoned their vehicle, as had the crew of the Marine's Humvee.  The other BFF technical had been damaged, too.  The BFF also had their transport vehicles come forward.



As the Balszaki regulars took the compound back, what was left of the BFF cells made their way off to the east.  They took some casualties in their retreat, but they kept hold of the US Ambassador and spirited him away. 



The Marines tried to chase the BFF fighters, but it was too late.  The BFF left a couple dozen men behind, as well as one of their technicals, but they had nabbed the US Ambassasdor.  And in the process, they had taken out all of the Ambassador's security detail and his SUV.  They had also taken out a Marine, and forced the Humvee crew to abandon it.  All in all, was an important, but expensive, victory for the BFF.  It was also only a partial victory, as the Balszaki Interior Minister had gotten away.



And there you have it.  In a very rare event, someone (the BFF in particular) had successfully kidnapped a US Ambassador.  Methinks the US may, in due time, try to get him back...    

[carlos marighela]

Given who he resembles.... perhaps not.

Really nice AAR. You've really hit your straps with this retirement bizzo, you seem to be having a ball. Green with envy.

[CapnJim]

Given who he resembles.... perhaps not.

Really nice AAR. You've really hit your straps with this retirement bizzo, you seem to be having a ball. Green with envy.

Yeah, I am digging retirement, as Ol' Blue Eyes once sang - Nice work if You Can Get It...so to speak.

And the Balszaki Interior Minister figure resembled another sub-popular world leader....

[CapnJim]

More stuff to show off today.

First, I made it to a Menards, and bought 3 1/48 diecast trucks (Edit:  these were $5 each...).  First up is a Ford van ambulance (figures are included to show scale)





Next, is a small older dump truck.  This one will likely eventually see some weathering added.





Last is a older fuel truck.  I'm thinking of eventually possibly re-painting this one, and definitely weathering it.





And, I finished some more US troops for the late 1980s/1990s.  (Another edit:  these are a mix of MoFo Miniatures and Stan Johansen Miniatures...)  Here is the Platoon Leader, his RTO, and the medic.  Please note the medics long arm.  Few of their likely antagonists will have been signators to the Geneva Conventions, so he's got something with which to defend himself (more than a pistol, anyway).





Next, we have the platoon's 2nd Squad.  Here is the Squad Leader and Fire Team A.





And here is their Fire Team B.





So, now I have a basic Platoon HQ, 2 squads, and 2 Humvees.  Planned future additions include the Platoon Sergeant and his RTO, the 3rd Squad, 2 MG teams, and an anti-armor team.  And I need to decide on vehicles heavier than Humvees, as well...

[mikedemana]

Looking great, Jim! The ambulance's scale looks perfect. Good find!! Gotta make a trip to the other Menards in town, my store isn't ordering them anymore, for some reason.

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Thanks, Mike.  That gives me 2 ambulances, so I can choose which one to use, depending on the scenario.