Fulda Gap 2008

Okay, so this is a few days late but it took me this amount of time to recover from Fulda Gap 2008 and get my thoughts together. I guess the best place to start is at the beginning as we were packing our stuff getting ready to leave Fulda Gap 2007. After a hard fought victory under the leadership of David Thompson of Capital Offense, we were packing up getting ready to head home when David approached Runaway and I in the parking lot and told us that Fulda 2007 would be his last as General of the Warsaw Pact. He then told me that he would recommend to Ferg that I take over his command in 2008. Talk about a great HONOR! I respect (and like) Dave as a person and a paintball player so it was very cool to have him recommend me as his replacement. What’s more he told me that Capital Offense would return as Spetsnaz in 2008. With that began our journey towards Fulda 2008.

Planning
As I stated in my after game comments at the awards ceremony we began our discussions for Fulda 08 almost immediately after the conclusion of the 2007 game. Now, I don’t want to give the impression that we were engaged in intense planning all year long, we were not. We just began to bounce ideas off one another (general and core unit commanders) and have intermittent discussions. Key in these early conversations were Wendell “Runaway” McInnis, Dave "9D" Thompson, Ted “The Hun” Pellech, and Chris “Werewolf” Molles. Other commanders would join in and add input later on but we spent several months just discussing lessons learned from previous games, strategy, and recruiting. However, as we drew closer to the game our level of effort and time spent on planning increased.

Our overall strategy for the game was to maximize our advantage in manpower by forcing NATO to fight us across the breadth of the field, thereby not allowing them to concentrate their force at any one spot, we did not want to give them a Thermopylae where in the words of King Leonidas in The 300, "our numbers would count for nothing!" Second, we would cut or at least strangle the NATO supply lines. We also wanted to attack the NATO commander's decision making process by presenting him with multiple decision points at once. Finally we would execute as coordinated an advance as any paintball army ever did.

The following is a summary of our key strategy points.

Cutting NATO Supply Lines
First there was what to do with DZ2. In previous games DZ2 represented a major obstacle and created major havoc since we could never really clear our rear areas of NATO forces even though we had had overrun Holiday and Duckett. Given DZ2’s proximity to these bases, NATO in effect had an endless army to throw against Warsaw Pact forces and those bases would change hands all day long stretching our forces in those areas to their limits (talk to Wolf and EGI). Thus we decided we needed to do two things. First, we decided to view the DZs as supply bases that could be cut off. We decided to task specific units with the dedicated mission of screening the supply lines coming out of the DZs outside of the 100ft exclusion zone. Our thinking being that even if we could never completely shut down the DZ we could attrit NATO forces coming out of the DZ to attack Holiday and Duckett before they reached their objectives, forcing them to expend paint, air, and energy getting to the bases, and then having to fight a pitched battle against a second set of troops once they got there.

The second thing we did was to present Ferg and the NATO Commander with a new rule for DZ2. That being that once we took Holiday and Duckett DZ2 would shut down to NATO forces except their 10th Special Forces. Our argument being that in a real battle once an area had been overrun the OpFor would not be able to magically respawn their army in that area. The other side of the coin was that all NATO needed to do was take back one of those bases and the DZ would reopen to NATO regular forces.

With our plan to cut the supply line coming out of DZ2 while at the same time having for the first time a chance to secure our line of advance, we began to see the battle for Holiday and Duckett as less of the meat grinder it had been in previous years. Both proved critical to our success. We used a similar plan on Sunday to cut the NATO supply lines coming out of DZ4 executed by SOVA. This proved to be a major part of why Sim City finally fell.

Based on some of the post-game posts there seemed to be issues with DZ camping. I took great pains to make sure that our guys were aware of the rules. Yes, we did purposely screen both DZ2 and DZ4, but our intent was to do so within the rules. If Warsaw Pact Forces were DZ camping it was by accident or on their own volition not due to any orders from our command element. I know we had one or two occasions that I am aware of where Warsaw Pact units maneuvered below Rte 9 near DZ4. In each case we moved them out of there ASAP.
But our goal was to strangle NATO reinforcements coming out of those DZs.

Nuke Strike against Rex
In previous years it had taken a tremendous amount of time and effort to neutralize FB Rex (Camp Lee) which yielded very little in terms of points or tactical advantage. Coming out of 2007 I knew I did not want to do this and decided very early to take Rex out with a tactical nuke. Even though it would cost us a points penalty I felt that the preservation of troops and resources far outweighed the points lost. I also felt that a nuke strike that early in the game might disorient NATO as well as deprive them of a jump off point to launch a counter attack against Bravo. I also decided to leave the low ground in front of Rex without any bunkers, creating clear fields of fire against anyone attempting to attack across that open ground. The denial of Rex meant that any NATO attack had to come out of the tree line into the open field in order to attack Bravo. This also worked very well as we were able to hold Bravo against persistent NATO attacks on both Saturday and Sunday with a relatively small force. Big kudos to Team TangoAlpha2 (the core team of the Dagger Force) which took on this mission. They in effect would become the hinge upon which the rest of the field would turn as both Army Groups pressed their attacks south and to the south east. Not to mention they tied down at least one NATO heavy tank and a large number of their troops.

Order of Battle
Given the success we were having with recruitment, I realized quickly that it would be impractical for me to plan with each individual team. So I organized the Warsaw Pact into two Armies, Army Group East and Army Group West. Army Group East consisted of 39th Guards, 117th Guards, 172nd Guards, and 51st Guards. Army Group west consisted of EGI and 120th Guards. Once we agreed to an overall strategy it fell to the Core Unit commanders to plan the activities of their regiments and subordinate teams. This resulted in two way planning cycle where the base strategy was pushed down but the tactical planning was pushed back up. It also broke up and distributed the planning process into manageable bits. This resulted in an almost 100% acceptance and knowledge of the plan and resulted in a much higher involvement of the subordinate teams in planning than we might otherwise have achieved. Particular credit goes to Herr Oberst Werewolf for the work he did gelling Army Group West into a cohesive and highly effective battle group as well as ensuring cross coordination with Army Group East.

This also included taking a very systematic approach to the recruitment and assignment of teams. We DID NOT haphazardly assign teams to units. Every core unit was built from the ground up looking at the core strengths and weaknesses of each team. We really worked to ensure that the regiments were balanced given the missions they would be assigned. This meant that we did not create one core unit filled soley with teams of berserkers whose sole desire was to seek and destroy! We made sure that the teams had complimentary styles of play. This meant matching storm trooper squads who would storm bases with mil-sim types that would be willing to hold ground.

This planning approach resulted in a highly flexible plan that accounted for different scenarios and really gave us the ability to react quickly to the flow of battle.

Dedicated Reconnaissance
I also decided early on to have dedicated reconnaissance teams whose primary mission would be to infiltrate behind OpFor lines and report on OpFor troop movements, unit strengths and locations, and provide pre-assault intelligence on primary regimental objectives. This mission fell primarily to Forefront which was part of our Spetsnaz contingent. This allowed Capital Offense, the core Spetsnaz team, the ability to focus on mission frag orders and direct action in support of our overall operations. Forefront was able to provide a constant stream of real time intel on the OpFor. While Capital Offence racked up on mission and base points. Capital Offense was also a great source of battlefield intel. Both teams were OUTSTANDING and were critical components to our victory. This combined with the constant stream of information coming into the CP from the regiments gave us pretty good situational awareness.

Tactical Communications
If there is one thing that is an absolute force multiplier it is good tactical comms. Most people make the mistake of thinking in terms of just radios, but that is only the beginning. Radios, like any other tool are most effective when you know how to use them. The number of radios on the field is less important than how they are employed. During Skirmish USA's ION we controlled a 1500 player force with 12 radios. At Fulda we used 6 radios (not including the radios used by subordinate units). Our tactical nets were structured to allow us the greatest flexibility while making it easy for information to flow up and down the chain of command. While at the same time keeping a minimum number of people on the radios to prevent confusion.

This ability allowed us to react quickly to a free flowing battle field situation and to coordinate our attacks so that they had greater impact. A perfect example was Runaway’s operation to relieve EPIC after they became surrounded by NATO forces.

On Field Re-Supply
As a command team we discussed a detail plan for on field re-supply of paint, air and water that would effectively increase our practical numbers on field. While we did not fully implement this plan, enough teams took advantage of staging supplies in our DZs that we were able to maintain some of our forces on field for much longer than we otherwise could have. It must have been a funny sight watching Runaway pull that chest behind him around the field, but those extra supplies came in handy! Otto can attest to that when he ran out of Nerfs at Bravo.

All of these things in and of themselves probably do not turn the tide, but when looked at in the aggregate these things worked together to create a much more dynamic and potent force than your average scenario army.

The Game

Due to my incomplete reading of the rules regarding the starting locations of 117th and 120th Guards we were forced to delay our attack by about 15 to 20 minutes in order to allow our units time to reposition. Our plan called for the 117th to launch an attack from Luke to Alpha, however since they had to start at Bentree they had to conduct a movement to their jump off point once the game began.

While some of the commanders were initially wary of this, it did result in some key tactical advantages, especially since the battle could not start until we crossed the DMZ.

First, the 117ths movement would clear our rear of any NATO Special Forces. This turned out to be a mute point as it appeared that 10th Special Forces was operating up around Bentree. However, it did give me confidence that our CP would not come under direct attack at the start of the game as it did the year before.

Second, the delay allowed us to bring our units as close to their max numbers on field before we actually started our attack. In my opinion this was significant. Allowing the units to get to their attack positions, get organized, get communication checks ect….allowed us to launch our attack in a much more coordinated manner.

Finally, it allowed us to launch our pre-planned nuclear strike against Rex so that the time between impact and when we crossed the DMZ was lessened. As I stated above, our intent was to force NATO to defend the entire field while presenting the NATO commander with multiple threats and issues simultaneously. In military parlance we wanted to get inside NATO’s OODA loop.

Our planned worked, sort of, per some of the commander’s concerns it was very hard to control some of the individual players even though I briefed each unit as they went onto the field about waiting for the order to attack. As the start rocket fired almost immediately fire broke out across the DMZ. I was hollering to the units at Bravo to cease fire. I think there were similar incidents up and down the DMZ. Fortunately NATO did not cross in force which gave us time to complete 117th Guards movement from Bentree unmolested. As soon as they were in position I gave the order to attack while at the same time getting time hacks on the tactical nuke headed for Rex.

Others will be better able to discuss the specifics of what happened in their sectors but I can talk to my view through the command net.

First, our recon teams began to immediately provide excellent intelligence on NATO units at our primary objectives. I had a very good picture of the numbers we were facing at Holiday and Alpha. Since our plan called for a 2 regiment assault on Holiday I felt confident it would quickly fall. Alpha was a different matter. In truth, my objective was not necessarily to take Alpha but to make as big a fight around Alpha as was possible to deny NATO the ability to send troops to the western side of the field. However, right from the start it seemed that we were pressing Alpha much more successfully than I had anticipated while the battle for Holiday seemed to be going much slower. On top of that I lost comms with the 120th Guards and basically had to rely on Wolf to coordinate Army Group West.

In front of Bravo, the Dagger force was doing a good job of holding back NATO. I had anticipated that once the tactical nuke hit, Dagger (39th Guards) would be able to move up to the tree line behind Rex but this did not happen. Between the two NATO tanks and the fact that NATO kept a large force of troops in that area even after the nuke strike, prevented us from moving up. However, this also worked to our advantage as it tied down at least one NATO tank and a large number of NATO troops for most of Phases 1 and 2. Central to this was a decision I had made not to place any bunkers in the low ground between Rex and Bravo. This meant that any NATO attack would have to cross open ground to get to our CP. This became a perfect elimination zone throughout the day, even though on one occasion they made it to the blue bunkers adjacent to Bravo.

The actions in front of Bravo and at Alpha followed our plan to a tee since we were able to tie up a large number of troops at those locations that could not defend against our main effort in the west. The fact that we were able to eventually take FB Alpha (Fulda) was extra.

The core of our strategy was focused on the capturing and holding of Holiday and Duckett to shut down DZ2. We never thought we could capture the entire field. However, with DZ2 shut down we felt we could hold Holiday and Duckett as well as our East German bases. From Duckett we would then try to take Hamburger which would open up DZ6 to our regular forces. With DZ6 open we would then cut the field north to south and force NATO to fight us in open space while we consolidated our defenses around the bases.

Well, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men... Our attack in the west began to bog down around Holiday. EGI, which had been tasked with screening DZ2, had moved up to the area of DZ2 but had limited maneuver space because DZ2 butts up against the tape line. Since I did not have comms with 120th Guards, I cannot say with any certainty what was going on in their sector. The original plan called for EGI to attack along the western tapeline with the dual mission of cutting off the DZ2 supply line while at the same time hitting Holiday from the west. Simultaneously, 120th Guards was to come up on Holiday from the low side moving from Luke and catching the base in a pincer. I estimated that the two regiments totaling almost 100 troops would quickly overwhelm Holiday and would then be able to jump off to Duckett. However, we had also discussed a back-up plan with 172nd Guards that if the attack at Holiday stalled, 172nd Guards would send a heavy squad to hit Duckett from the east then support the attack on Holiday by attacking north. This forward planning would pay dividends!

Based on the radio calls it was clear that EGI had engaged a very large force around DZ2 and was taking heavy casualties. I distinctly remember Wolf’s calls that his attack was faltering and that his battle lines were failing. I immediately executed our back up plan to have 172nd Guards launch an attack on Duckett to relieve the pressure on EGI. Not having comms with 120th Guards I could only hope that they were still on task. In retrospect what I think happened is that when EGI stumbled on the NATO forces at the start of the game NATO began to mass in that area to respond to EGI. In effect EGI served as bait drawing NATO forces to them. This allowed 120th Guards to continue on to take Holiday while 172nd Guards was able to take Duckett. With DZ2 shut down to NATO regular forces we were then able to consolidate our forces and reset for the next phase. It would be interesting to hear the NATO perspective on how that part of the battle went. However, it is clear to me that the effort we put into planning and the willingness of the teams to execute those plans during the game was a decisive element in our overwhelming victory.

By this time the Spetsnaz main force (Capital Offense) had captured Apache and began to use it as a staging area for attacks against NATO forces in the south. The Spetsnaz recon teams, Forefront, continued to move about the field providing excellent intel. A quick note about Forefront, this was their first time at CD and their ability to maneuver around the field, behind NATO lines, without being compromised was just incredible! These guys really understand what being a recon team is about and their impact on the game belied their small numbers (6).

I don’t remember exactly when Alpha fell but at some time in the late morning we controlled the following bases Bravo, Luke, Bentree, Holiday, Duckett, Apache and Alpha. We were way ahead of schedule. In my planning I had accounted for us being behind by 200 points coming out of phase 1 due to our use of a nuke and the reasonable expectation that it would take us that long to secure Holiday and Duckett. But now I began to think about taking Hamburger in during Phase 1. Taking Hamburger would open DZ6 to our regular force but was a Phase 2 objective. However, given where we where in the game I decided to go for a full sweep of the western side of the field.

At about 11:30 or so I received a call from Warsaw Pact Command (Ferg) that the Czech paratroopers , under the command of Bill "Greenman" Ford, were getting ready to insert. This also meant that the 82nd Airborne would be hitting the field. I had already briefed Greenman that I would insert his Paras at the CP and that they should stand by to face off against the 82nd if they inserted on our side of the field or go to wherever they were most needed. So I told Ferg to insert them at Bravo. When the Czechs showed up they took up defensive positions around Bravo. I held them there for about 15 minutes to ensure that we were not going to get US Airborne in our rear areas. I called Warsaw Pact Command to confirm that the 82nd had in fact inserted, which was confirmed. Since they were not on our side of the field it was safe to assume they had been inserted on the NATO side. About this time word came that Hamburger had fallen to a mixed force of Spetsnaz and the 172nd (I think), but that NATO was counterattacking in force and it was doubtful they could hold out. I decide to split the Czechs and send Greenman and part of his unit to reinforce Hamburger while the rest remained at Bravo for base defense.

Beyond anything I could have hoped for we now controlled the entire western side of the field and we were still in Phase 1! For the rest of Phase NATO launched furious counter attacks against Apache and Hamburger. Army Group West pulled back and consolidated around Holiday and Duckett. At the end of Phase 1 (1300) we were given credit for holding Bravo, Luke, Bentree, Alpha, Holiday, Duckett, and Apache. Plus we completed both our Phase 1 missions. This was a great start! My original time table called for us to hold Bravo, Luke, Bentree, Holiday, and Duckett. With the 200 point deduction we would have been about 200 points down but well with striking distance of NATO. I was very concerned about over extending our units and opening us up to counter attacks but this never happened.

About this time I could tell units were reaching their limits on paint and air. Our encouragement of units to stockpile air and paint on field in the DZs had paid dividends but even those supplies were beginning to run low. So I decided to slow the pace consolidate our defenses and take the next hour or so to allow units to get players off the field to get lunch and recharge. EGI went to 50% on 50% off. 172nd started rotating their squads off, ect…. This seemed to coincide with a drop in NATO activity, which was just as well by me.

Sometime around 1430 the pace began to pick up again. We retook Hamburger and now began to press our attack on Sim City. While we continued to encounter NATO attacks across the field it seemed as though the bulk of the NATO Force had fallen back around Sim and Alpha. But since we held the high ground we definitely had the initiative.

Around 1500 NATO launched a major attack out of SIM with a large force of NATO infantry spilling out of the entrance near the entry point. They easily swept out into the middle of the field even though they were taking heavy casualties, when all of a sudden someone screams out they are carrying something. I take a look over the Bravo trench wall and I realize it is their back-pack nuke (not that it is even close to being back-pack size). I start yelling to our troops that they are carrying a nuke and we need to take them out. Runaway hears this and immediately organizes a fierce counter attack to intercept the nuke. He also reminds me that we need the Spetsnaz to disarm bomb as well as the disarming code. I call 9D, Dave Thompson and tell him we need his Spetsnaz, I then call Warsaw Pact Command to request the disarm code and I am told that capturing the bomb is the same as disarming it. Dave and Runaway begin to directly coordinate a mission to do just that. After a few minutes the call comes back from Runaway that the bomb has been secured and is on its way back to the CP.

This illustrates one of the Warsaw Pacts great strengths during the game; our communications was such that the commanders could easily coordinate attacks and missions across the field.

With the day drawing to a close it was clear we controlled the field as we pressed closer to Sim. NATO put up fierce resistance and launched counter attacks against some of the bases we held, but we were able to keep the pressure on them. Around 1630, NATO launched a nuclear strike against our Command Post, since only myself and Seoul were in the CP we were the only casualties. So we just went on down and respawned. With the CP irradiated we positioned ourselves near the bunkers at the Warsaw Pact entry point.

It was at this time NATO launched it final attack across that open space. The paint was coming in heavy but our defenses held. With that final push Phase 2 ended.

From a points perspective we completed the first 2 phases firmly in the lead. We went to dinner knowing we could put the game away during the night phase. With that knowledge I began to get a headcount of who would be playing that night. Fortunately for us we were going to have a pretty good showing.

Weeks prior to the game we had agreed on a general strategy for the night game. EGI would have base security at Bravo. We would send one task force to secure Rex, another task force working with the Spetsnaz to secure FB Alpha. Once Rex and Alpha were secured we would send the Spetsnaz to take SIM. A third task force would sweep around the western side of the field to hit Sim coming from the southwest in support of the Spetsnaz attack. This fell to elements 120th Guards. Simple, straight forward, and to the point.

Wolf‘s base security plan was beyond anything I could imagine. Supported by Rogue Cell it included spot lights and zip lock control of the entry points to our CP. Wolf had decided that no one was getting into Bravo unless he wanted them to, and that included me. I don’t think a force smaller than all of NATO could have taken that position.

The first task force fell under the command Runaway and would prove to be the most difficult objective of the night. While they were able to get to the outer trenches of Rex getting into the base proved to be very hard. NATO had taken up positions on the other side of the base and was pouring fire over the top. Also, Wolf’s spot lights served to skyline the Warsaw Pact troops whenever they stood up or poked there heads over the top of a trench making them perfect targets. The first task force would spend most of the night pinned down in front of Rex.

The second task force was comprised of Recon-1 and their mission was to secure FB Alpha after the Spetsnaz had captured the base. Spetsnaz moved out and quickly accomplished their mission, however, the link up between them and Recon-1 prove to be difficult. We went back and forth on the radio trying to get the two units link up but it never happened. Eventually, once I confirmed that Recon-1 one was at Alpha I instructed the Spetsnaz to move on to their next mission, securing Sim City. Later on I directed our Spetsnaz recon team, Forefront, to Alpha in order to complete a mission there as well as reinforce Recon-1. They would hold this position until the completion of the night phase.

The third task force, consisting of the Rats and Krisis (120th Guards) started a wide sweeping movement to the west, moving around Alpha, to Hamburger and Apache in order to position themselves to attack Sim in support of the Spetsnaz mission. Otto, of Team Krisis, stayed in the CP and provided comms to that element as they conducted the longest movement of the night. The only issue we had was that they came out below route 9 near the NATO DZ4 which constituted DZ camping. I immediately asked Otto to have them move into Sim and away from that area, which they did. Ferg called me to confirm that they had moved.

The final mission of the night fell to the Spetsnaz and 120th Guards to hit Sim. I also intended for 117th Guards (SOVA) to hit the Rex side entrance to Sim, basically boxing any NATO forces on 3 sides. It was at this point I decided to tour the front lines around Rex, so myself, Seoul, and Otto headed out across the field to link up with Runaway. When we arrived Runaways force was still pinned down. About this time SOVA announced they were coming on field and we went to meet them to bring them up to Rex.

Once there they solidified Runaway's position and we began to discuss them launching a frontal assault to clear Rex. They were clearly game but it did not make sense to send them into a meat grinder unsupported. The command group then returned to Bravo during which time a plan was worked out to subdue Rex by coordinating the spotlights under Wolf’s command with an attack by SOVA and the other Warsaw Pact troops in front of Rex. Also, a squad lead by Hambo of Phantom Recon Ops was tasked with a frag mission to secure the helicopter next to Rex (the second mission of the night phase) , which they did.

By 1000 we were in complete control of the field and given NATO’s dwindling numbers it was decided to end the game at 1030, which made sense. I know some people may have felt the game should have ended as scheduled at 2400 but it did not make sense to have so many people standing around with nothing to do in the cold.

With the night game called at 1030 it was clear we now held a lead that could not be surpassed even it NATO swept the field on Sunday, which was highly unlikely given the numbers were in our favor. When I came off the field to give Ferg his radio he just smiled and shook his head, we talked for a few minutes about the points (I believe one of the terms he used was monkey stomp). But it was clear that we were in a commanding position and that the game could potentialy turn negative on Sunday if I decided to press our advantage against NATO with the game set-up the way it was. It was at this point that I began thinking about ways to make the game fun and interesting for both sides. Knowing we would win no matter what happened there was nothing to lose in doing so and it would make sure that folks on both sides could walk away feeling good about the event.

On my way back to the camping area I mentioned this to Ninerref and he half jokingly suggested having us come onto the field in segments. Then when I stopped by Capital Offense’s camp site to chat with Dave I mentioned to him what I was thinking and he added in the 15 minute time interval for insertions and VOILA! The game structure for Sunday was determined. We would occupy 2 bases to start the game with 1 regiment each. We would then bring in the remaining regiments 1 every 15 minutes after the start of the game. I then ran into Harly and told him what I was thinking. Harly strikes me as a man of integrity and honor who doesn’t ask for or needs any favors. When I told him what I wanted to do he just said “if it’s what you want to do I’m good with it”. The next morning I briefed Ferg on the details and the game was set. I also asked Ferg to delay the game start to ensure that I could brief my commanders on the game change and ensure they had enough time to come up with a quick plan.

On Sunday morning, I made a round of the Warsaw Pact campsite to let the commanders and team captains know about the change. I know I didn’t get to everyone but I hit as many as I could find. We had a team captain's meeting at 0830 where we went over the game changes and strategy. Day two of Fulda Gap is supposed to find the Warsaw Pact on the defensive against an all out NATO counter-attack. However, the games changes I had suggested basically put us in a break-out situation with us controlling only 2 bases and NATO the rest of the field. We decided on a two pronged strategy. Army Group East under Runaway, consisting of the 117th , Czech Paras, 172nd would secure Sim and Rex. They would then move to take Bravo, expanding our beachhead. 15 minutes into the game the first element of Army Group West under the command of Werewolf, would enter the game and attempt to launch an attack up the northern side of the field to the west towards Bentree. We were to try and execute a basic envelopment, with Army Group East fixing NATO forces at SIM and Rex while Army Group West attacked west towards Meinigen (a 200 point bonus base) then cut across the field south, finally turning back east (aproaching from Hamburger and Apache) towards Sim trapping NATO between the two Army Groups.

Right at the start things started to go a little off track. As Army Group East units began to push out from Sim they began to encounter OpFor resistance which seemed to gradually pick up steam to the point where it seemed like NATO had launched an all out assault on Sim. Although I had Runaway on my command net, I dropped down to the Army Group East TAC net to listen to their battle calls. It was CRAZY! All their units seemed to be in heavy contact. EPIC somehow had become cut-off and surrounded and was calling help. Runaway quickly pulled together a relief effort that was a great example of small unit tactical leadership. Realizing friendly units could not approach EPIC without shooting into their position; he quickly ordered them to lay flat... It was a very interesting radio call to say the least...

Runaway “Okay guys you are going to have to trust me on this, go to ground and stop firing….”

I never heard EPIC’s response but they must have trusted him enough to do as told. Runaway then maneuvered two units from opposite directions to EPIC’s position firing into the OpFor over EPIC’s heads! The NATO force surrounding EPIC was broken and EPIC was able move out of that precarious position.

Army Group West also got off to an inauspicious start. First they started inserting earlier than planned and we had to call back several units which sort of gave away what we were trying to do. Then once that was addressed and Army Group West began moving again they immediately ran into a strong NATO force. Wolf’s AAR states this was at Holiday and Duckett but my recollection is that it was they made contact somewhere just beyond Luke, but that’s the fog of war! Anyway the resistance to Army Group West’s advance is building and I’m wondering how NATO is putting up such a big fight at both Sim and on the western side of the field. All of a sudden Runaway radios that Sim is close to falling. The next Army Group West unit to insert is Rogue and they are immediately rerouted to the defense of Sim. However it was too late. By the time they had moved up to the tree line behind Rex, Sim had fallen. Now we would spend most of the rest of the day beating back fierce NATO pushes from Sim towards Rex led by the Wallace.

Sizing up the situation, things were bad but still manageable. Runaway was seriously pissed that Army Group East had lost Sim but I told him we could still make that work to our favor as long as we held them at Sim and they did not overrun the CP. Runway went off and began organizing a defensive line that went from the entrance to Sim to the entrance to Alpha and then wrapped around with us holding Alpha. Army Group west had advance as far as Holiday and Duckett and engaged in heavy fighting that was whittling down their forces.

NATO was putting up one heck of a fight and applying massive pressure across the field. Side note, this is why I was for the game change. It gave NATO a chance to organize and concentrate their forces so that they could make a good fight. I believe this was a good thing for everyone involved and A LOT OF FUN!

By the end of the morning, the pattern was set for the rest of the day. NATO would launch consecutive charges out of Sim in an effort to break out into the open area by Rex. On several occasions they came very close to succeeding. The Wallace would come flying out of Sim guns blazing and scattering Warsaw Pact troops in it’s wake followed up by NATO infantry in force. This was a very effective tactic except that there was poor coordination between the Wallace and the NATO infantry. Had those actions been coordinated it is very doubtful we could have held Rex. Fortunately for us they never broke the code and we developed a simple tactic to offset the Wallace’s power.

When the Wallace would break through we would let him go deep into our rear. On at least two occasions he drove around Bravo and Rex blazing with his guns. At one point I was behind one of the bunkers at Rex when the Wallace fired its main gun trying to take the bunker out. Note, nerfs make a very interesting sound when fired from the Wallace’s main gun as they whistle overhead, sort of a heavy SWOOOOSH! But I digress. Once the Wallace broke through we always had at least one anti tank gunner standing by to deal with him while the rest of our infantry refocused on the entrance to Sim and mowed down the NATO infantry as they tried to rush forward. This proved very effective and allowed us to hold off the NATO attacks despite a yeoman’s effort on their part.

On the western side of the field things had gone from bad to worse. NATO had completely stalled our advance in that sector and was taking apart Army Group West piece by piece. Wolf was doing his best but they had just run into some heavy heat. Sometime around 1200 Wolf radioed that they were out of gas and he was pulling his army back to re-arm and regroup. NATO had stopped our Western advance cold. Now this was turning into a real challenge! My hat goes off to NATO for the spirit they showed on Sunday!

As Wolf pulled Army Group West back to the Warsaw Pact re-entry point I decide to task several units with running patrols up the Bentree side of the field. I know to some this may have seemed a bit excessive but it was necessary to avoid NATO back dooring us through Luke. But NATO never came that route, instead they seemed to shift most of their forces to Sim and to what appeared to be a screening mission between OP Romeo and Holiday and Duckett. But the space between Sim and Rex was the hornets nest, buzzing with thick cloud of paintballs.

By 1300 hundred Army Group West was preparing to come back onto the field. I told Wolf that I wanted him to try his push to Bentree again but that I’d try and get Spetsnaz recon out in front as his advance guard. But by the time the recon team was ready to go Wolf and Army Group West had already pushed off and was at Luke. Meeting minimal resistance. He then pushed his forces on to Bentree. Now that the Spetsnaz recon team had no mission, I directed them to hold Luke while Army Group West secured Bentree and then launched an attack across the DMZ to capture Holiday and Duckett. Also by this time the Czech Paras and other units had control of Apache and were pushing Hamburger. Once again we were beginning to gain control of the entire field.

At this point it appeared to me that the NATO commander had made an all out gamble to breakout from Sim, overrun Rex and Bravo and go from there. They made a valiant effort but I think our numbers among other things was to much to overcome. They fought hard and brought the PAIN, which made the game exciting, so I am not mad at them.

At around 1330 NATO made one last major push out of Sim towards Rex which we barely turned back. This actually signaled the beginning of the end as Runaway and Otto with the help of EPIC and others launched a final assault on Sim. This included to 2 air strikes called in back to back on the Sim trailers, Warsaw Pact units attacking from Rex as well as Apache, and one heck of a defense put up by NATO. One motivating scene was Otto and Runaway behind the Revelation pushing the attack into the entrance of Sim.

With less than a few minutes remaining Warsaw Pact infantry surged through the entrance to Sim and gained a foothold. The paint was so heavy you could see groups of 3 to 5 players being eliminated all at once. But the Pact was smelling blood and there would be no denying them. MGB of Boxer brought a large unit down from Apache and hit Sim in the rear. This sealed Sims fate as the defense began to crumble. All of a sudden I hear a cheer and ran to the entrance of Sim, the flag had been turned.

Apparently Runaway had lost his mind and decided to run out into the open, executing a perfect combat roll over the faux barb wire around the command shack at Sim, barrel tagged the structure and flipped the flag! One of Team Boxer’s younger members who witnesses this event commented that it looked like our team captain was running, tripped, and accidently flipped over the wire… sprawling out near the command bunker. It be nice to get confirmation as to which version is correct.

At this point I walked into Sim behind a wave of cheering Warsaw Pact Troopers. I walked up to the command bunker and announced over the command net that the Warsaw Pact general now stood at the center of Sim City.

At that point I cannot tell you what bases we held or what the score was, but it was one of those moments that will stick in my mind for a long time to come! While standing at the Sim Command bunker I ran into Rude Dawg. Rude Dawg has a very laid back nature (or so it seems to me), kind of good old boy meets surfer dude. He just smiled, nodded, and gave me a fist bump as the game ending rocket went off. What a perfect way to end the game!

What a game! It had eveything. Even though we did achieve a GREAT victory, NATO really recovered on Sunday to put up one heck of a fight.

First let me get a big round of appluase and cheers and let me extend my deep gratitude to Ferg and Lee Ann. I have said it before and I will say it again. They run a first class establishment, they care about the players and they care about the game. We have to remember that this is also a business for them. How many of us have been to events where the game producers and or field owners only concern was collecting their money?

Ferg and Lee Ann are true ambasadors and caretakers of the game. Was everything perfect? No, but what ever complaints we have pails in comparison to the experience they provide for us and at a great value as well. Those of us who attended ION know what high entry and paint fees are like.

Great job guys and thanks for all you do!

Next let me give a BIG SHOUT out to the Men of Team Boxer (my paintball Family). Brothers none of this happens without you! You are the well spring from which any sucess I have as a General springs! You are the foundation. But I must single out our Team Captain, Runaway for the support he provides me. Not to mention he is one of the best small unit tactical leaders I have ever scene in or out of the military. He is my personal Gunny Highway!

I also need to give a hug to my man David "Seoul" Kwan, who for the second big game helped me run the command post. Seoul, you are my right hand and my left. You helped me keep things straight. Thanks!

To Dread, Bro it is always good to see you and I'm sorry about Big Boxer flipping, I'll talk to HoyBoy about his lead foot. Also, BigUps for helping with the radios. MAn when are you going to make Boxer official!

And to Ninneref, for his unselfishness in accepting the role as Wolf's radio operator!

To the Core Unit Commanders and their teams, Dave "9D" Thompson and Capital Offense, Jeremy "Lurch" Byrum and EPIC UNIT, Ted "The Hun" Pellech and Recon-1, Eric "Lifer" Brooks and AFC, Chris "Werewolf" Molles, Bill "Greenman" Ford, and Rodney of ODX.

You guys are the BOMB! Literally! One of you once said that a scenario general is nothing without good team captains... you are right, except that you guys were great! Special props needs to go to Werewolf, you really stepped up big time bro and laid it down. You were truly my Most Valuable Core Commander.

And to my friends at Capital Offense, you guys are so much a part of the Boxer sucess that it would be hard to explain to those who dont know us. On top of that you guys are beyond a doubt one of the most DOMINANT scenario teams in the country. Now that may be unfair since I have only been exposed to teams on the east coast, but if there is better than you then my hats are off to them because they must we way off the charts! You guys simply deserve every award you win, period, end of story!

Now there were many teams on the Warsaw Pact and EVERY team delivered something to our victory, there is no way that it could have been as dominant if not for that. But I just need to holla at a few hard charging ballers.....

Forefront, what can I say. You guys deleivered on eveything we asked you to do and more. I am more than glad you were able to make the trip from Jersey. I REALLY hope you can make it next year!

SOVA, yall are for REAL! These cats out of Virgina are hardcore, diciplined ballers. They lay waste to all in front of them but more importantly when asked they stepped up into a leadership role and made big time contribs to our victory. In every game phase these guys played a decisive role.

TangoAlpha2, Wingman and his crew was deeply involved in the early planning and took on some difficult missions. I truly appreciated your patience and understanding as well as your ability to deliver the goods. Without you Bravo falls on day one. Great Job guys.

The Rats and Krisis, wherever you show up you have an impact, which is why I placed you with 120th guards taking on the mission of taking Holiday and Duckett. Your on field agressiveness and initiative make you a force to be reckoned with!

Rogue Cell, as a former Rogue I hope you know you guys hold a special place in my heart! Rogue has become one of the most consistently predicatble teams when it comes to a high level of paintball performance! You guys simply deliver the goods! Outstanding work on the western side of the field and with the base security during the night phase.

42nd Legion and Chaos Parade. For the first time in Fulda Gap we actaully fielded the Czech Paratroopers and you guys played a pivotal role in helping secure the souther half of the field both on Saturday and Sunday. Your willingness to go where needed, do what was required gave me great flexability as a commander once you entered the game. Excellent work!

There are so many teams to thank that this AAR would run on for ever. But you all deserve big props!

Well I'm done brothers...

See ya next year and points in between!

Kent "X-Man" Jones
Team Boxer
8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army, Commanding