Force on Force Battle Report: A few Blocks of Hell

The US contribution to I-Coz has been scaled back over recent months, with many US Army personal withdrawn to bases, but the US Marine Corps continue tocombat the Peoples Resistance Army (PRA) in the coastal areas of Zugando. A resent push by the PRA southwards from Seatown along the coast road have threatened the fragile stability of the coastal region. The dismal performance of the Zugandan Army lead to the PRA capturing the sea port of Churchill. The USMC have been tasked with driving the PRA back out of Churchill and retaking the town. 

Intel on the ground is sketchy, but it is known that PRA 'regulars' are in the town, as well as large numbers of militias (of questionable quality) from Seatown.

I played 'A Few Blocks of Hell' out of the FoF rules as an introductory game for Vlad. I used the game right out of the rule book, only substituting USMC figures for US army, PRA Regulars for Syrian Jihadists and African Militia for Iraqi Irregulars. 

Vlad's brief, as the USMC, was to take two squads (9 men each) through a neighbourhood of Churchill to take two strategically important buildings - the burned out mission building and the watchtower. Ideally he should have both teams at over half strengthen in the two buildings by turn 4 for a clear win. Failing this he needed to take both buildings by the end of the game (turn 6). We decided not to have Victory Points for capturing people as when I have played this mission before it had too dramatic an effect on the results, distracting from the main mission. 

My mission was simply to stop the USMC getting into and holding the buildings before the end of the game. 

The Set Up

The lay out of the shanty town around the mission building. 

In addition to armed militia in the streets there were several units of militia hiding in the buildings. The militia in the bicycle repair shop proved particularity well placed to delay the Marines.

At the beginning of the game this unit debused from their VW camper van, looking for a fight. They found it!

Other militia men take advantage of an excellent firing position to attack the Marines in the street below.

The Mission

US Marines entered Churchill, taking up covering positions near the  market. One fire-team positivity identified a group of men by the VW van as hostile militiamen (the were waving AK47's and RPG7's around in an aggressive manner) and their team leader instructed them to open fire- causing casualties and pinning the militia. 

A second USMC fire-team sprinted towards the mission building, but the militia in the bicycle repair shop spotted them and opened fire- causing two casualties (one of them serious). The other two fire-teams took up positions to cover the market.

The PRA regulars headed towards the watch tower and the mission building to protect them. One team took up position in the watchtower with an excellent view of the whole neighbourhood. 

The militia on the roof of the two story building fired down onto the marines in the street- seriously wounding one. 

Turn two saw the Marines advance stall as they were forced to deal with their serious causalities. They fired on the militia on the roof top- wiping them out. The bicycle repair shop, despite being only made from breeze block, proved good enough to protect them against the majority of the marines fire, and the militia retuned fire, seriously wounding two more marine (who were evacuated off the street to a waiting medic station).

PRA Regulars taking up position by the burnt out mission building

The PRA regulars commanding a good view from the top of the watchtower

Turn three, four and five belonged to the marines, as the when aggressive. The militia by the VW got struck down by a mortar shell that tore them apart (a Fog of War card) . Two Marine fire-teams fired on the PRA in the watchtower killing two and seriously wounding another two- leaving only one combat effective. The last remaining PRA  raced into the mission building, closely followed by a marine fire-team. A violent close quarterer battle ensued, in which the marines killed all three remaining PRA members, securing the Mission Building.

USMC secure the burnt out mission building

In turn six the only militia still in the fight were hold up in the bicycle repair shop. A fire team of marines tried to assault them, but came off worse in a fire-fight, with two of the marines KIA. The militia finally gave in to the pressure of the marines fire-power when a fire-team seized the watch tower and opened up on the bicycle repair shop with UGLs and GPMG, reducing the breeze block structure to rubble and wiping out the defenders- 

Marines capturing the watchtower

The marines took had two killed in action, 4 seriously wounded and 2 lightly wounded. They had taken out all the militia and PRA fighters (40 militants in total) with at least 10 of them as comfirmed kills. And they had seized both objective buildings by round 6. A bloody affair, but there was no question who had won.