Combat cards: late 1970's Africa in 28mm

The battle of Parr's Farm

Here is another game of combat cards, but this time trying out my new Rhodesian and Zipra Across the Zambezi set.

This time we used both the area movement add-on and the new technology cards add-on to give some more period flavour. The technology cards are assigned to units to give them extra abilities, very useful for the asymmetrical warfare between the Rhodesia and ZIPRA. I downloaded the "unit summary cards" from the website, which look like the picture below when filled in.

Unit summary card

Onto the game.

The scenario is about a Rhodesian chopper, downed in Mozambique in 1973.

Both crew from the chopper were thrown clear. The dazed pilot can be seen in the picture below running hither and thither through the bush. Both the Rhodesian armed forces (with the help of some Portuguese Cacadores), and Zipra get 2 VPs for seizing each Chopper pilot before the games end. The game lasts till the second deck of cards runs out.

Below is the Battlefield. Parrs Farm is to the North. A river runs through it, but the pleasant scenery is marred by a downed chopper in the middle. Both sides get 2VP for any quarter of the battlefield that they solely control at the end of the game. Another 2VP is added for contolling the crash site. If you look closely, you can see the battlefield is marked in 4 inch squares. These arse used for line of sight and measuring.

Here the navigator is running for Parr's Farm

From the South though, a squad of ZIPRA infantry, an RPG team and an ancient T34/85 make an appearance. It scares the crocodiles.

A Rhodesian Alouette III finds the downed chopper, and guides a couple of armoured cars to the scene. A stick of Rhodesian light infantry are moving along the river searching for the chopper crew.

A the other end of the river a Zipra technical is also looking for the aircrew. In foreground some mortars are setting up. And look! Joshua Nkomo himself has made an appearance, this must be important.

The chopper circles looking for the enemy.

A squad of Cacadores secure the downed chopper.

Meanwhile to the north a couple of squads of ZIPRA move towards Parr's farm.

An Eland 90 of the The Rhodesian Armoured Car Regiment (AKA The Black Devils) moves into the river to support the RLI.

A squad of Caccadores persuade the confused Navigator (who doesn't speak Portuguese) to come to the farm house before he gets overrun by ZIPRA.

Which is made all the more important by the arrival of T55 chugging along the road.

The T55 damages an Eland 60 that cound't get out of the road fast enough.

The ZIRPA Mortar team just misses the RLI in the river, still suppressing (out-of-action) them.

The Aloute III misses everything,

As the technical moves forward, a squad of Cubans can been seen advancing though the trees. Cubans! Ian Smith said this would happen.

So its Eland versus Dushka armed technical, who is going to win this one.

OK, so Elands are not bullet proof after all.

All the while the Alouete III looks for gainful employment

And the RLI sort themselves out after being bombed.

A view across the ZIPRA front lines just before...

a ZIPRA Squad assaults the RLI.

Hand-to-hand combat with both sides convinced they are fighting for freedom. This will be messy. The RLI are Out of Action. How can you tell? Cause that's what it says on the card. Eventually though, they are wiped out.

The helicopter takes it out on the technical

The victorious ZIPRA squad is pinned by fire coming from another RLI squad.

... and a prowling helicopter

Shouting something, i don't know what, I can't speak Nguni

Back up North the Cacadores advance on the field.

...pursuing some ZIPRA, which would be an easy kill

... if a T55 wasn't coming the other way. Theya re pinned.

Tings are getting close, with both sides near breaking point. It looks as though ZIPRA can get an easy to VPs if they can occupy the South-West area.

The T35/85 makes a break for it, but gets too close to the RLI, who assault out of the river.

Kaboom: that is more than Joshua Nkomo can handle, and ZIPRA retreat from Parr's farm.

All is well, except framer Parr's flower beds are ruined.

Combat Cards in Nuevo Rico

This battle was played using the excellent Combat Cards system, with a couple of house rules.

It involved a skirmish between two South American States, Nuevo Rico and San Theodora; both made famous by the inter-war period by the boy-reporter Tin-Tin. For more information on these states in modern times, look here. This battle actually takes place around the year 2018 when both states have squandered their people's resources on equipment that the USA can no longer afford to store.

Below is the starting position for the battle. Both sides need to dominate the area and get two additional victory points if they are the only side to have units in a quarter of the battlefield. If you look closely you may notice a grid of dots. We play on these to avoid the encumbrance of rulers.

Both the San Theodorans (in tan) and Nuevo Ricans (in green) are tying to reach the downed Noevo Rican helicopter in the centre of the battlefield (worth two victory point if yours is the only unit it in contact).

Here is my Nuevo Rican mechanised platoon, bunched up around their commander and ready to charge onto the helicopter.

Three San Theodoran main battle tanks (classed as behemoths) are going to be a problem. Stevens, the egocentric commander of the San Theodoran invaders has three, Nuevo Rico has none.

Here San Theodoran mechanised troops in Bradleys occupy a central position in cover of a field.

San Theodoran infantry perfer to take a stroll in the open.

Well, it is obvious that I need to take that town, and the deck favours me with a visit by two Nuevo Rican  gunships.

OK, the gunship's fire is well off mark, but it does give the San Theodoran mechanised unit a fright.

A "fall back" result on the San Theodorans sees the mechanised unit retire to a clump of palm trees.

Nuevo Rican civilians are still clearing the area; very wise.

Another pass with the gunchsips gets an "out of action" result on the San Theodoran infantry holding the town.

At the farthest south of the battlefied, a San Thoedoran anti-armour squad keeps an eye on some enemy recon elements.

The Neuvo Rican problem is that they must cross that road, and that road is covered by a San Theodoran tank. Already a Noevo Rican recon unit is "out of action".

That blasted tank fires on another  Neuvo Rican unit who wisely retire back into the field.

If the Nievo Ricans are going to win this game they need to capture the town and get to the downed helicopter. The Noevo Rican command is in disarray (no Issue Order cards, in fact I only got one in the whole battle). In desperation a lone Nuevo Rican mechanised unit dashes across the road (maybe the San Thoedorans have no "opportunity fire" cards.

Yes, the San Theordorans do have opportunity fire cards, and kaboom, they get 4 victory points when the tank hits that mechanised unit in the rear.

Some survivors flee back out of the town.

Next a Nuevo Rican fire support unit tries to cross the road (I did say I was desperate by this stage).

Meanwhile the San Theodoran mechanised APC moves up to the helicopter (that is worth two victory points).

If I can't get round one flank, I will try sneaking round the other. I send a recon unit on a recon mission, but it gets shot up by a San Theodoran infantry squad in a building.

Still trying to infiltrate; a recon unit comes muzzle to muzzle with an enemy tank.

And get blown to pieces for its pains.

I continue to loose vehicles from that single, but well placed, San Theodoran tank.

There it is the dratted vehicle, but I am trying to flank it with mechanised infantry.

The last Nuevo Rican attack fails...

The Nuevo Ricans have lost the downed helicopter (2 victory points) and having been cleared out of 2 quarters of the field (4 victory points) and have lost 15 points worth of troops. This is more than they can bear and my force breaks. The situation along the main road tells the whole sorry tale.

Next time I think we might try a variant to the command rules. I think 1point should buy three commands. Once command can be used to assign any action, while two commands issued to a commander stand would allow him to issue orders. We will see.