Zumbelay Withdraw - Part 3

Wherein I discover my movement plan to be a poor choice, and nearly get bogged down in a major firefight.

This is a continuation of my AAR of the CMSF scenario "Zumbelay Withdraw."  This scenario portrays an historical engagement involving C Company 3 PARA in the village of Zumbelay in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on June 27th, 2006.  The scenario was developed by Karl White, who has authored several other interesting historical Afghanistan and Iraq scenarios for CMSF.  Part 2 of the AAR can be found here.

I realize I'm rattling on longer than normal for one of these AARs, but a) this is a long scenario, and b) some interesting things are starting to happen, at least in my read of the situation that I felt might also be interesting to my handful of readers.

When we last left C Company 3 PARA, we had made use of an irrigation ditch to reach the west bank of the Nahr-e-Seraj canal.  We need to make our way to the canal crossing point to the north of our current position.  Our movement is being over watched by the C Company Fire Support Group (FSG), which now has a clear line of sight on our entire intended movement path.  There are just under two hours left in the scenario, and about one hour before estimated twilight.

I decide to send sniper teams to either end of the nearest complex of buildings, to scout and set up overwatch.

Sniper team with the mosque under observation.  I'm supposed to avoid collateral damage to the mosque, but it does look like a good sopt to park a sniper team on the roof...

View from the Mortar Controller Team toward the village and C Company line of advance.

We believe the Taliban have mortars, and I was feeling too clumped up.  A few minutes later I've started to disperse my troops to protect them from indirect fire casualties while moving through the ditches along the canal.

With a sniper team in overwatch, a team from 3 Section advances on the mosque.  I feel I should at least secure the building a make sure the Taliban aren't using it for an FO or something.

The 3 Section Paras prepare to deploy smoke and enter the building.

Meanwhile, the expected mortar fire begins to fall.  While not very accurate, the rounds are marching in a direct line for the end of this ditch where the journalists and company FO team are sheltering.  Time to have them double-time out of there!

As my teams bound toward the next building compound along the canal, I move a sniper team forward along a path with really no cover, that is in sight of an irrigation ditch that runs along the back of the compound.  The team of Paras I moved at the same time moved from good cover (a ditch) to a concealed position (brush) along a path with LOS blocked by the compound wall.  I honestly have no idea what possessed me to move this sniper team this way, in such an exposed manner.  I was fixated on getting eyes on the compound, and just didn't consider the route.  Of course I paid for the mistake in blood, as it turned out that the trench was occupied by a Taliban fire team.

I want to avoid any more unnecessary casualties and get some fire on that ditch. I also want to get the survivor of that sniper team out of harm's way.  The sniper team pops smoke to mask their escape - I'll come back for the casualty once we've suppressed or eliminated the Taliban threat.  I move one team under cover into a better firing position on the right, and move another team via a ditch and some brush into a safer firing position on the left.

Better yet, I'm going to drop mortar fire on their heads.  It's a stretch of my self-imposed ROE, but I'm beginning to get the feeling that these buildings are full of OPFOR.  My desired movement path crosses right through this group of buildings, and I can't let the enemy block my advance like that!

Half of the vehicles of the FSG also open up on the buildings with machine gun and grenade launcher fire. Time to smoke out those Taliban...

The Taliban observe as the sniper's smoke grenades being to blanket the area.

The sniper team parked on the roof of the mosque observes movement and a long-range shot takes down a Taliban and forces the rest of the team to go to ground.

At the same time the team from 3 Section clears one of the buildings adjacent to the mosque.  I'd decided for some reason that I needed to clean these out, despite the complete lack of any tactical significance to the mission.  Of course, one of my soldiers is wounded in doing so, and I expend most of the team's ammo in suppressing the nearest building.  Honestly, I wasn't drinking.  For some reason in my head this turned into a MOUT exercise and not an evasion and withdraw scenario.

Mortar rounds, grenades, machine gun and small arms fire tear into the canal-side compound.  It begins to dawn on me that I'm probably attracting a lot of unfriendly attention while expending a lot of ammunition.

3 Section troopers clear the building that they took fire from.  It sheltered a Taliban machine gun team.  A machine gun team that obviously didn't have a good field of fire on any of my troops until I waltzed up next to their hiding place.  At this point it really hits me that I've lost focus on my actual mission, and am just wandering around shooting at stuff.

Our orders clearly call for bypassing enemy concentrations.  I shouldn't be trying to clear the canal-side compound so I can use the ditch to get closer to the canal crossing.  I should suppress any enemy there using the FSG, and maneuver to bypass the enemy, rendering his forces ineffective.  My head has somehow become lodged firmly in attrition warfare mode.

A more sensible plan is to use the cover of the nearby ditch and the cover of the treeline some of my men are sheltering in to move to the west of the compound while the FSG keeps the enemy's heads down.  The abortive firefight and building clearing fiasco not only cost me two WIA, but burned through nearly all of 1 Section's ammunition and most of the ammunition carried by half of 3 Section.

I was feeling pretty dumb at this point.  I admit this was completely gratuitous.  I dismounted a Javelin team and fired two missiles at the buildings in the compound.

Boom!

No more building for Taliban to hide in.  A waste of good missiles, but it made me feel better.  Probably encouraged any remaining bad guys to keep their heads down a bit longer while I made my move to the west.

Far to the south, some Taliban attempt to reach the canal.  Fire from the FSG pretty much puts an end to that plan.

While all this has been going on, wildly inaccurate Taliban spotting rounds for their mortars have been falling.  It looks like they're trying to target the sniper team on the roof of the mosque, so I move them out.  I want to use them to help scout my new route of advance anyway.  Several minutes later the near-sighted mortarman finally gets his tube dialed in and begins dropping rounds on the mosque.  That'll probably not help my VP total, either.

After an half hour of confusion and wasted effort, the company is back on track, maneuvering around the fortress-like compound on the canal bank.  C Company HQ and the FO team observe the forward elements of 9 Platoon advance through the concealment of some heavy brush.

The situation at 1800. It should be dusk in another 30 minutes, which will be to our advantage. The Taliban don't have night vision gear and we do. Hopefully, we'll see some air support soon as well. My intent is to continue to skirt the buildings by moving north from our present position, stay under cover until dusk, and approach the crossing point from the west. As C Company nears the built up area around the crossing point the FSG, perhaps with some air support, will suppress any enemy forces in the vicinity. The 81mm mortar section will provide smoke to mask the crossing point and will also suppress the buildings.

All this should work, as long as I remember the mission...

Zumbelay Withdraw - Part 2

This is a continuation of my AAR of the CMSF scenario "Zumbelay Withdraw."  This scenario portrays an historical engagement involving C Company 3 PARA in the village of Zumbelay in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on June 27th, 2006.  The scenario was developed by Karl White, who has authored several other interesting historical Afghanistan and Iraq scenarios for CMSF.

In this session I continue to develop my plan to advance to the cover of some irrigation ditches to the west of the village.  My intent is to use these ditches as cover to advance to the canal and eventually to the canal crossing.

The results of trying to move a section too far in a single bound, without a good base of fire set up to cover the move.  My first casualty of the fight, and one more than happened in the actual engagement.

There's really only one way to respond to that, and it's spelled "81 mm mortars."

Until the barrage arrives, 9 Platoon HQ section lays down some covering fire.  The fact that only the HQ squad was in place to fire on these guys is largely why I took the casualty.

Incoming rounds, from both the 81 mm section and the platoon mortar organic to the HQ section.  One thing I really love about playing UK infantry units is that platoon mortar! The mortar fire quickly neutralizes the Taliban and I can continue to advance.

Meanwhile, the FSG continues to ruin the day of the small Taliban units along the canal.  I'll want those irrigation ditches clear so I can move my infantry through them soon.

Another casualty from the Taliban hiding in the irrigation ditch that I didn't even notice for a minute. The 9 Platoon mortar is firing in the background as a soldier from the HQ section treats the wounded.

C Company HQ and the journalists move into new cover, well to the rear of the troops who are engaged and protected by 3 Section.

A team from 1 Section scouts toward the irrigation ditches I bombarded in the previous entry to this AAR. Stopping about 30 meters short, they open up on a suspected Taliban position with area fire and grenades...

 ...and a minute later are able to move into the ditch with the Taliban neutralized.

A second RPG team emerges from the houses by the canal and fires an RPG at the hull-down vehicles of the FSG.  The rocket impacts the front slope harmlessly, and the fire of the FSG drives the Taliban back into the house.

I dismount a Javelin team.  If necessary, I'll suppress the house with AT missile fire.  Turnabout seems fair play!

However, since I know I'll have to advance directly in front of the house with my infantry soon, I decide to be sure to eliminate the threat.  A light, short fire mission from a pair of 81mm tubes should do the job.

And the job is done, to the tune of a completely destroyed house.  This scenario specifically provides an objective that penalizes the UK player for collateral damage on the village mosque.  However, I try and play by ROE that are reflective of the actual ROE in place in theater, which means no firing on houses unless enemy troops have been clearly identified.  In this case, the FSG saw the RPG team retreat into the house.

We've made it to the irrigation ditch and start to move toward the canal, a team from 2 Section on point.

Disaster!  Point proves terribly hazardous when I don't take the time to appropriately scout and clear a traverse irrigation ditch.  AK fire and grenades kill three paras and wound a fourth.  At this point I consider the casualties to be too excessive for me to count this as any kind of victory, regardless of scoring at the end. This is a lesson I seem to have to learn in almost every scenario!

After pulling my head out, I have a team from 1 Section pop smoke and then make a rush for the other end of the traversing irrigation ditch, where they should be able to provide flanking fire.

The remaining team from 2 Section also pops some smoke, so that they can move into the kill zone with some cover.  9 Platoon HQ again provides some covering fire.  Two teams, one on the flank and the support of 9 Platoon HQ are enough to quickly clear the ambush.

The advance down the irrigation ditches toward the canal proceeds without further incident.  Eventually,  1 Section reaches the canal near the point where the FSG eliminated the first RPG team.

The situation at 1735. We've reached the canal.  The final phase of the withdraw will be to follow the irrigation ditches that border the canal to reach the canal crossing objective.  Hopefully, being under direct support from the FSG will make this part of the advance easier.

Zumbelay Withdraw - Part I

This is a historical CMSF scenario set in Afghanistan in 2006.  C Company 3 PARA is ambushed in the village of Zumbelay and has to withdraw under fire.  There are two journalists embedded in the unit that must also be escorted to safety.

The Fire Support Group (FSG) and company vehicles occupy high ground southeast of the village and Nahr-e-Seraj canal.  In the distance is the canal crossing that is decisive ground for this fight. The withdrawing Paras must cross there as they try and link up with the FSG.

The canal crossing is overlooked by a number of village buildings, probably full of Taliban.

View of C Company's initial positions, looking back toward the FSG.

This scenario is 2:30 long.  There's plenty of time, so I'm going to sit tight for a bit and see how the situation develops before planning a movement route.  Here is the company command post and the journalists.

Some Taliban fighters move out of the houses near the canal crossing, and are taken under fire by the FSG.

The combination of automatic weapon and grenade launcher fire scores the first casualties of the engagement.

The Paras begin to cautiously advance.  A half section of 9 Platoon bounds forward past the platoon command group and the other half of the section.

Meanwhile the FSG keeps up relentless fire on any Taliban trying to move around the village.

This irrigation ditch is on the flank of my chosen route and I'm concerned about taking fire from it as the company moves toward cover.  I drop some 81mm AP airbursts along the length of it to suppress any enemy using it for cover.

Small teams of Taliban fighters are starting to filter into the area between the Paras and the route to the canal. A Team 3 Section fires on one of these teams as other sections move up to flank them.

Another irrigation ditch on the way to the canal crossing.  The FSG mortar fire coordinator plots more suppressing fire.

A team from 9 Platoon and the Platoon command group move up on the flank of the massing Taliban.

Fire from the Paras make the Taliban keep their heads down.

Maneuvering on the Taliban position.  The Paras quickly build local fire superiority over the small Taliban groups that have made it this far.  I'm much more concerned about the fighting in the built up areas than I am out here where I can see the enemy coming.

Ranging rounds begin to impact the second irrigation ditch.

The exposed Taliban are caught between 9 Platoon and the long range fire of the FSG.  In just a couple of minutes the route toward the village is clear.

Meanwhile, a Taliban RPG team breaks from the cover of the houses and moves toward an irrigation ditch to get into position to fire on the FSG.  Several FSG vehicles move into more covered positions, but not without pummelling the west bank of the canal with grenades.

The situation at 1712.  The FSG has either neutralized or seriously suppressed the RPG team, and the combination of fire from the Paras and the two 81mm mortar fires appear to have cleared the way for the beleaguered troops in the village to make for an irrigation ditch that leads toward the canal.  I hope to use this cover to advance to the west bank of the canal, and a second ditch that runs along the canal bank to the crossing point.  While this does mean moving through the village, I should be able to use the ditch and nearby houses for cover while being under the cover of supporting fire from the FSG.

More to come...