Afloat

Under from the flanking fire support boats, Tom, Sam, and two of the militiamen make their way from the Queens bow to her stern. Tom is first to arrive, setting his RPK down on the tug's low taffrail. He commences firing as Dawid arrives, setting up just to Sam's left (boat's starboard side). The tug's stern is low in the water, as her twin screws push her forward at close to maximum speed. Conversely, the boarders' boats' bounce in the tug's churning wake and their bows point towards the Queens smoke stack as they accelerate on a collision course with her stern. The close-range shot from the taffrail, therefore, is more difficult than it seems it should be.

Anneka moves to the back door of the Queen's bridge and shoulders her RPK. She has a limited window of opportunity as the awning over the tug's quarterdeck will soon block her line of sight to the boarder boats. Just before the port side boader boat dissappears from her view, she squeezes off a 5-round burst. She's not sure, but she thinks she sees two of the pirates in the stern of the boat pitch backwards, apparently hit.

Tom hammers away at the port boarder boat with long bursts from his RPK. Most of his rounds either slam into its relatively thin metal hull or sail just over the barely exposed heads of its passengers. Two of the pirates however, fall hit. As Tom prepares to fire another long burst, an enemy ricochet glances off the bottom of his right elbow (slight wound) and barely misses taking off the tip of his nose. The portside boarder boat suddenly peels away, its badly shot-up crew having lost their stomach for the fight.

Bullets clang off of the tug's hull besides Tom as the port side fire support boat continues to fire away, covering its comrade's withdrawal. The enemy gunboat has swung out just wide enough to give the militiaman on the port side Dushka another shot at it. He takes it, sending four big slugs into the boat. One round smashes the pirate's PKM to bits while the others put the boat's outboard motor out of action. It slows rapidly as it instantly loses its motive power.

Dawid settles in behind the Queen's taffrail and takes aim at the starboard boarders. Ten rounds fly downrange, killing two pirates and wounding two more. One of the militiamen, scared and inexperienced with the Tantal, fires a wild burst at the pirates but hits only river. The pirate's starboard fire support boat tries to silence the tug's defenders but it too only manages to pepper the Queen's hull. Under the tug's accurate fire, the remaining boarding boat misses with its first grappling hook throw. Nevertheless, it continues forward, meaning to collide with the tug's stern.

Two boats still pursue the Queen- the starboard side boarding craft, bloodied but determined, and the fire support boat to its right (tug's starboard side).  The last boat is dead in the water and drifting downriver. The remaining boarder is now within about 10m of the tug's stern (they will collide early in the next turn) and the starboard fire support boat is still firing away, focussing on the group of four shooters crouching low at the tug's stern rail.

Ashore

Wicks' long-range effort, although well intentioned, is wasted as the pirates fail to even notice the fire from the shore. At over 500m, it would take a miracle to hit anything smaller than a barn door.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:46, Sat 18 Apr 2009.

Bayer listens as the runner's report is translated. His eyes narrow at the mention of the sentry's on the bridge. He wasn't familiar with them.

"First Squad. Move to the bridge and take up a defensive position overlooking the river. We have friendly ahead so control your squad." he says. "Investigate the sentries too... something might be up with them."

Speaking into the radio he says, "Bishop, King. Confirm do you have men on the bridge over?"

"HQ, second Squad... move to the trucks and mount up."

"Mariusz, tell the runner to fall in with us until we get to the ZU."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:56, Sat 18 Apr 2009.

On the run back to the ZU wicks replaces the spent 40mm case with another HE grenade. Once back at the star Wicks swaps places with Quyen in the gunner’s chair of the ZU.

“Got one of their boats at least, looks like three or four of them went down. Good spot by the way; I think you saved some lives there”

Looking towards the other squads positions down the road he sees them start to climb back up onto the road.

“Drivers to your vehicles, start them up looks like we are relocating closer to the action.”

Now that the ambush is disbanding and the order about the limited arc of fire is no longer relevant, Wicks will orientate the ZU towards the Queens position and fire 3 round bursts at any pirate boats that he can see and that come into range. He will not fire at any targets close to the queen or fire if it would endanger her crew. If time is against him and the trucks start to move relatively quickly he won’t fire at all as he intends the Star to be the first truck to leave.


Alan Wicks
23mm Flak (32/100 HEI)
Firing at pirate boats
Back of the Star

Griet held her cool grimly, waiting for her moment to strike.

Mariusz got up and looked over at the runner, "Come with us back to your vehicle. We're moving out."

He called to the squad, "Get up and head for the vehicles now."

He waited for the last militiaman to get moving and then ran after them.

As Jason reaches his intended firing point, he finds the boats on his side have been dealt with.  The remaining boatload of boarders is close to the stern of the Krolowa.  Perhaps too close -- there might not be sufficient range for the round to arm, or a miss might endanger his fellows on the main deck.  Besides, the ladder to the bridge, the rear of the upper deck, and its canopy are in the way.  Instead, he turns his attention to the fleeing boat of boarders and -- leading the boat -- tries to lob his HE round into the craft.  Even though they are withdrawing now, they might very well return later, and a successful hit would ensure fewer would return.

Jason K.
Port side of upper deck
F88 GLA [30/30; HE]
Firing 40mm HE at fleeing boat
This message was last edited by the player at 21:30, Sat 18 Apr 2009.

Relieved from the ZU-23, Quyen climbs into the cab of the Tarpan. She'll creep down slowly towards the platoon to help speed up the relocation. "Need a lift?" she asks as they meet.

"Where to sir?"

Quyen
Tapan (dvr)
Driving halfway to the platoon/picking them up

Tom will pull a F-1 grenage and throw it at the closest boat (10m) away. He will throw two if he has a chance. He will throw them from the prone supported.




Tom
throwing grenades
f-1

In reply to Tom Jones (msg #237):

Dawis considered throwing his own grenades, but saw Tom was pulling the pins on his own.

He yelled to the ORMP in Polish as he raked the closing boat with long bursts, "THROW BACK ANY GRAPNELS, AND PRAY TO GOD FOR SALVATION!"


Dawid Piotrowski
PKM GPMG (85/100)
Firing 5x5 round bursts at closest boat

From her position at the bridge door, Anneka could see little of what was going on to the starboard, or even close to the aft due to the canopy over the upper deck. With the port side boats effectively out of the fight, at least for the moment, she dashed down the steep stairs to find a better firing position.

It was immediately evident that Tucker and his assistant had been injured - if it hadn't been for the blood, then seeing the pair on the deck and not manning the Mark-19 would have been a dead giveaway, so instead of settling the RPK-74 on a crate, she dashed towards the AGL...

Anneka
RPK-74 (35/40)
+6, 30 rnd mags
Moving to Mark 19

As Konrad's orders come through the radio Jan started herding his squad towards the bridge.
"We will be moving to the bridge to provide the fire support and a strong defensive position! Move carefully, keep to cover as best you can but keep up with me. There seemes to be something od about the sentries so we will be checking them as well. Keep your wits about you and be carefull. Controll your fire and follow me."
Moving out at a ground eating jog Jan moves out trusting to the militia men to follow him.


Jan
ak-74/bg-15
30/30:1/1
moving quickly towards the bridge

Tucker continues to do first aid on himself first and then help the militia man assigned to him.  If/When he sees Anneka, he calls out to her, "He's hit prety good.  Do what you got to do.  I'll do my best here with him Anneka."

On the Vistula

Jason limps around the bridge to the port side companionway. Squeezing past the Dushka gunner, the militiamen flushed with success and contemplating taking a long- range shot at the cripped pirate support boat, Jason shoulders his F88/M203 and prepares to lob a 40mm grenade at the withdrawing port side boarder boat. Lining it up in the GL's flip-up sights, he pulls the trigger and watches the grenade sail towards its target. An explosion of white water drenches the pirate boat crew, indicating a very near miss. The boat accelerates and swings behind the Queen and along her starboard side, keeping the tug between itself and the western shore as it flees downriver.

At ten meters, Tom tosses a hand grenade at the accelerating [starboard side] pirate boarder's boat. The grenades arcs towards the bucking boat and glances off its port gunwhale, detonating harmlessly a couple of feet below the churning water's surface.


Dawids pours another burst of fire into the bows of the pirate boat, now only a couple of meters from the muzzle flash of his PKM. He watches with satisfaction as holes are punched in the vessel's thin metal bows and pirates jerk and fall hit. Heedless of the toll, the small craft smashes into the Queen's stern, knocking those pirates left unscathed by Dawid's machine gun fire violently forward. Those aboard the tug feel nothing of the impact. None of the pirates are in any shape to fasten grapnels to the tug and the pirate boat glances off of the rounded stern and swings out to starboard.

The pirate fire support boat, meanwhile, changes the focus of its attentions from the Queen's stern to her bridge, pinging dozens of rounds off of her upper superstructure. Badly bloodied, the boarder boat accelerates and pulls alongside the tug, at least 50m of her starboard quarter, and continues downriver, covered by its companion's fire. It appears that the pirates are attempting to cut their losses and return to their base.

On Solid Ground

The ground force displaces and each component group attempts to improve its positions. Jan leads his squad to the cratered railroad embankment and onto the battered remains of the base of the railway bridge (the rest of the bridge rests in pieces along the bottom of the river). Moving forward cautiously, Jan can see the two militia sentries concealed among a tangle of twisted girders up ahead. Arriving at their position, Jan is greeted by a panoramic view of the Vistula and the far shore. Littered on the fields across the river are scores of destroyed military vehicles, mostly Soviet in make and model, yet another testament to the ferocity of the fighting over this strategic crossing.

Looking upriver, Jan can see the pirate boat Wicks hit with a well-placed 40mm HE grenade sinking below the surface of the water, a lone occupant lolling about lifelessly as he riddes it to the bottom.

OOC: Assume the other groups have reached their destinations.

Three pirate boats flee upriver. All three hug the far shore (the two described above and the first boarder to disengage). A lone pirate boat (support boat), its motor and main armament destroyed, floats along almost helplessly about 75m from the near shore.

Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:51, Tue 21 Apr 2009.

A lone pirate boat (support boat), its motor and main armament destroyed, floats along almost helplessly about 75m from the near shore.



Tom will engage this boat with 3 round bursts until all in boat are dead.


tom
shooting
rpk

In reply to Tom Jones (msg #243):

Dawid saw Tom engaging the one helpless and sinking boat.

"Tom, ignore that one, shoot at one of the transport boats!"

He aimed more short controlled bursts at whichever fleeing transport Tom wasn't shooting at.

"HA! RUN, RUN, YOU MOTHERLESS SONS OF WHORES!"

Spent casings clanged into the brass-catcher of the GPMG.

Dawid Piotrowski
PKM (60/100)
Firing 3x5-round bursts per turn
This message was last edited by the player at 10:53, Tue 21 Apr 2009.

As the star halts at the new position Wicks moves quickly to orientate the twin barrels of the ZU-23 towards the first of the fleeing boats. He stops slightly in front of the lead boat and engages each of them with 3 rounds bursts as they pass his line of fire.

Having given his squad orders to engage the outboard motors of the pirate boats with aimed shots on the quick ride to the new position he was confident they would follow through.


Alan Wicks
23mm Flak (32/100 HEI))
Firing at fleeing pirate boats
Back of the Star
This message was last edited by the player at 13:04, Tue 21 Apr 2009.

Swinging the Mark 19 around, Anneka took careful aim at the starboard side support boat. Neither of the two assault boats were in any position to significantly threaten them anymore, although it had been a very close thing, and the port side support boat would in time be captured by them.
The moment she was relatively sure of a hit, she fired, allowing a burst of approximately five grenades to stream out and, with a little luck, impact on and in the enemy boat...

Anneka
Mark 19
Firing five rounds at starboard boat

Griet took her hand off the Homer Pec with grim satisfaction as she saw the pirates start to crumble. She'd known that her plan would work if they had enough time to pour close range fire into the enemy, but she'd also known it was a high risk strategy and it had very nearly failed.

A bit less luck and a few more casualties and it would have been a disaster. She remembered that a General had described his greatest victory as "a close run thing", this wasn't a great victory and it certainly wasn't hers, she thought. The gunners had earned their pay today, and they deserved the plaudits. She frowned as she went about putting out the fire on the chart table.

"Adam, keep heading forward but angle toward the bank, stop when you reach the railway bridge." She yelled at the crew, "Good work, see to the injured but keep pouring the fire on. Keep them running."

As soon as she could, she exited the wheel house and looked at the starboard Dushka, hopefully she'd be able to clear the stoppage.

Staying under cover as well as they can in case there is a problem with the sentrys and making sure the others do teh same as well. Watching the militia sentrys for a few seconds, Jan turned to one of the men with him and handed him the binoculars.
"Are those men from your village? Do you recognize them?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:44, Tue 21 Apr 2009.

The nearest militaman responds in the affirmative.

"Yes, those are our men."

The tug's crew continues to fire at the retreating pirate force. Tom attempts to fire at the disabled support boat, drifting slowly aft and to port of the Queen. He squeezes the trigger and knows instantly that something is wrong. The normally reliable weapon doesn't respond. By the time he clears the stoppage, the port-side Dushka gunner, flush with success, has finished the job. Bits and pieces of metal and man join a spray of water as 12.7mm bullets tear the enemy boat to shreds. The milia gunner woops with joy. Before today, he'd never fired a heavy machine gun. During the course of this battle, he's almost single handedly destroyed a pirate boat and killed its entire crew.

Meanwhile, Anneka and Dawid engage the trio of pirate boats pulling away on the tug's starboard side. Anneka leads the support boat, at the head of the procession, and fires off a five-round burst. The first four 40mm HE rounds explode just ahead of the boat, dousing its crew in a spray of water. The fifth round explodes on its stem. A cloud of white smoke, billows from the boat's bows, glowing streamers shooting off in all directions. The numerous small secondary detonations suggest the pirate's MG ammunition has been hit. The support boat begins to slow and weave, then abrupty cuts right towards the far shore. It is no longer firing at the tug.

The fleeing boarder boats continue downriver, passing their stricken and smoking comrade and leaving the much slower tug in their wake. Soon, they are out of Anneka's LOS. Dawid chases them with fire, tracers skipping off the water all around his targets. At least a few of the outgoing rounds must have hit their target. OOC: Dawid fired 15 rounds this turn.

The boarder boats accelerate past the tug, heading towards the bridge as fast as their overworked outboard motors will take them. The STAR, relocated closer to the riverbank, waits its turn to add to the carnage. As the lead boarder boat crosses the twin barrels of the bed-mounted ZU-23-2, Wicks opens fire. The thunderous report of the autocannon drowns out all other sound. Ten 23mm HEI rounds races to meet the fleeing small boat. Two of the ten rounds tear into and the boat, exploding in a lightening spray of tiny razor sharp metal fragments. The remaining boat crew is cut to pieces. The scouts on the bridge can see blood running out through the various small holes in the thin, smoking hull and trailing out into the grey and white water of the Vistula. The boat angles towards the far shore, its motor sputtering as it sinks lower and lower in the water. It never reaches the shore.

Two of the pirate boats have been sunk with all hands. One of the support boats has grounded itself on the far shore, well short of the bridge. The remaining boarder boat is almost to the bridge where Jan's squad and the two militia scouts lie in waiting.

Next Moves?

Tucker will continue to help out the fallen militia person as much as he can before he reports to Anneka for further orders.  "The one guy's hit pretty bad up there Anneka!  He needs more help than I can give him," he tells her as he tries to seem useful with his wound.

"Pull over." Bayer quietly says to Quyen. As the overloaded Tarpan comes to a stop, he scans the river. The tug had apparently handled the enemy well enough on its own. That, topped with the lack of any signs of ground based enemy was enough to convince him things would be shutting down soon.

The absence of radio contact from the tug suggested however things must have been intense. For that he was even more glad they didn't need to coordinate closer.

He rolled down the window and listened for any sounds of gunfire. Then toggling his radio he says, "Queen this is King. Send sitrep. Town is secure. Over."

Quyen brakes and pulls off to the shoulder of the road. She hadn't been paying attention to the river, but heard the flak gun blast off a few rounds. For a moment she thought it was another wave of pirates arriving from downriver.

As Bayer scanned the river and spoke on the radio she kept an eye out in the direction of the town.

Quyen
Keeping watch

Extremely relieved and not a little surprised at being alive, Dawid ceased firing and looked at the fleeing craft. He judged that it was wasting ammo to shoot any further at it.

"Good shooting, everyone, I think we did it! God was certainly with us. Now, let's not get complacent, and get ready to move back forward."

He changed to Polish as he spoke to the ORMO, "you men were very brave, and you helped save the tug, no word of a lie. Oh yes, please change the magazine on the Tantal, thank you."

The GPMG's barrel was smoking a little from the sustained fire. Carefully, Dawid detached the ammo can and inserted a fresh one, linking the remains of the old belt with a new one.

Dawid yelled a status report up at the bridge in English, "we're all okay here, no targets in sight!"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:39, Thu 23 Apr 2009.