On a patrol in the Green Zone, a government patrol has been attacked by the banks of the River Jallenah. Their foes are the Islamist Ansari al-Mawt, who opened fire on the head of the platoon as they approached the bridge that once belonged to the village of Jalleni.
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| Opening set-up. |
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| Contact! 2 Squad dive into the ruins. |
As lead elements exchanged ineffective fire across the Jallenah, Sarjant Ghulwar led 3 Squad to the east, joining up with 2 Squad and Lieutenant al-Mularqi. Al-Mularqi gestured them on to outflank the bridge, only to rue it as the squad were forced to hit the dirt under heavy fire from the enemy.
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| 3 Squad in pain, pinned & suppressed in the open. |
Across
the river, insurgents moved from the jungle to the ruins. Some of
them showed their lack of faith as government fire pinned them. At
the same time, Sarjant Ghulwar found it impossible to move his troops
while accurate enemy fire still rained down upon them.
Seeing
the distress his fellows were in, Sarjant Ulam led 1 Squad into the
cornfields, and put down a great volume of fire on the Ansari who had
been keeping 3 Squad trapped in the open. As the enemy fire
slackened, Ghulwar finally got his men into the eastern jungle.
Encouraged
by this flanking movement, 2 Squad – still hunkered down in the
ruins – annihilated an enemy fire team foolish enough to move in
the jungle opposite. Moving toward the river under cover of this
fire, 3 Squad were struck by a torrent of fire from the ruins
opposite.
 |
| Bravery is not the safest option. |
Fresh
insurgents arrived on the western hill and were promptly suppressed
by 1 Squad. On the other flank, Ghulwar was doing sterling work
directing his squad's fire at the Ansari in the ruins.
Despite
their strong early position, the Ansari leaders were having little
luck rallying their men, and another fire team in the central jungle
went down before 2 Squad's pin-point shots.
Lieutenant
al-Mularqi came forward to direct 1 & 2 Squads against the
insurgents in the central jungle, and with a roar of fire they drove them back into the undergrowth.
As
the enemy fire slackened from a torrent to a drizzle, Sergeant
Ghulwar charged his men across the bridge ignoring the few bullets
that whined from the Western hilltop – and into the ruins on the
Ansari bank of the Jallenah. Already suppressed, the insurgents stood
no chance, and with a flashing of bayonets, Ghulwar and his men
claimed the ruins once more for Alefstan. A quick sortie into the
jungle saw the butchering of the last few insurgents to the east, and
just like that the battle was all but over.
More
insurgents died on the hill. As they tried to retreat, the rest died
too.
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| What is a squad leader without a squad? |
With
only a few enemy left, and those suppressed in their attempt to
retreat, the government platoon advanced swiftly and mercilessly,
wiping them off the map. There would be no rebuilding Jalleni today.
 |
| End of play. |
Victory:
Government Forces
Butcher's
Bill: 50 insurgents KIA/captured. 6 light wounds among government
forces.
Overview
This
was my first game of Volume
of Fire,
the major modern adaptation of Crossfire. Like the official WWII
version, it plays quickly and smoothly – and like the WWII version,
a lack of rallying is deadly.
This
was played on a 2x2 board, but with twenty terrain pieces, it didn't
feel too forced. I played using my recently finished 6mm Charlie
Don't Surf
infantry, using the Aussies as government professionals and the 'Cong
as the black-clad insurgents.
With
a 50% numerical advantage, I thought the insurgents might stand a
chance – they were only one rank lower than the government forces –
but alas, they failed all but three Rally
checks, and were sitting ducks for the G-men once they stopped hiding
like frightened little bunnies. Despite a lot
of
suppressions on Ghulwar and 3 Squad, there were no actual losses,
much to my relieved surprise.
I'll
definitely be playing this again, and I'm considering starting some
dedicated forces for it. Brits, US Marines and insurgents are the
first ones I want... You know what they say. If Mohammed (saws) won't
go the lead mountain... Oh, and maybe 6mm Crossfire too!
