Future Wars - The Battle of Stirling Part 1

It's been a while since I started on my Future wars Project and I've been steadily gathering troops and terrain for the campaign. There's been a bit of progress in getting things modeled and painted but it's been fairly slow. With a view to actually getting a game in, I decided to get things on the table and though in mixed states of completeness I got a game in to see what things were beginning to look like.

The battle played out here is the first part of the two-part Siege of Stirling following on from the events set out in the Kra'uul Invasion timeline and is set during 30th Sept to 1st Oct 2065.

The Human forces, comprising European Federation troops and some allies (British, German and Scandinavian forces and a small number of elite Russian League troops), are holding a line roughly across the Forth and Clyde Canal and have dug in to prevent further territorial losses to the Enemy, whose advance is slowing (thought to be due to incurred losses and a growing lack of resources).

Dawn, and the Enemy approaches through the mists

Following the destruction of a Kra'uul scouting party which was caught in an ambush south of Slamannan, intel was gained that an attack in force around the Stirling area was imminent and a defense was prepared to meet this.

This first of a two part game sees the main Kra'uul attacks against the defense lines around the F.O.B. to the South East of Stirling and the second the main thrust against the defenses around Stirling Barracks to the West respectively. 

This first part of the story is played out with the Enemy attack against the FOB's southern perimeter, defended by the 3rd Scots Mechanized Infantry.

The Kra'uul advance towards the Human defense lines

Round 1 saw the Kra'uul getting the initiative and a general advance was underway with the First and Fifth Interdiction Squads leading the assault on the left flank, Ninth Interdiction Squad in the Centre with the Command Squad Resolute Dominion in over-watch in support, on the right flank a Battlesuit Assault group led by a stealth squad took the point of the attack.

Facing the Battlesuit assault on the human left is Charlie Section 1 Platoon with their Bulldog APC armed with chain gun in support and a Mini-gun Sentry in auto on the tower behind. The Centre is held by Alpha Section with their Bulldog APC with the turret mounted grenade launcher and the right Bravo Section again with a chaingun armed Bulldog APC. Bravo Section was further reinforced with a Special Forces Assault Team in an advanced position concealed in the ruins to the fore. The Platoon Command were in support in the Centre with Mortar and rocket armed command vehicle.

The first round saw the Kra'uul getting the initiative and started a general advance on the Left, Centre and Right with the Command in reserve. The left exchanging fire with the Special Forces in the ruins with the |Special Forces getting the worst of this and loosing two of their number to the heavy incoming fire but managing to take down one Kra'uul Warrior in reply. 

Elsewhere sporadic and inaccurate fire had little effect but at the end of the round the Human Command Squads Mortar and Rocket Battery had some success in covering the defenders right and the accurate indirect fire called down by the Bravo Section leader took out two Gun Drones and another Warrior as they advanced into the open.

Round 2 and the Kra'uul maintained the initiative and continued the advance but started to lose cohesion with the centre not pushing hard and the right forging ahead (as befitted the Battlesuits).

The Special Forces were forced to fall back from their forward position which quickly proved to be very exposed but managed to avoid any casualties as they withdrew (very slowly in cover) despite the closing Kra'uul.

Special Forces at bay while Charlie Section move up

A vicious gun fight ensued on the Human right between Bravo Section and the First and Fifth Interdiction Squads and both sides loosing two of their number in the running fire fight.

1st and 5th push for an advantage as SF try to take cover
and Bravo Section cover the fall back

Kra'uul 1st Interdiction sniper's commanding view
pinning, but fails to get the kills

In the centre the Ninth moves slowly forward in the face of inaccurate but sustained fire from Alpha Section, with the Kra'uul Command overwatching the advance and adding some covering fire into the defended buildings.

Kra'uul Command view

The Enemy right begins to loose coherence too with the Stealth suits forging ahead and now all the units engage in close range fire fights with the defenders but fail to take down any defenders but manage to successfully pin the majority of Charlie Section who stand up to the fierce assault and cause a number of pins and in a burst of sustained fire from Number C1 Section, the roof mounted Minigun and the APC, tore apart the lead Stealth suit as in moved into contact with Charlie.

Battle Assault Group move forward but don't keep up with
the Stealth Suits

The Battle suit group advance with a seeming lack of vigour and appear to be letting the Stealth suits take the brunt of the fire from Charlie Section and Support.

Charlie 2 Section

At the end of the round, the support opened up again and managed to pin some of the Ninth as they moved forward from cover causing them to slow their advance even more as they dived for cover and a mortar round landed square on one of the Firsts Warriors blowing him to pieces and causing a couple of pins on his fellow squad members ceasing the pressure  on the Special Forces as they try to fall back and reform.

Command continue to lay down covering fire

Round Three and the Kra'uul assault continues to falter even with the continued initiative, with a seeming lack of gusto from the Interdiction Squads and the Battlesuits, all moving forward but with a lack of co-ordination. Only individuals making efforts to advance the position in the face of the determined defending fire.

Kra'uul left pushes into the falling back Special Forces

while Bravo section swing into the fight from the flank

The Enemy left begins to look pretty shaky as they fail to capitalize on the Special Forces retreat which had stalled as they were forced to take cover from the Kra'uul attack. The First and Fifth both move into contact and a brief close quarter fight ensues with Bravo Company advancing from support into the melee.

A Gun Drone and Warrior go down from heavy support fire from Bravo Section but one of the Special Forces troopers is taken down by another drone in return in the ugly cross fire and close melee engagement.

The Left and Charlie 2 Section assault the Stealth Unit head-on

The centre only sees some distance exchange of fire as the 9th are delayed by the support fire. The action of note is the second Stealth unit moves in close to the Alpha Section APC and proceeds to pour heavy fire into the vehicle which miraculously survives but is brought to a halt as it attempts to defend itself from the sustained close assault.

A lone Gun Drone from the 9th is taken out by a lucky (unlucky) rocket in the centre from the support command vehicle guided by the Alpha 2 section leader exposed up in the gantries.

The Centre defence holds but braces for the Kra'uul big push.

Beginning of Round Four and the Kra'uul kept the initiative and their air cover finally made a showing in the form of a single assault craft which made a strafing run from the south west which pinned a couple of Bravo section as they advanced on the gantries, killed a rifleman in Alpha Section who was supporting A2 Section leaders spotting duties, and puts another nail in the destruction of Alphas APC. In return, the only return fire was from Charlie's sentry gun which failed to make contact as the assault craft sped off to cause mayhem elsewhere on the battlefield.

The melee continues on the Enemy left but with Bravo Section moving in and the Section APC entering the fray the Kra'uul 1st and 5th are all but destroyed with the 5th forced to break and fall back. Charlie Section capitalises on the gap and advances into the space in the Kra'uul line.

The Battlesuit Assault finally hit home by leaping onto the lower gantry and opened up on Charlie 1 Section and two troopers and a Section leader go down and Alpha 2 Section is forced to fall back from this and the Stealth Suit attack in the centre.

Charlie Section exchanges fire with the remnants of the Battlesuit
Assault Group

Charlie 2 advances behind the Charlie APC to attack the other Stealth Suit which is doggedly (but fairly ineffectually) standing its ground, continually pinned. The APC attempts to ram the Suit while firing its minigun point blank but the Suit manages to avoid the cumbersome vehicle and empties its cannon into the oncoming vehicle which erupts as it suffers a catastrophic failure and takes out two of Charlie Section in the process.

In the centre, the 9th push up reaching the gantries but are pretty battered and spread out, and the Command move out of their sheltering cover to lend a bit of covering fire to the 9th as they attempt to close with the defenders.

The Battle Suit moves in from the flank ignoring the falling back infantry and assaults the Alpha Section APC while the Stealth suit recovers from multiple pins and lets loose a full claose range barrage into the APC which though knocked about to shrebbins, weathers the storm more or less intact (though it might need a new paint job and a service) and is unable to return fire. Te Battle suit takes a few scrapes in return from the sentry minigun and support fire for it's troubles.

The battered but victorious Assault Group vainly try to push
their advantage. Charlie Section fight for survival

Alpha Section consolidate along with Bravo moving up on the flank and gain some ground and commence an reasonable cross fire on the advancing 9th and a Gun Drone and a Warrior go down to the closing cross fire which is developing and making the 9th fall back to cover.

Charlie Section are looking pretty massed up with 1 Section taking another casualty from a Assault Group Gun Drone and 2 Section falling back. The lone Stealth Suit does take a wound and a couple of pins from 1 Section in the confusion.

The Command Support launch another round of Mortar fire and a further rocket into the advancing 9th and command and cause more disruption (though no casualties) making a couple of Kra'uul warriors dive for cover and another Gun Drone gets destroyed which erupts in a catastrophic failure but luckily only adds to the pins on the squad and no casualties.

Round Five and the Kra'uul assault is beginning to stall, with the best they can throw at the defenders not being enough to make a sufficient dent in the line and still taking casualties themselves they begin to look a bit thin on the ground.

On the Humans right flank Bravo section now advance with the remnants of the Special forces into the open ground left by the destruction of the Kra'uul left and begin to flank the Kra'uul 9th and Command and swap fire through the gantry steelwork.

The last Gun Drone in the centre is removed by particularly accurate fire from Alpha Section LMG and more pinning is inflicted by the squad on the surrounding warriors as these fall back to consolidate.

The remnants of Charlie Section, and Alpha 2 lay into the Battle suit supported by the Sentry Gun and remove the hulking suit in a spectacular round of fire. The Alpha APC recovers sufficiently to add its tupence worth and manages to fire it's grenade launcher to finish the suit off. Though the APC is not destroyed, it will probably have to be towed from the field and probably scrapped for its trouble.

The second Stealth suit also goes down while struggling to recover from pinning is unable to return fire and losses a close assault and takes a final wound from A2 section Leader's shotgun.

Round six and the end is nigh, the remnants of the Kra'uul command squad fall back into the ruins to the south closely followed by the bloodied but victorious defenders, who though successful are unable to pursue and hold the line.

The Enemy withdrawal is covered by the remnants of the Kra'uul right and centre (a gun drone and Kra'uul warrior are lost to the increasing cross fire) which cut off from the rest of the Kra'uul force by Alpha Sections advance in the centre, but manage to pin the advancing Charlie Section before they are shot down for their trouble.

The Kra'uul assault on this section is over.

The first part of The Battle of Stirling goes to the Human defenders who though suffering heavy losses, inflicted heavier on the assaulting aliens who lacked the force to carry the defence (the Kra'uul dice were not very good on the day at all).

The game was played using a modified version of the 'Future Wars' rules which make the Kra'uul much harder to kill and recover from pinning much easier than the Humans. Their fire does make them very easy to spot which proved quite decisive particularly for the support fire from the Humans. 

Next up, part 2, the assault on Stirling Barracks.

Casualties for Rounds 1 to 6