"Blades of Fury"

Game 9

Deployment: Long Edges

Mission: CAS (Close Air Support)

Points Value: 200pts

Iranian Forces (Attacker)

--F-14A Tomcat

-Veteran Pilot (Morteza Ahadi)

-2xAIM-54A Phoenix Missiles

-4xAIM-9P sidewinders

--F-4E Phantom

-Competant Pilot (Giv Kiani)

-4xBombs

--AH-1J Cobra

-Competant pilot (Jav Rashidi)

-2xTOW Missiles

-Rocket pod

--AH-1J Cobra

-Competant pilot (Shah Behnan)

-2xTOW Missiles

-Rocket pod

--Infantry Units: 11

--Armour Units: 2 (2xM60A3 tanks)

--Mobile AA Units: 6 (1xZSU-57-2, 5xZSU-23-4)

Search and Rescue

--CH-47 Chinook

-Competant pilot (Leff Baran)

The Plan

Turn one the Phantom will arrive at altitude 2, ideally his targets will be Mobile AA, hopefully this will soften the area for the Cobras.

Turn two, the Cobras will arrive to destroy ground targets, the Tomcat will arrive at altitude 6 to provide air Superiority.

Iraqi Forces (Defender)

--MiG-21MF

-Average pilot (Dhari Madi)

-x2 R-60 Missiles

--MiG-21MF

-Average pilot (Salih Nazari)

-x2 R-60 Missiles

--MiG-23MS

-Average pilot (Heba Awad)

-12 bombs

--Mi-25 Hind

-Competant pilot (Harb Anad)

-Rocket pods

--Mi-25 Hind

-Average pilot (Abdul Najm)

-Rocket pods

--SA-342 Gazelle

-Veteran pilot (Zain Attieh)

-4xHOT Missiles

--Infantry Units: 5

--Armour Units: 6 (4xT-55, 2xT-72)

--Mobile AA Units: 4 (x2 ZSU-23-4, ZSU-57-2, SA-8 Gecko)

Search and Rescue

--SA-321 Super Frelon

-Competant pilot (Ras Lafet)

The Plan

The MiG-23 will arrive on turn one, his role is to quickly drop his payload on any ground forces possible.

Turn Two the Hinds and Gazelle will arrive to conduct ground attacks.

Turn three the MiG-21's will arrive at altitude 5 to attack any aerial targets.

Set up

Turn 1

The first planes arrive in the AO, an Iraqi MiG-23 and Iranian Phantom.

Ground forces on both sides exchange gunfire, Iraqi Forces manage to get the first shots off, they manage to immobilise a Shilka and a Tank, plus knock out the other tank, the ZSU-57-2 and three shilkas, plus an Infantry squad.

The Iranian return fire guns down two Iraqi Squads and destroys a Tank.

Turn 2

A number of helicopter Gunships arrive, the Iraqi MiG-23 suddenly finds he has a F-14 Tomcat diving in behind him, unphased he releases two Bombs that blow a shilka to bits.

The Iranian Phantom also releases two Bombs but they over fly the Target and miss.

The two Hinds move in and unleash Rocket salvos reducing Iranian Infantry to a mess of blasted body parts, the Gazelle close behind unleashes a HOT missile that reduces the last Shilka to a burning husk.

The Iranian Cobras each luanch a TOW Missile.

The ground battle results in two more Iranian Squads wiped out and the immobilised tank is destroyed, in return the Iranians only manage to immobilise a BMP-1.

Turn 3

The two TOW Missiles strike taking out the ZSU-57-2 and the Gecko.

The two MiG-21's arrive on the tail of the Tomcat, the Tomcat locks the MiG-23 and luanches a sidewinders before turning away.

Heba Awad puts his mig into a dive to avoid the missile but it detonates close to him, shrapnel penetrates the canopy and wounds him.

The Phantom banks round, as the Iranian Infantry destroy the Immobilised BMP-1 but Iraqi return fire causes heavy casualties on them as Infantry, Tanks and the Hinds pour fire into them.

The Iranian Cobras start unleashing rockets into Iranian Infantry as payback.

Turn 4

The MiG-23, Hinds and Phantom RTB.

The Tomcat turns hard and drops altitude, the MiG-21s do the same in the hopes of intercepting the F-14, the Cobras unleash more Rocket salvos but miss!

The last of the Iranian Infantry are finally gunned down, the Iraqi Shilkas (that have been concentrating on Infantry) finally turn their guns to the sky.

They fill the sky around the Cobras with lead but do not score any hits.

Turn 5

The Gazelle and Cobras RTB.

The Two MiG-21s continue to manouver and are slowly gaining on the F-14s tail.

The F-14 comes in low and strafes some Infantry causing them to Scramble for cover.

Both Shilkas open up on the F-14, and one scores a hit, Ahadi feels the hit but the plane seems OK, a little off but OK.  . .

Turn 6

The MiG-21s start closing in on the F-14s tail, but the Tomcats engine fails!

Both MiGs line up and open up with guns, cannon rounds tear into aircraft damaging the airframe and wounding Ahadi.

Turn 7

The MiGs continue to chase the Tomcat, pouring on gunfire, its airframe cannot the punishment and starts breaking apart, Ahadi Ejects and hits the ground hard.

Turn 8

With no more Aerial Targets the MiGs RTB.

Ahadi, Badly Wounded, starts crawling towards Iranian lines as Iraqi Armour closes in.

Turn 9

Ahadi keeps crawling until the Iraqi T-55 rolls up, it's hatches burst open and the crew surround him . . .

Aftermath

The Iranians had a huge set of unfortunate dice rolls, the Iraqi AAA concentrated on the ground targets which really helped whittle them down.

The end surprised us both when the Shilka clipped the F-14 taking out its engine, which in turn left it a sitting duck for the MiGs.

Iraq

Ramzy Hantous = Seriously Wounded

Adeep Cridi = KIA

Mohammed Ali = KIA

Siham Fayed = POW

Heba Awad = Lightly Wounded

-10% MiG-23MS Damaged (1 Turn)

-10% F-1 Mirage Damaged (1 Turns)

-10% SU-20 Damaged (4 Turns)

-30% pts to Su-20

-15% pts to Tu-16

-30% pts to MiG-21MF

-10% pts to MiG-23MLA

-10% pts to MiG-23BN

Iran

Omid Mansouri = Seriously Wounded

Alireza Khalili = KIA

Aman Mir = KIA

Mehri Seyed = POW

Morteza Ahadi = POW

-15% pts to F-14A

-30% pts to F-5 Tiger II

-10% pts to AH-1 Cobra

-20% pts Hawk PAR Radar

-5% pts Medium AAA

-15%pts ADS-4 Radar

-5%pts to Hawk SAM