The Tide is Turning - 1st day

Saturday morning saw us assembling at the Wings Social Club in Broughton for a 9:30 kick off.  After an hour or so planning and deploying the Warpact forces, NATO began the first turn at c. 10:30.  I was only vaguely aware of what was happening elsewhere on the table, being focused on driving a wedge between Ian's MR Regt in Schwandorf and Burglengenfeld and Mike's Armoured Regt in Regensberg.

My intitial fire plan called for smoke to screen off as much of Ian's dug in infantry and BMPs as possible, as well as one of Mike's infantry battalions dug in as a link with the Regensberg defeces and Ian's troops.

The smoke allowed French armoured and mechanised infantry battalions, with attached engineering companies, to approach two intact bridges over the Naab virtually unopposed.

Meanwhile, the brigade from 3rd US infantry Div approached the junction of the Naab and Donau.

With the US cavalry battlegroup on 3rd Div's flank.

Looking further up the Naab, the West German and Canadian battlegroups are approaching the Donau (Kelheim in the foreground).

French armour pouring over the bridges, while AMX-10 apcs use their amphibious capabilities to ford/wade the river, all under a screen of AMX-30s with Roland SAMs.  On the right flank, US M1s stand off against soviet armour on the far bank.

Ian's tank battalion in T-72s emerge from the smoke to try and pinch out the first French armoured thrust across the river.  This view from a hasty Mirage III flyby attempting to locate the axis of the soviet armoured thrust.

Meanwhile, the US 3rd Division starts to fight hard for the approaches to the Donau.

As does the US cavalry on their right flank.

The West Germans on their right flank are approaching the Donau and Kelheim.

At the end of the day - most of the French left is empty - why give the defenders anything to target.

However, at the schwerpunkt, things aren't going too well for the French, T-72s are quite a bit more resilient than AMX-30s.  However, French mechanised units are in a position to close assault infantry dug in in the woods enveloped in smoke to the right of the far bank of the river.

The French bridgehead at the end of the first days play (turn 5).

As above, slightly different angle.

US 3rd Div are across the Donau and trading shots with Mike's Soviets, as well as engaging Ben's East Germans across the river.

So at the end of Turn 5/Day 1, French and US forces have crossed the Naab and Donau Rivers and hold precarious bridgeheads.

More to follow.  Thanks for looking!