Saturday 26 May 2012

Action at Cassalalta 11 November 1975

Caught in the crosshair. That could be a visual metaphor, couldn't it? Gosh. Clever.

''Janni, over there, by the railway line!'

'Hostiles 1 o'clock, fire at will'

'Shit, that's an anti-tank gun on that jeep...get some rounds down now'

'Peter, take your squad and work your way round them...use the buildings'

'Frank, base of fire..there'

'Go, go, go!'

*****
'Target 11 o'clock, 800, load sabot'

'Fire!'

'Sierra Five, this is two, I'm in trouble, I've lost two tanks'

Target, 700, load sabot'

'Fire!'

'Sierra Three, this is five, keep moving, you're all right, fight back'

'God, oh God, they're killing is all'

'Romero, you son of a whore, get a grip on yourself and fight or they will kill you...target 600, sabot...fire! Got him! Good lad...'

*****

'Sanchez says the Boers are in the scrub on the left, over there''

'Get out of the trucks! Everybody out, now!'

'Miguel, keep your head down and take your boys and work around their left'

'Shit...who's firing? where's that coming from? Everybody down!'

*****

I've just finished playing out the first encounter between Cuban combat troops and their South African adversaries in our alternative timeline. It saw the first encounter between Cuban T 34s and South African Eland armoured cars; a text book company attack by South African infantry that ejected Cuban recon troops from a built up area, Cuban technicals shooting up a South African Armoured Infantry Company and the massacre of a Cuban motor rifle platoon before they could disembark form their URAL trucks.

Neither side was aware what the other was trying to achieve and both were left feeling they'd taken a pasting although objectively it was a clear tactical victory for the SADF. Full AAR to follow.

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