Contact!

'Photos from this mornings aerial reconnaissance over sector King Zulu King east of Chiede.

Three hostile vehicles identified confirms ELINT that PLAN is present and on the move.

Elements of ALPHA Company 54 Battalion will sweep the area from south to north, and engage and neutralise any hostile forces.'

It's been a while but COVID19 has meant I'm playing some solo games and even campaigns - see my other blog here that details operations in Northern Italy in 1796 - and so I decided to resurrect this blog.

I've drafted a 'Border War' Supplement for the first edition of AK47 by Peter Pig that covers the fighting along the Angolan-Namibian border from 1975 to the early nineties. I have special rules, army lists and political flowcharts for SADF, PLAN (the military wing of SWAPO), UNITA, the Cubans and some freelance mercenaries. You're not going to get to see those yet but may do eventually when I playtest and amend them.

As far as scenarios go I've sourced background information and orders of battle and intend to use an axis of advance mapless style campaign. The basic scenario ideas come from Flames of War 2nd Edition and the Vietnam Tropic Lightning Supplement. Why those, well they are sitting on my bookshelf here in lockdown. I'll also be using Martin England's intriguing 'Threat Generation' system to add some solo spice (if you haven't come across this Google it, you'll thank me).

So the first scenario is 'Contact!' from Tropic Lightening, suitably modified for the Border War and gives an SADF infantry company the task of clearing an area that includes a small settlement and a bridge across a watercourse in the rainy season. The watercourse is flooded, and therefore is difficult but not impossible to cross other than at the one bridge. The surrounding area is generally flat with a few folds in the ground and covered in scrub that makes spotting troops on foot hard to spot.

The victory points sytem will mean the SADF cannot afford to sustain anything like the casualties of their PLAN opponents. Whoever wins will have the initiative for the next scenario. There are three points both north and south of this scenario i.e. three going south take us towards and across the border into Namibia and three going north deeper into Angola. Whoever gets furthest north or south and wins there wins the campaign. Simple.

The aim is to generate a narrative that provides some games, have fun and avoid lockdown fever...