Moments after War- Pac forces enter the board, NATO armor converges at the bridge. A platoon of LAV- 25s ensconce behind some buildings, while a

Transcription

1 The Last Bridge AAR Captain Jürgen Keuppe opens his eyes and looks up to see Major Heinz Stransky climbing out of a BMP- 3 turret. The Major walks across the tarmac to the wounded Captain and beckons to a Sanitäter. Keuppe, your company stumbled a bit, but now they have the Amis on the run. I can see your wound is not that serious, and I need you to command a platoon for me. The remnants of 11 th ACR, 8 th Infantry and 5 th Panzer are headed for the Theodor- Heuss Brücke. It is the last bridge over the Rhine. We must stop them, before they cross and mount another defense. Keuppe nods and answers hoarsely, zu befehl Herr Major. When the medic is finished dressing Keuppe s wound, Stransky helps him to his feet. The Major smiles, slaps him on the shoulder and says, Hop in Captain. I will introduce you to your new platoon. Keuppe shuffles to the BMP, bends over and flops down in the rear. Keuppe closes his eyes, and within seconds, he begins to snore. Corporal Vollmer asks, Shall I wake him up sir? Stransky shakes his head and replies, No, let him sleep. We ll be there in fifteen- minutes. The BMP pulls into a field. Then, Major Stransky helps Captain Keuppe out of the IFV, and the two men walk over to a large oak tree, where three NCOs are standing at attention. With a grin on his face, Stransky points to his comrade and says,

2 Gentlemen, this is Captain Keuppe, your new platoon leader. The men salute Keuppe, who simply nods. Stransky then says, You must excuse him, only moments ago, he was wounded in action at Rhein- Mein Airbase, but he is more than ready to lead you. Please brief him on your current combat effectiveness and move quickly to the FUP. As the NCOs begin the briefing, they cannot help but notice that Keuppe s bandage is completely soaked through, and the blood is beginning to trickle down his cheek. Sergeant Wilhelm Dietz asks, Captain Keuppe sir, are you sure you are well enough to do this? Keuppe nods and responds, Just give me a minute. I ll be fine. So, we are significantly understrength? Minutes later, Sergeant Dietz says, Sir, we are ready. What are your orders? Keuppe begins, I want everyone to move out with turrets open. Watch out for mines on the highway, and get your dismounts into a position where they can root out the enemy ATGMs. At all cost, do not permit the enemy to cross that bridge. The three men respond in unison, Jawohl Herr Hauptmann. Captain Keuppe s platoon moves slowly towards the Theodor- Heuss Bridge and they scan for hidden danger. Keuppe orders his driver to move under a grove of trees, where he can direct the action without interruption.

3 Moments after War- Pac forces enter the board, NATO armor converges at the bridge. A platoon of LAV- 25s ensconce behind some buildings, while a column of M1126 Strykers heads directly for the Theodor- Heuss- Brücke. The War- Pac mechanized forces rush down the highway, only to illicit a response from a hidden Javelin gunner. A 127mm missile streaks skyward and plunges down on the lead BTR- 70. Trailing vehicles are rocked as the thunderous explosion obliterates the APC. Miraculously, a few stunned survivors manage to tumble out of the flaming transport and take cover in a nearby building.

4 The NATO traffic on the bridge grinds to a halt, as too many vehicles frantically try to escape the War- Pact onslaught. Suddenly, the whump of rotor blades can be heard to the east, and a Mi- 24D Hind emerges over the horizon. With NATO vehicles hopelessly clogged on the last escape route and so many targets from which to choose, the Soviet pilot opts for a volley of 55mm rockets. Of the ten rockets unleashed by the Hind, four find their mark. The bridge appears to be one giant fireball. Several Strykers are overturned and disabled, as the panicked troops run for their lives. A platoon of T- 80 MBTs move north in search of fleeing NATO forces. They encounter an Avenger with eight FIM- 92 Stinger missiles at the ready. One well placed HE- FRAG round, and the little Humvee is no more.

5 But War- Pac doesn t have it completely their way. A Leopard 2A6 and a M1A2 Abrams move in to cover the NATO retreat. They both take multiple hits, but strike back and knockout several War- Pac tanks. Both commanders are killed, but the crews refuse to surrender. A Javelin gunner fires on the Hind, but some nifty flying, coupled with a few timely flares saves the big helicopter. Now the surging War- Pac tanks bring the Javelin positions under fire with cannons and machine guns. As the noose tightens, it is apparent that the chaos on the bridge has sealed NATO s fate. Captain Keuppe smiles and shakes his sergeant s hand. As he announces NATO s capitulation and the cessation of combat operations, his radio goes dead. He pokes his head out of the turret hatch in time to see a brilliant light flash in the sky. He covers his eyes and yells, Mein Gott! A violent shock wave begins to gather force,

6 and Keuppe slams the turret shut. He mutters to his crew, Alles verloren. Wir werden alle sterben. (Everything is lost. We are all going to die) A Leopard 2A6 moves up to cover the NATO withdrawal