Wargames Weekend: A Bridge in Time

Next up we turned to an old favourite - Nuts! by Two Hour Wargames - but this time with a more modern subject, 1986 West Germany, for a conjectural World War 3 scenario.

Elements of the Soviet 103rd Guards Airbourne Division have dropped on the NATO nuclear storage dump at Niedermarsburg, seven days after the commencement of general hostilities. The Soviets have resorted to chemical warfare to restore the impetus of their flagging offensive and wish to eliminate any NATO nuclear response. The British 5th (Volunteer) Battalion of The Queen's Regiment, acting as rear area security for BAOR is rushed to eliminate the threat. On the outskirts of Aro.sen they bump into the first Soviet outpost guarding an important bridge.

Having only a single section and a Saxon APC I was a little wary advancing towards the enemy threat. I dismounted the men and advanced them through a wood to clear the way before bringing the vehicle forward.


We managed to set up the GMPG covering the bridge without the Soviets spotting us and I sent the rifle group to secure the farmhouse to the left of the road. With the other men covering, the Lieutenant and another man rushed across the side road, over the wall into a field and took up a position covering the rear of the farm house from behind the garden wall. The remainder of the group then advanced to their position. Once in place the Lieutenant took the lead again and rushed to the rear of the house with another man and checked whether it appeared occupied. It seemed as if the occupants had left in a hurry but that the place was empty to the team entered and cleared the building. This done they took up positions at the front and rear of the house.

With the farmhouse secured I sent the Corporal and two other men across the main road to clear the barn. Unfortunately their rush across the road was spotted by the bridge guards and they moved to their LMG. My GMPG team opened up on them and the gunner was killed and the loader fell back to the house behind their position.

I thought things were going pretty well and was preparing to advance toward the bridge, so I called the APC forward. It was at this point that we spotted that the Soviets were supported by a BMD-1 which had a clear view of the road.


It was too late to call off the Saxon but fortunately the BMD didn't spot it and I got it into a concealed position behind the barn.

It was at this point things started to come seriously unravelled. One man, trying to get a bead on the BMD from the loft of the barn attracted the attention of another group of Soviet paratroops and came under heavy fire.

The Lieutenant took one man out of the rear of the farmhouse to try to get into a position where the could open up on this new paratroops group but was spotted. Heavy AK74 and coaxial machine gun fire from the BMD saw both the Lieutenant and the the other man killed.

I now found both of my main teams trapped in their respective buildings and the GMPG team unable to get line of sight on any of the enemy. So I tried to get a couple of men out to lay down some covering fire so we could move. Unfortunately both men were spotted and the ensuing fire put both of the out of the fight.

At this point the Corporal thought discretion to be the better part of valour and ordered the remainder of the section to withdraw under the cover of smoke taking the wounded with them.