The Soviets Bridge Too Far, Arnhem, August 1985

41 years after the British disaster, the British this time are defending the area from a Soviet Airborne attack.
The Soviets suffered heavy casualties on the last battle with the British that it is taking a few days for their forces to regroup.
The British however are very hard pressed to form and effective defence having also taken so many casualties in the last battle.
The scenario for this comes from the Battlefront Minatures website.
pictures to follow
I used the Corona pandemic AI rules for the Soviet orders.
Soviet forces
Mi 24 HQ 1 Ak74 team
2 Air Assault companies:
14 Ak 74 teams
12 RPG 7 teams
4 PKM MG teams
1 AGS 17 Grenade launcher team
2 AT 4 Spigot missile teams
1 SA 14 Gremlin aa missile team

Reserves:
BMP-1 Motor Rifle Company
4 Ak74 teams
3 RPG 7 teams
4 BMP 1s

Mi 24 Helicopters x3

Tank Battalion
3 T62, 3 T80
Anti tank company

Soviet deploying 

objective area

British advance 

initial Soviet hold on both ends of the bridge 

eventually the Soviets reinforcements will arrive along this road

Soviet paras move up

Queens Own Dragoon Guards Scimitar section clears the hedges of Soviets

Irish guards pushed out of the wood by heavy Soviet fire

Soviet paras move along the river banks

 the beginning casualties 

Royal Irish Rangers arrive in Humber pig APCs straight from Belfast

Irish Guards take position along the hedge

Royal Irish Rangers arrive to bolster the Irish Guards 

the Soviet Tank Division begins to arrive

Gordon Highlanders land on opposite banks to the river

this team went t ground, firing when they could, but were out of radio communication 

 the Rangers begin to take casualties 

Then

The Rangers continue to take fire

the Soviet grenade launchers are

taken out by Irish Guards mortars

And the LMG fire from across the river

FV432 move forward to engage the paras who had charged the tree line to clear the dismounted infantry

Gordon Highlanders hang on to the fence at the river, despite being flanked by Soviet tanks

 the Gordon's Milan team stayed so close to ground the battle rages about them

And were able to halt a T-80 section

A final push by the Soviets see their Hind 24 company destroy the Royal Artillery Rapier battery

a second helicopter attempts to take out the FV432s but misses.

The Soviets achieve a total victory in this campaign. 

The British will have to regroup, falling back in order to escape total destruction. 

The defense of Shellerten, West Germany August 1985

The Death or Glory boys otherwise  known as the 17th/21st Lancers with an attached company from the Irish Guards are defending a West German town from a Soviet thrust. The covering force of the Queens Dragoon Guards was badly mauled. The Soviets are steam rolling through.

204th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment in BMP-2 advance and take the factory parking lot 

a T-64 section of the 74th Guards Tank Regiment leads the way

a BMP-1 mounted section advance up the road 

mi 24 Squadron open up on the Lancers

taking out 2 FV432 carriers and a Chieftain 

Mi 24 Squadron continue to pepper the Lancers with Rockets 

 the Carnation battery with a Gaskin platoon for SAM support 

Soviet Artillery is giving a good affect  on its fire

the unlucky Irish Guards who were taken out

an Mi 24 taken down by a GPMG team

the GPMG gunners take down a Mi 24

a Chieftain burns while an FV432 awaits orders

Soviet Artillery takes out a Carl G team and an FV432

Lancers officer briefs section

Lancers await the Soviets 

As I'm playing solo, I'm using the new Covid 19 rule activation for Solo play which Battlefront Miniatures created. I now have a way to fight with an artificial opponent

The Soviet force consists  of 

74th Guards Tank Regiment in T-64 tanks

360th Tank Regiment of the 18th Guards Motorized Rifle Division 

2 companies of the 204th Guards Motorized rifle Regiment  in BMP-1 and BMP-2

Supporting the Division are

199th Guards Artillery Regiment with a battery of Carnation 122mm sp guns, with a BMP-2 OP

A section of SA-9 Gaskin SAM from the 896th Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment and 

A MI-24 Assault Helicopter company of the 172nd Separate Helicopter Regiment 

And finally a sortie of the 125th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division of SU-25 Frogfoot

Despite the gallant defense of the town, and with the reinforcements arriving, the Soviets were still able to defeat the British in detail

The Soviets were able to flank the British on the left, using the railway. Though for the Soviets the cost was high.

1 T-64 section destroyed 

1 BMP-1 section destroyed 

1 Helicopter assault section destroyed 

1 SU-25 section destroyed 

1 T-72 section destroyed 

Any follow up attacks by the Warsaw Pact will be done by other units. While the Soviets made excellent gains, this Division must rest.

Covering Force: Queens own Dragoon Guards vs 81st Soviet Recce Battn

The sun rises on the Queens Dragoon Guards hold a West German country side

From the book Iron Maiden (Battlefront Minatures)

the sun rises on a West German village

The sun rises over a West German villagethe Scimitar section takes on the Soviet Recce troops

a lone T-72 holds the objective.

T-72 is doing better than expected.

Soviets hold the objective by their fingernails, forcing the British to fall back. The Soviet advance can continue.