JulianJ

Yes, I think that sounds like a good idea.

I tend to agree with 37mm. While no doubt Yemen may be an interesting destination when peaceful, not a place to go for a jolly when a war zone. FYI Syria was one of the best and safest places to go in the Middle East before the current troubles. I've always wanted to go to see the Krak des Chevaliers. Sadly I think that is not ever going to be possible. I do think that these "tourists" were likely spooks of some kind. Or arms or drug dealers, whatever. Generally not your Pina Colada and Selfie merchants.

Hi all. Thanks @John Kettlerfor posting the Kornet vid. I scraped the audio off and got a machine translation. It isn't great so if any of our Russian speakers could edit it please do then we can all benefit from this interesting video. Please like the bloke's youtube channel, he deserves it: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz63ar5uANqYTKJIwnUQucw English Machine Transcription from Russian [00: 00: 00.520] Respected examiner. The video was made exclusively for historical and scientific purposes. in it, not a demonstration of dead people, all shooting takes place at the ranges and not even a domestic cat was hurt. so they brewed seagulls and a pleasant viewing. Good day friends. My name is Kirill. and usually on this channel I talk about armored vehicles. however, today we will move to the other side with a potential vis-a-vis anti-tank missile system. and believe me, the Soviet Union and Russia have much to be proud of. and the main hero will be the apotheosis and the peak of development of the anti-tank missile system Kornet and after watching this video until the end you will learn about its pros and cons and of course why it has no analogues in the world. [00: 00: 49.660] and if you put more than 5 thousand of your likes, then I will tell you about all the very unusual options for installing it on armored vehicles and not only equipment. and now a little bit of history. As you know, the Germans were the first to invent and go through the entire cycle of tests on the anti-tank missile system. There were 7 of them. But by a happy coincidence, it seems like they were not able to use it in battle. and actually these developments were used by the French when they created their tank missile system. however, it was the Soviet small tank missile system that was really massive and really fearful of the enemy tankers and the future caused during the Yom Kippur War in the early 70s, it defeated a huge number of Israeli tanks and sometimes inspired fear and horror. [00: 01: 41.920] actually still it is in service with, for example, the Chinese army and this is a very worthy indicator. time passed and gradually Soviet designers developed other systems that are still in service. of course it’s a bassoon and rallies and competitions, we can still see them even in the closest countries and right in Europe they are quite effective, but already in the 80s it was possible to say that they were outdated and therefore in 1988 the development began in Tula of that root, this time was difficult to say the least. [00: 02: 21.280] in power were not very competent people who were not always loyal to their country. and although the army was large, at that time it was not able to protect its country from the drunkards of traitors and thieves. however, this is a separate story and it can be told, but it is probably not within the framework of this channel. all the same, in the 94th year of the Tula checkpoint at the head of these two wonderful people with mud. still managed to present the world the first versions of the cornet. then in 2008 he was introduced to the max and in the 98th year he was adopted by the Russian army. [00: 03: 01.720] and he, of course, was truly the apotheosis of development and surpassed all the analogues in the world, and was not proud of any moves at that time. a powerful system that was supposed to allow enemy tanks to be hit at all combat distances, and not only the system consisted of such containers in which the missiles and the installation itself were ready for battle. The installation itself, of course, was not easy, like the containers, but theoretically, all this could be transferred to a calculation of two fighters. theoretically because it weighs to hell. [00: 03: 41.140] and speaking of the complex itself, it primarily consisted of an ordinary leg, people sighted missiles. Well, and accordingly, all this could begin with some additional devices. a regular sight allowed firing in the daytime at a distance of up to five and a half kilometers and falling into an enemy tank with a probability of eighty percent is pretty good considering that missiles usually had to carry two, the probability of defeat was quite high. [00: 04: 14.170] talking about how the rocket flew to the target, then in fact the track was shone with a laser from the same sight and behind the rocket from behind. it was very important that the photo receiver was located, which actually received the same laser track and tried to be in the center of it as much as possible, thereby ensuring a high probability of hit. and given that this whole laser beam was good for encryption, it wasn’t so easy to put some kind of interference against visual interference, there were such special light filters that established this on a basic principle that did not allow it to be captured. [00: 04: 52.890] by the way, behind us we have the same photo receiver in which the beam was actually received. speaking of shooting during the day, then of course there were no problems with this. in general, in numerous trials, hits were constant and reliability was at a fairly high level. however, for shooting at night it still required something else. and here heat technologies come to the rescue. initially the heat stroke weighed about ten ten kilograms strengthened further from the side. actually its various options you can now see on your screen. [00: 05: 31.410] they have proven themselves pretty well. however, you need to understand that this is an extra ten kilograms ten kilograms that you need somewhere and someone to carry. all this had a time limit at change from two to six hours depending on the versions of heat. [00: 05: 49.260] however, it allowed to detect and destroy enemy tanks at a distance of 3 to 4 kilometers sometimes they write on all kinds of advertising videos that are even more but probably still not. in addition, the locomotive helped fire in difficult weather conditions in smoke or something like that. [00: 06: 07.200] however, nevertheless, the tank was hit by a rocket; initially there were two anti-tank guided standard collective units and prisons. in fact, about the pub there were two charges, one leading in the front, which was supposed to destroy the dynamic defense, but at that time it was already quite common. then we had an engine or specially there is a hole in it for the main charge, which was supposed to pierce the main combined armor of the tank. schematically, you now see this on your screen at first the leading charge then the main charge is already triggered and easily breaks through the armor. [00: 06: 45.990] originally it was 1000 1200 millimeters. and of course it was just an incredible indicator; in principle, they still allow you to penetrate practically all the main battle tanks of the world and do it with a high degree of probability, as I already said, hits of about 80 to 90 percent and, accordingly, two missiles were enough. that he is also a modernized version now in which the firing range from five and a half kilometers has been increased to eight. I don’t know how much this is necessary, but the weight has increased from 29 to 31 kilograms in the same container. however, our scientists did not stop there and made a second missile with a low warhead. [00: 07: 26.940] what it is. for example, it flies into a building or else somewhere or in an open area there is a line on explosives. when it is enough to spread around the area or the room is undermining it. actually the equivalent of this rocket is about three four bumblebees well, quite well in modern versions, the range is also increased from five and a half right up to 10 meters. however, the weight is also from twenty-nine to thirty-three kilograms. but there was also a third missile with a high-explosive warhead and attention is not compact to blow up a film firing range of up to ten kilometers that it can. [00: 08: 04.560] it can hit low flying aerial targets helicopters very slowly planes unmanned aerial vehicles drones anything. in fact, you now see the graphics on the screens who are interested and who, at least a little bit, is not a humanitarian who can pause to consider it. [00: 08: 23.280] this as a whole allows working well in theory by helicopter, namely helicopters in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. At the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, they established themselves as one of the most effective means for destroying enemy tanks and supporting infantry on the offensive. The first combat use was recorded in August 2006. in fact in the Lebanon war the next one where 4 Jewish tanks were hit. Incidentally, August 12 happened in Cherkizovo. No, there are no dead people in the photographs, only the technique. but generally of course. here is the protected Merkava tank against the corvette. [00: 09: 03.300] practically no one has any chances. but the Jews took these features into account and it must be understood that Merkava is not the most armored tank turret, but everything is sad with the hull. [00: 09: 16.860] they were used in Iraq; they were numerous; they were used in Yemen in Algeria and, in principle, anywhere it is cornet, this is the most supplied technique. in general, in Russian exports, that is, it is really their turn to be worth all they want to buy like hot cakes. supplied them and spontaneously arising parts that were dug up somewhere from the mines in Ukraine. but actually of course not. but they also supplied numerous evidence of whether they are present there just fine. but by the way, somewhere, somewhere, I didn’t read the cornet complaints, I didn’t see, I didn’t hear. [00: 09: 54.900] if you heard knew read then of course write about it in the comments how you threw a grenade. in the open hatch of flavors. but speaking about the advantages and disadvantages, I would like to note that all the same, it weighs up to horseradish to horseradish (!) just 20 30 kilograms of rocket in a container of 26 kilograms with an aim of 8 10 kilograms of heat. you need to understand that this is 60 kilograms and the same jamie lynn is in the region of 22 25. although if it's all transported and stationary, then it’s quite an effective tool with incredible armor breaks in 1000 300 millimeters. [00: 10: 34.580] it really has no analogues in the world but you need to understand that the caliber is 152 millimeters. the disadvantage is that it is not possible to overcome the normally active defense complex that was massively installed on American tanks abrams. that is, of course, Americans and Germans will soon be put on. but in fact, of course, you can shoot in tandem. Now there they begin to talk about two RPGs 7 here so where you will always find ready to shoot right away with you. Well, to say the least, utopia. and of course, you need to understand that no shot is forgotten, everything must be carried on end and this is not always possible and sometimes much better than modern Western missile systems in the type of shot and forgot, but I hope when we get to this. [00: 11: 23.720] write your opinion in the comments whether this weapon is good or not. my opinion is that it’s worthy considering its price but of course you need to move forward and in no case do you need to stop. and now a very important point. subscribed nikolai subscribed handsome put a bell. generally Vasya well done found a reference descriptions of the second channel is the best. Well, if you remember that every night there is a live broadcast responding well done. [00: 11: 53.080] all guys thank you for watching. bye Bye.

Thanks for this. Funnily enough I was re-reading one of my Ospreys just today: Japanese Warrior Monks. These will keep me occupied while I am incarcerated.

This all looks very interesting, thanks John and Haiduk. Now I am "confined to quarters" I shall watch all these when I can .

!!! indeed. Quite crazy.

Mature? I hope you are not accusing me of being mature. I take that very badly....I am always in touch with my Inner Child. It's the Outer Adult I have difficulty with.

Great! Thanks @Combatintman

I thought it might be better if I started with a clean slate.

Thanks Mikey. I've solved the ammo issue - I can give them more stuff in the setup. I can't work out how to get two red forces though. I started off with Red and now I seem only to be able to get Blue as their opponents.

I like the idea of Uncon v. Uncon scenarios. I'd like a bit of advice before I dive into one and get frustrated. Firstly, has anyone done a reskin for the Kurds? I am looking into doing a Kurds v. Terrorists battle. (ISIS, Hayat al shish kebab, Al Nusra (the-little known jazz trombonist) and probably the ICF;-)). According to Sgt Squarehead, I can set up my own battle with all sorts of equipment/vehicles/arty, not just the minimal that the Uncons have. I would deffo like to have Aquila's improvised armoured vehicle - it's so steampunky! What about ammo for both sides? I have been playing a few QBs with both sides as uncons and they have so little ammo they are soon reduced to using harsh language only. You can't seem even to buy a truck to use as an ammo depot. It is fairly clear that in recent battles in various places, the uncons have not been short of ammo, having huge stockpiles shipped to them by their backers. I am going to adapt a QB map - that makes it a lot simpler to progress quickly. Any suggestions or pointers would be helpful. I do want the terrorists to have VBIEDs as that is clearly a major attack weapon for them.

I started off with SF2 and have bought all the modules one by one. Couldn't seem to do without them. I tend to think of a game as good value if you get a lot of play out of it so the cost per game is pennies. CMBS certainly met that criterion and SF2 will too I expect.

I must say about the above debate, that it was of such high quality, with people quoting reference papers, rather than half-remembered stories from some German general's memoirs. To summarise, if your logistics organisation cannot bring what you need to fight from the railhead to the front lines, it doesn't matter how brilliant your soldiers or generals are. QED.

The community has already debated this in absolutely mind-boggling depth. You'll learn more about railway and truck logistics than you ever wanted to know and published military historians weigh in. Enjoy!

That's odd. I read some of the Correlli Barnett books years ago. There are four on the decline of british power over 100 years. I think I've read three. I disagree with his political perspective. @BluecherForwardI just added them to my Amazon wishlist this week. Long out of print but reissued on kindle; what a coincidence. On great military museums, Bovington is excellent. Especially Tiger Day, to see 131 moving in the arena. You do need to book up in advance -it gets sold out. Sunshine, drinking beer and AFVs - a pleasure. I also recommend IWM Duxford in Cambridgeshire (as mentioned) which has AFVs as well as aircraft. The US Aircrew memorial I found very moving. I don't want to say any more because if you go there it is a surprise which gives you a chilly recognition about the sacrifices they made.

The wisdom of the Woosterfari Tribe. That's just what I did. I couldn't content myself with the UK module, then bought USMC, then bought NATO for a scenario I wanted to play.

This would be great, but I fear it is not to be.

I am also playing Shogun 2. You don't do reports on medieval Japan do you? Those b'stards from the Date clan are giving me a hard time.

Thanks for the insights.

Thanks @CombatintmanI shall certainly check out those links. I know Southfront is pushing its own agenda, but nevertheless has an interesting perspective. Yes, please do send me some info in April.

Here's the Southfront video from the press conference in July 2019. I assume the MRDC is well hidden, or perhaps they moved the missiles somewhere else to make this video. I find it quite impressive, and I seeing it again, I note that one of the suicide drones is stated to have a range of 1200 km. This was before the Abquaiq attack - which is about 1000km from Ansar Allah (Houthi) territory. You can see some of the airburst guided missile attacks but there is a separate video of that, which I can't locate so maybe it has been removed. (Or I am just a bit dim this weekend :-))

I know, but it feels worse than recreating the Napoleonic wars, or even the battle of the Bulge as they are somehow located in the past. On another note, I wonder if some of the CM forum smart people have any insights into the Yemen war. There don't seem to be the military papers that we have on the Ukraine. I have been following some of it on Southfront occasionally, and a few other sites since it started. I have formed the opinion that the Saudi military is one of the most staggeringly incompetent armies I have come across. The list of follies is endless. Just to mention a few: Leaving your vehicles sand cammo'd when the terrain is grey gravel colour, except where it is lush green (near the sea I think) Sending out your tank troops in ancient vehicles like AMX30s that were got out of mothballs (there's vids of a convoy of them) Having the most pitiful troops imaginable - in the cauldron battle a few months ago the prisoners looked like homeless people in rags No evidence of good command by officers and NCOs Surprisingly a lack of drone/arty and air cover Not being prepared for counter-ambush tactics - early on there is footage of a Saudi patrol of wheeled APCs on a road hitting an IED + ambush. They get hammered, then another patrol (I assume the QRF sent to rescue them?) goes straight into the same killing zone. I can't imagine any NATO/Russian/SAA/Quds force being so foolish. A lot of the armoured vehicles just sit there and are destroyed - I suspect their crews bailed already, so it's just a bit of a open goal for the houthis NOTE: although what we see in the vids is a lot of plucky irregulars, and Yemen is a very poor country, it still has a backbone of competent military and technical expertise. It has a 'Missile Research and Development Center' (MRDC) which actually has press conferences, showing off its missiles. I think it was trying to send a message to the Saudis that they should negotiate or they were going to blow things up. But that didn't work, so they actually attacked Abqaiq - one of the most important refinery sites in the world. It wasn't the Iranians, the missiles came in from the West. The houthis seem to have three areas of missile expertise: upgrading old Soviet-era missiles, using and/or reverse engineering Iranian missiles, and now building their own, including airburst anti-personnel guided missiles. (Sorry I can't find the video, it's on Youtube somewhere).

You haven't sold me on this one @Erwin. I agree a campaign shouldn't be a pushover, but there needs to be balance - maybe one or two easier games in the mix? I play for enjoyment, not to be feeling like I am at the dentists.

I just found this pro-Houthi Yemeni battle vid channel I have watched several videos and the Houthis v the Saudis and their allies would make really good scenarios for CM2. (I realise making games out of other peoples' misery is in pretty bad taste. I do find it hard to reconcile my wargamery side with my humanitarian ethos sometimes). Amazing rocky terrain - ideal for irregulars. NOTE: these videos are from the Houthi side - they indicate their soldiers with green arrows and the enemy (Saudi irregulars?) with red. I think these are total eye-openers. It would be interesting if anyone on the forum can understand Arabic, as the commentary would no doubt be enlightening but I cannot understand it. NOTE 2: I have heard, but have no corroborating evidence, that the Saudi army can't get any decent soldiers - so has to rely on desperate people, eg Pakistani poor. The only reliable units are held back against insurrection. Certainly if I was a Saudi tankman trained on an M1A2, and then sent into battle with a T55 I suspect my morale might have a negative modifier. This channel's battle footage shows the Houthis being brave and competent against a what I can only describe as a pitiful, unprofessional enemy. Yet there is a truly astonishing amount of arms, ammo and equipment that the Houthis are capturing intact - it's like being in dusty aladdin's caves of war materiel. See for yourself. At around the 9 min mark 15-20 lightly damaged armoured vehicles and about a dozen softskins including a Grad MRL truck are abandoned by the side of the road. I'd guess most of them are repairable. If a Western battalion or brigade let this amount of vehicles fall into enemy hands it would be called a major defeat, wouldn't it?

I dunno, I'd be really peed off if I was a hardcore Chinese wargamer, bought a dodgy CMBN CD for about 5p, and all I got was 4 hours of gangbang porn or something. Though you would have choppers in that one, mate.