CM Black Sea - Beta Battle Report - US/UKR Side

[agusto]

Great story! Keep it up!

[pnzrldr]

SSG Venar wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but he knew it wasn’t good.  The Ukrainian infantry up the slope from him seemed to be having a bad time of it, and the shrapnel from the airburst they continued to receive rattled the trees above his head.  He turned to his teammate.

“We need to get the hell out of here.  Lets go.  I’ll call the LT as we move.”

 The two scouts began slithering back down the hill towards the gully they had infiltrated along.  As they moved, Venar keyed his mike and spoke into his headset.

“Fernandez, you there?  I don’t see you.  Where did you go?”

His driver responded almost immediately, gasping loudly,

“Outlaw 13, this is 13 Delta!  We had to pull back.  We got hit – no idea where it came from, we were just sitting there and BAM!  The right fender is all blown to ****!  I think the run flat is still okay, but I don’t know if it hurt the engine, or…”

“Delta, are you in cover?”

“Roger, I backed further up the gully.  I’m pretty sure no one can see us from here.  Michaels is checking the right side.”

“Okay, hang tight.  We’re gonna try and get back to you.  Too hot up here.  Switching higher, so just hang on.  13 out.”  Venar switched his radio over by feel, and immediately keyed on the platoon net.

“One Six, this is One Tree, over.” 

“This is One Six, send it.”

“One Tree, it is way hot here.  Green boys on the hill are getting their ass handed to them by our friends in red.  Could not stay.  Displacing back.  My Delta says our truck took a hit.  Seems to still run, but will have to assess when I get back.”

“Roger, bound back and stay under cover.  Let me know when you are remounted.”

“Wilco, out.”  The two scouts began working their way down into the ravine. The veteran NCO turned to his teammate.

“Get that AT-4 ready.  I don’t like those engine noises, and that green BMP over there is backing up.” 

 

 

 

On the south side of the hill, SGT Cox continued his crawl, cursing all the way.  He could not believe that his team had not worn their anti-thermal Ghillie suits.  He would never be sure, but he felt those might have hidden them from view.  His crawl was slow and deliberate, as he had been taught, and as he had done numerous times in training and in Afghanistan.  He gradually worked his way back towards his torn teammates, focused on at least recovering their dog tags, and double checking to ensure they were both actually dead.  Unfortunately, his premonition on vulnerability to thermal sights was well founded.  A Russian tank gunner on the south side of the wheat field, equipped with solid second-generation thermal imaging sights, courtesy of the French company Thales, caught a hint of movement from within the treeline.  The commander told his gunner to fire if he thought he saw troops, and a 125mm high explosive fragmentation round screamed across the intervening kilometer in less than a second.  Though it missed him by over 20 meters, the shell exploded at a height of nearly 5 meters off the ground, blasting steel shards at lethal velocity in all directions.  SGT Cox felt his body struck by half a dozen splinters.  Three drove into his body armor and stopped, bruising him, but doing little harm.  Two tore into his right arm and shoulder, piercing his muscle but doing recoverable damage.  The last was a strip that failed to fully fragment, nearly 20 cm long and razor sharp, peeled from the length of the bursting shell, still flying at nearly 600m per second when it struck him in the left leg just below the knee.  Dazed but still conscious, SGT Cox clamped his left hand down on his gushing leg while his right groped for his Combat Application Tourniquet, conveniently rigged, per training, for single handed application. 

 

 

As the Russian forces decimated KPT Antonyuk’s company, the first two BMP-2s to die had been 1^st Platoon vehicles.  Now the sole surviving vehicle hunkered down in the gully and watched fate bearing down on him.  The commander could not quite spot the enemy vehicles, but he could see their antennas moving towards him as he peered over the lip of the gully embankment that shielded his track.  He looked behind him, and was gratified to see his squad of infantrymen moving up into the trees to his rear.  The LT was dismounted and ordered to keep his men in and around the village of Starov.  Obviously he had decided to interpret the village borders somewhat loosely.  Perhaps they could still manage to hit a few of the Russian dogs as they came hunting for him.

 

 

[pnzrldr]

On the north side of the hill, the remnants of 3^rd Platoon were still being ground down by the advancing Russian BMP-3s and infantry.  The Platoon leader came staggering back through the forest and collapsed by a tree, falling next to the last two surviving dismounted infantrymen from his small command, both bleeding from multiple shrapnel wounds to their faces and upper torsos. 

“Sir, are you okay?”  one asked.  The Lieutenant’s haggard face told the story as he just stared at the man in obvious shock.  In that instant, another burst of lethal 30mm cannon fire struck, directed by the thermal sights on an unseen enemy vehicle, and the officer fell forward on his face and was still.  The two infantrymen cried out in panic, then both began crawling away from the source of the fire, one whimpering in fear and the other snarling in impotent rage.

 

 

Note:  BMP in background is destroyed Ukrainian 3d Platoon vehicle.  

 

 

In Krichek, KPT Kovtun knew that the Russians were up to something.  The artillery  continued to hammer down, but there was simply not enough fire or probing coming from the far side of the river, especially given the destruction of one of an enemy BMP over there by his ATGM team several minutes ago.  Someone or something should have been hunting, searching, trying to pin down the missile team or flush out its comrades.  He called the BMP2 section which had moved up and taken position along the row of houses on the west, facing the river. 

“Borsuk 11, have you seen anything?  Any activity from the far side?”

“Nothing Viktor, hang on, I’ll move up and take a quick look.”

“Borsuk 11, this is Vovk, Hang on 11, don’t do anything stupid.”

“Trust me Viktor – we are good on this.”

An instant later a Kovtun heard the unmistakable hammering of outgoing 30mm fire, over the shriek of another incoming artillery shell.  As his ears were still ringing from the tremendous detonation, he gradually heard the voice calling again on his radio.

“Vovk, this is Borsuk 21…  Vovk this is Borsuk 21…”  with a heavy heart, already knowing Kovtun took a deep breath and replied.

“Go ahead 21.” 

“11 is destroyed.  We never saw what did it.  His track is burning.  No one got out.” 

“21 this is Vovk, do me a favor and don’t DIE in the next five minutes.  Keep scanning but keep YOUR heads down.  We need your track, your cannon, and your missiles!  Stay under cover and respect the enemy’s abilities.  Vovk out.”  He passed the handset back to his RTO, making a deliberate effort not to throw it against the wall, and carefully peeling his white-clenched fingers from the black plastic.  An instant later, he took it back and spoke again.

“Brytva 22, this is Vovk.  Move to checkpoint 2 and observe.”

“This is Brytva 22, understood.  Moving.  I have permission to shoot?”

Podpulkovnyk Tymoshenko stepped into the room.

“You are committing the Tunguska?”

“Brytva 22, destroy anything you see.  Out”  Kovtun gave his Air Defense Commander a hard look. 

“Yes Sir.  It is needed.  We have lost too many combat vehicles, and now 11 has stupidly gotten himself and his crew obliterated.  I need a check on the south, and it must be fast, and lethal if anything is there.  Brytva 21 on the other side has done quite well, although he said he saw nothing from his new position.”

“Absolutely.  Good, I approve.  I trust you Viktor.  Keep the fight going.  Levchenko will get here with the Americans.” 

 

http://youtu.be/cKvN6JINyaw

 

Outside, Major Harris drew the same conclusion from both the sounds of cooking off ammo from the recently destroyed BMP up the street, as well as the radio traffic which he and Beach were monitoring.  He too drew out his handset:

“Guiness, this is five, over.”  As a small team, the SFAT had adopted informal call signs.  SPC O’Brian was well known for his heritage, and his favorite beverage.

“Five this is Guiness.”

“Need you to get over to TRP 2 like we discussed.  Seen anything? Figure you can make it?”

“Roger.  We can make it.  The green boyos over here saw a couple dismounts earlier, but they laid into them with their AGS and we haven’t seen any movement since.  I think our move is still masked.  Same mission?”

“Roger, just like we rehearsed, over.”

“Guiness moving.  We’ll be back in a bit with notches on our CLU.  Out.”

One hundred meters away, the SPC O’Brian picked up the Javelin launcher, tapped PVT Metcalf on the shoulder, and headed quickly down towards the river bridge, carefully skirting the anti-tank mines laid on either side of the road.

 

 

At the Ukepor Power Plant, LT Lysenko grinned as he spoke into his mike. 

“Yes, that is in there.  Fire for effect.”

The infantry in the field had dropped from view, discouraged by a few bursts from his squad in the entry building, and the mortar spotting rounds had bracketed the position where he had last seen the Russian truck and troops.  He hoped the mortar boys would fire fast so he could shift them closer into the field.  He doubted his few men could hold off a platoon of determined Russians. 

 

Starshiy Kostenko knew he was a dead man.  The 2^nd Platoon private was on the ground, crawling past the body of one of his comrades, trying to follow his section leader back down the hill to the west, away from the murderous fire from inside the trees.  It was like a horrible story to tell little children.  From dark shadows beyond sight inside the trees, the forest had suddenly belched fire and flame, and all around him men had fallen.  His own thighs and cheek burned with shrapnel, and he felt the warm sticky wetness of his own blood on his pant legs as he crawled.  Suddenly, right behind him, he heard a crashing roaring clatter of sound.  He turned his head and saw the Russian beast, a BMP-3, a mere stones throw behind him.  He swung his rocket launcher around, and thought to himself how sad his mother would be…

 

[pnzrldr]

P.S.  Please do keep voting up the posts. If I cannot defeat Bil on the battlefield, perhaps I can amass more 'forum reputation points' than him!  Ha!

[John Kettler]

pnzrldr,

 

Great battle coverage, engrossingly written and quite disturbing at times. What I want to know is when Bil's AFVs start exploding en masse? The slaughter of your force is becoming rather dreary, though it's doubtless worse for you. Russian thermal sights are, I think, winning the battle for him. They provide an enormous acquisition and targeting  advantage over the Ukrainians, one Bil's using to telling effect. Thank heavens the Russians didn't have this tech during the Cold War. Could've been disastrous had war come. Are IR-suppressing ghillie suits in the game? Seems to me they're desperately needed. Don't know whether you've ever encountered one of these (starting 2:00), nor do I know what it does to IR emissions, but it looks real to me, makes tactical sense, builds on known US work (not the misdirect in the front end of the video, which presents it as a possibility) and has been confirmed to me as real by a retired four star (who still is operationally involved on several fronts), one of my contacts. Also, YT has suppressed this vid, was only the combat footage, at least once already, on an unsupportable pretext.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zKQe-1BUFQ&spfreload=10

 

Regards,

 

John Kettler

Edited December 24, 2014 by John Kettler

[pnzrldr]

LOL.  Well, I cannot address Harry Potter invisibility cloaks.  I'd say that either that is what the Soldier in your video has, or else the vid is simply doctored.  Scene is obviously an older, early war one, as the US response makes no allowance for secondary devices.  I know of no working, practical 'invisibility cloaks' that are effective against naked eye.  However, there are several fairly easy passive ways to offset thermal detection.  Much more feasible for men, rather than vehicles, although modern design does take thermal signature reduction into account.  Simple 'reverse polarity' tape that we use for target ranges affords fairly good outline disruption if cut into strips.  Doesn't mask ambient heat that soaks around it, but effective at moderate to longer ranges.  I quite literally assumed that our sniper teams (who have thermals of their own) are cognizant of this and have created suits that allow them to remain hidden.  However, such things are not in the game.  Maybe in a module.  I think there should be some sort of icon or UI indicator for thermal equipped units in game as well, but again, maybe in the module.

[sburke]

P.S.  Please do keep voting up the posts. If I cannot defeat Bil on the battlefield, perhaps I can amass more 'forum reputation points' than him!  Ha!

well let's just say Bil's reputation is suffering a rout comparable to your UKR guys.  Keep up the excellent posts.

[agusto]

I always vote your AAR posts up. Right now you probably have more up-votes than anybody else on the forum.

[c3k]

What is this "vote"? This sounds dangerously socialist... Good posts stand on their own. They need no vote!

 

I'd suggest an outright counterattack, but it seems you're a bit depleted at the moment...

[sburke]

What is this "vote"? This sounds dangerously socialist... Good posts stand on their own. They need no vote!

 

I'd suggest an outright counterattack, but it seems you're a bit depleted at the moment...

no, democracy is where you get to vote and the winner immediately forgets what he promised you and begins to collect all those fat lobbyist checks - social(ist) media is where you get to vote and feel good, but no one actually gives a s**t.

[dan/california]

You know you should make units about to do a training exercise read this AAR.  It gives an excruciating feel for what its like to be on the side that wasn't ready.  Take up writing when you retire, you have the gift.

[pnzrldr]

Thanks Dan.  Perhaps I will.  I'm already a grade ahead of Harold Coyle I think - didn't he get out as a Major?  I actually read Team Yankee as a pre-release review copy when I was in high school, hence, Armor officer today.  I was already well on the way though.  My Dad was the Regimental SIGO for the 2nd ACR in Nuremburg back in the day.  Took me to Graf to watch the Regiment shoot a Combined Arms Live Fire exercise.  When I saw the tanks shoot I was hooked!    If I ever do write I might be crazy enough to try Sci-fi.  I corresponded with David Drake once upon a time.  If anyone out there hasn't read "Hammer's Slammers," let me make a shameless plug for it.  Best tanker Sci-Fi ever written, and top 10% in military sci-fi in general.  Someone had a 'reading list' thread floating in here somewhere if I recall.  Perhaps I should go lurk on it a bit.

[sburke]

Thanks Dan.  Perhaps I will.  I'm already a grade ahead of Harold Coyle I think - didn't he get out as a Major?  I actually read Team Yankee as a pre-release review copy when I was in high school, hence, Armor officer today.  I was already well on the way though.  My Dad was the Regimental SIGO for the 2nd ACR in Nuremburg back in the day.  Took me to Graf to watch the Regiment shoot a Combined Arms Live Fire exercise.  When I saw the tanks shoot I was hooked!    If I ever do write I might be crazy enough to try Sci-fi.  I corresponded with David Drake once upon a time.  If anyone out there hasn't read "Hammer's Slammers," let me make a shameless plug for it.  Best tanker Sci-Fi ever written, and top 10% in military sci-fi in general.  Someone had a 'reading list' thread floating in here somewhere if I recall.  Perhaps I should go lurk on it a bit.

real quick one before c3k yells at us for going off topic - The Ten Thousand was my favorite Harold Coyle.  The other one I really liked was Cauldron by Larry Bond.

[AttorneyAtWar]

real quick one before c3k yells at us for going off topic - The Ten Thousand was my favorite Harold Coyle.  The other one I really liked was Cauldron by Larry Bond.

 

"Cauldron" is a hilariously great book, there is nothing else like reading about modern France and Germany invading Poland. The way Bond writes it though at the tactical and strategic level is amazing, a conflict so ridiculous is actually made to be pretty plausible haha.

 

Edited December 24, 2014 by Raptorx7

[antaress73]

Cauldron ... I had a good laugh ! Those evil french men ! 

[Heinrich505]

Great read.  Loving every minute of it.

 

Heinrich505

[John Kettler]

sburke,

 

As long as what ever you're discussing has blood, preferably oceans of it, c3k will be okay. Besides, The Ten Thousand not only has a major Ukraine warfare aspect, and there is some blood (not much direct combat, though), it's a modern retelling of the very bloody Anabasis, by Xenophon. As such, you should get credit for the spilling of ancient blood as well! Regarding the former, the ending caused my eyes to well and choked me up. I have a nagging feeling there's another technothriller out there involving Ukraine, and I believe China was the foe, with the US assisting the Russians. Whatever that book was, I remember being blown away by the specific description of US use of huge Russian underground fuel storage sites, whose existence I learned about from intel pubs during my military aerospace days. Contrariwise, I may be suffering from technothriller conflation, which can be difficult to cure! It's possible, therefore, I'm really thinking about Siberia. In any event, one of the characters was a gimlet eyed grizzled hunter, and there was something about the Golden Fleece and its true origins.

 

Regards,

 

John Kettler

Edited December 26, 2014 by John Kettler

[agusto]

Thanks Dan.  Perhaps I will.  I'm already a grade ahead of Harold Coyle I think - didn't he get out as a Major?  I actually read Team Yankee as a pre-release review copy when I was in high school, hence, Armor officer today.  I was already well on the way though.  My Dad was the Regimental SIGO for the 2nd ACR in Nuremburg back in the day.  Took me to Graf to watch the Regiment shoot a Combined Arms Live Fire exercise.  When I saw the tanks shoot I was hooked!    If I ever do write I might be crazy enough to try Sci-fi.  I corresponded with David Drake once upon a time.  If anyone out there hasn't read "Hammer's Slammers," let me make a shameless plug for it.  Best tanker Sci-Fi ever written, and top 10% in military sci-fi in general.  Someone had a 'reading list' thread floating in here somewhere if I recall.  Perhaps I should go lurk on it a bit.

Ha, well that would be great if you writre military sci fi . It is my favorite sub-genre of scifi fi. I can only encourage you to try it if you like writing, you certainly do have some talent (as far as i can tell from your AAR)

[pnzrldr]

Outlaw 16 knew he was in trouble.  He could hear the engine noises ahead of him, whining and roaring as the Russians moved up on him.  His quick instructions to SSG Svendson were to get forward into position and put a Jav on a tank or BMP up on 347 to give them something to think about.  That wouldn’t be enough.  He had to get some fires of his own going. 

“Driver, ramp up - back up.”  He usually called his crew by name, but in times of stress, training kicked in and he reverted to their duty positions. 

“Okay, now forward right.  Head down the draw a bit, then ease us up for a look.  Gunner, missile up as soon as we crest, and scan the hill only.  I’ll cover everywhere else.”

As they moved up, Upham looked carfully around trying to see everywhere but up on the hill, but a sudden burst of fire ripped his eyes back.  The last 3d Platoon BMP-2 was backing desperately and was spiked on bursts of 30mm fire from two completely different directions.  The steel vehicle shuddered under the impacts and Upham watched in momentary awe as hunks of steel flew into the air, the armor plate buckling and shattering as the heavy armor piercing rounds ripped through both sides.  Then the hatches burst open, not from the occupants trying to escape, but from pressure as something inside exploded. Fire and smoke built quickly and the LT knew that none of the Ukrainian crew had escaped.

“Identify PC!” his gunner screamed, tearing Upham’s attention back to his mission.

“Fire!” he shouted back, not even bothering to check what they were shooting.

“On the way!”  the gunner replied, but in their excitement, neither had checked their weapon selector.  The TOWII leapt from its launcher and streaked towards the BMP-3 that was now clearly visible on the hill haloed in the dust from its fire on the Ukrainian vehicle.  The missile sped straight and true, detonating in midair several meters short of the BMP, blown from the sky by the ARENA APS system.  Upham dropped down inside the turret.

“Holy ****, why’d you shoot the TOW?  Quick, go to AP!”   
“I can’t see him now through the dust.” His gunner replied.

Upham popped his head back up, rapidly scanning the hillside, his excitement warring with his training, verging on panic.  He had seen fire from at least two directions hit the Ukrainian vehicle, but could not find the second enemy vehicle. 

 

 

At that instant, Upham’s concern melted into fear.  To his right he could actually see one of his scout HMMWVs – it took him a second to realize it was Outlaw 12, SFC Bagby’s truck.  The truck was backing up fast, 30mm fire peppering the ground around it.  As the LT watched, the deadly autocannon rounds found their mark, blasting into the front of the lightly armored vehicle, powdering the armored glass windshield.  He saw PFC Purtle slump down over his spade grips, an instant before a final round detonated the Mk19’s ammo box.

 

http://youtu.be/15fJXy-V7H8

 

“Popping smoke, driver back up.  Too much heat up here, too close.  We need to get some space.” 

Keying his mike:  “Outlaw 23, you find a target for that Jav yet?”

“16 this is 23, nothing yet.  We’re looking.  Gonna keep creeping up.  Hard to see out of this orchard.” 

Suddenly, another voice broke in on the net, speaking low.  “16 this is 13 delta.  My actual is down.  They rolled right up on us.  I’m back down in the gully.  I’m gonna wait here to see if I can get back up to him.”

SSG Venar was one of the LT’s better scouts, and he had learned a lot from him.

“Roger, is he KIA?”

“Sir, I don’t know.  I couldn’t stick around to check.  I know I have to find out, but you have to give me a minute.”

“Roger that, keep your head down. Plenty busy here.  Keep me informed.  16 out.”

 

http://youtu.be/QCypvpfubqA

 

Ukrainian infantry and SSG Venar fall to Russian fire as artillery pounding Krichek causes casualties in the background..  The last Ukrainian 3rd Platoon BMP-2 is blasted from two directions simultaneously, as LT Upham's TOW shot whips towards a Russian BMP-3.

[agusto]

“Identify PC!” his gunner screamed, tearing Upham’s attention back to his mission.

 

What does PC mean?

[AttorneyAtWar]

What does PC mean?

 

"Personnel carrier" Its just shorter than saying APC in tank crew speak, I am sure pnzrldr can elaborate on it, but I am almost positive that is the reason!

 

Disclaimer- I may have learned that from Steel Beasts

 

Edited December 26, 2014 by Raptorx7

[leakyD]

 

“Holy ****, why’d you shoot the TOW?  Quick, go to AP!”   

 

Yeah. Exactly.

 

Why the heck is the AI using vehicle ATGM so much? Bill's BMP's are doing the same thing with their 100mm ATGMs.

 

As a former Bradley gunner and TC, TOW are NOT to be used on the small stuff at main gun ranges. Pzrldr you know this as well.

 

IFV's only have a few rounds of ATGM, which should only be used as situation dictates (LONG ranges, bunkers, MBT's etc). M3's have a few more, but still... There are a LOT more 25/30mm rounds to play with.

 

BFC, can we please get some tweaks to this before ship? That, or we need a new "Target ATGM only" command or somefink.

 

[sburke]

guys stop jumping to conclusions off a few incidents in game from an AAR with the game still going through beta..  It isn't enough data to make a judgement and if it makes you feel any better I just had a Bradley take out 3 tanks with 30mm....  yes 3. 

[leakyD]

guys stop jumping to conclusions off a few incidents in game from an AAR with the game still going through beta..  It isn't enough data to make a judgement and if it makes you feel any better I just had a Bradley take out 3 tanks with 30mm....  yes 3. 

 

Ok, but still... Should AI be using ATGM at such close ranges?... what the heck is the AI doing here?

Edited December 27, 2014 by leakyD

[pnzrldr]

Steve, hate to break it to you but the Bradley is armed with a 25mm, not a 30mm.  The M242 Bushmaster Chaingun, to be specific, from Lest you think it undergunned, it actually has a good bit more APFSDS performance than the Russian 30mm, but the HE is smaller.  The Bushmaster II is a 30mm, with faster, meaner rounds than the Russian 30mm, but we haven't bought that (yet!).  Don't worry, with the Gray Wolf and the Bradley 30mm on your side, you'll be invincible!

 

P.S.  I may be showing my age on fire commands.  I grew up on A1s and A2s, not Brads (did have a Brad scout PLT for 6 months, but only fired one gunnery) but anything mobile not a tank and not a truck was a "PC."  Yes, it stands for personnel carrier.  The oversimplification is intended to help with ammo selection.  Tanks got Sabot - anything else armored but not a tank got HEAT.  You still specify the ammo of course, in peacetime fire commands, but in the heat of the moment in combat...  well, Ol' LT Upham should have popped of with a full fire command and then his gunner couldn't have dorked it up and launched a TOW at a vehicle he would have eaten for breakfast with his 25.