Sabres at Dawn AAR - BrotherSurplice vs Rinaldi (H2H)

[BrotherSurplice]

Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone. This is an AAR of a PBEM played with the British Forces module of Combat Mission: Shock Force. The scenario is "Sabres at Dawn" - I am attacking with a British light armoured reconnaissance force and @Rinaldi is defending with a Syrian reserve mechanised infantry force.

 

So, without further ado, let's do a quick analysis of the situation. My primary task is to attack and clear a compound known as the "East Yard" approximately 500m to the North-Northeast of my deployment zone. My secondary task is simply to destroy the enemy in the field. I must not suffer over 20% casualties and must have my force "arrayed for future operations", which presumably means I must keep ammunition expenditure to a reasonable level and have as little vehicles immobilised as possible. My force consists of light armour and mechanised reconnaissance infantry, supported by ATGM teams and rotary-wing assets.

 

My enemy is defending positions in and around the East Yard, north of a deep irrigation ditch running west-east across the Area of Operations (AO). Intelligence states that there are no enemy units South of the irrigation ditch. Presumably, given the low quality of my enemy's units, his intent is to hold his position for as long as possible and bleed my forces as much as he can before being eliminated. Enemy forces are estimated to be a platoon-sized force from a reserve mechanised infantry battalion equipped with BMP-1s. It is possible that they may be supported by ATGM teams. Due to my enemy commanding a reserve unit, it is likely that the equipment, training and leadership of his units are of a low quality. However, several things should encourage me to caution. Firstly, my own force is small and very light, designed for reconnaissance, not assaults on fortified positions. The BMP-1 is not a fearsome machine in Shock Force, but even its low-velocity 73mm cannon can easily pop any of my vehicles if it can land a hit. Secondly (and more importantly), Rinaldi is a highly skilled and experienced player of Combat Mission. I myself have very little experience, with only two other PBEMs under my belt (one of which ended prematurely because my opponent got bored, the other of which ended with Rinaldi kicking my teeth in). I can expect my opponent to quickly develop a very clear appraisal of the situation, with great knowledge of the capabilities of both his and my own units. He will likely try and engage me at as short a range as possible to try and offset the advantages that modern optics and firepower give me. He will be on the lookout for any weakness or mistake and will exploit such opportunity ruthlessly. I must be very careful if I am to avoid being severely embarrassed here (doubly so, as Rinaldi takes great pleasure in denigrating the fighting ability of my countrymen ).

 

Now for the terrain. The AO is small, only about 350x600m. To my immediate front and right, the ground is open and rises steeply, before gently falling off to the north. To my left, the ground rises more gently, with an MSR running North-South and a small Orchard running North along the edge of the map. The aforementioned irrigation ditch runs east-west, bisecting the AO. The briefing informs me that the ditch is unfordable, with only two crossing points, designated Tweedledum (to the north-west) and Tweedledee (to the north-east).

 

North of the irrigation ditch, the terrain becomes more complex. There is a small compound immediately North and to the left of Tweedledum, known as the "Tool Houses". North of the Tool Houses there is a gentle hill, designated "Point 228".

 

Immediately North of Tweedledee is my objective, the East Yard, a sprawling compound of one-storey buildings. North of the East Yard is another hill, designated "Point 225". Both Point 228 and 225 are covered in trenches. There is a thick haze covering the AO, the temperature is warm, the ground is very dry and there is a medium breeze blowing from the west.

 

Finally, a view of the AO through the eyes of my enemy. He has some excellent positions to take advantage of, with a large obstacle to his front, the complex semi-urban terrain on his left and right, and elevated fighting positions to his left-rear and right-rear.

 

Now to identify the key terrain (KT) of the AO. The first KT is the hill immediately to the front and right of my deployment zone. This is one of the highest points on the map and will provide excellent sight lines and fields of fire to the North.

 

The second KT is Tweedledum and the Tool Houses. Tweedledum is one of only two points where the irrigation ditch can be crossed and the Tool Houses could provide cover and concealment for forces defending the crossing point. The Tool Houses could be a good place for a forward observation post.

 

The third KT is Point 228. this hill provides sightlines and fields of fire across almost the entire AO, and the reverse slope offers an excellent place to conceal forces, for ambush or counterattack. Any advance towards the East Yard will be enfiladed by fire from Point 228.

 

The fourth and final KT is the East Yard and Point 225. The East Yard is my objective and must be cleared, but is also likely to be the toughest nut to crack. If he so wishes, Rinaldi could hide units deep in this compound as my units approach, before making a potentially devastating point-blank ambush. Point 225 provides good lines of sight over the open ground south of the irrigation ditch and would make another good location for an observation post.

 

Now for a detailed assessment of the force at my disposal. I command a small company-sized force from "A" Squadron of the 9th/12th Lancers. Firstly, we have the Command Troop with the Squadron Leader and Second in Command (2iC) mounted in Sultan APCs. A Tactical Air Controller team is mounted in a Spartan APC and will be directing the fires of a single Apache gunship.

 

Secondly, we have 1 Troop, consisting of four Scimitar light tanks. These little fellows are fast, agile and equipped with a hard-hitting 30mm autocannon. They wield the heaviest firepower of my force but are very lightly armoured, only really able to resist small arms fire.

 

Thirdly, we have the Support Troop, consisting of the command team and four four-man scout teams, all mounted in Spartan APCs. Each scout team has a SAW, a sniper rifle, an under-barrel grenade launcher and three light anti-tank weapons (LAW). These infantry teams will be needed to clear out the East Yard and conduct dismounted reconnaissance, but are all very fragile. This is undoubtedly the most vulnerable but also the most important part of my force.

 

Last, but definitely not least, we have the Guided Weapons Troop, consisting of two Javelin teams mounted in Spartan APCs. Each team has five missiles. The Javelin is an excellent weapon, accurate and very hard hitting. These teams will likely be the best option for knocking out AFVs and other hard targets.

 

Troops thus covered, all that remains is the time; it is currently 0530 and I have 50 minutes to complete my objectives. Phew, so much for a quick analysis! I still haven't really thought much about what my enemy might do or made a tentative plan yet. However, this post is getting rather long so I shall leave that for my next entry. Stay tuned!

Edited January 30, 2018 by BrotherSurplice

[MOS:96B2P]

Very cool first post.  Interesting battle.  Thanks for the time and effort to put this together.  I'm looking forward to your forces making contact.    +1 

[Glubokii Boy]

An AAR...Thank you !! 

Even if it is not CMSF2...It isn't...is it ? In the briefing picture it kind of looks like the irrigation ditch contains WATER ! but in the other screenshots it does not...

Ooohh, well...CMSF or CMSF 2...it does not matter...An AAR.

Lovely !! 

The map looks like a tricky one to attack across if the enemy have some long range firepower. Best of luck !

 

[BrotherSurplice]

4 hours ago, MOS:96B2P said:

Very cool first post.  Interesting battle.  Thanks for the time and effort to put this together.  I'm looking forward to your forces making contact.    +1 

Thanks, I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops.

3 hours ago, RepsolCBR said:

An AAR...Thank you !! 

Even if it is not CMSF2...It isn't...is it ? In the briefing picture it kind of looks like the irrigation ditch contains WATER ! but in the other screenshots it does not...

Ooohh, well...CMSF or CMSF 2...it does not matter...An AAR.

Lovely !! 

The map looks like a tricky one to attack across if the enemy have some long range firepower. Best of luck !

 

Yeah, this is CMSF1, the ditch is dry in the game engine. Thanks, I might need that luck if Rinaldi has some good Sagger operators 

[Combatintman]

6 hours ago, RepsolCBR said:

An AAR...Thank you !! 

Even if it is not CMSF2...It isn't...is it ? In the briefing picture it kind of looks like the irrigation ditch contains WATER ! but in the other screenshots it does not...

Ooohh, well...CMSF or CMSF 2...it does not matter...An AAR.

Lovely !! 

The map looks like a tricky one to attack across if the enemy have some long range firepower. Best of luck !

 

I think this is one of Paper Tiger's scenarios and it is definitely CMSF 1. It is likely that he (or whoever the designer was) had a mod installed that converted the marsh tiles into water tiles when he took the screenshot for the mission briefing whereas the OP is not using that mod so the marsh tiles show up exactly as they are. The other giveaway is that the gap crossings are mocked up using low wall tiles and higher elevations relative to the 'river'. If this was CMSF 2, you would see an actual bridge.

Anyway @BrotherSurplice - if I am right about this being a Paper Tiger created mission ... good luck, they are tough enough vs the AI, let alone H2H. I have played this one as the British and it took me plenty of attempts to get something resembling a decent victory.

Reference your own forces analysis ... don't forget to consider your ammunition states ... although the British TO&E is accurate for ammunition loadouts, you should bear in mind that your Rarden 30mm don't have many HE rounds and your dismounts will burn through their 5.56mm in a couple of turns so make sure you get your Toms to bomb up early.

Looking forward to the rest of the AAR.

Edited January 31, 2018 by Combatintman

[MOS:96B2P]

6 hours ago, Combatintman said:

<Snip>  It is likely that he (or whoever the designer was) had a mod installed that converted the marsh tiles into water tiles <Snip> 

@BrotherSurplice the mod that I use for this was created by @Pete Wenman and I think I got it at the BFC repository.  It changes the ground marsh tiles to water tiles for CMSF1.  Very cool.  The marsh to water link is posted below.  

http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314&func=fileinfo&id=126

[A Canadian Cat]

Very nice first post there @BrotherSurplice!

[c3k]

Ahh. I'm very familiar with this battle. Very.

I'm watching, with popcorn near at hand. Good luck!

[Josey Wales]

I'm looking forward to this, you've done a thorough METT-TC analysis and these more traditional AAR's are a pleasure to read through.

Although WW2 is usually more my thing, I have a vested interest in you winning this battle. The 9th/12th were my old regiment, and I spent the majority of my service in A Squadron...no pressure!

[Josey Wales]

I'm looking forward to this, you've done a thorough METT-TC analysis and these more traditional AAR's are a pleasure to read through.

Although WW2 is usually more my thing, I have a vested interest in you winning this battle. The 9th/12th were my old regiment, and I spent the majority of my service in A Squadron...no pressure!

[BrotherSurplice]

On 31/01/2018 at 6:52 AM, Combatintman said:

I think this is one of Paper Tiger's scenarios and it is definitely CMSF 1. It is likely that he (or whoever the designer was) had a mod installed that converted the marsh tiles into water tiles when he took the screenshot for the mission briefing whereas the OP is not using that mod so the marsh tiles show up exactly as they are. The other giveaway is that the gap crossings are mocked up using low wall tiles and higher elevations relative to the 'river'. If this was CMSF 2, you would see an actual bridge.

Anyway @BrotherSurplice - if I am right about this being a Paper Tiger created mission ... good luck, they are tough enough vs the AI, let alone H2H. I have played this one as the British and it took me plenty of attempts to get something resembling a decent victory.

Reference your own forces analysis ... don't forget to consider your ammunition states ... although the British TO&E is accurate for ammunition loadouts, you should bear in mind that your Rarden 30mm don't have many HE rounds and your dismounts will burn through their 5.56mm in a couple of turns so make sure you get your Toms to bomb up early.

Looking forward to the rest of the AAR.

Thanks for the heads up. Yes, I can foresee myself having to give a lot of 'Target Light' orders to my Scimitars in the future. Thanks for reminding me to bomb up the dismounts too!

On 31/01/2018 at 2:33 PM, MOS:96B2P said:

@BrotherSurplice the mod that I use for this was created by @Pete Wenman and I think I got it at the BFC repository.  It changes the ground marsh tiles to water tiles for CMSF1.  Very cool.  The marsh to water link is posted below.  

http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314&func=fileinfo&id=126

Ah, thank you, I'll check that out after this battle is over.

On 31/01/2018 at 2:48 PM, IanL said:

Very nice first post there @BrotherSurplice!

Thanks very much Ian!

5 hours ago, c3k said:

Ahh. I'm very familiar with this battle. Very.

I'm watching, with popcorn near at hand. Good luck!

Ruh-roh, now I'm spooked. Thanks for the luck!

3 hours ago, Josey Wales said:

I'm looking forward to this, you've done a thorough METT-TC analysis and these more traditional AAR's are a pleasure to read through.

Although WW2 is usually more my thing, I have a vested interest in you winning this battle. The 9th/12th were my old regiment, and I spent the majority of my service in A Squadron...no pressure!

Oh my goodness, the pressure is indeed on now! I'll try and make the 9th/12th proud!

[sid_burn]

This looks to be an interesting AAR, I look forward to the next edition. 

[The_MonkeyKing]

Yeah, awesome AAR. Not too many modern setting pbem AARs out there.

[BrotherSurplice]

Morning/afternoon/evening everyone! I return, with the second entry of the AAR.

In the interests of keeping the amount of "filler" entries low, this post will cover both my initial plans and the first few turns of the engagement.

 

Reasoning that it is somewhat pointless to come up with a detailed and intricate plan without having any knowledge of Rinaldi's dispositions, I'll develop my plan as I conduct a reconnaissance. This initially consists of my four scout teams moving forward dismounted, two moving into the high ground on my right and two straddling the MSR on my left. Each duo of scouts is backed up by their APCs and a section of Scimitars, who will follow up to lend support to the scouts when they encounter opposition. The Javelins are deployed mounted up to my extreme right. I am also moving the tac air controller team in the centre, to take up position on the high ground to my front.

 

Now, onto my plans thus far. My task (and that of my enemy) is simplified somewhat by the terrain; the irrigation ditch running across the AO limits me to just three axes of advance. The first axis (the arrow marked '1' on the map above) is a simple advance straight down the middle, over Tweedledee and into the objective. The second axis is a left hook, going over Tweedledum and following the MSR to the objective. The third axis is also a left hook, but even wider; going over Tweedledum and then occupying Point 228 before descending the hill to make a final assault on the objective. Whichever axis that I choose will be supported by a base of fire on the high ground to my front and right. My force composition also limits my choices; with a grand total of 16 men making up my whole infantry complement, I can only really afford to choose one axis for my main effort.

 

"Whichever of you mugs is humming the Jaws theme best pack it the 'eck in . . ."

 

Now, to go over the pros and cons of each axis.

Axis 1 - Pros:
- Most simple of the three plans
- Will take the least time to prepare and execute
Cons:
- Can be enfiladed from enemy positions at the Tool Houses and Point 228
- No concealment or cover; the ground leading to the objective is completely open
- Open to fire from the South side of the objective and from Point 225
- All potential enemy positions at the Tool Houses, Point 228 and Point 225 will have to be suppressed for the final assault on the objective, as well the objective itself
- Attacking from the same position as my base of fire allows the enemy to concentrate all his fire in one direction

Axis 2 - Pros:
- Will neutralise any enemy positions at Tool Houses
- Provides some cover and concealment from enemy positions in the objective and Point 225
- The enemy is forced to split his fire between my base of fire and the manoeuvre force (or shoot at one and not the other)
Cons:
- Is enfiladed at very close range by enemy positions on Point 228; Point 228 will have to be suppressed while the plan is being executed
- Will take longer to prepare and execute; more distance has to be covered
- Vulnerable to a counterattack from the reverse slope of Point 228

Axis 3 - Pros:
- Will neutralise enemy positions at the Tool Houses and Point 228
- The enemy is forced to split his fire between my base of fire and the manoeuvre force (or shoot at one and not the other)
- Provides an additional place from which the objective can be overwatched
Cons:
- Advance up the slope of Point 228 will be enfiladed by the objective and Point 225
- Assault on the positions at Point 228 could be costly and very time consuming
- Vulnerable to a counterattack from the reverse slope of Point 228
- Will take the longest amount of time to prepare and execute

Each plan has some pretty big cons, which is somewhat concerning. I do know one thing though: whichever plan I go with, and however my enemy responds, the objective is going to be swarming with enemy troops. Thus, the objective is going to be smothered in fires, from both my base of fire and my rotary-wing support.

 

And as always, the enemy gets a vote. I made some analysis of the enemy in my last post, but a few things have occurred to me since then. He may have minefields, in which case there is a 99.99% chance that they will be placed on Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and if he has enough of them then there'll probably be some in the entrances to the objective too. Minefields will make my job much harder and without engineers there is, to be frank, jigger all that I can do about it other than grit my teeth and push on through. Freezing up and trying to find another route would give my opponent a wonderful opportunity to inflict heavy losses on me (Rinaldi isn't an amateur; if he has minefields, they'll be covered by fires). The enemy may also have indirect fire support. Each Syrian Reserve Mechanised Battalion gets a platoon of six 120mm mortars and each rifle company within the Battalion gets a section of two 120mm mortars. It is entirely possible that Rinaldi's platoon has the company mortars in support. If I get pinned down or take too long to move from one spot, those 120mms could do some horrendous damage to my small force. Now, that said, Syrian call-in times for indirect fire are quite simply diabolical; in a previous match that I played, it took my Syrian Special Forces forward observer team *seven minutes* to call in a barrage from a section of 82mm mortars. I can't imagine what the call-in time for a reservist mortar section must be like. If I keep moving, any potential mortars shouldn't be an issue, but it is still something to keep in mind.

So far I still can't make up my mind about which of my potential schemes of manoeuvre to go with. All of them are equally unpalatable. My force has does not have sufficient firepower to suppress every potential enemy position and all it takes is one lucky close-range volley from an enemy position to make one of my infantry teams combat ineffective, or to knock out one of my Scimitars. All I can say at this stage is . . . a mortar! A mortar! My kingdom for a mortar!

But alas, it is pointless to screech about what I don't have. You play the hand that you've been dealt. At this stage, I believe that more reconnaissance is needed before I go through with any of my plans. I can at least move the units that will form my base of fire into position (the Javelin troop and at least two Scimitars) while my scouts move forward.

 

And finally, at 42:13, contact is made with the enemy! Scout Team 4, moving up along the road on my left, takes fire from their front. They swiftly identify their assailant as an MMG team, hunkered in a trench on Point 228. Sadly, I hadn't been paying enough attention to the micro terrain, as Team 3 on the other side of the road are in the low ground of the orchard and can't see the hill. So much for bounding overwatch!

 

The sniper in Team 4 is already taking aim at the MMG team before the turn ends, but I decide that a four-man scout team getting into a shootout with an MMG is a mug's game, so in my next turn I order them to drop down and crawl back behind the curve of the hill, while I move my Scimitars forward and get Team 3 into a position where they can actually support their pals over the road.

Right, this post is at a good length now, and I've covered all of my planning so far. First contact with the enemy is a good point to end on I think. Thanks for all the feedback so far everyone!

[The_MonkeyKing]

Nice one! Can't wait to see the real action start.

[Erwin]

What this demos so well about CMSF are the long(er) ranges compared to the European games, which makes it useful to use recon and spot without it being a suicide mission etc.   Am loving this...

And CMSF2 will make it all new(ish) again!

[Combatintman]

17 hours ago, Erwin said:

What this demos so well about CMSF are the long(er) ranges compared to the European games, which makes it useful to use recon and spot without it being a suicide mission etc.   Am loving this...

And CMSF2 will make it all new(ish) again!

I doubt it - the map is 320 x 656m.

[Erwin]

LOL - Well, it looks like a longer range than yer average European "point blank" range.   Isn't that why in an average Euro-based game it seems logical that everyone should have been issued with SMG's and the rifles are a waste of time?  

[agusto]

7 hours ago, Erwin said:

LOL - Well, it looks like a longer range than yer average European "point blank" range.   Isn't that why in an average Euro-based game it seems logical that everyone should have been issued with SMG's and the rifles are a waste of time?  

The avaerge Euro-Based CM game is a WW2 title, rifles sucked back then. But today, i would take an assault rifle instead of an SMG any time.

[IICptMillerII]

This AAR is a breath of fresh air on the forums. Very much enjoying the detail you are putting into everything, and the fact that you know what you're talking about makes it all the better. Excited to see how this turns out!

[Erwin]

30 minutes ago, agusto said:

rifles sucked back then

I was thinking mostly of WW2.  Recall threads on this subject that (IIRC) concluded that most WW2 combat was at 300m+ where rifles and MG's were most useful and SMG's only kept for short range eg "trench clearing" etc.  (It wasn't that govts just couldn't be bothered to issue SMG's.)   Agree that Assault Rifles are superior.

[BrotherSurplice]

Alas, this is not entry three, but merely an amusing aside; consider this tree in the left-foreground:

Now watch in awe, as the Great and Powerful Mr Thwop-Thwop waves his magic wand!

And poof! It's gone!

I'm not even angry at the waste of a Hellfire(?) missile, this was very amusing.

 

On 21/02/2018 at 2:18 PM, The_MonkeyKing said:

Nice one! Can't wait to see the real action start.

Yes, things are steadily ramping up. The next update should have something more kinetic than what you've seen thus far.

 

On 22/02/2018 at 11:04 PM, IICptMillerII said:

This AAR is a breath of fresh air on the forums. Very much enjoying the detail you are putting into everything, and the fact that you know what you're talking about makes it all the better. Excited to see how this turns out!

<3

Edited February 26, 2018 by BrotherSurplice

[c3k]

Trees and ATGMs are NOT a good combination...for the missile. A very effective counter-missile technique is to use the woods. Javelins tend to lose lock if the tank is covered by a canopy of foliage, due to the nature of their pop-up profile and seeker. Flat trajectory missiles tend to detonate on the trees if there are any in between the firer and the target.

It's very cool that the game simulates the effects of trees on modern missiles.

It's very sad when that simulation affects your missile.

It's very good that the simulation includes the effect of the missile detonation upon the tree. "Poof", it's gone.

All you need is to have more missiles than the enemy has trees.

[BrotherSurplice]

My apologies for the wait for this third entry. Making an AAR is a lot more time consuming than I had first imagined! On the plus side, I've progressed quite far since my last post, with far too much content for this one instalment alone, so entry four should be along shortly after this one.

I hadn't mentioned that the enemy might have medium or heavy machine guns in my first post, but I had been thinking about it, so this discovery of an MMG team comes as no surprise. Each Syrian mechanised infantry company comes with a weapons platoon made up of two sections, each of which is made up of two MMG teams. I can expect there to be at least one more team out there somewhere, and maybe two others if Rinaldi has the whole weapons platoon.

 

As mentioned, Scout Team 4 has pulled back rather than duke it out with an MMG team. The two Scimitars following them are actually unable to draw a line of sight to the enemy position, but the other two on the hill to my front are able, so I order them to open up on the enemy trench with their machine guns. Their supply of 30mm HE is embarrassingly small and I want to save it for harder targets (namely, the buildings in the East Yard), so I use the 'Target Light' command. Their fire is inaccurate, as word of the enemy contact hasn't yet filtered through the C2 network and thus they don't yet know that there is an MMG team occupying the trench. However, it should be enough to force the MMG to keep their heads down, at least for now.

 

Meanwhile, my Tactical Air Controller team has moved forward and is calling in support. I am hoping that the Apache will be able to sniff out some of the enemy BMPs, so I order a heavy strike to cover the entire enemy side of the map.

 

Scout Team 3 moves up out of the orchard to the edge of the road and spots another enemy unit, an ATGM team hiding in the cover of a berm running along the centre of the far side of the irrigation ditch. Another of my suspicions are confirmed!

 

A Syrian mechanised battalion has a single weapons company, which has a single platoon of ATGMs. This platoon, like the company-level weapons platoon, is made up of two sections, each made up of two teams. As with the MMGs, I can now expect at least one more ATGM team and up to two others if the whole AT platoon is present. Scout Team 3 begin firing at the enemy team, and although their line of sight is quite poor, they are able to make the enemy duck for cover.

 

However, as my scouts take potshots at the ATGM team, they come under fire from another MMG team, occupying a trench close to the other spotted MMG.
 

The Scimitars on the left, which had moved up and began firing at the first enemy team, are swiftly retasked to deal with this new threat. They are eventually able to suppress the second MMG.

 

As this is happening, my Apache is making his first attack run. The first missile he launches is unfortunately intercepted by a tree, but the second slams into a building in the objective.

 

Next up, a rocket barrage on the objective . . .

 

. . . followed by a rocket barrage on the Tool Houses and the berm.

 

The second rocket attack bears fruit, as I observe flames and smoke from a point behind the Tool Houses. A BMP knocked out, perhaps?
 

As a parting gift, the Apache subjects a building inside the objective to a burst of cannon fire, before finishing its mission.

 

As the match goes on, I am continually scanning the battlefield, analysing and re-analysing the terrain and my positions. I spot a couple of things; firstly, the hill to my front is not providing me with as good a line of sight as I had first thought it would. The slope on my side is very gentle towards the summit, and so my infantry teams are taking forever to get eyes on the objective. My vehicles are far too visible for my liking as well. Secondly, my first suggested axis of advance may have more cover than I realised. A spur of the hill juts out towards the objective, pictured here. The ground to the right of this spur is slightly covered from Point 228, at least initially. Perhaps Axis 1 is a better course of action that I first thought?

So far, things have been going mostly my way. Units are moving up, I've spotted an ATGM team before it could ambush my units, MMG teams have revealed themselves at no cost to me, and banter with my opponent reveals that the helicopter strike hurt him quite a bit.

However, I am soon to be reminded that the enemy always gets a vote . . .

[A Canadian Cat]

1 hour ago, BrotherSurplice said:

However, I am soon to be reminded that the enemy always gets a vote . . .

Oh yeah, stay humble. No matter how good you are the other side is trying hard to out do you...