Combat Mission AAR: MSR Titan

[IICptMillerII]

Combat Mission Shock Force 2 PBEM AAR
MSR Titan
By IICptMillerII

INTRODUCTION

 

This is an after action report (AAR) of a play by email (PBEM) battle I recently concluded. The battle is in Combat Mission Shock Force 2 and features a combined arms task force attacking down a major highway against a near-peer opposing force (OpFor).

The map is taken from the first mission of the excellent campaign “Forging Steel” by GeorgeMC. All credit goes to him for designing the superb map. I have modified the BluFor and OpFor, as well as their respective objectives, but otherwise the map remains untouched.

This AAR features several mods. Chief among them are:

• Veins Smoke and Effects mod
• Drakenlords Fire mod
• Sahrani Liberation Army (SLA) by myself playing the OpFor
• US 3^rd Infantry Division Multicam uniforms by myself

A number of the graphics used in this AAR (mainly the maps and task force layout) are large image files and are best viewed in full size, with the ability to fully zoom in on them.

All sprites of vehicles and soldier models used in the map and task force layout graphics are taken from the game “Armored Brigade” by Matrix Games and are slightly tweaked by me. All credit goes to the artists who created these sprites.

 

MISSION

Task Force Miller is ordered to assault down Highway 3, named Main Supply Route (MSR) Titan, in order to allow follow on forces to continue the attack.

Mission Specific Tasks:

• Secure Bridges 31 and 32.
• Destroy any enemy forces in the vicinity of MSR Titan
• Do not suffer more than 30% casualties

Desired End State:

MSR Titan, to include Bridges 31 and 32 secured and not directly threatened by the enemy. Task Force Miller combat effective and capable of conducting follow-on operations.

 

 

ENEMY

S2 (Intel) indicates the enemy is present in battalion size and are made up of elements from the 16^th Guards Tank Division. Specifically, elements of the 47^th Guards Tank Regiment appear to be deployed to our front. S2 anticipates a mix of dismounted and mechanized infantry (mounted in BMP-2s) in battalion (-) strength supported by at least one company of T-72AV tanks. It is anticipated that at least one additional company of tanks, maybe more, could be present on the battlefield, possibly as a quick reaction force (QRF).

The enemy is well equipped, well led, and well trained. They are expected to stand and fight and will not give ground easily. Entrenched enemy units not immediately threatening the MSR should be bypassed or be destroyed with indirect fires.

The T-72AV is a very capable tank and is well crewed. It is capable of frontally penetrating our M1A1’s at combat ranges. It is not a threat to be taken lightly.

Additionally, enemy infantry may be equipped with the AT-14 Kornet anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). This weapon can easily destroy our M2 and M3 Bradley/Cavalry fighting vehicles and can severely damage, disable, and even destroy our M1A1’s.

 

 

TERRAIN AND WEATHER

The weather is overcast, though rain is not expected. The Air Force has assured us that the weather will not impede their ability to support the task force.

The landscape is a mildly arid temperate climate. The dominating terrain features are Hill 113, and the gorge that runs North-South, crossing under MSR Titan at Bridge 32. The gently hilled terrain is a mix of grassland, agriculture, and light forest. The forested areas are not expected to prohibit tracked vehicles, though caution should still be used if passing through.

MSR Titan runs East-West along the 2240 Easting. It crosses two obstacles, unnamed gorges, at Bridges 31 and 32.

Several settlements of varying size are scattered through the area of operations. Only one is named, Kronenburg. The rest are designated by named areas of interest (NAIs). The most significant of these are likely to be NAI’s 5, 8, 9 and 12. These are larger settlements located closest to the MSR.

 

 

TROOPS

Task Force Miller is a combined arms task force composed primarily of two companies, one mechanized infantry and one armored. The armor company is Alpha Company equipped with M1A1HC Abrams tanks. The mechanized infantry company is Charlie Company riding in M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFV). Neither the tanks nor BFVs are equipped with explosive reactive armor (ERA) packages, so they are more vulnerable to HEAT rounds, specifically modern tandem HEAT warheads. These units come from 1^st Battalion, 64^th Armored Regiment. The parent division is the 3^rd Infantry Division.

Also attached is 1^st Platoon, Alpha Company, 5-7^th Cavalry. The scouts operate the M3A3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV).

Supporting Fires:
The task force’s Joint Tactical Air Controller (JTAC) is assigned to the headquarters element of Alpha Company, and rides in a Humvee. Charlie Company has its Fire Support Officer (FSO) in its Bradley Fire Support vehicle (BFIST), part of C Company’s headquarters.

We have been given priority fires for the following assets

• Battery A, 1-41^st Field Artillery. x6 155mm Paladin self-propelled guns
• 1 flight of AH-64D Apache Gunships (2 helicopters)
  • Armed with:
    • 30mm HEDP x1000
    • 70mm HE Rockets x38
    • AGM-114 Hellfire x8
• 1 flight of A-10C Thunderbolt II’s (2 fixed wing aircraft)
  • Armed with:
    • 30mm APDU x1350
    • 500lb bomb x4
    • AGM-65 Maverick x4

 

 

TIME

The time is 0830. Task Force Miller has 2 hours to accomplish its objectives.

 

INITIAL SCHEME OF MANEUVER 

The initial scheme of maneuver, illustrated by this map, is as follows:

 

Cavalry Scouts (White)

• Scout team 3 will advance to NAI 2 and establish overwatch positions North-East to screen the task force’s left flank.
• Scout team 1 (dismounted) will observe to it’s North-East to provide another set of eyes from a different location to spot any threats that immediately appear as the task force deploys.

 

Tanks (Red)

• 3^rd platoon will advance down the MSR and establish hull down overwatch positions that will allow observation down the entirety of the MSR and its immediate surroundings.
• 2^nd platoon will advance forward into hull down positions and establish a base of fire position to cover the infantry
• 1^st platoon will advance forward directly in front of NAI 1 in order to directly observe and engage any threats spotted there and allow the infantry to move up, dismount and begin sweeping the NAI.

 

Infantry (Blue)

• For now, all infantry platoons will remain mounted and stationary in defilade as the tanks and scouts move forward to their initial positions. Once the tanks/scouts are in position, the platoons will fan out and deploy against their respective initial objectives.
  • 1^st platoon is tasked with clearing any discovered threats in the immediate vicinity of MSR Titan.
  • 2^nd platoon is effectively the reserve element and will respond to developing threats as needed.
  • 3^rd platoon is tasked with sweeping NAI 2 if the enemy is discovered there.

 

Preparatory Fires

• 1 section of 155mms (2 guns) will fire a light mission against NAI 1 to suppress any enemy forces deployed there that could threaten the initial deployment of the task force. The remaining 2 sections of the battery will be on call for fires.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Excellent, I loved these battles in CM:SF.....Red can give a pretty good account of themselves if one is hasty or unwise. 

[sburke]

are those unit icons in your OoB from MBT?    look familiar.

Edited May 8, 2019 by sburke

[MOS:96B2P]

1 hour ago, IICptMillerII said:

This is an after action report (AAR) of a play by email (PBEM) battle I recently concluded. The battle is in Combat Mission Shock Force 2 and features a combined arms task force attacking down a major highway against a near-peer opposing force (OpFor).

+1  Excellent map, graphics etc.  Looking forward to this very professional looking AAR. 

[IICptMillerII]

1 hour ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Excellent, I loved these battles in CM:SF.....Red can give a pretty good account of themselves if one is hasty or unwise. 

Stay tuned, things get very intense!

1 hour ago, sburke said:

are those unit icons in your OoB from MBT?    look familiar.

The sprites themselves come from the Matrix Games title "Armored Brigade." The NATO icons came from a (very wonky) program called Milsketch. All I used the program for was to create the NATO symbols with the modifiers on top. Everything else was done in photoshop. 

35 minutes ago, MOS:96B2P said:

+1  Excellent map, graphics etc.  Looking forward to this very professional looking AAR. 

Thanks! 

[Bil Hardenberger]

@IICptMillerII, absolutely love what you are doing here.  Beautiful map work.. I know how much time that kind of preparation can take.

Quite a strong force you are fielding... I'll be watching to see how it fairs against the horde you are facing.  You didn't mention who your opponent was I don't think?

We will have to face off one day, I like your style.

Bil

[George MC]

Excellent - this looks awesome.

Chuffed to see this old map getting some air time.

I mind when I first created it I broke an early beta of CMSF by using a myriad of drainage ditches. Got a "row" from Steve and Charles so had to remove a great many of my lovingly placed ditches!

So looking forward to this and see how this pans out combat wise.

Cheery!

[Sgt.Squarehead]

You and your drainage ditches.....There's a certain one in Hammertime, behind a farmhouse, bedevils me to this day! 

[IICptMillerII]

5 hours ago, Bil Hardenberger said:

@IICptMillerII, absolutely love what you are doing here.  Beautiful map work.. I know how much time that kind of preparation can take.

Quite a strong force you are fielding... I'll be watching to see how it fairs against the horde you are facing.  You didn't mention who your opponent was I don't think?

We will have to face off one day, I like your style.

Bil

Thanks Bil! You're a large part of the inspiration for the presentation style of this AAR. Glad to hear I'm doing something correctly! The graphics have certainly taken a long time. Couple that with some very action packed turns and the quick pace of modern warfare, and it really adds up. Its taken a few months to properly put this all together. Despite that, its still great fun putting it all together. 

The battle itself is a bit of a roller coaster. There are a few decent twists throughout, and it ends up being a well rounded all arms fight. I'm hoping it makes for exciting viewing. It was certainly exciting to play. 

I've left my opponent anonymous for now, though he is more than free to chime in on the discussion at any point. I thought it would help to streamline the presentation a bit, as I've also posted this AAR over at Grogheads.

I'd love to do a game with you at some point! Though at the moment my plate is rather full with real life responsibilities. I'll reach out when I have more time to dedicate. At least that way I won't have any excuses!

4 hours ago, George MC said:

Excellent - this looks awesome.

Chuffed to see this old map getting some air time.

I mind when I first created it I broke an early beta of CMSF by using a myriad of drainage ditches. Got a "row" from Steve and Charles so had to remove a great many of my lovingly placed ditches!

So looking forward to this and see how this pans out combat wise.

Cheery!

Thanks George! I'm a huge fan of your scenario's, both the map work and the types of scenario's you publish. In my opinion, the CM editor requires a certain touch in order to get the maps looking proper, a touch with thus far eludes me. You on the other hand seem to have invented the touch! I love your focus on mostly force on force engagements too. That is certainly my preferred scenario type, and your attention to detail and realism when it comes to force compositions is exceptional. Again, hats off to the outstanding work you do!

I thought about adding water to the map now that we have the ability in SF2, but I found that I like the map more in its arid state. That, and adding water throws off some of the elevation. I think it works really well as it is.

[IICptMillerII]

MOVEMENT TO CONTACT

The battle begins and my task force starts deploying. 2^nd platoon (tanks) moves forward to establish hull down positions on the rise in front of them. 3^rd platoon (tanks) establishes hull down positions on the MSR.

Artillery begins to fall on NAI 1.

On the left flank, scout team 3 moves forward, dismounts and establishes an observation post. All is quiet on the left.

Immediately after taking hull down positions, 2^nd platoon encounters and engage enemy infantry moving in the open.

Upon doing my terrain analysis, it became quickly apparent to me that NAI 1 would be an excellent defensive position due to it’s cover, concealment and dominating sightlines along MSR Titan. In short, it is an excellent place for infantry to dig in and engage my forces as they try to move down the MSR.

It appears that the enemy is aware of the defensive advantages of this position as well. The enemy team my tanks engaged is proof that the enemy is on NAI 1 in some capacity, but to what degree?

In order to find out, I dispatch 2^nd platoon (infantry) to begin moving towards NAI 1. In addition, scout team 1 pushes up to get extra eyes on and help discover any hidden threats not yet uncovered by the tanks.

As 2^nd platoon and the scout teams begin their movement, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) indicates that there could be a concentration of armor in the vicinity of NAI 1. I waste no time getting the JTAC to call in an Apache to put eyes on the area, and missiles into anything spotted there.

Scout team 1 dismounts and pushes up slightly to get better eyes on the tree line, but spot nothing. Covered by the tanks and scout team, 2^nd platoon moves up on line and dismounts its infantry.

Meanwhile on the left flank, 1^st platoon (infantry) covered by 2^nd platoon (tanks) move forward along MSR Titan to gain a position overlooking NAI 3.

NAI 3 is close to the MSR and would be an ideal spot for the enemy to launch spoiling attacks against my task force moving down the MSR, such as firing RPGs into the flanks of my vehicles. Further emphasizing this point, SIGINT reports that there are potential contacts in the building complex farthest to the rear. Perhaps this is an enemy outpost watching the MSR? To prevent the enemy from launching any spoiling attacks against my task force and to deny him his (potential) observation post, 1^st platoon (infantry) will establish a base of fire observing NAI 3, and then sweep and clear the buildings to ensure no threat is posed to the rest of the task force. As 1^st platoon moves into position and establishes overwatch, the platoon fire support team calls in a fire mission on the suspected outpost. The mission is a single section (2 tubes) of 155mm and will be short but violent.

Shortly after calling it in, the fire mission lands.

The fire mission is short, only dropping a handful of rounds. As soon as it ends 1^st platoon (infantry), covered by tanks on the MSR, advance and dismount in front of NAI 3.

Back on the right flank, my infantry are now fully deployed and arrayed against NAI 1, supported by their Bradley mounts, some tanks, and a scout team. Despite being in the open, my men have not taken any fire. Further, despite having good direct observation of the NAI, I have not been able to uncover any enemy positions. It’s time to advance.

I bring all my tanks in the area on line and begin bounding the infantry forward in teams towards the tree line.

As this is happening, an enemy artillery barrage begins to land. It seems to be falling in the open field to the rear of most of my forces and poses no immediate threat to me.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Very nicely presented AAR fella. 

Any chance of a few more 'up close & personal' images please.....While they don't offer much in the way of an overview of the battle, sometimes they can capture the feel of the thing in a way that more tactically revealing images can't.

[IICptMillerII]

17 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Very nicely presented AAR fella. 

Any chance of a few more 'up close & personal' images please.....While they don't offer much in the way of an overview of the battle, sometimes they can capture the feel of the thing in a way that more tactically revealing images can't.

Glad you're enjoying it so far!

Don't worry, most of the AAR images are shot from the up close and personal perspective, and there is a lot of picture in picture (again highly influenced by Bil). This first part of the AAR is a bit more big picture to help illustrate the overall plan in action and to set the scene. The next part has a lot of down and dirty images that you'll likely enjoy. 

[Bud Backer]

Bil’s been an inspiration for myself as well. You’re doing a fine job of giving me more to chew on when presenting battles. Very nice work, I must say. 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Your unique style has probably been the most influential for me, I don't do AARs, but I've emulated it in some other areas.

 

 

[IICptMillerII]

12 minutes ago, Bud Backer said:

Bil’s been an inspiration for myself as well. You’re doing a fine job of giving me more to chew on when presenting battles. Very nice work, I must say. 

Thanks Bud! I've always liked your comicbook style AARs. They remind me a bit of the "Team Yankee" comicbook adaptation. It's a great concept, which CM is ideally suited for thanks to being able to pause and rewind. Hope to see more from you in the future!

[George MC]

16 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

You and your drainage ditches.....There's a certain one in Hammertime, behind a farmhouse, bedevils me to this day! 

I am especially fond of that particular ditch

[George MC]

 

 

 

 

 

4

13 hours ago, IICptMillerII said:

Thanks George! I'm a huge fan of your scenario's, both the map work and the types of scenario's you publish. In my opinion, the CM editor requires a certain touch in order to get the maps looking proper, a touch with thus far eludes me. You on the other hand seem to have invented the touch! I love your focus on mostly force on force engagements too. That is certainly my preferred scenario type, and your attention to detail and realism when it comes to force compositions is exceptional. Again, hats off to the outstanding work you do!

I thought about adding water to the map now that we have the ability in SF2, but I found that I like the map more in its arid state. That, and adding water throws off some of the elevation. I think it works really well as it is.

Well thank you - really appreciate the feedback. Nice to be loved  Re maps in my 'real' job I spend a great deal of time navigating using paper maps. I think that helps give a good feel for the terrain and the factors that influence the shape. I'm also very geeky!

Aye adding water to old CMSF maps is not as easy as you think. I found this out updating a heap of stuff for CMSF2. Its a lot of work especially if like this map, you created 'dry' rivers that flow downhill...

I'm really enjoying this AAR very professional and engaging style. looking forward to the next installments.

Cheery!

[Bil Hardenberger]

@IICptMillerII, I like how you are showing the entire MTC phase of your action, can you tell us how many minutes of action are represented in that description?  Good stuff, though I do miss shadows in some of your screen shots.   

Bil

[IICptMillerII]

4 hours ago, Bil Hardenberger said:

@IICptMillerII, I like how you are showing the entire MTC phase of your action, can you tell us how many minutes of action are represented in that description?  Good stuff, though I do miss shadows in some of your screen shots.   

Bil

The MTC phase is roughly 5 minutes or so. Throughout the AAR, there are a lot of turns where not much happens, and then there are some turns where a ton of things happen all at once, so for the sake of streamlining the presentation the battle isn't being recounted on a turn by turn basis. That said though, I will try to include more information on how much time elapses.

I didn't even notice the lack of shadows until you mentioned it. At first I thought it might be due to the overcast conditions, but in the first few screenshots, such as the scout team's OP, there are shadows. I'll have to check my game settings. In the future I'll try to make sure they're on.

[IICptMillerII]

CONTACT 

As soon as 1^st platoon dismounts in front of NAI 3, they make contact.

It appears to be a squad sized element split between two buildings. Bradley gunnery is up to a high standard, and rounds are immediately pumped into both buildings before the enemy has a chance to fire at my dismounting infantry.

The enemy is suppressed, and friendly infantry begins to cautiously advance forward to clear the rest of the complex.

Suddenly an enemy ATGM flies out from behind NAI 3 and slams into a Bradley, destroying it and killing the driver.

Moments later, an Abrams in overwatch spots a BMP-2 hiding behind NAI 3 and destroys it with a HEAT round.

Just as suddenly, more enemy infantry are spotted in the buildings, and a close range firefight breaks out.

The firefight is short and violent. No friendly casualties are suffered.

A lull in the fighting momentarily occurs, and I use the opportunity to push up a scout team armed with a javelin to try to get eyes on the second BMP-2 to the rear of NAI 3.

As the scout team is moving up, they are suddenly engaged by the second BMP-2.

30mm HE rounds streak down the road and explode against trees and the ground, though miraculously none of my scouts are hit by the fire. One of the scouts is armed with an AT-4 and takes a shot at the BMP.

 

Unfortunately the shot falls short, but the scouts are able to crawl out of the line of fire and suffer no casualties. The BMP poses a problem due to its positioning, but the encounter could have gone much worse.

A survivor of the Bradley’s barrage pops up and fires a few bursts. This time, the enemy’s aim is good, and I suffer a casualty.

My infantry, as well as an Abrams in overwatch, return fire with small arms and coax. Its enough to finish off the lone enemy soldier.

The BMP-2 is in a good keyhole position, covering down a road that separates my infantry from the buildings on NAI 3. Crossing a road like this is already a very dangerous thing to do, and is known as a Linear Danger Area (LDA). In order to deal with this serious threat, I move Scout Team 3 off of their observation post and down into a position where they can get eyes on the BMP and engage it with their Javelin.

The scout team is able to get into position and take aim. The scout fires moments later, and the missile hits its mark.

On the right flank, 3^rd platoon advances cautiously into the woods covering NAI 1. It doesn’t take long to find the enemy. A fire team takes fire from it’s front and suffers a minor casualty. Thankfully, the soldiers body armor prevents the wound from being serious.

One of the scout teams helping to clear the woods pushes up and spots the enemy. They begin engaging with rifle fire and grenades.

Having pinned down the enemy, the scout team capitalizes on the situation and rushes the fighting position.

The scouts kill the remaining enemy soldier and occupy the fighting position for themselves. In this short but violent exchange, I was lucky. I only suffered one man lightly wounded, while killing 2 enemy soldiers and taking their fighting position. The last thing I want to do is get sucked into a costly close quarter fight in these woods. It’s not even my main objective.

Moments later, another enemy position is discovered further into the woods, on a very slight reverse slope.

 

My goal is to quickly sweep the edges of the forest for enemy assets that can pose a long range threat to my advance down the MSR, such as ATGM teams or artillery spotters. Once these threats have been found and neutralized, the infantry will fall back and let the armored vehicles strongpoint the position. That way, if the enemy decides to attack out of the woods, they will be cut down in the open by my vehicles.

Here is an overhead view of the woods covering NAI 1:

This should help to illustrate my intentions with NAI 1. I would need much more than a platoon of infantry to clear these woods, and even then it would be long and bloody. It simply isn’t worth the effort. The good news is, the terrain appears to be too dense for the enemy vehicles to emerge in any semblance of order or speed. As long as NAI 1 is strong pointed by friendly armor, I should be able to keep it bottled up and it will not pose a threat to my advance down the MSR.

2^nd platoon (infantry) along with elements of 2^nd platoon (armored) and the Task Force command element move forward to establish new overwatch positions along the right side of the MSR.

A call comes over the radio informing the JTAC that the Apache called in on the possible enemy armor concentration behind NAI 1 is now on station. Moments later, a missile is seen streaking into the sky.

The shot came so fast that the Apache pilot didn’t have time to pop flares in defense. The enemy missile hits the Apache, destroying it. This is an expensive lesson to learn. The airspace is not safe for aircraft. Half of my available fire support is now restricted until I can proof the airspace.

However, there is hardly any time to contemplate this new dilemma. The two tanks from 2^nd platoon (armored) advance to a berm and discover…

What appears to be an entire enemy tank company in a reverse slope position, at point blank range. Before either of my tanks have a chance to react, one of the enemy tanks fires at Number 3 tank. The round impacts the berm, causing no damage. My tanks are quick to respond. In rapid succession, they pump 2 rounds into targets to their direct front, destroying them.

The exchange is not one sided. Before either of my tanks have a chance to reload, number 3 tank takes a penetrating hit to its lower glacis plate.

The Abrams is destroyed, but all 4 crewmen survive the hit and are able to bail out of the tank without suffering a casualty.

While this is happening, the infantry from 2^nd platoon dismount their Bradley’s and begin advancing on NAI 11. They are immediately greeted by a hail of gunfire from enemy infantry occupying the buildings on NAI 11.

The fire causes no casualties, and is quickly returned and silenced by 25mm HE fired from the Bradley’s overwatching the infantry as they dismount.

I’m now in a precarious position. I have deployed infantry and their Bradley’s dangerously close to enemy tanks in a reverse slope position. Further, I now only have 1 tank directly observing and engaging what appears to be a company of enemy T-72s. If the T-72s are able to maneuver out of the reverse slope position, they could destroy a significant number of Bradley’s and Abrams at point blank range with just a single volley. I have tanks in overwatch positions, but they would likely not be able to react in time to prevent a mini-catastrophe.

In response, I quickly maneuver 2 teams of Abrams to either flank of the reverse slope position to keep the enemy engaged and hopefully pin him down/destroy him so the T-72s cannot threaten my IFVs and infantry in the open.

What happens next is pure chaos.

[George MC]

Wow! Exciting stuff! And a cliff hanger ending. Brilliant. Can’t wait fir the next instalment. Perfect example of the adage - in any plan the enemy always gets a vote! 

Edited May 12, 2019 by George MC

[Aragorn2002]

I love AAR's. Superb! Thank you. +1

[Erwin]

+1

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Blimey.....It's all kicked off! 

[General Jack Ripper]

I must say, the Red commander is doing things the exact opposite I did while commanding Red many years ago.
Then again, in the HTH campaign you don't start with all available forces on the map at once.