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Combat Mission AAR: MSR Titan


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2 hours ago, George MC said:

Are those updated versions? 

1 hour ago, danfrodo said:

wow, great AAR.  thanks for putting so much work into this.  I don't have SF, I am still plowing through all the WW2 titles, but this makes me want to get it.

CM:SF2 is a great investment, it's a fully developed game, with a whole bunch of stuff that will be new & fresh (everything from ATGMs & Drones, to Uncons & VBIEDs) and it will run the vast array of CM:SF1 content that's out there, in addition to all the stuff that's been designed specifically for it.  B)

If I didn't already own it, I'd buy it without hesitation.  :D

Edited by Sgt.Squarehead
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2 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Are those updated versions? 

CM:SF2 is a great investment, it's a fully developed game, with a whole bunch of stuff that will be new & fresh (everything from ATGMs & Drones, to Uncons & VBIEDs) and it will run the vast array of CM:SF1 content that's out there, in addition to all the stuff that's been designed specifically for it.  B)

If I didn't already own it, I'd buy it without hesitation.  :D

Let it be written, let it be done!  I think I'll get it.  It's certainly well-loved here on the forum

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10 hours ago, General Jack Ripper said:

I must say, the Red commander is doing things the exact opposite I did while commanding Red many years ago.

Initially, I was expecting the enemy to do a forward defense. With the amount of assets OpFor had, that made the most sense to me. Blunt the attack before it has a chance to gain any momentum. But, as we've seen, this is not the course of action the OpFor commander decided to take. 

5 hours ago, Chudacabra said:

Great AAR. Is this scenario available separate from the campaign anywhere?

Thanks! The original scenario's are available to play, but remember that this scenario has had each sides forces and objectives completely reworked for this AAR. The only thing that is still 'vanilla' is the map terrain. 

4 hours ago, danfrodo said:

wow, great AAR.  thanks for putting so much work into this.  I don't have SF, I am still plowing through all the WW2 titles, but this makes me want to get it.

Thanks! I'm a big fan of SF2. Squarehead pretty much hits the nail on the head. The game has so much content and can simulate so many different things, it's hard to pass up. From what I've gathered the main obstacle many have to buying it is that it is a modern setting as opposed to a WWII setting. Personally I enjoy both settings, but I can understand the hesitancy of those who only fancy WWII. Either way I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the AAR and that it has got you to consider purchasing SF2!

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Thanks for the AAR. Very well presented.

With regards to HILL 113...would it be possible to get friendlies onto it from your deployment zone without exposing them to the enemy ?

From the pictures it looks like that hill would provide some decent LOS/LOF into the rear of atleast NAIs 3, 4 and 5...and maybe also pose a threath to any enemies moving along point 107 from a second direction...

Did you ever considder moving any friendlies there ?

I'm not saying it would be a better move then the ones you have executed but simply looking at the pictures it seems like an option atleast...

What was you thinking regarding this hill ?

Ps...looking forward to the next 'episode'...

 

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1 hour ago, RepsolCBR said:

Thanks for the AAR. Very well presented.

With regards to HILL 113...would it be possible to get friendlies onto it from your deployment zone without exposing them to the enemy ?

From the pictures it looks like that hill would provide some decent LOS/LOF into the rear of atleast NAIs 3, 4 and 5...and maybe also pose a threath to any enemies moving along point 107 from a second direction...

Did you ever considder moving any friendlies there ?

I'm not saying it would be a better move then the ones you have executed but simply looking at the pictures it seems like an option atleast...

What was you thinking regarding this hill ?

Ps...looking forward to the next 'episode'...

 

Thanks for the compliments!

It would have been possible for me to send forces up on to Hill 113, but I decided not to do so for a few reasons. First and foremost, it would have divided my combat power. I figured that Hill 113 would not be left undefended, and I did not want to get into a position where I had 2 separate battles being fought (one for the MSR and another for the Hill). Further, the Hill has a lot of wooded terrain that would have to be cleared in order for whatever units were on the hill to advance/support the drive down the MSR on the far side. This could have led to another situation similar to NAI 1, entrenched infantry and vehicles in a wooded area that would require a great deal of time and combat power to properly dislodge. For these reasons, I decided against making any kind of push on to Hill 113, preferring to take the more direct route down the MSR.

As everyone will soon see, Hill 113 plays a significant role in this fight. This makes sense, seeing as it is dominating key terrain. I won't spoil anything yet, but I will say that my initial plan is to screen the hill, keeping it under constant overwatch. If enemy threats begin to make themselves known on the hill, I'll be able to (ideally) quickly respond with direct fire as well as indirect fire. It's a good idea in theory, and luckily for those following along, that theory will get a test in reality quite soon.  

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1 hour ago, IICptMillerII said:

It's a good idea in theory, and luckily for those following along, that theory will get a test in reality quite soon.

That gave me a chuckle. 

Hopefully, it’s not only we who are lucky. After all, the narrator. You’re supposed to win! ;)

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3 hours ago, Bud Backer said:

That gave me a chuckle. 

Hopefully, it’s not only we who are lucky. After all, the narrator. You’re supposed to win! ;)

Again, no spoilers, but CPT Miller is in fact featured in this AAR, and as you'll see he's soon to find himself in a rather precarious situation. 

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19 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

CM:SF2 is a great investment, it's a fully developed game, with a whole bunch of stuff that will be new & fresh (everything from ATGMs & Drones, to Uncons & VBIEDs) and it will run the vast array of CM:SF1 content that's out there, in addition to all the stuff that's been designed specifically for it.  B)

If I didn't already own it, I'd buy it without hesitation.  :D

Yes, it's excellent. While I think Black Sea is great, I find the Americans with APS are almost like Gundams. I like the lower tech and huge range of possibilities with CMSF2.

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32 minutes ago, Chudacabra said:

I find the Americans with APS are almost like Gundams.

That could be my quote of the year!  ;)

Blue vs Blue with Ukrainian units is a decent battle.....But if we had just a few more, older, ex-Soviet tanks & APCs (almost all of which could presumably be ported from CM:SF2) we could model all sorts of interesting conflicts in the east (Abkhazia, Chechnya, Georgia, Ossetia etc. etc.) with CM:BS.  B)

PS - Apologies to the good Captain for taking a slight detour from the actual subject of this thread.  :unsure:

Edited by Sgt.Squarehead
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INSIDE THE KILLSACK

Two teams of tanks scramble up to either side of the enemy position, creating a killsack. The enemy tanks are stuck. They cannot maneuver or stay still without taking point blank fire from multiple directions.

Hpd59vP.jpg

The next 20 or so seconds see a flurry of action. Number 1 tank is the first to fire, but miraculously the round is deflected by the T-72s ERA.

Aekw6jE.jpg

That luck only lasts a few seconds however. Number 3 tank of first platoon fires from its position on the right, knocking out a T-72. This is quickly followed a moment later by Number 1 tank firing again. This time, luck is on his side. The sabot round rips through 1 T-72 before smashing into a second behind the first, destroying both of them in catastrophic fireballs.

mExP05q.jpg

Half a second later, 1st platoons Lieutenant destroys another T-72 just behind the two tanks knocked out by one round. In the span of 15 or so seconds, 5 T-72s have been destroyed, bringing the total number of observed destroyed T-72s to 6. More than half a tank company has been destroyed in under a minute.

However, due to the slight downslope the enemy tanks are on, and the smoke and chaos, there are at least 4 unaccounted for tanks likely still sitting right in front of me. There is also an ill omen. While the knife fight at the killsack is raging, an enemy man-portable ATGM is fired from Hill 113. A Bradley on overwatch is able to spot the gunner and lob a few 25mm rounds his way. Luckily, the ATGM fails to track and crashes harmlessly into the dirt, but its a prelude of something far greater yet to come.

L5IAz46.jpg

 

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This is all very nice but when does the excitement start??? 

Kidding!

Loving the graphics on this AAR. The work required is daunting, as I discovered, which makes this all the sweeter.

You certainly turned that little ambush around quickly. Your foreshadowing suggests this isn’t going to instantly propel you to an early victory. Bad for you, but awesome for the reader!

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9 hours ago, Bud Backer said:

This is all very nice but when does the excitement start??? 

Kidding!

Loving the graphics on this AAR. The work required is daunting, as I discovered, which makes this all the sweeter.

You certainly turned that little ambush around quickly. Your foreshadowing suggests this isn’t going to instantly propel you to an early victory. Bad for you, but awesome for the reader!

Have to build up the suspense somehow 😉

Yeah the graphics have been really time consuming to make. I was originally planning to use the large maps more to make graphics with them, but the process was so time consuming that it would have taken me far too long to create each AAR update so I decided against it. Overall though I'm pretty happy with how they're turning out. Glad to know you like them too!

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5 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Definitely worth the effort.....I particularly like the inset zoomed images.  B)

I can't take any credit for that one. All credit goes to Bil. (Don't want to tag him as he is away on vacation, poor guy doesn't need to be spammed while hes trying to relax!) The "picture in picture" effect, as well as the map grid graphics and screenshot graphics (arrows, dropshadow effects and such) are all directly inspired by his excellent AARs. 

Glad to hear the time put into the images is being well received though!

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INVERTED KILLSACK

Moments after the Bradley engages the single ATGM team on Hill 113, a worst case scenario develops. An entire company of T-72AV tanks appear along the ridgeline of Hill 113. My entire force suddenly finds itself in a killsack. Most of my assets are deployed. The infantry are in the process of advancing on and clearing objectives, with their Bradley’s sitting in overwatch positions. Further, most of my tanks are either engaged at point blank range with the remains of the T-72 company on the reverse slope, with their sides and rear facing Hill 113. I only have a handful of tanks in overwatch observing the direction of Hill 113.

vHEi1Dm.jpg

This is an extremely dangerous situation. The potential exists here for OpFor to inflict severe casualties on my force in a very short amount of time, and all of this can occur without me being able to properly react. In short, it could all be over for Task Force Miller.

MCwOiZM.jpg

The drama kicks off immediately. CPT Miller’s 66 tank, part of the handful of tanks on overwatch of Hill 113, is fired on by one of the enemy T-72s. A half second later, the 66 tank engages the same T-72 that fired at it. The sabot from the T-72 crashes into the lower glacis plate of the 66 tank, but is defeated.

bPbCblD.jpg

The T-72 is not so lucky. The sabot from the 66 tank hits and penetrates its target, sending the sabot through the chin of the turret and out the back, detonating the ammo stored in the turret on its way through.

What follows is another short, violent tank duel. The other tanks in overwatch, including 2 tanks on the MSR, engage the threat on Hill 113. Bradley’s, including the infantry company commanders track, engage with TOW missiles. Sabot rounds and ATGMs (TOW’s from the Bradleys, AT-11s from the T-72s, and AT-5a’s from a few BMP-2s) zip past each other.

Z1kXHso.jpg

Despite the excellent gunnery of my tanks and Bradley’s, not all shots find their targets. The T-72s are firing from behind a berm at an elevation advantage, making them tough targets to hit. A number of sabot rounds and TOW missiles miss, and some that hit are defeated by the combined armor and angling of the T-72s.

aWQugGW.jpg

Casualties are suffered on both sides. I quickly lose an Abrams when an enemy AT-11 tank fired ATGM slams into the top turret of one of my Abrams as it tries to orient itself towards the new threat. The ATGM punches through the soft top turret armor and explodes inside, killing the entire crew.

CE1boQd.jpg

A moment later, one of the tanks engaged in a knife fight with the enemy T-72s in the reverse slope killsack takes multiple hits to the rear of its turret. It too is quickly destroyed, taking its entire crew with it.

M6yEMOg.jpg

Bradley’s from 3rd platoon in overwatch of their infantry currently clearing the woods of NAI 1 are hit next. One enemy sabot round destroys 2 of them, punching clean through the first Brad and into the second. If there is a silver lining to this, it is that the infantry was already dismounted.

bdDzF5H.jpg

My tanks and Bradley’s quickly increase their return fire, and soon gain fire superiority. A flurry of killing blows follows, and within the next 20 seconds, most of the OpFor T-72 company on Hill 113 has been smashed.

LGIeRWB.jpg

This engagement occurred over the course of roughly 50 seconds. I had no chance to give new orders based on the new threat. All I could do was watch. Luckily for me, I had maintained decent overwatch positions with my reserve tanks, and many of my Bradley’s were in positions that granted them some level of concealment to the threat. The rest all came down to the gunnery skill of my crews and, in the case of my Abrams, their excellent armor that allowed them to survive frontal hits.

This could have been disastrous for my forces. If I had not maintained good overwatch, I could have been stuck waiting an entire minute to react to the new threat on Hill 113. With modern weapons and targeting, as well as it being an entire company of enemy tanks, a minute would have been more than enough time for the T-72s to destroy/cripple most of my soft/vulnerable assets caught in the open. Remember, if I lose more than 30% of my force, I lose the battle.

What saved me from defeat has more to do with basic tactical fundamentals and less to do with equipment or technology (though equipment and technology certainly helps). All elements, while moving through the open, positioned in the open, or overwatching smaller assets like infantry, were in turn being covered themselves. Further, I knew Hill 113 was key terrain based on its near dominating sightlines covering the part of the map my Task Force has to initially deploy across. If I had not had my rearmost tanks oriented towards Hill 113 overwatching the rest of my Task Force, the T-72 attack could have been a complete disaster for me. Additionally, if my opponent had committed his two tank companies at the same time (the company in the reverse slope position, and the company up on Hill 113) he could have overwhelmed my vehicles by catching me in a deadly crossfire. 20 T-72 tanks, firing at me from different directions, elevations, and distances likely would have caused much more damage to my forces.

For now, I’ve managed to keep my Task Force intact. However, these killsack engagements are a sobering reminder of how quickly I can lose my command, and how crucial basic tactical fundamentals are regardless of weapons and technology.

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Holy smoke 😲...

A nice example of the beauty of playing WEGO...

I bet that turn had you jumping and twisting in your chair...going from slight panic to a sence of reliefe and maybe a degree of satisfaction...

All without being able to intervine during the playback...

A turn to remember i'm sure 😎

Edited by RepsolCBR
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