Bannon DC

Army Calls For Increased Body Armor For Troops In Syria Regrets Having To Tell Nation About Syrian War This Way The word is out.

I seem to recall a movie on Bruneval. There are three scenarios at TSD on the raid. I played one of them... maybe Thorne's. It was fun. Bruneval By: FREDROCK1957, Best Played As: Allies vs. AI Bruneval radar By: LARRY THORNE, Best Played As: Allies vs. AI Bruneval Raid By: VON_LUCKE, Best Played As: Two Player

"Sahara" is one of mine. Plays out like the movie. Works for either side, but I suggest playing as the Germans. You can find it over at The Scenario Depot. I've seen at least one based on Kelly's Heros. In Europe, I believe the movie was called "Kelly's Gold." (I did a very quick search at TSD... did not see it.) Speaking of war movies... could not believe was I saw on the tube earlier tonight. The movie is "Battle of El Alamein" made in 1968. Foreign, maybe Italian since it is from the Italian perspective, at least the 10 minutes I saw. The Italians are bracing for a British attack; defending with their two small caliber AT guns. What's this I see??? The British are riding in to the attack in Vietnam-era armored personnel carriers! Dropping the back hatch and dismounting the infantry. MG's raking the Italian trenches. The attack was beaten back with the Italian AT guns. Most incredible. :eek:

This is an old Google Earth photo. This may be clearer than the the current view... unless they have updated in recently.

Over at The Proving Grounds web site, I uploaded a zip file containing 4 maps for the Fortress of Brest Litovsk set on the eve of Operation Barbarossa. I was working on this several years ago when CM Campaigns was announced (2005?). I was invited to join the CMC scenario design team and used this map as the basis for my campaign that would have been called "Barbarossa Begins." It would have featured the assault on the fortress and the exploitation of Guderian's forces up to the original Polish/Russian frontier. The zip file contains four maps. One is a maximum sized "battle" (something like 3k by 4k... the max size allowed) map that covers the entire fortress and surrounding area. This was still a work in progress, but most of the armaments of the fortress have been set with some inventive use of armored units and pillboxes. The map is an accurate 75% scale. The others maps are cut down to the 2 km x 2km size that would have been standard for CMC. These feature the north and south parts of the fortress while still at the 75% scale. These are set as "operations." I'm not really interested in putting in the effort needed to make what would be a great fight on these maps. I post these maps here on TPG for other designers to use them if they wish. All I ask is for credit as the map designer. If you are truly serious about working on a scenario to completion, I would be willing to share research information. You can probably find enough through a quick internet search. In addition to this set up maps, I also have a handful of other maps for the campaign that would make good battles. One was based on one of the first armor vs armor clashes along the exploitation route (I believe near Poddubno). No T-34s. Another would have been the German vanguard's encounter along the original 1939 Polish/Russian border with the stripped down frontier fortifications. The Germans were held up here for a few days near Slutzk. Also, made a map for the city of Brest Litovsk itself. These are CM maps... not the CMC maps. There are some more in my photo album... feel free to browse, it is all CM stuff. You can contact me through TPG mail or at ZAPMC --at-- MSN.COM

Terrific visual quality. Nice crispness. Otherwise, absolutely no context. Just a bunch of random 5 second clips strung together.

So it is CMAK Scenarios you are looking for. I can recommend one of my own which is probably "huge" by CM standards, but not "To the Volga"-huge. Historical, set in Italy in the last days of the war: Medicina-Yoicks Tally Ho! 2P http://the-scenario-depot.com/scenario_details.html?command=search&db=scenarios.db&eqskudatarq=812 Commonwealth mechanized force must attack Medicina (moderate sized town) on the fly. Map is large allowing realistic engagement ranges and manuever. Probably more difficult for the Allied player. Scenario discussion thread has some good satellite photos of the area. Good luck if you decide to play it. There is a solo version if any else is interested. Bannon

You're right. It is sooooo unrealistic. German had a much bigger nose prior to WW2.

I was sure there had to be a long lost scenario out there somewhere... it lends itself to CM easily. I did place a crater that represented the well, but I could not find the dehydration toggle. I tried to avoid letting the AI flank the position by creating some cliff terrain to funnel them toward the Allied position. Seems to work. Yes, there is also a scene with the Germans running away during a failed attack and their are multiple similtaneous shell blasts in their ranks... that tank has a very quick rate of fire!

Sahara, starring Humphrey Bogart Based on the 1943 movie “Sahara.” A U.S. tank crew (M3 Grant) and their commander (Sgt. Joe Gunn, played by Humphrey Bogart) are separated from the main force as it is thrown into retreat. Alone, they make their way through the desert and accumulate an unlikely force of stragglers… an assortment of Commonwealth soldiers (a few Brits, an Australian, and a Free French soldier with the nickname “Frenchy”), a Sudanese soldier and his cooperative Italian prisoner. They even manage to shot down a German fighter and take the arrogant Nazi pilot prisoner. Short on water, they make their way toward a known watering hole that turns out to be dry. With the Sudanese’s help, their only hope is to trek deeper into the desert to Bir Acroma, site of an ancient oasis with only a slight possibility that the well will still have water this time of year. Also in search of water and following the tank’s tracks is an Afrika Korp infantry regiment led by Major von Schletow (really a reduced battalion in this scenario). At forlorn Bir Acroma, the gallant allies, one tank and less than 10 men, decide to make a stand and hope to delay the Germans until a dispatched soldier can return with reinforcements. Little do the Germans know but the allies are bluffing; the well at Bir Acroma offers little more than a trickle of water. Refusing Sgt. Gunn’s bargain to offer “water for guns,” von Schletow launches a series of frontal attacks. This is a wartime Hollywood release, so you will have to suspend your disbelief. Why are American tank crews fighting in the Egyptian desert in June or July 1942 in the first place? (To “gain some experience” is how it is explained in the movie.) Why wouldn’t the Germans try to flank the allied position? Wouldn’t an infantry regiment have some artillery… at least more than a few light mortars? So, be advised that is designed to play out like the movie. Therefore, note the “fictional” rating. This is purely “just for fun.” Enjoy. For movie details, see Sahara (1943) on the International Movie Database web site (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036323/). This is a corny, wartime movie, but I still watch it when it pops up on TV from time-to-time. The movie is still widely available, so I won’t spoil the ending for you, but you can probably guess that Boggie and the Allies wins. http://www.the-scenario-depot.com/scenario_details.html?command=search&db=scenarios.db&eqskudatarq=1001

Sahara, starring Humphrey Bogart Based on the 1943 movie “Sahara.” A U.S. tank crew (M3 Grant) and their commander (Sgt. Joe Gunn, played by Humphrey Bogart) are separated from the main force as it is thrown into retreat. Alone, they make their way through the desert and accumulate an unlikely force of stragglers… an assortment of Commonwealth soldiers (a few Brits, an Australian, and a Free French soldier with the nickname “Frenchy”), a Sudanese soldier and his cooperative Italian prisoner. They even manage to shot down a German fighter and take the arrogant Nazi pilot prisoner. Short on water, they make their way toward a known watering hole that turns out to be dry. With the Sudanese’s help, their only hope is to trek deeper into the desert to Bir Acroma, site of an ancient oasis with only a slight possibility that the well will still have water this time of year. Also in search of water and following the tank’s tracks is an Afrika Korp infantry regiment led by Major von Schletow (really a reduced battalion in this scenario). At forlorn Bir Acroma, the gallant allies, one tank and less than 10 men, decide to make a stand and hope to delay the Germans until a dispatched soldier can return with reinforcements. Little do the Germans know but the allies are bluffing; the well at Bir Acroma offers little more than a trickle of water. Refusing Sgt. Gunn’s bargain to offer “water for guns,” von Schletow launches a series of frontal attacks. This is a wartime Hollywood release, so you will have to suspend your disbelief. Why are American tank crews fighting in the Egyptian desert in June or July 1942 in the first place? (To “gain some experience” is how it is explained in the movie.) Why wouldn’t the Germans try to flank the allied position? Wouldn’t an infantry regiment have some artillery… at least more than a few light mortars? So, be advised that is designed to play out like the movie. Therefore, note the “fictional” rating. This is purely “just for fun.” Enjoy. For movie details, see Sahara (1943) on the International Movie Database web site (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036323/). This is a corny, wartime movie, but I still watch it when it pops up on TV from time-to-time. The movie is still widely available, so I won’t spoil the ending for you, but you can probably guess that Boggie and the Allies wins. http://www.the-scenario-depot.com/scenario_details.html?command=search&db=scenarios.db&eqskudatarq=1001

The "mad minute" were people fire at every rock, shrub, and sniper or griper hiding in a tree. Maybe we DO need a separate sub-forum for that! That happened to a guy I knew in college... or maybe it was his tailpipe stuck in a pecker... any way, it was still good for a laugh.

Yeah, it is kind of funny. Since I am one who chose to pass on CM:SF for one reason or another, I don't frequent these threads much. I must say that the overall demeanor here is certainly lacking. Tsk, tsk. You guys have been sharing the same bunker way too long. For a game that hasn't been "officially" announced yet, there sure is a lot of discussion about it and prompt attention from the developers. Thanks for that, it is appreciated.

Yes, correct. That is the original scenario I was working on as CMC was announced. I sliced and diced and remade the map a few times. If I was going to complete that scenario, I woudl use one of the 2x2 maps I converted it into (north and south portions). As is, you would need about 2 battalions to attack it, and that would be thinning out the units. :eek: I did have a lot of fun blowing the crap out of the fortress in some tests. I used over a dozen spotters and that seemed like a light bombardment.

Sergie -- thanks for fixing above screen shots. Here is the other image I botched. Satellite view of the fortress from old Google image. The current image on Google Earth is slightly obscured by cloads but they have updated more of the area with crisper images.

Some images. My map was as accurate as possible in terms of layout, created at 75% scale. <iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=52.081721,23.657942&spn=0.028799,0.055017&t=h&z=14&output=embed&s=AARTsJpnOA3ioEtcI9rx_v7gyZqlolGTYw"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=52.081721,23.657942&spn=0.028799,0.055017&t=h&z=14&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small> View from maximum elevation: <a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/Bannon_DC/?action=view&current=BrestCitadelhighestlevel.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/Bannon_DC/BrestCitadelhighestlevel.jpg" border="0" alt="Brest Litovsk Fortress, highest elevation"></a> View from the West Island looking toward the Citadel. <a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/Bannon_DC/?action=view&current=BrestFortresslookingnorth.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/Bannon_DC/BrestFortresslookingnorth.jpg" border="0" alt="Brest Litovsk Fortress looking northeast"></a> View from the South Island looking toward the Citadel toward the northwest. <a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/Bannon_DC/?action=view&current=BrestFortresslookingnorthwest.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/Bannon_DC/BrestFortresslookingnorthwest.jpg" border="0" alt="Brest Litovsk Fortress looking northwest"></a> Not sure if I was actually complete this to a playable scenario. The map is large and the number of units would be pretty heavy. Would really require two players to do it justice... the AI just can't give you a good game at this size. Some of the other maps I made are more likely to surface as scenarios including the armored confrontation near Pruzhany. I've picked up an interest in the 1944 campaign at Brest, France. Maybe something for CMX2. Cheers, Bannon ------------- Edit -- this links are not showing anything. Late... I'll have to look at this tomorrow.

Oh the fun we could have had! I was working on an official campaign for CMC following Guderian's first week in Operation Barbarosa. Guderian's force initiated their attack at the fortress of Brest Litovsk and conducted an armored thrust through terrain that basically featured a single roadway surrounded by large areas of impassible swamp, rivers and narrow rural tracts. The shock of the attack, crippling of communications, and the speed of the German advance left the Russians stunned and unable to effectively counter the German attack resulting in huge pockets of Russian units. The German-Soviet non-aggression pact of 1939 dividing Poland also resulted in the Soviets dismantling the fortifications on their 1939 borders and attempting to construct a new fortified zone on the recently conquered Polish territory. Ironically, Guderian himself had captured the fortress of Brest Litovk from the Polish in 1939 and had intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the stronghold. The Soviet defenders of the fortress were caught by surprised when the war started. Despite a massive artillery bombardment and a quick thrust by German forces that isolated the fortress and managed to quickly penetrate to part of the citadel itself (the central island), the Soviets held our and inflicted massive casualties. Some accounts have bunkers within the fortress holding out well into July. -- -- I was working on my map for the Fortress of Brest Litovsk before CMC was announced and later was accepted into the scenario design team for CMC. The images below are from the original design which I later remade into proper 2km x 2km CMC maps. The campaign followed Guderian's units through the narrow roadway passage up to Sluztk where forward elements encounted the original Soviet border defenses (mostly stripped of heavy weapons). Rainy conditions and a hastly organized defense of retreating units coupled with reinforcements from the interior temporily halted the German advance. Along the way, the Germans fended off a Russian armor attack (no T-34s, mostly a mass of T-26s) and other obstacles and disorganized attacks. A look at Google Earth will show the terrain (altered somewhat over the years), but you can still get an idea about the nature of the terrain and the risk the Germans took in choosing to wedge an armored thrust through this area. This is NOT tank country and the Soviets could have thrown off the advance with a stubborn defense at any minor river crossing along the way. The work I did on a number of maps doesn't scratch the effort Hunter and his team put in on programming, re-programming and bug stomping. Other proposed scenarios were even further along than the work I did. For me it was fun to do the research (much of which is a foggy memory at this point since it has been a while since I have worked on it). Some great sources out there. Here's the official Brest Litovsk fortress site for one: http://www.brest.by/ct/indexe.html And the CM community has always been helpful providing additional material. Thanks to the folks who helped out along the way... a lot of this work was done years ago, so frankly I would have to dig hard to list who helped. But none the less, thanks is due.

Hunter... thanks for officially pulling the plug on this. After so long and so much effort, it must have been difficult to say "enough!" But now, life goes on. Congrats on getting this heavy load off your shoulders... you carried it so long. Careful, that is dangerous talk! Hmmm... wait a minute... if they start with a more modern version of CM it might just work. Taking CMX2 up a level to battalion and regiments? I like the sound of that. :eek::eek:

Is it? ...

I better jump in again before this thread hits 300. So, after all the pissing and moaning, everyone can agree that immediately visible foxholes will suck. This will lead to ridiculously "gamey" situations. Maybe foxholes will be "fixed" in a future CMx2 release. Otherwise, the game is "broken" as far as foxholes are concerned. Trenches... some people believe that immediately visible trenches are OK and others believe they will still suck no matter what. For me, I really can't see the how "lighting up" a defensive position is realistic. It is without a doubt something that will ALWAYS detract from the realism and fun of the game. Clearly, an advancing company did not know where every enemy foxhole and dug out was located. From a scenario design view, all I can see it "meeting engagements-R-us." I can see many players shunning scenarios with foxholes and trenches because of the every present balance issue. Does a scenario have foxholes/trenches? Then artillery on the attacking side would be unfair. Does a scenario have foxholes/trenches? Then the designer should provide extra foxholes so as to create decoy positions. Does a scenario have foxholes/trenches? So much for trying to surprise your opponent with a clever ambush. Does a scenario have foxholes/trenches? We'll pretend that enemy intelligence is omnipotent and they could here you digging in overnight... down to have a completely accurate location of your hole Does a scenario have foxholes/trenches? Pretend that the enemy is always incompetent and can't hide himself. Does a scenario have foxholes/trenches? Well this makes it a little harder for a platoon to defend against an attacking company. Maybe the defender should have an extra platoon. Does a scenario have foxholes/trenches? Can't you just set your units in buildings instead of in hedgerows? Does a scenario have foxholes/trenches? Why do you need a foxhole to defend that critical road junction anyway? The enemy knows you will be there anyway... there IS a flag right on top of it. West Wall anyone? The allies knew where every trench, bunker, and foxhole was back in 1940. Hurtgen Forest? Allied aerial reconnaissance has penetrated the “dark forest” and can spot every one-man position. Just pretend, OK? I really hope this can be fixed in future releases because this is a feature that will dog this game as long as it exists. It is a real distraction from the “fun value” of the game.

Thanks for the advice. I took it he locked the other tread down because it was duplicative and did not want to jump back and forth between threads. I'll post here when it is convenient to me. I'm a busy guy myself and I don't need a green light. I've seen Steve in action and I don't think he will have any trouble keeping up or discourage converation on our own.

I’m not a CMSF player, so this is all news to me. As Steve mention, this may not be a “game killer,” but is certainly kills part of the game. I’m pretty surprised to learn this is how fortifications are going to work. And “gamey” situations were mentioned as well. I can see this leading to completely “gamey” situations so as not to use foxholes or trenches at all unless in AI-only scenarios. What this situation “kills” is the element of surprise. Hmmm… where is the enemy? Maybe over there in those foxholes? Where is the element of suspense and surprise for the player as he advances his infantry company toward a concealed enemy? Where is the suspense for the ambusher watching as the infantry company advances on his position? Did you set your men right? Which unit should fire first? Tense! But if the advancing infantry company can see foxholes in front of them… why not lay down some suppression fire? Why not call in smoke? Why not have some tanks blast the hell out of the foxholes? Well, that sure would be a hell of a lot easier… and it would get a bit boring after a while from rarely being ambushed or being able to effectively ambush anyone else. Unless I’m missing something here, let me know how this system is going to allow me to play using basic infantry ambush tactics or design a decent fighting position as with CMX1. OK, you can still ambush without foxholes, but it makes it easier for the defender to survive. What about the ability to conduct… or prevent… the player from conducting in-game recon? In a scenario, what if I want to flank an enemy position… or find a weak spot in an enemy defensive line? A defensive line will need foxholes and trenches. Well, it is not too hard to know EXACTLY where the enemy positions are and aren’t. So much for the fun of conducting your own recon. The surprise is killed again. If I understand correctly, foxholes will be placed under your units during the set up phase in the same way they appear on the map in CMX1. So your foxholes are placed by default. You sometimes have the ability to set fallback foxholes if allowed by the scenario designer, again similar to CMX1. It strikes my as critical for most hedgerow type scenarios that the defender would have at least some concealed positions. So, if I were designing a scenario, I would simply avoid using trenches and foxholes to avoid this problem. Unless, I wanted the attacker to know exactly where the enemy strong points are. This will breed many “gamey” and counter-realistic situations… · shelling trenches and foxholes on turn one or as pre-set bombardment. Why not, the foxholes are a sure shot. Boom. · To counter this, the player could set decoy positions. This itself was mentioned as “gamey” earlier in this thread. In some cases, I would agree with this. But it is 100% gamey if you HAVE TO do it in order to avoid the gamey use of pre-set artillery! · You can also counter this as the defender by dashing from his foxholes on turn one. Gamey. · What about guns? They can’t dash away from foxholes to avoid bombardment. If they start the game dug in as they should be in many cases, the attacker will always be able to narrow down their location to spot-able foxhole/trench locations. Too easy. This is similar to the sandbag tiles in CMAK. Almost not worth using from a scenario design perspective unless for looks. Not really a viable fighting location unless for the AI. I don't buy the arguement that 'foxholes and trenches quickly became visable anyway.' Even the figure of them becoming visable at 200m is the extreme when set on open ground. I have played CMX1 quite a bit in the last 4 years and designed a few scenarios. I think I know a little about the value and enjoyment of defensive positions remaining concealed for as long as possible. Believe me, not knowing when and where the first shot is going to come from is a lot of the fun in this game. I see the result of this as foxholes and trenches usable only under certain situations. I think many players would not want to give away their positions on turn one and avoid them, especially when playing H2H games. Might as well play with no fog of war on at all. I understand how deeply coded into the game this is. Maybe not a game killer, but certainly takes away some of the fun. But, I do hope that this can be corrected with a future release because it has obvious effects on the enjoyment and realism of the game. Cheers, Bannon

Cool... let me know how it turns out. Post a screen shot when you are done. Rate it at TSD if you wish.

Waffen -- I have designed a number of urban combat scenarios, but most of CMBB's. For CMAK scenarios is the size you are looking for, I can suggest one of mine. Brit Inf AT Tactics 1940 http://www.the-scenario-depot.com/scenario_details.html?command=search&db=scenarios.db&eqskudatarq=634 This one is best played as two player. This is an Operation Sealion scenario. The setting is more of a village than a city but it might satisify for the tactics and skills necessary. The more experienced player should play as the British. Bigger, but more "urban" is: Medicina, Yoicks Tally Ho! (H2H version) http://www.the-scenario-depot.com/scenario_details.html?command=search&db=scenarios.db&eqskudatarq=812 This one is set in the closing weeks of the war in northern Italy. Features a hurried attack by a British Armored group advancing over open farmland to attack the town of Medicina. Historical situation and map is based on actual terrain. There is also an AI version (Brits vs. AI) at TSD. http://www.the-scenario-depot.com/scenario_details.html?command=search&db=scenarios.db&eqskudatarq=811 Good luck if you decide to play one of these. Bannon

Welcome Brian -- Yup, it is a great game... when you do get up to speed, the best way to play it is against a human opponent. If you haven't found them yet, there are a number of sites still around supporting the CM community. For user made scenarios: www.the-scenario-depot.com For helping scenario designers and people helping to make balanced scenarios: www.the-proving-grounds.com And there are some good clubs like We Band of Brothers and The Blitz for folks who are fanatical about playing the game. I'm sure someone will come along and fill you in with more links. For me, one of the great things about CM and the community is researching WWII battles and information. Keeps the history alive.