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Bil Hardenberger

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Everything posted by Bil Hardenberger

  1. They have Recon Company in their BTGs... supposed to anyway. Should be a BRM and BTRs or BRDMs... in your illustration in the second column I think the BTR company with the BRM is the Recon Company.
  2. I believe that in this terrain long range fires, Javelin, Stugna, tanks, precision artillery. etc. will be more important than ever. There will always be opportunities for short range (less than 1000m) ambushes, but Ukraine will need to rely on their long range AT fire to blunt the forward momentum (the slower they move, the more open to attack they are), but basically let them penetrate and provide a nice long train of follow-on forces. Ukraine can give up a lot of territory here... that isn't important.. they need to fight the enemy, not the ground. Then infiltrate in close, and preferably in the rear to decimate the follow-on formations and support convoys. I suspect the pocketed Ukrainians (in Warren's #2 image) will have a field day in this role... like an angry badger stuck in a chicken coop. That's what I would do at the sharp end of this thing. Good analysis Warren.
  3. Better split that squad... asking for trouble all bunched up like that.
  4. Sorry I haven't been more of a part of this conversation.. i have a lot of thoughts about the BTG... but this part right here... yes I think that is one of the two huge failings of the BTG concept and is a big part of why we aren't seeing a more robust march security.. the other huge failing is the BTG has a poor logistics train, it was sacrificed in favor of other priorities.
  5. This war is surreal... we see videos showing hte highest tech and most advanced weapon systems to this... that video could have been shot on the Western Front in WW1.
  6. A launcher similar to how the Switchblade is launched mounted to a tank could provide OTH surveillance for a tank crew. Those could be launched remotely with the crew buttoned.
  7. Expect nothing nut quality from this product then if @domfluff is involved. Bil
  8. Granted... I know there are some Mech. forces in the fight... however there must be a pretty healthy reserve waiting in the background... I doubt the whole force, or even most of it, is currently engaged... ...but we'll see. Best to you and your family Haiduk. You are an invaluable link and resource for us during this nightmare going on in your country. Bil
  9. I have been thinking about this too.. many people are asking, where is the Ukrainian armor? They do seem to be pushing light infantry to the front, with only scattered mechanized forces actually being used so far. They are engaging the enemy with the smallest force required to do the job.. that is very smart... can it be that they have been husbanding there main striking power (mechanized forces) and waiting for the perfect opportunity? Granted it is a huge risk to concentrate mechanized forces for a counter-attack, the Russians do have a significant indirect fire capability at the BTG level (and the Ukrainians were taught that lesson in 2014). But if they are holding these forces back, waiting for the intel to tell them the right place and time... it could be a huge knock out blow that nobody, especially the Russians, see coming. Bil
  10. We do indeed have a road map... sorry but we can't share our plans yet beyond what Steve has hinted at. If you can be a little more patient I think you will be pleased when we can make an announcement. Bil
  11. Ah thanks, that makes a lot more sense... why not? It's just one more axis they need to sustain.
  12. That Russian movement on Boryspil looks to me like it could be a breakout attempt (if it came from Brovary area), because otherwise it doesn't make sense.
  13. A Bayraktar tb2 costs from $1-2 million, and AH-64 costs over $30 million... for the cost, they UAVs give a much better bang for the buck.
  14. Edit.. soory, quoted the wrong post.. should have been this one from @Probus I know the Russians have small vehicle mounted jammers that could do this right now... however once used your location will be lit up like a Christmas tree for enemy EW teams to call fire on. I think the lifespan of such units would be short and of dubious effectiveness overall. Bil
  15. UAVs in particular are tough to counter... do I think that the day of the MBT is over? No, not from what I am seeing... do I think that it will have to evolve to survive? Of course.. well maybe not the tank itself, but the way it's used tactically and supported, the TO&E of mechanized formations will need to evolve to include unmanned assets, both air and ground, and incorporate their suite of sensors and capabilities into the formation's TTP. With potentially every squad having a quad-copter, and potentially every squad having loitering munitions too with Platoon HQs and Company HQs also having access to UAS and loitering munitions the proliferation is going to be very tough to counter without some EW means, such as jamming their GPS or command link. There are indeed other lethal Counter-UAS (CUAS) systems in development, but I don't think anyone has an answer for the sheer numbers of UAVs we are talking about. Any Electronic jamming defense will become very visible and easily targeted if used.. so it is a dead end answer I think... I can see some Suppress Enemy CUAS UAV missions and dummy loitering UAVs being used a s tactic to clear the way for lethal UAVs. Leave no doubt.. unmanned systems are game changing and are changing the face of war... existing systems like the MBT and IFV will probably not be going away anytime soon.. but they and the the organizations that use them will need to evolve. Militaries better start planning for this now. Bil
  16. Thanks for that vignette.. I haven't heard a lot of feedback from that particular battle in the NTC Campaign (there are two versions by the way, depending on which Decision you take)... I think it is the most challenging battle in that campaign, but then it was designed to be. Bil
  17. It was a very good interview... for some additional background into how Combat Mission Cold War was born, Warren @The_Capt, @IICptMillerII, and I gave an interview to wargamer.fr shortly after the game was released on Battlefront. You can read that interview here: https://www.wargamer.fr/combat-mission-cold-war-un-bouillant-trio-pour-une-guerre-froide/ Bil
  18. Short answer: I haven't made a gridded mod for CMCW yet... not sure when I'll get the chance to do that. Sorry.. but I'm sure some other enterprising modder with more free time than I have will oblige in time. Bil
  19. Outstanding Blog post!!! Highly recommended, if you are even mildly interested in tactics and the Soviet way of war. BIl
  20. Thank you for the comments... @George MC helped me ham fist my way through this campaign... his AI programming was masterful and he had to jump through hoops to make it do what I wanted it to. The final scenario was the graduation from NTC.. basically if you have made it that far you might have been feeling a little cocky, and it shows what a proper Soviet Battalion attack looks like, it should have been a shock. The action this was based on though, was a weakened Company Team against the entire NTC Regiment... so we took it easy on you. @Simcoe What did you think of the Decision Points? I have seen little feedback on those and am wondering how they appear to the casual player. Thanks again for the comments. Bil
  21. @Rinaldi, engrossing text and superb images. Bravo. Keep it up! Bil
  22. Seriously, the reason I thought this review was so good was because of the TDG replacement angle for the professional... I don't care that the reviewer probably isn't the most comfortable in the game I love the approach he is taking. I find it unique and refreshing.. and aligns with the intent we had for this game, as a tactical sandbox. Bil
  23. Highly recommended reading. So hop to it http://schoolofwar.org/tactical-excellence-with-combat-mission-cold-war/
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