Bil Hardenberger

My intent: Defend only where I have to... attack everywhere else. This has been the driving thought for me throughout this fight. My forces are split for sure... 1st MRC is on its own, as is 2nd MRC... 3rd MRC’s elements at the Power Station are on their own as well… 1st Plt/3rd MRC with its armor support (T90, BMP, and BTR) are on their own too, though their movement and actions are in support of the Assault Company that is attacking Krichek. The Recon Company is too weak to be of any offensive use, but it has provided stellar performance as a distraction for Scott’s forces in Krichek. What I have though are two strongpoints, deep and arrayed along the two US Company Team’s routes of advance… well one is stronger than the other... but neither can be ignored. I expect to have another strongpoint in the Power Station soon... it seems to be weakly held. I just need to clear every building from bottom to top to find any remnants. Those are all formations that Scott will have to reduce before he can attack my forces now starting their attack on Krichek. I hope to have that town well in hand by the time my strongpoints fall. All of this is about delaying the US Company Teams advance… I have no hope of causing more than superficial wounds to them, as he can concentrate where I cannot. So they defend actively, dancing around and hitting where they can before they fall. 1st MRC is actually planning on withdrawing and harrying the US Company Team South as much as possible. The Assault Company, Recon Company, and the 1st Platoon/3rd MRC will be my final force… they have the most tanks and a good amount of BMPs. Not many AT weapons, and nothing to help with AA, But they will be in the town, and hopefully some of 1st MRC will be able to reach their lines before the end. The Twenty-First Minute 1st MRC The US Company Team South appears to be withdrawing slightly and is starting to push up the road slightly. Still moving very slowly… I will pull my AT teams out of position soon and move back towards the rest of the company. They have done their bit. There is definitely a tank in the gully that looks like it might be hunting my flank BMP. 2nd MRC US Company Team North’s movement is inexorable. I was able to get my BMP back into its gully this turn.. it spotted and fired at what I think is the Battalion HQ Bradley.. that ATGM hit the trees... but then it spotted the center M1 again, withdrew and fired its 30mm getting many hits... mainly on the external MG. This tank never fired its main gun... should have had the opportunity. Power Station The main development here is that Scott’s M1s are starting to fire at the walls... they opened a new breach with this fire. I need to get that BMP out of the line of fire of those things. The two enemy UI icons in this image are confusing.. but at least I think I know where to look for the enemy. Krichek If Scott did not know this force was coming for Krichek, he does now. The lead elements started firing on the buildings overlooking the Town Hall objective and preparing the area for the follow-on elements which will pass through this platoon and get in closer, preparing for an assault. On the Eastern edge of the town where my recon BMP crossed the river, the enemy team that was in the little building was taken under BMP fire and eliminated, in addition a recoilless gun team was also eliminated… an AGL team entered the rubble of the little building at turn end.. Scott will regret that move I’m sure.

Update: I will have the next turn report up tonight, but Scott is heading out of town fro some R&R so we will be down for another 4 or 5 days after that. In the next turn report I will give thorough explanation of my thinking and strategy in this battle.. as I am going against some of the rules I tend to religiously follow.

What is the shortcut for "throw rocks" again? So that when we turn around and run they'll be in front?

Hmm, maybe, however when you skyline a unit you really are making it more visible.. so I would say that it does indeed have an effect in that you are more likely to be spotted if you skyline your units. Regardless it is a good idea to mask your movement from the enemy as much as possible.. see: Masked Movement

Yes, the air support can be decisive.. I doubt mine will be.. unless I can take out his AA assets.. which is a tall order in the next 5 minutes. I expect his will have more luck as I only have two Tunguskas, and zero MANPADs so will be at his mercy.

Roger that Michael.. I was thinking they needed time stamps added. Next time

About 300m.. yeah probably too distant to really hold much hope. The only thing I know about is the two Tunguskas and the one other AA asset in Krichek... guess I'll find out in about 5 minutes.

The Twentieth Minute 1st MRC - the US Company Team South again made few movements this turn as can be seen in this time-lapse of the turn. I often do scrub through an entire turn to spot movement paths and note direction of movement of an entire formation: I have a BMP that could be on the flank of this enemy company.. I don't know if Scott has noticed this movement or not.. as all of the enemy vehicles I can spot throughout this turn are oriented toward my infantry teams and the other BMP, so maybe not. A tank icon does appear in the gully around the corner at the end of this turn though.. but I think that must be an echo.. why would he pull a tank off the line when a Bradley or better, an infantry team could do that job better? In the time-lapse you might have noticed the AT Team taking some Bradley fire in the bottom right... well, this team gets off two RPG rounds at this Bradley before it is noticed.. alas both went high... good news is that though they are suppressed, they take zero casualties. 2nd MRC - again a time-lapse shows that movement is picking up, but Scott is being very careful. He is ensuring that he has a good base of fire prior to maneuvering forward. Still, not much distance has been traveled since these reinforcements came on the map. Five minutes until my air support arrives. A 2nd MRC BMP and the M1 with what I suspect must be Scott's command element spot each other simultaneously. The M1 pops smoke, while the BMP, foolishly, backs out of its beautiful position... sigh... Power Station - the attack continues.. time-lapse: Outside one of the buildings a team hunts outside, while suddenly they spot an enemy team within, it is over in seconds. That is one enemy team down.. another was spotted moving through the central buildings.. and will be the focus of my efforts next turn. Note: I often skirt the outside of a building, or will sit a team next to it for a turn or two before entering. This allows them to listen and watch for enemy movement while having a wall between them and anything inside. Krichek Assault - here is an overview of the Krichek area at turn end: The Javelin team (now confirmed to have two members) was chased off the ridge by my fire.. it fired a Javelin at one of my teams which hit close but caused no casualties. Note that Tunguska 1 re-crossed the bridge... it is oriented away from my Assault Company however.. and an RPG fired by a recon team was left hanging at turn end... killing that vehicle would be a HUGE score for me... and would be just in time for my air support (5 minutes out and counting).

If I can capture Krichek, yes that is where I will make my last stand. H347, Hill 347? I know that's what Scott calls what I call center hill... no, sadly there is no retreat for the 2nd MRC remnants... they will die in their tracks and generally right now are there to slow Scott down. He could bypass them and hold them with a Bradley platoon... that's what I would do at this point if I were him. I did pull out some units though... two T-90s and two BMPs were sent to the Krichek Assault Company. 1st MRC though has flexibility to maneuver and to withdraw in a delay operation.

Yes, that platoon will enter the compound without the BMP, which has started moving toward the other platoon facing off against Scott's Javelin team. It will work with a T-90 and a BTR as fire support to that platoon. These are the vehicles that were stranded on the east side of the river with Scott's M1s dominating the highway. Bil

Regarding incoming defensive fire from the Power Plant.. I have received none. Not since a Ukrainian team fired a few RPG rounds at one of my T-90s... I have received incoming fire from the US Company Team North.. and that is what panicked the team at the center-left in this image. The teams on the corners that are panicked was due to a mistake on my part.. I moved them up too quickly and they caught some friendly fire from the BMP attempting to breach in that area. I had thought to bring a second BMP into the compound to help with the assault, but I think one will be enough and I really wanted to get that second BMP off to support the platoon that is clearing the east side of the river. In fact as soon as I get a good feeling as to what Scott has in this objective I'll be pulling the other BMP out as well. I think I have enough infantry to deal with whatever is in there... if there was the equivalent of a platoon then I would have seen something more than the two faded contacts that are in the image. Unless Scott is being shy.. but that isn't like him.. so I suspect he has a small force, a couple squads maybe? Observer team? I can rule out an ATGM team... I would have noticed one of those and he would have had plenty of opportunity to use one.. so no on that.

Thanks Frederico.. yeah I think so too. This scenario is a bit of a Kobayashi Maru scenario for the Russian player, all I can hope to do is cause so many casualties that any victory would be hollow. I stand behind my decision making to this point.. though in hindsight I could have made some better decisions, like forming the Assault Company two or three turns earlier.. not pushing 2nd MRC so far forward, though they would have died even faster if they had stayed on the hill, even on the reverse slope.. which Scott would have simply driven around. I appreciate your comments, and you are welcome!!

The Nineteenth Minute 1st and 2nd MRCs goal now is to delay Scott's US Companies as long as possible.. at least until my air support arrives.. that's six more minutes. With the slow rate of his advance I am hoping that should be doable. 2nd MRC - I eliminated the final Ukrainian soldier and the last US Scout that were near my forces. Scott is still moving very slowly, but his Northern Company Team has picked up the pace a little.. he still needs to dig my BMPs and Tunguska out of those gullies though... and I think at this point he is wary of them. 1st MRC - remember that my platoon in the gullies is just a screen.. well Scott seems to be mired down in this terrain as his Southern Company Team moved very little, almost like he's taken up a defensive stance. The M1 on the road caught a fist full of 30mm, I can only hope it caused some damage.. at least I didn't lose anything else on that main highway. Alas, an unseen M1 destroyed one of the two BMPs I have in the gully... the other did manage to withdraw in time. Power Plant The attack on the Power Plant is underway.. a new breach was finally opened near the long buildings. No enemy contact yet.. I don't even know how many troops Scott has in this compound.. can't be many. Krichek Scott continues to push his forces towards my recon elements and away from my Assault Company... I am closing in on his Javelin team, which appears to be on its own in that area. A tank, a BTR, and a BMP will be joining this effort over the next turn or two. Another turn before my Assault Company is in position to put fire on the Town Hall objective. One more thing, I have moved my recon BMP-3 across the river and it, now with an infantry screen , will be taking the town under fire from yet another direction.. when attacking an enemy, spread him as thin as possible.. then hit him with a concentrated force to break through. The HMMWV in the image above moved to the outskirts of town and took an RPG round which eliminated this threat. Keep pushing them in that direction Scott!! Blood Board

Just met Scott for lunch (we work about 20 minutes apart), and we discussed how to improve this scenario specifically... some of the points we talked about: Give the Ukrainian MRC a platoon of T-64s in support Insure the US Scout platoon supporting the Ukr. MRC have their support (or some of it).. Scott was especially adamant about this... I say nay Give the Russian force some dismounted ATGM teams.. I would replace the Khrizantema section with 3 or 4 dismounted teams Reduce the US reinforcements to one single Company team.. preferably infantry heavy (two Bradley Platoons, one M1 platoon) - that change alone would make this scenario a nail biter at this point That's pretty much it.. we both think the scenario design and the situation presented is unique and challenging... but it does require some tweaks.. but with those it could be one of the most memorable in the game (if it's included). Hopefully The Teacher is reading this. One more thing.. from our discussions it was clear to me that Scott has no clue that my Assault Company is coming for his units in the town... won't he be surprised when they pop into view a couple hundred meters from the Town Hall objective?

Only if you are flying the plane Ken.

Oh right... I guess that means my second needs to take over the game now.. Ian, I think that's you!! I will forward my password to you forthwith.

Dan, sadly both the Battalion HQ and the FAC were in the BMP-2K that Scott smoked... huge hit. Luckily I had my air support called in for several minutes already so hopefully it will still arrive. If not.. oh well.

John, I have identified a second Bradley FSV with the US Company North.. so unless his FAC was in the FSV with the southern company he should still have good use of his support assets. Of course, he could have more than one FAC too.

My air, if it arrives, is targeted right between the 1st and 2nd MRC positions. Hopefully right in the middle of Scott's forces.. we'll see. If he is still contending with my two forward companies when and if that arrives then I should have a show.. of course I hope to have Tunguska 1 and whatever other AA he has in the town taken care of by then.

The Eighteenth Minute - Part 2 Krichek the assault on the two objectives in Krichek are under way... on the East side of the river is 1st Platoon/3rd MRC plus a few recon teams. The T90 in this view is the immobilized tank. The 3rd MRC platoon's task is to clear the East side of the river, including attempting to destroy the Tunguska (#1) that is known to be in this area. The Assault Company will seize the Town Hall objective first and then move through the town.. I am not feeling easy about this assault as I still do not have a lot of firm information about what Scott has in the town.. remember I am expecting a full Ukrainian Company with US recon support. Note in the bottom of this image that there is another destroyed BMP (from 1st MRC). .another victim of the M1 Scott has overwatching this highway. The Assault Company wil have to complete its task with the four tanks and three BMP-3s that have successfully crossed and that are already on the move. The rest of the vehicles still moving forward will join the 1st Platoon/3rd MRC to clear the East side of the river. The most forward recon team with 1st Platoon/3rd MRC spots a Javelin team about 300 meters away. It is facing East towards 2nd MRC, This is awesome.. Scott has Javelins in the pocket too? Damn you Teacher!! In the town itself.. Scott appears to be orienting on my recon teams on the outskirts of the town... this is exactly what i want him to do so I can move my Assault Company into attack position with the least amount of interruption.. my main worry is ATGM teams though, not vehicles. On the outskirts of town Scott moves a BMP-2 perfectly in the sights of one of my recon teams.. it has a beautiful keyhole view through the gap between two buildings at the vehicle... It took three rounds but eventually it does the job: Here is the view looking East... note that the Tunguska (#2) is now well forward behind the building as shown.. you can also see the position of the BMP-2 that was just destroyed, a BTR command vehicle that just moved into position.. and my crawling recon team which will attempt to take out the BTR. I just want to keep him busy and feeding troops into this area. Blood Board

The Eighteenth Minute - Part 1 Tons of action this turn, so this is going to be rather lengthy. This scenario has devolved into two major battles.. my 1st and 2nd MRCs against Scott's Americans, and the battle to reduce the pocket. Both are complicated affairs, at least from my point of view... Scott has terrific visibility across most of the map and I am learning that some areas are now shut off from me. He is slowly restricting my maneuver choices with his overwhelming fire superiority. 1st MRC Happy to report that the Bradley Fire Support Vehicle (FSV) that was hit by an RPG round last turn was indeed knocked out.. interestingly, only one hatch opened, which could mean that only the driver survived... which would be good news as it would reduce, slightly, Scott's fire support flexibility. Across from my initial screen of RPG teams and the BMP platoon Scott withdrew into a tighter formation... he killed one RPG team this turn and degraded one other. I moved one BMP (under a smoke screen) from the gully they were deployed in to hopefully a flank position on Scott's company... it moved into position just fine but gained no spots during the turn.. I will move it again next turn to try to get in to Scott's rear. Looking from Scott's perspective... you can see how tight the US Company team is now positioned. My BMP #1 has a spot on two M1s.. umm.. if I can see them, guaranteed they can see me... could be trouble. I have no clue how this M1 from the US Company Team North saw this 1st MRC BMP all the way across the map.. but it did, and it quickly destroyed it: 2nd MRC Scott is still taking his time moving in on 2nd MRC... I have four vehicles remaining as can be seen below (x3 BMP-3, Tunguska).. not a lot of combat power, but enough to keep Scott busy for a several more turns hopefully. Note the US Scout (single man) next to the Tunguska... and the Ukrainian soldier on the hill.. I have a feeling these two units are giving Scott some great intel.. that is not good. Seven turns until my aircraft arrive in the AO. Power Plant I finally got a hole in that damned wall this turn... so with that in place the following is my assault plan... I have had a team in this area for a few turns.. was hoping they would spot a minefield if one existed across this opening.. they have not so I will attempt to enter the compound with this team in this direction. This team will enter through the hole made by my T90 a few minutes ago. the intent for this team and the team at #1 is to be a diversion for the main thrust through the gap at #3... With a BMP in the gap I will suppress the buildings within and enter through this hole with a full platoon of infantry, they will clear the compund one building at a time. I was hoping I would get a hole in this corner of the compound as well.. but alas my BMP failed to get a breach. The platoon in this area will remain in reserve for now. Scott can now overwatch the road I have been using to move my Assault Company into action... in one action that is going to come back to haunt me.. the battalion HQ track (BMP-2K) with the FAC team was spotted and destroyed by Scott's overwatching unit.. probably an M1...

It's pretty easy to say that when you aren't faced with the behemoth in actual combat.. I bet that small window would be incredibly hard to target and hit when you are fearing for your life and faced with an actual fire breathing M1A2... and they rarely operate alone. Heh.. I think there can be no doubt about the supremacy of the M1A2 SEP v2 on the battlefield, virtual in CM or real.. I would take it comfortably against any other potential opposing force tank in existence.

This blood board covers turns 16 and 17... all the new kills (the red text) except one 2nd MRC BMP were suffered in turn 16, one BMP was lost in 2nd MRC in turn 17. Turn 18 turn report coming up later today.

Here's a treat, the guys over at www.combatmission.fr have started to translate this AAR into French: http://www.combatmission.fr/recits-de-parties/black-sea-beta-par-bil-hardenberger/ Pretty neat

Still trying to get one of my damned BMPs to fire at the wall... I've wasted a couple turns now trying to get them to fire at it and not use airburst. I do hope to take it, if for no other reason than that it'll make a great OP, and it'll be one more objective Scott will need to recapture.