Bil Hardenberger

Eight Minute - BDA and Some Movements I thought you'd be interested in seeing the battle damage from the two Saggers that hit M-150(1/4). Very low on the hull front.. I am not usually that careless when checking Hull Down.. lesson learned! M-150(1/5) is reversing slightly to improve its position... note that in the following image it looks like this vehicle can spot a T-64 on EAA-1.. but it cannot target it.. so with this reverse move he will pull out of any view on EAA1. 2nd Platoon I have made some decisions based on what I have seen so far and with the Soviets movements and unit placement.. also remember I am getting my second and final reinforcement in two minutes. With what you have seen so far in this AAR as a guide, and after reading the following.. lets play a game, try to answer the following... What is Bil planning? Clue the First, I am shifting all four of the 2nd Platoon tanks to my right: Clue the second, the two M-150s in this platoon are moving forward... note the location of their covered arcs: Looking forward to reading your guesses... it'll be a few turns before I confirm or deny them, but light it up folks. Bil

Yep. Included.

Apologies to all... here is the last half of the GIF that did not play properly in my turn 8 report. Evidently three ATGMs were fired at this M-150.. two if which hit. The Eighth Minute post updated as well.

@chuckdyke, @IMHO@Ryujin can you guys please take these side conversations into another thread? Unless they directly relate to the AAR they just serve to clutter the AAR conversation. Thanks, I'd appreciate it, Bil

Thanks Miquel... I will have to fix that this afternoon after work. I think I pushed the limits on that one too far.

Eighth Minute - One Meter too Many “You win in battles with the timing in the Void born of the timing of cunning by knowing the enemies’ timing, and thus using a timing which the enemy does not expect.” A Book of Five Rings, The Ground Book - Miyamoto Musashi (Yes I have Musashi’s book sitting next to me on my desk --- the man was an Effing genius) Clarity, according to the Oxford Dictionary is “The quality of being certain or definite.” Warren’s movements gave me that this turn. First the good news! I know where some of his armor is, and I know what the type is. There are two T-64As and I have spotted four BMP-1s (yes the Sagger armed version). So I believe this is a separate formation from what was already on the map. This must be part of the FSE which I have been expecting… should be formed on one Motorized Rifle Company (BMP-1 evidently) with one four-tank platoon in support. Of course the organization still needs to be confirmed. CMCW Feature: The unit organizations for this game include many preformed task groups, including Soviet Forward Security Element, US Company Teams (different flavors), etc. Some tank porn for you perverts (you know who you are), I present Miss February, the T-64A: Before we continue let’s answer some PIRs: Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIRs): 1. Where is/are the enemy SBF position(s) Warren has spread several BMP-1PKs along the treeline, being careful to stay out of my tank’s line of fire… though maybe that’s coincidence as they just destroyed the two BMPs that were in their zone of fire. I believe this line is his SBF position. 2. What is the size of the initial Soviet force? I am calling the initial formation the Recon Company, but I need to figure out why it has two BMP-1PKs… hmmm. 3a. Where are enemy’s tanks? This is a persistent PIR and should be kept updated throughout the action. Two T-64As have been identified in EAA1. There should be two more in the FSE but those have yet to be located 3b. What model tanks are in the Reconnaissance Company? No tanks have been identified in the Recon Company only BMP-1Ps 4a. What is the organization of the initial follow-on force? 4b. What model tanks are in the initial follow-on force? 5a. What is the organization of any additional follow-on forces? 5b. What model tanks are in any additional follow-on forces? PIRs 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b cannot be answered yet. Okay I admit it… moving my M-150s forward was ill-advised.. got a little impatient there. Let this be a lesson to you. 1. M-150(1/5) moves forward, and luckily is still Hull Down to the BMP-1P that fires on it… The shooter (spotted after he launched): The result (from two angles): …meanwhile: 2. M-150(1/4) moves too far forward.. sees the vehicles on EAA1 and then reverses as quickly as possible.. I really misjudged my Hull Down with this one. Totally on me. Two shooters (from EAA1): Well he did get a TOW off right before he gets smoked... of course the TOW went wild after that. What did I tell you? Beware of the BMP in this game… they are deadly. Okay.. it’s late and I need to process this one and decide how best to respond. Stand by for that.

I can see it now, you guys will get someone to mod the infantry models for MOPP4, mess with the fitness etc., create one scenario.. find out how crappy it plays, and then never touch it again. Just a little prognostication from your Uncle Bil.

Re: NBC: From our Design Document (and before you ask... no, sorry I won't be sharing it): In our mind representing NBC was a rabbit hole best stayed away from. Bil

By the way, with this post I am caught up with our progress in the game.. so all future posts will be posted as close to my review as possible... work, the wife, and life in general permitting. Bil

Sixth & Seventh Minutes “Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.” George S. Patton Warren continues to stick his nose out… this time it’s a standard BMP-1P that is spotted by a tank from Tank Section 2… …from top to bottom: M-60A1(RISE+) (1/6) fires one APFSDS round, which misses, but does inflict one casualty… then quickly followed up by two HESH rounds... though the first of these was all it took to kill this BMP. Range: 1270m There are now at least four infantry or recon teams moving towards Dolbach, and one of those looks like an HQ... so either one full platoon, or parts of two. They have a long way to go yet and they are on foot so I expect they’ll be getting tired by the time they get there. Planned welcoming party: · I have pushed Scout 1’s M113A2 forwards to get a gun laid on their route · I have plotted a mortar strike in front of them… set to hit in about three minutes A quick note, I am still biding my time here and gathering information. Warren is being very cautious… I expected him to be a little more aggressive, and he has probably received his first reinforcements too so I will probably see some tanks soon, and the aggressiveness will ramp up. I need to wait a bit until I get more information prior to moving on incomplete information. That said, I am going to move both of my M-150s into better positions to try and bag one of the BMPs I can see in the tree line yonder.

Good stuff guys... in turn 5 as shown in my last post, the M-60A!(RISE+) fired two APFSDS rounds at the BMP... here is the ammo loadout for the M-60A!(RISE+).. ..for some reason I was thinking it fired HESH.

Not a fair comparison IMO. The Syrians and Egyptians in the Arab Israeli Wars were not the Soviets. They were minor league at best... and in this game the first team, the Soviets, can be deadly and more than match for a US force of equivalent size.

It is what it is... I can only put them in the best positions possible and hope they do some damage. You can't account for equipment disparities in any other way than to maximize your chances with position and maneuver. Expecting to run into T-64s (either A or B model) and perhaps T-62s. See my METT-T analysis (Enemy) for more details.. link is in the initial post. Bil

CMCW did not steal any resources from F&R. They were concurrent developments and in fact CMCW did not impinge on any F&R testers/content developers until very late in development. @BFCElvissaw to that Bil

Fifth Minute – Return of the Blood Board! “Onward we stagger, and if the tanks come, may God help the tanks.” William Darby Near NAI2 a Tank Section 1 tank (1/9)) spotted the BMP-1PK that M-150(1/4) had spotted in the previous minute and fired short on. It took two rounds, but eventually the tank put one through the BMP, in the front and out the back. This was the Company Commander BMP mentioned in my last post. Hopefully the Company CO was on board when the round hit. Range: 1610m. Another BMP-1PK (Company HQ vehicle) moved forward and was spotted on NAI2 by M150(1/5) . It loosed a TOW, which after about 10 seconds in the air… …hit the damned trees. This BMP is very well situated and close enough to the edge of the trees to still be able to see out, yet far enough back that the trees provide some protection. Classic positioning. Range: 1546m One of the Scout Teams has reached it’s observation position (OP) and notices some infantry movement moving from NAI3 and it looks like it may be heading toward the town. No... this does not appear to be related to the MP that was just destroyed. Also spotted as an infantry or scout team moving from NAI2 towards the smoke screen. Will keep an eye on these contacts, but I find it curious that Warren would order dismounted teams to move towards Dolbach. Reinforcements! Received my first (of two) reinforcements this turn. Including: 2nd AC Platoon equipped with M113A1, M-60A1, and M150 Tank Hunters Mortar Section equipped with an HQ on an M-577 and x3 M106A1s Armored Cavalry (AC) Troop HQ and Forward Observer team, both mounted on M-113A1s What are my plans for them? It is way too early and I don’t have enough information to task them yet. For now they will be the first component of my reserve, counter-attack force. I plan on keeping 1st AC Platoon engaged and observing the enemy movements and positions. Once I have enough information I will make a plan for my reserve. I think I can put my M-106s to work pretty soon though, depending on what he sends down EAA1. For Reference:

I still use it too.. but mainly for convenience.. somehow I can also use Print Screen for still images. Still need Fraps for videos though. All of my COld War BETA AAR screenies and videos were taken in Fraps. Bil

Check is in the mail. Bil

Though the BRM is in the game GSR is not. This can be represented during scenario design by giving them an intel advantage. GSR activities would have occurred prior to closing with the enemy anyway Bil

Negative.. but I believe the TOW mounted on the jeep will be able to be dismounted. Though I need to confirm that.. it only just came in to the game and I haven't played with it yet. Bil

Nope... I only go into Hull Down manually. Originally I didn't know where exactly Warren would pop up, so I setup in a "best case" hull down position to cover both NAI2 and NAI3. Pulling back into full HD to this enemy contact pulls M150 (1/4) out of being able to place eyes on NAI2. Bil

Fourth Minute - First Contact! Forgive me for a second AAR post today, but I will be traveling tomorrow and wanted to get this one published tonight. “One should not be diverted by geographical objectives, but should concentrate on the destruction of the enemy’s military forces.” Classic Russian Military Principles A little excitement during this turn, and first shot fired (all times are in Game Time, counting down from 40:00). Yellow text for contacts equals a tentative contact, red text is for solid identified contacts. @36:47: Early in this minute M150 (1/5) got a firm spot on an enemy BMP moving to the edge of the woods, then immediately lost the contact as it continued forward slightly. Positive ID: BMP-1P. Note: this is a resolution of the tentative spot from the third minute. @36:35: M150 (1/4) noticed some movement near NAI3. Appears to be a light armored vehicle, suspected to be a BMP. @36:21: The 36:35 spot becomes a positively identified BMP-1P as it nosed slightly out of the treeline. This BMP is oriented directly toward M-150(1/4) but does not have a spot, it could be overwatching the ridge the Tank Hunter is sitting on. Note the type of ATGM (AT-4 I believe) and the mast antenna. The ATGM makes it a BMP-1P, the mast antenna makes this a BMP-1PK, a Company Commander's personal ride. One Company HQ identified... make a note. As the BMP halted at the edge of the treeline it gave M-150 (1/4) enough time to aim and loose a TOW, which alas, fell well short of the mark probably due to my smoke screen. The contact was then immediately lost, probably due to the smoke, missile destruction debris etc. With any luck, the enemy commander will have missed the missile launch and will think the missile’s impact with the ground is a spotting round. @36:04: M150 (1/4) noticed some movement within NAI2. Appears to be a light armored vehicle, suspected to be a third BMP. One full Company or parts of two? Time will tell. Only one adjustment was made to my positions this turn. After a quick check, M-150 (1/4) is only Partially Hull Down to the BMP it fired at this turn so will be reversing into a full Hull Down position to this enemy vehicle, and will also be narrowing its cover arc to focus on the location of this enemy BMP. A note about Hull Down… just because you are Hull Down to one piece of ground, does not mean you are Hull Down to another. You should check and recheck this as a scenario unfolds, especially when you have firm contact sightings. Bil COMING UP NEXT: The Return of the Famous Blood Board!!

Adobe Premiere Pro.

First Three Minutes! “Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.” A Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi The initial phase of this action will be me positioning my units to get eyes on the most likely enemy avenues of approach, especially EAA1 (NAI 1). After two minutes of action: M113A2s and Scouts: Reached their drop off points and the two Scout teams have dismounted and are continuing on foot in order to get into positions where they can look into EAA1. The Platoon Leader will stay mounted in his M113 for now. M-60A1 (Rise+) Section 1: Arrived in hull down positions with views of NAI 2 and 3. M-60A1 (Rise+) Section 2: Arrived in hull down positions with views of NAI 2 and 3. Tank Section 1 moves into position: M150 TOW Tank Hunters: Both now in hull down positions overlooking NAIs 2 and 3. Artillery Smoke Screen: After two minutes I have cancelled the fire from both batteries. Mainly because I want them available once my Scouts start to see into NAI 1. The screen should build for a few more turns as laid then should last for several more. It’ll be interesting to see how effective it is at messing with the Soviet spotting-targeting cycle. FIRST ENEMY INDICATOR: In the third minute M150 1/5 (1st Platoon, 5th Vehicle)) noticed some movement in the woods between NAIs 1 and 2. Nothing is known about this contact other than that it is a light armored vehicle, suspected BMP from the Recon Company. Now to place this image in context... in case you ever wondered what a Hull Down M-150 Tank Hunter looks like from the Soviet perspective: Bil

Thank you.. I'll give you and your Squarehead all the credit.

Is that a personal quote or from someone specifically? I would like to steal.. err.. borrow it.