John Kettler

Here is the complete Offiziere. That's the good news. Unfortunately, the bad news is that the only subtitles are in German! Also, the resolution is nowhere nearly as good as in the video.
 
Regards,

John Kettler

One of my tabletop wargaming colleagues posted this video based on stunning high res clips from above film, whose title translates as Officer. It's a kind of music video and has no sound other than that or subtitles either. These said, compared to all the period training videos we've seen, in terms of image quality, this thing is incredible. The main stars are T-55s and T-72s, but you'll like the other goodies, too. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler

Here is the complete Offiziere. That's the good news. Unfortunately, the bad news is that the only subtitles are in German! Also, the resolution is nowhere nearly as good as in the video.
 
Regards,

John Kettler

One of my tabletop wargaming colleagues posted this video based on stunning high res clips from above film, whose title translates as Officer. It's a kind of music video and has no sound other than that or subtitles either. These said, compared to all the period training videos we've seen, in terms of image quality, this thing is incredible. The main stars are T-55s and T-72s, but you'll like the other goodies, too. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler

Here is the complete Offiziere. That's the good news. Unfortunately, the bad news is that the only subtitles are in German! Also, the resolution is nowhere nearly as good as in the video.
 
Regards,

John Kettler

One of my tabletop wargaming colleagues posted this video based on stunning high res clips from above film, whose title translates as Officer. It's a kind of music video and has no sound other than that or subtitles either. These said, compared to all the period training videos we've seen, in terms of image quality, this thing is incredible. The main stars are T-55s and T-72s, but you'll like the other goodies, too. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler

One of my tabletop wargaming colleagues posted this video based on stunning high res clips from above film, whose title translates as Officer. It's a kind of music video and has no sound other than that or subtitles either. These said, compared to all the period training videos we've seen, in terms of image quality, this thing is incredible. The main stars are T-55s and T-72s, but you'll like the other goodies, too. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler

Blast! Could NOT be flipped. Objekt 279 was the Soviet concept of designing a tank heavy enough and tough enough to survive a close nuclear detonation without being flipped over and left useless. The design was specifically done in such a way as to make the tank as aerodynamially clean as possible, thus reducing  the surface area on which the blast wave could act and the duration of that force being applied to the tank.



https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/strange-object-279-the-soviet-heavy-tank-designed-to-survive-a-nuclear-explosion.602672/

Regards,

John Kdttler

This circa 1966 US Army training film on the Patton (really Patton II) M60 and M60A1 presents the tank in the context of. the development of the tank and armored warfare. There is extensive coverage of the manufacture and testing the M60 and M60A1, with most of the visuals focusing on the latter. The res on this doc is so poor it gave me an eyestrain headache, but this may not be as big a deal for those of you with better vision than mine. Contrary to the keyframe, the whole thing is in black and white. There are also segments on the bridge layer and CEV versions, as well as mention of the missile firing M60A2. There is also highly unusual footage of M60s conducting an assault, which is far more common when seeing  Soviet and Warsaw Pact combat exercise footage.
Regards,

John Kettler

Sgt.Squarehead,

Less than a minute ago I finished reading about the Polish tank fleet, armament and sensor fits, armor upgrades, ammo and ammo performance and more, all because I had some vague recollection the Poles had Leopards, which is how I learned of the Leopard 2 PL. Most of the Polish tank fleet consists of T-72As with minor upgrades. Believe you'll find this article a good read.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/can-poland’s-large-fleet-tanks-fend-russia-197127

Regards,

John Kettler

Let the clamor for the British begin in earnest! This is an excellent,(and mercifully good res) British Army training film which shows, in impressive form, and on FRG terrain (I think), what life will be like on the sharp end when a Soviet MRR decides to drop in for a visit. The Soviet gear, and there's lots of it (possibly from Israel), is a real treat to watch in action, and it's supplemented by Soviet combat exercise footage. But let me tell you, a zillion directors would kill to have the FX in this film that's the result of live fire and believable visuals (no tanks or other AFVs exploding, though). The terrain is most interesting, and it's fascinating to see how much concealment the foliage provides, whether to hide under, in, or be festooned by. Target acquisition wouldn't be easy given this. Naturally, it's a treat to see the British in action, so much so I expect many will start baying for the BAOR, so to speak.

If there's any informational weakness per se, the chief one in my view is the failure to define and describe the point of the CRP (1 x BRDM-2 and 2 x MG armed motorcycle with sidecar), as well as the recon screens paralleling the Advance Guard. Do the Soviets in CMCW have MG jeep type vehicles as awkward (larger and taller) substitutes for the motorcycle recon troops? And while the RPG-7 is shown and the AGS-17 mentioned, the former, which provides critical squad firepower, isn't described, and the AGS-17 isn't shown at all, still less gone into ref the deeply disturbing capabilities it has. This all said, it's still at least a B+ overall grade for this training film. Believe it makes US equivalents look anemic by comparison, and I'm American.

If you believe someone who commanded both a Soviet BTR-60 based MRC and later, a T-55 TK CO, the best troops in any given Soviet formation will be in the first subunit and then within it, too, at successively lower levels. The commander's reserve will be from part of that first unit, for it is with this that he will ram home an attack or offer die hard resistance if counterattacked. To me, this offers some intriguing possibilities for scenario building, since this is not just great chrome but a real tactical consideration for the Soviet player. All units of a given type and size are NOT the same in combat effectiveness or combat stability, greatly complicating conducting the battle. 
 


Regards,

John Kettler 

Let the clamor for the British begin in earnest! This is an excellent,(and mercifully good res) British Army training film which shows, in impressive form, and on FRG terrain (I think), what life will be like on the sharp end when a Soviet MRR decides to drop in for a visit. The Soviet gear, and there's lots of it (possibly from Israel), is a real treat to watch in action, and it's supplemented by Soviet combat exercise footage. But let me tell you, a zillion directors would kill to have the FX in this film that's the result of live fire and believable visuals (no tanks or other AFVs exploding, though). The terrain is most interesting, and it's fascinating to see how much concealment the foliage provides, whether to hide under, in, or be festooned by. Target acquisition wouldn't be easy given this. Naturally, it's a treat to see the British in action, so much so I expect many will start baying for the BAOR, so to speak.

If there's any informational weakness per se, the chief one in my view is the failure to define and describe the point of the CRP (1 x BRDM-2 and 2 x MG armed motorcycle with sidecar), as well as the recon screens paralleling the Advance Guard. Do the Soviets in CMCW have MG jeep type vehicles as awkward (larger and taller) substitutes for the motorcycle recon troops? And while the RPG-7 is shown and the AGS-17 mentioned, the former, which provides critical squad firepower, isn't described, and the AGS-17 isn't shown at all, still less gone into ref the deeply disturbing capabilities it has. This all said, it's still at least a B+ overall grade for this training film. Believe it makes US equivalents look anemic by comparison, and I'm American.

If you believe someone who commanded both a Soviet BTR-60 based MRC and later, a T-55 TK CO, the best troops in any given Soviet formation will be in the first subunit and then within it, too, at successively lower levels. The commander's reserve will be from part of that first unit, for it is with this that he will ram home an attack or offer die hard resistance if counterattacked. To me, this offers some intriguing possibilities for scenario building, since this is not just great chrome but a real tactical consideration for the Soviet player. All units of a given type and size are NOT the same in combat effectiveness or combat stability, greatly complicating conducting the battle. 
 


Regards,

John Kettler 

And now you understand the genius of the Bundle marketing strategy! Be advised that if all you've ever played are CMx2 World War II sims,and you do jump on this Bundle,  then you are in for quite the, and possibly traumatic, shock. My first outing in a CMx2 Modern game. wasn't CMSF, for there was no Mac version for a long time, so it was CMBS, where simply playing with it a bit in a QB WAS traumatic. In two minutes of combat over 40%of my Russian force had gone up in flames and the Americans were largely unscathed in their murderous run and gun tactics. All I had to show for the loss of most of a Tank Platoon and some 70% of a BMP-2 Platoon were one Abrams, one damaged (I think) and a Bradley. Felt so overwhelmed I started to freak out, acutely concerned that I'd shelled out, by my standards, a huge chunk of money for a game so overwhelming and brain demanding  I didn't think I'd ever be able to play it.

Expect a near vertical learning curve, for you'll have gone, even in CMCW, from something like 17 rounds to hit a fully exposed medium tank at 1000 meters to basically 1 round, coupled with massive-near astronomic increases in lethality. And where a WW II infantry carrying halftrack generally was no threat to a tank, an IFV most certainly is, often by both ATGM and auto cannon. And while the auto cannon can't generally kill a tank from the front, it may be able to do so from the side or rear. But even from the front, it can do severe damage via wrecking optics and even the main gun. A couple of bursts of 30 mm cannon fire to the turret front of one of my late model Abrams (M1A2SEPV3) badly degraded both target detection and gunnery accuracy, and Panzer Leader, a real life Abrams guy, found his in-game force badly cut up from Tungaskas in the same way.

Not only will WW II tactics frequently not work at all, but they will get your force butchered in record time. Highly recommend you watch game play videos, and I most certainly do NOT suggest you play in RT for quite some time, if ever. Never played any CM game ever in RT, for I know my own limitations, and PBEM is, to myself and many others, the way to go. The workload to play the Modern CMx2 games is far higher than for WW II, especially for those with the most potent weapon systems, in this case, the by far most demanding is CMBS because it is the closest to now in terms of not just advanced weapons but such weapons routinely used by both sides in peer on peer battle.

Regards,

John Ketller 

 

Let the clamor for the British begin in earnest! This is an excellent,(and mercifully good res) British Army training film which shows, in impressive form, and on FRG terrain (I think), what life will be like on the sharp end when a Soviet MRR decides to drop in for a visit. The Soviet gear, and there's lots of it (possibly from Israel), is a real treat to watch in action, and it's supplemented by Soviet combat exercise footage. But let me tell you, a zillion directors would kill to have the FX in this film that's the result of live fire and believable visuals (no tanks or other AFVs exploding, though). The terrain is most interesting, and it's fascinating to see how much concealment the foliage provides, whether to hide under, in, or be festooned by. Target acquisition wouldn't be easy given this. Naturally, it's a treat to see the British in action, so much so I expect many will start baying for the BAOR, so to speak.

If there's any informational weakness per se, the chief one in my view is the failure to define and describe the point of the CRP (1 x BRDM-2 and 2 x MG armed motorcycle with sidecar), as well as the recon screens paralleling the Advance Guard. Do the Soviets in CMCW have MG jeep type vehicles as awkward (larger and taller) substitutes for the motorcycle recon troops? And while the RPG-7 is shown and the AGS-17 mentioned, the former, which provides critical squad firepower, isn't described, and the AGS-17 isn't shown at all, still less gone into ref the deeply disturbing capabilities it has. This all said, it's still at least a B+ overall grade for this training film. Believe it makes US equivalents look anemic by comparison, and I'm American.

If you believe someone who commanded both a Soviet BTR-60 based MRC and later, a T-55 TK CO, the best troops in any given Soviet formation will be in the first subunit and then within it, too, at successively lower levels. The commander's reserve will be from part of that first unit, for it is with this that he will ram home an attack or offer die hard resistance if counterattacked. To me, this offers some intriguing possibilities for scenario building, since this is not just great chrome but a real tactical consideration for the Soviet player. All units of a given type and size are NOT the same in combat effectiveness or combat stability, greatly complicating conducting the battle. 
 


Regards,

John Kettler 

Let the clamor for the British begin in earnest! This is an excellent,(and mercifully good res) British Army training film which shows, in impressive form, and on FRG terrain (I think), what life will be like on the sharp end when a Soviet MRR decides to drop in for a visit. The Soviet gear, and there's lots of it (possibly from Israel), is a real treat to watch in action, and it's supplemented by Soviet combat exercise footage. But let me tell you, a zillion directors would kill to have the FX in this film that's the result of live fire and believable visuals (no tanks or other AFVs exploding, though). The terrain is most interesting, and it's fascinating to see how much concealment the foliage provides, whether to hide under, in, or be festooned by. Target acquisition wouldn't be easy given this. Naturally, it's a treat to see the British in action, so much so I expect many will start baying for the BAOR, so to speak.

If there's any informational weakness per se, the chief one in my view is the failure to define and describe the point of the CRP (1 x BRDM-2 and 2 x MG armed motorcycle with sidecar), as well as the recon screens paralleling the Advance Guard. Do the Soviets in CMCW have MG jeep type vehicles as awkward (larger and taller) substitutes for the motorcycle recon troops? And while the RPG-7 is shown and the AGS-17 mentioned, the former, which provides critical squad firepower, isn't described, and the AGS-17 isn't shown at all, still less gone into ref the deeply disturbing capabilities it has. This all said, it's still at least a B+ overall grade for this training film. Believe it makes US equivalents look anemic by comparison, and I'm American.

If you believe someone who commanded both a Soviet BTR-60 based MRC and later, a T-55 TK CO, the best troops in any given Soviet formation will be in the first subunit and then within it, too, at successively lower levels. The commander's reserve will be from part of that first unit, for it is with this that he will ram home an attack or offer die hard resistance if counterattacked. To me, this offers some intriguing possibilities for scenario building, since this is not just great chrome but a real tactical consideration for the Soviet player. All units of a given type and size are NOT the same in combat effectiveness or combat stability, greatly complicating conducting the battle. 
 


Regards,

John Kettler 

Let the clamor for the British begin in earnest! This is an excellent,(and mercifully good res) British Army training film which shows, in impressive form, and on FRG terrain (I think), what life will be like on the sharp end when a Soviet MRR decides to drop in for a visit. The Soviet gear, and there's lots of it (possibly from Israel), is a real treat to watch in action, and it's supplemented by Soviet combat exercise footage. But let me tell you, a zillion directors would kill to have the FX in this film that's the result of live fire and believable visuals (no tanks or other AFVs exploding, though). The terrain is most interesting, and it's fascinating to see how much concealment the foliage provides, whether to hide under, in, or be festooned by. Target acquisition wouldn't be easy given this. Naturally, it's a treat to see the British in action, so much so I expect many will start baying for the BAOR, so to speak.

If there's any informational weakness per se, the chief one in my view is the failure to define and describe the point of the CRP (1 x BRDM-2 and 2 x MG armed motorcycle with sidecar), as well as the recon screens paralleling the Advance Guard. Do the Soviets in CMCW have MG jeep type vehicles as awkward (larger and taller) substitutes for the motorcycle recon troops? And while the RPG-7 is shown and the AGS-17 mentioned, the former, which provides critical squad firepower, isn't described, and the AGS-17 isn't shown at all, still less gone into ref the deeply disturbing capabilities it has. This all said, it's still at least a B+ overall grade for this training film. Believe it makes US equivalents look anemic by comparison, and I'm American.

If you believe someone who commanded both a Soviet BTR-60 based MRC and later, a T-55 TK CO, the best troops in any given Soviet formation will be in the first subunit and then within it, too, at successively lower levels. The commander's reserve will be from part of that first unit, for it is with this that he will ram home an attack or offer die hard resistance if counterattacked. To me, this offers some intriguing possibilities for scenario building, since this is not just great chrome but a real tactical consideration for the Soviet player. All units of a given type and size are NOT the same in combat effectiveness or combat stability, greatly complicating conducting the battle. 
 


Regards,

John Kettler 

Let the clamor for the British begin in earnest! This is an excellent,(and mercifully good res) British Army training film which shows, in impressive form, and on FRG terrain (I think), what life will be like on the sharp end when a Soviet MRR decides to drop in for a visit. The Soviet gear, and there's lots of it (possibly from Israel), is a real treat to watch in action, and it's supplemented by Soviet combat exercise footage. But let me tell you, a zillion directors would kill to have the FX in this film that's the result of live fire and believable visuals (no tanks or other AFVs exploding, though). The terrain is most interesting, and it's fascinating to see how much concealment the foliage provides, whether to hide under, in, or be festooned by. Target acquisition wouldn't be easy given this. Naturally, it's a treat to see the British in action, so much so I expect many will start baying for the BAOR, so to speak.

If there's any informational weakness per se, the chief one in my view is the failure to define and describe the point of the CRP (1 x BRDM-2 and 2 x MG armed motorcycle with sidecar), as well as the recon screens paralleling the Advance Guard. Do the Soviets in CMCW have MG jeep type vehicles as awkward (larger and taller) substitutes for the motorcycle recon troops? And while the RPG-7 is shown and the AGS-17 mentioned, the former, which provides critical squad firepower, isn't described, and the AGS-17 isn't shown at all, still less gone into ref the deeply disturbing capabilities it has. This all said, it's still at least a B+ overall grade for this training film. Believe it makes US equivalents look anemic by comparison, and I'm American.

If you believe someone who commanded both a Soviet BTR-60 based MRC and later, a T-55 TK CO, the best troops in any given Soviet formation will be in the first subunit and then within it, too, at successively lower levels. The commander's reserve will be from part of that first unit, for it is with this that he will ram home an attack or offer die hard resistance if counterattacked. To me, this offers some intriguing possibilities for scenario building, since this is not just great chrome but a real tactical consideration for the Soviet player. All units of a given type and size are NOT the same in combat effectiveness or combat stability, greatly complicating conducting the battle. 
 


Regards,

John Kettler 

Gary R Lukas,

Was a Soviet Threat Analyst in Military Aerospace for 11+ years (1978-89), during which the ZSU-23/4 was a very big deal indeed. We used to call it the airplane eater, which the Israeli Air Force learned the hard way during the Yom Kippur War in which SAMs forced IAF planes down into its firing envelope and it shot down planes in droves. From a real world perspective, the A-10 gun drill was to open fire on these deadly weapons from 4000' slant range, since the armor on it could be easily penetrated, whereas tanks couldn't be engaged until 2000' slant range max, preferably closer. Having the AGM-65 Maverick adds an extremely valuable standoff capability to kill the ZSU while staying outside of its engagement envelope. Would further observe the US Army learned to coordinate artillery with air strikes to suppress them or, better, kill them. DPICM would eat them alive, given one or more submunition hits.  

The game is entirely correct in modeling the ZSU-23/4 as a severe hard kill threat, but in reality, it would create a lot of virtual attrition, too, by severely degrading delivery accuracy (jinking and/or higher ordnance release altitudes) on the one hand and putting strike aircraft in the position of dumping stores (bombs and rockets), putting the pedal to the medal and getting out of Dodge forthwith--or dying.  Thus, though the plane came back, the mission was nullified, creating the exact same effect, in terms of mission success, as if the aircraft was shot down inbound on the target. Also, The ZSU-23/4 wasn't alone in the SHORADS role, for it worked intimately with the SA-9 and later SA-13 mobile SAMS. The message here is brutal and simple. If you can't or won't learn to deal with Soviet mobile air defenses, don't buy air support, buy fire support!

Regards,

John Kettler

 

Gary R Lukas,

Was a Soviet Threat Analyst in Military Aerospace for 11+ years (1978-89), during which the ZSU-23/4 was a very big deal indeed. We used to call it the airplane eater, which the Israeli Air Force learned the hard way during the Yom Kippur War in which SAMs forced IAF planes down into its firing envelope and it shot down planes in droves. From a real world perspective, the A-10 gun drill was to open fire on these deadly weapons from 4000' slant range, since the armor on it could be easily penetrated, whereas tanks couldn't be engaged until 2000' slant range max, preferably closer. Having the AGM-65 Maverick adds an extremely valuable standoff capability to kill the ZSU while staying outside of its engagement envelope. Would further observe the US Army learned to coordinate artillery with air strikes to suppress them or, better, kill them. DPICM would eat them alive, given one or more submunition hits.  

The game is entirely correct in modeling the ZSU-23/4 as a severe hard kill threat, but in reality, it would create a lot of virtual attrition, too, by severely degrading delivery accuracy (jinking and/or higher ordnance release altitudes) on the one hand and putting strike aircraft in the position of dumping stores (bombs and rockets), putting the pedal to the medal and getting out of Dodge forthwith--or dying.  Thus, though the plane came back, the mission was nullified, creating the exact same effect, in terms of mission success, as if the aircraft was shot down inbound on the target. Also, The ZSU-23/4 wasn't alone in the SHORADS role, for it worked intimately with the SA-9 and later SA-13 mobile SAMS. The message here is brutal and simple. If you can't or won't learn to deal with Soviet mobile air defenses, don't buy air support, buy fire support!

Regards,

John Kettler

 

@John Kettler @Bufo
UKR volunteer UAV unit "Aerorozvidka" (eng. "Air recon") issued the video of own strike detachment combat work. They use armed variant of R18 "Zhnets' " (eng. "Reaper") octocopter. This UAV was developed by initiative group of Zhytomyr Military Institute and produces in small number in their own workshop. Strike variant of the drone armed with two RKG-1600 HEAT bombs, designed by Mayak factory on the base of old Soviet RKG-3 HEAT antitank grenade. Accuracy of dropping is 1 sq.m from 300 m of altitude.
In the video you can see not only different strikes on enemy vehilces and facilities in night conditions, but also working of UAV operator with some sort FBCB system "Delta"
On the photo R18 dropping the bomb

RKG-1600 bombs

Video (from 62 second)
 

In a move that clearly worries the Kremlin, which expresses concern about potentially destabilizing the region, the Ukrainian Army conducted its first drone attack and destroyed a  Separatist D-30 howitzer apparently conducting shelling despite the ceasefire. It's unclear what the drone used as a weapon, or whether some sort of smaller suicide drone was a weapon. Whatever it was, one crew member apparently hear or saw it coming and bolted from the gun, but others were nearby when the striking weapon arrived. The explosion size and terminal effects suggest a very small warhead, a notion reinforced by apparent survival (condition unknown) of crew still at the gun position. The gun, the real target of the strike, appears to be out of action or even wrecked, but low imagery res makes determining this difficult.Decoding Kremlin speak, believe what it's really saying is that for the UA to hit back against unlawful attacks during the ceasefire by its Kremlin-controlled Separatists is depriving the Kremlin of its prior ability to continue to inflict attrition on the UA even when there's ostensibly no combat taking place. The casualties are just as real during a ceasefire as they are during outright war. Would expect the Kremlin to be deluged with urgent requests from the Separatists that it deploy drone countermeasures to the Donbass to protect against further attacks on the one hand or even return some drones to sender, as was done in Syria. The strike imagery in the Daily Sabah article was obtained mere days ago--October 27, 2021.  

https://www.facebook.com/DAILYSABAH/posts/2038218113001937

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42894/ukraine-strikes-russian-backed-forces-using-turkish-made-tb2-drones-for-the-first-time

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/amp/2020/07/08/electronic-defense-which-systems-are-developed-in-russia-to-counter-drones/

Regards,

John Kettler

The Archers MRSI capability is in the wiki link I provided. Upp to 6 rounds (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact) compared to the 5 round MRSI for the PH 2000
 
And the fastfiring gun you name, is bandkanon 1. Could fire the entire magazine of 14 155mm shells, in 45 seconds. 
 
 

@Haiduk  Am I correct in suspecting that this:

Is an upgraded T-64BM2? 
I'm trying to figure out what if anything happened to them.....Mostly for modelling purposes, unsurprisingly. 

T90M arrive to a combat unit in Western MD.

Here is the natural building block for the US player in CMCW, for this is the training film on the combined arms team. It teaches core tactical principles that, if violated, will pretty much ensure defeat. Though the film looks horrible initially, the actual res is tolerable. Something which might bear looking into is the racial mix in the game vs reality. Frankly, though, am having a tough time finding close range imagery of US infantry in game so I can tell whether there even is an issue. Nor is this situation helped by having rocky vision today.
 
Regards,

John Kettler