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Beer_n_Pretzels

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Posts posted by Beer_n_Pretzels

    Do you give up when your armour is destroyed?

    in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)

    Posted

    Originally posted by J Pender:

    Hello B-n-P these are fun:

    Maybe someone can start a daily tactics quiz.

    Give us a scenario, provide us with an overhead map of the battlefield, a list of our assets and some recon info on what type of force we will be facing. Then we can develop a plan based on the info provided.

    Hi John, this is a good idea. I'll have to think about it and see what I can do. I'm no expert but I'm sure the CM community could have a bit of fun seeing what the Grogs and experienced players come up with.

    take care

    BnP

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    Questions for Brit 3 in mortar

    in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)

    Posted

    The 3" mortar is one of surprises in the British TO & E. It should be deployed in a nice position (preferably with HQ to do the spotting) and not moved. It is very useful to provide fast smoke and harassing fire. Three or four mortars firing together can practically wipe out an enemy infantry platoon, as their fire is a lot more accurate than off-map mortars. As Germanboy says, if you're going to move a 3" mortar, use a carrier.

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    Finding the Enemy

    in Combat Mission Archive #4 (2002)

    Posted

    Pillar and JC,

    Very valid theoretical and practical discourse about recon in the CM environment. Throw in ScoutPL's excellent infantry Attack Tutorial and this thread is liquid gold. However I have two contributions, so I hope you don't mind this intrusion. Firstly, I feel the goal of recon in CM is not only to provide information for your side but also, with full fog or war, to misinform your opponent of your strength and intentions. Secondly, Playing CM against a human opponent is a match of psychology as well as who has the better doctrinal 'toolkit' to counter unexpected situations.

    PLAYER PSYHCOLOGY AND DOCTRINE

    Player psychology is understanding that your opponent may have:

    1. an affinity for a certain type of unit (ie. Panthers) or

    2. or be demoralised by a certain situation (ie. last tank is lost)

    3. or react to a particular action. (ie. showing some artillery 'teeth' by bombarding an infantry platoon in a supposedly safe hide).

    This can, and must be exploited to achieve victory.

    For example, The loss of powerful tanks or artillery spotters is one situation where an inexperienced player may throw in the towel. Experienced players are more likely to accept the loss, assess the situation, and either reduce the mission objective or change the mission.

    At the doctrinal level, adapting to unexpected change, and battle casualties in particular is one part of an experienced CM player's toolkit. IMHO Recon is not an end in itself, but the means to achieving the mission with the forces at hand. Both broad front and narrow front recon (a gross simplification of your excellent discourse) are valid in certain situations. I define broad front recon as the committment of split squads across a wide area with the minimum of support. I define narrow front recon as committing platoon or company strength force along a small part of the front with plenty integral support.

    Broad front recon provides the best chance of discovering enemy postions and intentions across the whole front. In this way a commander, each turn, can collate information from multiple sources and assess the threat potential to achieving the mission objective. The commitment of reserves, artillery or smoke may then be committed to eliminate or neutralise the threat. The disadvantage of broad front recon is that forces are committed piecemeal and may be eliminated before significant intelligence is gained.

    In contrast, the role of narrow front recon is to test part of the suspected enemy line and commit to an attack, either by itself or with the commitment of reserves. However an additional advantage of narrow front recon can be composed of a combined arms force that can provide mutual support. The disadvantage of narrow front recon is that in most CM games lots of artillery is available and that a narrow front recon would be an inviting target.

    RECON = INFORMATION AND MISINFORMATION

    I find it useful to look at a battle from your opponents side of the map. Your opponent may see a unit with the label Infantry?, then a Mortar? and AT Infantry? I suspect that an inexperienced player may believe that this is a full American platoon. However, it maybe a split squad, a mortar and a bazooka. Is this worth calling in an artillery mission?

    I suspect that with a broad front recon effort, your opponent would see a lot of infantry figures or symbols across the whole front. Until they can positively identified, they are multiple threats. In contrast to a narrow front advance your opponent sees the threat to one part of his line and can act to counter it. However could be used as a diversion, while another narrow front recon is the real attack.

    I hope you accept my apology that my contribution to this thread is a gross simplification of the well-argued concepts by Pillar and JC. If you want my humble opinion (instead of fence sitting) then the Narrow front recon is more realistic, but the broad front recon is more likely to win you more games. The value of the broad front recon is that you will get more information quicker without the need to make part of your force an inviting artillery target.

    cheers

    BnP

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    Unit deployment bible?

    in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)

    Posted

    Hi Check6,

    I don't have the info in front of me, but I'll I think you will find that the M1917 is the water-cooled version of M1919. As such it is a heavier 30 cal (or 0.30) sustained fire support machine gun. This is different from the 50 cal (0.50) which actually was designed as an anti-tank weapon.

    I do use the M1917 because it carries a lot more ammo and it slightly more relaible than the air-cooled M1919. Just set ip up with a long field of fire and go for it. Don't bother moving it smile.gif

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    Some comments about QB point changes

    in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)

    Posted

    Originally posted by Slapdragon:

    One of the best beers I ever had was from Tasmania. Boas or some such odd name, with the picture of some down-under animal or other massacred by the Aussies and sadly extinct. B]

    Mr S,

    It is Boags Premium and it is nectar of the gods. I have the odd one or two wink.gif every Thursday night when I have a few mates around to play World In Flames (for the newbies, a board wargame).

    As for the animal, it is a Tasmanian Tiger. At the moment there are some plans to use recovered DNA to recreate the species... which is fine by me as I can throw a Tassie Tiger steak on the barbie while I'm having a beer! wink.gif

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    Some comments about QB point changes

    in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)

    Posted

    As one of these ugly Australians pointed out by Steve (Except for Kwazydog, of course, but then he's probably a Tasmanian like me wink.gif)

    How about we leave this flogged-to-death, and-stripped-to-the-bone horse with Tiger's brilliant little cartoon.

    To use a bit of Aussie Slang:

    Strewth mate, my arse (not 'ass' as you ungrateful former British colonists say) is getting sore on my ringside seat at this little blue, So how about we call it day as I'm sure we've all got better things to do (like either design CM2 or play CM1).

    Frankly, let's give v1.1 a fair go. For those people who do have a problem with v1.1 I suggest two avenues:

    A. Do your research in a scientific manner, write up your findings, contact BTS and then using an appropriate positivist or interpretivist standpoint, explain your findings and make suitable recommendations based on those findings.

    B. If you think A is a bit too hard, then I suggest you throw out everything you know about CM and start again . Read Fionn's AAR's and posts about doctrine and use of infantry. Then play 10 combined arms meeting engagements as the Axis against reasonable opponents and see how you go. I reckon you will win more than 50%.

    take care everyone and be nice

    otherwise the not-so-cuddly, entrail-loving, nails-on-whiteboard screaming Tassie Devil will get you wink.gif

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    What do you choose first? Infantry, Artillery or Armour?

    in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)

    Posted

    <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bimmer:

    Another point: I am one of those players who tend to purchase in reasonably historical measures...I have found no real disadvantage to this in play, and I prefer the simplicity and inherent flexibility of coherent small unit organizations.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

    This is very good point. The more specialised 'toys' you buy, the more micro management that is required. I have found that this can often be a distraction in a very tense battle.

    It is also possible to run into trouble by purchasing units to counter enemy units you suspect your opponent will purchase. Nothing worse than purchasing a Hetzer and your opponent had bought infantry...

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    American Vs. German TDs

    in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)

    Posted

    What about the Archer of Achilles?

    a 17pdr gun scares any German Tank. The Achilles is nothing more than tracks under a normal 17pdr gun, While the Achilles is a M10 with a 17pdr. The british Tank destroyers never seem to be without Tungsten either.

    My preference is for the Archer because it is so cheap and specialised you can't really use it for anything else other than as an AT weapon. The Archer is an ambush weapon only. With the Achilles, because it has a turret, you can get into big trouble by using it as a tank...

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