Pete Wenman

Shows what you know...
 

 
 
Mord.

To add to the replies above, which are both spot on, it is also important to understand the differences between the various move commands, so ensuring the appropriate order is used where possible.
All of the five move commands for infantry units not only affect speed of movement, but also the likelihood, or not, of returning fire while moving,  use of nearby cover, whether a unit will stop when under fire, or continue to move regardless etc. 

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To add to the replies above, which are both spot on, it is also important to understand the differences between the various move commands, so ensuring the appropriate order is used where possible.
All of the five move commands for infantry units not only affect speed of movement, but also the likelihood, or not, of returning fire while moving,  use of nearby cover, whether a unit will stop when under fire, or continue to move regardless etc. 

P
 

Thank ye, Nidan1, for tha many fine games.  Including tha one wae didnae get tae finish.  

KG Peiper had the 6 SP 150mm guns of 13th SS Pz Heavy Infantry Co, together with the1st SS Pz Arty Bn, (towed), comprising 3 batteries of 6x 105mm pieces
Edit
 
Just to add having checked the 150mm were Hummels. It is worth noting that both units suffered losses before arriving in the La Gleize area and so were not at full strength when they deployed there.
 
So no Wespes. 
PS as the map maker I'm really pleased to see someone doing this. I am a little surprised the map has not seen more use.
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Hey, if you liked it, show me the love. Hit that heart. Once I get 300 up-votes, I can trade them in for the entire CMBN bundle on the BFC website.

@Mord - The existing terrain types hopefully. New tree models - unlikely

Steve has said all they are looking to do is port the game to the new engine, but it will take account of water, bridges etc and so hopefully we will see all the relevant tile types carried across given they already exist. I don't think we will see any new models.

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GR - I think you are missing how mods work.
First the mod itself must have a tagged name, and I'm not sure Vein will have done that. In this instance the tag could be [2R].
You will therefore need to unpack the brz. file and add the tag if it is not there, and then add the files to your Z folder.
You then need to create a simple text file and import it into the game with this quoting the tag name. In simple terms a tagged file, whether it be a texture, sound etc is a file that is only called when the mod tag is loaded into a scenario.
If you have BS play around with the tagged textures that came in game.
 Stock Mod Tags
[lawn] - Turns Ground Dirt Red into a mowed lawn.
[trash] - Turns Ground Hard into a pile of trash.
[softtrash] - Turns Ground Sand into a pile of trash.
[rubble] - Turns Ground Heavy Rocks into urban rubble.
[night] - Adds camouflage face paint to soldier faces.
[brown] - Used for US soldiers. Replaces camo pattern on gear with solid coyote brown.
[digital] - Used for Ukrainian soldiers. Replaces older uniform with new digital uniform.
[ukraine] - Used for Ukrainian vehicles. Vehicle models in both Russian and Ukrainian service use
this mod tag to differentiate between Ukrainian and Russian vehicle textures
HTH
 
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POST BATTLE ANALYSIS
 
In many ways, despite gaining a victory, the post battle analysis is perhaps the most important part of the process. This is where we identify and learn the lessons and therefore make ourselves better equipped to face future challenges.
 
My intent is to break this down into the various component parts starting off by picking through the various steps of the planning process.
 
SPOILER ALERT **************************************************
 
QUESTION 1 – WHAT IS THE ENEMY DOING AND WHY?
 
First of all, I would not have been able to do this justice without SeinfeldRules’ excellent explanation above of his intent for the mission as a whole, his force picks and defensive laydown. He has saved me the possibility of double guessing his intent and getting it wrong.
 
Overall I was pretty happy with Question 1 and given that it is my day job, I was always confident that I could come up with a workable enemy picture for planning. Clearly it wasn’t 100% right but importantly it was close enough. This is an important point, not only for Question 1 but for planning as a whole. The process is about reducing uncertainty, delivering a plan that can achieve the objective and identify contingencies to deal with any curveballs as they crop up. While 99% of the time people will turn around and say something like ‘the intelligence was all screwed up’, in many instances they say this because they expect it to be 100% right all of the time – this is almost never going to be the case. So the important part about Question 1 is to come up with a workable enemy COA that can be used to drive planning. This I achieved.
 
In terms of my terrain analysis, I was pretty happy with that but I think I really ought to have marked out the locations of the single strand wire fences. The reason I say this is that, while they don’t constitute obstacles in the formal sense, they do cause damage to tracked and wheeled vehicles. I was able to overcome this during execute by using different lead vehicles to break through fences thus ensuring that I didn’t inflict significant mobility damage. This was at the cost of having to pass vehicles through created gaps one at a time thus imposing delays.
 
Enemy OOB analysis was made pretty easy due mainly to the well-written enemy paragraph in Seinfeld Rules’ scenario orders. He got the balance right between giving the player sufficient information to plan without giving the whole game away. There were plenty of gaps for me to fill and having to go through the thought process adds to the fun of the scenario.
 
Again, my analysis of the enemy OOB was not bang on the money, I overestimated the enemy strength; however, this did not adversely affect the plan. The actual number of enemy was 44 in a two-section platoon with task-organised elements versus my initial assessment of 52 in a full-strength platoon with task-organised elements. So although I got it wrong, there was nothing there that caused any unpleasant surprises. The only thing I am truly surprised about (doubly so when SeinfeldRules revealed his gunner background!!!) was the absence of any indirect fire assets. I think it is better to overestimate than underestimate because it means that resourcing in Question 5 will give you significant margin for error in terms of enemy-friendly force ratios.
 
Enemy COA analysis was pretty close to the money even though I based mine on Red Army doctrinal publications while, as you have heard, SeinfeldRules based his defensive laydown on what seemed sensible. I don’t think it was luck that our divergent approaches essentially came up with the same result. I admit that this was one of the reasons I picked this scenario as a demonstration vehicle for planning. Having played three of SeinfeldRules’ scenarios, I was confident that this one would be well put together, would offer a challenge, and have an enemy laydown and plan which would be based on sound tactics.
 
Here was my assessed COA 1:
 

 
Here is the exact laydown:
 

 
Moving on to the back end of Question 1, the only other thing I want to touch on is my event template and matrix. While both were in the ballpark I do regret my conscious decision not to look at movement rates in greater detail – remember that I did run out of time!! I should certainly have examined movement rates through Main Wood at ‘hunt’ speeds and then built in a slight time fudge to give me a better appreciation of how long clearing the wood would take. In this instance, it is not that I got the process wrong or overlooked the factor, I just skimped on the detail.
 
So that was Question 1

Hi,
 
I get notifications when my book/name is mentioned and wanted to take the time to respond to your very kind words. Possibly one of the best reviews that I have come across so thank you very much. Like I say in the book, I believe that it is all about balance regardless of where or who you are - not a militant feminist nor a crowd pleaser I hope that maybe some day to set an example for my own offspring and anyone who happens to be around me or read my story. We need some alternative role models (each has their place) to ensure that we continue to thrive, even in the ****tiest circumstances. I post the alternative stories on my page along with quotes and poems, I have attached a couple.
Kindest regards
 
Chantelle 
 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Battleworn-The-Memoir-of-a-Combat-Medic-in-Afghanistan/1544691922430086
 
 

This is excellent stuff mate
 
I'll take a lot from this. TBH my tactics based on my 'planning' make the Jacobite charge at Culloden look a/ complicated b/ effective...

I've done two Comic AARs, and always dreaded the idea of work involved in doing a classic one. Until I discovered just how much work the CAARs were. Combined with all the AARs I've read here already trying to improve my tactical knowledge and skills, made me really want to give this standard format AAR a try.

The battle is a 45 minute duration attack by me on a German opponent in PBEM. My partner doesn't participate in the BF forums so this AAR will not be mirrored from the German perspective.

I am a graphics dilettante compared to Bil Hardenberger. I recommend you read his AARs, and visit his blog. His AARs were to me highly educational as well as inspirational. The concepts of planning, reconnaissance, and how to present it to readers in graphic format are all things I've learned from reading them. By no means can I approach his tactical or graphical skill but I hope you will still find this enjoyable to read and contribute to the thread.

Gents, the campaign is finally completed.

Join the paratroopers of "Attack" Company, 1-503rd Airborne, as they rush to stem the tide of the Russian advance in central Ukraine!

There are two files associated with the campaign. There is a "Mod Pack" which consists of a compilation of my favorite mods as well as some additional mods specifically for the campaign. The second file is the .cam file for the campaign.

Many people contributed to the creation of this campaign, without your help I could not have completed this project. I thank you all.

Until I can get it on the Repository, the campaign can be downloaded from here:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/27642219/Task%20Force%20Spartan%20Resolve%20Campaign.zip

Thing is, they aren't really scouts, they're "walking point". The SL isn't going to give his expensive binos to guys who're pretty much expected to get shot and might have to be left where they fell. They're called "Scout" teams, because if you told Smith and Jones off to form a "Bait" team, they might not appreciate the glory you're offering them.
 
In the same vein, when you have a three-team German squad, with the SL and his assistant both having MP40, if you split an Assault "A team" off, the Assistant (who stays with the B team) doesn't pass his Schmeisser over to one of the A team. Because, though there are many like it, that SMG is his.

Looks like a bug, and I've reported it.
 
Thanks for pointing it out
 
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i tjust wondering oweral why you guys ewen continue playing if game is sou bad on your mind ? 

I also agree with the OP and Ken describes it beautifully above. It's a mixture of table top wargaming and ASL with a level of detail that creates numerous immersive and amazing vignettes almost every game.
 
I do wonder having read a good number of these post over the years, which draw up the battleline between (and my tongue is in my cheek here) the fanbois and haters what the correlation (if any) is between those that really think the CMx2 games are the bees knees and the number of computer games played by them.
 
I only play one set of games on the PC - CMx2. The kids have an Xbox which I occasionally use, but otherwise it is CMx2 all the way. I suspect that many of those that don't regard CMx2 as highly play a lot more games and just see CM as another game in a wider pool. Nothing wrong with that but I do wonder if it goes someway to explaining why views sometimes get polarised.
 
just my 2p
 
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I need some popcorn !
 
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Mark Twain once wrote his paper to inform them: "The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."
 
To those who have expressed concern for my health and well-being, my thanks and I will reply to you individually as soon as I can get my e-mail program to send as well as receive. For all of you who may be interested, I will write a more detailed report as soon as I can and post it in the GF, which is I think a more appropriate forum for such discussions. But not to keep you in too much suspense, I will say here that on the 26th. of March I was struck by a pickup truck which resulted in 11 broken ribs and a broken clavicle (no, that is not a baroque musical instrument). Since then I have spent five days in hospital and about two and a half months in a nursing facility and only arrived home today. I am in pretty good shape due to some good rehab work by some dedicated people. More later.
 
Michael

My word!  This game is complex and detailed.  I doff my hat to the battlefront.com crew for their work on Red Thunder!
 
I started playing Red Thunder over the weekend whilst reading along with the manual.  I finished the first and second mission in the Training Campaigns.  I managed to capture Hill 124 without too much damage to my forces (lost 10 soldiers, 2 tanks, and 2 armored cars).  The Fog of War really makes a difference and adds a lot of drama to the battle.

Oh I can see it now:
 
Chapter 1 - "Thinking About Attacking"
Chapter 2 - "Attacking"
Chapter 3 - "How to Attack After Attacking"
Chapter 4 - "Defending Counterattacking"
Chapter 5 - "If Your Attack Fails... A Hypothetical Argument"
Chapter 6 - "Submachine Guns in the Attack"
Chapter 7 - "Killing Your Enemies... or How to Attack Without Moving"
Chapter 8 - "Fratricide, a Tool for Victory!"

Hi fellas. On the phone for several hours. neighbors, police, churches, apartment manager, etc.
The bad news is he was reported to have been injured in some type of motor vehicle accident back around March the officer said.
Then he went to a convalescent hospital but they are unable to tell me anything other than "not listed as a resident at this time"...
Good news: property manager finally answered my 2nd call and she says he is doing well and she'll give him my number to call me.

Bud - I'll admit I'm not exactly sure what my point is other than my instinctive reaction is that this map and the meeting engagement concept are not a good basis for learning how to deal with the heavier German armour.

If you consider the DAR that Ian and MG are running there is a specific task for each side to achieve, with a force mix provided that should allow either to prevail. While luck will come into play, MG must conduct a flexible defence while outnumbered, while Ian must push forward at a pace that is faster than probably comfortable in order to ensure he does not run out of time. To me (and I'm on the purest side of the fence) these are real and tangible objectives that I can relate to. The guy that makes the best decisions during the course of the battle will likely win.

The ME objectives on your map are little more than random areas, with no real relationship to the map and I feel that luck will play a large part in the outcome. You both have high powered weapons and so the first to spot has the advantage. On a map this small there is a good chance a kill can be achieved within 1-3 shots, with little cover to move to once spotted.

I can see this playing out in one of several ways

1. Rush the flag (in this case the objectives) hope to get there first and then kill the enemy as he tries to get there.

2. Camp and snipe hoping the other player will rush the flag.

Neither of these will teach much about how to defeat German armour in a meaningful way to my mind.

As for scenarios - Wittmans Demise by George MC is that one that instantly came to mind. A large map, with both open and close terrain, and a real life situation that saw Tigers defeated. Play well as the Germans and you can win, play well as the Allies and you also can win, therefore the tactics used and decisions underlying them are much more relevant to how to beat the opponent.

Like you I'm not trying to argue or belittle your experiment, but as somebody that likes to play from a realism point of view, and would rather lose a game than have to resort to gamey tactics #, I do wonder how much you will learn from this. The good news is that the only way to find out is for you to give it a go ! So on with the war.

#
I know a lot here think there is nothing wrong with gamey tactics and that anything that allows you to win is by default acceptable. I fully understand that, but it's not how i enjoy to play.

P

Some interesting topics have been started about how information moves through the C2 chain both vertically (up & down the chain of command) and horizontally (directly from one team to another team).  As a result I did some experimenting with C2 & information sharing.  Below are the results and several chronological screen shots from the experiment.  If anyone can offer a correction or additional information please do. 
 
Additional useful information on the topic:
Game manual 3.01 page 62 Command & Control.
http://community.battlefront.com/topic/113787-can-somebody-answer-some-questions-on-information-sharing/
 
The distance information can be shared vertically (chain of command).
Voice C2: Up to six action spots, approximately 48 meters.
Close Visual (eyeball) C2: Up to 12 action spots, approximately 96 meters.
Distant Visual C2: As far as the unit’s line of sight.  (In the experiment I had units sharing information vertically with Distant Visual at 40 action spots, approximately 480 meters before I stopped.)
Radio C2: Entire map.  (In the WWII titles If a unit is moving on foot they will drop out of radio C2 during the movement)
 
The distance information can be shared horizontally (directly between teams).
Up to four action spots, approximately 32 meters. (Sometimes a team had to move to within 3 action spots)
 
Can information be shared horizontally between teams from different battalions?
Yes
 
Can information be shared between to different HQs that do not have a common higher HQ?
Vertically: No (With no common higher HQ there is no bridge for the information to pass over) 
Horizontally: Yes
 
I used two different US battalions on a custom made map for the experiment.  The 4th US Tank Battalion on the west (left) side of the map and the 1st US Infantry Battalion on the east (right) side.  A high ridgeline divided the two battalions.  At the beginning of the experiment no units of the 4th Battalion were in C2 with units of the 1st Battalion.  An immobilized German Marder II was used as the OpFor unit to be spotted and reported.  

 
The scouts move out to locate the German Marder II.

 
At 03:58:43 the scouts obtain a sound contact for the Marder II but they are out of C2.  

 
1st Platoon is selected but shows no icon for the Marder II.

 
Additional to follow.

The [cavalry] tag is active in the scenario. As far as I recall tags cannot be used in QB's
 
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