Vanir Ausf B

Getting back to tactics for a moment, looking at it from the practical size of things I think I may amend my house rules for QBs so that only 120mm mortars and smaller ordnance can be used on-call. 122mm and up (and probably rocket artillery of any caliber) may only be used for pre-planned missions, as that appears (from the JasonC thread previously linked to) to have been how it typically was.

Um, it's also news to me :confused:

It looks like in the east Elvis is so far content to wait for Bil on farm 3 with a couple of forward outposts in the woods directly south (the northern half of KT2). It could be several turns before contact is made. First contact will probably be in or around KT3 where Elvis is scouting ahead of his setup zone. Bil's troops have the firepower but at these ranges with no fire support firefights are about who spots first/shoots first.

Ah, right. I was thinking of armored covered arcs.

Good advice. I suspect that the reluctance to fire is an artifact from before covered arcs were implemented. Now that covered arcs have supplanted the function it could and probably should be removed.

Argh! I forgot about that. Edited. Too late, I suppose

Whoops! ...............

I don't miss the CMx1 random maps much. I thought I would, but since I started converting scenario maps to QB maps for PBEM play I've noticed that I can "fix" a lot of things that used to bother me about the random maps. For example, on random meeting engagement maps the VLs were often clustered together in the middle of the map, so the strategy was basically rush your forces to the middle and have a big scrum. Now I space terrain objectives around the map is such a way that players have to prioritize objectives. It makes for more dynamic gameplay, IMO. Plus, I can put the setup zones along the diagonals as I prefer. What I do miss about them is the unpredictability of not being able to tailor your force with foreknowledge of the exact terrain and weather. Nevertheless, I can think of several QB features that I would rank higher than random maps. More unit information in the editor, the option to disallow the editing of the traits of individual units (experience level, ect) outside of broadly set parameters, combined arms, force adjustment option for both sides, ect. EDITED to add: And all those could probably be done with a fraction of the effort random maps would require.

The utility of any of those features can be debated on their own merit in terms of cost/benefit, but to broadly dismiss desire for them as some sort of mindless greed is idiotic.

My experience is that it isn't necessarily the poor spotting that kills you, it's the reluctance to open fire even on spotted enemy units inside the covered arc. They usually have to be getting shot at before they will un-hide to return fire on their own. I think this TacAI behavior should no longer be necessary now that we have covered arcs.

I have a suspicion that Bil is about to put that claim to the test

Also, tanks will lose radio contact when the radio operator is firing the hull machine gun.

Let me qualify that by saying that it depends on range, ammunition and armor type. At 100 meters the 85 does generally perform more like the German 75 on the Panzer IV, but at 1000 meters it's the same as the US 76 vs RHA and a bit worse vs face hardened armor. Bottom line is that Elvis needs to find some good hull down positions with LOS to interdict Bil's advance, preferably at long range.

I don't know if 26 points is appropriate or not, but a sniper team will not occasionally shoot at your own troops.

Sure, but was that because the tanks were Soviet or because Bil is Bil

I have been wondering about this. If true it would be a good thing since I thought HE of all types was too powerful early in CMBN, albeit mostly against prone soldiers specifically rather than standing up. Odd the BFC would make such a change without telling anyone.

122mm is very dangerous, but the slow rate of fire means the first shot is extra important. Soviet 85mm has about the same penetration as U.S. 76mm.

It's not clear to me if you are saying that the rules for establishing C2 are different for Soviets than other armies, or if that difficulty is simply a function of lack of radios. I think what lurrp and Regiment were asking about was this blurb on the CMRT overview page:

Given his infantry firepower deficit Elvis will probably have to try something like this. The problem is that if he doesn't defend inside the woods Bil can pretty much walk right up to the southern-most objective uncontested. On the Eastern side of the map there is a break in the woods between the areas of interest Bil has labeled KT5 and KT6 that Elvis should take advantage of, but once Bil gets into KT6 the forest doesn't stop until 100m south of the northern-most objective. The objective along the western edge of the map looks like the only one that is readily defensible via long range firepower.

For an unguided 500 lb bomb the present-day US Air Force considers anything within 245 meters of friendly forces to be "danger close". 280 meters away in WW2 would probably have been called "flipping a coin".

We don't necessarily like it better. We just don't see it as the be-all and end-all.

Also, there seems to be a rule that Combat Mission games must have 4-letter abbreviations.

Not really. Counting squads I come up with 24 Soviet and 16 German. Assuming Soviet squads are about 11 men each and German 9 the headcount is only about 1.8 to 1. Elvis has 8 independent machine gun teams to Bil's 6. Bil certainly has a lot more mobile firepower with his 6 tanks, but Elvis's are well-armored up front. What does worry me is what weapons the straggler squads are carrying. If it's mostly K98s that will not be good.

Sure, but keep in mind that Bil isn't going to throw all 3 companies into the fight at once, particularly in close terrain. That would make for an incredibly juicy mortar target. Once his attack has begun he will most likely not have more than 2 platoons "up" at any given time. The point of recon pull is that he actually isn't committing to anything yet.

Of course if he concentrates all 3 companies to attack along the same axis he will outnumber the defenders there. NO way to avoid that. But I would be shifting more than one platoon.