Wicky

Just a guess, but could it be down to your position? 
Have you tried from a location further back from the hedgerow? 

Odd that it has been reported that Wagner Mercs have an reward / incentive to take back certain sites (from 2017) https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/world/middleeast/russia-syria-oil-isis.html
"Two Russian companies received contracts under this policy by this time, with one employing the Wagner Group to secure those sites from the militants. Later, it was revealed that the company would receive 25 percent of the proceeds from oil and gas production at fields its PMCs captured and secured from ISIL."
I wonder if IMHO's version has it back to front and that Wagner group bods led local warlords / militia astray with mucho golden promises if sites across river could be secured or at minimum it was more mutually advantageous, and less 'poor rogue Russians led astray' by crafty locals.
According to Ruslan Pukhov, the director of the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies  re. Wagner PMC “these people are highly paid, and knew what they were getting into”.
 
 
 

Good day everyone. This AAR is based on a PBEM of a quite interesting scenario created by @Rinaldi, "Action at Chervona Hirka", and based on the (quite well-made, I would say) master map by @H1nd.
 
SITUATION AND BRIEFING
It's the early hours of June 11th, 2017. I have command of the Ukrainian 15th Mechanized Battalion of the 58th Mechanized Brigade, deployed to hold up the brigade's northern shoulder around the town of Chervona Hirka.
My primary objective is to retain control of the town itself, as it sits adjacent to the enemy's MSR and controls access to side roads that could let the Russians bypass Krolevets. This is Objective Aleksej.
A roadblock positioned astride the road to the south is a secondary objective, designated Objective Vasilij. It is held by the battalion recon platoon occupying Battle Position 1. I do not expect to hold the position for very long against enemy attack, if it comes to that. However, forcing the enemy to deploy to destroy the roadblock will cost him precious time, and hopefully, the recon platoon will provide me early warning of enemy movement.
My third objective is to attrit and delay the enemy as much as possible: inflicting losses and forcing him to deploy a significant amount of forces to overcome my position will cost him time and weaken his ability to continue the thrust. In this case, the priority is to engage and destroy his infantry and their carriers, with armor and logistical vehicles to be engaged as targets of opportunity.
At my disposal is the aforementioned 15th Mechanized Battalion, reinforced by a platoon of armor (BM Bulats) from the Brigade and a platoon of MT-12 antitank guns.
The enemy force is a BTR-equipped motor rifle unit with armor support, and the incoming attack is likely going to be in battalion strength, though possibly somewhat diminished: a company-sized enemy force was repulsed yesterday, leaving behind several BTRs and T-72s.


PLAN
There are three probable routes for the enemy to attack down, by my estimation. Map is hopefully legible enough to interpret.


My intent is to cover all three probable axes of advance:
The field, Axis Alpha, is the fastest and most direct approach to the town.
However, it is covered from three sides, forming a fire sack to attrit the enemy as much as possible if they choose to advance there. The Bulats and antitank guns will engage from BP 3, ATGM teams of the battalion antitank platoon are situated in BP 2, and the right flank is covered by infantry with RPGs as well as their BMP-2s, occupying BP 4.
Axis Bravo, along the river on my left flank, would potentially allow the enemy to maneuver very close to Objective Aleksej while remaining out of my view. A rifle platoon is deployed on the north side of BP 2 to keep the area under observation. If the enemy chooses to focus his main effort down this axis of advance, that platoon is to act as a delaying obstacle so I can shift my forces accordingly.
Axis Charlie, the road on the south, is the third potential route for the enemy to take, and the one I judge to be least likely: it is constricted and forces the enemy to drive straight along a fairly narrow path, directly into any potential ambushes. Nevertheless, if the enemy chooses to move through here, my intent is, much like with Axis Bravo, to delay them with the limited forces I have at BP 6, to buy time for shifting around other forces to BP 9 at the south end of Chervona.
The artillery has pre-registered target points on positions on the east edge of the field: these are where I expect the enemy to position support by fire elements in case of an attack along Axis Alpha. Artillery fire on the TRPs will hopefully obscure the vision of and damage/disrupt any SBF elements on these positions.
Phase Line Forward is the first position where the enemy is likely to be engaged, by the battalion recon platoon at BP 1.
PL Midfield is the forward line of the battalion's main body.
PL Stop is the no-pass line.
 
If the enemy attacks along axis Alpha:
Forces at BP 2 and BP 4 are to put flanking fire on enemy forces as they move across the field, and then withdraw to contract the line when the enemy approaches PL Midfield: the forces at BP 2 will move to BP 8, and the units at BP 4 to BP 9. Alternatively, units at BP 2 and BP 4 will be kept in place to strike at the enemy's trailing elements, if he chooses to pass them by.
Forces in BP 3 just past PL Midfield will be the first to engage the enemy when he breaks into Chervona Hirka from the field, and will if necessary cede the edge of the town and attempt to conduct a fighting withdrawal to BP 12.
BP 8, 9, and 12 are the final fighting positions, being directly in front of PL Stop.

If the enemy attacks along axis Bravo:
Forces at BP 2 will engage the enemy first, and fight to delay the enemy as long as possible.
They may attempt to conduct a fighting withdrawal toward BP 10, and then either fight in position there or withdraw a second time to further strengthen BP 3.
Units at BP 3 and BP 8 will reorient to face a thrust from the northeast. If they can be safely pulled out of their position, forces from BP 4 will move to BP 12.
If necessary, forces at BP 8 will conduct a fighting withdrawal to BP 12.

If the enemy attacks along axis Charlie:
Forces at BP 6 will be the first to engage the enemy, to delay and attrit them.
Units at BP 4 will move south to strike at the enemy's flank where they are strung out along the road, and units at BP 8 will move to BP 9 to receive a thrust from the south.

In the event I fail to stop the enemy and lose control of Chervona Hirka, I am counting on inflicting enough losses to leave the enemy unable to effectively take advantage of the ground they have taken.
My briefing does not indicate that force preservation is a critical concern, but ideally, I want to keep losses below 30%, to ensure the battalion remains capable of further combat operations.
 
And well, that's it for the opening post.
The next update (and first actual AAR content!) should be along fairly soon.

LOL, Quebec...

I apologize for derailing this thread:

You can picture the scene where several T-90s are racing up the M20 from Dover to London, when an unexpected knocking noise causes them to halt. At which point two dozen Somalis from the Jungle jump out of the ammo bins and disappear into the undergrowth 
p

Your kidding right?
Suggest you start with researching Hitler's attitude to Expressionism, Cubism, Dadaism, Fauvism, futurism or objective realism. van Gogh, Matisse, Kandinsky, Picasso and Cezanne - then look at Hitller's own paintings to understand who contributed more to Western Culture.
Read up on how revisionist David Irving lost his Holocaust libel case.
And finish with watching film from liberated concentration camps at the close of the war if you think poor Nazis are misunderstood.
 

I think it would be best if we could keep this forum confined to CM and WW2 history in general. But, when certain Arrogant (sic) people start spouting about "refugees" then their rants cannot be left unopposed. 
My granddad was an "economic migrant" or refugee as modern parlance would have it. He saw his mates being killed in 1940 on the road back to Dunkirk, then went through the Western Desert, and Normandy, and on to Hamburg. I won't use the words of Roy Keane on a forum that might attract younger readers, but I suggest that "Arrogant" (sic) follows his advice. 

About Germany, isn't the whole point that it was to be neutered after the war, so that it wouldn't become a danger to Europe once more? And as a result of that neutering the German people today are culturally not very militaristic. 
So, in a democracy, if the people are not militaristic, why would they vote for politicians who would take their tax money and spend it on the army?
There's lots of other things you can do with taxes, that are better for the average person. Or at least are felt more directly than paying for having loads of tanks rumbling around on exercises in some distant field.

Yes the refugees stole all of the money from the Bundeswehr in the span of 4-5 years, this definitely isn't part of a chronic problem that's existed for far longer then that. It must be nice to be able to scapegoat one decision as the reason for all of a country's failings. It certainly has nothing to do with Germany's military history and all that that entails.

And the shortest forum post goes to...

Shouldn't that read "Certain members of the Royal Family, and some aristocrats". And remember, I'm speaking as someone with previous when it comes to killing royals.

I will say this, its not quantity that counts.  JK posts a lot of stuff, but not all useful.  It seems to come in waves where he is literally 80% of the top 10-15 posts on any given forum.  Some of it game-related, some not.  When you take the approach of quantity over quality, you are going to get dinged by people eventually.  Frankly, I don't think I have looked at a JK-started post in years. 
I have given this advice in the past to JK...when you stumble across something using that great tool called google, wait 24 hours and then revisit it and see if its still something useful.  And I mean useful, versus just interesting to you.

The rep system is actually a way to induce positive forum participation. Once you get over 300 + votes, you can ctl-alt-double left click on the "+" and get hot-linked to the BFC webstore. (The double-click is a pain in the ass. You've got to time it just right, or it doesn't link.) Once in, it automatically shows you what you can get, for free, in exchange for some + votes. The CMBN big bundle goes for about 800, I think. It fluctuates, depending on the USD:+ exchange market.
In this case, if John Kettler were to disenroll from the forum, he'd owe BFC some $ because of those negative reps. It's in the EULA. So, he's kind of committed to hanging about and hoping for a better turn of events. Unless someone wants to cash him out.

But the thing that you need to keep in sight is that they are not likely to arrive at that state during the brief course of a one or two hour CM firefight. If we are talking about a multi-day campaign, then yes, this depth of fatigue becomes a real problem. But for a single scenario, not so likely.
Michael

I'm sure folk who want this incorporated in game can post an algorithm / flowchart of fatigue in action as an easy guide for Charles programming this up.
Plus they'd need to take into account the wartime use of amphetamines (add these to supply options) to counter fatigue but there was evidence that abuse of amphetamines produced “restlessness, tremors, insomnia, talkativeness and irritability…Confusion, assaultiveness, hallucinations, delirium, panic states and suicidal or homicidal tendencies have also been observed,” according to a 1941 pharmacology textbook. These extreme unpredictable states as a consequence could save BFC a lot of time as this could easily explain pixeltruppen under HE dashing into the open etc. and be marketed as game features rather than bugs ;-)
Or the players could pull an all nighter and smear their glasses with Vaseline and attempt to play CM wearing thick mittens whilst sitting in mud filled ditch to replicate combat conditions - which was the similar solution to a couple of folk who wanted NBC capabilities modelled in CM.

Moving right along... 

Hello this is my first AAR.  This is an AAR of a quick battle I fought against @sid_burn  I have fought more recent battles against Sid but this is one of the more fitting battles for an AAR.  I am attacking as Germans against Americans in a medium size attack.

The map is well forested with all the objectives being accessible by forest from my right and there is some forest on my left.  The map for the most part slowly declines but trees in front of the town obscure some los from the hill.  This is my first time attacking Sid in a QB so I am unsure of what to expect.  I expect infantry and artillery but am unsure of how much armor he will take.  I am only sure he will put AT guns on a ridge that overlook a good portion of the hill.  

My own forces consist of a battalion of Grenadiers and three Brummbars.  This is one of my first time using Brummbars and I'm curious how they will perform.  If Sid takes a lot of armor that could be problematic since Brummbars only carry 3 HEAT rounds and aren't very accurate.  Probably would have better to replace 1-2 of the Brummbars with a stug but oh well.  Given the terrain I should be able to get infantry AT close enough against armor if he has any.  For artillery I have four on map 81mm mortars and two off map.  I also have 2 heavy mortars and a forward observer to spot for them.  Unfortunately I didn't bring any trps this battle. 

My base of fire is the hill using my Brummbars and HMGs to fire into the town.  The 10th company will also move here.  One platoon will secure the minor objectives (where I expect only a token or nonexistent defence), another platoon will be with the Brummbars and HMGs to protect and assist with fire into the town, and the third platoon along with the panzerschreck will move into the forest to secure it and flank the town.  The 11th company will move along the forest to flank the major objectives and will be the main force pushing into the objectives.  The 9th company will push along the far right to neutralize whatever forces he has on the ridge and to support the 11th company in their attack on the town.
Will make more posts soon!

Guys, if you are planning a holiday to Germany or better Bavaria this year, this might be of interest:
Visit the Messerschmitt Museum in Manching, say 60k north of Munich. It's quite a unique thing.
They call themselves "Flying Museum", i.e. all their planes on dispaly are being properly maintained and actually still in working condition.E.g., I saw the Me 262 some 4 years ago flying a disdplay during the Air14 in Switzerland.
The Museum does not have a fixed display. If a plane is away for repair or on a show: Tough luck. But then, if they do repairs on their own premises, you also do get to see the planes in different assembly stages. The pic below gives a nice impression.
The museum in Manching is a tiny little thing, more a combination of Museum and workshop. Entry is for free. But you need to book long in advance. The museum is open only one Friday per month. After applying for permission to enter, you have to go through a security clearance before you get your invitation, because the museum is situated on the  premises of Airbus Industries, right next to  the "Airbus Defense" branch. That's why you even get a nice bus tour through the plant and might be lucky to see an Eurofighter being tested somewhere or starting from their own runway.
Check out out here: http://www.flugmuseum-messerschmitt.de/
Should the 2 1/2h in the Messerschmitt Museum not be enough (and should it still be too early for the beer garden): There is great Museum about Celts in Bavaria, just next door.

Just a little teaser and a great quote of a great man:
"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul."
- Douglas MacArthur.


Coming soon... 

Hello it will be a year now that I discovered CMBN and this forum and  is time to intervene to say thank you
I'm not the only one to do it but the repetition is good
Since my childhood I have a dream, a desire, to see with my eyes this battle that has rocked my childhood, imagining to travel the battlefield like a drone.
I was born in Falaise in 1970 and my family suffered the battle : 4 killed, the house bombed, the exodus on the road, the strafing of the bomber fighters, the artillery, the fighting but also after the battle, the destroyed houses, the burning vehicles and corpses littering the battlefield were all family meal conversations. Here in Normandie this was an important trauma.
It always impressed and interested me, in a word: fascinated. I constantly asked for clarification and to question civilians or soldiers who had experienced these events.
All the film reports on the subject, I watched them. I think I have seen ¾ images known from the battle.
 I never stopped walking the battlefield, collecting vestiges and remaining some hours to imagine the events.
I used every means to immerse myself in this battle and the battles of the second world war in general. Movies, books and even games
Squad leader then Close Combat  that I practiced  a long time.
But although this battle has become my daily life because I have made it my job (I am a guide of  museum and even considered as an expert of fighting led by the Poles during the Battle of Falaise pocket), the time passing my imagination has declined. and little by little the image of these fights in my mind was becoming more and more abstract. I ended up consoling myself by telling myself that if I go to paradise there I  will can achieve this wish
i was not counting on CMBN
What a shock and even if it remains a game, my imagination work and as in my childhood events come to life in my head.
 After a year of practice my enthusiasm is not blunted my dream is somehow realized.
So for that:
thanks for this formidable game
thanks to the moder who improves even more are aspect,
thank you to  persons who animates this forum
thanks to the battle designers (for the anecdote I live on a map of the game !)
I'm begining to smoke again and  to say some nastiness on my neighbors, paradise has lost its appeal !!!

It's not rocket science

 

Green experience spotters can call in accurate fire support on a target.  However a green spotter takes longer to FFE than more experienced spotters.  The experience of the tubes will also effect the FFE times.  I think the spotter, in your case, did not have a good line of sight.  The normal time spent on spotting is 2 or 3 minutes.  If the spotting went on for 10 minutes it sounds like the spotter was having problems and could not see to adjust.  I have not tested but I think after a certain amount of time, without seeing the spotting rounds, the AI takes a guess and FFE.  I will generally cancel a mission that spots for an excessive amount of time since this is an indicator of a problem.  Then you had the bad luck of it actually landing on the spotter.  

I'm sure the Argentinians thought that the Falklands airfield was invulvenurable due to its location and local air defences right up until it got clobbered.
http://www.b29-superfortress.com/b50-superfortress.htm
The First Round-the-World Non-Stop Flight by Lucky Lady II
One of aviation's most historical flights involved the B-50 and took place in early 1949, the first non-stop around the world flight.
...
The flight successfully demonstrated to the Soviet Union, and other enemies, that the United States could launch air attacks to any war-zone in the world, and return the planes safely to U.S. bases.