landser

Yeah, too many Flintstones memes will result. Not a fan of that one, though it wouldn't affect a purchase decision or whether I enjoy it, it's just a name.
I like
Across the Oder
Final Assault
Red Vengeance (maybe too much in that?)
Reckoning
Just a few I whipped up, not that you asked....:)
 
 

The only thing I think I know is that the numbers with decimal points, like the 133.5 along the bottom edge are point elevations in meters. How to interpolate the spaces between I don't know.
I've used this key on occasion to help me make sense of things, but not sure it's much use here.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/redatlas/TM30-548_1958.pdf
I love maps, so will follow along and see where the thread leads and hopefully learn something. Good luck.
 

A heavy load of ammo will cause troops to fatigue.  Fitness definitely will effect fatigue.  Using Hunt or Fast for 50 meters will, noticeably , cause fatigue.  All movement commands will cause some level of fatigue except Move (walking).  Troops can actually improve their fatigue state while using Move.  My default movement command is Quick.  Quick from cover to cover with Pause.  Pause (since troops go prone or at least kneel) will help break any OpFor LOS on the team, will rest the team and allow the team to spot.  Pause used at certain waypoints will reduce fatigue of all the movement commands except Move.  Troops can use Move with no fatigue penalty.  Of course it is often not practical to use Move (walk) depending on the situation. 
I generally use Hunt with Pause for scouts who I think are about to make contact but I'm not sure exactly when/where they will draw fire.  On Hunt the team of scouts will halt and go prone.  Then the overwatch and the rest of the platoon can begin to deal with the shooters.      

That's because bogging risk is not liked to movement order
Paging @Erwin

A repeat of some of what I already wrote, but this is an excerpt from a campaign thread I have going on SimHQ. It's written for a more general audience, not the hardened veterans of Combat Mission who frequent this board. Includes a shot revealing enemy positions, which is a major spoiler, but after all the other spoilers I reckon that horse has bolted.
After reaching Cimene South and triggering the T-34 counterattack....
 
The T-34s found themselves suddenly surrounded by my troops and pushed on through at high speed, causing a few casualties. As they reached the end of the road and emerged from the smoke my hidden Mark IVs opened fire from point-blank range of 80 meters and three of the four T-34s were knocked out, while my startled infantry cut down the baling crews from very close range.. The fourth veered off the road in to a field I had no LOS on. That broke the Russian and he surrendered at the end of the turn. With additional time allotted in this one I expected it to be a harder nut to crack, but it proved the easiest so far, but of course in a game like this anything can happen and disaster and victory are often separated by fine margins. Maybe your APBC shot penetrates a turret, or maybe it fails and that tank goes on to gun down your whole platoon.
Here's a good shot of the leading elements on the left side of the map during the battle. This shot is fourteen minutes before the surrender.
 

In this shot you can see the three Mark IVs sent to Cimene in the upper left. Just out of frame are the halftracks carrying the infantry. I wanted to send the tanks ahead to be sure the tracks weren't ambushed. You can see my tank strength, along with the faded icon of the sneaky bastage AT gun center-right. A mortar spotting round has just hit to the left. On the left side you can see the Mark IV hit by the the AT gun. The icon appears as normal (because it's abandoned at this point, not destroyed), but has the crew icon right behind it. The halted armor is just a bit further left. At the bottom of the shot is the Rzyska Folwark objective and an infantry platoon can be seen moving on to it emerging from the smokescreen. They would eject a HQ unit, a Maxim, and a F/O team, all of whom had nowhere to run. It doesn't hurt to be supported by nine Mark IV tanks either.
At the top of the map is Cimene, and the tanks that counterattacked at the end came from Cimene N (the sound contact is visible). The smoke in Cimene shows some of the positions of the assault guns encountered earlier in the battle. The frantic action at the end occurred on the Cimene S objective. This shot shows only a portion of the huge map, but this is where the battle was decided. I said this thread was full of spoilers, and this goes beyond my normal level of spoilerification. But a picture's worth a thousand words. I usually only include map shots of the setup phase to prevent revealing too much, but I thought this might be interesting. If you play this campaign try to forget what you saw here.
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It's not a big deal and probably has been brought up before, but the briefings and debrief identify the town as Cimne, and on the map it's Cimene. Not asking it to be changed, just something I noted.
 

Oh man, battle three. Not sure if anyone cares much about what happens in my campaigns, but this is the sort of stuff I enjoy reading so I'll put it out there.
Did the terrain analysis for the third battle, this one the 'right flank force' with Panthers. Big, open map, and when you see it you think well now this will place a premium on gunnery. Got all set up, with the idea to just get eyes on the right flank, and push up the left with the limited starting units. It's only the leading element of the kampfgruppe, with a platoon of Panthers and mostly HQ type units.
Issued the opening orders to get eyes forward leaving the armor hidden in the trees until I could get some spots and see what's where. Got spots on a few T-34/85s and issued orders to the tank platoon to inch forward to the edge of the trees on turn 2. I hope I could keep my tanks from being spotted until at least they could open fire.
Pressed go and the Panthers dutifully moved forward and got spots and opened fire. The platoon conspired to miss their first eight shots, and at the end of the WEGO segment two were knocked out and two were reversing, with casualties, and essentially out of the fight.
I sat back and said aloud "Perhaps if I built a large, wooden badger"
So yeah, I restarted and kept my armor keyholed to await the rest of the KG. This time it went much better, my boys shot well, and 20 minutes in we've lost just one while knocking out a number of T-34s. The Panthers have shrugged off a lot of turret hits, so I'm somewhat fortunate that so many are still in the fight really. But they are, and combined with the generous artillery on call, things are going well so far. I still need to get on the objectives, but those are all soaking up HE at the mo, so no hurry with an hour left. But if it's like most of my campaigns I will dawdle too much on the approach and be forced to rush them at the end.

Agreed. I tried to keep my armor grouped tightly by platoon as I mentioned earlier, and can be seen in some of my screens. During a typical WEGO segment a Panther or Mark IV averages about five main gun shots per 60 seconds (12 seconds per shot if neither move, just a straight-up slugfest). The T-34 and SU-85 are somewhat slower. So if you can get four tanks firing on that lone target that's roughly twenty to four per minute in terms of fire rate, and that's what I was trying to achieve. And it worked very well, as my tank kill ratio was 94:14 to all causes (are SU-85/76 classed as tanks or armored vehicles in the debrief? If armored vehicles, then the ratio was far better than that). Combined with better crews on average and superior optics, sustained fire rate ascendancy is going to win most of these fights, provided one shot-one kill capability of the weapon.
It's also true that I was lucky. My tanks, well the Panthers anyway, shrugged off a lot of hits, particularly on the turret. I also got lucky in that my vehicles didn't bog. I used fast a lot and only one Mark IV bogged and then immobilized, and that was in the fourth battle on dry, clear ground. The final battle is damp and I had dozens and dozens of vehicles, tracked and wheeled, all going cross country at fast speed and none of them bogged.
 

Well it's a trade-off isn't it? Concentration is a key principle of warfare, but the flip side of course is vulnerability. In most scenarios I play, and certainly in this campaign, I prefer concentrating my armor. Because the enemy armor is so lethal (85mm) in this one, I wanted to try and ensure that I established fire superiority during the tank engagements. If the enemy hits/penetrates straight off then it's all out the window anyway. But the way it played out, especially when I was able to initiate at long range, meant the three or four barrels firing back scored first most of the time. The duel with the assault guns in the fourth battle, Ciemne, Cimene, Cimne, was a perfect example. I lost a tank or two, but it would have been much worse without so many tanks firing back I think.
With infantry I do it all differently, as the threat of artillery especially makes me try to keep them at the end of their C2 links. Plus infantry are more vulnerable to rounds aimed at someone else. The most glaring example of this for me in Blunting the Spear was when I tried to sneak a company around the flank of a pair of AT guns deployed expertly in a ditch in the fifth battle, Dybow Kolonia. I successfully turned the flank, and was working the infantry along the ditch, and had just eliminated the HQ in a sharp firefight when one of the AT guns let loose a round of canister and three platoons took casualties from the single shot. I withdrew and gave up that idea. Those guns survived the battle and prevented me from moving any armor in that area. If you've played this battle you'll know the guns I am speaking of.

I've dabbled in real-time, but it's much more messy, and my brain can't handle it. I watched a video on youtube the other day of a player playing the airfield battle from the Task Force Thunder campaign in real time and I could hardly take it. So inefficient and sloppy, with units forgotten about doing nothing, needless casualties and lack of real co-ordination. And just watching videos of Combat Mission is difficult for me as I am constantly rolling my mouse wheel to change the zoom to no avail since I'm watching a video. Derp derp.
On the other hand, the real-time player can more quickly react to events (though the real time factor means this only happens where you are watching) and can more quickly correct blunders.
No sir, give me WEGO everytime. In real time I miss so much that's going on, which aside from the tactical ramifications, is just undesirable from an enjoyment point of view for me. Actually WEGO is for me the best wargame system ever. As I like to say, going from tactical genius to nervous spectator never gets old. It's a system of action and consequence and frankly it's brilliant.

I've dabbled in real-time, but it's much more messy, and my brain can't handle it. I watched a video on youtube the other day of a player playing the airfield battle from the Task Force Thunder campaign in real time and I could hardly take it. So inefficient and sloppy, with units forgotten about doing nothing, needless casualties and lack of real co-ordination. And just watching videos of Combat Mission is difficult for me as I am constantly rolling my mouse wheel to change the zoom to no avail since I'm watching a video. Derp derp.
On the other hand, the real-time player can more quickly react to events (though the real time factor means this only happens where you are watching) and can more quickly correct blunders.
No sir, give me WEGO everytime. In real time I miss so much that's going on, which aside from the tactical ramifications, is just undesirable from an enjoyment point of view for me. Actually WEGO is for me the best wargame system ever. As I like to say, going from tactical genius to nervous spectator never gets old. It's a system of action and consequence and frankly it's brilliant.

The same... you may also like to check out my CMSF1 Scenario & campaign collection.

Added to the playlist, thanks man. I wanted the first campaign I played to have the new toys of SF2 like drones, so TFT fits the bill. But SF1 level campaigns are perfectly fine too. Looks like this one might take a while to get through, but lining up the next one is good. TF Panther is not at TSD III, got a link?
 
What's the snitch?
And about Forging Steel, apologies as it seems i either misunderstood or more likely glossed it over, but the description for the campaign includes this informative bit

Thanks, I'm gonna need it considering what just happened 
*spoiler alert*
At the beginning of this mission a platoon of T-34s went on a crazy mad suicide charge straight at my lines. My tanks were out of position to deal with a sudden, unexpected tank charge like that, so only a couple of my tanks were in a position to fire back. Two of the T-34s were destroyed, but not before knocking out one of the Panthers. The third T-34 managed to charge full speed across a field straight toward my infantry and trucks in the rear, running a gauntlet of Panther fire the whole way. Five Panther shots were directed at it, and all missed, at a range of about 700m. The T-34 kept going until out of view of the Panthers and got mixed in with my scout line, almost running over a scout team. The T-34 stopped, blew up a different scout team at point blank range, then started getting hit by repeated volleys of AA half-track fire and grenades from the scout team it almost ran over. Eventually it was knocked out by an astonishingly lucky Panzerschreck hit from 185m away, just as the turret was turning toward the AA half-track. If the T-34 had made it just a little bit farther, it would have been in a perfect position to blow the hell out of the mass of trucks, mortar teams and support units I had parked in the rear. The T-34 had even fired at a couple of trucks, but missed. That was a close one.
Even crazier though was the lone tank driver that jumped out of the burning T-34. He hopped out right in front of one of my scouts, just a few feet away. The cowardly scout promptly got up and started running away, but the tank driver started chasing him across the field, firing his pistol as he ran after him, hot on his heels. The driver eventually got shot in the back by the scout's teammate after a brief chase. That had to be one of the sillier things I've seen in this game.  

Yes, I bought SF2 three days ago (big bundle) and it's my first modern CM title. Thanks to all for the recommendations, Task Force Thunder seems right up my alley and I had fun playing the first battle, even if it's a bit lopsided.
After the briefing I had a look at the map, and it's fairly self-evident how to proceed. Get your M1s up on the berm and let 'em rip. And that's what I did. Of all the hundreds of Combat Mission battles I've played, I can safely say that I've never caused more casualties in the second minute of any. Just brutal. It's awesome how fast an Abrams can acquire and kill.
But the star of the show was certainly the venerable M240, and these were singing for every turn non-stop. The enemy lacks motivation and with enough persuasion are keen to seek new positions to the rear. Each M1 got over 50 kills, and the artillery was lethal. I successfully bypassed the minefield and the infantry got involved toward the end, storming the complex and bringing it to a close.
I've played WW2 Combat Mission for a long time, and I'm glad I decided to try a modern one. It's fun and different and I am having a great time. Thanks for all of the help.

Gotta love this game. That was one angry tank driver. Good stuff .

I suggest the Task Force Thunder campaign because it start with some simple scenarios where you have vastly stronger forces, so they are beginner friendly if you want to call it like that.
If you want to play some scenarios to get into the swing, maybe play Al Amahra(small scenario) and Allahs Fist(tank scenario). Once you got these done, you should be fine in TF Thunder campaign.

The Forging Steel campaign is not set in Syria... it is a hypothetical "Blue vs Red" high intensity, Mechanized war campaign (perfect for a Euroscape conversion).
I agree that TF Thunder is a good starting campaign. I'd also recommend In Search of a Ghost as it provides some decent infantry only fights at the platoon/company scale.
Zawiya Uprising & Guardians of the Homeland are good Red vs Red campaigns & are at the platoon/company size.

Hi Landser, I picked up SF2 a few months ago and played quite a bit.  I started TF Thunder and got about 10 missions in.  LOTS OF FUN.  Much smaller than Blunting the Spear battles.  I will finish Thunder when I get done w Spear.  Unless distracted by new FI release.  This is a high class problem, too many good battles to fight.

Task Force Thunder is long, but the missions are generally quite small - platoons and companies, for the most part.

Just starting on the fifth mission now. I'm spreading everyone way out again, sending one company out through the fields and woods on the left and the other company to probe the villages on the right.  I've played the first few minutes so far and my forward scouts have already spotted a wave of enemy tanks coming right at me. This should be good. 

This was one of the more difficult missions for me, and the one where I displayed the least ambition for taking objectives. I took the town that starts with 'W' and Stary Jankow? was contested at the end, but otherwise I kept it tight and concentrated and wasn't suckered in to those flank objectives and it ended as a minor victory. The visibility works like night, where things are inside the blue sightlines, but not visible to your units unless they move or fire. There were a number of 'why can't he see that tank' moments. Combined with the tricky contours of the map (I felt like it was sort of crowned) it's a challenging scenario, or it was for me. It was a fun one though.
A couple of posts back I said the fifth battle was Dybow Kolonia, but it's Stary Jankow isn't it? These place names don't stick in the brain.
Thanks Warts, that's good to know.

They are classed as tanks, this also applies to StugIVs, Brummbars, Sextons etc 

Well it's a trade-off isn't it? Concentration is a key principle of warfare, but the flip side of course is vulnerability. In most scenarios I play, and certainly in this campaign, I prefer concentrating my armor. Because the enemy armor is so lethal (85mm) in this one, I wanted to try and ensure that I established fire superiority during the tank engagements. If the enemy hits/penetrates straight off then it's all out the window anyway. But the way it played out, especially when I was able to initiate at long range, meant the three or four barrels firing back scored first most of the time. The duel with the assault guns in the fourth battle, Ciemne, Cimene, Cimne, was a perfect example. I lost a tank or two, but it would have been much worse without so many tanks firing back I think.
With infantry I do it all differently, as the threat of artillery especially makes me try to keep them at the end of their C2 links. Plus infantry are more vulnerable to rounds aimed at someone else. The most glaring example of this for me in Blunting the Spear was when I tried to sneak a company around the flank of a pair of AT guns deployed expertly in a ditch in the fifth battle, Dybow Kolonia. I successfully turned the flank, and was working the infantry along the ditch, and had just eliminated the HQ in a sharp firefight when one of the AT guns let loose a round of canister and three platoons took casualties from the single shot. I withdrew and gave up that idea. Those guns survived the battle and prevented me from moving any armor in that area. If you've played this battle you'll know the guns I am speaking of.

Exactly this.  1 tank is a target.  A platoon is a weapon.

Well it's a trade-off isn't it? Concentration is a key principle of warfare, but the flip side of course is vulnerability. In most scenarios I play, and certainly in this campaign, I prefer concentrating my armor. Because the enemy armor is so lethal (85mm) in this one, I wanted to try and ensure that I established fire superiority during the tank engagements. If the enemy hits/penetrates straight off then it's all out the window anyway. But the way it played out, especially when I was able to initiate at long range, meant the three or four barrels firing back scored first most of the time. The duel with the assault guns in the fourth battle, Ciemne, Cimene, Cimne, was a perfect example. I lost a tank or two, but it would have been much worse without so many tanks firing back I think.
With infantry I do it all differently, as the threat of artillery especially makes me try to keep them at the end of their C2 links. Plus infantry are more vulnerable to rounds aimed at someone else. The most glaring example of this for me in Blunting the Spear was when I tried to sneak a company around the flank of a pair of AT guns deployed expertly in a ditch in the fifth battle, Dybow Kolonia. I successfully turned the flank, and was working the infantry along the ditch, and had just eliminated the HQ in a sharp firefight when one of the AT guns let loose a round of canister and three platoons took casualties from the single shot. I withdrew and gave up that idea. Those guns survived the battle and prevented me from moving any armor in that area. If you've played this battle you'll know the guns I am speaking of.