rocketman

No, that one is reserved for Kadyrov.

No, that one is reserved for Kadyrov.

No, that one is reserved for Kadyrov.

first we insult the morons, now we insult the twits?  Next we'll be trashing the village idiots. this has got to stop.

Gotcha. The ATGMs show up after 25 minutes, during which the US can hit the entire Soviet deployment area with TOWs.

They start with three Bradleys, along with 4x TTS M60 - that's a lot of thermals for the T-62s to deal with in long-ranged, wooded map.

Advancing into TOWs is an interesting problem, and working out how to take the bridge against this defensive position is potentially really interesting... but the end result is that you can't actually move in any direction without being sniped. If you go forward, the forward-deployed Bradleys, hull down and in the woods can get you. If you go left and over the river, the TOWs can snipe you. If you go right to get fire on the Bradleys, you're exposed to TOWs. If you stay where you are, you're exposed to TOWs.

Now, perhaps this is mostly as it was a PBEM, and the setup position allowed for this? The scenario is not listed as being vs AI only.

I'm interested to see if there's something I'm missing here, but I can't really see how a scenario where you're losing vehicles in spawn from the first turn is something I'm doing wrong.

The Soviets outnumber to American force 3 to 1.  There is one thing that you neglected to notice in your Soviet OB.  You have a lot of ATGMs that apparently you chose not to use.  You also have way more infantry firepower than the US force.  The US force is anti armor focused and the Soviet force is Infantry heavy.  The American ATGMs are easily taken out with the mortars because they are not dug in.  The problem isn't the Soviet OB.  The problem is your ability to use it to best advantage.
The American force is only two platoons btw.  Well, one infantry platoon and one Cavalry troop, but the Cavalry troop has no infantry so it's really like a big tank platoon.
Regarding the Soviet ATGMs since you asked - the 2500meter variety show up near the top of the hill on your side because - well if you were smart you would put them on that hill so they can fire into the town since they can see all the way down into the valley from up there.  The other infantry all have 1000 meter ATGMs that if you happen to notice the bluff near the bridge - well a smart man would notice that if he put his ATGMs up on that bluff maybe, just maybe, all those ATGMs could also fire into the town.  At that point you wouldn't need any tanks because your ATGMs would take out the M60s and your artillery could take out the TOW.  Now that I told you what to do maybe you can try it again.
Honestly I'm having a lot of trouble understanding why so many are having so much trouble with this scenario.  The bluff on the other side of the river near the bridge is just sitting there screaming "hey come on over here and deploy on me".  If you don't like that bluff there is plenty of high ground on your side of the river too.  The TOWs can only take out so many vehicles so if you wanted to rush them up to the intersection above the bridge you could put ATGMs in several locations over there too.  You are only dealing with one American infantry platoon and you have two Soviet infantry companies.  I mean seriously....
 

This scenario really disappointed me.
We just abandoned a PBEM after about five turns. The map is fantastic. The tactical problem from the Soviet side (aggressive recon and attacking through a chokepoint) is superb, but the forces given and arrayed against you really hurt this - the briefing tells you you're a second line force, running into other second line forces.
From the situation, it's clear this will involve marching into TOWs. The bridge is the key terrain, and the situation (a small cavalry force defending a chokepoint) is plausible and should give them a similarly difficult problem to solve.
Instead, the US start with three Bradleys and four TTS M60, so a ton of thermal optics, with the Bradleys sited well forward and in hull down positions against a line of advance.
The end result is that the Soviets have three possible lines of advance, and all three are covered by fires - either from the TOWs down the valley, or from the flanking Bradleys. The only element that the Soviets can have is the T-62 platoon, which cant get angles on the Bradleys without coming under fire from the TOWs. 
Further, the TOWs in the town can shoot into the Russian deployment zone, so not only are all three possible lines of advance covered from turn zero, they also cant stay where they are. If they did, they'd have no chance of winning a duel against TOW launchers at a multi-kilometer range, since they're only T-62.
Then you have the Russian forces themselves. Zero TRP, artillery is limited to 120mm mortars, and a tiny force - two companies is not sufficent for this size of target, and I'm not sure why the ATGM assets arent alongside the main force. I'm also not sure where the BRDM scout teams are, and I have some issues with the formations chosen, which will hurt their c2. This is also a scenario where you could legitimately have T-72, so there's that.
It's such a shame. This is halfway to being a *fantastic* scenario. The map is incredible, and the tactical problem the soviets have to solve is very thorny. It's just that the US forces dont have a similar problem to solve, and the combination of forces and placement really wipes out any interesting decisions to make.
I'm very tempted to do an alternate version of this scenario. I'm expecting the US to have a much smaller force - perhaps an armoured cavalry platoon (or two), in 1979, with maybe M60A1 or M48. I'd need to do something about the sight lines.
The aim would be to give the US a similarly difficult tactical problem - how a small, mobile force can use terrain to constrict and defeat a larger one.
I wouldn't be upset about this if it was so nearly brilliant - this map could easily be the basis for one of the best scenarios in the game, but currently it feels like a passive tower defence.

that really isn't fair to morons.

Gas-pipeline in Yaroslavl' oblast, Russia. Maybe again "Bratstvo" sabateurs work? %)
 

That's because this war is obviously different from the colonial adventures people are used to protesting against.

My suggestion is that after the first round in a tournament, the bottom 10-20% of players are cut. Likely those who didn't start or finish their games or those who got beaten badly and probably will have a hard time winning (harsh, I know). Having players, for one reason or another who don't do their part, remain for round two will just make another player angry. In my first round my oppo just played a handful of rounds. Annoying. Never was told why.

France asks its nationals to leave Belarus “without delay”

Source : Le Monde
 

Strikes for the last week on Russian ammo dumps, HQs, milityary bases, barracks.
I didn't meant about this, but already two days UKR heavy struck Melitopol and it vicinity.

I get the feeling that there is a public misperception of how combat casualties are treated and when. Disclaimer, it’s been almost 50 years since I was in the USMC infantry, but unless things have changed, what you see in the movies (mainly for visual dramatic support) and in the mass media, of IV bags, bandages, and other first aid debris, are the “aftermath” of the fight. “Standard Operating Procedure” in the USMC was that during an assault, no one stopped to give aid to the wounded! You assaulted through the enemy position, consolidated the captured position and reformed your lines to repel a counterattack, and redistributed ammunition and if necessary, weapons. Only after that would you send volunteers back to recover the fallen. If you were lucky enough to have a Corpsman or two with your platoon, they would begin stabilizing the fallen during the consolidation phase.
For what it’s worth, the “typical” structure for a Marine Platoon assault would be in threes, an assault element, (typically a squad of 12 Riflemen and the Squad leader),  a base of fire that would hopefully include support weapons such as an M2 60mm mortar section (three tubes with four man teams, one team for each tube), an M-60 machine gun squad (two gun teams of four Marines each), and one squad of Riflemen in reserve. The Platoon Commander and Corpsman would “typically” be with the Reserve or the base of fire with the Platoon Sgt. Leading the assault.
That was the SOP from 40 plus years ago, and I doubt if it has changed significantly. As I said previously, that was the “typical assault formation.”

But in the direction of Kremennaya - Liman, the enemy is very actively preparing for offensive operations, which, as far as I understand, should follow within the next week, despite, to put it mildly, rather modest successes in their previous "preparatory-offensive" measures in this direction.
- At least 1 motorized rifle brigade from the 428th motorized infantry division of the 57th motorized infantry division of the territorial defense was withdrawn from the Dibrovsky ledge to the southern outskirts of Kremennaya and turned it towards Serebryanka
- 2 battalions of the 124th Motorized Rifle Brigade are also deployed in this direction
- The enemy command also brought into battle in this area BARS-13 (up to a full-fledged battalion) and the consolidated tactical detachment "Akhmat" (battalion)
- Also, to the south and south-west of Kremennaya, at least 2 more airborne battalions from the 76th Airborne Division and the 98th Airborne Division are deployed.
Well, summing up in this direction (to Kupyansk and Liman), we can state that the command of the enemy troops has begun the next stage in the implementation of their plans for the winter campaign - to reach the river. Oskol and the "return of Liman and Kupyansk" ...
The main characters are the grouping of troops (GV) "West", the basis of which was the forces and means of the 2 armies of the Western Military District - the 1st Guards. TA and 20th CAA, deployed respectively in the Kupyansk and Limansky directions ... reinforced by a number of units and formations - the 6th CAA, 2nd Guards. CAA and the 41st CAA, as well as the 18th Motor Rifle Division of the 11th AK.
Apparently, it is this whole "gang" that will try to break into Kupyansk, Borovaya, Liman and Yampol in the near future ... acting from the Svatovo-Kremennaya line ... By the way, the bulk of the artillery, both the 1st Guards TA, and the 20th CAA is ALREADY deployed in new firing positions closer to the front line and is strenuously "pretending to be rags" zeroing in on single guns and installations so as not to give out their positions, which is very eloquent in terms of preparing for an attempt to organize and conduct a massive offensive.
So, I think, we will accordingly ... in the near future we will devote the lion's share of our attention to the region of the northern Luhansk region and the southeastern Kharkov region ...
 

This is a Ukraine thread

You can read her twitter пані Добропілля. She is not "porokhobot" and her words are from the words of medics in Bakmut about level of losses comparable to ATO. She didn't clarify what exacly number she meant (only combat losses or total deaths number with non-combat losses), but if we take into account latest info of ISW about at least 4100 KIA and about 10000 WIA Wagners around Bakhmut (but I forgot for what period), that about 3500 killed UKR soldiers will be approx in the frame 1:1. But I forgot, who wrote about this ratio. Maybe and somebody of soldiers. 
Many soldiers write in one voice - when the time will come and you get to know what price was paid in Bakhmut, you will be fu..ng shocked. Urban and trench warfare with the enemy, having large advantage in personnel and reserves can't be light walk. Multiple videos with drone-bombers and piles of dead orcs can make illusion that this is just like practice range. But sometime and on UKR twitter or TG segment leak enemy videos, which too hard to watch. Like recent video from Krasna Hora, were Wagners surprised full squad of nine UKR soldiers (likely enemy had UKR uniform) in some facility and either shot out them immediately or captured and then executed. If we inflict so much losses to enemy and have much less ratio, than 1:1, that why for last two month situation became so bad that 93rd brigade was returned to fight, not having enough tome to rest and 3rd NG brigade was pulled from Kharkiv direction?
I don't say that "all is lost", but even losses ratio not 1:1, but 1:2 or even 1:3 this is anyway too much

Visually confirmed RU losses from yesterday. Oryx via Jakub Janovsky:


That is a lot and sustainable for now only because of vast stock of soviet vehicles that are being refurbished. Certainly not something they can keep up for prolonged periods of time.

Ok. I just had a premonition.
 
ORTONA CANADIAN CAMPAIGN!
come on Ben...

You know, in UKR society already also thoughts is heard (but too weak in present time) to enlist convicts to similar purposes. Main argument - why we have to lose in close fights our best guys (some volunteers claim that losses ratio in Bakhmut area since December became approx 1:1) if we can go by Russian way - utilize criminals and get twice benefit - to achieve some military goals and clear society from useless elements, which mostly anyway will return to own criminal style of life after liberation. 
I can say that since the war began UKR used this way in limited volume - Zelenskiy has amnestied convicted former soldiers, who wanted to "redeem by blood" own crimes. Part of them were included to "Kraken" special purpose unit. And even more - in "Kraken" now exists special assault platoons formed from soldiers of different units, who were blamed in deserting, disobedience, looting and other crimes. And as you can see under strong and capable command, they achieves success with "Kraken" and have opportunity to redeem own misdemeanors. Though, unlike in Wagner, number of such personnel in "Kraken" is minor.   

Not every, but high-ranked only. Also if there are details of their deaths it's good source what unit was involved in some episode and some additional details about operations. But well, as Sburke will decide. 

Hurray, Haiduk has checked in!