Zatoichi

Hey all, I might get in trouble for this but I'm gonna do it anyway.
While we are all very concerned about the deaths in UKR it's also important to remember the other slaughter that's been going on for two years.  Another covid wave, very contagious, is on the way.  I know this crowd skews a bit older so lots of folks here are more at risk.
If you aint vaxxed, get vaxxed.  If you aint boosted, get boosted.  Only 50% of americans are boosted, though 75% are vaxxed.  Immune system resistance wanes over time, particularly w Pfizer (moderna better in this respect).  At Omicron peak we were losing ~2500 americans a day (~4000 per day at the pre-vaccine covid peak last year).  That nearly all those omicron deaths were PREVENTABLE is a tragedy.  And that tragedy is driven by propaganda, much of it spawned from Russia and percolated thru facebook.  So if you want to give a big FU to Putin, get your shots! 
I don't want to lose any of you excellent Combat Mission aficionados.
Hong Kong has a huge percentage of old people who refuse to get vaxxed, it's gonna be a bloodbath.
Thanks, I will take my vacation now.

My read on British advances in tank invisibility are that they are called defence cuts. 😉

Alright, enough lurking, long past time to dust off my old forum account and say "hi" and thank all of you contributing this gem of a thread, which is keeping me well ahead of the mainstream media.
 
Can we just admire the huge leap in technology? No, not ATGM or drone tech. Pah! Who cares about that? No, the all important meme-tech. It has come leaps and bounds since The Great Meme War. The other day I was in the car with my brother in law, who barely even acknowledges the existence of the internet, when my 6 y.o. nephew pipes up. "Look, a tractor!" and I decide to be a smartass and deny it is a tractor. "It cannot be a tractor, it isn't towing a Russian tank behind it" and it even got a laugh from my brother in law. The memes of Russian ineptitude, and SOF-like abilities of Ukrainian farmers even reached him. I was surprised.
 
Of course, this war isn't all fun and games. I for one deeply lament Steve deciding to put actually making games on the back burner. Not that I can blame him, his new profit making scheme sounds very lucrative:  Cold calling autocrats the world over.
"Hello Mr Maduro, I am calling to let you know we are going to be making a game set in Venezuala"
-Please don't. Here's 5 million dollars to **** off.
"For 5 million more, we will change the setting to Colombia"
 
Well done, Steve, that is now two countries you have plunged into chaos. If you ever make a game set in the modern Netherlands, I am gonna start packing.

Shouldn't it be Manhattan first, and THEN Berlin?

Think again.

No one expects the Spanish Instalanza.

I've seen a few trees flickering - it's not all trees, but it seems to be switching between two models (or aspects of two models) rapidly. The second scenario of Road to Montebourg has a couple of these flickering trees.

I'm running Windows 7 64bit with a gtx570 with the latest drivers.

I've just checked the Antialiasing Transparency and it's set to 8x, which is they highest it'll go.

Your WSJ article is an opinion piece with the writer freaked out by Muslims in general.  I studied in Leicester and survived and got into curries, and my cricket team in Colchester plays on the Army Garrison cricket pitch with a multicultural inc Muslims  team of players - heck Ismail Mohamed picks up the keys every Sunday from The Parachute Regt guardhouse and hasn't been shot yet.
The surgeon who operated on me a few years back was a Muslim, and the Consultant Anaesthetist was a handy bat / bowler for oppo club.
Yes you get a few crazies but the main problem is with ultra nationists finding folks different to themslves a problem...

I don't think anyone doubted the existence of certain articles (although thesun? seriously? 🙂 ) Anyhow it's still bullocks. Besides; how does 'a growing population' equal to factual tangible pressure to 'include' Sharia law.? Also, like... what laws? Stoning people for 'avin a pint? Come on get yourself a break and go meet a Muslim near to you. He or she probably won't bite. They might invite you for tea though.
Personally I feel the 'politics' line was crossed with your first post about the Muslim subject. I had to reply but I'm happy to steer it back to the more on topic macro geopolitical / military stuff. ---
It will be 'interesting' to see what happens in the region after the, sort of, inevitable regime (Assad) victory over the rebels in Idlib. I hope it's not just the next phase of conflict, but I have some fears. There are a lot of players on the board, with converging interests. Turkey will be among the first with the ball in their court. Will they pull their (proxy) forces out of Syria and how about the Kurds? The Iranian block becomes stronger. Israel is not happy, there is always something about oil, wuddabout US, 😉 etc. 

I'm glad there is no mention of those sorts in the article, for I would have stopped reading them.
I'm not going to debate these subjects, I think it is suffice to say that both ('floodgate muslim immigration from Turkey' and the 'EU Sharia') are populist myths. Also, I miss how those are correlated? Turkey doesn't feature a Sharia law; besides there is no such thing as 'the Sharia law'.
In The Netherlands (and I suspect the UK also) there already is the possibility for mediation, instead of formal courts, when parties want to settle a civil dispute. If they do wish the mediation to follow certain religious rules, that is fine as long as it is within the boundaries of the law (and all parties agree to it). Different religious groups do make use of this freedom and have been doing that for a while. It is nothing new, nor is there any small chance of our constitution being replaced with religious books. 

METT-T: Terrain
The map we are fighting on is pretty big with lots of interesting terrain and places to hide. Below is the map with some key terrain marked with a red flag and camera views marked with a yellow triangle followed by pictures from those views.
 
 

 
Map View #1

 
 
Map View #2

 
Map View #3

 
Map View #4

 
Map View #5

 
Map View #6

 
Map View #7

 
Map View #8

 
Map View #9
https://www.lesliesoftware.com/imagehost/upload/2018/07/19/20180719142614-26f57bc4.jpg
Map View #10

 
And finally the views from the Enemy approach road.
Map View #11

 
Map View #12

 
Map View #13

 
Map View #13 Camera raised so you can see the objective behind the hill.

COIN is the primary currency in CM:SF and on this forum. Every time you get a Bingo! you receive a COIN. COINs can be used to buy BATTLE CRATES, which contain premiums skins (for NATO, SAA an UNCONs!), as well as templates for "Deeply regret to inform you" letters for casualties' families.

Even though the other BETA AAR is still going on, I expect it will end very soon.  I had already promised to take IanL on in a second game to fill the time, so here 'tis.  I hope it fills the time left until release.
BACKGROUND
A NATO attack is in progress and they are making massive gains.  In an attempt to slow them down high command has decided that a spoiling attack is required.  We are the tip of that spear.  Our task is to Probe into the assigned sector on the flank of the NATO attack and determine the strength of the Canadian flank security force in front of us and if possible, destroy it or force it to withdraw.  Our force will not be reinforced unless successful, so if we fail, another unit will become the spearhead for the main attack.
Hopefully that will suffice to set the stage for what we are doing in this action.  Ian and I are playing a Quick Battle (QB) Medium Probe, with me as the Syrians on the attack, force selection for both sides was Mixed (Infantry, Mech Infantry, and Armor are all okay to purchase) with no restrictions set for either side. 
I do not expect an easy time of it, as the Canadians are tough and Ian is no slouch tactically.  He even uses some of the same movement techniques I use so I expect this to be a hard struggle
ORDER OF BATTLE
My purchases:



MAIN BODY
This element will be my main combat element in this action.  They will be tasked with capturing early objectives, ascertaining enemy strength and capabilities, and recovering the enemy Order of Battle.  
A Company Mechanized Infantry on BMP-2s 
Company HQ Element Tanks are intended for anti-infantry support ZSU-23-4 is mainly for AA support, but also is intended to be used in an anti-infantry role
1st Platoon Will have one AT-13 team attached
2nd Platoon Will have one AT-13 team attached
COMBAT SUPPORT 
120mm Mortar Battery with FO Also purchased four TRPs
 AT 13 Platoon One of the two sections will be assigned to the Main Body, one AT team per platoon Note:  truck was purchased specially to carry the remaining section and the HQ element
AT 14 Platoon One of the two sections will be assigned to the Reserve, both AT teams in the Mech Infantry platoon Note:  truck was purchased specially to carry the remaining section and the HQ element
RESERVE - This force will be husbanded until needed, or until I can identify the main enemy positions
Airborne Mechanized Infantry Platoon on BMP-3s Will have one complete AT-14 section attached
Tank Platoon on T-72M1 TURMS-T Technology Note:  These tanks feature the TURMS-T computerised fire control system by Galileo Avionica.  It will be interesting to see how that helps in action.

MINUTE 17
First up, some mortar porn:

Another action filled minute… sadly I think this will be the last turn report post from me until next Wednesday.  Sorry, heading to the Caribbean.   
That being said, I think I am leaving you with another very exciting and action packed turn.

There were two Javelin kills this turn; a Warrior IFV…

…and a Marder.

I had a Bradley near HILL 42.0 loading two Javelin teams that were close to falling under the artillery hitting that hill.  While in the midst of loading this Bradley spotted one of the Warrior IFVs from the platoon that crossed the river and is very close to my ridgeline. 
Not only did they knock out the IFV, they also spotted an AT team shortly after and took them out as well.

The Abrams pulled into a new position in BP1 and almost instantly spotted another Marder…

Note in the background, the Javelin team that knocked out the Challenger two minutes ago now has spots on both of Baneman’s remaining tanks, the Challenger and the Leopard 2A4.  Time ran out before it could launch... next turn could be interesting!

In the T-90 platoon battle position, the T-90 HQ vehicle received a laser warning and pulled out of the line... unfortunately, right into the guns of Baneman’s Challenger… why, oh why couldn’t it simply have reversed a little bit? 

MINUTE 16
REINFORCEMENTS
The Rear Guard troops arrived in the AO after this turn, these are the final reinforcements.  Following is an overview of what just arrived:
Two platoons of BMP-3s.
I have found the missing Warrior platoon.  At least two of the IFVs are on my side of the river near Point 35.9… interesting.  They can cause some mischief from there.  I am moving a few assets that way and will wait to see what he plans to do with them.  I suspect he will dismount his infantry and attempt to infiltrate my position.

Here is an overview of movements this turn... I have pulled the four LAVs from BP1, I think the Jav team, the Abrams and the Bradley there can handle that position.
The LAV's are driving quickly to join the dismounted infantry platoons, the USMC recon and the dismounted BMP-3 platoon.. I underestimated the distances involved and I need to mount the Syrian infantry and move them to the center position with the marines and the T-90s.  The LAVs, Marine recon troops, and Syrian infantry will assemble and start to move toward FARM 11 and 12.
I sent one BMP-3 platoon deep and they will turn the corner and attempt to get eyes on OBJ DIAMOND, where I suspect I will eventually find a Fennek and a Warrior IFV.  I do think this is where the artillery hitting the rear slopes of HILL 42 is being called in from.  

Oh, and T-90s (and Russian tanks in general) appear to be the pretty good armor to use against infantry, as can be seen by this event (It does appear that Baneman has not read the Masked Movement post on my Blog):

So at least the T-90 platoon is a capable Syrian formation...  that is good to see and makes me feel a little better. 
Thought you would appreciate what I have in reserve, these units are waiting for events to develop a bit further before I commit them.

MINUTE 15
Okay this was a VERY busy turn… and sorry once again for the amount of media.  I hope it isn’t too hard on your internet connection. 
I ordered my Abrams to immediately start to reverse while it was reloading.  I did not want it to get into a gun duel if it wasn’t ready… when the gunner yelled “SABOT UP!” and while still moving in reverse the tank fired and killed the Leopard... killed him dead and was never spotted in return.  I had also ordered one of the LAVs nearby to pop smoke in front of the M1 to cover it… turns out that wasn’t needed.

T90 #2 fired and killed the Warrior near the Water Tower... so hey, yeah, the Syrians are capable of killing stuff. 

One British dismounted team is in the field between the now dead Warrior IFV and the T-90s… that means the second Warrior arrived at its unloading point unseen, but now I know about where it is.

1st Mech Infantry Platoon’s HQ team dismounted and armed with a Javelin, crawled into position hoping to get a spot on the Challenger that my Abrams hit last turn… towards the end of the turn he took aim and let the Javelin loose... it flew true and killed the enemy tank with a top hit.

Up near Hill 41.1 another team armed with a Javelin spotted a Scimitar and quickly destroyed it.  By the way, it takes about 20 seconds to reload the launcher and be ready for another shot.  Both of these teams will be reloaded and ready for action early next turn.

It didn’t go all my way though… the BMP-3 platoon moved forward, remember I was hoping to spot the Warrior platoon which should be to their front (and probably very close)… well, they moved forward just fine, then quickly lost two of the three BMPs, the first to an unknown shooter... I believe to one of the Warriors I was looking for...
…the second fell to the remaining Leopard tank.

Damn… I should have sent a dismounted team over the ridge to find those IFVs.  The BMP-3s never spotted a thing… yikes.  I am worried about those Warriors and I need to find them ASAP.

Still two enemy tanks, one light tank, and an IFV knocked out for the loss of two BMP-3s... I’ll take that exchange ratio every time.

I also received my final reinforcements.  I will post about them in another installment.

From my perspective...just FIXING the very suboptimal QB system is good enough...I have long wanted more control over selecting units...especially RED UNCON...I also love MOUT/FISH type actions...and I love QBs
FISH....The British armed forces terms are OBUA (operations in built-up areas), FIBUA (fighting in built-up areas), or sometimes (colloquially) FISH (fighting in someone's house),or FISH and CHIPS (fighting in someone's house and causing havoc in people's streets).  😎
That's awesome...time for some FISH and CHIPS....😏

MINUTE 8
A relatively quiet turn… I think Baneman has hunkered down, at least temporarily.  Next turn it should liven up again as my T-90s, all three of them will move into hulldown positions, my LAV-ATs will be in their hulldown positions and a couple of the LAVs will also move into hulldown positions.
Only a few minutes until the main body arrives.  I will admit that I am disappointed that I haven’t had more contact with Baneman’s forces and been able to attrite it at all.  It is taking much longer to deploy and reorient than I expected.  I will have more pieces in play next turn than any previous.
The USMC dismounts achieved the OBJ GARNET (touch) this turn… the T-90s will be passing them to go into their positons next turn.  Real curious how Baneman is planning on countering my tank threat.

MINUTE 9
In trying to get the LAV-AT #6 into a good firing position where it could see into the enemy rear area I pushed it too far... it ended up not being hulldown when it was spotted by the Leopard 2 and was hit, at first losing its weapons, then suffering a wheel hit  becoming immobilized.  Once that happened it was just a matter of time before the Leo found the range and dealt the killing blow.  That was a waste of a crucial piece of weaponry that is 100% on me.  

The advantage in playing large scenarios like this is you can absorb losses like this more easily... if this had been a company scale engagement losing that one piece of equipment might have been terminal… in a Battalion sized engagement it is a blip, as long as it doesn’t become a trend!
T-90 #2 moved into its hulldown position, spotted the Scimitar it was sent to kill... however, though it fired twice, one was a miss and the second round hit the corner of a building… damn.  Baneman’s luck has to end at some point.  This is the third vehicle (Scimitar near the ruined farm and Marder hit by two of the LAVs) that I got the drop on, the other two he was able to withdraw to safety.

MINUTE 10
LAV-AT #5 sat still in its hulldown position and waited to get a spot... I was hoping it would be able to get a shot on the Leo, however a Marder came trundling forward next to the Leo... the LAV instantly saw it and sent a missile on its way.  If you watch closely, right before the TOW is loosed the ammo from the LAV-AT destroyed last turn goes up in a fireball.

Right before the missile hit, the Marder spotted my hulldown LAV-AT and sent some cannon rounds their way which all went high.  I think the very small footprint of that launcher is going to be hard to hit (that’s my hope anyway).  The missile however hit the mark and that is scratch one Marder.  He won’t like that result and I can only hope it still had its infantry squad in the back. 

LAV-AT #5 did spot the Leo for a few seconds after hitting the Marder, but lost the spot soon after.  Of course the LAV-AT couldn’t fire anyway as it was reloading.

The LAV-AT carries two missiles in its launcher and this was the second one this vehicle has fired, so it immediately went into reload mode after firing and this was in progress as the turn came to an end.  Next turn I will pull this vehicle back over its ridge to complete reloading, then move forward one more time in an attempt to bag that Leo.

The Scimitar opposite T-90 #2 of course popped smoke and withdrew to safety. 
T-90 HQ never spotted anything while it was in position, but it did receive a laser warning, popped smoke and withdrew.  These Syrians are a challenge to use effectively, most of the time they can’t spot worth a damn... in the rare event that they do spot, they miss.  They have missed every shot fired so far.

This image shows my current dispositions, the enemy situation has become muddled as few vehicles are now firmly spotted.

The situation in and around DUMAYR isn’t great, the fighters I was moving towards DUMAYR are staggered and spread out from the river bank to their original start positions.  Most are exhausted, tired, panicked, etc.  I just want them over the river and in cover for now.


 
REINFORCEMENTS

The Main Body arrived in zone   
M1A1SA Section (x2 Tanks) D Company Mech Infantry on M2A3 Bradley (x13 M2A3 and x1 BFIST) The remainder of the SP Mortar Battery (x2 M1064A3 and x2 HMMWV) Battalion CO on HMMWV

Now I have some serious firepower to engage Baneman with.  Of course this means that his main body will also have arrived and the British Army are no pushovers, though I think my US Army forces have a slight edge.  It’ll be down to who uses them more effectively. 
I have a two stage plan that I have been waiting to implement and now that these troops are on the board those plans are getting implemented.  It will take several turns to get everything into position.
It will get very deadly now in this area of operations.  Stay tuned. 

MINUTE 7
As LAV #4 and #1 were moving towards their hulldowns positions they both spotted one of the Marders that came in with Baneman’s advance guard moving laterally just in front of KT-1.  LAV #4 and LAV #1 both spotted and opened up on the enemy IFV which suffered several hits in the side and a few penetrations.

Later it took several frontal hits and one partial penetration and internal spalling. 
Those things are tough, but I expect it took some damage, perhaps to its weapon systems (the ATGM took what looked like several direct hits), optics, or maybe, if I’m extra lucky, to its crew or passengers. 
It was reversing when I lost sight of it but not before taking several more hits.  It never spotted my firing LAVs. 

Still, that doesn’t mean another vehicle didn’t, so next turn I will pop smoke and withdraw LAV #4 as it seems very exposed right now.  LAV #1 will also pull back over the ridge.  These LAVs are too light to go head to head against Marders and there are way too many enemy vehicles in the area next to the Marder to take unnecessary chances.

One Scimitar moved quickly to join its partner at the Farm 011 and Farm 012 area. 

Speaking of that… two of the T-90s are moving as fast as possible, starting next turn, to try to get eyes on one or maybe both Scimitars there.  I think having these tanks deeper in the AO will hopefully disconcert Baneman some and could make him react with his Leos to counter them.

The intent with my moves right now is to try to isolate one or two of the enemy vehicles at a time while limiting my exposure to the bulk of his firepower.  Basically move into a position, spot if possible, take a shot or two then withdraw, rinse, and repeat.  I do not want to stay in one position longer than necessary in this environment.
Moving my fighter group from the Monastery area toward DUMAYR may not have been my smartest move... they are getting very tired and a few units are fatigued or exhausted.  Definitely not the same quality as line troops.  I am worried about them now... if they get caught in the fields with his technicals moving in on them they could be in trouble... I am moving another LAV into position to help in spotting those pickups and I am trying to position the RPGs in spots where they can get firing solutions if the trucks move in close enough.

PIR:  Will the enemy Mechanized Force attempt to seize KT 2?  It does not appear Baneman is trying to attack KT2 yet, but he could be building a Support by Fire (SBF) position to support such an attack.
PIR:  What is the force composition of the enemy Advance Guard?  This formation appears to mainly be made up German units, Marders and two Leopard 2A4s. 
PIR:  Where are the enemy tanks?  The enemy Leopard 2A4 tanks are in the KT1 line providing fire support.

The Sacrificial Lambs head off towards their next Touch objective.

And a panorama of the left flank.

In the centre, little is happening.
Up by the mosque, Bil's second contingent of Uncons swarms towards my Uncon A position.

I'm moving a few of my "A" guys to cover that open ground - they'll probably arrive a bit too late, but one thing I've learned from moving my Uncon C group up is that a lot of these guys are Unfit or even Weakened. They can't go too far at speed as they Tire rapidly.

I also move up the bakkies to try to interdict this movement. This shot shows the result of the enemy Wheeled Thingy fire - probably aimed at the bakkies as they crossed the higher ground, but now they are in a depression and should be safe from fire from Worry Ridge.

The rest of Uncons A continue to reposition. The MG team spots Bil's last bakkie and hoses it down.