Combatintman

The Saudis have been knocking these down for years over their border provinces with Yemen with AMRAAMs - so radar guided AAMs will do the trick .... just not cheaply.

George builds the scenarios - other people do stuff like the mission graphics, coding it to package it, allocate licence keys upload it, host it and if it is going on Steam (and I'm not saying it is because I can't recall the plan for Steam releases) then Matrix have to their stuff etc etc ...

Apart from the fact that George is not the only person involved in the process. Sure, nothing is going to happen until he's done his bit, and his work forms the bulk of the release, but others have bits and pieces to do as well.

Glad you enjoyed it - thanks.

How do you think I tested this ...

A shameless plug for my latest scenario in which my designer notes pay tribute to the benefits of this thread and which I hope provides more input to the discussion point which @The_Capt has raised regarding the utility of light agile forces and a potential new paradigm in land warfare. A link to the scenario is in the thread linked below:

My scenario is up ... details on the dedicated thread here:

More than getting there ... it is up: CMBS – Chervone (thefewgoodmen.com)

Getting there .... here are the designer notes: Overview The genesis of this mission was the various discussions about what a dispersed light infantry force augmented with good ISR able to cue indirect fire assets was capable of. As such, some might contend that this is not a scenario at all but more a test of the concept fielded by the Ukrainian military. With that in mind, this, “mission/scenario” may not be to everyone’s taste but I’m pretty sure ISR types, targeteers and “dropshorts” (gunners) will love it. For those of you not in any of those categories, there is still something in the mission for you. Potential takeaways being: learning how to plan ISR and cue fires against a fairly predictable enemy which of course, at that stage of the conflict, the Russians were at the tactical level; seeing how important so-called “soft factors” (training and morale) are in warfare; and, I hope to get a sense of how the war was fought during that particular phase of the conflict. Map Chervone is a real place, and I chose it because when I started making this mission in May, there seemed every chance that a Russian BTG would venture south along the road which runs through Chervone as part of an attempt to drive south to Barvinkove as part of the wider operation to take Sloviansk. I also wanted a large map to give the player plenty of space to work in with a mix of terrain types. Chervone, although it never ended up being contested, fitted the bill. Units According to a few sources, the units named in the scenario were in the area at this time and could plausibly have fought over this piece of ground in May 2022, but I make no claims for accuracy in this regard. 37 Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, according to one source was T-72 and BMP-2 equipped so the major equipment types for the Russians are more or less correct. Due to the limitations of picks in the editor, I have had to use US UAVs and their controllers for the Ukrainian side and the overall Ukrainian force structure was designed more or around testing the agile light infantry supported by ISR and indirect fire assets concept than any attempt to model an actual TO&E. As we saw so much of the Stugna ATGM in a lot of early footage, I opted to include these rather than the better-known US Javelin. The advantage of this of course is that it avoids another slightly untidy US substitution. The named units; therefore, are simply to give a narrative and backdrop to the scenario. Dedication and Thanks I cannot finish without mentioning “that thread” on the Battlefront Forum. Some have been critical of the time devoted to it but without it, this mission would not have been possible. While it is true that some of the discussions have gone down rabbit holes, it is a treasure trove of resources and links for scenario makers and special thanks go to our friends from the conflict zone for their invaluable insights, unearthing content in both Russian and Ukrainian, and helping outsiders like me make sense of it. As a dedication and a reminder that war is a visceral endeavour that affects real people, I dedicate this mission to my friend and erstwhile colleague Alex, who I will not name in full for obvious reasons. He left Kabul on 25 February to return home and ensure that his wife and young child got to safety before joining a Ukrainian Territorial Force unit. Very much a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire and I am pleased to say that his family are safe in a third country. He is currently a JTAC and as of a fortnight ago was supporting offensive operations in the Kharkiv area. This one is for you mate and I very much hope to be working with you again in the near future. Otherwise, as with all of my stuff, I hope you find the fruits of my labour enjoyable. Regards Combatintman.

So here are the draft orders - this is a Blue vs Red AI mission only: Situation It is 1100hrs on 07 May 2022, two Russian brigades (5 Separate Guards Tank Brigade and 37 Guards Motor Rifle Brigade) have recently arrived in occupied territory to the north of Barvinkove. Russia remains committed to pushing south from the general direction of Izium with the intent of securing Sloviansk. Weather conditions are generally favourable to friendly operations with a slightly overcast sky, cool temperatures, a gentle west to east wind and damp ground conditions. Mission 81 Reconnaissance Company Team is to delay 37 Guards Motor Rifle Brigade’s advance on Barvinkove in the vicinity of Chervone no later than 1200hrs 07 May 2022 in order to allow for the completion of defensive positions. Tasks – refer to the operational graphic. Friendly Forces 81 Reconnaissance Company Team is commanded by 81 Reconnaissance Company HQ and centred on a single platoon from the company which has been allocated 3 x Stugna ATGM teams. Also attached to the team are three unarmed UAV detachments and a single armed Bayraktar UAV detachment. Offensive support available comprises an organic off map 82mm mortar platoon, all of these assets are immediately available. The 1st Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion/81 Brigade Artillery Group (18 x 2S1 122mm howitzers) is currently setting up and will be available from 1105hrs. Four Target Reference Points to assist in cueing your fires have already been registered. Enemy Forces An assessed motor rifle battalion tactical group preceded by elements of 37 Guards Motor Rifle Brigade’s reconnaissance company was identified heading south from Velyka Komyshuvakha towards Chervone earlier this morning. Multiple source reporting from loyal citizens and UAV coverage tracking the enemy column south confirms a motor rifle heavy tactical group equipped with T-72 and BMP-2. Lead elements of this column have just entered the area of operations in the following order of march: 3 x BMP-2 and 2 x BRM-1K (assessed as brigade reconnaissance elements) and, approximately five minutes away, a column led by 3 x T-72 followed by 8 x BMP-2 and, after that, three other elements at approximately five-minute intervals. Total enemy strength is approximately 50-60 vehicles, mostly BMP-2. The enemy is expected to repeat the mistakes seen since the start of the invasion by remaining road bound and attempting to secure Chervone by a simple brute force frontal attack. Plan The choice is yours commander but your plan should treat the intelligence information as reliable and plan to make best use of your UAVs, indirect fire and long-range anti-armour assets in order to minimise close range engagements which will put you at severe disadvantage. Getting your setup right in terms of acquiring anti-tank weapons, organising your dismounts and deploying them is important. Of greater importance will be placing your four Target Reference Points as well as ensuring your surveillance assets have comprehensive coverage of the main road into Chervone in order to give you the best chance of success. Although the mission length is one hour, you can cease fire as soon as your last unit has exited the map anywhere along the exit zone along the southeast, south and southwest areas indicated. Note that any of your units remaining on the map at mission end will accrue points to the enemy. Notes LINE ZUBKOV (Named after Lieutenant Ivan Zubkov who was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Ukraine on 09 June 2015 for calling artillery on himself during the battle for Donetsk Airport) is an exit zone for enemy forces which means that enemy forces should be prevented from exiting the map in order for you to gain maximum points in relation to your Destroy objectives shown on the operational map graphic under “Tasks”. Here are the associated graphics: Strategic Map Operational Map Tactical Map

A good comparison is the German V weapon campaign in 1944-1945. A ton of effort and cash expended to achieve a physical effect on the targets that was comparable or less than conventional bombing during the Battle of Britain. The value of the campaign to the Nazi regime was to reinforce a myth of superiority and to reassure the populace that the enemy could be struck despite the grim battlefield situation.

The joy of these obstacles is that, as the footage shows, they can be easily found. That is a starter for ten for your ISR plan because you then look at the ground, known or assessed enemy strength in the area, the opposition's equipment capabilities, defensive doctrine and also apply the principles of defence as a gross error check. It is pretty easy from a combination of those factors to come up with some workable NAIs to find the whole defensive laydown - or at least enough of it to identify the weak spots and the location of any mobile reserve or counter penetration force.

You probably need one of them there screenshots to help us unpick it. Have you got command links turned on ... what are they showing?

For those scoffing at Russia preparing defences prompted by the Tweet showing a linear obstacle being created, I might suggest that many would say something along the lines of "they've had months to prepare defences but didn't bother ... how amateurish" had they not done so - in fact there are a bunch of posts to this effect on this thread regarding ground that Ukrainian forces have recently liberated. Integrated obstacles are a key element of any deliberate defence and are as relevant in the 21st Century as they have been since the advent of warfare as I'm sure @The_Capt will pitch in and confirm. If this debate is to remain informed, we need to beware the confirmation bias that is evident from this criticism of Russia preparing defences as well as other related influences. Objective and informed analysis should be our watchwords.

Dedicated thread for my scenario is here:

As stated in @kohlenklau's Christmas 2022 Scenario Thread .... My offering is set during the current Ukraine conflict. The scenario is fictional but set in a real place and was certainly an action that could have been fought had Russian forces made a serious attempt to push south to Barvinkove in May this year. The scenario is centred on Chervone on a 4.8km x 3.6km map: Topo Overlay Google Earth Overlay The Combat Mission Editor View The Combat Mission 3D Map Preview View More details to follow ...

Subtlety is rarely on show in his posts.

Either with us or without us .... congratulations on winning comedy hour with a false dichotomy. I support a Ukrainian victory, I have a flushable toilet and know how to use it, so I tick the civilization box if that is the measure by which civilization has been judged occasionally in this thread. I am not and never have suggested that Ukraine should cease existing, and I am not taking the Russian side. So "hypocritically" shall I take a dump on the floor for expressing this view?

I'm not convinced this is a bug, the bottom line is that players need to learn to micromanage their moves if they want their desired outcomes. The same principle applies to targeting commands and target arcs. It would be an issue if the game didn't give you the tools to achieve those outcomes but, by and large, those tools are there and generally perform as intended.

Ok - my promised offering is about a week off which will be for CMBS - final test complete so just got to do the graphics and the orders. It is set on a real piece of ground 4.8km x 3.6km in Ukraine but is a fictional mission as the Russians never got that far. I'll start a dedicated thread for it on the CMBS board once it is all put together. Meanwhile, some tasters ...

Thought the OPRA was on a Mk-12 rather than the Mk-13 chassis, but we are debating semantics for sure; however, there was a 105mm gun-armed AVRE (FV-4007 Centurion Mk 12 105mm AVRE) in addition to the FV-4003 Centurion 165mm AVRE, which funnily enough were conversions of the OPRAs which entered service with the RE in about 1982 once the gunners were finished with them. They were only equipped with the HESH round from what I can gather. Centurion AVRE 32 AER - LEICESTER MODELLERS (weebly.com)

And the Cent AVREs.

The PWs don't look frightened or hesitant enough to me but I have no doubt that it is reflective of similar arranged surrenders that have taken place.

Excluding smart munitions, the soft factors and suppression play a big part in indirect fire accuracy rather than the platform itself. The gold standard is an unsuppressed crack observer optimized for the type of asset being called in (eg JTAC for air and aviation, forward observer for guns) with observation over the complete designated area of the target calling in an unsuppressed crack indirect fire unit.

Let's face it - our cathedrals are nicer than anybody else's. On a less light note ... it illustrates the power of messaging and how it sticks in the psyche if promoted often enough.