kevinkin

Well a month or so left of winter here in NJ so here is a small battle with a very specific "combat mission". Unfortunately the fighting scattered all the coeds around the university they now called "Dead Square" Best played with the Winter Mod for CMRT.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d5k8a925z3xo3nm/AAC2U8ClCbjnnrPBzYfcor61a?dl=0
Kevin

Here is another thanks to the Winter Mod. It can be downloaded from FGM at http://www.thefewgoodmen.com/  And here is an active link to my dropbox for previous winter mod scenarios.  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2pg0j60lbsppkyj/AACWc6Q3asSOhpkMrDgupY7Da?dl=0
Dawn February 15, 1943 (Soviet Operation Star)
The once thriving city of Kharkov is shattered. Soviet and German forces are contesting control along a railroad spur southwest of Dzerzhinsky Square. As Operation Star unfolded, 25th GRD entered the battle. By 15 February, the Red Army had forced the Germans into an inner perimeter and threatened German lines of communication running south out of Kharkov. SS-Panzerkorps just vacated the city's northern suburbs and the Soviet 69th Army filled the void heading into the heart of Kharkov.
Category: Semi-Historical; Best played: Soviet or H2H recommended for initial games; Scenario length: 35+ min
Mission type: Soviet Attack (infantry only); AI: Plans for both sides
- Kevin

Thank you sir. I understand Bake may need them before the winter thaw.

Thank you for that. I know how exacting all that color work can be.
Kevin

This could have happened already. We all know about Russian bluster. To me its more important to signal western systems will keep flowing to defend the inevitable gains Ukraine makes this summer and fall even if they fall short of a compete liberation. The precious UA soldier needs to be used wisely. Bullets not Bodies. That's what I see happening on the ground. Multiple economy of force probes to train the new UA and provide enough success to kept DC in the game. I don't see how Ukraine can play it any better given the cards dealt. 

This could have happened already. We all know about Russian bluster. To me its more important to signal western systems will keep flowing to defend the inevitable gains Ukraine makes this summer and fall even if they fall short of a compete liberation. The precious UA soldier needs to be used wisely. Bullets not Bodies. That's what I see happening on the ground. Multiple economy of force probes to train the new UA and provide enough success to kept DC in the game. I don't see how Ukraine can play it any better given the cards dealt. 

Almost makes you want to puke:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/19/world/europe/ukraine-weapons-howitzers-contracts.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tap
If the west is selling that Ukraine is the pillar of hope for all freedom loving people, the status quo way of doing business has to stop. There is a lot SNAFU in war and waste of time and money and lives. 
As much of 30 percent of Kyiv’s arsenal is under repair at any given time — a high rate, defense experts said, for a military that needs every weapon it can get for its developing counteroffensive.
“If I was the head of an army that has gifted kit to Ukraine, I’d be professionally very embarrassed if I turned stuff around in bad order,” said Ben Barry, a land warfare expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
Ok, in the scheme of things these episodes may not matter. But they are sad nevertheless. High profile systems will do fine. F-16s won't fall out of the skies. HIMARs will work. Storm Shadows will be accurate. However, the guts of the day to day systems have to be numerous and high quality too. The west has to stop patting itself on the back and start breaking its back, and Russia's neck. 

Channeling Russia, China uses its people as Frisbees:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12205705/Chinese-military-expert-filed-patent-Covid-vaccine-died-mysterious-circumstances.html
US vaccine developers told investigators that it would have been impossible to have generated the data cited in the patent so swiftly – it would have taken about three months' work, meaning that scientists at the Wuhan Institute for Virology were secretly working on a Covid vaccine in November, two months before Beijing told the world about the pandemic.
This is only important here in the context that Russia and China are in bed together. And China might try a lot of mischief bailing out their proxy. 

I used CMO last night and came to the same conclusion. I never got around to posting since this thread moves at light speed. Thanks for posting in detail. I think this is a finding that we just have place in the back of our minds for now. Send me PM, I would enjoy looking at your CMO sandbox. There are a lot factors in play. But they are easy to adjust with that software. BTW, did you give the Ka-62 ground targets to engage? 

I do. There should be no shenanigans. Send Miley and Austin III as envoys to Putin and show him our Chinese menu of hurt. And the fortune cookies all have losing lottery numbers. Do it now, or there will nothing left in Ukraine to fight for other than fertile dirt. 

Or maybe he is making clear you guys go make pinatas out of the paper we print. Then let the candy fall to the floor for "our children" to enjoy. There a different arithmetic in Washington. Try applying that grammar schooling to a citizen's bills and checking accounts.   

Yeah it is. The video is all over the place and viewed countless times. It reminds me of the guys after work playing some game called Quake (90's) on the company network. Four of them giggling like school girls having just enough knowledge of military matters to make you laugh yourself. Some have told me they thought the vid was fake because "there's no blood". Like a 1960's war movie. If I were to view the video without any experience, I might come to the same conclusion. Many Americans are clueless on what is happening. Most frankly. They are too busy. Those that are into fake valor and the irresponsible use of firearms will rejoice in this video; those with real valor and use firearms responsibly will not.  

Yeah it is. The video is all over the place and viewed countless times. It reminds me of the guys after work playing some game called Quake (90's) on the company network. Four of them giggling like school girls having just enough knowledge of military matters to make you laugh yourself. Some have told me they thought the vid was fake because "there's no blood". Like a 1960's war movie. If I were to view the video without any experience, I might come to the same conclusion. Many Americans are clueless on what is happening. Most frankly. They are too busy. Those that are into fake valor and the irresponsible use of firearms will rejoice in this video; those with real valor and use firearms responsibly will not.  

No, it's not surprising. That's the point. Status quo. What would be surprising is if the west untangles the mess and saves Ukrainian lives in the process. If the west is reluctant to provide war winning firepower now, at least get the nuts and bolts straight. Put western maintenance crews on the ground. Yet another asymmetry to attack Russian with. (dismounting my high horse). 

Almost makes you want to puke:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/19/world/europe/ukraine-weapons-howitzers-contracts.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tap
If the west is selling that Ukraine is the pillar of hope for all freedom loving people, the status quo way of doing business has to stop. There is a lot SNAFU in war and waste of time and money and lives. 
As much of 30 percent of Kyiv’s arsenal is under repair at any given time — a high rate, defense experts said, for a military that needs every weapon it can get for its developing counteroffensive.
“If I was the head of an army that has gifted kit to Ukraine, I’d be professionally very embarrassed if I turned stuff around in bad order,” said Ben Barry, a land warfare expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
Ok, in the scheme of things these episodes may not matter. But they are sad nevertheless. High profile systems will do fine. F-16s won't fall out of the skies. HIMARs will work. Storm Shadows will be accurate. However, the guts of the day to day systems have to be numerous and high quality too. The west has to stop patting itself on the back and start breaking its back, and Russia's neck. 

Nice to see you back. Maybe I missed some of your posts. 
The US nationalized and thereby concentrated their supply chain. Namely, the railroads and shipping. Shipping was critical in the Pacific early after Pearl Harbor. The US also sent it's blood and treasure to foreign lands to wage global warfare. So the US supply chain had a vested interest in getting it right 24/7. No time off, no holidays, women in factories etc.. And the US had it good. The US effort was focused and not so dependent on a spider web of interdependencies. In house manufacturing. 
In this war, the US has not committed blood and treasure and the supply chain is full of interdependencies. Platitudes "a war to save ... " fill in the blank are just going result is stagnation. The west has to do something dramatic. The UA will have the ability to break the RA lines tactically, but what then? I remain hopeful that the "western" brigades can exploit those painful gains. But at some point their intended direction will narrow because of losses and allow the the RA to concentrate on and stop it. The west has to understand that at current level of support the territory of Ukraine might be regained, but leaving the nation a no mans land of constant warfare and drain on the west's economy. My word, will this become a fight over those grain fields. Or was that the point anyway.  

I used CMO last night and came to the same conclusion. I never got around to posting since this thread moves at light speed. Thanks for posting in detail. I think this is a finding that we just have place in the back of our minds for now. Send me PM, I would enjoy looking at your CMO sandbox. There are a lot factors in play. But they are easy to adjust with that software. BTW, did you give the Ka-62 ground targets to engage? 

I understand and agree with everything you said in the post. But if this is a war for western survival, we can't just strive for Bs and Cs. We have to demand As and Bs. Is it a pipe dream to expect better? NATO is confronting the piss poor Russians. If NATO gave just a bit of air power all the bureaucratic SNAFUs would not matter. But because the west is not, we have to excel elsewhere - like the supply chain. Pages back, I voiced concern on how dispersed Ukrainian support has been. The current model just confuses things. There is a term use in warfare called synchronization. Right now the west is playing out of tune. Not like grade schoolers, but not like the NY Philharmonic either. 

Almost makes you want to puke:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/19/world/europe/ukraine-weapons-howitzers-contracts.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tap
If the west is selling that Ukraine is the pillar of hope for all freedom loving people, the status quo way of doing business has to stop. There is a lot SNAFU in war and waste of time and money and lives. 
As much of 30 percent of Kyiv’s arsenal is under repair at any given time — a high rate, defense experts said, for a military that needs every weapon it can get for its developing counteroffensive.
“If I was the head of an army that has gifted kit to Ukraine, I’d be professionally very embarrassed if I turned stuff around in bad order,” said Ben Barry, a land warfare expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
Ok, in the scheme of things these episodes may not matter. But they are sad nevertheless. High profile systems will do fine. F-16s won't fall out of the skies. HIMARs will work. Storm Shadows will be accurate. However, the guts of the day to day systems have to be numerous and high quality too. The west has to stop patting itself on the back and start breaking its back, and Russia's neck. 

Almost makes you want to puke:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/19/world/europe/ukraine-weapons-howitzers-contracts.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tap
If the west is selling that Ukraine is the pillar of hope for all freedom loving people, the status quo way of doing business has to stop. There is a lot SNAFU in war and waste of time and money and lives. 
As much of 30 percent of Kyiv’s arsenal is under repair at any given time — a high rate, defense experts said, for a military that needs every weapon it can get for its developing counteroffensive.
“If I was the head of an army that has gifted kit to Ukraine, I’d be professionally very embarrassed if I turned stuff around in bad order,” said Ben Barry, a land warfare expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
Ok, in the scheme of things these episodes may not matter. But they are sad nevertheless. High profile systems will do fine. F-16s won't fall out of the skies. HIMARs will work. Storm Shadows will be accurate. However, the guts of the day to day systems have to be numerous and high quality too. The west has to stop patting itself on the back and start breaking its back, and Russia's neck. 

Fixed winged vs Choppers:
https://theaviationgeekclub.com/attack-helicopter-crews-explain-why-an-attack-helicopter-if-properly-flown-would-defeat-most-fighter-airplanes-in-1v1-air-combat/
I remember this article from a few years ago:
In 1978/79 US Army and US Air Force conducted a joint experiment called Joint Countering Attack Helicopter (J-CATCH). J-CATCH focused on dissimilar air combat between jet fighters and attack helicopters. To the surprise of many involved in the program, the helicopters proved extremely dangerous to the fighters when they were properly employed, racking up a 5-to-1 kill ratio over the fighters when fighting at close ranges with guns.
Typical helicopter turn rates are 30 to 40 degrees per second, three times that of the fighter, even at high g, so the fighter will find the helicopters weapons always engaging it during any serious contest. If the helicopter gun and missiles were selected for anti-aircraft (like the 30mm guns on the Mi-24 and KA-50/51), the results are that the attack helicopter becomes like a rapidly mobile SAM site, a very dangerous target.’

Fixed winged vs Choppers:
https://theaviationgeekclub.com/attack-helicopter-crews-explain-why-an-attack-helicopter-if-properly-flown-would-defeat-most-fighter-airplanes-in-1v1-air-combat/
I remember this article from a few years ago:
In 1978/79 US Army and US Air Force conducted a joint experiment called Joint Countering Attack Helicopter (J-CATCH). J-CATCH focused on dissimilar air combat between jet fighters and attack helicopters. To the surprise of many involved in the program, the helicopters proved extremely dangerous to the fighters when they were properly employed, racking up a 5-to-1 kill ratio over the fighters when fighting at close ranges with guns.
Typical helicopter turn rates are 30 to 40 degrees per second, three times that of the fighter, even at high g, so the fighter will find the helicopters weapons always engaging it during any serious contest. If the helicopter gun and missiles were selected for anti-aircraft (like the 30mm guns on the Mi-24 and KA-50/51), the results are that the attack helicopter becomes like a rapidly mobile SAM site, a very dangerous target.’

He hasn't put his foot in his mouth. But the more he weighs into US politics the chance of a misunderstood statement increases. More risk than reward. Just hold serve and let the the back channels work the details as the offensive unfolds. Ukraine can't afford unforced errors and any arena. 

From the war zone:
But to give Ukraine its best fighting chance, Milley said that tens of thousands of its troops have been trained by the U.S. and partners.
“More than 6,000 Ukrainians are being trained right now at 40 different training locations, training locations, in 65 courses in 33 nations on three continents. That is all happening right now. Today,.”
This begs the question: Is this the correct way to train troops for battle? I bet he is bean counting and the training is not that dispersed at all. Given all the donated equipment of various types, it would mean an armed force starting to be based on the Golden Coral concept. 33 nations is great, but a more concentrated effort is probably more efficient. You know, don't send a gift, send a gift card. 

He hasn't put his foot in his mouth. But the more he weighs into US politics the chance of a misunderstood statement increases. More risk than reward. Just hold serve and let the the back channels work the details as the offensive unfolds. Ukraine can't afford unforced errors and any arena.