Sandokan

This can happen if you are using the Dismount order  (I don't know if you are or not).  If you are using Dismount it has the effect of making infantry dismount at the start of the turn. It allows you to dismount infantry and then move the AFV, in one turn. Whereas the infantry movement orders allows you to move the AFV, and then dismount the infantry.
So you plot the AFV movement waypoints.  You also plot the infantry movement waypoints (ignore dismount).  The infantry will stay in the vehicle until the vehicle stops (as planned or due to enemy action).  After the vehicle stops the infantry will dismount and attempt to follow their waypoints.  

Good evening all,
@BFCElvis has granted permission for some preview pics to be shared with the community of the upcoming Dutch Campaign revamp. (The remaining CMSF campaigns haven't been forgotten ).
Dutch Campaign revamp for CMSF2 is being handled by @Imperial Grunt and Ithikial_AU.
Some of the key changes from CMSF1 version (slight spoilers)
- Reworked briefings to provide more narrative flavour around the Dutch effort and it's role in the wider conflict.
- Lowered campaign difficulty to be more accessible to players of varying skill levels. (Don't worry I don't think having to undertake MOUT missions with a small Company(+) force will be considered "easy"). There was an initial 15% casualty rule in the old campaign, equating to automatic scenario and potentially campaign loss - this was considered pretty harsh. Some hunting around archive forum posts on the Battlefront forums helped identify issues. We were also aware the CMSF engine had evolved since the original release, with automatic weapons now being much more lethal making this parameter difficult for players to meet.
- Victory conditions and campaign script reworked for some scenarios to reflect their close timing and geography between battles. For example, shared support assets, no ammunition resupply, the next missions time of day dependent on the outcome of battle before etc.
- Infantry replenishment added at key points of the campaign.
- Maps tweaked to take advantage of new map features (water, bridges, fortifications etc). Some urban maps have been cratered/ruined to reflect the timing of the campaign in the wider conflict.
- Changes to AI plans to take advantage of new features introduced since CMSF’s release.
- Joint ops for all. (You'll have to play through the campaign to know what that means).
So I guess the cat is out of the bag. I was asked to come on board to help out earlier in the year and the first task I got was helping out on this one. Most of the work is done with scenarios individually tested and tweaks made. We're just waiting on briefing graphics and final blind runs through the entire campaign to see how it plays. Obviously R2V has priority at the moment but for the modern war fans there's something around the corner.
Cheers
Ithikial
 

"MOUT again?"
 

Tweaked mission conditions and maps.
 

The Syrians get some new toys. Your air support is no longer invincible.
 

Reworked maps. In this MOUT engagement the city isn't as pristine as it once was.

Guided mortar round. You need a forward observer with laser designator to paint the target.

Alright, let's get into the fighting proper with this update: 
---------
1820-1825:
The action begins with enemy artillery landing near the palace; a mixed mission of air bursting high explosive and slow-building smoke. The palace, as I suspected, would be a magnet for fire and there are no losses among the few men emplaced there. BP2 reports BMPs in the area beyond Engagement Area 2 simultaneously with the enemy barrage. Reports begin to come in quickly from BP2 and 3 over the next few minutes. One of particular note is the spot report of a UAZ on high ground to the west of EA3. I suspect it belongs to an enemy forward observer team and luckily enough BP3 is best furnished of all the positions with forward observers. Harassing 81mm fire is ordered on the high ground to discourage or kill the suspected enemy forward observer. Post battle analysis later confirms that several scout teams and a forward observer had did moved onto that plateau and suffered casualties as a result.
 
 
Enemy smoke begins to build by Battle Position 2, masking my dismounts' field of fire for a time.

At 1823 tank and auto cannon fire began to impact an area of scrub and bush, at that time unoccupied, to the right of BP2. Obviously this is speculative suppressive fires. The origin of this inbound fire was rapidly established to be coming from several platoon sized elements of T-72s, followed closely behind by BMPs. They advanced over the same high ground being impacted by my mortars, roaring into what I had identified as COA3 and towards EA3. By the end of the minute the entire company is aware of the enemy thrust and a rapid, coordinated reaction was as a result possible.
 
 
Firing as they move, the threat forces debouch off the high ground and move into Engagement Area 3.

BP2 had no javelins and was at any rate at this time completely masked by the enemy smoke, making their position useless. They were ordered to remount and, joining with the 2IC and his reserve Javelin team, assume a new, hasty BP. They would help with inflicting losses on this enemy thrust as they entered EA3. The overarching idea: Maximize the scant dead ground I had behind the palace and the mobility of my units. The goal was to have anti-tank infantry and then anti-infantry armour. As this shift occurs, the enemy thrust enters the designated free-fire zone of the Javelins at BP3. Two Javelins are fired by the detachment emplaced there, scoring a single kill. The Javelins displace rapidly to new locations within the BP.
 
 
The Javelins engage. Sticking with the idea of letting my Warriors engage the BMPs, the Javelins - operating on limited ammo - engage enemy T-72s instead.
 
 
Situation at 1825. Showing the ground for the Hasty Battle Position and the thrust of the enemy,

As BP2 dismounts rush to their Warriors to remount, an advancing T-72 acquires a Warrior that becomes exposed and sends a round crashing through the smoke and into it just as the infantry
remount. Miraculously, only a crewman is made a loss and the dismounts tumble out, panicked, but safe. They fall back to the palace, heedless to the world for the time being. The end of minute 1825 sees a rapid series of developments: the 2IC’s attached Javelin team has already taken position in the Hasty BP and scored a satisfying kill. A Javelin at BP3 likewise bag another T72 from their new firing positions. BP1 starts to report the enemy thrust broadening out into EA2 and, more alarmingly, reports enemy dismounts and BMPs swinging out to the left, near a rise behind EA1. Finally, the radio squelches with the welcome announcement that the promised Harriers are at their checkpoint and ready to provide us with anti-tank air support.

Hey everyone, figured I'd share an AAR of a recently completed single player mission. I know its not as dramatic as a MP battle but I simply don't have time to commit to PBEMs as of late and as I'm sure everyone is aware single player has been much revitalised since the 4.0 patches - it's also a great way to remind people that even if the engine is showing its age, it's a good looking one. Taking the time to make an AAR lets me slow my roll, enjoy the action a bit and learn in the process.  I'll be updating this roughly every couple of days, everything's already complete. More to come I believe if there's enough interest. Without further ado:
____
Recipe for Disaster 
Situation:
It is the 27th of June 2008. The coalition invasion of Syria is in full swing. I am the commander of A Company (Coy) of the 1st Battalion (Scots Guards) of the 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade. My unit is currently stationed at an abandoned palace at the edge of the Syrian desert, resting and refitting after a series of actions. The bulk of the brigade is conducting operations to isolate city of B’ir Basiri in advance of lighter units assaulting to reduce it.
This area was supposed to be quiet and clear, yet alarmed messages from HQ and dust clouds on the horizon herald trouble is afoot and it’s coming for us! Evidently, a Syrian force has managed to remain unmolested in the desert as intelligence and air assets focused their attentions on B’ir Basiri.
Battalion and Brigade are organizing a quick reaction force and are promising us priorities from several indirect and air power assets. For now, I must look to the defense of my command with what is to hand.
Enemy Forces:
Unknown. Electronic intelligence has identified radio-communications between what appears to be at least three separate callsigns. This suggests that the enemy approaching me may be a battalion in strength.
Key Terrain and Enemy Courses of Action:
Much about the enemy is unknown, asides that they are advancing on us from the west. I have identified three general courses of action the enemy could make:

The battlescape, with an overlay showing Key Terrain (KT) and what I believe the enemy can and will do.
Course of Action (COA) 1 is a thrust through the open desert to the NW into a shallow dip in the ground. While not visible in the above overlay, there is a sandy piece of ground with a grove of palm trees as you approach KT01 that could provide cover. This first course of action I largely discounted: it had the least cover and an advance over it would be exposed to no less than four of the positions I had planned on occupying.

Looking west towards KT 01 (left) and 02 (right). Asides from scrub and chaparral, these rises offer little cover and concealment but are undeniably good positions in a pinch.
COA 2 was deemed a more likely route. It runs through a small valley formed by four jagged outcroppings, though the distance between these features is more than wide enough to allow the deployment of a combat formation. There is a palm grove in the valley that offers good cover and concealment, while the approach out of the valley has many small folds in the ground that could provide decent fire positions.

Once again looking west, from KT 02 into KT 03. The ground that the enemy would have to cross if they were to take COA2.
COA3 was the one I judged to have been the most likely route of advance. It would have been the one I would have selected had I been the opposing commander. While the terrain in that half of the battlescape is generally open, it is only adequately covered by two pieces of key terrain – KT 04 and 05 – one of which was the palace itself, a position that could be easily suppressed. If the enemy were supported by indirect fires and advanced swiftly and in strength they could easily break in and roll up my flank. Exacerbating the issue is that KT 05 was, similar to KTs 01 and 02, a small rise that provided good fields of fire but unlike these former positions was isolated, offered no good options to retreat and was far more sparsely vegetated. To KT 05’s front was a sparse palm grove in low ground that could provide a good position to establish a support by fire from the enemy.

KT 04, the Palace, as seen from the enemy's point of view. Due to the slope to its front the positions that could observe and fire on the enemy were few and obvious. 

The view from KT05 , looking west. The palm grove. High ground to the left also provided the enemy with a good position to support any thrust. 
Scheme of Maneuver:
As a result of the near total lack of information about the enemy force’s size, composition and greater objective, I settled for a defense-in-sector. However, that does not mean I fail to select alternate battle positions. My men all had access to armoured fighting vehicles, allowing for flexibility in the sector. As I had identified several courses of action the enemy could take, I selected obvious, though strong, positions that could fire on at least two of the three expected paths of enemy attack.
Further, a series of engagement areas (EAs) were identified as the sweet spot I would want to open up on the enemy with if I had the luxury of being able to hold my fire.
Three battle positions (BPs) were selected. Units were distributed in the following manner:
BP1: occupied by 2nd platoon (+), with a planned fall back to the cluster of buildings to the left-rear of the palace; BP2: Occupied by 3rd platoon (+), with a planned fall back into the palace itself; and BP3: Occupied by 1st platoon (+), which I had great difficulty in selecting an alternate position for – of all the positions there’s was the most precarious. Additionally, a small ‘light armoured reserve’ which consisted of the Coy second in command (2IC), the Company Headquarters’ fighting vehicles, a javelin team and miscellaneous vehicles was kept in immediate reserve in the reverse slope of the palace. I put little faith in their ability to really influence the battle.

The scheme of maneuver, or rather, the battle positions. EA = Engagement areas where I hope to hit the enemy hardest. 
Command and Control:
The left flank of the company’s line was held by the 2nd platoon, reinforced with a javelin detachment of two teams.
The center was held by the 3rd platoon, reinforced only by the company headquarters, a forward observer and some marksman teams emplaced in the palace.
The right was held by the 1st platoon, directly in front of what I felt was the most likely route of attack. As a result, it had the best and most immediate access to fire support. They are reinforced with a javelin team, a fires party from the supporting AS90 battery and the company’s Tactical Air Controller Party (TACP).
On the subject of fires, the following assets were ultimately available to me:
Light mortars, which are organic to every armoured rifle platoon; Battalion level 81mms, already on call; An AS90 battery of 4 x 155mm tubes, already on call and primed for missions; and A flight of 2 x Harriers with a light anti-tank loadout, at the time of the engagement they are ETA 5 minutes.

Combat Mission/Command: Modern Air Naval Operations AAR
Consulate Crisis
By IICptMillerII

 
INTRODUCTION
This is a hybrid after action report (AAR) using two simulators, Combat Mission Shock Force 2 (CMSF2) to depict the tactical ground combat, and Command: Modern Air Naval Operations (CMANO) to depict the naval and aerial combat. This scenario features a conflict at a US and Canadian consulate in the fictional Middle Eastern/North African city and country of Al Mout, Abbudin.  
The CMSF2 map was built by LongLeftFlank and then modified by MOS:96B2P for his scenario “The Coup” and is being used with his permission. All credit goes to LongLeftFlank for designing this excellent map and to MOS:96B2P for designing the scenario. I have modified both BluFor and OpFor forces as well as their respective objectives, as well as add in some relevant battle damage, but otherwise the map remains in its original layout.
Carrier Strike Group 12 is a historically accurate recreation of the USS Enterprise cruise to the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf from June to December of 2007. The USS Enterprise carrier air wing, and all supporting ships are accurate to the 2007 cruise.
This scenario is not designed to be balanced. BluFor is significantly stronger and more capable than OpFor in nearly every way. This is more a showcase of a hybrid AAR between two sims carrying out an operation that fully incorporates both sims strongpoints (CMSF2 for ground warfare, CMANO for naval/air warfare) and weaving them together to tell a story. It is also a proof of concept to see how viable creating hybrid AARs like this is. My advice is to treat this like a superhero movie; there is no doubt about the ending, but you still enjoy the journey.
This AAR features several mods. Chief among them are:
Veins Smoke and Effects mod Drakenlords Fire mod Regime Forces by myself playing the OpFor DISCLAIMER:
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this AAR are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
CMANO DISCLAIMER:
CMANO is designed to accurately portray military hardware from real world nations, from the years of 1980-2020+ and 1920-1979 (not used in this scenario). It simulates the planet Earth using open source terrain data. While fictional factions can be created and named so, the globe itself cannot be edited. The real-world location of this scenario is located in Libya, however the above disclaimer still applies. This scenario is not meant to portray Libya in any way. It is entirely fictional.
 
SITUATION:
Over the past few months the Abbudin Regime has been increasingly belligerent. On numerous occasions they have used their large air force to intercept commercial aircraft and shipping in international territory. In response to this, the UN passed a resolution enforcing economic sanctions against Abbudin. The Abbudin Regime responded by increasing their interceptions, in a few notable cases forcing commercial aircraft to land at Abbudin airports and be subject to “inspections.” The so-called inspections were largely just the Regime seizing commercial property for their own. In response to the Regimes increasingly belligerent actions, the United States deployed the USS Enterprise carrier strike group (CSG) and the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (2nd MEU) aboard the USS Wasp to the Mediterranean. Additional military assets in the Mediterranean have been put on high alert.
Two days ago, large numbers of Regime military units were seen moving into the city of Al Mout, the location of the US and Canadian consulates. They began heavily patrolling the city in what appeared to be a martial law posture. Last night, the Canadian consulate was surrounded by the Regime’s military forces. The Regime has demanded an end to the economic sanctions and for the US to recall the USS Enterprise away from Abbudin waters. A tense standoff ensued, with the Regime changing their ultimatum deadline seemingly at random. Finally, at 0200 local this morning the Regime’s military forces stormed the Canadian consulate. There have been reports of gunshots being fired inside the consulate and the fate of the consulate personnel is unknown.
Two hours later, US naval and Marine forces were given the green light to initiate combat operations in the city of Al Mout in order to evacuate the US consulate and rescue any surviving Canadian consulate personnel.
 
MISSION:
The primary objective is to evacuate US and Canadian consulate personnel from Al Mout, recover/destroy any sensitive material at both consulates, and withdraw from the city.
Mission Specific Tasks:
Carrier Strike Group 12 (USS Enterprise):
Establish local air superiority over friendly naval assets, the city of Al Mout and surrounding area Strike strategic targets in and around Al Mout Strike Al Mout International Airport in order to prevent Abbudin Regime air force from being able to sortie Conduct Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD/DEAD) Provide close air support (CAS) to US forces in Al Mout Task Force Wasp:
Transport and deploy 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (2nd MEU) amphibiously to the shore of Al Mout Provide naval and close air support to 2nd MEU Receive US and Canadian evacuees Provide emergency medical care to casualties 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit:
Conduct amphibious infiltration of Al Mout Secure both US and Canadian consulates Evacuate US and Canadian consulate personnel to USS Wasp Desired End State:
All US/Canadian consulate personnel recovered All sensitive materials recovered/destroyed All US ground forces withdrawn from city  
Area of Operations (AO) and Initial Deployment:

Close-up of Al Mout and Surrounding Area:

 
ENEMY:
Regime Military Forces:
The Abbudin military is typical of many Middle East/North African dictatorships. It has a large arsenal of older Soviet-era equipment, such as the T-72 and T-62 tanks, and BMPs for infantry fighting vehicles (IFV). The military is made up of roughly 6 divisions and a number of independent brigades, including special forces units that are primarily tasked with guarding key regime assets.
Enemy Air Forces:
The Regime has a large air force, mostly made up of old Soviet-era aircraft. These include the Mig-21, 23, and 25, along with a small fleet of Mi-25D gunship helicopters and Mi-8 helicopters for troop transport and logistics. Additionally, they have several SU-22M attack aircraft. These are capable of carrying the AS-9 anti-radiation missile with a range of 65nm, which can potentially threaten friendly ships. They have roughly a regiments worth of each fixed wing aircraft variant (20-25 aircraft per regiment) and about a squadron of each helicopter variant (10-18 helicopters per squadron) in range of the area of operations (AO). The Abbudin air force is not known to have any airborne AEW or EW aircraft, though they likely have some conventional reconnaissance aircraft equipped with cameras and ELINT equipment.
Al Mout International Airport is just outside the city and has a significant number of air force assets, including at least one full squadron of Mi-25D gunship helicopters and another full squadron of Mi-8 helicopters. Both the Mig-21 and Mig-23 can be outfitted in ground attack roles. The SU-22M is a ground attack aircraft, though they are expected to be tasked in an anti-surface warfare (ASuW) role. The Mig-25 variant operated by the Abbudin air force is an interceptor only. 

Enemy Naval Forces:
The Abbudin navy is essentially non-existent. They do not operate any craft larger than small patrol boats armed with small arms which are not expected to be a factor.
Enemy Air Defense Network (ADN):
Abbudin’s air defense network is extensive, though dated. In the vicinity of Al Mout, there are at least two groups of SA-6 Gainful SAM (surface to air missile) sites (roughly 10-14 launchers per group) and at least one battalion of SA-2 Guideline SAM launchers (roughly 3-6 launchers per battalion). These SAM sites pose the most direct threat to our forces, as they actively cover both the city of Al Mout and Al Mout International Airport.
Further, there are a number of SA-5 Gammon SAM groups. The SA-5 has a range of 150nm, meaning these sites will be a close second priority for SEAD/DEAD missions. There are multiple SA-5 sites that cover Al Mout airspace, one to the North of the city and another to the West.
There are also several radar sites, including the P-14 Tall King, P-18 Spoon Rest, P-40 Long Track, and P-80 Back Net air search radars. All these radars have sensor ranges in excess of 100nm with overlapping coverage areas. Many of the radar sites are located near SAM sites and thus will have some form of protection against air strikes.  
Enemy Ground Forces in Al Mout:
Regular Regime military forces wear a uniform that is part olive drab, part knockoff DPM camouflage in an arid configuration. Their helmets are tan colored with red triangles on the front.
The exact number and composition of enemy ground forces present in the city is not fully known at this time. From what intelligence there is, it is expected that the Regime has at least one company of mechanized infantry in the city, mounted in BMP-1’s. There have also been confirmed reports of both T-72M1 and T-62 tanks, though their exact number and location is not currently known.



Additionally, the Regime is operating a large military police (MP) force in the city right now. These are essentially dismounted infantry operating on foot or out of light vehicles such as the Russian made UAZ car and URAL trucks.  MPs can be identified by their white helmets, red armbands and plain olive drab uniforms. There are likely two companies worth of MPs operating in the region of the city that the consulates are in, though an exact estimate is not possible at this time.


It is expected that once hostilities commence and the Regime determines our objectives to be centered in Al Mout, they will attempt to reinforce the city from outside. There is at least a battalion’s worth of mechanized infantry that can be road marched to the city within a matter of hours. Other units are present but will take longer to reach the city.
Irregular Forces:
The Abbudin military is largely a conventional force. They are not expected to have paramilitary or irregular forces in any significant numbers.
 
 
TERRAIN AND WEATHER:
The city of Al Mout is located on the coast and is surrounded by desert. Temperatures during the day are expected to reach a high of 90° F. The weather is forecasted to be a mix of clear and partly cloudy over the course of the next three days and should not hinder aerial or amphibious operations.

 
TROOPS:
Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG 12):
USS Enterprise CVN VFA-211 12x F/A-18F VMFA-251 12x F/A-18C VFA-136 12x F/A-18C VFA-86 12x F/A-18C VAQ-137 4x EA-6B VAW-123 4x E-2C 2000 VS-32 8x S-3B HS-11 6x SH-60F 2x HH-60H USS Gettysburg CG USS Arleigh Burke DDG USS Forrest Sherman DDG USS James E Williams DDG USS Stout DDG USS Philadelphia SSN USNS Supply T-AOE CSG 12 is the main aerial and naval effort of this operation. The USS Enterprise is equipped with its entire carrier air wing. She has 36 F/A-18C Hornet multirole fighters, 12 of the new F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighters, and a full complement of support aircraft including the E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and EA-6 Prowler Electronic Warfare (EW) aircraft. A carrier air wing carries an immense amount of firepower for both enemy air and ground targets.
Supporting the Enterprise is her primary air defender, the guided missile cruiser (CG) USS Gettysburg. The Gettysburg carries a suite of anti-air missiles that can shoot down both incoming aircraft and missiles at ranges out to 150nm. The extremely powerful AEGIS radar greatly enhances her ability by allowing her to simultaneously scan, track and engage multiple targets from multiple bearings, as well as hand off targeting info to coordinate air defense with other ships. Four guided missile destroyers (DDGs) provide additional air defense, as well as an overwhelming land strike capability. There are 224 Tomahawk missiles (112x RGM-109C, 112x RGM-109E) between these four destroyers.
Also in support is the USS Philadelphia, a Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine (SSN) which brings with her an additional 8 Tomahawk missiles (4x UGM-109C, 4x UGM-109E). She is primarily assigned to Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and is not expected to play a major role in this operation.
Task Force Wasp:
USS Wasp 4x AH-1W 4x CH-53E 4x MV-22B 6x AV-8B 2x CH-46E 4x UH-1N 2x HH-60H 4x SH-60F USS Ticonderoga CG USS Bainbridge DDG USS Oak Hill LSD Task Force Wasp is an amphibious assault group that carries the 2nd MEU and all assets required to support the MEU during amphibious operations. She is equipped with her own suite of aircraft, though these are primarily to support the MEU while engaged or perform logistical functions. The four AH-1W Super Cobra’s and AV-8B Harriers can provide the Marines with on call CAS, while the CH-53s, MV-22s and CH-46s all provide a heavy lift capability.
The Wasp is escorted by a CG and a DDG with the same roles as the CG and DDGs assigned to the Enterprise; defend the air space and strike land-based targets.
2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit:
A Marine Expeditionary Unit is a reinforced battalion capable of quickly responding to flashpoints around the world and conducting sustained amphibious operations. Due to the nature of this operation, no heavy lift amphibious craft are available, meaning the Marines will have to leave their tanks and Humvee’s behind. Two companies of Marines will secure the consulates and will be supported by the battalion headquarters, an engineer platoon, scout sniper platoon, reconnaissance platoon and the AAV platoon that will transport all personnel to and from the beach. This consolidated force is called the Marine Landing Party. C Company, the third rifle company of the MEU, will stay on USS Wasp as a Quick Reaction Force (QRF), responding if needed.
Marine Landing Party:
Battalion Headquarters Scout Sniper Platoon Engineer Platoon Reconnaissance Platoon AAV Platoon A Company B Company Quick Reaction Force:
C Company Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay:
1x U-2S 1x RQ-4B 1x EC-130H 3x KC-135R 2x E-3C A number of supporting assets are located at the NATO naval base at Souda Bay on the island of Crete. All of these are support assets. A U-2 spy plane and RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV will provide constant on-station reconnaissance of Al Mout and the surrounding area. The EC-130 Compass Call will provide offensive electronic warfare capabilities such as jamming specific enemy radar and SAM sites. KC-135s will provide aerial refueling capability allowing station aircraft to remain in the air longer, and E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Command System (AWACS) will provide additional AEW support if needed.
Due to the rapid escalation in Al Mout, some assets at NSA Souda Bay are still being prepared and will not be ready for at least a few hours, namely the AWACS and refueling aircraft. The U-2 is already airborne and flying a racetrack pattern waiting for the enemy ADN to be reduced, and the Global Hawk is ready to be launched.
TIME:
The date is 5 May. The time is currently 0500 Zulu, 0600 Local. Amphibious operations are templated to begin by 1000 Zulu, though this is subject to the reduction of enemy air and air defense assets.
 
CIVILIAN CONSIDERATIONS:
Al Mout is a populated city full of civilians. Efforts to reduce civilian casualties are being taken primarily in the form of weapon use restrictions. Only precision guided munitions are authorized for use within city limits. These weapons include JDAMs and Tomahawks but exclude weapons such as unguided bombs (ex. Mk82 without JDAM conversion, CBU cluster bombs) or naval gunfire support from 127mm deck guns.
Once troops are in direct contact, the use of unguided weapons for CAS is authorized (such as unguided rockets fired from Super Cobra gunships) but only against positively identified enemy targets. All other use of unguided munitions within city limits remains restricted.
Personnel not in uniform registering weapons cannot be engaged unless they engage friendly units first. All uniformed enemy combatants are free to be engaged at will.
INITIAL TASKINGS
CSG 12:
CSG 12 is initially the main effort. It is tasked with both establishing and maintaining air superiority, as well as carrying out strikes against enemy radar, air defense, and strategic targets.
USS Enterprise CVN is the flagship and will support naval aviation as well as being the primary command and control center for this operation USS Gettysburg CG will provide comprehensive air defense to the carrier and ships of CSG 12 USS Arleigh Burke will strike targets designated in Strike Package North USS Forrest Sherman will strike targets designated in Strike Package West USS James E Williams will strike targets designated in Strike Package Airport USS Stout will strike targets designated in Strike Package Al Mout USS Philadelphia SSN will provide electronic intelligence (ELINT) and maritime surveillance, and pilot recovery USNS Supply T-AOE will provide on-station replenishment if necessary and aid in pilot recovery if needed Map of Strike Packages:

 
Naval Aviation:
The primary conventional striking power of the US Navy, the entire carrier air wing will be tasked with establishing air superiority and striking enemy military and strategic targets in order to allow the Marines to conduct their amphibious infiltration and evacuate the consulates.
VFA-211 (F/A-18F) will establish and maintain a combat air patrol (CAP) over CSG 12 and Task Force Wasp in order to maintain air superiority over all friendly naval assets VMFA-251 (F/A-18C) will remain on standby, ready to perform CAS for the Marine landing party once it has been deployed VFA-136 (F/A-18C) will perform SEAD/DEAD strikes in cooperation with Tomahawk strikes from CSG 12 ships VFA-86 (F/A-18C) will conduct an alpha strike (entire squadron sorties) against Al Mout International Airport with the goal of destroying enemy aircraft on the ground and eliminating the ability of the airport to support flight operations VAQ-137 (EA-6B) will provide EW support in the form of ELINT and directed jamming VAW-123 (S-3B) will provide aerial support, such as aerial refueling, as well as maritime surveillance HS-11 (HH/SH-60) will provide anti-surface warfare (ASW), maritime surveillance and pilot recovery Task Force Wasp:
Task Force Wasp will transport the 2nd MEU close enough to the shores of Al Mout to conduct the amphibious infiltration, will support the Marines during their infiltration, and then will receive and care for all consulate personnel and any casualties sustained during land operations.
USS Wasp will support both aerial operations and Marine amphibious operations, and will receive all evacuated consulate personnel and casualties suffered during land operations 4x AH-1W will provide Marines with CAS while embarked on amphibious operations 4x CH-53E can provide heavy lift support of both land and naval operations 4x MV-22B can provide heavy lift support of both land and naval operations 6x AV-8B will provide Marines with CAS while embarked on amphibious operations 2x CH-46E can provide heavy lift support of both land and naval operations as well as pilot recovery and humanitarian assistance 4x UH-1N can provide logistical support to both naval and land operations as well as pilot recovery 2x HH-60H can provide logistical support to both naval and land operations as well as pilot recovery 4x SH-60F will provide ASW and maritime surveillance to Task Force Wasp USS Ticonderoga CG will provide comprehensive air defense to the carrier and ships of Task Force Wasp USS Bainbridge DDG will provide air defense and maritime surveillance, and is capable (though not initially tasked with) conducting land strikes with Tomahawks USS Oak Hill LSD will provide amphibious support to Marines and can receive Marines, consulate personnel and casualties as an alternative to USS Wasp 2nd MEU:
Upon arriving on station off the coast of Al Mout, the 2nd MEU will conduct an amphibious infiltration of the city. Using amphibious vehicles and supported by CAS, they will make landfall and proceed into the city to the US and Canadian consulates. They will evacuate all personnel and human remains (if/where applicable) and remove or destroy any sensitive materials before withdrawing from the city and returning to Task Force Wasp. A detailed landing plan and tasking follows in the next section titled “Amphibious Plan.”
 
Special Assets:
Special assets are designated as units not operating directly from either CSG 12 or Task Force Wasp. They are primarily reconnaissance and support units, providing constant direct intelligence gathering capabilities and EW support as well as aerial refueling and AEW
 
1x U-2S is tasked with providing direct imaging and intelligence gathering of Al Mout and the surrounding area to give commanders a better idea of the situation on the ground and to provide early warning and tracking to new threats, such as enemy reinforcements to the city 1x RQ-4B is tasked with providing direct imaging and intelligence gathering of Al Mout and the surrounding area to give commanders a better idea of the situation on the ground and to provide early warning and tracking to new threats, such as enemy reinforcements to the city 1x EC-130H is tasked with providing comprehensive EW support in the form of direct jamming of specific enemy radar and air defense assets as well as providing additional ELINT support 3x KC-135R is tasked with providing aerial refueling 2x E-3C is tasked with providing additional AEW Emissions Control (EMCON):
EMCON BRAVO
All ships will restrict radiation emissions (radars are off) but can still communicate and data transfer All aircraft are EMCON DELTA – unrestricted emissions
 
AMPHIBIOUS PLAN
Plan:

 
The amphibious plan is as follows. The engineers will land first and perform a quick sweep of the beach for mines and obstacles. Imagery shows that the beach should be clear and free of mines and obstacles, so the sweep should be quick. A and B Companies along with the scout sniper and recon platoon and battalion headquarters element will land when cleared to by the engineers.
The engineers will make breaches large enough for AAV’s to pass through at breach points Elmer and Fudd.
A Company will proceed through breach point Elmer onto MSR Wiley to MSR Market. At the intersection of MSR Market and Wiley, blocking position Bugs will be established. Then the company will continue down MSR Liberty to the US consulate. Similarly, B Company will proceed through breach point Fudd onto MSR Coyote to MSR Market. At the intersection of MSR Market and Maple, blocking position Bunny will be established. Then the company will continue down MSR Maple to the Canadian consulate.
Upon reaching the consulates, the Marines will secure the compounds and establish a security perimeter. Scout snipers will establish overwatch points on the roofs of the consulates. The Marines will first evacuate consulate personnel to the AAVs, then secure/destroy any sensitive materials on site.
Once the consulates are secured and policed, each company will withdraw to their respective blocking positions, recover the Marines manning those positions, and then withdraw to the beach. From there everyone will amphibiously embark and return to the ships of Task Force Wasp.
Taskings:
A Company: Establish blocking position Elmer on MSR Market, move to and secure US consulate via MSR Liberty B Company: Establish blocking position Fudd on MSR Market, move to and secure Canadian consulate via MSR Maple Engineer Platoon: Provide initial beach screening and breach points at point Bugs (for A Co) and Bunny (for B Co) to allow immediate road access to MSR Scout Sniper Platoon: Will provide rooftop security at both consulates once they have been secured Recon Platoon: Reinforce blocking positions C Company: QRF Landing Plan:
A MEU comes with 12 AAV-7s organic to the formation. Due to the size of the Marine Landing Party and the lack of use of other amphibious landing craft, there are not enough AAVs to land the entire landing party at the same time. The landing party will infil and exfil in waves, designated below:
Infil:
1.      Engineers, Scout Snipers, Recon platoon
2.      A Company, Battalion Headquarters
3.      B Company
Exfil:
1.      Engineers, Scout Snipers, Recon platoon, all consulate personnel and casualties not already evacuated
2.      A Company
3.      B Company, Battalion Headquarters
 
Supporting Fires:
Once ashore, and as long as the airspace remains clear, the Marines will have overwhelming air support. Both the USS Wasp and USS Enterprise will have on call CAS dedicated to supporting the Marines.
Wasp:
4x AH-1W Super Cobra’s 6x AV-8B Harrier’s Enterprise:
12x F/A-18C Hornet’s VMFA-251 (Marine aviation) Due to the restrictions on unguided weapons use inside city limits, the Marines will not have access to mortars or naval gunfire support. However, the Cobra’s will still be allowed to engage positively identified enemy targets with unguided rockets.

what the hell, was he attacked by Zorro?

Hello everyone,
This post is for those members that I am currently playing scenarios with. For the time being, I am going to have to bow out of those scenarios. So, I am willing to forfeit any kind of win on my part to you. I just don't have the energy right now to sit here at the computer and play turns for those scenarios. I know I have posted a lot lately, but those posts only take me a couple of minutes at the most to write. Plus there is the added attraction that I must have suffered some type of brain damage when I had my near-death event two weeks ago, as my level of analytical thought and concentration are nowhere near what they were before the event. I hope you all understand and I miss playing the best game against some of the best opponents I have ever played. Don't worry, I will return.
**Chris**

Nice surprise
 

Mod being used: http://cmmodsiii.greenasjade.net/?p=8364

I am a stalwart supporter of BFC, been playing the games for longer than I can remember. I made a modest contribution to the development of CMFI some years ago.
Yes, waiting for the patch has been unusually testing, but this game system has so many facets that even though I played less I still had a lot of fun making maps and designing scenarios, not to mention fun testing them.
 
These guys are a small team of extremely dedicated enthusiasts. They give 100%. I still haven't found anything remotely approaching their product for the kind of game play I appreciate. I have total confidence in their judgment and integrity. And I don't begrudge them for one minute the long gestation of this patch, or the confusion over exactly when it will be released.
Thank you Steve, thank you Charles, thank you everyone else who put their time and effort in bringing these games to us.
I've gone through a rough patch that has lasted nearly ten years so far. If and when I get back on my feet, I will be glad to lend a hand again. I hope it will be soon (can't give a precise date though... sorry, I couldn't resist that :-) ). In the mean time, I don't mind saying that playing your games has often been the only source of fun and relaxation for me, and a good way to avoid going mad during the long spells when real life got held up in limbo.

After months in the making, I have finally completed my campaign Valleys of Death. It turned our to be quite an ambitious project, with 11 missions!
The campaign revolves around a US Army light infantry company, manning a remote combat outpost in an Afghanistan inspired terrain.
Unlike classic CMSF, which highly favors shock and awe and maneuver warfare, Valleys of Death deals with the issues of small units operating in a clearly defined AO. This means that, like in real life, you will conduct operations on the same map many times, with each mission focusing on different areas and objectives. By the end you will come to know the area very well, and this knowledge is key to defeat the enemy.
Features:
    11 missions     A large 2X2 km map and 2 additional maps     Modern counter-insurgency infantry combat     Heavily inspired by Afghanistan related media (Restrepo, Taking Fire, etc.)     Base game, no modules needed



 
Download from Dropbox
Please let me know ASAP if this link doesn't work! I'm not exactly a Dropbox wizz  

One thing I have been wondering: would it be unrealistic if your units got some basic intelligence data from helicopters when helicopters are doing an air strike to some area where your units do not have line of sight?  I mean situations like when your own units are located on one side of a hill, the helo air strike happens to the other side of the hill that your units can't see. If helicopters can target enemy units there couldn't they share something about what they see on the other side of the hill?   Like "3 tanks and some infantry". And this would add enemy symbols to the map, the same way as when recon drones fly over some area.

My Special Effects compilation is now ready for beta testing.
Download link is here...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0k0l1qdhqlcle7f/ME Experience.7z?dl=0
This Special Effects package is based, almost entirely, off of previous work from Vein, Herrtom, Barbarico, Drakenlorde, Aris, Scipio, "Pro-effects"(?) & Battlefront.
I have, for the most part, just reordered, renumbered, resized, renamed & rethought the work of those fellas.
 
 
The special effects modding options for Combat Mission are rather limited.
We can change the textures but not the animation sequences or timing. Nor can we create alternate sets of effects for different events (say a fiery explosion when a Tank explodes or a smokey explosion when a grenade goes off). I do suspect BFC plan to move in this direction (why else would they name their current explosion set "explosion a").
Either way, for now, I don't think there is a 'one size fits all' solution to improving the SFX in CM... although Veins effects come pretty close.
Therefore, I created these optional 'effects sets' which players can choose from based upon the CM game they are playing, the time of day, the environment, type of scenario, equipment present & personal taste etc.

TIME OF DAY SETS (place two zz's before either DAY or NIGHT)
DAY effects, these are the standard effects I've chosen.
Drakenlordes flames are, in my opinion, the best looking flames available.
Improved Muzzle blast, I had hoped to create a blisteringly fast muzzle blast however that doesn't seem possible because of how the animation is actually sequenced. Still this should look a little quicker.
Realistic muzzle flash, When combined with Barbarico's gray smoke these look far more realistic & subdued compared with stock or all other effects packages.
Smoke, after Barbaricos gray smoke, I've chosen Veins black smoke.
Vein style tracers, I've created colour coded versions to match the stock effects colours introduced in engine 4. These are smaller & less 'lazer beam-ish' than stock effects however I wanted to keep (indeed expand) the visibility of ricochets as otherwise firefights can look very stale.
 
NIGHT effects
I had hoped to create a much larger range of night effects but may pick that up in future. Either way, I did create a few night effects & these will mostly just make muzzle flashes & the initial flash of your explosions brighter & 'sparklier'.
 
EXPLOSION SETS (place one z before either of the four options)

Herrtoms smokey explosions... based on his earlier works, I find these work great for smaller explosions. Probably would be fine for most WW2 action.
Veins subdued explosions.... quick & effective, these work for nearly every situation. Although they're perhaps too quick for breaching charges.
Scipio's subdued explosions... small & firey, these too work for nearly every situation.
Veins explosions... perfect for when that Abrams platoon meets a T-62 Company.
 
VEHICLE DUST  (place one z before either NEEDED or NOT NEEDED)

The 'smoke dust' effect is used both during combat & for vehicle travel in dry & very dry conditions. Obviously this is important for CMSF2 but, if there are no vehicles or conditions allow it, you may prefer a darker dust effect more appropriate for most combat actions.
Although I've absolutely loved using them, one of the side effects of using Veins (or Aris's) smoke is a faint, but annoying, 'ghost square' halo around battlefield smoke (presumably because they've used the whole of the bitmap with no transparency). So I created new smoke bitmaps myself using some free images off the internet merged with the old, but reliable, "pro-effects" smoke... this seems to have eliminated the 'ghost square' issue.
 
WHITE PHOSPHOROUS SETS (place one z before either WHITE, BALANCED or DARK)

Initially I assumed that the white smoke effects were only used for smoke screens & such like. They are not. Indeed there is an argument to be made that they are the most common CM smoke effects of all & appear to be used for all manner of explosions, building & vehicles impacts.
This being so, I've created a selection of 'white smoke' effects...
"White White smoke" is great for representing WP smoke screens.
"Balanced White smoke" is noticeably darker yet can somewhat represent both WP smoke screens & combat smoke.
"Dark White smoke" is much darker still & excellent for smokey combat scenes... but very poorly represents WP smoke screens.
 
 
As per usual download the mod & place in your mod/z folder. Play around with the different options to your hearts content & give us some feedback.
 

Content:
This mod is intended to create an accurate representation of the Syrian Arab Army around the timeframe of this game.  Download link below:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bwgu0k7bdjpblkr/AADo5tmmL0RTWPz8omGaS6twa?dl=0
 
v. 1.0 List of changes:
1. Replaced the fictional Syrian flag with the real flag of the Syrian Arab Republic
2. Replaced the Ssh-40 steel helmet with the Ssh-68.
3. Replaced the fictional all-black outfit of the Syrian special forces with the standard Syrian woodland camouflage (w/ late Soviet-style armor vest) and the black helmets with olive or camouflage-covered Kevlar helmets (to represent the Chinese QGF-02).
 
Acknowledgments:
A big thanks to @||CptMiller|| and @SaintFuller for making their armor vest and Ssh-68 helmet mods available for our community!  Not long ago, @||CptMiller|| released a mod for the fictional Sahrani Liberation Army, which made the Syrians into a generic Soviet-style OPFOR with armor vests and Ssh-68 helmets (helmets made by @SaintFuller).  This ingenious mod is what gave me the tools to make this realism mod for the Syrian Arab Army.
 
Research notes:
(1) The stock Syrian helmet in the game is the Ssh-40, which is a WW2-era Soviet helmet.  The Syrians began equipping their troops with the Ssh-68 by 1982 and were still widely using it in 2005 when Syria pulled out of Lebanon.  Based on my research, the Syrian army would not begin widespread equipment of Kevlar helmets until shortly before the Arab Spring.
(2) The stock all-black outfit worn by the Syrian special forces is in fact worn by the Iraqi special forces, but I haven’t seen any reference pointing to its use by the Syrians. Based on news photos from when the Arab Spring protests began, we know that the SAA had body armor and Kevlar helmets by Spring 2011.  I think it’s reasonable to assume that the Syrian special forces had this type of modernized equipment a few years earlier.
The photos below are comparisons of the modded SAA soldiers with photos of the real SAA.

Be careful with the design. Since water is incompressible, you will need a soft cushion between melon and armor plate. Say,, a layer of bananas.🤔

Was going thru old CM files and found this which may be helpful to those still learning CM (as we all are actually).  This hasn't been edited so may have spelling errors etc.  Sorry for not crediting the author, but I don't know who wrote it. 
 
REAL WORLD TACTICS THAT WORK IN CM
 
Below you will find some real world tactics that we use in the military that will work in CM games.  Most of these tactics can be used with Infantry and Armor, but some are Infantry or Armor specific.  What you are about to read IS what I was taught when I was in the U.S. Army.
 
MOVEMENT TECHNEQUES
 
 
There are 3 types of movement formations:  Traveling, Traveling Overwatch, and Bounding Overwatch.  These movements are written with a 3 squad platoon or a tank platoon (at least 3 tanks or H/T’s) in mind, but you can adapt them as you see fit for the unit you are moving.
 
     Traveling (CM= Fast Move): This is when contact with the enemy is NOT likely.  Or you’re moving up to the battle area.  Use this when you have no LOS to the enemy from the position YOU are moving to.
 
     Traveling Overwatch (CM= Move or Advance):  This is when one squad or platoon sits in an overwatch position while another moves forward to the next covered or concealed position.  Once you are done setting up the moving unit, you move the unit that was in the overwatch position.  Use this when contact is likely, but you’re not sure.
 
     Bounding Overwatch (CM= Contact or Assault): This is when you use one or two of the 3 squads to lay down a base of fire to pin down the enemy and use the remaining units to flank the position by using all available cover so that the flanking unit can get to a favorable position to assault from.
 
MOVEMENT FORMATIONS
 
 
The movement formations below can be used for tanks and H/T’s.  But generally we use ONLY the first one for Infantry.
 
 
WEDGE –   In this formation you have one unit up, and one on either side, but back some.  It will look like an arrow.  The HQ unit will be behind the center unit in the middle.  If you are attaching units like MG’s or AT weapons, then you make another arrow with the HQ unit as the point.  This is the most common formation for moving cross-country.  It also provides the best all around defense and the MG’s can be brought up quickly. 
 
 
DIAMOND – This is a tank and H/T formation.  It provides the best overall coverage 360o.
 
FILE – Use this one when moving down a road when you have to get somewhere fast. Basically one behind the other.  Place the HQ unit as the 2nd unit so it can direct the 2 or 3 units behind it to the left of right as the situation dictates if or when contact is made.  This formation is generally used when traveling to the Line of Departure (LD) or Main Line of Resistance (MLR).  It has the least amount of firepower forward, but the most on the sides.
 
ECHELON LEFT or RIGHT – This is a tank formation.  Place the HQ unit, then the rest of the unit to the left or right of it.  A variation of it is placing the units on an 45o angle to the HQ unit instead of on line with it.  Usually you use this formation on the flanks when moving.
 
 
REACTION TO ARTILLARY STRIKES
 
General rule of thumb is that Art’y will fall AWAY from the direction it is traveling.  So, if your FO is looking South, then the rounds will fall in a North to South pattern (I’ve noticed this in the game, but the game does not take into account of WHERE the guns really are).
 
What you can do is once the first rounds start to land, is on your next orders turn, take what good order units are left and RUN them TOWARDS THE ENEMY!!  Yes, I know this doesn’t sound right, but it does work for some reason in the game.  The real doctrine I was taught was to pick a clock direction AWAY from the falling rounds and AWAY from the original direction of movement.
 
COUNTER MEASURES FOR THIS
 
The counter for this is to have another FO or a unit’s organic mortars have a LOS to a spot the would be 1 or 2 turns of movement from the falling rounds.  You can then start dropping those rounds as the running unit enters the new area.  Thus bracketing that unit and causing even more casualties.
 
 MACHINE GUNS
 
Rule of thumb here is basically for defense only.  When setting up a defense we used an acronym called O.C.O.K.A. this will be explained later.  In short you set up the MG’s first and build your defense around them.   This applies to ALL MG’s that are separate units not organic to a squad.  MG’s are the majority of your infantry’s firepower, so they need to be strategically placed.  They are also  just about the only weapon in the infantryman’s hands that can get out to 1000 meters or more, so placing them where they can only see only up to 300m would be wasting a lot of firepower, unless that is what the terrain dictates.  I’m not going to give any hints here due to the too many variations of terrain.
 
In the offense, keep the MG’s close to a leader, so they can get to use some of his pluses if he has any.  Move them behind the squads so they can be brought up to the firing line where you need them.  Do not bring them any further forward than necessary.  As soon as they have a LOS stop them.  Get them firing first, and then start your maneuver to take out the enemy.
 
50mm & 60mm MORTARS
 
These are the organic mortars of most standard Inf. Company’s.  Use these to cover dead zones.  Dead zones are places that the regular infantryman cannot fire into with his rifle, like behind buildings, creek beds, ravines, behind hills.  In today’s military we use Grenade launchers to accomplish this task.
 
 
AT GUNS
 
In the defense the same rules for MG’s apply here as well.  But my thoughts on their use are this:  They are for use against tanks and H/T’s.  I do my best to not waste them on Infantry targets, unless they need to defend themselves.  To solve this problem you may want to provide a security force of a MG or a squad to take care of any Infantry threat that may present itself.
 
 
 
ENGINEERS & FLAMETHROWERS
 
 
Do not waste these valuable troops fighting Infantry in foxholes.  That’s not what you got them for.  These units are for taking out hard targets like heavy tanks and bunkers.  If you waste them on the foxholes, then they will not have anymore demo charges to use when you do stumble on a bunker, and you’ll be forced to waste valuable time maneuvering around it.
SMOKE
 
Smoke is used for concealing yourself while moving.  And it can be used to block the observation of a bunker or other targets while you’re maneuvering around them to take them out.  Use it wisely, as you only have a limited amount of it.  If you know what type of terrain your going to traverse, especially in a QB, then you may want to buy an extra FO just for this.
 
PRIORITIZE YOUR TARGETS
 
Believe it or not, this does work, so listen up!!  Prioritizing your targets means using the least amount of firepower over the least amount of time to achieve the maximum results.  There are usually 2 ways to win a game, capture the objectives and destroying most of your opponent’s combat power.  The game gives you a choice, unless the scenario designer set it up that you have to do one or the other.   In the real world Patton’s ideas of closing with the enemy to destroy him so he can not fight another day is NOT the way to do it.  You waste a lot of ammo and will incur a lot of unnecessary casualties.
 
What you do is use your enemy’s morale against him.  You want to eliminate the following targets basically in this order:
 
HQ platoons = makes the unit break and rout faster.
Co. HQ = Same result once you get rid of the Plt HQ’s
MG’s = less firepower he can throw at you.
FO’s = Same as MG’s
All other tanks = Again, take out the heaviest firepower
H/T’s = Means he has to walk more, wasting a lot of time.
 
You will notice I’m leaning towards the Infantry side of things here.  That is because no other units have the ability to hold ground gained like an infantry unit can.  This was learned the hard way, and so is pounded into our heads over at Ft. Benning, and at every service academy that trains leaders for the combat arms.
 
Basically in a nut shell, it really doesn’t matter if you get a total vic or a minimum vic.  A win is still a win and a loss is still a loss.  And I believe the game does take into account for routed and captured units at the last turn.
 
Ok, so now I gave you some good information.  So, how do you employ it?  There are 2 formulas that we use one for attack and one for defense.
  
METT-T (OFFENSE)
 
Mission – What is your mission?
 
Equipment – What do you have to accomplish the mission with?  You need to        know its capabilities and limitations
 
Terrain – What types of terrain are you going to have to traverse to get to your objectives?
 
Troops - What type of troops are you going to come up against?
 
Time – How much time do you have to accomplish the mission?  General rule of thumb is to divide the number of turns by 3.  If you can’t divide it evenly add extra turns to the 3rd set.
 
1st set – maneuver to the location you want to launch your attack on the objectives.
 
2nd set – Attacking the objective.
 
3rd set – Finishing the attack and defending the objective against any counter-attack.
 
Another variation to this is the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where & Why)
 
We all know that a plan never survives the first shots fired, but a good commander can think on his feet and will find a way to Charley Mike (Continue Mission)
 
OCOKA (DEFENSE)
 
 
Observation – pick good LOS for ALL your units.
 
Cover & Concealment – Don’t put anyone out in the open if you don’t have to.
 
Obstacles – Barb wire, mines, and road blocks.
 
Key Terrain – What is the most dominant piece of terrain on the map?  This would be the largest hill or that one town.  Most scenarios are built around this, as that was what the battle was for.
 
Avenues of Approach – Terrain the enemy will use to move his forces without you seeing them.  In other words, ravines, woods, and other terrain that will mask his approach.
 
 
 

Hello Gentlemen
I had hoped to delay the announcement of this until the new CMMODS site was 100% finished and all the mods uploaded however due to circumstances I am pulling the announcement forward to... well now.
After recent discussions between GreenAsJade and Battlefront it has been decided to relocate the CMMODSIII site to fall under the umbrella of The Few Good Men where The Proving Grounds and The Scenario Depot already reside. 
To this end work has begun on moving the modifications currently hosted at CMMODSIII to their new home at CMMODS IV.  As you can imagine this is a major job and will take a few weeks.  CMMODSIII will remain open until the full transfer has taken place so for now I request that no new mods be uploaded to CMMODSIII. 
Within the next few days CMMODS IV will be opening the requests section for folk interested in becoming Creators (formerly Authors) and at this time the new upload process will be implemented.  This will be under the Instructions section of the new website but I will post in this thread to keep you all in the loop.
A few points about the new website worth mentioning... all files will now be held in cloud storage so even a catastrophic website crash will not impact any loss of modifications.  All files from the old CMMODSIII site will be relisted and recently with the help of @Erwin I have acquired approx. just shy of 300GB of modifications with quite a few that slipped through the net between the Repository and CMMODSIII transfer over 3 years ago.  So as you can imagine Im going to be very busy over the next few weeks.
Please do not subscribe to the new CMMODS IV just yet or you will be inundated with copious amounts of uploads... I think I uploaded over 100 today... you really don't want that many notification emails dropping in your inbox anytime soon!
In closing I want to thank Martin for all his sterling work over the years keeping CMMODS running and it's an honour to pick up the gauntlet where he left off.
Without further ado, here is the new site, still a work in progress but getting their quickly.  
http://www.thefewgoodmen.com/cm-mod-warehouse/
Regards
Bootie
@Battlefront.com
 
 

Something that allways bottered me about CM:A is how the soviet soldiers hand's clip through the AK mags in some positions. 
I have found that by replacing the original m4 folder (inside the animations folder) with the one provided in CMSF2 Demo you can mitigate this problem. Now the AK looks great but there are some minor uniform clipping problems. It's a trade off. If you try this you do have to leave the original reload animations because the ones in CMSF2 don't work at all. There are other files that are not used by CM:A that can be erased to save space too.
Original animation on the left and CMSF2 animation on the right.

Here is the video:   
 
 

So I picked up Black Sea about 3 months ago.... this game is truly amazing. The amount of micromanaging you can do is staggering ,  
the choices and strategy  you can make  is endless ……. do I take more ammo  ...or do I keep em lite so they are faster … do I call in air support or use artillery , do I throw down a
smoke screen or just try to run thru an ambush …. do I go to the high ground of try to infiltrate thru the forest ….do I leave my flanks exposed and go for the throat ...or play it safe ….. the campaigns, quick battles,  an building my own battles are great and endless ...
I find myself constantly thinking about the game... how "next time" I will do things differently and try a new approach …  or bring  a different troop package into battle .
I am sure there are people out there that don't like the game or are sick of it by now  or want to change this and that , and I don't disagree that  I wish I could
change some things or improve others  , but for someone new to it.... I am like a little kid on Christmas all over again ….

http://companyleader.themilitaryleader.com/
Nice site if you are not already aware.
Kevin

OPERATION "OPPORTUNE STRIKE" MINI CAMPAIGN
The date is April 06, 2010. For the past winter, Marine Special Operations Team (MSOT) 8222 (callsign Dagger 22), along with Afghan and International Security Forces have been taking on the Taliban in the secluded Bala Murghab valley, in the north of the country. Their mission: prevent the enemy from launching their yearly spring offensive. Just 2 kilometres south of Bala Murghab disctricT center lies the town of Daneh Pasab, Taliban controled territory and logisctical hub from which the  offensive will be launched. After several months of work, the pieces are in place for a final blow to destroy the heavily entrenched Taliban force, breaking their grip on the valley and stopping the spring offensive before it even begins. A US ARMY Special Forces ODA and an Afghan Commando strike team have been flown in to assist with the operation.
The campaign will consist of two missions. The first will be the night assault on the souther part of the village, while the next will be a continuation of the assault towards the north with more support assets. Your performance on the first mission will determine the strenght of the enemy in the second. 
Right now i have mission 1 ready for testing and am starting to work on mission two.
Updates will follow!

Rule Number One:You never can judge the threat of a RPG-7 without taking its warhead into account. While the launcher system appears almost unchanged for many decades, warheads evolved over the time and in CMSF2 you will encounter many different ones with penetration values ranging from 280mm up to 700mm RHA.
Starting with the PG-7V and the PG7VL, these are simple HEAT rounds whith the VL being the improved more powerful version. They come with the iconing mortar/rifle grenade shaped warhead everybody knows from movies, games, and photos. It´s basically the most widespread warhead on the world and saw widespread use in Afghanistan and Iraq which prompted the Coalition forces to issue "up-armor kits" for their vehicles with addon armor systems like ERA blocks or the Slat/Cage Armor (which was already introduced in a smiliar fashion by German Forces back in WW2.) Both armor systems have the goal to "pre-detonate" the HEAT grenade before it can make contact with the main hull and inject its charge into it. You will see in this test that both systems work although success is definitely not guaranteed thus don´t "count" on them. Even may these armor systems look imposing and bulky they are just raise the survivability odds in situations you never wouldn´t like to find your vehicle in the first place. Also naturally the grenade can always hit parts that are not covered by both systems. You will also see that the impact angle contributes to the system´s effectiveness.
However the Syrian Forces and also the UNCON forces in CMSF2 evolved and now possess warheads that can overcome these two systems like the PG-7VR which comes with a Tandem warhead that has the ability to defeat counter measures first with a smaller charge before the main charge makes contact with the main hull of the target. Furthermore they even more powerful than previous warheads also against conventional armor. In other words ERA or Slat is pretty useless against them (ERA at least is able to substract of its penetration value). The vastly different shaped PG-7VR is a very lethal threat to almost any vehicle in CMSF2.
Furthermore there are the HE and Thermobaric Warheads which are designded for anti-personnel or attacking fortifications. So in CSMF2 you want to use them against infantry, especially in buildings. You can engage unarmored or very light armored vehicles but other than that they are quiet ineffective against defeating the armor. However they can damage optics and other systems outside of vehicles with their HE effect. It may also cause crew interference due to psychological stress and could trigger retreats (inexperienced, nervous crews). So it may be a viable option to use these against heavier targets via the target command to degrade their combat effectiveness.
Also in the second video when firing from distant ranges you may notice a complexity of CMSF2 that isn´t represented in many games. While the RPG is quiet unprecise at greater ranges, the AI soldiers aren´t bricks, they "learn" with every suceeding shot and thus accuracy isn´t calculated always from the scratch (this is true for all weapon systems by the way). What I often did (better said not did) is that when I heard the sound of flash of an AT being fired towards my vehicles which then missed, I found myself relieved thinking "missed, everything fine again" but especially with RPG teams being able to carry alot of ammunition you may consider to reposition your vehicle as these shots may become more precise pretty quick maybe the 2nd shot already will be enough.
Also keep always in mind: When the enemy AI fires something at you it does that most of the times because it thinks it can hurt you and achieve this with a considerable precision. So when unknown AT ordnance impacts beside your Abrams it may be able to hurt that Abrams and that the threat may be close by. The chances that this was just a guy who found an old ineffective HE warhead in his basement went to the streets and casually fired it towards your Abrams from 600m just to return to home after that is very slim.
 

Throughout the past wargamers all over the world (the groggy, semi-groggy and non-groggy alike) have gathered on December 24th, in a far corner of the internet, to await the arrival of Santa Steve. It is a storied tradition that has been passed from father to son, and son to another son, and that son to his imaginary friend, Jim. For what? at least four years now? So, it's time-honored. Like drunken derelicts in a Mexican whorehouse, a whiskey, beer, (or in Emrys' case, egg nog spiked with ex-lax) in hand, they jostle excitedly to be the first to sight the legendary WaffenKringle of the Great Northern East. For they know, with his arrival come tidings of war and what shape that war will take in the following year. It's the kinda joy that brings a tear to a grown man's eye and divorce papers from that same guy's wife.
However, this December an old friend from the desert landed in a LZ that normally would be abuzz with the cries of "BONES! BONES! BONES!" This friend had lost ten years, and gained ten pounds, and looked like a million bucks! Seemingly sated and awash in desert badassery most have turned their attention to blowing the crap out of Syrian crewed T-72s or RPGing a Leopard or three. So, it begs the question, with our old friend to keep us knee deep in cordite and the WaffenKringle elves busy as only WaffenKringle elves can be, will Santa Steve ride tomorrow night? Will all the good little wargamers gather in the hopes that Santa Steve soon will be here? Or will it be the year without a Santa Steve? I for one hope to spy him drudging out of the snowy wilderness, brain-in-a-jar in hand, the pockets of his coveralls packed to the brim with CM news and wargaming goodness. But regardless as to whether it happens or not, I am thankful our stockings were stuffed early with SF2. It was a great ending to a very dry year! Here's to killing it in 2019; Russian winters and Brazilian waxings in North Italia!
Merry Christmas, Fellas!!
 

 
 
 

 
 
Mord.
 
P.S. A year ago yesterday. Wow. We made it!!!
 
http://community.battlefront.com/topic/126131-the-night-before-cm-mas/?tab=comments#comment-1731593