AlexUK

If off map (deleted) HQs are providing C2 this may be a bug.  HQs are not like artillery that can work from off map (in the game).  If HQs are deleted they have not, in the past, been in the C2 loop.  Even HQs that are set to show up as reinforcements don't provide C2 until they appear on map. 
My understanding is:  The off map (deleted) Company HQs should not be in C2 and should not show the green C2 dots.   The off map (deleted) Battalion HQs should not be in C2 and should not show the green C2 dots. 
I just tested this in other titles and deleted HQs don't provide C2.  However I think deleted Battalion HQ have always showed the green C2 dot in all titles even though they do not provide off map C2.  
In CMCW I have been trying to get deleted company HQs to provide C2 but have not been able to replicate that.  However the green C2 dot does appear next to the company in the UI.  IMO the deleted company should not provide C2 and the C2 dot should be red. 
 
I believe this is correct.  This is why we use liaisons and runners in some scenarios.  This is one of the cool / interesting things about Combat Missions.  It has been this way in all titles for as long as I can remember.  It is confusing that the deleted Battalion HQ displays a green C2 dot.  
Can information be shared between two different HQs that do not have a common higher HQ?  (Higher HQ deleted or not yet arrived as a reinforcement)
Vertically: No (With no common higher HQ there is no bridge for the information to pass over) 
Horizontally: Yes with liaisons, runners or if the HQs are within about 32 meters of each other. 
If a scenario designer wanted to have a platoon or company "cut off" from both physical and radio contact he has this choice.  If deleted HQs always provided C2 this "cut off" choice would be eliminated.   
 
I read the Mantis report.  PM sent. 
Another odd thing is that HQs in CMSF break radio C2 while moving on foot with 2008 technology.  HQs in CMCW do not break radio C2 while moving on foot with 1979-1982 technology.  Of course, in all WW2 titles HQs break radio C2 while moving on foot.  
 
 

HOLY **** IT WORKED! Finally I can play the demo at least of this game. I have learned a new lesson today, that OEM drivers are garbage. I now regret not trying this sooner. Thank you so much for everyone who's helped over the last few months.

Okay, the CMSF2-Afghanistan 'All in One' is now ready for release.
The modpack itself is a further refinement of the 'initial beta' released back in April & is, at its most basic, a merger between CMA & @Zveroboy1's SF2 Afghanistan work.
Changes mostly involve further tweaks of the CMA terrain to better fit with CMSF2, @Mord's original CMA & CMSF portraits as well as various ISIF tags have been added to the UI, the Soundscape is being upgraded to v1.6 (thanks to @waclaw's HQS 4.0), the uniform mix has been altered, (@Oleksandr's uniforms are now the ones often activated by the [mountains] tag), bridges & highways have been tweaked, @Pete Wenman's rural stone walls have been added & a new lowlands background is being used (sourced with the help of @Erwin).
The marsh to water & rudimentary dutch ANA mods have been deleted as they're no longer needed & @Zveroboy1's green ANP pick-ups are now activated by tag [anppu].
 
In terms of content, I've collated all CMSF & CMSF2 Afghanistan scenarios & campaigns I could find (including a few french ones, now translated, thanks to help by @CMFDR).
The SF2 stuff, by @Zveroboy1 & @puje, has been left almost entirely untouched however the CMSF scenarios & campaigns (including @dragonwynn's 'Heart of Darkness') have all been given a lick of paint... mostly by the simple method of swapping marsh into water tiles.
I've also converted the eight CMA quick battle maps by @Stagler for use with CMSF2 & the 'All in One'.
In total, there's two campaigns (19 scenarios between them), 37 single scenarios* & the 8 quick battle maps.
I was hoping to make some original stuff this year but that'll have to wait for another time.
Anyhow, here's the download link (I advise adding the modpack to an empty mod folder only)...
https://www.mediafire.com/file/s7ignwwd9fo8aue/zzzzCMSF2-Afghanistan.7z/file
... and here's the eye candy...











*About a third of these are by @Combatintman

The Soviets had (the Russians maybe still have) the best intelligence gathering setup. There is no way that a rational assessment of the information they almost certainly had available to them would have led to an assessment that there was any danger whatsoever of being invaded by the West. 

Of course all the exercises had the "defend and counterattack" framework. Can you imagine if they actually practised invading first? If the Western public got ahold of that, maybe there would have been a small chance of public opinion being swayed more towards building a force in Europe actually capable of the pre-emptive strike the Soviets claimed to be nervous of. It's as hilariously laughable as current Putinesque protestations of nervousness about contemporary NATO exercises near the border, and claims of feeling threatened by the Baltic States joining NATO.
No, "The perfidious Imperialists want to attack us," was always (and remains) pure propaganda for internal consumption. At least in the sense of tanks and planes and bullets and piles and piles of irradiated bodies. Economic competition was much more effective against the Soviets, and if Russia doesn't pivot away from reliance on natural gas exports, will once again put the squeeze on the kleptocrats as Europe reduces its dependency on supplies from the East.
The middle of the C20th offers up plenty of examples of Russia flexing its muscles in its own backyard that don't need much shading to make the NATO public somewhat leery of Russian claims to not be expansionist. And those last right til today.
Any numerical inferiority on the part of the Soviets existed only because the US was the gorilla backing NATO. Similarly, statements about being "surrounded", and "not having land access". Sure, the Bering strait was an insurmountable barrier, but there ain't no Bering Strait in central Europe. Take the Americans out of the equation, and pushing the borders of Stalinism to the Atlantic doesn't look so dumb: industrialised areas, educated populations. Access to warm water ports. The Nazis had proven the concept of occupation was workable; without the amphibious invasions in the Med and Normandy, those nations under the jackbooted heel would have been a long time winning their freedom. And the Soviets had much more resource and, to be frank, perceived ruthlessness (Stalin killed at least as many as Hitler, remember and those were supposed to be his; imagine how willing he would have been to do unto "the other") to apply to subjugation than Germany did in the 30s and 40s, if they wanted to go that way. 
We Europeans have the Americans to thank for making the concept of invasion sufficiently dicey that we never had to nuke the Soviets (and get nuked in return). I'm a child of the 80s, and I don't recall sharing the much-touted "existential angst", cos even as a teenager, I knew enough to be pretty sure the CCCP had no real interest in trying it on, in the face of what the West would end up throwing at it. And I knew in my bones the West had no military designs on Warsaw Pact territory; the "best" militaries in the world have tried it on a couple of occasions, and ended up bugging out with the bitten off stumps of their tails between their remaining legs.

Perhaps another consideration is that it seems that AFV's tend to fire their missiles at buildings (rather than their gun) even when ordered to TARGET LIGHT.  Wonder if this is a factor of the missile?

I've been busy working on a Berlin Central Map with authentic buildings. Can you recognise any?????

Well, Steve said that the Engine 5 upgrade was going to focus on performance issues so here's hoping something can be done about performance.
 
Mord.

That works for me because it's the one I always use.
JuJu's biggest design flaw, and trust me I know this one personally and painfully, was making all those options. And I think I can speak for him when I state; that we get so caught up in the creating, we want to have options on top of options for the players to enjoy. But somewhere down the road we have to update that sh** or make one for a new title! Then not only do we want to match what we did before (can't be less than!), we want to improve it, maybe add extra and lots of new dazzle and shine. Then when there's four titles (my case seven), and we're going on the third or fourth version of the mods, we sit back and whisper to ourselves..."My god, what have I done?" Followed by a soft cracking sound in our brain LMAO! The tragically ironic part is that 90% of all that extra effort won't ever get used by the players. It was and is, blood, sweat and tears for some phantom dragon that we are chasing.
Moral of the story, Ithikial, save your sanity, less is more.
And thanks for doing this.
 
Mord.

And for those of us who play larger scenarios it becomes a major time-consuming PITA part of the "game".  Try playing the "Mission to Maas" scenario for CMFB.  It's an xnt scenario.  But, IIRC one has to maneuver a battalion of tanks plus at least another battalion of armored inf in HT's to move along twisting forested roads on a large map.  
The ACQUIRE routine is also a PITA in large scenarios like this.

slowly crawling up Mount Moddington...

 

THE BASIC PROBLEM:
I'm sure that you've all noticed over the years that this scenario plays itself out over and over:
Person A: "Hey, does anyone still have X for $Insert_Game_Name$ ?"
Person B: "Yeah sure, here, let me put it up on my webspace or on a random download server like Mega.NZ"
<five years pass>
Person C enters the thread and gets excited.
Person C "The link doesn't work anymore!"
*pause*
Person C "Hey, does anyone still have X for $Insert_Game_Name$ ?"
A Potential Solution: Might be with the Internet Archive. It's funded by a foundation and they seem to be relatively durable; so they're the closest thing to archival on-line storage we might see for some time.
With that in mind, I've been slowly working on a project for the last month to quasi bring back the old Wargamer.com scenario archive back from the dead -- and that's morphed into a general archiving program for old game mods and such.
Naturally, I did the Combat Mission x1 series.
============================================================
GENERAL INTERNET ARCHIVE NOTE: 
If you wish to download a specific file within the main ZIP container, just click on the (View Contents) link on the contents page.
============================================================
============================================================
The Proving Grounds / The Scenario Depot II Site Rip (with Meta Data)
(NOTE, I've duplicated the scenarios themselves in each CMx1 individual
scenario archive, but this is here for completeness since TPG/TSDII were quite
important CMx1 websites back in the day)
============================================================
============================================================
https://archive.org/details/wargamer-depot_TPG-TSD2_siterip
Main Page
https://archive.org/download/wargamer-depot_TPG-TSD2_siterip
Information Page
From 5 to 8 May 2021; I ripped the following websites:
THE PROVING GROUND (TPG)
http://garykrockover.com/cmbb/index.html
Site Rip as of 5 May 2021 has:
6 x CMBO Scenarios
281 x CMBB Scenarios
223 x CMAK Scenarios
2 x CMBO Maps (some are not downloadable)
73 x CMBB Maps (some are not downloadable)
43 x CMAK Maps (some are not downloadable)
THE SCENARIO DEPOT II (TSD2) 
http://63.249.17.36/www.the-scenario-depot.com
The original Scenario Depot (I) was at http://www.dragonlair.net/combatmission/ until it's hosting company crashed with no backups.
It's successor, The Scenario Depot II was at http://www.the-scenario-depot.com/ until the domain wasn't renewed.
It was then "lost" for several years until I contacted the site owner; and got this URL:
http://63.249.17.36/www.the-scenario-depot.com
Site Rip as of 8 May 2021 has:
52 x CMBO Scenarios
587 x CMBB Scenarios
527 x CMAK Scenarios
15 x CMBO Maps (some are not downloadable)
26 x CMBB Maps (some are not downloadable)
36 x CMAK Maps (some are not downloadable)
============================================================
============================================================
CMMOS/CMMODS DVD Backup
============================================================
============================================================
This was created from an old DVD that I burned with about 3.7 GB of Combat Mission CMMOS data on or around 2004.
A lot of the information on this was "lost" over the years, and this is my way of giving back to the CM community.
Here is a file list:
Total number of folders = 62
Total number of files  = 1809
Sum of file sizes = 3.5~ GB
It's all within several spanned ZIP files.
https://archive.org/details/wargamer-depot_CMMOS_mods
(information page)
https://archive.org/download/wargamer-depot_CMMOS_mods
(contents page)
============================================================
============================================================
CMBO Mods:
============================================================
============================================================
https://archive.org/details/wargamer-depot_CMBO_mods
(information page)
https://archive.org/download/wargamer-depot_CMBO_mods
(contents page)
On 5-10 May 2021, I cleaned out the following CMx1 repositories:
cmx1mods.greenasjade.net
in an attempt to archive as many of the old Combat Mission 1 (Beyond Overlord/Barbarossa to Berlin/Afrika Korps) mods as possible to safeguard against the probability of greenasjade.net disappearing in the near future.
I downloaded 458 out of 458 files; and their total size is 1.46 GB.
============================================================
============================================================
CMBB Mods:
============================================================
============================================================
https://archive.org/details/wargamer-depot_CMBB_mods
(information page)
https://archive.org/download/wargamer-depot_CMBB_mods
(contents page)
On 5-10 May 2021, I cleaned out the following CMx1 repositories:
cmx1mods.greenasjade.net
in an attempt to archive as many of the old Combat Mission 1 (Beyond Overlord/Barbarossa to Berlin/Afrika Korps) mods as possible to safeguard against the probability of greenasjade.net disappearing in the near future.
I downloaded 1,806 out of 1,811 files; and their total size is 4.35 GB.
============================================================
============================================================
CMAK Mods:
============================================================
============================================================
https://archive.org/details/wargamer-depot_CMAK_mods
(information page)
https://archive.org/download/wargamer-depot_CMAK_mods
(contents page)
On 5-10 May 2021, I cleaned out the following CMx1 repositories:
cmx1mods.greenasjade.net
in an attempt to archive as many of the old Combat Mission 1 (Beyond Overlord/Barbarossa to Berlin/Afrika Korps) mods as possible to safeguard against the probability of greenasjade.net disappearing in the near future.
I downloaded 1,605 out of 1,605 files; and their total size is 4.69 GB.
============================================================
============================================================
COMBAT MISSION: BEYOND OVERLORD SCENARIOS
============================================================
============================================================
https://archive.org/details/wargame-depot-combat-mission-beyond-overlord
(information page)
https://archive.org/download/wargame-depot-combat-mission-beyond-overlord
(contents page)
This file contains recovered Wargamer Scenario Depot data from two sources:
1.) The 2015 Dump at https://archive.org/details/WargamerGamesDepotArchive20160514.tar
2.) A Internet Archive Downloader Dump in April 2021 to recover what was stored on the Internet Archive's backups.
Out of 5 scenario files on the WGD for "Combat Mission Beyond Overlord",  5 were recovered (100%) directly.
HAVE
3508 - Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord: East of Bryansk
3551 - Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord: 101st in Normandy
3701 - Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord: Big Red Omaha V2.0
4176 - Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord: When Trumpets Fade
4558 - Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord: Fischbach
MISSING:
NONE
Out of 69 scenario files on the WGD for "Combat Mission",  0 were recovered (0%).
HAVE:
NONE
MISSING:
1003 - Combat Mission: Strategic Highway
1198 - Combat Mission: Kelly's Heroes full campaign
1211 - Combat Mission: Cintheaux - Totalize
1273 - Combat Mission: August Bank Holiday
1279 - Combat Mission: We Don't Need No Education
1280 - Combat Mission: Lacko's Centiepied
1281 - Combat Mission: Lacko's Tea Party
1433 - Combat Mission: Parker's Crossroads
156 - Combat Mission: Wonder of Ihantala
162 - Combat Mission: UPDATE: Wonder of Ihantala
172 - Combat Mission: Crucifix Hill
1749 - Combat Mission: Beta Mission
178 - Combat Mission: AG1 Sgt Feibecke at Ozero
179 - Combat Mission: K3 A Brief Visit to a Church
181 - Combat Mission: K2 Pyrrhic Victory
183 - Combat Mission: K1 The High Ground
1864 - Combat Mission: Beta Mission
217 - Combat Mission: der Nebel
218 - Combat Mission: Minor Victory
219 - Combat Mission: Pockets of Resistance
226 - Combat Mission: Attack on Selz crossroads
237 - Combat Mission: Battle of Kiestinki
281 - Combat Mission: Gains Measured in Yards
282 - Combat Mission: Dangerous Information
304 - Combat Mission: Buda Castle
337 - Combat Mission: The Notch
34 - Combat Mission: Zurück on Chainbridge
363 - Combat Mission: Battle Of Honkaniemi
381 - Combat Mission: Gute Jagd
382 - Combat Mission: Falschirmjaeger On The East
383 - Combat Mission: My Grandfather
384 - Combat Mission: Der Erste Marsch
385 - Combat Mission: The Last Hussars
39 - Combat Mission: Dieppe
398 - Combat Mission: Bitche Bulge
426 - Combat Mission: Pacific Mod:  Shallow Water Files Tarawa
427 - Combat Mission: Joe's Bridge
428 - Combat Mission: Brit Burma Uniform
442 - Combat Mission: CM Pacific Theater Mod Iwo Jima
443 - Combat Mission: Combat Mission Pacific Theater Mod
444 - Combat Mission: CM Pacific Theater Mod Scenarios
47 - Combat Mission: Dog Green, 6 June-2
476 - Combat Mission: Maple Leaf Down
496 - Combat Mission: Lacko's Elba
506 - Combat Mission: Screaming In The dark
507 - Combat Mission: Holding Villebaudon
515 - Combat Mission: Hell On Wheels
538 - Combat Mission: Break On Thru
539 - Combat Mission: Back To Hell
564 - Combat Mission: Assault On Gambsheim
586 - Combat Mission: Gheel
621 - Combat Mission: Operation Nordwind
644 - Combat Mission: Bouncing The Rhine
656 - Combat Mission: Ed's Grass Mod
740 - Combat Mission: Bridges Near Stavelot
750 - Combat Mission: Fortress In The Bocage v1.02
868 - Combat Mission: Frontovik Russian T-34 Tank Mods
893 - Combat Mission: DFDR Complete Scenario Set
894 - Combat Mission: DFDR Clubfoot's Scenario Set
895 - Combat Mission: DFDR (Complete) MOD
896 - Combat Mission: Finland MOD
897 - Combat Mission: Frontovik I (Infantry) MOD
898 - Combat Mission: Frontovik  Complete Scenario Set
899 - Combat Mission: Frontovik II (vehicles) MOD
900 - Combat Mission: Fading Hopes III (Germany 1939-40)
901 - Combat Mission: Fading Hopes II (France 1940) MOD
902 - Combat Mission: Fading Hopes I (Poland 1939)  MOD
903 - Combat Mission: Fading Hopes Complete Scenarios Set
904 - Combat Mission: Roadblock At St. Severs
BONUSES
I have included more CMBO scenarios from around the internet. There's likely to be massive duplication between all of the different packs and sources, but put together, I think this corpus constitutes most CMBO scenarios made.
1.) Pacific Mod: 28 scenarios + the graphics to mod them
2.) Rune Pack (in a specific folder): About 59~ scenarios/campaigns
3.) Ardennes DeSobry Pack: 3 versions of this scenario
4.) A Scenario Pack (AltWars) I made from an old CMMODS v4.03 database that I downloaded years ago; combined with a trawl through (http://cmx1mods.greenasjade.net); giving about 295 scenarios.
5). CMHQ Depot: About 306 scenarios with metadata
6.) Koen Pack: 4 Scenarios
7.) Rhine Pack: 10 scenarios
8.) St Malo Pack: 5 Scenarios
9.) The Blitz' CMBO Pack: About 187 scenarios and 27 maps.
10.) TheGamersNetwork: About 200 scenarios with metadata.
11.) TLD Scenario Pack : 22 scenarios
12.) The Proving Ground / The Scenario Depot II Scenario Pack for CMBO: About 59 scenarios and 13 maps.
13.) Zuf's CMBO Scenario Pack: 1,645 scenarios
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COMBAT MISSION: BARBAROSSA TO BERLIN SCENARIOS
============================================================
============================================================
https://archive.org/details/wargame-depot-combat-mission-barbarossa-to-berlin
(information page)
https://archive.org/download/wargame-depot-combat-mission-barbarossa-to-berlin
(contents page)
This file contains recovered Wargamer Scenario Depot data from two sources:
1.) The 2015 Dump at https://archive.org/details/WargamerGamesDepotArchive20160514.tar
2.) A Internet Archive Downloader Dump in April 2021 to recover what was stored on the Internet Archive's backups.
Out of 10 scenario files on the WGD, 10 were recovered (100%) directly.
HAVE
3294 - Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin: KH2 The Count
3295 - Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin: AG3 Flak Dance at Vilna
3352 - Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin: HSG AG4 The Cross Roads
3513 - Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin: East of Bryansk
3878 - Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin: Sons of Zrinyi
4017 - Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin: Danzig Panther
4054 - Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin: PreeKuln
4269 - Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin: Hungarian Mission Pack
4366 - Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin: Road to Rzhavets
4823 - Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin: Darsunikis
MISSING:
NONE
BONUS:
I have included a large amount of CMBB scenario packs in the BONUS directory. I think with all this, we have most CMBB scenarios ever made.
I've tried to include everything I can; there's too many to describe here; from the Stalingrad Pack, Kursk Pack, Russian Training Set, Denhost CMBB Pack, Philippe CMBB Pack, a Boots & Tracks site rip (scenarios and AARs).
Some of the packs are:
The Blitz CMBB Pack: 371 Scenarios and 15 maps.
The Proving Ground / The Scenario Depot II Pack: About 840 scenarios and 87 maps.
Zuf's Scenario Pack: 2,164 (!!!) scenarios.
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COMBAT MISSION: AFRIKA KORPS SCENARIOS
============================================================
============================================================
https://archive.org/details/wargame-depot-combat-mission-afrika-korps
(information page)
https://archive.org/download/wargame-depot-combat-mission-afrika-korps
(contents page)
This file contains recovered Wargamer Scenario Depot data from two sources:
1.) The 2015 Dump at https://archive.org/details/WargamerGamesDepotArchive20160514.tar
2.) A Internet Archive Downloader Dump in April 2021 to recover what was stored on the Internet Archive's backups.
Out of 6 scenario files on the WGD, 6 were recovered (100%).
Also included as a bonus is an archive of other scenarios and campaigns recovered from various sites for completeness.
HAVE
3492 - Combat Mission: Afrika Korps: Small Village in Valley
3520 - Combat Mission: Afrika Korps: Village on Hill - Allied Attack
3709 - Combat Mission: Afrika Korps: Kommerscheidt
3746 - Combat Mission: Afrika Korps: Rearguard Action at Fuka
3953 - Combat Mission: Afrika Korps: Band of Brothers, Part 4: Replacements
3960 - Combat Mission: Afrika Korps: Bridgehead Eberbach
MISSING:
NONE
BONUS:
I've tried to include everything I can, including Philippe's 11-part pack that breaks down as:
1940 - 67 Scenarios
Ardennes - 88 Scenarios
East Africa - 19 Scenarios
France & Germany - 95 Scenarios
Greece - 37 Scenarios
Italy/Southern France - 258 Scenarios
Market Garden - 23 Scenarios
Normandy 198 Scenarios
North Africa - 195 Scenarios
Norway - 4 Scenarios
Arab Israeli Wars - 8 Scenarios
Korea -4  Scenarios
PTO - 14 Scenarios
SCW - 7 Scenarios
SeaLion - 5 Scenarios
Vietnam - 13 Scenarios
Everything Else - 10  Scenarios
Along with graphics mods for a SEALION set plus a few scenarios to go with it.
BFC Companion Scenarios: 12 scenarios
CMAK Operations Pack: 59 items?
BootsNTracks Pack: 16 Scenarios
CDST Pack: 16 scenarios
Koen Pack: 5 Scenarios
Random Pack: 62 scenarios (random potporri from my own files)
Small Battles Pack: 68 scenarios
The Blitz CMAK Pack: 117 scenarios
Tiny Battles Pack: 5 scenarios
The Proving Grounds / The Scenario Depot II Pack: 743 scenarios and 73 maps
WBRP Pack: 11 scenarios
Zuf Pack: 1,001 scenarios
I'm confident to say that even though there may be massive amounts of duplicates, this corpus constitutes most CMAK scenarios published.

Poland summer 1944, early morning. Panthers moving out.

King Tigers from Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 about to engage Soviet IS-IIs. They did better in-game than they did in RL!

...At the expense of my entire SU85 company and their battalion command...
The sun is just now rising, and as things become more clear, the kills should come rolling in.

Good to see you back Womble
 

I'm well. New employment means I have a little more time for computer goobery... Been out for a while. Some catching up to do, evidently.
 

I am making a HUGE ARSE map for desert warfare. It is set at the maximum of 3488 meters in width by 5126 meters in depth.
It loads for 3D preview on my machine in about 20-25 seconds.
My desert map "iconic things" checklist...anything to add?
wadi's
undulations in the sand
light scrub/brush
escarpments
some goat herders shack with a stone walled area for securing his girlfriends, I mean goats, 
the supply road with mile markers
the roadsign in the fuel drum!
a small domed mosque (working on it)
some brewed up wrecks
tank track marks left in the dirt
short telephone poles
palm trees around an oasis/well
dead camel?
barbed wire fortification with metal stakes and no wood

We are on it.  With luck it should turn up in a patch coming to a neighbourhood near you soon.

Part 3
Spoilers     Spoilers     Spoilers
As Hpt von Schroif used one hand to cling to anything to keep from being bounced out of his SPW, he kept the other hand on his headphones to hear what was happening on the right flank.  His impulse to stand up and look in that direction was strong, but he knew, from experience, that his crew would tackle him to keep him from exposing himself to enemy sniper fire, or worse, AT gun or AT rifles.  He followed the action through the radio then, trying to visualize what was happening.
OLt Altschüller was directing his SPW as they charged forwards on the right flank.  Immediately, with a clear line of sight down the poor dirt path that the map claimed was a road, an enemy light machine gun position opened fire.  As there were really no paths for evasion, all SPW gunners fired directly on the position as their SPWs bounced forward.  Altschüller added his SPWs 2,0 cm cannon to the rising cacophony of weapon fire, and the Russian gunner was pinned.
Then, other positions thought to have been eliminated in the tree line OBJ AZFritz opened fire, sporadically.  Clearly, those positions had been somewhat reduced earlier by the right flank MG teams, but not eliminated.  The right flank MG teams opened up again, hosing down the enemy foxholes that were now visible. 
Oberleutnant Altschüller directed one of the charging SPWs to divert towards the east end of the tree line and assault those positions.  At the same time, he veered his SPW off to the left, and began to drive up the backside of the tree line, putting 2,0 cm fire on the enemy positions.  They stopped firing, trying to avoid being chopped to bits by the cannon fire.  With the slackening of response fire, the men from the SPW that was driving straight for the enemy positions started leaping from their track and assaulting the positions.
Unteroffizier Diemers had two of his squad fall in the assault, but they took the first and second positions, firing at the backs of the Russians who were now fleeing in a panic.  This was no planned and orderly retreat.  Those men were fleeing for their lives. 
OFw Rannenberg was following the assault of 1 Zug on the flank, and as soon as he observed enemy troops starting to run from their positions, he ordered 3 Zug out of their holding position and into a full-on assault of the tree line.  As his SPW marked the farthest west position, and out of the line of sight of both enemy PAK, he ordered his SPWs to make sure they didn’t stray westward too much, and to focus on the tree line directly ahead of them.  The SPWs started a deliberate advance, all gunners in firing positions, and they eased over the crest line and started driving three abreast.  They were a moving wall of solid machine gun fire towards the tree line. 
The 2IC, Flw Erlichmann arrived to help coordinate the assault, and the two machine gun teams also arrived, bailing out of their machines and now forming hunting parties to assist Diemers in clearing the tree line.  The assault was deliberate and systematic, and all enemy soldiers were killed as they tried to hide or flee the dubious safety of the wood line.
Hpt von Schroif had arrived in Osinnik, and conferred with OFw Lärmann on how best to clear the small farm.  It was showing damage from some mortar shells that actually landed on target.  It was not clear if the 4,5 cm AT gun was still in business though.  It was clear that the further AT gun, in the heavy woods line was still operational, despite a second helping of mortar fire, this time longer, but still ineffectual.
The Hauptmann could see that the center push was now working well, and they would shortly have men on the west end of the tree line that could assault the farm from the flank.  He had his SPW ease up and start to spray the farm with machine gun fire.
Feldwebel Erlichmann ordered 3 Zug to move up and support the infantry that were sweeping the tree line of OBJ AZFritz.  The volume of machine gun fire from the SPW gunners was overwhelming, and the last survivors tried to flee.  Their escape into the thick woods around OBJs Koblenz and Munchen had been cut off by OLt Gührs and his SPW.  The enemy had no chance.  One by one, they were cut down as Feldwebel Diemers swept through the tree line, now assisted by the MG team of Uffz Gres. 
Feldwebel Erlichmann aggressively ordered his SPW into the wood line as well, and aided in herding the Soviet survivors to their doom.
The result of this action was observed by the remaining Soviet PAK and farmhouse defenders.  Under the continuous machine gun fire of both Hpt von Schroif and Flw Lärmann’s SPW, things were simply too hot for them. 
“Herr Hauptmann, they are pulling out!” called the gunner on von Schroif’s SPW.  The Hauptmann was immediately on his binoculars to confirm.  Yes, yes, he thought excitedly, the enemy was giving up the position and trying to retreat across the large wheatfield to the rear of the farmhouse.
“Karl, get that information to Erlichmann quickly,” von Schroif ordered his radioman.
Moments later, Hpt von Schroif saw Erlichmann’s SPW emerge from the tree line at OBJ AZFritz, and the other SPWs quickly swung to their left to take the wheatfield under fire.

 SPW gunners pour fire on the fleeing PAK and infantry from the  farmhouse.  None made it out of the deathtrap.
The Russians kept running, ducking and hiding for a moment, and then running some more, all the while with deadly machine gun fire ripping into their midst.  They refused to surrender, continuing to try and evade until cut down by von Schroif’s men.
Hpt von Schroif silently gave respect to the Russians who, at this one position, had held up his advance for at least 30 minutes.  His attack was well behind the anticipated time table, but then again, the Hauptmann was not surprised by this.  Ivan had a reputation for being tenacious in defense.  What did bother him greatly, was that this was supposed to be a lightly held position, and reportedly thrown up in haste.
It was not a hasty defensive position.  The lines of sight were well thought out, and there was plenty of dedicated equipment assigned for carrying out a strong defense of the locale.  This did not bode well.
And, the attack was still in progress.  The right flank had to be anchored, the center AT gun had to be eliminated, and then there was the terrible business of clearing the large wooded objectives. 
His attention was quickly drawn to the loud thoom-thoom sound of a 2,0 cm gun firing rapidly and then the short crack of a Soviet PAK firing.  That had to be Gührs and his SPW behind the tree line, engaging the last AT gun, or, more exactly, the other identified AT gun.  There could always be more.
After the sharp retort of the guns, there was silence.  Hpt von Schroif started to reach for the radio microphone, when suddenly OLt Gührs came on the radio.  His voice was stressed but calm, and he reported that he believed one of his cannon shells had struck near or on the enemy AT gun.  He was not sure he had knocked it out, but a shell from the AT gun had killed his gunner and driver, as well as wounding several of his command staff, and he and his survivors were bailing out.  He left out the part that he himself had also been wounded. 
“That tears it,” exclaimed von Schroif.  He was almost out of his cannon-armed SPWs, with this loss.  And, the AT gun had not been confirmed as out of action.  They were still stalled.  The Hauptmann got on the radio and called for Erlichmann to try and confirm destruction of the enemy PAK.  There was a delay and he could hear more gunfire, but then Erlichmann came on to report that Diemers and Gres’ MG team had opened fire on the enemy AT gun team as they appeared to flee back into the woods.  Von Schroif breathed a loud sigh of relief. 
Then more machine gun fire erupted from the right flank, and he sought out additional information from Altschüller and Zug 1.
OLt Altschüller’s advance had been met by a light machine gun position, but his exposed SPW gunners put down such a hail of machine gun fire on the position that all but one of the enemy team were killed or wounded, and one man fled out of sight into a dip in the terrain.  No sooner had this position been reduced, when a second position, now in the woods by the “Handle,” had opened fire as well.  As all the SPWs were committed to the attack, the drivers kept driving right at the enemy while all gunners concentrated their fire in that area.  In this way, the enemy broke and melted into the woods and all SPWs were able to unload their squads without casualties.
Altschüller was able to report that his men now had consolidated a position in the woods on the right flank, and were starting to slowly push forwards.  It appeared that the right flank was solid, and the horrible business of clearing the large woods and objectives Koblenz, Munchen, Berlin, Aachen, and Cochem could begin. 
But first, the farmhouse.  Hpt von Schroif and Feldwebel Lärmann had their SPWs rush down the dirt road towards the farmhouse, with their machine guns blazing.  While they had seen many Russian soldiers fleeing from the farmhouse and into the death trap of the wheatfield, that didn’t mean there weren’t stragglers that had decided to give their lives for Mother Russia and wanted to take some more Germans down with them.  They were also taking the change that there wasn’t a third PAK lurking somewhere that had yet to open up.
Hpt von Schroif bailed out of his SPW once they were sure nothing had survived their onslaught.  The farmhouse position was secured.  The sniper team suddenly materialized out of nowhere, startling everyone.  They quietly slipped into the farmhouse and verified that there were no enemy left in the area.
The Hauptmann immediately began to give aid to Pöppel and his fallen squad mate.  Knowing that Lärmann was already distraught at seeing his friend cut down, von Schroif wanted to keep Lärmann focused on commanding Zug 2.  He ordered Lärmann to take his Zug and sweep the left flank, try to scout Line Eva, and possibly catch enemy survivors that might retreat from the heavy woods.  Lärmann could see that his men were getting proper attention, so he switched gears and immediately took his Zug out around the left flank.
As the tree line of OBJ AZFritz had now been cleared, and the AT gun reported as destroyed, 2IC Erlichmann directed all units into the wood line at OBJ Munchen, in preparation of the horrid business of clearing the woods.  He had no illusions of the carnage to come.
On the right flank, Altschüller’s men had already taken several casualties, despite a cautious and deliberate advance.  The Russians seemed to be part of the forest, and his men only discovered them when the sound of submachine guns erupted, accompanied by the screams of the wounded.

A Russian solder, with hands held high, surrenders to Altschüller's men as they push forwards.  This was a rare occurrence.  He can be seen over the lead German soldier's left shoulder.

 
Now it was all hands forward.  Machine gun teams walked shoulder to shoulder with survivors of the infantry squads.  SPWs ground through the underbrush, trying to find paths forward that were not blocked by trees. 
No sooner had the squads taken an abandoned set of foxholes, when concentrated enemy submachine gun fire ripped through the trees and into the men.  Over half of Sehmel’s squad were cut down, including the veteran Unteroffizer himself, and Uffz Heise was the single survivor of his own squad.
Altschüller’s Zug, now diminished by their own casualties, were pushing in from the right flank, having struggled through the underbrush.  Altschüller’s 2,0 cm cannon had been invaluable in their clearing attempts, as the cannon shells shredded everything in their path.  The familiar thoom-thoom sound of the cannon was enough to guarantee that the Russians would break and retreat further into the woods.

The men cautiously advanced, having had their numbers thinned drastically by the hidden enemy.

Feldwebel Erlichmann found himself shoulder to shoulder with his Hauptmann, as the two of them and their command squads tried desperately to stem the bleeding of the wounded and keep the men focused on the enemy before them.
More squads arrived in the woods, and some SPW with gunners also arrived.  The gunners kept spraying the trees and underbrush ahead of them, and Altschüller’s cannon kept shredding the woods where the enemy gunfire had erupted.  The men were then able to slowly advance once more.
The bloody struggle in the woods seemed to go on forever, but in reality, it was only around 15 minutes.  The attack was behind schedule, but von Schroif had to have the woods cleared for the mission to be a success, as this wooded area was to be the jumping off point of the next push.
And then, suddenly, it was over.  Altschüller’s men could see the Russian survivors fleeing from the woods and across a large wheatfield.  The woods took on an eerie silence, broken only by the cries of the wounded of both sides and the idling of SPW engines.  The dead made no noise, but looked accusingly at the survivors with open eyes, asking the silent question, why me and not you?
Hauptmann von Schroif was exhausted mentally and physically by the battle.  He had the blood of his men on his hands, both figuratively and literally, having helped to bandage up the wounded.
Hpt von Schroif heard his name called, and turned as he recognized Erlichmann’s voice. 
“Herr Hauptmann, I am able to report that all objectives have been achieved.  Ivan is fleeing from the back of the woods.  We are not organized properly to pursue.”
Hpt von Schroif could see how exhausted his 2IC was.  Blood streaked his uniform and dirt marred his face, with rivulets of sweat streaking through the dirt.  He realized that he must look the same.
“Danke, Hans,” he said softly.  “And casualties?  What is the butcher’s bill?”
Erlichmann took a long breath before speaking.  “Herr Hauptmann, we have lost both support SPW Stummel, a support 2,0 cm cannon, and many SPW gunners.  It appears that all our MG SPW have come through, but some with track or tire damage. “He paused again, knowing that Hpt von Schroif was really more interested in the human toll, and he was reluctant to be the bearer of bad news.
“And…?” pressed von Schroif.
Erlichmann said, “I am sorry to say that preliminary reports are at least 15 dead and less than 20 wounded.  These are not exact figures though, and could fluctuate up or down as the squad leaders reorganize their men, Herr Hauptmann.”
“Danke, Hans,” was all that von Schroif could manage at the moment.  He turned to stare at the deadly forest and his Feldwebel left him lost in thoughts.
The final tally was 22 KIA and 19 WIA.  Veteran squad leaders lost in the action were the following:
Pöppel     Winnings     Sehmel     Boedecker
As von Schroif had expected, the majority of casualties happened in the push to clear the woods.  He wondered what the butcher’s bill would look like after the next battle.

It gets worse! I was playing a PBEM once and the battle ended. Down there in the set up zone were several units I just somehow never got moving along into the action. It was a big map. I prefer the small battles exactly because I can manage the brain power. Too big a map and too many units...I start to smell the toast burning!
My Mom (R.I.P.) used to play scrabble to keep her brain working and prevent alzheimers. Something worked, maybe not the scrabble. I try to think and hope that CM is my scrabble. 😂

I'd rather have a campaign that works as intended due to those factors rather than one that was a dud.  I never really get excited or completely bound by experience levels or their labels - ultimately this is a game and if it isn't playable because the Soviets were all conscripts or whatever then that is an epic fail.  The campaign tested well and feedback so far on the boards seems to be good.

Things are moving forward 😎....The 'block houses' are in place and functioning as intended...Some more work needed on the smaller buildings but given the current progress...The map WILL be released next week for anyone that would like to take it for a spin....A few final prewiew pic of those blocks...
 


 
 

 

 


 
 
 
 

 

Freddie Mercury and the band defend the Habanniyah district against infidel crusader!
 

As the cannon half-track readies itself to engage enemy tanks, a sudden jolt is felt and the vehicle emits a sharp, loud metallic sound. A few seconds later, it happens again. This time, the loader makes a gurgling sound and slumps over. An AT-rifle has them zeroed in!

 
From his observation perch just behind the barbed wire, the anti-tank platoon HQ sees the lead T-34 move to rush the wire. With this many tanks incoming and the AT half-track in a panic, he orders his panzerfaust man to engage. It is a good shot and takes out the enemy tank.

 
A few seconds later, another T-34 surges forward. This time, there is no panzerfaust available. However, the sharp eyes of Stug 2's gunner, under commander Kahl, sight the threat and send a round down range from Strongpoint East. It brews up the tank.

 
The burning tank's crew bail and 2 men attempt to rush the AT platoon HQ's position. The German team has no choice but to defend with small arms.

 
This alerts the remaining enemy tanks to their presence and a T-34 sends off a canister round, killing and wounding part of the HQ team.

 
Meanwhile, at corner of the Luftwaffe Ministry, the Soviets gain the upper hand in the firefight against Hörter and his men. The panzerschreck team is wiped out and Hörter's team loses its radioman and a rifleman. The rest are pinned.

look for the intruder

Personal message to the scenario designers:
I just finished my first medium scenario (Brauersdorf), and it was great, but I find it very hard to motivate myself to even start another medium (or larger) scenario.
They are simply too big / too much effort for casual playing.
You (the designers) put so much time into the editor to set up these big scenarios, and I cannot even appreciate your effort, because I simply cannot convince myself to put the necessary amount of time into a single game.
I have no idea if others feel the same way, but for me it would be much better, if, e.g., two thirds of the scenarios would be 'small' or below in size. And not the other way round.
Best regards,
Thomm