Bulletpoint

Yes, it's such a strange video. Could he be a hated officer? But even so, why steal his helmet of all things? Not a watch or a wallet or a gold wedding ring? And by leaving him alive, they risk that he makes it back to friendly lines or gets found by more friendly friendlies, and then there could be hell to pay.

Haven't seen any video of drones carrying vodka bottles. What actually happened was probably just that the Russian got drunk on his own supply. Then the rest of the story was added to make it into a meme.

They did.

So, apart from getting the balance completely wrong, and casting the Americans as the attackers, I think it did a pretty good job. Even though it's not the height of creativity, I'm pretty amazed that I can ask a computer to do this stuff, as it has not been trained to know what Combat Mission even is, let alone what a typical scenario writeup looks like. Actually, looking at it again now, I think the balance might even be quite good for a singleplayer battle. It seems to match with a lot of scenarios I've played.

User: Write a scenario for the computer game Combat Mission: Final Blitzkrieg. Include scenario briefing (500 words) and an OOB for all units, including suggested soft factors. Try to achieve good gameplay balance for a game of two human players. ChatGPT: Scenario: Battle for Hill 317 Briefing: Date: February 12, 1945 Location: Ardennes, Belgium Time: 0800 hours Situation: The Battle of the Bulge has reached a critical stage, and both Allied and German forces are locked in a fierce struggle for control of the Ardennes region. The strategic value of Hill 317 cannot be underestimated, as it offers commanding views over the surrounding terrain. The Germans have positioned a well-fortified company of veteran infantry, supported by armor, to hold the hill. The Allies have assembled a combined force to dislodge them and secure the area. Your Mission: As the commander of the Allied forces, your mission is to capture and hold Hill 317. The Germans are dug in and highly motivated to defend their position, so expect fierce resistance. Your success will depend on careful planning, effective coordination, and exploiting any weaknesses you can find in their defenses. Enemy Forces: The German defenders consist of a reinforced company of battle-hardened infantry, supported by two platoons of tanks and a battery of artillery. They have emplaced machine gun nests, dugouts, and well-constructed trenches on the hill, providing them with excellent defensive positions. The enemy is likely to employ anti-tank weapons and mines to deter your armored units. Friendly Forces: You command a mixed force consisting of infantry, tanks, and artillery. Your infantry consists of two reinforced platoons, supported by a heavy machine gun platoon. You have two platoons of Sherman tanks and a battery of field artillery at your disposal. Additionally, you can request off-map artillery support to soften up enemy positions or disrupt their reinforcements. Objectives: - Secure Hill 317: Capture and hold the strategic hill. The Germans will put up stiff resistance, so plan your assault carefully. - Eliminate Enemy Armor: Destroy or neutralize the German tanks to deny them the ability to counterattack effectively. - Neutralize Artillery Positions: Locate and suppress the enemy artillery to minimize their impact on your forces. - Preserve Your Forces: Limit casualties and ensure your units maintain combat effectiveness throughout the engagement. Terrain: The battle takes place in a hilly and forested area, with open fields surrounding Hill 317. The hill itself is covered in dense vegetation and crisscrossed with trenches and foxholes. The terrain will favor the defender, offering ample opportunities for ambushes and defensive positions. Use the cover wisely and coordinate with your units to overcome these challenges. Suggested OOB (Order of Battle): Allied Forces: - 2 x Infantry Platoon (Reinforced) - 1 x Heavy Machine Gun Platoon - 2 x Sherman Tank Platoon - 1 x Field Artillery Battery German Forces: - 1 x Infantry Company (Veteran) - 2 x Tank Platoon - 1 x Artillery Battery Suggested Soft Factors: Allied Forces: - Leadership: Average - Experience: Average - Morale: Average - Training: Average German Forces: - Leadership: Good - Experience: Veteran - Morale: High - Training: High Note: The suggested soft factors are for gameplay balance and can be adjusted according to player preferences. Remember, commander, the Battle for Hill 317 will be a challenging endeavor. Study the terrain, utilize your units effectively, and adapt your tactics to overcome the German defenders. Good luck! Victory on this hill will bring the Allies one step closer to victory in the Ardennes.

I wonder if it's combat footage or from training. We don't see any Russian positions or even hear the crack of incoming fire. Also the guys seem a bit too relaxed?

I'm wondering if Ukraine prefers to start with a series of small, limited ambition counterattacks, not so much to take actual ground but to simply train their new units in practice? A bit like tutorial missions in a game. They received so much new kit and raised so many new units that it would probably be good for both individual tank crews, mech infantry, logistics, repair units, etc. to get some training against light opposition. And why not retake Bakhmut at the same time? Russian units there must be really worn down, and the morale boost of retaking the town in a few weeks after Russians spending all winter taking it would be great.

To be fair, the US also knows how to name stuff in a way that appeals to 14 year old boys. Reaper drones firing Hellfire missiles. Apache helicopters. Tomahawks. Not to mention the M1 Humdrum Dumb Bomb.

Denys Davidov now predicts the offensive will begin on May 15. I am sure the offensive will go through the Russian lines like a knife through butter. The only thing I'm not sure about is the temperature of that butter.

But if Putin owns Wagner, as you just said, then why cannot Prigozhin contact Putin directly, and say "We don't get enough ammo"? Why must he make such a drama?

When I saw the rant, I thought that Prig was burning all bridges behind him with that one, and that he would indeed leave Bakhmut. And I thought the obvious reason was that he realised the war is lost, and he wanted to get out of there before the Ukrainian counteroffensive. By leaving in time, he was hoping to be remembered as "the guy who actually did the hard work" but was betrayed by incompetent fat cats. Then later, as Russian leadership crumbles, he might return and use that political capital to seize power or at least some lucrative position. But now he's apparently staying, so that theory went out the window. Making a public rant like that seems extremely bad for the morale of Russian soldiers (of they get to see it). I'm surprised he's allowed to live after rocking the boat so much.

Do you see Prigozhin as a kind of puppet or mouthpiece that Putin uses to send public messages to his generals? Or was the latest angry shouting video directed at Shoigu and Gerasimov Prig's own idea? I find it difficult to understand the power structure and the reason for these public theatrics. On the face of it, it seems Prig's status and authority have been elevated by being able to angrily insult Russian army leadership in public and then getting them to do what he wants.

Now that suddenly Wagner is staying in Bakhmut after all is that likely to be because Prig was succesful in getting the ammo he wanted, or because Putin put in a blocking unit and said he couldn't leave?

Are those termite bombs effective against troops in apartment blocks? Or is it a sign that the Russians now just firing whatever shells they have left?

Not sure if anybody already brought up this theory, but could the Kremlin drone attacks have been conducted by Putin himself, in order to test his own air defences? If I were him, I'd look at videos from Ukraine and be paranoid about the risk of a drone suddenly crashing in through my own window at any moment. Looking at the miserable performance of the Russian army so far, and the succesful Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil storage etc, I'd be wondering if all those AA guns I placed on tall buildings around my HQ would actually save me in case of drone attack.

Even one from Red China @Chibot Mk IX

If we hang ourselves, we will at least get an... eh... early war mod.

There will surely be an announcement to-morrow.

I think it will be interesting to see if there will be a Russian investigation into who did that drone attack, and whether some rival of Putin will be found to be guilty. A way to get rid of Prigozhin now that Wagner is spent and Bakhmut nearly taken?

Technically, there's no difference in call times and accuracy. But in many single-player missions, the AI is helped by the scenario designer placing a good spotter already in a good position, such as a church tower or on a hill, when the battle starts. This helps a lot with accurate and fast artillery.

Alright, thanks. I must admit I stopped watching after I thought it was manipulatively edited.

At 00:10 he throws a grenade into a foxhole and the Russian reaches out to throw the grenade out again, but the clip then for some reason cuts and there's an explosion but it seems to be in a different place? Lots of trickery going on in some of these videos.

It will definitely suppress them if you hit, but suppression in CM wears off quite fast usually, and they will likely be back up firing befire you can reload the PIAT.

Yes, it's proably a bit too strong wording. "Very strongly affect" might be better. But I think it's a philosophical question about what it actually means to be a sovereign country these days. Denmark is officially a completely sovereign nation, and we recently refused to sell Greenland to the USA. But the USA could just grab Greenland if they wanted, and we know that. We also know that Russia could - and likely would - take over Greenland if we were not "very good friends" with the USA. So do we really have a choice in this? Same with Ukraine. A proud sovereign nation with its own flag and national anthem etc., but it only remains sovereign thanks to the goodwill and support of the West, which is completely dominated economically and militarily by the US.