L0ckAndL0ad

Sitrep @ 9:19
I've got two Javelin teams placed strategically at high ground in order to be able to quickly hit High Value Targets as they appear (also for better spotting). The room that the RPG-29 gunner appeared the last time in is the same room an enemy HQ combatant have run towards/into. So I ordered an immediate attack on that room with a Javelin missile. The room has collapsed. In other news, 1st Platoon got another casualty during resupply... 2nd Platoon is still facing opposition in the first line of houses near the trenches but is ready to move into Obj Morty any minute now.
Enemy HQ spotted @ Obj Vasquez:

2nd Platoon receives fire from the buildings @ Obj Morty:

Javelin attack on enemy HQ & RPG-29 position:

1st Platoon is trying to resupply during combat, but can't find a better place for it. There's a large ditch on the left side of the road, and no way to drive into the alleys on the right side. So the resupply has to be done right in the middle of the street.
 

Sitrep @ 9:22
1st Platoon, slowly but surely, moves forward to secure Obj Drake. Resupply is almost complete, though not without some quirks.
2nd Platoon got a new casualty the moment the first element reached the outer fence of Obj Morty compound... Nothing I can do about it.
The route for 3rd Platoon's movement is still not secure enough, so I wait before committing them.
LAR Platoon is on the move. I spread everyone out along the northern front, leapfrogging forward. Also ordered the LAV-25 crews to stick their heads out for a bit to check out the surroundings. The northern flank presents a dilemma. On the one hand, there's ~80% flat terrain, more suitable for mounted forces, and making dismounted recon elements very vulnerable. On the other hand, there are ditches and tree lines capable of hiding enemy infantry and AT assets. The ideal solution would be using LAVs on flat terrain while sending dismounts over ditches and tree lines, but that's not always possible due to some unique terrain features. So yeah, I kinda struggle to advance as quickly as I anticipated.
Scout Snipers have reached the Point 37 near Hill 42 (SE corner of the map). I'm not 100% sure if I should send them further north to the low ground area, or keep them at Point 37 hill where they'd have better overview of the area.
Enemy HQ combatant at Obj Vasquez managed to survive the Javelin strike! The fella lying next to him is supposedly the RPG-29 gunner.

2nd Platoon's being hit:

LAR Platoon leapfrogs eastbound on the northern flank:

As I wait for my partner to send the next turn, I wanted to say a few words.
First, huge thanks to @akd and @GreenAsJade for their outstanding work! I'm using @akd sound mod for greatly improved sound effects and @GreenAsJade's CM Helper (via Dropbox) to facilitate smooth PBEM experience. Thank you, people! It wouldn't be as great without your work!
Second, I want to talk about building clearing procedures that I use. There are two general ways I execute an entry:
No enemy contact. Hunt command with reduced range (200-300 meters max) and 360 firing arc. I suspect that Hunt makes units less visible/noticeable than if they were running, and more prepared to return fire than normal Move. That presents a problem - a team on Hunt order may stop when fired upon, and the area they've stopped could be exposed and deadly to stay on (example). Known enemy position. There are two ways to approach an enemy position (a building in our case): a) Using a covered route (that does not expose your assault team), b) Using a more direct route that makes you place the assault team in front of the windows. In either case, great amount of suppressive fire is required. When coming from a covered route, you can stop outside the house/room and use delayed attack so that your assault team throws in some hand grenades. But then it'll have to run inside, preferably. If you can't approach the target building from a safe direction, you'll have to run either way. But that's the problem. Running into a room with enemies is also very dangerous. Sometimes more than giving a hunt command (unit will stop right away).
What is your preferred way of moving into the buildings?
Sitrep @ 9:23
Marines of the 1st Platoon win a firefight against several enemy groups while clearing the Obj Drake. Only one team was moving into a new building and made contact across the yard, so all the other teams were able to respond with fire immediately, and from multiple angles. Also, 1st Platoon may be seriously battered and understrenghted, it's still alive and kicking enemy's arse.

 

Sitrep @ 9:26
1st Platoon needs to clear one more row of buildings before declaring Obj Drake secure, but I feel like there's nobody there left. I'd be careful anyway. 2nd Platoon has cleared 1/3 of Obj Morty. 3rd Platoon is en route to Obj Phelps. LAR & Scout Sniper Platoons have nothing to report.
One of the two Company HQ-assigned AAVs got stuck dead in the mud in the dried up creek @ SE corner. I ordered the crew to dismount and head to 2nd Platoon's position to treat the casualties. Wonder if I'd get the AAV as "killed" in the end during the scoring. It's mission killed and won't move anyway..
3rd Platoon passes by 1st Platoon's AAVs that overwatch the Obj Drake:

Elements of 2nd Platoon react to contact while clearing Obj Morty:

Sitrep @ 9:30
3rd Platoon is as lucky as the 1st it seems. The route I showed you.. There are these trenches and canals that I can't control without populating them with infantry. I had many different vehicles on overwatch in the area, but it wasn't enough.. So the good old Murphy's law works again. The route I expected to be the most secure... wasn't secure. The front line that I held was broken & infiltrated in exactly the area I used for 3rd Platoon's insertion.. 
The results.. a destroyed AAV, multiple casualties, and a premature deployment of the 3rd Plt, which means the Marines now have to go even further.. And it's 30 minutes till the end of the mission. I don't think I'd be able to reach Obj Jones.  Maybe with LAR Platoon...? But unlikely..
3rd Platoon's AAV takes an RPG hit:

The perp, running away, being chased by 40mm grenade explosions:

Sitrep @ 9:31
So there were at least two guys in that ditch. The first one (who ran away) seems to have died on a previous turn. On this turn, his buddy tried to get another shot off, missed by a couple of meters. The AAVs cut him down with 40 mike mikes and M2s...


2nd Platoons have cleared 2/3 of Obj Morty. Here's the contested part (with like 5 dead dudes seen on the roofs) that the Marines are about to storm:

In other news. Obj Drake is now fully secure! Do you feel secure? I'm sure 1st Platoon is filled with great joy by now. Somebody should tell them they gotta take the Vasquez also. And provide some overwatch for the 3rd Platoon.

Speaking of 3rd Platoon. Here's a preliminary movement plan I came up with:

Since there's little chance that 3rd might be able to reach Obj Jones in time, LAR Platoon, with only 4 dismounted teams, can try and grab one or two buildings there. Like these two. Should be enough to seal off the northern entrance to the village and provide some sort of control over it.

Headcount tracker says I'm at 77% manpower. Which is below 80% required from me by the briefing. But this is MOUT. In MOUT, you should always expect at least 50% casualties.
Overall picture:

Sitrep @ 9:43
So far so good. For the most part of the mission, my Marines were able to achieve local fire superiority upon enemy contact. Almost each time. I intend to keep this trend until the end of the scenario. The pockets of resistance here and there that I encounter are quickly dealt with, all thanks to Marine TO&E and target area isolation. I can target most of the buildings from multiple sides at the same time, and most of the outer ones with heavy weaponry. So as soon as the enemy is spotted, there's little chance for it to escape.
Elements of the 3rd Platoon on point:

Encounter with survivals of the previous firefight:

In the mean time, 1st Platoon is seconds away from storming Obj Vasquez:

2nd Platoon assembled and lined up along the Obj Rick:

Fire & maneuver of the 3rd Platoon continues:

LAR Platoon's LAVs create an additional entry point in preparation before storming one of the Obj Jones compounds:
 

Sitrep @ 9:46
Wow, I am amazed by what's happening right now. The way my Marines handle the firefights is just majestic! Even though quite a lot of them are regular level troops, and many being morally depressed (cautious or scared, borderline panic).
1st Platoon entered the Obj Vasquez compound without any resistance. No contacts so far. But their AAV was attacked by an RPG guy from the Obj Phelps. The RPG gunner missed though, and was killed by AAV's quick return fire. The vehicle commander was up on the turret, unbuttoned.

2nd Platoon meets very small resistance as it moves through Obj Rick.  Just a couple of guys that were dealt with surprisingly well at a disadvantageous situation for my Marines (they were out in the open, while the enemies were inside the building and fired at them at almost black range. But the Marines killed both and then cleared the house completely.


Remember that compound at Obj Jones that my LAR Platoon dismounts were about to storm? The one where I created additional entry points in the walls. I am specifically forbidden to fire indiscriminately at the buildings if I'm not fired upon from them. So I was not firing at the buildings, just made some holes in the walls, nothing dangerous, let me assure you.
However, the enemy might not even be aware of this. He opened up early and fired at one of my LAV-25s. It was a near hit (not direct). Small damage to LAV's wheels, but everyone's OK. LAV commander was unbuttoned when the RPG hit nearby, and he immediately closed the hatch afterwards and directed the gunner to open up on the building with 25mm. And I think we've killed the guy who fired the RPG.

Also, now I can freely hose the building with lead before entering.
Now unto the most action heavy part. 3rd Platoon's adventures. Remember the plans I wrote on the previous page? So far I'm sticking to it.
2nd and 3rd Squads have reached the northern end of the planned route, the one with a burning car in the yard. They've uncovered multiple enemy groups and are in the middle of a vicious firefight. They are to stay there and will cover 1st Squad's movement.
1st and Assault Squads are crossing the road, moving to the southern side of the Obj Phelps. They will blow a hole in the wall and will proceed clearing the southern side of the Obj Phelps. It might take a while, and I'm afraid that I'd need additional manpower to be sent to the southern side, but we'll see.
The fighting is going very well so far. I'm proud of my little pixeltruppen.

2nd & 3rd Squads of the 3rd Platoon exchange lead with the enemy:

Sitrep @ 9:46
Wow, I am amazed by what's happening right now. The way my Marines handle the firefights is just majestic! Even though quite a lot of them are regular level troops, and many being morally depressed (cautious or scared, borderline panic).
1st Platoon entered the Obj Vasquez compound without any resistance. No contacts so far. But their AAV was attacked by an RPG guy from the Obj Phelps. The RPG gunner missed though, and was killed by AAV's quick return fire. The vehicle commander was up on the turret, unbuttoned.

2nd Platoon meets very small resistance as it moves through Obj Rick.  Just a couple of guys that were dealt with surprisingly well at a disadvantageous situation for my Marines (they were out in the open, while the enemies were inside the building and fired at them at almost black range. But the Marines killed both and then cleared the house completely.


Remember that compound at Obj Jones that my LAR Platoon dismounts were about to storm? The one where I created additional entry points in the walls. I am specifically forbidden to fire indiscriminately at the buildings if I'm not fired upon from them. So I was not firing at the buildings, just made some holes in the walls, nothing dangerous, let me assure you.
However, the enemy might not even be aware of this. He opened up early and fired at one of my LAV-25s. It was a near hit (not direct). Small damage to LAV's wheels, but everyone's OK. LAV commander was unbuttoned when the RPG hit nearby, and he immediately closed the hatch afterwards and directed the gunner to open up on the building with 25mm. And I think we've killed the guy who fired the RPG.

Also, now I can freely hose the building with lead before entering.
Now unto the most action heavy part. 3rd Platoon's adventures. Remember the plans I wrote on the previous page? So far I'm sticking to it.
2nd and 3rd Squads have reached the northern end of the planned route, the one with a burning car in the yard. They've uncovered multiple enemy groups and are in the middle of a vicious firefight. They are to stay there and will cover 1st Squad's movement.
1st and Assault Squads are crossing the road, moving to the southern side of the Obj Phelps. They will blow a hole in the wall and will proceed clearing the southern side of the Obj Phelps. It might take a while, and I'm afraid that I'd need additional manpower to be sent to the southern side, but we'll see.
The fighting is going very well so far. I'm proud of my little pixeltruppen.

2nd & 3rd Squads of the 3rd Platoon exchange lead with the enemy:

Sitrep @ 9:40
Mkay, so there's only 20 minutes remaining. What do I have to report? 1st Platoon is moving into position to storm Obj Vasquez. Obj Morty has been secured. 2nd Platoon is almost in position to start clearing Obj Rick. 3rd Platoon is swarming through Obj Phelps like little ants. LAR Plt keeps clearing the lowgrounds in the north.
I'm confident that I'd be able to clear Objectives Vasquez and Rick in time. Unless 1st Platoon decides to go AWOL during the assault. Their morale is pretty low, so I keep the Squad Leader team where it is needed the most. Obj Phelps will most likely not be fully cleared by the end of this mission.
3rd Platoon had only two breaching charges. The first one was used at the initial entry point:

One of the RPG guys at Obj Phelps survived and managed to run away:

The swarm of Marines @ Obj Phelps:

Sitrep @ 9:40
Mkay, so there's only 20 minutes remaining. What do I have to report? 1st Platoon is moving into position to storm Obj Vasquez. Obj Morty has been secured. 2nd Platoon is almost in position to start clearing Obj Rick. 3rd Platoon is swarming through Obj Phelps like little ants. LAR Plt keeps clearing the lowgrounds in the north.
I'm confident that I'd be able to clear Objectives Vasquez and Rick in time. Unless 1st Platoon decides to go AWOL during the assault. Their morale is pretty low, so I keep the Squad Leader team where it is needed the most. Obj Phelps will most likely not be fully cleared by the end of this mission.
3rd Platoon had only two breaching charges. The first one was used at the initial entry point:

One of the RPG guys at Obj Phelps survived and managed to run away:

The swarm of Marines @ Obj Phelps:

My experience comes from being a CV9030 gunner.
 
Let us start with a very real live example. CV9030 company is moving along a road surrounded by dense forest. Enemy contact is possible but not imminent. The company is "traveling" so mounted and expected to move somewhat quickly. Leading CV9030 is moving slow enough to be 100% ready to open fire instantly, the gunner is constantly "pre-aimed" to the next corner on the road ext. and the gunner will engage on his own initiative.
So let us say a meeting engagement happens. What happens in the lead tank?
- Gunner sees the enemy AFV and opens fire.
- Commander knows without words what is happening (gunner shooting + direction the gun is pointed) and acts out his part of the script. Says to the intercom: "reverse, fast!" and flips a switch that pops smoke. Gunner gives a report as fast as he can while/after shooting: "IFV, destroyed"
- Commander informs the platoon/company radio shortly: "contact, heavy" (heavy meaning mechanized force) Also sometimes lead tank intercom is directly connected to platoon radio so the information is as fast as possible and if the lead tank is lost the information is not.
- Commander gives the driver instruction on the reversing (left, right, hard left...)
- Commander and driver have packed up a short distance to the side of the road and the commander gives "dismount, left" order for the dismounts. Same time more information to platoon/company radio.

Nope! I'll announce the answer to our little quiz upon completion of this Nasty AAR!
Sitrep @ 9:33
1st Platoon is making itself useful! Not only did they manage to spot an enemy sniper, moving to a new position, but they also skillfully supported 3rd Platoon's movement! I love when my pixeltruppen actually do what I wanted them to.
Enemy sniper is a High Value Target in my book, so his location was targeted by a Javelin missile strike. And a focused fire by several vehicles. Time to surgically destroy another building.
So 1st Platoon's successes... Right, right. I set them along the Obj Drake border to support 3rd Platoon moving into Obj Phelps (*smooth jazz tune slowly increases in volume*).
1st Platoon had to do just one thing, and one thing only. Watch out for any signs of trouble. The alleys across the bridge were still and silent, and only barely noticeable desert wind kept the men aware by throwing small pieces of sand into their tired, wary faces.
- Come to me, darling, - Sergeant broke a brief moment of silence. - I ain't no detective, but I WILL get to you. Aren't you tired of running?, - he spit into the sand and continued thoughtfully gazing into the far reaches of the valley ahead.
So, the 1st Platoon was watching. Watching.. And suddenly, the shots erupted, sounding from the other side of the bridge. An RPG team appeared on a rooftop, barely noticeable for the Marines. Then came more shots, and another team of armed men appeared on a distant roof. The Sergeant awoke from his short moment of quaint absence and started shouting orders to the men: - Two o'clock, three hundred meters, rooftops! Light them up, boys!
One after the other, the 1st Platoon Marine teams, beaten but still very much trigger-happy, acquired their respective targets and started firing. The whole valley awoke with loud noises of a firefight. The Marines managed to successfully suppress the enemy, giving time to several distant vehicle crews to figure out they also have to tune into this chaotic rumble of death and destruction.
Ahem.. Yeah, I got carried away a little. Wink. Wink. So.. 1st Platoon reacted good! More info to come..
Enemy sniper changes his position:

2nd Platoon awaits for the smoke screen before entering the enemy compound. Also, just a weird scene.

1st Platoon covers 3rd Platoon's movement:

Nope! I'll announce the answer to our little quiz upon completion of this Nasty AAR!
Sitrep @ 9:33
1st Platoon is making itself useful! Not only did they manage to spot an enemy sniper, moving to a new position, but they also skillfully supported 3rd Platoon's movement! I love when my pixeltruppen actually do what I wanted them to.
Enemy sniper is a High Value Target in my book, so his location was targeted by a Javelin missile strike. And a focused fire by several vehicles. Time to surgically destroy another building.
So 1st Platoon's successes... Right, right. I set them along the Obj Drake border to support 3rd Platoon moving into Obj Phelps (*smooth jazz tune slowly increases in volume*).
1st Platoon had to do just one thing, and one thing only. Watch out for any signs of trouble. The alleys across the bridge were still and silent, and only barely noticeable desert wind kept the men aware by throwing small pieces of sand into their tired, wary faces.
- Come to me, darling, - Sergeant broke a brief moment of silence. - I ain't no detective, but I WILL get to you. Aren't you tired of running?, - he spit into the sand and continued thoughtfully gazing into the far reaches of the valley ahead.
So, the 1st Platoon was watching. Watching.. And suddenly, the shots erupted, sounding from the other side of the bridge. An RPG team appeared on a rooftop, barely noticeable for the Marines. Then came more shots, and another team of armed men appeared on a distant roof. The Sergeant awoke from his short moment of quaint absence and started shouting orders to the men: - Two o'clock, three hundred meters, rooftops! Light them up, boys!
One after the other, the 1st Platoon Marine teams, beaten but still very much trigger-happy, acquired their respective targets and started firing. The whole valley awoke with loud noises of a firefight. The Marines managed to successfully suppress the enemy, giving time to several distant vehicle crews to figure out they also have to tune into this chaotic rumble of death and destruction.
Ahem.. Yeah, I got carried away a little. Wink. Wink. So.. 1st Platoon reacted good! More info to come..
Enemy sniper changes his position:

2nd Platoon awaits for the smoke screen before entering the enemy compound. Also, just a weird scene.

1st Platoon covers 3rd Platoon's movement:

Sitrep @ 9:31
So there were at least two guys in that ditch. The first one (who ran away) seems to have died on a previous turn. On this turn, his buddy tried to get another shot off, missed by a couple of meters. The AAVs cut him down with 40 mike mikes and M2s...


2nd Platoons have cleared 2/3 of Obj Morty. Here's the contested part (with like 5 dead dudes seen on the roofs) that the Marines are about to storm:

In other news. Obj Drake is now fully secure! Do you feel secure? I'm sure 1st Platoon is filled with great joy by now. Somebody should tell them they gotta take the Vasquez also. And provide some overwatch for the 3rd Platoon.

Speaking of 3rd Platoon. Here's a preliminary movement plan I came up with:

Since there's little chance that 3rd might be able to reach Obj Jones in time, LAR Platoon, with only 4 dismounted teams, can try and grab one or two buildings there. Like these two. Should be enough to seal off the northern entrance to the village and provide some sort of control over it.

Headcount tracker says I'm at 77% manpower. Which is below 80% required from me by the briefing. But this is MOUT. In MOUT, you should always expect at least 50% casualties.
Overall picture:

Nope! I'll announce the answer to our little quiz upon completion of this Nasty AAR!
Sitrep @ 9:33
1st Platoon is making itself useful! Not only did they manage to spot an enemy sniper, moving to a new position, but they also skillfully supported 3rd Platoon's movement! I love when my pixeltruppen actually do what I wanted them to.
Enemy sniper is a High Value Target in my book, so his location was targeted by a Javelin missile strike. And a focused fire by several vehicles. Time to surgically destroy another building.
So 1st Platoon's successes... Right, right. I set them along the Obj Drake border to support 3rd Platoon moving into Obj Phelps (*smooth jazz tune slowly increases in volume*).
1st Platoon had to do just one thing, and one thing only. Watch out for any signs of trouble. The alleys across the bridge were still and silent, and only barely noticeable desert wind kept the men aware by throwing small pieces of sand into their tired, wary faces.
- Come to me, darling, - Sergeant broke a brief moment of silence. - I ain't no detective, but I WILL get to you. Aren't you tired of running?, - he spit into the sand and continued thoughtfully gazing into the far reaches of the valley ahead.
So, the 1st Platoon was watching. Watching.. And suddenly, the shots erupted, sounding from the other side of the bridge. An RPG team appeared on a rooftop, barely noticeable for the Marines. Then came more shots, and another team of armed men appeared on a distant roof. The Sergeant awoke from his short moment of quaint absence and started shouting orders to the men: - Two o'clock, three hundred meters, rooftops! Light them up, boys!
One after the other, the 1st Platoon Marine teams, beaten but still very much trigger-happy, acquired their respective targets and started firing. The whole valley awoke with loud noises of a firefight. The Marines managed to successfully suppress the enemy, giving time to several distant vehicle crews to figure out they also have to tune into this chaotic rumble of death and destruction.
Ahem.. Yeah, I got carried away a little. Wink. Wink. So.. 1st Platoon reacted good! More info to come..
Enemy sniper changes his position:

2nd Platoon awaits for the smoke screen before entering the enemy compound. Also, just a weird scene.

1st Platoon covers 3rd Platoon's movement:

CV935 in the game does utilize airburst ammo. I just double-checked it in the full game.  I think it did back in CMSF1 too.  The air bursts are just above ground height so its easy to miss. I didn't pay close attention but it seemed to be 3 round airbursts mixed in with regular HE hits.

As a FIST Chief I worked with them. Assuming you have air superiority and a minimal ground AA threat, they would own one of these SF2 battlefields. Sit back and watch the show. But note my caveats. 
Makes it tough - either they are at risk (and they don't like to be at risk), or they pretty much tip the balance so far that the battle becomes target practice for the Spectre. 

Final piece of the puzzle. A picture and a video of the same CV9035NL with DAS smoke dispensers & LWR block visible.
This event took place in Oirschot (Netherlands), June 1 2008.

Same CV9035NL appears @ 1:00 minute mark:
https://youtu.be/THbCwYpkL5E?t=59
So... it is in CMSF timeframe, folks!
Looking at CMSF2 demo, neither M1 Abrams tanks nor the Bradleys have LWRs... 
ADDED LATER:
There are 4 LWR sensor blocks in total, covering full 360 degrees. Position of two aft LWR sensor blocks on the turret can be seen on this photo:

Final piece of the puzzle. A picture and a video of the same CV9035NL with DAS smoke dispensers & LWR block visible.
This event took place in Oirschot (Netherlands), June 1 2008.

Same CV9035NL appears @ 1:00 minute mark:
https://youtu.be/THbCwYpkL5E?t=59
So... it is in CMSF timeframe, folks!
Looking at CMSF2 demo, neither M1 Abrams tanks nor the Bradleys have LWRs... 
ADDED LATER:
There are 4 LWR sensor blocks in total, covering full 360 degrees. Position of two aft LWR sensor blocks on the turret can be seen on this photo:

Crazy stuff...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGAk5gRD-t0

This seems to fit the timeframe and NL forces in SF:
https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031602/http://www.baesystems.se/Hagglunds/ReadMore.asp?Pid=2&id=187
and
https://web.archive.org/web/20050908090959/http://www.baesystems.se:80/stdpage.asp?Pid=4&id=180
 

I'll start it off with a bang! Long range BMP smack down, courtesy of Germany and the milan.
 

 
Mord.

Whether you're interested in future warfare, WW II or both, this superb MILITARY REVIEW article from early this year should give you lots to think about. The author is pushing for making the current 9-man squad bigger, by adding a super capable, tech loaded 3-man Scout-Recon team. This, mind, is after the Marines have upped their firepower by ~3 x, downsized their squad and added a new position: Systems Operator to handle digital data, squad UAV, etc.   In order to make his case, the author shows how WW II experience led to downsizing from 12 to begin with and why he sees a need to expand the squad back to its previous size by adding a 3-rifleman Scout-Recon team loaded with tech. He also drops a bombshell on squad maneuver during WW II and presents some harrowing numbers on the attrition rate at the Battle of Aachen.   https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/March-April-2018/Kamara-Infantry-Rifle-Squad/

Regards,   John Kettler