Rinaldi

The following is taken from a write up I am currently working on for my blog. I figured I would post "episodes" here for some interaction before consolidating it all into one post for the blog. It comes from a playtest I did recently on a community made scenario. The small fight that occurred in the beginning of the battle was too good not to share, and is also a great opportunity to talk a bit about the Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE). I also wanted to provide everyone with a change of pace. The Black Sea forum is soaking up most of the attention around here these days, and I figured a break from that might be appreciated. So without further ado:
Visualized in Combat Mission: Killing an FSE
A Tactical Vignette

The Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE) is one of the most common task organized formations encountered by NATO forces. For the Soviets it is an important tool that helps fix an enemy defender in place and shape the battlefield to allow for a successful attack. For NATO it is the first significant Soviet tactical combat formation encountered and a harbinger for a larger dedicated attack by a motor rifle battalion (MRB). The stakes presented to both sides by the FSE are high for both sides. Initial success in a tactical engagement largely comes down to the success or failure of the FSE.
This vignette features some excellent US Army vehicle reskins, done by S-Tank on the CM Discord. He recolored and upscaled the resolution on every US vehicle in the game, and they look fantastic. They can be downloaded here, or for those of you in the CM Discord, a download link and preview image can be found the mod repository text channel.
Forward Security Element
The Forward Security Element (FSE) is a Soviet task organized formation that is approximately Company sized. It is also known as the Advance Party or Vanguard. It generally consists of a company of motor rifle troops (mounted in either BTRs or BMPs) and a platoon of tanks. The tank platoon is often made up of four tanks instead of the better known three tank platoon organization the Soviets use, because in motor rifle regiments the tank units tended to be plussed up. There is usually at least a battery of field artillery on call for the FSE to call upon and may also have mortar sections/batteries in support as well. The FSE is a fluid formation that can have additional attachments delegated to it, such as engineering units/equipment, air defense artillery, forward observers, and reconnaissance units. Generally speaking, the Soviet FSE is similar in composition to a US Company Team.

(This image doesn't agree with the forum software, so I recommend viewing it in full size in another tab. Apologies for that, a graphic artist I am not)
The primary role of the FSE is to make contact with the enemy and either destroy it if it is of a smaller size than the FSE or fix it in place to give the rest of the battalion time to deploy and attack through the enemy.
To better understand the role of the FSE, one must understand how it fits into the larger Soviet warfighting machine. In simple terms, Soviet tactical formations are like a conveyor belt. Way out in front are the regimental reconnaissance assets, but their primary role is not combat. They are there to make sure what is on the map exists in reality and other non-combat related tasks. The smallest formation is the Combat Reconnaissance Patrol (CRP) which job is to find the enemy. A tripwire if you will. The CRP is followed by the FSE, whose job is to put pressure on the enemy by engaging and destroying him or at least fixing him in place with direct fires. The FSE is followed by the MRB (also known as the Advance Guard) which has the weight in numbers and support to conduct a deliberate attack and keep momentum going. Following the MRB is the rest of the Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR), and behind one MRR is another MRR, etc.
Apologies for the resolution on this, it is a scanned and stitched together image:

There are a lot of good resources out there to learn more about the FSE and how it fits into the Soviet way of war on the tactical level. This video does a nice job of breaking it all down, as does this simple yet informative writeup. Other resources worth checking out are TRADOC Pamphlet 350-16 Heavy Opposing Force, and the Cold War Gamer’s excellent blog. Just a heads up, many of the links on the Cold War Gamer’s blog are no longer active, and I think the owner is no longer keeping up with his blog.
A German Town—A Fighting Withdrawal
For this vignette I am going to be focusing in on a small combat action that occurs during a larger scenario. To help understand why the combat action plays out, I will provide some context.
This fight was the result of me play testing a scenario made by Cousin Hubert (Bartimeus on the CM forums). This scenario is the first of a series he is working on at the time of this writing for a mini campaign. Hubert makes fantastic maps, scenarios, and campaigns, all because he wants to add to the CM community and provide us with quality content. His map making skills alone make him a massive benefit to the community. Anyone familiar with how tedious and frustrating the CM map editor can be will have an even greater appreciation for his work. His AI plans are also very well done too.
He is the creator of two campaigns for Shock Force 2, which can be downloaded here and here. He has also produced some fantastic large maps for Cold War, which can be found here. We are very fortunate to have amazing contributors such as Hubert!
Situation
On the 8th of April the Soviet Union launched a surprise attack on West Germany. Caught by surprise, NATO’s front line has collapsed, and friendly forces are now in full retreat. Communications with higher headquarters is severely deteriorated by enemy jamming and artillery fire, but they were able to inform us that a Soviet formation is headed our way and to pull out when able.
Mission
Fox Company must hold the town until intelligence and logistics personnel have finished loading M35 trucks with gear and sensitive equipment. These trucks are located at the fire station and industrial park and should be loaded and ready to go in approximately 40-50 minutes. Then the entire force must be withdrawn from the battlefield. Fox Company must withdraw as much of its combat power as possible and remain combat effective, as it will likely have to fight its way back to friendly lines. There are two egress routes on either side of the river to the rear of the town.

Enemy
An entire Soviet motor rifle battalion and all its supporting assets can be expected to attack us.
Troops
I am in command of a heavy combined arms company team, Fox Company. It consists of two tank platoons equipped with M60A2 Starships (the second platoon of tanks is due to arrive in approximately 5 minutes), and two mechanized infantry platoons mounted in M113A1s. In addition, I have a few support assets on hand, such as a self-propelled mortar platoon (three M125 mortar carriers, which provides all of my indirect fire support for this fight), two heavy machine gun teams (dismounted .50 caliber machine guns), two M150 ATGM carriers, three M48 Chaparral SAM tracks, and 8 M35 supply trucks. The company headquarters (CPT Duvauchel) along with the company FSO is present.
Terrain
A small town on a riverbank rests at the southern border of the map. There is single road bridge in the town that crosses the river, though there is also a railroad bridge and a dam that cross the river as well. North of the town are some plowed fields, a farm, a small inn, and light forests. A single MSR runs from North to South into the town down the middle of the map, and a railroad parallels the MSR on the West side of the map. The terrain elevation undulates slightly with approximately +/- 20m of change.
The weather is less than ideal. It is misty out, which reduces visibility. It is early morning and thus low light, further hindering visibility. The ground is damp, which increases the chance of vehicles bogging and becoming immobilized. There is a medium strength breeze blowing from the North.
Of note for this vignette, there is a small raised and wooded area just North of the town along the Western map edge. It is a forward position with good concealment and good sightlines (given the conditions) overlooking the terrain the Soviets are likely to attack across to get to the town. To its immediate South is a gentle decline that provides a covered route for friendly forces to fall back into the town. It is the ideal location to get early warning on Soviet movements and to conduct a delaying action. This is where our combat action will take place.



The Plan
The larger plan is to use the tanks and infantry to defend the town long enough for the M35s to be fully loaded, then to have everyone collapse back to the rear and take the Southern most exit point and leave the field. The infantry are dug into the buildings, tanks and M150s are in keyhole positions, and the mortars and Chaparrals are in the rear, standing by.
2nd platoon led by 2LT Tassin is occupying the forward position. Their task is simple: disrupt the enemy and fall back. The Soviets must conduct a movement to contact. They know we are in the town, but they do not know the specific layout of our defense. The opening phase of this battle will have the Soviets attempting to shape the battlefield in their favor. This simply means they want to discover where my defenses are while also establishing advantageous positions for themselves that support the attack going in. By disrupting the Soviets ability to shape the battlefield in their favor, I make my overall defense easier and I buy precious time for the supply trucks to load up and get out.
To accomplish this, 2nd platoon will occupy the forward position and lay low. This will allow them to ambush the Soviets if the Soviets bypass the forward position (Engagement Area Primary) or deny the Soviets the forward position while attritting the enemy at the same time (Engagement Area Secondary). If either of these engagements are successful it will hurt the Soviets early, giving me a crucial advantage and a nice time cushion.

The men of 2nd platoon are dug in. They have foxholes (as well as a handful of dummy positions) just inside the tree line along the Southeastern edge of the woods. They are equipped with the infamous (for its questionable reliability) Dragon ATGM, the venerable M72A3 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) M60 GPMGs, M16s and hand grenades. The platoons 4 M113s are waiting along the Southern tree line, ready to mount up the infantry for a mad dash back to friendly lines after engaging the enemy.
2nd platoons’ initial positions:

The men of 2nd platoon occupying their fighting positions. The men are keeping low (‘Hiding’ in CM parlance) to keep from being seen:

Instead of being dug in near the tree line facing North, 3rd squad is further back in the woods. They have taken up position in a ditch along a dirt road and are covering an opening in the forest. If the Soviets decide to attack these woods and take the position (which I anticipate) this small opening is an ideal killing ground:

The M113’s, ready to mount up and haul ass:

One engagement. Let the Soviets stumble into our positions, knock off as many as we can in the initial engagement, then break contact and fall back.
Up next is the fight itself!

Battle size: Tiny
Time limit: 30 minutes
Conditions: Allied Probe; best played Allied v AI; not tested for H2H.
Scenario file here: https://mega.nz/file/mlgSCIiQ#NApfMMl6q6rZvzfhk6_wnZXBBfG8pTdKpcvRi16Goiw
Optional mod-tagged brz here: https://mega.nz/file/a0gGHJwZ#eNCxKwAnHdivn8EqAEqMFEHlbtRu2UhPC1YOyheCWlQ
Requires MG, VP.

Oh, and the extra stuff, just to get this down:

BMP smoke fires forwards, about 100m-120m. This can be fired from a reverse slope to the forward area, and the intention is to give you a screen to manoeuvre behind, or to isolate something from supporting elements in depth.



One technique for maximising infantry fires whilst advancing is to use Assault, but to use the command correctly, with multiple waypoints and Target commands at each point:



The effect of this is that the non-moving element will be firing continuously, and the squad will continue advancing whilst still putting out as much fire as possible.

The main thing is that the Soviets only planned to dismount when they were forced to, or when there was no other option. That really means the answer to your question is that if they're only dismounting when they have to, then having the additional man is important where you need it. Otherwise, they stay mounted, and the question is moot.

You can see some of the logic behind this in Cold War - US call in times are typically in the 2-5 minute range, and dismounting will mean that you're going to slow down - if you're dismounting into a kill-zone (and that's far from unlikely), then this can be disastrous. There's also NBC concerns, but even without those then it's a good idea to not dismount, if you can get away with it.

Dismounting is necessary in complex terrain, or when terrain has to be cleared or held defensively. Ideally this kind of area would be bypassed - typically your objectives should be pushing you ever-onwards.

When dismounting is appropriate, correct BMP usage looks something like this:



The HQ element is in contact will all parts of their platoon. The squads are within four actions spots of their transport, and the IFV and dismounts will use whatever cover is available. The BMPs attack with area-fire as their primary purpose, and the dismounts are their eyes. Staying within four action spots means that the squads will share spotting contacts with their transport.

The horizontal separation is mostly just a good idea, but clearly should adapt to terrain and circumstance. The platoon does not want to lose sight of itself at any time.

To complete the circle on this one, the Soviet squad:



This is the central squad in the above, so it's the one where one of the riflemen is now the platoon's SVD marksman. Aside from that, this is identical to the other two squads. The squad splits into two fireteams - the four man team is the squad's base of fire, and the three man rifle team is the squad's manoeuvre element. The platoon attacks on line as a single unit, with the emphasis being on prioritising fires.

Excellent, as always. 

I've consolidated and posted this AAR in its entirety onto my blog, which can be viewed here: https://millerswargamingvault.blogspot.com/2022/04/consulate-crisis-hybrid-combat.html

To your credit, it has been a long time since I started this AAR so you likely forgot the situation established in the briefing. The reason US forces intervene in the first place is because the Canadian consulate was attacked and overrun. The primary goal was to secure both consulates (meaning the physical buildings), rescue the US consulate workers (the US consulate hadn't been overrun yet) and rescue the Canadian consulate workers if they were still there, which they weren't. 
Plus, you never know, perhaps the Canadians being captured and transported elsewhere is the perfect setup for a follow up AAR?

Imagine if CM got as much dev time as this thread 😭

One down. 120+ to go...

I think that, beyond a certain point on the spectrum of of beliefs and positions, it's not useful to think of the hard right as rightwingonsteriods. The hard right aren't really in to the things traditionally associated with the right wing, such as effective but small government, self reliance, and low taxes. They're more into kleptoctratic autocracies run by a charismatic strongmen, and a barely- or non-functional rule of law. That's an environment which they think they'd personally be able to make out like bandits, or at the very least one in which people they don't like - LGBT+, furriners, libruls, etc - will be actively targeted and victimised.
From that perspective, adulation of Putin makes a lot of sense.
 

An interesting recent anecdote on this one:

"Rowland, in The Stress of Battle, showed that weapon performance in the ranges (and by implication, the sales brochures) were an order of magnitude better than realistic field exercises (using lasers) and the latter were again an order of magnitude better than actual combat. For example, as a I sniper I get 95% hits at 300 metres on the range, in simulated combat I get 9% hits and in actual battle I get 1% hits."

- John Curry, History of Wargaming Project

http://wargamingco.blogspot.com/2022/03/ukraine-2022-why-are-our-wargames-wrong.html
 

I used to think Tom Clancy was schlock and hokum, enjoyable, but schlock and hokum nevertheless. 
Now I'm thinking the man, God rest his soul, was on to something with his plot device in RSR where the KGB "present the best case scenario of an invasion" to the Kremlin in order to score some political points. I would love to have heard the intel briefings given to Putin throughout February. Or perhaps Putin was more like MacArthur, and just ignored what his intelligence types told him. 

Jeez oh…

I don't think political commissars were some paragon of virtue. Where do you think corruption and inept practices came from?

John, just stop it already. You've more than earned the right to be called out on your citing of dubious sources that are full of BS. If you don't appreciate the label, then slow down, step away from the keyboard, and CRITICALLY THINK about the information being presented.
And, you want to know why you can't be taken seriously? Let's take a look at that page you just linked to, called "Moon of Alabama." At the top of the page it says it's the recipient of the "Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism." Okay, so what's this all about? Hmm...
...oh yeah, look another dubious news source:
https://www.google.com/search?q=serena+shim+award&oq=serena+shim+award&aqs=chrome..69i57.3701j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
It looks like this illustrious Serena Shim Award is given to pro-Assad content creators and was created by a pro-Assad group in 2019. You do know about Assad, right? Surely you know about what he's done through the years, Mr. Threat Analyst?
But hey, don't take my word for it - Bellingcat wrote a whole article about this dubious group:
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2019/09/30/pro-assad-lobby-group-rewards-bloggers-on-both-the-left-and-the-right/
John, John, John, once again you've shown that the websites you quote from frankly suck.

Extremely well done.

Yea sir! Quality  

Closing With The Enemy

The time for action is now! With the AT-14s suppressed and my company across the stream, we can move full steam ahead towards Hill 37.1. 

I deploy the second platoon in cover in front of the wheat field, where 2LT Ulloa spots a BMP 3 keyholed in an alley way

A single shell neutralizes it.

Lieutenant Ulloa spots movement in the farm house to his left seconds after engaging the BMP-3. Several HEAT shells into the building solve that problem very quickly.
(note the AT-14s are being shot by 120mm mortars not 81mm, typo on my part)

With the armor in positions to support by fire, I will push the mech platoon up towards Hill 37.9 and seize it with the dismounts. From there I will be able to close with the enemy and destroy the AT-14 teams with small arms fire. Once they are taken care of, I will own the high ground. While the infantry prepares to dismount, my attached engineer squad clears the farm house that was engaged by 2LT Ulloa's M1A1.

SSG Lundquist's engineers preparing to make entry into the farm house.

The smoldering remains of an SLA RPG team are discovered. Lieutenant Ulloa's quick thinking probably saved lives.
 
Meanwhile, elements of the mech platoon engage another RPG team inside a building inside Brandenburg with the PSG's 25mm bushmaster and a Javelin anti tank missile from second squad. The building is knocked down, eliminating the threat. 

SFC Toney's M2A3 BFV engages the RPG Team.

However, all is not well. Spotting rounds are beginning to land behind my force, much to my dismay.

These lands are landing within 100m of my men, indicating a well trained observer. My company's Fister takes light wounds from shrapnel, while an engineer takes serious wounds. I have no choice but to mount my men back up in the Bradley's. 

The Mech platoon mounts up and moves up towards Hill 37.9. 

However, I make a rookie mistake by becoming careless. I set the mech platoon's dismount point far closer than it needed to be, and my platoon leader's track practically runs over an SLA FO's foxhole. If my platoon ran into an RPG team, there is a good chance I could have lost a track and many of the occupants. I learned a valuable lesson from this. 

The FO team is eliminated, albeit very stupidly. My platoon leader even killed the radioman himself. As a result, the indirect fire hitting my engineers subsides shortly after and my wounded engineer is tended to by our medics. After this incident, I take the hint and dismount the rest of my mech platoon.

My mech platoon starts to bound towards the AT-14s on the reverse slope (which have taken a pounding from the mortars). The FO team seems to have been the only resistance on top of the hill.

An SLA trooper, probably the anti tank platoon leader initiates contact with the mech platoon. Second Squad leader SSG Farrow is hit by 5.45mm fire, but his IBA stops it from doing any serious damage. I am afraid of RPG-7s hitting my Brad's so I move up my tank and the second platoon (armor) up to support the infantry. However, due to the infantry's proximity to the armor I am limited to the coaxial and .50 caliber machine guns. 

My tank engages the asshole with the AK, sending him and his newly discovered buddy diving back into their foxhole.

The infantry platoon gets on-line and finishes the enemy with a couple hundred rounds of 5.56mm. The hill is almost ours! 

Elements of the mech platoon crest over the hill. and now have eyes on the kill zone Bravo team is in. My infantry start taking moderate intensity small arms fire from SLA paratroopers inside the town, but I am not particularly worried with my armor close by. When the stragglers on the reverse slope are eliminated, my company will have an excellent support by fire position. With this key terrain soon to be secured, I will be able to rescue the survivors of Bravo and eliminate the rest of the SLA forces in the area.

(The current situation)
I won't lie, this update took way to long to put out. I'm just a lazy piece of ****, there honestly isn't really a good excuse. The good news though is that I am almost done with this write up, and I've definitely found it to be fun again. There will be one more post to conclude in the next week or so. Stay tuned for unimpeded slaughter of SLA scum!
Here are some action shots to tide you over

"Engineers, eyes and ears"

The Javelin, a truly awesome weapon

Earning his CIB

Lieutenant Ulloa's M1A1SA

The SLA Paratrooper (download these skins by IICptMillerII now!)

lmao

Steve, no one wants yet more Americans.
Steve, everyone agrees that Poland would be a fricking awesome addition to CM: BS, and would make perfect sense within the setting.
Steve, I want my eclectic Polish Armed Forces with their mix of Western, Soviet, and domestically produced gear. T-72s, PP-91s, and Leopard 2s all.
Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve. plz

https://rinaldiaars.blogspot.com/2022/03/combat-mission-as-visual-aid-bringing.html
Some of my personal favourites from my latest AAR. Learning to love SF2 again.

From my latest blog post, read it here: https://rinaldiaars.blogspot.com/2022/01/encountering-unexpected-resistance-one.html
 

High praise, as always. Thank you.
Oh God yes. I think at this point we should volunteer to be @George MC's brand ambassador. 
Straight and to the point blog post: there's a reason why you need to hold the shoulders of a valley if you want to clear it. You punished BLUFOR savagely for these basic errors. That's why I love these vignettes: they remind people that just forming up and punching out with the rock n roll formations is not how we did, or do, things. It's how you get men killed and steel burning. 
 

High praise, as always. Thank you.
Oh God yes. I think at this point we should volunteer to be @George MC's brand ambassador. 
Straight and to the point blog post: there's a reason why you need to hold the shoulders of a valley if you want to clear it. You punished BLUFOR savagely for these basic errors. That's why I love these vignettes: they remind people that just forming up and punching out with the rock n roll formations is not how we did, or do, things. It's how you get men killed and steel burning.