Rinaldi

You must have missed what sparked the discussion: https://imgur.com/FIB5gco - someone clearly thought there was something strange about the line of sight when I pulled this off. The view from the turret was shown here. Pretty clear line of sight, in my view, even with the technical steps that need to be taken to prevent our CPUs from exploding. 
Let me be clear; I have no idea what the gooblygook people who posted before yourself and Ian are are on about. Some people speak with authority on the game with a particularly ill-found confidence. 

Lmao owned off to the gulag

Not going to lie, I had convinced myself you were cooked a few turns ago. Definitely premature. 

The Twenty-Third & Twenty-Fourth Minutes – Saga of Tank Section 1
“If the tanks succeed, then victory follows.”
Heinz Guderian
 
Tank Section 1... quite an exciting turn to watch actually... well, it was for me.   
As tank 1/8 came around the corner it immediately spotted a T-62 presenting its flank.  It appears that Warren did not see their approach!! 


Kill 1 - T-62 While the crew of 1/8 was exchanging high-fives a BMP-1 popped into shooting range and fired it's gun... which surprisingly hit 1/8 and penetrated! 
 


Though shocked and surprised 1/8's crew got its siht together, neatly pivoted its turret and destroyed the BMP.  Damage from the BMP's gun  round was minor, though the crew would remain shocked for the remainder of the turn and would start to withdraw in the next.

Kill 2 - BMP-1 Tank 1/9 drove up alongside 1/8 and while it was dealing with the BMP, 1/9 spotted and destroyed another T-62... these were almost simultaneous actions.


Kill - 3 T-62 So overall a successful foray.  Warren did have some infantry teams in this area by the way... luckily none were in position to attack my tanks and they were following his armor up the hill.  After these two turns some of these teams started skedaddling back to the woods.
Tank Section 1 will now withdraw a bit and wait to see what Warren's response is.
 
One of the Dragon teams joined in the fun launching a Dragon at another BMP.


 
After these turns Warren started to pull back on this approach. The following image shows his high-water mark...  if he had kept pushing he would have run into my three M-150's kill zones... Warren's foremost BMP was meters from entering the killing zone of the M-150 shown in this image when it started to retreat.
The three surviving Dragon teams are withdrawing to their next line, in case the Soviets decide to push their luck.

You must have missed what sparked the discussion: https://imgur.com/FIB5gco - someone clearly thought there was something strange about the line of sight when I pulled this off. The view from the turret was shown here. Pretty clear line of sight, in my view, even with the technical steps that need to be taken to prevent our CPUs from exploding. 
Let me be clear; I have no idea what the gooblygook people who posted before yourself and Ian are are on about. Some people speak with authority on the game with a particularly ill-found confidence. 

Pacifism is now "dangerous nonsense".
As far as I'm concerned everyone should be a pacifist, war should always be the last resort to anything. Idealistic? Maybe. But I think everything should start from that view point, millions of people didn't die as recently as the 20th century for us to fall back on "war is necessary" nonsense.

Do my eyes deceive me? Are people really comparing "kills per minute" in some hyper sterile lab test to actually argue whether or not a weapon of suppression is better than a different weapon of suppression? In a combined-arms game where individual weaponry is basically irrelevant unless you exclusively play tiny scenarios? Has anyone here actually gotten into combat and just sat completely stationary with a Bren and an MG42 firing at each other and just waited to see who would win? 
 
The Syrians aren't underdogs because the RPK is probably worse than the M249 or something and the Italians aren't underdogs because the Carcano is worse than a Garand, they're underdogs because they're basically at least a full generation behind at every level and can't even split squads
 
Do people here actually play this game, or do they just post about it?

?

https://imgur.com/FIB5gco
Presented without comment. 
 
 

The Eighteenth Minute - Relearning Old Lessons
“Lost in a blurred confusion of yells and groans... down, and down, and down, he sank and drowned, bleeding to death. The counter-attack had failed.”
Siegfried Sassoon
I seem to be relearning the same old lessons over and over again.  I had my 2nd Platoon tanks driving through the open to get to the low ground for the Short Option… the lead M-60A1 was spotted by both the T-64B and the BMP-1P across the map, and after exchanging fire with them, the BMP (of course) hit…

…at least the smoke from the burning tank should mask two of the three tanks which are following.  They are too far forward to reverse and use a covered route, so pedal to the metal boys!
Lesson learned.. again.
The 2nd Platoon tanks that are already on this “open route” will continue as fast as possible behind the burning and smoking wreck of their comrade… the tank that hasn’t broken cover yet will remain and take a safer route. 
3rd Platoon will also be taking a safer route.  Details next turn.

1st Platoon Tank Section 2 moved forward slightly and was able to take the T-64A in the blocking position tree line under fire...

...actually got a couple hits, but alas, no penetrations.  However this tank did start to withdraw from the line.  By the way, this was the final undamaged T-64A... but these things are very hard to kill.

The Pz V also burned remarkably easy when hit, except from the front and was more difficult to bail out. The Allies were on the offensive and had to leave cover and face the high quality German guns and optics. But every time the Germans went on the attack in Normandy or the Ardennes they also suffered heavy losses in tanks and crew. 
I'm not sure whether the Ronson reputation of the Sherman was entirely deserved. Besides if the casualty rate of the Sherman crews was indeed low, than I would much rather be in a burning Sherman, than a burning Panther. Well, you know what I mean. 😀

With the best trained crews, let's not forget that. Compare the training of German tank crews and British and American tank crews before Normandy or the Ardennes in driving and shooting hours. That's also part of the success of the Sherman tank. Especially the British marksmenship, both on tank guns and anti-tank guns was exceptionally good. With an endless supply of fuel, ammo and training time they were much better than the largely and relatively undertrained German tank crews. You can compare it with the inequality in training hours between Allied and German fighter pilots in 1944/45. 
Training is all.

Glorious March to Victory Post # 9 - "7th Outing Stretching" (19-20)
Ok, when I last left you, we had taken out one M60 and had a bead on the second...and of course it missed:

Well it wouldn't be a CM game if the gods of war were not against me.
Anyway  Not much really happens more this turn as we continue to position:

A shot on my left flank where I thought Bil was going to keep pushing (more on this later):

My heavy mortars are finally landing along that ridge, just as my teeth are starting push up the ridge, I hope they are causing someone pain.

So by end turn it all looks good, I am solidifying the position in the town.  Forces are advancing up the ridge unmolested  and I am pretty confident of my cover on Bil's axis of advance....and then I noticed this:

So that is a TOW missile streaking towards one of my few remaining T64s....
Turn 20.
  Well it would not be a CM game if the gods of war were not with me:

The basic TOW (the M901s are firing ITOW) did not penetrate my T64 but did immobilize it.  The good news is that in its current position it can still cover the ridgeline...so lemonade!  (Oh, check out the interface, it is really starting to shape up)
Ok, so turn 20 and mid-game...and Bil is getting weird:

It looks like he is hooking that tank platoon towards the town...which kinda left me scratching my head a bit.  For the rest of the turn we traded a lot of steel across the valley (you can see that little BMP-that-could's last AT 3 streaking at those M60s...and of course it missed).  Besides me bagging a hapless M113 on the ridge, most of the rest of the turn is positioning:

You can see here that my teeth are up out of that tree line and are ready to start fanning out, I am about as good a position as I can get in the town as that second dismounted infl platoon has managed to get into the objective zone pretty much unmolested.  So time for a mid-game assessment:

So basically, I was worried that Bil was going to push a tank platoon, or more into A0.  This would have been very bad for me, as from that position they can  1) pound the town unmolested and 2) make life for my Teeth miserable as I would have to watch their back and front.  Instead Bil looks like he is taking A1 route, which is really kind of strange but I am sure there is a clever ploy here somewhere.  A1 is semi-covered.  My screen S1 cannot see it until it is right in the town, but S2 will get some clean shots.  I also repositioned both infantry and 2 x T62s to cover this approach.  So basically, I am not sure what Bil is hoping to do with 3 x M60s in closing terrain here.  My next biggest concern is him making a hard push on A2 with that second tank platoon.  I also have infantry and a single T62 in the town on this route but S1 can cover it very well.  A2 has more cover if he uses the wood line but again we are talking almost entirely tanks trying to take a built up area.  
If you look on the bottom left there is that worried looking blue guy, that is scouts and APCs that appear to be lining up for some sort of woods push but between my Teeth and that little det of recon, I am pretty sure I can keep them busy.  Again keeping in mind there is probably another troop of armor up on that ridge somewhere. 
So here at mid-game, I expect Bil to use whatever is left of his arty (which still has DPICM) to pound the town in a hope all my infantry die so he can drive in with tanks and few scouts.  I have laid down two arty lines perpendicular to A2 approach but they are around 15mins out.  I have spread my infantry out on ground floors, mostly hiding to weather the arty and will keep my screens S1 and S2 up to make life difficult in the approach.  
My Teeth are going to push towards those scouts and APCs, but I always have the option to swing them towards A2 if Bil makes a push.  Bils dilemma right now is that he cannot seem to get enough combat power into the town and cover my Teeth at the same time...let's see how long we can keep it up.

I'm not sure what your point is Rinaldi??

https://gyazo.com/5901baee2b965bbca1b34cc9ceed9ec5

https://imgur.com/FIB5gco
Presented without comment. 
 
 

This subforum is about CMCW, not pontificating about what the causes of World War II were. Please take it somewhere else.

Interested in playtesting (or just playing) an under-development scenario, Busy Day for the CAAT Platoon? 
I got curious about how Marine antitank/antiarmor systems might operate against an enemy with good communications and capable sensors, and I started designing this scenario as an experiment. You're tasked with defending an area of countryside, vaguely modeled after a rural area in New England, against a German armored force. You've got a Marine rifle company, most of a Marine Weapons Company, LAVs, and a Dutch mech inf platoon (included for contrast).
 
Still to do: fine-tune units and AI for playability and challenge, adjust scoring, and finish writing briefing. I'm interested in comments about these areas, or you're welcome just to give the scenario a spin.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/q9sj9ntzxckjq79/ADR Busy Day for the CAAT Platoon b11.btt.zip?dl=0
Requires both Marine and NATO modules.

Any tank is capable if in a good position, or if they just get lucky. 
This platoon of M48s caught these T-62s in the flank at pretty close range. The results speak for themselves. 

A potato with jumper cables can run this game engine if you dial it down low enough - your rig is fine. 

A potato with jumper cables can run this game engine if you dial it down low enough - your rig is fine. 

March to Glorious Victory - Post #6  "The Devil's Red Right Hand" (12-15)
First off I apologize for the long return on this one, beyond Bil's glacial return pace, the main reason is that nothing really happened on the Soviet side of this thing.  I am sure Bil is doing a frame-by-frame Warren Commission-esque analysis (because that is what int nerds do) but frankly he has already missed his early victory boat.
When I left you we were discussing options and landed on the least suicidal of the bunch given the somewhat less-than-optimal starting position.
The only question left is "what will Bil do?".  I have thoughts on this but let's leave them til the end (someone remind me if I forget).
So the only interesting thing to happen before the big push was the loss of another T64

This little fella bought in on my left, which was unfortunate but I also observed something interesting before the kill.  

These two T64s soaked up over a dozen hits between them from those M60s on the ridge.  Clearly not bullet proof but from the front these beast are very hard to kill.  This also speaks well for the Plan, as I would rather Bils tanks pinging off my T64s rather than killing my BMPs and T-62s. 
So here was ol Bil's shot to end this thing about 13-14 mins in:

You can see here we are all bunched up moving into position for the slot.  If Bil had DPICM'd this traffic jam, that pretty much would  have been it.  The bridge may have saved a couple but it would have been a bloody massacre.
But he missed that boat.

Turn 14 and I can start to breathe, the troops moving up the slot saw no direct fire.  Bil is lobbing shells into the area but frankly the steel soldiers of mother Russia give exactly zero F's about artillery.

All that arty has about 2-3 casualties on me so far but I am sure it makes the old man - sitting in a faded bathrobe, the one from the 70s, his old-lady slippers, old man underwear with the torn waistband - feel better.   By end of Turn 15, we are about 1/3 through.

So on the far side of the slot we have pretty much a tank pl and 3 x BMP.  In turn 16 I should be at 50%.  The dismounted pl on my left is looking good and pretty much unmolested.  They are going to link up with that scout pl and be my hands.  You can see on my left I have a screen in place of 2 x T64s and about 4 BMPs, that is a very good position in case Bil gets frisky on my left, which based on that smoke I am guessing is a possibility.  The biggest threat now is a DPICM strike but I am less worried about it now as my Tank Coy and BMPS are spread out and moving fast, so at worst I may take a few casualties.  Main concern now is getting that inf platoon on my right into those buildings.  The HQ and squad did get pinned so I need them to get going.
And let's not forget the Eyes on my Right.

 So I have 2 x T64s on the right with good LOS (I just noticed one got immobilized, which is a pain but it is in a solid position).  That little BMP in the little clump of woods nails another M150.  These guys on my right can actually cover the ridgeline and the left, so pretty happy with that for now.  I am very happy at nailing the M150s.  It may seem odd to a bunch of tank nerds but these thing are actually more dangerous right now.  They have TI, so can see through smoke and those TOW are not going to take 6 hits to kill me.
So now what?  Well finish moving through the Slot and then we spread out and start the knife fight in the woods.  So what is Bil going to do?  Well my bet is he is looking longingly at my left flank, two or three columns of smoke are singing sweetly to him do doubt...I welcome him to try.
Next he could focus on the village and do a center push but in about 120 seconds I am going to have 2 x Inf platoons at near 100% with options for tank and BMP support.  Bil has ACR scout teams, M113 which are basically halftracks and a bunch of M60s who will not do well in an urban fight. 
So that leaves the woods on my right.  Here he has better approaches but if thing go even half decently I will have a another Soviet infantry pl back up by a lot of armor for this little dance against Scout teams, who are not really designed for this sort of thing.  So all in all, I am liking my odds...but...and there is always a but....the next 120-180 second have to go well.  That and I know that Bil has Cobras...so this thing is not over yet.
 

A potato with jumper cables can run this game engine if you dial it down low enough - your rig is fine. 

Finally, I achieved a great result on this scenario

Keys to victory:
- hide everyone
- setup Syrians to fire enfilade, and only reveal them when its worth it
- develop a network of interlocking fire RPGs and ATGMs
- don't risk tanks unless theres a clear flank shot
- plot offboard artillery to attack German's as they set up to attack the village, within the combat zone
- it helps to group Redforce infantry platoons so they're in voice or hand signal command of their HQs
Mistakes that could have achieved a better result:
- ATGM could have been given armour target arcs, rather than target commands as they sometimes prefer to shoot at closer infantry rather than further away Marders
- BMPs could have been deployed better (sometimes destroyed without firing a shot - but its midnight in this game, so ... can't be to harsh, and they were great distractions while Red did other stuff), enfilade from hull down from further away.
Have you played this as Red, what did you think?
Best
THH

This isn't a parade anywhere in the world. It's a propaganda show by a regime that starts unjustified wars, poisons people and tries to destabilize other countries. In my eyes that makes it rather different, wouldn't you agree?
 

Gun depression is not modelled in game in the strictest sense, but it will become apparent as a large negative time addition to engaging a target after acquiring. Most often you'll notice this when fighting infantry with armored vehicles in close quarters - that's been in game since the Market Garden module. EDIT: I want to clarify this is strictly noticeable at extremely close range, this was an addition in MG to better represent the difficulty a tank (of any era) faces in fighting infantry in built-up or close in terrain. It was meant to even the odds for light infantry when conducting close attacks on armour. 
Soviet-era tanks are squat with a low centre of gravity and a longer or comparable barrel to NATO counterparts. As a rule they had worse gun depression as a result. Again, not modelled in game unless something has changed beyond my knowledge.