Hapless

March to Glorious Victory Post #8 - Riddles in the Dark (Turn 18)
Well only a single turn to report, again apologies but we are kinda busy.  I am new to the whole game development thing but I believe it is call "the crunch", so named I believe for the sound our bones make when Steve swings his bat if we fail to meet deadlines.  Regardless, the war continues:

So my push up the center continues, I am just getting my infantry forward to sweep those woods, particularly on the right because I am starting to see movement.  I  couple M113s and at least one M150 are shuffling around up there, I expect Bil has caught on to the fact that the bulk of my combat power is at his midriff.    I am also going to push those recon assets on my far right forward to start seeing if I can't bag a few of his scout teams.  I am worried about armor on that ridge, as I still see a couple ? icons but if I know Bil he will hold them back.  My bet is that Bil is going to try and bottle my forces up coming out of that treeline.  In other news, my fire mission is finally starting to fall on that treeline which may provide some cover.  I have to admit that I have not used arty well in this game.  Part of the problem is I agreed to EW for the Blue side...never do this, as it means really long spotter-wait times. 
On the upside I still have good Eyes, so I know Bil can't get too aggressive up there.  Things were moving apace when suddenly:

Well looky here!  That frisky old mule looks like he has decided to try to change the shape of the battle.  So that is the lead tank of an M60 platoon that Bil [aside:  I have known the guy for almost 20 years and I still have no idea why he uses only one "l" in his first name...the human heart is truly a mystery] is pushing on my far left.  Bold move.  If he can get armor up into that far treeline on my left he could theoretically make life difficult for the center push...but he has to get there first:

Here the Eyes on my right are kicking in.  Both T64s and that lone BMP (the one who has killed at least one M150) have got clear eyes on Bil's route:

Ouch, that was the BMP btw:

So here you can see the situation better.  At the end of the turn there is a 125mm sabot round coming at that second M60, the other T64 and BMP are reloading.  In the town I am moving 2 x T62s around the village to get them covering that approach, the third is covering the village on the other side.  I am going to keep pushing the center but now have a BMP and a T-62 taking positions to reinforce the cover on that far right flank.  I am also continuing to push dismounted infantry into the objective, going to spread them out and cover any approaches from the wood line.  Next 120 seconds are going to be very interesting, stay tuned.

Appreciate the feedback!  I would love to do the Deep option.. however those three BMPs and the T-64A would eat me alive without something substantial to suppress/distract them.  It's a long drive from the assemble area to the attack point... and all of it within his line of fire.  
I am thinking of doing the Short Option and then seeing how he reacts.. a strong reaction might just leave the Deep option available for a second phase of this movement... regardless the Short option would get his attention, and I could flank the line those BMPs and T-64A are sitting on... he would have to dislodge them.  
Just got back from a little trip, I will try to get the next turn report up soon, as there have been some developments that could force me to move my tanks out earlier than I had planned.  Coming soon!
Bil

Well, if nothing else, at night the searchlights are uncovered. Whether the TC would dare to turn them on when facing the enemy is another matter. Night fighting involves a lot of 'under-the-hood' abstracted stuff that we don't know about unless Charles tells Elvis and Elvis tells us. Its rather like battlefield ground radar in CMBS, something I thought was just useless eye candy until a Usually Hapless Youtube video on BMP-3 showed me otherwise.

I've spent ages trying to find the full version of that Fighting in Woods video! Thank you very much!

There was another British Army one describing an encounter battle floating around, but it seems to have been taken down.

Here's another:
 

March to Glorious Victory Post #7 - "Take Me Out to Decadent Capitalist Balls Game" (16-17)
Short update/follow up:

So at the end of turn 17, that is 10 T62s, 7 BMPs, 2 x dismounted inf pls, 1 x mounted inf pl and some scouts on the other side of the valley...I think we can call this a horde.  Total casualties were 4 infantrymen.
So plan now is pretty simple.  I am going to shore up the town with the dismounted infantry and a tank platoon.  A counter-attack for them is a certainty.  I will also leave the covering force in place for now.
The rest of the force, 7xT62s, the BMPs and an infantry platoon are going to push up Slot 2 and execute the "Kill Bil" portion of the plan.  I can see an armor icon up there so my guess is Bil has a tank platoon with M150s on that ridge and two tank platoons on the left.  I am going to get all up into Bil's business up top and then work my way to the left.  Bil can either get in the game or just keep hiding out in that wood line.  Not sure how this will end but I am getting the value of Soviet doctrine, they were not interested in playing "hidy-peeky-blamo", more "blamo-charge-more blamo"

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.
 

Obviously hard to judge from the screens and the map but... the end of Route 2 looks like a good position.

From there you are blocking Bil moving directly to the objective and he will have to come into the woods to get you on your terms (a stronger option if you could bring the infantry along, but that ship may have sailed). As a bonus, your tanks will be concealed from air and artillery observation.

If Bil tries to bypass the wood on either side to get to the objective, then you should be able to hit him with flanking fire as well as fire from the Eyes on your valley side.

It's... not very dramatic, it's objective rather than force focused, a man in a scary hat may ask "Why have you lost your forward momentum, Comrade?" and (more disturbingly) it basically involves seizing a position and saying "What're you gonna do now?" to Bil Hardenberger... but, ground depending, I think he's only got bad options if you're in those woods.

Whatever you choose, you are currently on the wrong side of the valley and should rectify that as soon as possible

Ok let's go with The Plan:
I am going to push some BMPs into a screen to try and take out those M60s on the left, also will re-push my T64s on the left.  Then I am going to 1) continue to push dismounted infantry forward and 2) push the Tank Coy and a mounted Inf Pl into a slot I call "Slot 2.5".  That is some dead ground (I hope) that is also covered by my Eyes on the right.  Once we make it to the dead ground in valley center we fan out and start pushing (I have an arty line up there too to screen).  So this turn I will position to the Slot and push out the screen, then next turn we go for it.  Wish me luck and see you on the other side.
 

Obviously hard to judge from the screens and the map but... the end of Route 2 looks like a good position.

From there you are blocking Bil moving directly to the objective and he will have to come into the woods to get you on your terms (a stronger option if you could bring the infantry along, but that ship may have sailed). As a bonus, your tanks will be concealed from air and artillery observation.

If Bil tries to bypass the wood on either side to get to the objective, then you should be able to hit him with flanking fire as well as fire from the Eyes on your valley side.

It's... not very dramatic, it's objective rather than force focused, a man in a scary hat may ask "Why have you lost your forward momentum, Comrade?" and (more disturbingly) it basically involves seizing a position and saying "What're you gonna do now?" to Bil Hardenberger... but, ground depending, I think he's only got bad options if you're in those woods.

Whatever you choose, you are currently on the wrong side of the valley and should rectify that as soon as possible

Such a delicious tactical dilemma, wish it was someone else's.  Well infantry are not off the board, the two dismounted platoons are encroaching and I still have one mounted.  Getting them all into and past that village is a workable plan.  I like the center push but I am not entirely onside with switching to the defence once we are there.  Bil also has DPICM, which stings like iodine so I would rather keep going once we get to the other side.  Once I am up in those hills Bil is on his back feet and has to react.  I can keep scouts to secure the points of the objective but will be better placed to hit him if I can get up there with him. 
Either way, you are correct...wrong side of the valley indeed.  

March to Glorious Victory Post # 5 - The Bitter Tonic of Sacrifice (Turn 8 - 11)
  So the theme of todays post is to validate The_Capt's rule #5 - never play by their rules, play by your own.  So in this episode we are building to a decisive moment one way or the other.  I posted the kill shot on the M150 for turn 8 previously, beyond that not much to report as I continue to move into a broad tree line position of Eyes.
Turn 9 we score another M150 kill as my tanks pull onto the shoulders on either side.  That is an AT3 and sabot round...it was the AT 3 that does the job.
You can get a good sense of the setup laydown on this shot of the kill.   I have infantry in the center and the two T64 pls on either shoulder.  The setup here is for the impending arrival of The Boys

So the good news is that is a Tank Coy (10 tanks strong) but the not so good news is that they are T62s.  The T62 can still do the job and can kill an M60 from the front pretty well, problem is that they are a little blind.  So I am re-thinking my approach to Kill Bil and Teeth.
Turn 10 is when my original thinking is validate.  If I stay in this tree line and play Bils game he will pick me off from that ridge, mainly because the optics on the US tanks are simply better.
Ok, this first one actually hurt the worst.  There was a Coy HQ and a FO in that BMP.

And the T64s are tough but not invincible, this one on my right.

And on my left another T64 (this one of those frustrating TAC AI shenanigans) and another BMP.  So the tree line and play peekaboo is not going to work, particularly with T62s...we move or die. 
Turn 11 sees no further losses but those T64s do take some bounces as the M60s on the hill have them well dialed in but by the end of Turn 11 we are in position.

So, dear reader, here we are at the edge of eternity.  I have two infantry platoons dismounted because I really do not want them to die inside their vehicles.  They are pushing up a bit towards the town.  I have a tank coy in a good position to push out and I still have a pretty good force on the shoulders.  Hmm...so what should the plan be?  Seriously...discuss.  
Right now, I am thinking about not swinging to the left and up but going straight through the town and up.  The primary issue is that those T62s are deadly up close (1000m or less) but I have to get them there and all that open ground to my left is not looking good.  There is probably at least a US tank Pl on that ridge to the left and another covering from the right both sweeping that open field.  If I can get into those wood beyond the town, we will have the knife fight and I will be in a better position to overwhelm.  The other option is to go right, lotta dead ground there.
So here is a shot of the map from the (included) scenario editor:

Very interested to hear from the audience cause I really have not made my mind up on this one.

Tenth Minute
“As long as I breathe, I attack."
Bernard Hinault
 
A few key events this turn:

M-60A1(RISE+) (1/8) missed the shot it took at the end of last turn, that round going long.  But it fired an additional four times at the T-64B it spotted last turn.. connecting on two.


That had to hurt.. I know those hits caused at least one casualty.  Its possible this tank is a gun kill, and that's as good as knocking it out as far as I'm concerned.  Still, I am not counting on that.
M-150 (1/5) - I'm an idiot... in he hope of bringing the final (as far as I can tell) BMP near NAI2 under fire, I crept this tank hunter forward to take up a Hull Down spot with visibility of this spot... but I failed to mask the M-150 from the rest of the field.
It was spotted by both a BMP-1 and the T-64B (from the previous vignette) in their battle position.  First the BMP fired it's Sagger:

Then the T-64B fired as well...

The T-64's shell fell short, but the BMP must have had a gifted Sagger gunner, as I swear that missile skimmed inches off the ground...

...but alas it flew true...


 
Finally, for the group playing my "What's Bil Planning?" game... I am moving 2nd Platoon's Scouts to the left side of the field, as shown... what are they up to?  Hmmm  

I promise I won't keep you in suspense much longer, and will reveal what I am thinking with one of my next two posts.
Bil
 
 

Here mate ...
Soviet Encounter - YouTube

So for those wondering, I am planning an update soon.  I am waiting on turn 10 and then can do a 8-10 summary.  Hopefully tomorrow or next day latest.
Here is a teaser:

T64 can take a hit.

I've spent ages trying to find the full version of that Fighting in Woods video! Thank you very much!

There was another British Army one describing an encounter battle floating around, but it seems to have been taken down.

Here's another:
 

I think Bil and The_Capt are more focused on smacking each other around than the actual objective.

After all, if the other guy is dead you can take it anyway.

I think Bil and The_Capt are more focused on smacking each other around than the actual objective.

After all, if the other guy is dead you can take it anyway.

I think Bil and The_Capt are more focused on smacking each other around than the actual objective.

After all, if the other guy is dead you can take it anyway.

I think Bil and The_Capt are more focused on smacking each other around than the actual objective.

After all, if the other guy is dead you can take it anyway.

My concern for Bil is that he will still be OOing when The_Capt DAs all over him.

My concern for Bil is that he will still be OOing when The_Capt DAs all over him.

Lol - you could be right though
P

Not sure. It looks like there might be a bit of crossfire in the offing- the M150s covering the right treeline and the M60s covering the centre and the left.

That said, I feel like I would want to be on the other side of the valley by now (terrain, speed and fields of fire permitting obviously). There's nothing like interrupting someone's Boyd Cycle by assuming a position they can't afford to ignore.

Bil's plan: Obviously, you are bypassing the resistance! Hit him where he's soft. It looks to me like you're making a flank rush and will attempt to attack MOSCOW! Once there, your forces will topple the war-mongering Soviet ruling cabal, AND gain control of their distribution network. 
This move will simultaneously knock out two of the three legs needed for them to prosecute the war.
After you occupy the Kremlin, Dolbach...all the Dolbachs...will fall into your hands.
Color me impressed.

Wow...no pressure.  Ok, so this is not as formal turn report, I will do a summary once we get a bit further but here is an example of the Soviet Missile Hell ("SMH" copyright) awaiting the US player.
First a M150 get cocky and crest a hill, and three AT 3s light up (red circles)

And 2 out of 3 aint bad...(Capt's Rule #4)



Bil is lucky that was an M150 because those AT 3 would have killed anything short of an M1.  [edit AT3Bs..my bad, AT 5s are even deadlier].