danfrodo

(Addendum to earlier post: I personally do not equate Iraq w this invasion, this is orders of magnitude different. I was just saying what I expect Putin's propaganda to say) I heard that Putin has been very isolated since covid hit, terrified of dying from it. Maybe that's helping to make him bonkers. cuz this is full on bonkers. I sure hope this somehow leads to his downfall.

this is NOT meant to be politcal statement. Just something that I think is coming. Putin et al will throw back into the faces of 'the west' that 'the west' invaded a country that posed no threat and installed (or at least tried to) a puppet regime in Iraq. The US has lots of powerful politicians who consistently clamor for bombing Iran. So how can the west say anything about what Russia is doing? That's what my PR team would be doing if I was getting paid by Putin. I'd be throwing it back onto the blatent hypocrisy of the western nations.

Great posts, folks, these are really insightful for me for the most part. Emotionally I so very much want a no fly zone. Rational me agrees w Sgt Joch, it could escalate very badly. And yeah, Aragorn, Putin has really shown the world that conventional land war is a real possibility in europe.

FOrtunately NATO did expand eastward so he can't attack the Baltic states w/o running into a real military, which I don't think he's gonna like facing

Yeah, Aragorn, that is really the right analogy. Take over, hold rigged vote showing 98% of unkrainians are actually russians and done.

oops, I submitted before i saw Elvis post. Won't say another word on that, I swears it.

Lack of leadership? Biden's been calling out that invasion was imminent for weeks and he is the one leading the response from the west. And while short of war, it's a much more unified front than Putin (or anyone else) expected. Meanwhile, the guy who tried to destroy NATO while in charge has been praising Putin the last couple days as a 'genius'.

Well, if he invades NATO states, then he's got a war. Ukraine not NATO. But Putin is definitely teaching the west that there's a mad dog in the neighborhood. What a stupid, insane f-ing move.

Well, if he invades NATO states, then he's got a war. Ukraine not NATO. But Putin is definitely teaching the west that there's a mad dog in the neighborhood. What a stupid, insane f-ing move.

I think The_Capt has it right. But that's where Aragorn is right -- the west must never forgive Putin for this and keep on every possible squeeze until he's out of office.

with all due respect to my friend Aragorn (et al), I don't agree this is somehow the fault of the west from a military perspective. No majority in any country in the west was ready to go to war over Ossetia or Crimea. The only thing we could've done was sanctions. And now Putin is warning us that he has nukes if we interfere. The choice for the west was get into WW3 or not over Putin's previous agressions. So exactly what was the west supposed to do other than sanctions? Wokeness? Really? are we really talking about this absurd strawman when a megalomaniac is invading other countries? This is all about Putin.

All I can hope is that somehow, someway, this goes sideways enough to bring the fall of Putin. I don't know how, but it's all I can hope. This is murder. I hope he's overthrown and tried as a war criminal. It's absolutely astounding that we are returning to the time of megalomaniac war. Unbelievable.

I am wondering if there was an opportunity to use smoke to mask your movements? or would M60 see through that? I think that's my biggest failing in offensive battles (which is really saying something considering all the other ways I find to fail) -- not using smoke. I always instinctively want to destroy the offending tank/gun w arty or regular forces instead of masking, flanking, and then hitting it.

Winner of the oscar for Best Combat Mission full length movie. Easily. And Megalon is a BEAST! I thought Tiger's plan was pretty solid but what a defensive effort. "charge or gulag, comrade" -- priceless

On to giant defensive battle #7. I was doing OK until I got hit w big surprise, now scrambling. If I am down to infantry and tanks in the woods I think we can all safely say I am in deep trouble. One flank OK, other is desperate. nearly all reserves committed. Also, because I am so smart, I moved a pile of mines from the default setup area to another area. And guess where the crisis is coming? Right where the mines used to be. Fortunately I might not have to live with that bad decision for very long. It looks bad. This looks like one of those WW2 german Signal magazine propaganda photos of the heroic troops manning trenches against the soviet horde. I think they are really scared. And yes, I have to use the M113s as fighting vehicles at this point. Hopefully soviets enter my hasty MLR piecemeal and the multitude of targets will mean some of my AT assets will be able to engage unmolested. Arty observers running for their lives! The vigil in the forest. Gonna be an ugly fight. Meanwhile, on the other flank, my remaining M60 is have a turkey shoot Well, wife is outta town, I gotta get this battle wrapped up while I've got the time. I don't know how this whole thing will shake out but I've got a solid chance if the travel through the woods manages to bring soviets in piecemeal.

I am fighting my way through US 1982 campaign. This is a brilliant, challenging, and highly enjoyable campaign. The author(s?) are talented and clearly put a lot of thought and sweat into this. They authors are also the spawn of Satan as they keep throwing nasty surprises at me that have a bad habit of unhinging all my plans. Battle #6, I think it was. US attack into soviet rear area w M60s & sheridans. Nice roads in middle of map, to use the hilly, wooded flanks one has risk of throwing tracks. I initially chose to go right & left but then chose just one flank, won't way which so I don't give spoilers. I figure I've got the soviets completely outflanked and it's gonna be a turkey shoot. Then, right where they absolutely should not be, are a platoon of soviet tanks, here in the middle of nowhere. A sharp, violent fight ensues: To quote from Saving Private Ryan halftrack in the field scene "who's doing the shootin'???" Here's that area a couple minutes later. Multiple hits on this tank but no joy, though he's backing away and might be damaged. The scene from the US side. I'm losing armor but so is he. My sheridans are outmatched but the M60s are doing OK Multiple 'splashes' on the front armor from LAWs & sheridans, but he's still in the fight. Hard to see in this pic. Aftermath: a lot of US & soviet tax payer dollars turned to scrap. I finally wiped out the platoon, losing several tanks and some infantry. But I have plenty to continue into the enemy rear flank positions and it's party time!! Ended up w a major victory, didn't realize there were lots of juicy targets just outside of the town I could've smashed, probably gotten a total victory. But good enough to move on.

Oh boy! Now I have something to watch while I exercise today.

OK, I'll take 1985 then. Good info, thanks for sharing that.

I am with Aragorn. Just drop the bomb on us some dull, dreary weekday. The day CW was announced still stands as one of the happiest workdays of my life I am looking forward to the Normandy module, I can't get enough of that stuff. Which reminds me, as soon as I finish my current CW campaign, I gotta get back to Normandy.

I listened to this video a long time ago. It's very good. But it still comes down to "BFC please give me mid-late 80s so I've got more Abrams and Bradleys! I have paid my dues, watching my poor hapless M113s & M60s getting pummeled. I want payback!!

CPTMiller, that might be the best graphic I have seen in years All I know is I really like hull down & shoot & scoot, sometimes together once I know good hull down spot. If I've got M60s or shermans I especially don't want to duke it out, I want to snipe.

Really glad to see that, thanks for sharing. Having to face lots of stingers & javelins would definitely make me think twice about invading someone.

Thanks for the sneak peak, Ithikial & Elvis! Can't wait!!!!

F-ing Jeebus H Kristo, this all really needs to move to some other kind of forum. This is filling up our CM forum.

ohhhhhhhh, I didn't zoom in enough. I was so focused on the foreground didn't notice the water in the distance. So beach it is. Not a ton of action happened directly on Utah so wouldn't be that, would it? And would the lack of built up areas preclude Brit/Canadian beaches? So leaves Omaha?