danfrodo

OK OK OK OK, Mr "I'm right because I actually know things" I have come around to your thinking on this. Keep feeding in stuff they can use now. It's not the best but it doesn't have a 6-12 month lead time and is still really effective. And there's an actual war going on right now that could be decided in 6-12 months w more supply of the tools that are in the system already. After the war can upgrade UKR army so that if RU tries this again in 5 years, it would be a heaping mess of burned out armor before it went 10km. It's kinda like sherman tanks & TDs in WW2 -- not the best but for a whole host of manufacturing and logistical and reliability and training and maintenence reasons it still made the most sense to keep using them. Upgrades ongoing as were deemed possible w/o disrupting the 4000 mile long supply chain. (emoji translation: that was a compliment)

Astute observations, Chibot. I was hoping my opened up commanders and better optics would get me on target before the T34s could bracket onto me. I knew I had a lesser gun but was hoping that getting early hits would make up for it. I was using bushes, hedges, trees as cover but always seemed to get hit before spotting. It was a very unpleasant surprise. So I moved to Plan B (which Elvis says is not as good a Plan A): use terrain & smoke to find safe passage to the critical objectives -- the bridges, and I have secured bridge #1 and part of the big village. (But lost a few more vehicles to surprises). Russians do still have the high ground on the flanks but I have the bridges so I am hoping they'll have to come down to get the bridges -- that's a fight I like. But we also are facing the constant problem the germans faced in 1944 -- not enough infantry. I've got to clear a village and w 3 man teams of the recon group it's tough, even though many teams have an mg44. Russians have lots of their nasty submachine guns which are so deadly at close quarters. More infantry coming but nothing like what I'd have as americans or russians. Lots of Pz4s and hannomags. Executive summary: THIS IS REALLY DAMN GOOD FUN!!!!

yes, you are right! and yes I did! And the russians were really well hidden and didn't open up until they had tanks in sight. Also, I can't see some of the offending russians -- they are hidden in bushes trees but my dismounts can't seem to spot them. It's a fun challenge and I found a safe passage forward using terrain and with a little pz4 smoke to cover a narrow kill zone. And when the T34s opened up I figured I would easily outduel them at that long range. Nope.

ah, good point JoMac. I just checked and my german tankers are mix of veteran, regular & green. I don't know what the russians are, but dang they've been good. I don't want to add spoilers but I am getting set up nicely for a big bag of payback.

The previous US administration unilaterally abrogated the nuclear treaty. A stable genius move, I have been led to believe. I do wonder what our relations w Iran would look like if we hadn't done that -- I am NOT saying they would be better, but I do wonder because Iran gov't was furious over this. Of course, if all our holiday wishes come true the clerics running Iran will enjoy the new year swinging from lampposts. The young people in Iran (hugely young populace) absolutely hate them and this kind of demographic has historically often led to regime change -- especially when those youngsters have this level of hate and a very clear target. And then hopefully they'll stop sending stuff to RU.

EXACTLY. If we never begin to build an improved UKR force, say w leo2s, then it will always 'take too long'. If this war is still hot for summer season we'll all be wishing UKR had the increased lethality and survivability of leos2. And marders would be nice also. If it takes 6 months that puts us right into the summer campaign season. So let's get a move on, shall we? Start building the leo2 cadres in Europe somewhere, meanwhile get the tanks cleaned up & oiled & ready to ship. It will be a UKR-style brigade w better tanks. Maybe the heavy maintenence is in Poland or elsewhere but in 6 months they couldn't have fighting & maintenence crews trained?

George MC, yer killin' me! I am playing Rakow and have multiple 1000-1300m duels w soviet T34-85s. And they keep spotting first, shooting first, and hitting first against my opened up pzIVs. Did you put the instructors from the gunnery schools in these tanks? I thought once spotted I'd have target practice on these bums. But my 75mm gun has trouble penetrated that big armored turret at that range and these russkies are good for a change! Damn you George MC! (totally kidding) this battle is truly epic. The terrain presents excellent feel for ost front 1944 tactical problems, and I love the long range tank fights. But I am losing lots of pz4s. Lots. I disabled one RU tank's weapon, but that's it. All that smoke is from my advance team vehicles. And that's just the ones that burned. Fortunately I have a big force and now know what terrain is safe so can advance on my objectives. I had leftover vacation so I am done w work for 2022!!! Little did I know I'd immediately be sent into the hornet's nest. https://imgur.com/trn6xq7https://imgur.com/trn6xq7

What I find most concerning is the amount of time spent bickering that could be spent by these gents playing the new CMRT battle pack. It's really a shame.

ah, that was a touching moment that still brings joy to my heart, thanks for reminding me of it. Meanwhile, NYTimes op-ed today on Iranian situation. He believes that end could (note 'could') be near as it has all the hallmarks of other dictatorial regimes running out of time. I bring this up in this UKR war forum because if there were regime change in Iran maybe that could cost Putin one of his most important allies. For all we know the new regime might sell their wares to UKR -- not saying that's likely, of course. But maybe the flow to Putin would stop if the new regime wanted less hostility w the west. (paywall) https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/12/opinion/iran-protests-veil-khamenei.html

Once you play any scripted scenario you then know where the bad guys are, although some scenarios have multiple set ups that are randomly used for some variation. Once you know where the bad guys are it takes away a lot of the surprise and mystery of the battle -- but it does make it easier to win the 2nd & 3rd times If you aren't winning your quick battles you can give yourself more points to buy units. That's a fine thing to do while learning. This game has been called 'difficult' but folks have mentioned a better term is 'realistic'. If you use poor tactics the game will punish you, just like in real life. If you get frustrated just ask folks on the forum or watch youtube videos to get help.

So the idiots admitted he fell down the stairs. Unbelievably incompetent messaging. Poo-tler: I was stuck on calling him Rat Czar but how have to reconsider.

Good luck! Be sure to get some skills before tackling the bigger battles and campaigns. Quick battles are great for learning. QBattle meeting engagements are really good for beginner because you can usually put a whuppin' on the enemy. It's good to have fun while building skills. Youtube is your friend!

Denys Davydov today said Bundeswehr agrees to send leopard 2 tanks to UKR. For real? About 2/3 of the way thru video. Doesn't seem to be finalized yet from what I can see via googling. But a game changer indeed! ]

yeah, the pot may or not have been planted. And interesting they caught it on her going out of RU, not coming in with it. If they hadn't gotten her for pot, they could've just charged her for being gay. Or whatever other nonsense they wanted. It was a kidnapping. I wonder if the hostages are one of the reasons US has held off on designating RU/Putin as a terrorist entity.

wait a minute, so I was not wrong after all??

She went after? Well, dang, I was defintely wrong. I thought she was already there and (stupidly) just didn't get out on until too late. OK, I stand corrected on that.

Just chiming in to say y'all are absolute magicians. The pictures that have been posted lately are magnificent, thanks much for sharing.

I must quibble a little bit w this. Lots of westerners were in RU at the start of 2022 for various business reasons. Greiner was there for business playing in a professional basketball leaque. And she was arrested trying to get the F out! Did she wait too long -- yes, probably. There's a big difference between pre-war and now. Anyone that would go now or in the future is a very different case. So let's look at others who have visited RU and ask what we would've traded to get them back -- Bob Kraft visited there (and was robbed!), Donald Trump also. So let's not act like Greiner was some outlier who acted foolishly (other than not leaving fast enough). LOTS of americans have gone to russian specially to kiss Putin's ***. She went there to make some money playing bball, not to kiss up to a known murderer.

Some good tidbits in this link today. Galeev predicts RU empire splits up, T90S export model showing up in active duty, explosion in Berdyansk port, and some foreshadowing about something happening on Svatove front from UKR official perhaps. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/8/2140699/-Ukraine-update-Losing-this-war-is-destroying-the-Russian-mythos-and-could-destroy-Russia

Yeah, the price was high -- which was probably why it took so long. I'm only disappointed we didn't get the other guy out also. RU holds the cards in this. Option B is Greiner sits in jail forever. We've made prisoner exchanges like this before. And the precedent we're sending is not good, while the precedent RU is sending is way worse -- "western foreign nationals, come to RU for business and get kidnapped". So what's the higher price? Letting one criminal walk, a man who wouldn't be allowed to travel anywhere in the west ever again. Or letting an innocent american rot in jail the rest of her life. I am making that trade.

this is great, and I'm seeing it confirmed elsewhere. There's another, less famous US hostage that is still there, and I hope Biden admin keeps fighting to get him out also. I think we can safely safe that the head of Putin's tourism department has their work cut out for them after the war. "Come visit Russia! We probably won't kidnap you anymore!"

more confirmation bias for me. What happens when the disconnected officer, multiple miles back in comfort, believes (or at least reports) that his sector is just fine. Then it gets hit by UKR and there's nearly nothing there. And the mobiks who left the front line for better accomodations a mile or so back are suddenly confronted w UKR assault. Sound like panic and breakthrough to me. This is what I think is going to happen as winter degrades these kidnapped 'soldiers'.

This kind of stupidity is amazing. As if the reichstag holds some kind of magic sword of power and whoever yields it will be made king. "We have the reichstag! Power is ours, ba ha ha ha ha!"

I think this discussion brings up a really good point that I hadn't fully realized to now. We talk about how we manage escalation all the time in regards to Putin but forget there's another side to it -- managing public opinion. And that may be a much bigger player in decisions than we generally recognize. Keeping the citizens of allied countries in support of Ukraine is probably one of the biggest concerns for those leaders. Kraft is on to something important here.

DUDE! That was a GREAT book! And the college down the street from me has mascot of beaver. Benny Beaver to be precise. so I clearly an expert on this subject. I do know that this is a big sideshow on what should be UKR war thread, but I had to respond. (and now the forum will pounce to tell me how it's actually not a great book. But it's still a great book . And so is Three Body Problem)