danfrodo

daaaaaaaaaaaang! I love seeing an armor-infantry assault that succeeds like that. I've never had one of course, but I am sure it's a great feeling.

Good points, Homo_Ferricus. On you last sentence, I am wondering what you are meaning. Serious preparation for Putin doing more mischief? Or mental preparation that the conflict might actually be frozen and, like you say, this is what history locks in (Putin takes landbridge)? I am worried that Putin might get the frozen outcome he wants. But I am not ready to concede that UKR won't get the landbridge back. We just don't know. Certainly doesn't look good for UKR right now, at end of campaign season that yielded huge RU loses everywhere except territory, and UKR looking like it has no means to get the territory back. Landbridge is only ~100km wide and UKR only managed ~15km of that. Not enough to cut Tokmak, not enough to do much of anything. My next rose-colored hope is that RU burns through so much men & material in these attacks that UKR can achieve something meaningful over the winter. (and yes, is rose-colored)

Wow, once again Haiduk bringing some very very interesting news. The video of the burning RU column, was that ambushed? I hear a lot of small arms so it doesn't seem like just artillery strike. Losing basically an entire RU company is some much needed good news. And looks like some movement west of Robotyne. Do you think this is some new push by UKR forces? Or just map adjustment after UKR took a couple fields? And is Kherson getting to be something other than a nuisance raid? So hard to say but certainly getting some RU resources destroyed in that area. And what are your thoughts on Andiivka? UKR is holding but RU just keeps throwing men into the cauldron. That salient for UKR could get into trouble if RU advances much more.

That's was a really good one to see Haiduk. First ones & then others hit by ATGMs or tank shells, it looks like This is something that's really been bothering me relative to the beliefs I have. If RU is running short of men & armor & shells, then spending lots of resources in Andiivka should allow UKR to make progress somewhere. but we just don't see any progress other than attrition. I would think that RU going forward at least opens up opportunity to attack the flanks somewhere, especially since UKR should be facing somewhat exhausted units that are on new terrain and not properly dug in & mined.

good lord, how can they sustain these losses? Oh, wait, now I sound like German General Staff in 1941. Yikes.

Haiduk, thanks for the great posts today. Now, once again, I am on the "maybe UKR will cross the river in real strength to make a real difference" thing again, even though I've fallen for this a dozen times now. Each time disappointed yet I still hope that this one is different.

I will take a little vacation rest of day. Hopefully UKR will break thru somewhere and thread will get re-directed. I've contributed way too much today to making this mess today, sorry all.

as far as more babies, I'll assume you mean white babies. And women should definitely not have choices, especially not voting and working outside the home. Society was great before women became actual people, like legally actually people, ya know? It's like when we ended slavery, everything downhill ever since. Ya know maybe the divorce rate is because men are generally such f--kheads? And when women aren't physically and economically trapped they will sometimes choose to leave the aforementioned f--kheads? Maybe the real problem is letting men vote?

I suspect that patriotism, like christianity, has falling poll numbers for the same reason: these concepts are being polluted by scoundrels. Young people are less likely to be religious because the religious have given religion a bad name. Same w patriotism, where extremist, ignorant, monsters claim the mantle of patiotism. But I bet that if the US were attacked, these same young people would sign up in droves to fight. Just like in Ukraine, where all these allegedly sissy-fied young people are now cold-*** killers.

What's interesting is that those that are constantly harping about democracy and freedom being destroyed are the ones actually destroying democracy and freedom, at least in the US. In 2020 (and coming in 2024) we faced the end of american democracy. A giant mob of these brainless idiots even attacked and captured the US capital! First time in over 200 years for that! And what is said of this on the right? "oh, was a little dustup!". And these same people generally think religion should be more in charge in the US, while at the same time constantly harping about the constitution which very clearly says "hell no" to that. The enemy of democracy is ignorance and demogogery. Fox news in the US being the primary source of this. Fox news viewers have no idea what's actually happening. It's news & infotainment for people that literally can't handle the truth. They think the 2020 election was stolen, yet have no evidence other than "some black people were seen.." (do they even know that Fox CHOSE to settle out of court and pay out ~$750M in a civil suit because of their election lies??) They think climate change is a hoax despite their own thermometers. They think Trump didn't didn't do anything wrong while the rest of us have actually seen the indictments and the mountains of damning evidence. They think Jan 6 was everything except what it actually was -- a mob induced by Trump to try to overthrow the duly elected govt of the US -- it was an atttemped coup. So western society is not being destroyed by gays or transgenders or atheists. It's being destroyed by ignorant, nationalist, rage-filled fools who listen to rightwing propaganda to the point where they can't even stitch two thoughts together about reality yet think they are saving america while actively trying to destroy it, through their utter stupidity.

I saw your response to my little rant and wanted to recant..... except that you said the above? Steve almost never shares any info, so saying he's taking too much interest is not really the problem. The problem is that he never says anything with or without the UKR war forum. He didn't before the war. And he doesn't during the war. We agree, I think, that we sure wish we had some news. And some new battles. I'm currently back in CMFB for my annual pilgramage back to Belgium, but sure would love for some new stuff though.

I'm currently helping to design the machine overlords. They are currently dumb as F---

Well, at least we know that Dnipro crossing have led to a couple RU tank losses, if nothing else. I always have high hopes for these crossings but they always turn out to be minor operations. Meanwhile, UKR seems stuck on the entire front, while RU is burning resources like there's not tomorrow. What does it all mean? Is UKR planning on continued attrition then a fall/winter push to finally break the deadlock? Or is UKR simply stuck? RU seems to be able to stuff the rat holes w rats as fast as needed and wherever needed to stop UKR advances. Tree lines parallel to advance that must be eradicated rat by rat and hole by hole. The rasputitsa is starting, hurting vehicle movement. But the leaves are falling leaving it harder to hide for the rats. And long nights favor the side w more & better night vision (UKR). I just have no idea where things are headed now.

So if Steve spends a two or three hours each day looking at what's happening in UKR war and writing a few posts of a few paragraphs each, then he is doing nothing else the rest of the day? And also this war informs any CMBS games going forward, so it's not like it's off subject. This is fascinating. I watch ~10 hours of football each week, plus play some CM, plus play some guitar, cook, clean, do laundry, etc. Therefore I can't possibly be doing my 40+ hour per week job.

exactly! That's why I want CMCW 1988. Where every shot from my abrams is a kill on a T72! Some might say 'where's the challenge in that". I say, well, then play as soviets. I do love the looks of the M60 but it is so outmatched in firepower.

This guy is disgusting overall, a full-on MAGA stolen-election fascist, at least in his words and actions, gawd knows what he actually believes because it's near political suicide to actually say sane things on his side of the aisle. But let's judge him on this one item: I interpret his words as "I support UKR aid. I just gotta go thru some motions to make it look like we are more responsible w that aid than before to placate those of my colleagues who are on Putin's payroll". So I like what he said, I think it bodes well. And if he delivers I'll have to swallow my pride and thank him, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, just like I did w Sen McConnell.

That's the assault of my dreams. I always have one crazy ivan w a ppsh that just won't quit that kills 5 of my guys

I just hope this happens in my lifetime. If not, I wonder at what level of hell (where I'm going) one no longer gets CM? I am guessing by level 4 all you get is Company of Heroes.

Well, here we are at the end of the summer campaign season and RU, sadly, still owns the landbridge and Luhansk. I was definitely wrong about how summer would shape up. Now I am looking at where we're at wondering about reasons for hope in kicking RU out of UKR. UKR has seriously degraded RU capabilities, of that I think we can be confident. Maybe that degradation will yield some operational gains in the coming months. The UKR operations across the Dnieper might yield something but only if they are going to put a lot of effort into it -- infantry supported by lots artillery & drones. Even then it will take a lot of time since it's a foot mobile force for a while. Still no real movement in the south, east, or north, sadly. Maybe loss of leaves and long nights will help UKR. Maybe decreasing RU morale and effectiveness with the cold, wet weather will help. I sure wish there'd be some cracks somewhere. Meanwhile, RU is doing its best to destroy its own army for nothing in pointless attacks. So maybe there's hope for something to break somewhere, soon.

You are missing the point. RU is using the soldiers as energy absorbing extra armor layer to protect the BMP. Very clever! and a good use of resources since RU knows that its people have zero value while BMPs are in shortage.

My epic rampage through the soviet rear areas went rather poorly. I ran into three ZSUs and a T72 over the crest to my front, while also getting hit by T72s that were hidden along a tree line to my left. Of my 5 M60s, two destroyed, two immobilized, with only one ZSU to their credit. Disaster, as seen here from soviet view. So now we make the best of a tough situation. I head onto track in the woods w a squad, an M113 and the remaining M60 a couple minutes behind. After a small arms firefight I approach the hilltop (an objective) and soviets respond with ZSUs and various HQ elements, all of which are smashed. Meanwhile, on my side of the valley there's a zerg rush on the hill at my center. The M60s you see are knocked out. I'm engaging from the left with small arms and from the other side of the valley with M60 & M113-50cal fire. Goal is to pin the soviets long enough for my 107mm mortars to come crashing in. Success! Say hello to my big mortars, commies! Now need to deal with the 4 T72s & a couple BMPs that are hidden the tree line. I use some M60 smoke to approach, looking to get into a close range fight with my 5 M60s vs a couple T72s at a time. The smoke fades and I get two of the T72s right away. Charge of the M60s! After losing two M60s, I finally clear the final T72. Nasty close in fight. I had engineers closing in from woods on the enemy right but didn't quite time it right. I was hoping to have the infantry engage while the T72s were busy with my M60s. But ended well overall. All enemy armor destroyed and I can advance with armor & infantry. And a Total Tictory! Each side lost 21 tanks but soviets lost more AFVs. My losses in personnel were terrible, though. What a fight. I'd love to do the same battle with M1s instead of M60s. Quite a challenge when half my tank & most of my TOW hits fail to penetrate.

W RU burning up lots of what would be operational reserves, maybe this can work? Put light forces across on wide front, supported by arty, with relatively few roads for RU on which to move in mobile forces. So becomes infantry/artillery fight. Interesting. But if we can see this so can RU, so can UKR do this before RU pours in the mobiks?

I can't believe you did a cliffhanger here! That's cruel! What happened????

damn straight! I love to watch the action from a distance then zoom in to the hot actions and watch at ground level. It's what makes CM so great.

That's been the case for lots of these RU operations. A lot of RU casualties, a little advance, then UKR counterattacks/probes into these smashed RU units and pushes them back to the original start lines or a little further.