BrotherSurplice
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Posts
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Posts posted by BrotherSurplice
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11 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:
Worth playing to their strengths if you can point them at the BMPs.....They'll do a much better job on them than infantry in buildings. Point Target attack runs are swift(ish) and usually brutally efficient with NATO choppers.
It would be a good way to smoke out the BMPs, but I need every gun, missile and rocket softening up the objective. The Apache has such little ammo left, I need to be sure that it will be spent well. Also, the buildings aren't exactly tough. In other games, I've seen 60mm mortar rounds tear right through them. I'm confident that they are no defence against the weapons that my Apache carries.
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On 13/03/2018 at 3:18 AM, Sgt.Squarehead said:
Good show.....Reverse slopes only really exist when you are stuck on the ground.
Alas, it has very little left, so I'll be using what remains on the objective.
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2 hours ago, Kozlice said:
https://www.globalfirepower.com/armor-tanks-total.asp
Now, I know that only T-90's and Armatas were OP's subject, but in general, I wouldn't say that red hordes meme is dead; and, while surely liked by many on this board, I don't think your statement of US having a quantitative advantage over Russia is entirely accurate (even if you realistically half the number of Russian tanks in active service, as some other sources suggest).
Did you really just use GFP as a source?
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4 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:
Cool AAR, enjoyable read.....Has the Apache expended all of its ordnance yet?
Cheers. No, it still has some munitions left.
1 hour ago, Bil Hardenberger said:I bolded the part above... it is a very good idea to slow down and re-analyze, I do this all the time. Let the situation develop a bit the situation could become a little clearer.
Excellent use of the available tools in the game to help with the analysis of what you are seeing in-game... nice to see someone taking that lesson and running with it.
Looking forward to the next post. Keep those vehicles hull down and use terrain masking whenever possible!
Bil
Yes, that little bit of re-evaluating was quite helpful. Cheers Bil, and yes, I really must take better care of my vehicles. I've done this in other battles too, left my vehicles exposed in one spot for too long. Even the mighty Abrams can be greatly inconvenienced by a lucky Sagger hit.
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Gosh
Fungling
Darn it
I knew that I'd kept that Scimitar exposed for too long. I knew that I hadn't checked the lines of sight of my other units on the hill. I was just thinking 'my Scimitars are pretty vulnerable there, I'd better pull them back soon'. Then whoosh! Crack! Bang! The Troop Leader's Scimitar is a smoking wreck and no one even saw where the missile came from. How very irritating. The only saving grace is that the whole crew escaped with only minor wounds. I think that the missile was launched from a trench on the eastern slope of Point 228, so I spray the offending trench with machinegun fire from my Scimitar and APCs.
Shortly after the Scimitar is knocked out, one of my APCs observes a couple of men from a Syrian infantry platoon HQ moving through the East Yard. As expected, this means that Rinaldi has likely emplaced his infantry platoon inside the East Yard.
Happier news from my left, however, as the enemy ATGM team under attack from my scouts suffers a casualty.
Meanwhile, the two scout teams on my hill are nearly able to get eyes on the objective.
More intel comes in, as the first enemy ATGM team is seen withdrawing and an ATGM platoon HQ is spotted. So, Rinaldi does indeed have the whole ATGM platoon in support. There are three other teams out there, somewhere.
The first enemy ATGM team unmasks once more and an MMG platoon HQ is spotted. So, along with his infantry platoon, Rinaldi has both an ATGM platoon and an MMG platoon.
Amazingly, a BMP-1 zooms by as well, making a beeline for the far side of Point 228. Sadly, my Scimitars are pulled back and my Javelins are not yet in position, so I am unable to punish this risky move.
The MMG team spotted earlier suffers a casualty as it comes under fire from my forces on the hill and is forced to hide once more.
The loss of my Scimitar and all the enemy forces revealing themselves rattles me, and I make what may prove to be a very hasty decision. I elect to go with Axis 1; I will assault the East Yard by making a frontal attack with my scout platoon over Tweedledee, with my remaining forces in a support by fire on the hill overlooking the objective. I made this decision because I was becoming concerned with the remaining time available to me and because the BMPs now in position on the reverse slope of Point 228 would make an advance along the main road or an assault on Point 228 too risky. I begin pulling the scouts on the left back to their APCs.
Meanwhile, the scouts on the hill are able to identify the burning vehicle behind the toolhouses; it is indeed a BMP-1, knocked out by the rocket strike from my Apache.
The first MMG team is spotted making run for it, heading for the more solid cover offered by the berm. Whether this a panicked flight or a deliberate move is unclear.
Another BMP-1 is spotted moving for the cover of Point 228, this time from behind the East Yard. Frustratingly, my units are still not in a position to take advantage of his vulnerability.
The redeployment of forces from my left to my right is in progress. My scout platoon is far too small to make an attack with anything less than full strength and I want my other two Scimitars on the hill. From now on the Scimitars will all act as one unit. If any other ATGMs take a pop at one, I want the other Scimitars to see it.
The redeployment is nearly complete. The Javelins have finally dismounted and are heading for the overwatch positions currently occupied by my scouts. The rest of my force is on the reverse slope of my hill, hidden from the enemy (hopefully). They are very tightly packed though. If Rinaldi has mortars, now would be an excellent time for him to use them . . .
Well, that was an unpleasant few turns. One of my most potent units was taken out at almost no cost to the enemy. Many enemy units revealed themselves, with me unable to actually do anything about it. There are at least two BMP-1s, probably more, now safe and sound on the reverse slope of Point 228, in an excellent position to launch a counterattack. Also, my concerns about the time remaining are actually pretty unfounded. I still have thirty minutes left, over half the time allotted to me. I have committed myself to a course of action unnecessarily early. It's time to slow down, take a few deep breaths, and re-analyse the situation.
My mission has not changed; I still need to occupy the East Yard and inflict casualties on the enemy. I've inflicted a few casualties on the enemy, but nothing decisive yet and obviously the East Yard is yet to be occupied. My picture of the enemy is much clearer now; I know that his rifle platoon is highly likely to be positioned in the East Yard, and I know that he has an MMG platoon and an ATGM platoon scattered about Point 228 and behind the berm. Importantly, a look at the editor gives me some good news; the ATGM platoon is actually made up of only one section, with three teams, as opposed to two sections each of two teams as I had first assumed. I know that he has lost a BMP-1 and has at least two others behind Point 228. If he has his full complement of BMPs, that means that he started with seven; three for the rifle platoon and two each for the weapons platoon and anti-tank platoon. It is still possible that my enemy has mortar support, though I feel that if he had them, he would have used them by now. I still do not know if the crossing points are mined. The terrain remains the same, largely. The most important things of note are the discovery of a partially covered route to the objective and my understanding of the slopes of the hill overlooking the AO. Bar the loss of one of my Scimitars, the situation of my own troops has changed very little; no casualties have been taken thus far and ammunition expenditure has been low. I have thirty minutes left to complete my mission, over half of the initially allotted time.
So, apart from my picture of the enemy and the loss of a light tank, little has changed from the beginning of the match. I haven't really hurt the enemy yet, but I still have a decent amount of time left to finish the mission. I am still going to commit to option one for my plan of attack; it allows for the best concentration of force and is the least vulnerable to a counterattack from those BMPs behind Point 228. For the next few turns, however, I am going to continue trying to shape the battlefield. With my Javelins in overwatch, I should be able to splatter any weapon teams that reveal themselves. I'll periodically unmask my Scimitars and APCs, in an attempt to try and provoke some movement or counterfire from my enemy. When I decide that the enemy has been sufficiently weakened, then I'll make my final assault on the objective.
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On 10/03/2018 at 10:50 AM, Combatintman said:
Of course if you lose this battle you will have to resit this year's semester
And ... as I've said before ... this is a toughie - inspired by your AAR I played it again two weeks ago against the AI and came second but still enjoyed playing it.
Feel free to PM me about assistance with your degree by the way - I am not a graduate but have spent a fair whack of time waving guns at people in both cold and hot places since 1984 with the British and Australian armies.
Shouldn't joke about that, I'm already resitting my third year
Yes, I can see how this battle could be a challenge. I'm still concerned about how I'm going to make my final assault on the objective. Thank you for the offer of help, I'll keep it in mind.
16 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:@BrotherSurplice Are you at King's College by any chance?
No, I attend the University of Wolverhampton.
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5 minutes ago, BletchleyGeek said:
That sounded a bit gloomy, mate.
Think of your Bachelor's as an enabler, rather than the thing you'll be doing for the next 50 years of your life. One thing is the specific knowledge you get on a particular field, and another thing are the skills you get to develop creative, analytic thinking, how to perform a formal inquiry into a particular topic, and so on. If you get the latter, you shouldn't have any trouble crossing over to other fields with more appeal to the labour market.
Oh don't worry, I wasn't trying to sound gloomy, I was just trying to be realistic about how my degree is directly useful. I'm well aware of the general utility of a university degree. Even if it were useless, I'd still have no regrets, as I've had a great time studying for it.
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On 07/03/2018 at 9:01 PM, IanL said:
Oh yeah, stay humble. No matter how good you are the other side is trying hard to out do you...
Oh don't worry, I'm well aware of the fragility of my force. One good hit from the enemy could ruin my chances of winning any kind of victory.
On 08/03/2018 at 7:31 AM, The_MonkeyKing said:Now that's a cliffhanger If I have ever seen one...
I do like to keep people waiting
On 08/03/2018 at 3:31 PM, Bil Hardenberger said:I am happy to hear someone has taken my blog posts to heart and actually took something away from them. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just pissing in the wind.
I think your math skills might need some remediation... four light tanks and four APCs you say? I count a total of 14 vehicles (Command group = 3; Light tank group = 4, Scouts = 5, and the ATGM team on 2).
Really the infantry in a battle like this over this open terrain probably won't come into much use until you finally assault the objective, but I expect you to reduce most of the resistance before that happens anyway.
Your line of study sounds interesting... many jobs available for War Studies graduates these days outside of the military?
Well, what I meant was that only the scout platoon and the light tanks would be taking part in the assault. The rest of the APCs can only lend their machine gun fire - which against trenches and buildings, leaves a great deal to be desired!
It is indeed interesting; in my second year, for example, I got to go on a field trip to Normandy for a week. That remains my favourite holiday ever. I've met some fascinating people as well. The career prospects, however, are somewhat limited. I could become an academic myself and go into teaching, I could work for a thinktank or journal, I could work for the government, I could go into the military, and er . . . that's about it - for places where my degree would be directly useful at least. Also, I will almost certainly have to do several post-graduate degrees for any sort of career in academia or the government.
21 hours ago, Bil Hardenberger said:Umm.. no relation to anything being developed. Sorry.
I did say I was "toying" with the idea right? Haven't made up my mind yet.
Now, we've hijacked this man's thread enough for now. Back to you BrotherSurplice! Apologies for the diversion.
No apology necessary Bil! Someone has to keep the people entertained while I warm up the next update!
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1 hour ago, Bil Hardenberger said:
Having done an AAR or two in my time I understand the workload involved, especially when writing with this amount of detail. Do you have a military background?
Very well done AAR so far, even if the odds are really stacked in your favor.
Seriously, a Company Team, plus your available artillery and air power against a platoon plus... that is an overwhelming force. Please don't take that as a hit on you, we fight with the tools we are given. I do admire how you are approaching this assault and it is a delight to read, so thanks for putting it together.
Bil
Well, well, this is an honour
Thanks very much for the praise Bil! Your Battle Drill Blog has been a great help to me in playing CM, and this match has been no exception. Though I question your assessment of my odds. While my total strength is indeed a Company(-), the actual manoeuvre units amount to sixteen infantrymen, four APCs and four light tanks. Hardly what I'd call overwhelming! Still, it depends how much I'm hurting the enemy at the moment I suppose. I do not have a military background, though I am currently reading for a War Studies degree at university and have several internet friends who are military or ex-military.
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My apologies for the wait for this third entry. Making an AAR is a lot more time consuming than I had first imagined! On the plus side, I've progressed quite far since my last post, with far too much content for this one instalment alone, so entry four should be along shortly after this one.
I hadn't mentioned that the enemy might have medium or heavy machine guns in my first post, but I had been thinking about it, so this discovery of an MMG team comes as no surprise. Each Syrian mechanised infantry company comes with a weapons platoon made up of two sections, each of which is made up of two MMG teams. I can expect there to be at least one more team out there somewhere, and maybe two others if Rinaldi has the whole weapons platoon.
As mentioned, Scout Team 4 has pulled back rather than duke it out with an MMG team. The two Scimitars following them are actually unable to draw a line of sight to the enemy position, but the other two on the hill to my front are able, so I order them to open up on the enemy trench with their machine guns. Their supply of 30mm HE is embarrassingly small and I want to save it for harder targets (namely, the buildings in the East Yard), so I use the 'Target Light' command. Their fire is inaccurate, as word of the enemy contact hasn't yet filtered through the C2 network and thus they don't yet know that there is an MMG team occupying the trench. However, it should be enough to force the MMG to keep their heads down, at least for now.
Meanwhile, my Tactical Air Controller team has moved forward and is calling in support. I am hoping that the Apache will be able to sniff out some of the enemy BMPs, so I order a heavy strike to cover the entire enemy side of the map.
Scout Team 3 moves up out of the orchard to the edge of the road and spots another enemy unit, an ATGM team hiding in the cover of a berm running along the centre of the far side of the irrigation ditch. Another of my suspicions are confirmed!
A Syrian mechanised battalion has a single weapons company, which has a single platoon of ATGMs. This platoon, like the company-level weapons platoon, is made up of two sections, each made up of two teams. As with the MMGs, I can now expect at least one more ATGM team and up to two others if the whole AT platoon is present. Scout Team 3 begin firing at the enemy team, and although their line of sight is quite poor, they are able to make the enemy duck for cover.
However, as my scouts take potshots at the ATGM team, they come under fire from another MMG team, occupying a trench close to the other spotted MMG.
The Scimitars on the left, which had moved up and began firing at the first enemy team, are swiftly retasked to deal with this new threat. They are eventually able to suppress the second MMG.
As this is happening, my Apache is making his first attack run. The first missile he launches is unfortunately intercepted by a tree, but the second slams into a building in the objective.
Next up, a rocket barrage on the objective . . .
. . . followed by a rocket barrage on the Tool Houses and the berm.
The second rocket attack bears fruit, as I observe flames and smoke from a point behind the Tool Houses. A BMP knocked out, perhaps?
As a parting gift, the Apache subjects a building inside the objective to a burst of cannon fire, before finishing its mission.
As the match goes on, I am continually scanning the battlefield, analysing and re-analysing the terrain and my positions. I spot a couple of things; firstly, the hill to my front is not providing me with as good a line of sight as I had first thought it would. The slope on my side is very gentle towards the summit, and so my infantry teams are taking forever to get eyes on the objective. My vehicles are far too visible for my liking as well. Secondly, my first suggested axis of advance may have more cover than I realised. A spur of the hill juts out towards the objective, pictured here. The ground to the right of this spur is slightly covered from Point 228, at least initially. Perhaps Axis 1 is a better course of action that I first thought?
So far, things have been going mostly my way. Units are moving up, I've spotted an ATGM team before it could ambush my units, MMG teams have revealed themselves at no cost to me, and banter with my opponent reveals that the helicopter strike hurt him quite a bit.
However, I am soon to be reminded that the enemy always gets a vote . . .
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Oh drat, sorry! I looked for a thread on the second page but reckoned that if there was a thread like this then it would be active, so I didn't look further than that. I like to use Imgur for image hosting. Easy to use and very reliable.
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I noticed that there's a screenshot and video thread for Black Sea but not for Shock Force, so I thought that I'd get the ball rolling.
An M1A1SA Abrams shows off the power of its 120mm smoothbore
A US Army Mechanised Rifle Platoon creeps through a woodland Wadi
Not tho' the soldier knew
Someone had blunder'd . . . -
55 minutes ago, Erwin said:
If you think it wrong then why not offer your own detailed analysis as to what you would do in the above scenario circumstances. It's very easy to criticize and sneer. Alternative helpful/constructive viewpoints are welcome.
As most of us agree, CMBS is the hardest CM2 game to master. At least Olek is making an effort to provide tactical advice. Something very rare these days.
50 minutes ago, Erwin said:There are many things that I would not do either. However, it is fascinating to see how others handle a situation and there is always something to learn. And as said, Olek AFAIK is the only person here attempting detailed analysis.
If others are now doing so, that is very welcome.
I have already asked for a demonstration of Olek's tips 'in the wild' as it were and for my trouble have received nought but evasion and, to be frank, barely coherent gibberish that can be summed up as "my tactics are beyond criticism, how dare you ask me to put my money where my mouth is." But very well, I'll bite. I think that the use of 203mm heavy artillery not to suppress, mask or destroy the enemy, the raison d'etre of any artillery piece, but to make foxholes for the purpose of advancing over open terrain in the face of the enemy, is, to put it mildly, a gross misapplication of a rare and expensive asset. Let us consider the picture he presented back there: a mechanised infantry attack is made, but instead of using the cover available, the commander intends to make his attack across open ground. Now, if the artillery had been used to suppress the enemy, as any sane commander would have used it for, this type of attack might not be a bad idea. However, the artillery is instead used to make foxholes in the open ground in front of the enemy. The attack goes in and the battlegroup is flayed alive by the very much alive and unsuppressed enemy. The foxholes so thoughtfully provided by the artillery are a cold comfort surviving infantry, as whatever had the power to wipe out an advance by IFVs or APCs is presumably well able to eviscerate a force of decimated and demoralised dismounts. The infantry is now pinned in the field, unable to either advance or retreat. Now, if the enemy hadn't been present, or if they had been weak enough to be overcome by the mechanised attack alone, then congrats, you've just used a very rare and expensive asset for absolutely no gain whatsoever.
Is that a detailed enough analysis for you?
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37 minutes ago, Oleksandr said:
Its not about you messaging me man. Its all good. By the way I hate making plugs into non related posts but... there is one unique mod what just came out - its acutally my first russian side mod to this game.
Link to download: http://cmmodsiii.greenasjade.net/?p=5863
Screenshot to check out:
Good luck in your battles guys!
8Thanks, but no thanks. The green gloves and balaclavas are a wee bit too bright for my tastes.
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3 minutes ago, Oleksandr said:
Nope the only thing you should do in life is follow the rules (paying taxes and all that), obey the law, respect the Constitution of your country, and do what you think is right to do. Accepting offers is optional. Dont let public opinion to change you or make you feel obligated. You should recognize provocations my friend when they are appearing. Following provocations will only kill your time. Dont do that. Do your thing and some people will love it and some will hate it. Its ok.
Ah . . . k? Not sure why you're so up in arms about me suggesting a PBEM. I would have thought that someone with so many tactical tips to share would be quite happy to display them in action.
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Just now, Oleksandr said:
I have wonderful friends with whom Im playing and some of them are not on this forum and also I have few people with whom Im working on maps and campign. And its players kind of thing to decide weather to use something or not. There will be 0 attention given to certain people because I have my reasons for that. So I mean you guys need to figure what will work for you the best on your own. And one more thing if you have any questions or like any suggestions - feel free to msg me.
Well, dashed shame that. You vs Rinaldi would be a real sight to see. Still, you should take up ||CptJoe||'s offer.
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3 minutes ago, Oleksandr said:
You can play with someone or against AI and check those things if you want. I mean thats why Im posting them. Yet many people here thinking that they can put out of the contest what I am saying or showing and by that they think they can make this super vieweble topic less interesting for other players. I guess someone still didnt got one thing - Im stronger than 2nd amendment lol But again - you guys can do whatever you so desire) There are few people on this forum with whom I will never talk, dicuss or get involved in any type of activity. So i mean if someone will do "myth busting" thing it will make me only more popular lol. Last time those people tried to do harm to my posts I won a medal here on this forum lol
And there will be so many more content going on man you dont even know... Like right after I post this reply there will be actually new content)))
I'd try your tips myself, but as I said, I don't own Black Sea and also I'm a bit of a newbie in Combat Mission. It'd be more educational seeing someone more familiar with the game put your tactical tips into action. Like you and Rinaldi, for example. Although heck, if I bought BS then I wouldn't mind playing a PBEM or two.
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Just now, Oleksandr said:
Rinaldi was saying something in my topic? I blocked him so I dont know what he is saying but whatever lol If somebody will use this and it will work for them - I will be more than happy.
He asked if you'd like to do a PBEM with him, to show your tactical tips in action. I say, go for it, this could be really interesting.
3 minutes ago, Oleksandr said:It would if you know where it is. I havent said that this was the only way to use 200+ mm arty )))
Ah, my mistake. I assumed that if you were willing to make a fast mounted advance across open ground, you would have some knowledge of the enemy positions, potential or actual.
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15 minutes ago, Rinaldi said:
The ideas in this thread are interesting though, I'd be open to doing a PBEM so you could put them to the test in a flexible environment. Slots are opening up on my end.
Now, this idea I like. What say you @Oleksandr ? It'd be very educational to see these fascinating tactical tips of yours in action.
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Now, I have no experience with BS, but would it not be a better course of action to drop that heavy arty (which presumably, is rare outside of QBs and is very expensive), not on the field in front of your enemy, but on top of your enemy?
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Alas, this is not entry three, but merely an amusing aside; consider this tree in the left-foreground:
Now watch in awe, as the Great and Powerful Mr Thwop-Thwop waves his magic wand!
And poof! It's gone!
I'm not even angry at the waste of a Hellfire(?) missile, this was very amusing.
On 21/02/2018 at 2:18 PM, The_MonkeyKing said:Nice one! Can't wait to see the real action start.
Yes, things are steadily ramping up. The next update should have something more kinetic than what you've seen thus far.
On 22/02/2018 at 11:04 PM, IICptMillerII said:This AAR is a breath of fresh air on the forums. Very much enjoying the detail you are putting into everything, and the fact that you know what you're talking about makes it all the better. Excited to see how this turns out!
<3
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Morning/afternoon/evening everyone! I return, with the second entry of the AAR.
In the interests of keeping the amount of "filler" entries low, this post will cover both my initial plans and the first few turns of the engagement.
Reasoning that it is somewhat pointless to come up with a detailed and intricate plan without having any knowledge of Rinaldi's dispositions, I'll develop my plan as I conduct a reconnaissance. This initially consists of my four scout teams moving forward dismounted, two moving into the high ground on my right and two straddling the MSR on my left. Each duo of scouts is backed up by their APCs and a section of Scimitars, who will follow up to lend support to the scouts when they encounter opposition. The Javelins are deployed mounted up to my extreme right. I am also moving the tac air controller team in the centre, to take up position on the high ground to my front.
Now, onto my plans thus far. My task (and that of my enemy) is simplified somewhat by the terrain; the irrigation ditch running across the AO limits me to just three axes of advance. The first axis (the arrow marked '1' on the map above) is a simple advance straight down the middle, over Tweedledee and into the objective. The second axis is a left hook, going over Tweedledum and following the MSR to the objective. The third axis is also a left hook, but even wider; going over Tweedledum and then occupying Point 228 before descending the hill to make a final assault on the objective. Whichever axis that I choose will be supported by a base of fire on the high ground to my front and right. My force composition also limits my choices; with a grand total of 16 men making up my whole infantry complement, I can only really afford to choose one axis for my main effort.
"Whichever of you mugs is humming the Jaws theme best pack it the 'eck in . . ."
Now, to go over the pros and cons of each axis.
Axis 1 - Pros:
- Most simple of the three plans
- Will take the least time to prepare and execute
Cons:
- Can be enfiladed from enemy positions at the Tool Houses and Point 228
- No concealment or cover; the ground leading to the objective is completely open
- Open to fire from the South side of the objective and from Point 225
- All potential enemy positions at the Tool Houses, Point 228 and Point 225 will have to be suppressed for the final assault on the objective, as well the objective itself
- Attacking from the same position as my base of fire allows the enemy to concentrate all his fire in one directionAxis 2 - Pros:
- Will neutralise any enemy positions at Tool Houses
- Provides some cover and concealment from enemy positions in the objective and Point 225
- The enemy is forced to split his fire between my base of fire and the manoeuvre force (or shoot at one and not the other)
Cons:
- Is enfiladed at very close range by enemy positions on Point 228; Point 228 will have to be suppressed while the plan is being executed
- Will take longer to prepare and execute; more distance has to be covered
- Vulnerable to a counterattack from the reverse slope of Point 228Axis 3 - Pros:
- Will neutralise enemy positions at the Tool Houses and Point 228
- The enemy is forced to split his fire between my base of fire and the manoeuvre force (or shoot at one and not the other)
- Provides an additional place from which the objective can be overwatched
Cons:
- Advance up the slope of Point 228 will be enfiladed by the objective and Point 225
- Assault on the positions at Point 228 could be costly and very time consuming
- Vulnerable to a counterattack from the reverse slope of Point 228
- Will take the longest amount of time to prepare and executeEach plan has some pretty big cons, which is somewhat concerning. I do know one thing though: whichever plan I go with, and however my enemy responds, the objective is going to be swarming with enemy troops. Thus, the objective is going to be smothered in fires, from both my base of fire and my rotary-wing support.
And as always, the enemy gets a vote. I made some analysis of the enemy in my last post, but a few things have occurred to me since then. He may have minefields, in which case there is a 99.99% chance that they will be placed on Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and if he has enough of them then there'll probably be some in the entrances to the objective too. Minefields will make my job much harder and without engineers there is, to be frank, jigger all that I can do about it other than grit my teeth and push on through. Freezing up and trying to find another route would give my opponent a wonderful opportunity to inflict heavy losses on me (Rinaldi isn't an amateur; if he has minefields, they'll be covered by fires). The enemy may also have indirect fire support. Each Syrian Reserve Mechanised Battalion gets a platoon of six 120mm mortars and each rifle company within the Battalion gets a section of two 120mm mortars. It is entirely possible that Rinaldi's platoon has the company mortars in support. If I get pinned down or take too long to move from one spot, those 120mms could do some horrendous damage to my small force. Now, that said, Syrian call-in times for indirect fire are quite simply diabolical; in a previous match that I played, it took my Syrian Special Forces forward observer team *seven minutes* to call in a barrage from a section of 82mm mortars. I can't imagine what the call-in time for a reservist mortar section must be like. If I keep moving, any potential mortars shouldn't be an issue, but it is still something to keep in mind.
So far I still can't make up my mind about which of my potential schemes of manoeuvre to go with. All of them are equally unpalatable. My force has does not have sufficient firepower to suppress every potential enemy position and all it takes is one lucky close-range volley from an enemy position to make one of my infantry teams combat ineffective, or to knock out one of my Scimitars. All I can say at this stage is . . . a mortar! A mortar! My kingdom for a mortar!
But alas, it is pointless to screech about what I don't have. You play the hand that you've been dealt. At this stage, I believe that more reconnaissance is needed before I go through with any of my plans. I can at least move the units that will form my base of fire into position (the Javelin troop and at least two Scimitars) while my scouts move forward.
And finally, at 42:13, contact is made with the enemy! Scout Team 4, moving up along the road on my left, takes fire from their front. They swiftly identify their assailant as an MMG team, hunkered in a trench on Point 228. Sadly, I hadn't been paying enough attention to the micro terrain, as Team 3 on the other side of the road are in the low ground of the orchard and can't see the hill. So much for bounding overwatch!
The sniper in Team 4 is already taking aim at the MMG team before the turn ends, but I decide that a four-man scout team getting into a shootout with an MMG is a mug's game, so in my next turn I order them to drop down and crawl back behind the curve of the hill, while I move my Scimitars forward and get Team 3 into a position where they can actually support their pals over the road.
Right, this post is at a good length now, and I've covered all of my planning so far. First contact with the enemy is a good point to end on I think. Thanks for all the feedback so far everyone!
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1 hour ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:
US Army M177s were a major contributor in turning Mosul into this . . . So if the USMC fired even more ammo into Raqqah......
1Yes, terrible thing isn't it? If only those cities had been held by one of the most hateful, diabolical regimes on the planet. If that had been the case, well then it might just have been worth it . . .
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On 31/01/2018 at 6:52 AM, Combatintman said:
I think this is one of Paper Tiger's scenarios and it is definitely CMSF 1. It is likely that he (or whoever the designer was) had a mod installed that converted the marsh tiles into water tiles when he took the screenshot for the mission briefing whereas the OP is not using that mod so the marsh tiles show up exactly as they are. The other giveaway is that the gap crossings are mocked up using low wall tiles and higher elevations relative to the 'river'. If this was CMSF 2, you would see an actual bridge.
Anyway @BrotherSurplice - if I am right about this being a Paper Tiger created mission ... good luck, they are tough enough vs the AI, let alone H2H. I have played this one as the British and it took me plenty of attempts to get something resembling a decent victory.
Reference your own forces analysis ... don't forget to consider your ammunition states ... although the British TO&E is accurate for ammunition loadouts, you should bear in mind that your Rarden 30mm don't have many HE rounds and your dismounts will burn through their 5.56mm in a couple of turns so make sure you get your Toms to bomb up early.
Looking forward to the rest of the AAR.
Thanks for the heads up. Yes, I can foresee myself having to give a lot of 'Target Light' orders to my Scimitars in the future. Thanks for reminding me to bomb up the dismounts too!
On 31/01/2018 at 2:33 PM, MOS:96B2P said:@BrotherSurplice the mod that I use for this was created by @Pete Wenman and I think I got it at the BFC repository. It changes the ground marsh tiles to water tiles for CMSF1. Very cool. The marsh to water link is posted below.
http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314&func=fileinfo&id=126
Ah, thank you, I'll check that out after this battle is over.
On 31/01/2018 at 2:48 PM, IanL said:Very nice first post there @BrotherSurplice!
Thanks very much Ian!
5 hours ago, c3k said:Ahh. I'm very familiar with this battle. Very.
I'm watching, with popcorn near at hand. Good luck!
Ruh-roh, now I'm spooked. Thanks for the luck!
3 hours ago, Josey Wales said:I'm looking forward to this, you've done a thorough METT-TC analysis and these more traditional AAR's are a pleasure to read through.
Although WW2 is usually more my thing, I have a vested interest in you winning this battle. The 9th/12th were my old regiment, and I spent the majority of my service in A Squadron...no pressure!
Oh my goodness, the pressure is indeed on now! I'll try and make the 9th/12th proud!
Sabres at Dawn AAR - BrotherSurplice vs Rinaldi (H2H)
in Combat Mission Shock Force 1
Posted · Edited by BrotherSurplice
This is beginning to really irritate me now.
With my Javelins in position on the forward slope of my hill, I am swiftly rewarded with the sight of an ATGM team perched in the bushes atop Point 228. I expect the Javelin teams to use their launchers and wipe the enemy team off of the face of the Earth, but instead, the idiots start plinking away with their rifles! I hurriedly give the team that has spotted the enemy a 'target' order on the offending ATGM.
The AT operator finally puts away his rifle and takes aim with his launcher. I anticipate the thunk-whoosh of the missile launching, but all I hear is the chatter of incoming machine gun fire. Before he can fire, the Javelin operator is critically wounded by the next burst from the enemy MMGs. My first casualty, and all because the stupid bloody Javelin men decided that it would be a splendid idea to use their rifles instead of their honking great missile launcher. This is exceedingly frustrating.
The offending MMG team and his platoon HQ are spotted on the edge of the berm.
Another enemy ATGM team is spotted making a run for the East Yard. All of my vehicles are currently behind the slope of my hill, so once again I am unable to do a thing about this.
The round of frustration isn't over yet, as one of my withdrawing scouts is shot in the back by another burst from the MMGs. My second casualty, and this time I have no one to blame but myself. I should have used the hunt or slow command, but I wanted to get the teams back to their APCs without exposing the APCs too much, and also these scouts are exhausted from creeping forward all the way from my start line.
I creep my three Scimitars forward and subject the location of the ATGM team to a few bursts of 30mm HE. The time for conserving ammo is gone. Unfortunately, before the Scimitars get into position, I spy the ATGM team crawling away to safety.
This time, however, Instead of leaving the Scimitars in one location, after about twenty seconds of fire I pull them back and relocate. Then I roll them forward again and give the location of the machine gun a similar pasting.
The enemy AT platoon HQ is spotted running for the East Yard, and I have a pretty good idea of what building they ran to. A future target for a Javelin missile, perhaps?
The ATGM team on the hill is spotted again, in an alternate position. Thankfully, the Javelin team elects not to open up with their rifles this time! I order the team to target the enemy ATGM. Second time's the charm?
This time though, I'm going to be more careful. I send the Scimitars forward again, to a position where they can see the berm. If that MMG team reveals themselves again, they'll be in for a rude shock . . .
This has been a highly irritating and frustrating few turns. By the quirks of the game and my own mistakes, I've suffered my first casualties of the game. This is not an auspicious start to my first proper engagements with the enemy. Hopefully, however, the next few turns will be better. Finger's crossed . . .