Josey Wales

Oh man.
I might have to put in for some vacation time once this AAR really kicks off.
Aww geez, he's even highlighting his analysis elements!
You are setting a standard not easily achieved once again. Look at that blue highlight!
I never would have thought of that!
TYes, I'm drunk. UI work for the post office. you would be too.

MINUTE 1
Baneman is definitely feeling his oats… without hesitation he threw part of his Scimitar platoon out of his entry point and toward the center of the map.  My irregulars had a clear view of his movements... I can only hope that mine were not so clearly telegraphed to him.  One of his German recon vehicles started to move down AA1.
In this image, the gray trails indicate the observed German Fennek movements and the ochre trails indicate observed UK Scimitar movements.  I lost sight of the UK FV432 shortly after the turn began.  
 


The terrain being what it is, he was able to move into positions much quicker than I.  That could be a problem for me, but it could also tempt him to deploy more units forward than he probably should.  My teams were still moving up at turn end.  It could take another few turns before they are fully into position.
 
Eventually one of the British light tanks got a spot on my lead technical and after a few rounds...

...it was an ex-technical. 

Though he is being very aggressive, and with a combat power advantage slightly in his favor (he can afford to be), I am not going to panic.. I will take up some defensive positions overwatching AA1 with Team 1.  Meanwhile Team 2 will disgorge its ATGM team who will move into a firing position.  Losing one or two Scimitars might slow him down some and cause him to get cautious. 
My USMC LAV platoon will move over the bridge into a forward position and await orders.  They will dismount their recon teams there.
PIR:  Will the enemy recon attempt a recon in force down AA1?  One Fennek spotted moving down this route PIR:  Will the enemy recon attempt a counter-recon operation?  PIR:  Will the enemy recon force take up overwatch positions at KT1?  It appears this may be happening, but need more information The situation in DUMAYR.  No action here yet, but it looks like there will be soon.

INITIAL SETUP, ORDERS, & INTENT
My intent with my opening moves is to get into position where I can observe the enemy entry point.  I don’t have enough combat power on the map to go toe to toe with Baneman yet, so for now I will get some Dismounted Recon Teams (DRT, pronounced Dirt) into Observation Positions (OP) and attempt to ascertain my opponent’s level of aggressiveness.  He could have upwards of eight Scimitar light tanks so might come into this one with a feeling of high confidence, or maybe not...  I need to answer the following Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIR):
PIR:  Will the enemy recon attempt a recon in force down AA1? PIR:  Will the enemy recon attempt a counter-recon operation? PIR:  Will the enemy recon force take up overwatch positions at KT1? To counter these enemy vehicles I have created two AT teams each made up of one Syrian BMP-2 and dismounts, and one LAV-AT with TOWs.  The USMC LAV-ATs are there to support the BMPs and dismounts and hunt enemy recon vehicles as the opportunity arises. 
TEAM 1:

TEAM 2:

These teams will drive up the reverse side of the Hill 41-42 Ridge… the dismounts then will carefully, using cover, move to the crest and take up observation positions.  The ATGM team will deploy its weapon and try to get one or two enemy vehicles before displacing, if displacement is even possible.  The BMPs and the LAV-ATs will use shoot and scoot tactics to engage the enemy vehicles if possible.
Note that with this movement I am trying to keep to clear ground as much as possible to minimize the chance of bogging, and I am slowing to Move speed when crossing the stream.  Better safe than sorry.  I am also trying to mask my movement from Baneman's eyes as much as I can. 

The remaining LAVs in the Marine recon platoon will stay together and become my rapid reaction force.  They will eventually assemble in a centralized position behind the two AT teams and be ready to react to events.  I will remain flexible with them until my Advance Guard arrives in zone. 

The intent is to identify and attrit the enemy recon as much as possible prior to the Advance Guard arrival.
The irregular forces will also stay in position and wait a bit before acting.  They will be sending small teams out to reconnoiter the objectives.  The three technicals will remain in position until I get an idea on where the enemy irregulars are positioned and what their intent is.  Eventually I would like to send these vehicles to OBJ Ruby to give Baneman something to think about, but that will depend on events.
[Sorry I don't have any screenshots to show for these units yet.. had an issue with transferring all my images to Dropbox.  Next post will feature some of them]
 

METT-T
TERRAIN
The terrain for this operation is very complicated, it is crossed by canals, has a river obstacle and it is dominated by the heights at the northern end of the AO.  The following should give us a better idea as to what to expect and how to approach this fight.
GROUND CONDITIONS:  The ground underfoot is dry.
WEATHER:  The forecast for the next 24 hour period is hot with clear skies.
WIND DIRECTION & STRENGTH:  Winds are NW, strength light.
MAIN HEIGHTS:  KT1 and KT2 represent the main heights in the AO.  There are equally dominating heights on the southern end of the map but I suspect they will not play as large a role in this action as those at the north end primarily because our entry points are in the north and most action will probably revolve around those two pieces of key terrain.
LOWEST ELEVATION:  The areas of lowest elevation are:
The plain between KT1 and KT2 (identified as Engagement Area (EA) 1 on the map). The main valley that runs from below the heights in the north (KT1 and KT2) and the river. Canals, stream, and the river surrounding terrain in many cases offers low ground that can be taken advantage of. KEY TERRAIN: 
Key Terrain 1 (KT1):  From this area of high ground a unit can get eyes on a large part of the AO. Key Terrain 2 (KT2):  This area of high ground is probably the most important ground in the AO.  From its heights almost the entire AO can be observed.  It will be tough for an opponent to maneuver once these heights have a suitable amount of combat power on them. Key Terrain 3 (KT3):  The town of DUMAYR, with its three objectives is the main objective for this operation.  As an urban area, taking it could be costly so an early operation to seize this objective while it is lightly occupied could pay dividends.  This is probably the most defensible terrain in the AO. Click on the image to enlarge:

METT-T
ENEMY
Enemy Intentions:  Intel reports that enemy civilian and militia forces similar in size and capability to ours are eager to capture DUMAYR, the monastery, and Village Charlie.
Enemy Force Capabilities:  It is reported that the enemy contingent in the AO is similar in force make up and combat power to our own.
Possible Order of Battle:
Civilian Fighter and Militia – specifics unknown, but suspected to be similar in size and organization to those supporting us PIR:  Will the enemy militia/fighters attempt to seize DUMAYR? PIR:  Will the enemy militia/fighters attempt to seize the Monastery? PIR:  Where are the enemy Technicals? UK and German Mechanized Battalion Task Force – possible British command element Reconnaissance Force - intelligence reports enemy mechanized recon made up of allied UK and German forces.  Order of Battle – S2 reports possible: UK Recce Platoon – (possible)  - Good light armored recon force, but could have small dismounted recon capability 8 Scimitar light tanks.  1 Spartan APC with Recce Section FV432 Bulldog APC German Aufklarung Platoon – (possible)  – less capable vehicles, but a strong dismounted capability 4 Fennek (Desert Fox) armored reconnaissance vehicles – NOTE: these vehicles become unmanned when the team dismounts 1 HQ and 3 Aufklarung Teams This force is expected to enter the AO around the same time as our recon force The potential eight enemy Scimitar light tanks could be the most dangerous opponent for our recon force to contend with.  Though they will be light in dismounted recon assets, they could have an initial combat power advantage in the AO. PIR:  Will the enemy recon attempt a recon in force down AA1? PIR:  Will the enemy recon attempt a counter-recon operation? PIR:  Will the enemy recon force take up overwatch positions at KT1? Maneuver Elements – Armor – S2 reports possible: Two  Challenger 2 Two Leopard 2A6 or A4 Mechanized Infantry – S2 reports possible: One British Mech Infantry Company One German PzG Company Support Elements – S2 reports possible: One UK medium howitzer battery One German medium howitzer battery This would be a very capable and dangerous force, priority must go to defeating the enemy armor and IFVs. PIR:  Will the enemy Mechanized Force attempt to seize KT 2? PIR:  What is the force composition of the enemy Advance Guard? PIR:  Where are the enemy tanks? Enemy Strengths:  the enemy mechanized force will be just as capable as our own, their tank and mech infantry contingents are expected to equal our own, and in some cases could be slightly better.  Artillery support will also be strong and will require us to keep on the move to keep ahead of any potential fire missions.
Enemy Equipment:  S2 expects to see the following equipment in the enemy force:
Scimitar and Fennek reconnaissance vehicles Challenger 2 and Leopard 2A6 or A4 tanks Warrior and Marder IFVs Enemy Weaknesses:  The enemy force is as capable as our own, however the enemy infantry dismounted squads are lacking anything similar to the Javelin ATGM capability.
Enemy Course of Action (COA): 
AA1 is the most obvious route as it provides good cover for a fast moving assault team, it would however leave him visible to my AT assets.  AA2 is less likely, in fact I would really be surprised if he moves down Highway 2 at all, even though it does possess the best bridge.  AA3 is another option, he could attempt to take the Hill 42.0 ridge or at least nullify the advantage that ridgeline gives me.  I expect it to be heavily hit by artillery when that becomes available.  I do however think this option (AA3) is highly unlikely as it would be very costly.  It think he is more likely to hit it with artillery and attempt to keep it covered with as many weapons as he can spare. AA4 – this route could be very difficult for me to defend and with his ability to deploy which is far quicker than mine, this route could allow him to get very close to my ridgeline before I could react.  Click on the map to zoom in:

Better
P

You asked and we provided.

Oh you said uncon - my bad !
P

I wouldn't draw any conclusions from the YT videos. They are not representative because they always show successful attacks from the ambush positions. I haven't seen many videos where the missile missed or malfunctioned. So the ATGM porn present online has to represent only small fraction of the actual launches. Of course the're ATGM systems like Spike NLOS with a range over 20km designed to be fired at the targets BVR. But they are designed for the helicopters or some future tank destroyers, that would be networked with drones or other observation systems.

Having said this, I'd love to see a little bigger CM maps. They don't have to be 10x10km, but maybe 5x5km, something more suitable for mechanized combat. The current maps are great for infantry combat or WW2. For modern mech warfare - not so much.

Superimpose that red square over Objective 'Peter', and abstract the approach maneuver in the scenario editor, and you would have a CM Scenario.
Create one battle around Objective 'Parker', and another one around Objective 'Peter', and you have a CM Campaign.
Get it? The scenarios and campaigns present in the game provide for everything you would need to simulate this operation, with the exception of the approach march, and maneuver between objectives, which if you really wanted them, could also be added (in sections) into a CM Campaign.

For this game we wanted to show as much as possible, and yet provide an entertaining and challenging game.  We decided that each of us would take two nations, and some UNCONs and Fighters and duke it out man on man, steel against steel (or Chobham as the case may be)... the only constraint was that whoever chose the US would also have to field the Syrians as the US does come with some advantages (Javelins etc.).
I gave Baneman first choice and he went with his own folks, the UK and partnered them with the German Army.  He suggested that I, as an American should take the US, so what choice did I have?   
As for force purchases we adhered to the following:
These constraints will apply to EACH nation we choose (purchase must be 50-50): Light troops - one platoon of mounted recon (or light armored recon) or two platoons of dismounted recon Armor - either two tanks (1st class: M1, Leo, or Challenger) or one platoon of second class tanks (anything Syrian, Leo 1 (Canada) Infantry - either one company (mounted) or two companies dismounted troops Artillery - whatever comes with our purchased units, plus:  one battery of medium howitzers (one from each nation) UNCONs - will let George select and deploy for us No air We then sent our purchases to @George MC who provided a gorgeous map for us to fight on, and he set us up.. George also selected and setup the UNCON force for us and deployed them.. neither of us knew the force composition or the locations of our irregulars.  George identified key objectives for us also and really this game could not have happened without him.  So, THANKS GEORGE!!!
I will get into the details of my force pick and what I suspect Baneman is bringing to the party in a later post... should be interesting, this is a Meeting Engagement with the following forces arrayed against each other:
BANEMAN - UK and German - UNCONs including some Technical (gun truck) support) ME - US and Syrian - UNCONs including some Technical (gun truck) support) The next post will have some pictures.    I will show some map highlights and include a topo map that I am using to track the action in this battle. 
I will run through my METT-T analysis as quickly as I can in order to get to the action... the first of those posts will probably go up tonight.
Bil

Here it is folks.. the time has arrived for the CMSF2 BETA AAR.  I will be adding to this thread later today,, but wanted to get the thread started. 
My opponent?  My nemesis from the CMFB  BETA AAR, Baneman ,agreed to a rematch.  I really do owe him a more thoughtful game than I gave him the last time.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with that game, Baneman beat me rather soundly.  Hope that doesn't happen again!   
This game is well under way, we have completed 16 minutes of action, so there are a lot of turns to come in relatively quick succession and the Blood Board™ is filling rather alarmingly.  
For those of you who were following my "Lesson in Defense" AAR in the CMBN forum.. sorry about not updating that thread for a while, but I can really only do one of these at a time, and this one takes priority.,  Once I started this game it took up my full attention.
More anon.  Bil
 
LINKED CONTENT MENU:
OVERVIEW & SCENARIO PARAMETERS MAP ORIENTATION SCENARIO BRIEFING METT-T - MISSION METT-T - ENEMY METT-T - TERRAIN METT-T TROOPS METT-T TIME INITIAL SETUP, ORDERS, & INTENT MINUTE 1 MINUTE 2 MINUTE 3 MINUTE 4 MINUTE 5 MINUTE 6 MINUTE 7 MINUTE 8 and 9 MINUTE 10 MINUTE 11 MINUTE 12 MINUTE 13 MINUTE 14 MINUTE 15 MINUTE 16 TACTICS & BATTLE PLAN DISCUSSION MINUTE 17 MINUTE 18  

There are real reasons beyond basic human dignity for securing friendly casualties. Asides from securing ammunition and weapons it helps to keep your opponent guessing; corpses and critically wounded men can be spotted and a smart player will try and at least keep track. No sense in making their arithmetic easier and getting a better picture for the state of your forces. Clear those losses; use your XO or Company NCO like you would in reality to control casualties and tactical supply. 

That makes two of us.
 
Mord.

Mord, you crack me up!

Personally, I agree with some of what Carl has to say, but his delivery and demeanor suck. The good points he might make get buried by his attitude and combative nature. He's rude and obnoxious when there is no need to be and this thread is a perfect example. There's a fairly defined demilitarized zone between rabid fanboy and bitter troll and an objective thoughtful person can usually navigate it without setting off the landmines. Unfortunately, Carl tends to break dance his way through...in clown shoes...on a pogo stick.
 
Mord.

Didn't sound like he attacked anybody to me. Sounds like he is trying to bring some positivity to the table in the midst of all the negativity that's been posted lately. But apparently you aren't gonna let the rotten b****** get away with it.
 
Mord.

For more than a year, I joined this community after the acquisition of the complete CMBN game.
and I confirm that one of my childhood dreams has been fulfilled
The thread on the patch is stiff.
Criticism can be constructive but can also be morally destructive for a team
Also I wanted to tell you that I thank you for your wonderful work
 

The Relationship between Soft Factors, Morale & Fatigue 
 
Preface
Hi all, I'm pretty new to the BFC forums but I've been milling about over at the FGM for a little over a year. I recently created the below post and it received a lot of positive feedback to the point that it has now become one of the sitcky threads over there.
I have been prompted to post the thread here and after a conversation I had in another thread on this forum, I thought that by placing it here, then non-FGM members can have a read through without me having to copy and paste snippets from the original post at the FGM.

Introduction

Whether selecting unit attributes in a quick battle or whether in game wondering if you should use your +1 Leadership squad or +2 Motivation squad to assault a farmhouse. it can be difficult to make an informed decision due to the fact that there is not a lot of information in the manual which explains how the attributes of Experience, Leadership, Motivation and Fitness (hereby collectively known as the 'Soft Factors') affect certain game concepts such as Morale, Suppression, Firepower and Fatigue.

The forums can be slightly misleading as some posts describe exactly how something works whilst others are more how people feel something is working and it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.

The information below is based on a painstaking process using the editor to separate out the impact of different factors by isolating them and testing them under different conditions. By isolating and testing these factors, the mechanics behind the concepts of Morale, Suppression, Accuracy, C2 and Fatigue start to reveal themselves and after several red herrings, dead ends and lots of repetition the information below has been teased out from the game.
2 videos accompany this post to explain some of the findings, however all of the findings can be backed up by video evidence.

The editor used was the one for Fortress Italy v2.00 Engine 4.0.

SPOILER ALERT - if you prefer the murkiness of not knowing how the Soft Factors affect gameplay then please stop reading.

Having said that the following information does not quantify the game concepts affected by the soft factors but instead generalises as what is likely to happen within a certain concept under certain conditions to units with high and low values for the soft factors.


Morale

Before being able to explain the characteristics of the 'Soft Factors', it is imperative to understand how Morale works in the game.

Morale reflects the psychological state of a unit and determines its ability to respond to orders and fight.

Morale states from highest to lowest are;
 
Ok > Cautious > Nervous > Rattled > (Shaken) > (Panic) > Broken
States shown in brackets () are temporary states.

The states Ok through to Nervous are simple gradations and a Nervous unit will not behave differently from an Ok one.

Rattled troops which become Pinned (or highly suppressed) will dash for safety, even if they are stationary when they become Pinned (or highly suppressed).

Shaken troops will cower in their current position in the hope that the pressure will ease. They will not respond to orders or fire their weapons.

Note: Shaken troops observed running for cover have been Pinned (or highly suppressed) in the Rattled state prior to becoming Shaken.

Panicked troops will try and run away from the perceived threat to save their own hides. They will not respond to orders or fire their weapons.

Shaken and Panicked states are temporary and will eventually revert back to one of the other persistent states depending on the situation and the Experience, Leadership and Motivation of the unit.

Broken troops will respond to orders but are 'Brittle' and will quickly become Shaken or Panicked if fired upon. Broken troops will remain Brittle for the remainder of the battle irrespective of their Experience, Leadership, Motivation and Fitness.

Morale is affected by 2 conditions of the battlefield and each of these conditions impact on Morale in different ways.
 
1. Combat Stress

Combat Stress has a persistent impact on Morale and is caused by casualty build up.

Casualties sustained reduce the Morale of the unit for the remainder of the game and is therefore known as a persistent effect.

Morale affected in this way cannot be regained (except under one specific condition - see Leadership). The impact of Combat Stress depends on the number of casualties sustained over time and the Experience, Leadership and Motivation of the unit.

Not only does taking casualties effect the Morale of the unit directly impacted, other units organisationally closely connected are also affected in the same way but to a lesser extent. The persistent Morale effect of casualty build up only effects other units via organisational connection regardless of geographical proximity.

Example 1 - 1st and 2nd Sqd of 1st Plt are separated by 500m. As 1st squad sustains casualties and suffers a persistent Morale impact, 2nd Sqd will also suffer a persistent Morale impact even though it is 500m away and has no LOS to 1st Sqd.

Example 2 - 1st Sqd of 1st Plt is within 10m of 3rdSqd of 2nd Plt. 3rd Sqd of 2nd Plt receives incoming fire and half of the unit is wiped out and the Sqd is instantly Shaken. 1st Sqd of 1st Plt receives no impact to their persistent Morale state due to the fact that they are in a different Platoon. 2nd Plt would have to take far more casualties before any of 1st Plt become affected.

The way that Combat Stress is distributed to other units is vertical between different platoons and companies although it is horizontal between units of the same platoon.


2. Combat Shock

Combat Shock has a temporary impact on Morale and is caused by suppression.          Suppression has a temporary impact on Morale and the affect is removed once the suppression is lifted.

         The duration the unit remains suppressed for depends on the amount of incoming Firepower, the immediate casualties sustained, Experience & Leadership of the unit.

         The temporary impact on Morale of being suppressed depends on the amount of incoming Firepower, the immediate casualties sustained and the Experience, Leadership & Motivation of the unit.


Suppression Indicator

The Suppression Indicator is not merely a measure of incoming fire, more accurately it represents the units perception as to how much danger it is in based on the incoming Firepower, the immediate casualties sustained, and the Experience, Leadership & Motivation of the unit.

Inexperienced, poorly led and unmotivated units suffer the greatest Morale impact from being suppressed whilst inexperienced and poorly led units can remain suppressed for sometime after the last shot was fired in their direction.
 
Pinned

If the Suppression Indicator becomes full the unit becomes Pinned. Stationary Pinned (or highly suppressed) troops will return fire but will not respond to movement orders until the suppression has reduced.

Troops which become Pinned (or highly suppressed) whilst moving to a waypoint will attempt to dash for cover. If no cover is nearby, they will hit the deck.

Rattled troops which become Pinned (or highly suppressed) will dash for safety, even if they are stationary when they become Pinned.

Experienced and well led troops recover from being Pinned quicker than inexperienced or poorly led troops.
  C2 - Command & Control

C2, or Command and Control, reflects the effect of having a unit being able to receive orders from and deliver information to its HQ team.

Being within a C2 link does not provide resistance to the persistent impact on Morale caused by Combat Stress.

Being within a close C2 link (Close Visual/Voice) does provide resistance to the impact on Morale caused by Combat Shock - troops within C2 range of their HQ unit are less affected by the temporary impact of suppression upon Morale as they are less stressed by being shot at and the immediate impact of seeing team/squadmates killed & wounded is reduced.

More experienced units pass on information to their buddies and superiors quicker than less experienced units. This includes verbal, visual and radio communications.

The range of visual and audio C2 is fixed for all Soft Factors, Morale and Fatigue states but will vary by terrain. In open ground;
: Voice range < 50m (unless the HQ is hiding in which case voice range drops to <25m)
: Close visual range <100m

  Experience

Experience reflects the amount of training and combat experience the unit has.

Experience levels from least experience/training to most experience are;
 
Conscript > Green > Regular > Veteran > Crack > Elite
Experience has 6 characteristics which impact on the unit;
 
1. Spotting - troops with higher experience are able to spot enemy contacts sooner than less experienced troops.

2. Firepower - higher experienced troops will engage at longer ranges and have greater accuracy than less experienced troops. They therefore tend to cause more casualties to the enemy than their less experienced counterparts during a firefight.

3. Resistance to Combat Stress - more experienced troops are less affected by the psychological impact of losing team/squadmates.

This characteristic is cumulative with Leadership and Motivation. 

4. Resistance to Combat Shock - experienced troops are less affected by the temporary impact of suppression upon Morale. They are more used to being shot at and better desensitised to the immediate impact of seeing team/squadmates killed & wounded than less experienced troops.

This characteristic is cumulative with Leadership and Motivation. 

5. Suppression Recovery - experienced troops recover quicker from being suppressed (including being Pinned), they realise when the incoming fire has shifted away from them sooner than less experienced troops do.

This characteristic is cumulative with Leadership.

6. More experienced units pass on information to their buddies and superiors quicker than less experienced units. This includes verbal, visual and radio communications.

Leadership

Leadership reflects the quality of NCO's or other team leaders in the team or squad to organise and support the troops. Leaders can be of varying quality.

Leadership is shown as a simple modifier ranging from;
 
-2 > -1 > 0 > +1 > +2 Note: A Leadership modifier only applies to the unit with the Modifier (like all other modifiers). In other words it does not filter down to sub-ordinate units (see HQ Leadership Modifier Example).

Leadership has 3 characteristics which effect unit behaviour under duress;
 
1. Resistance to Combat Stress - better led troops are less affected by the psychological impact of losing team/squadmates.

This characteristic is cumulative with Experience and Motivation.

2. Resistance to Combat Shock - well led troops are less affected by the temporary impact of suppression upon Morale. The NCO's are better at encouraging the troops under fire and getting them to remember their training when faced with the immediate impact of seeing team/squadmates killed & wounded.

This characteristic is cumulative with Experience and Motivation.

3. Suppression Recovery - well led troops recover quicker from being suppressed (including being Pinned), they realise when the incoming fire has shifted away from them sooner than poorly led troops do.

This characteristic is cumulative with Experience.  Unlike the characteristics denoted by Experience, if the Leader of a team or squad is incapacitated, the Leadership value of the unit will change to that of the next most senior member who steps up as the Leader. This value can go up as well as down, for example, a unit with a +1 Leader incapacitated and replaced by a -1 Leader will suffer a hit on Morale which may be enough to cause a persistent drop in the unit's Morale state. Similarly however, if a -2 Leader is incapacitated and replaced with a 0 Leader, the unit will receive a boost in Morale which may be enough to cause a persistent increase in the unit's Morale state.

Note: In Engine v4.0 manual page 68 it states that a Leadership bonus will help "direct fire to be more effective". However, this has not been possible to reproduce using various tests. Whereas the difference in accuracy between Crack units and Green units is repeatable and obvious, the effect of Leadership on accuracy is not apparent.

  HQ Leadership Modifier Example

Reading some posts, there is a lot of confusion over how this Modifier works with HQ units. So I will clarify it here.

The Leadership (Ldrshp) modifier for all units (from Btn Hqs through to Plt Hqs down to squads and teams) only effects the unit that the modifier is for, in the same way that a -2 Fitness modifier only effects the fitness of the unit that the modifier is for.

In fact, it helps to think of the Leadership modifier in the same was as the Fitness modifier. An unfit Plt HQ does not make all of the squads in that platoon unfit aswell.

So a squad with a -1 Ldrshp modifier is not offset by the +1 Ldrshp modifier of its Plt HQ. The squad will still suffer the penalties of having -1 Ldrshp.

So how does having a Plt HQ with a poor leader affect the performance of the Platoon?

This is best illustrated with an example;
  Lt Bike is the Plt Leader of 1st Plt. He has a Leadership modifier of -2. All 3 of the squads in 1st Plt are Regulars with average ability NCO's so no Ldrshp modifiers for the squads. For reference 1st Plt HQ is also Regular.

1st Plt are on a patrol and 1st Squad makes contact with an enemy force. After a couple of minutes, the casualties from 1st Sqd begin to mount. Not only does this have a persistent Morale affect on 1st Sqd, it also has a persistent Morale affect on the other 2 Squads and the Plt HQ because of their close organisational link.

However, because the Plt HQ has Lt Bike with his -2 Ldrshp modifier, it suffers a greater impact on Morale than 2nd or 3rd Sqd does from the build up of 1st Sqds casualties.

After another minute of combat, the persistent morale states of the Platoon are;
  Plt HQ - Rattled
1st Squad - Rattled
2nd Squad - Nervous
3rd Squad - Nervous As the combatants manoeuvre for position, the Plt HQ comes under fire. As the HQ team is already Rattled, it doesn't take much suppression to drop their Morale state temporarily into Shaken.

Now that the HQ unit is Shaken, the C2 link between the HQ and the 3 squads is cut. This makes the squads more vulnerable to the Morale effects of suppression (see C2 - Command & Control).

As 1st Squad is already under suppressive fire, its Morale state instanteously drops from Rattled to Shaken because of the loss of the C2 link (see C2 - Command & Control).

The HQ will take longer to recover from the supression than it normally would for a Regular unit because of its -2 Ldrshp modifier, meaning that as a consequence, the C2 link is broken for longer.

So we now have the following situation after 5 minutes;
  Plt HQ - Shaken
1st Squad - Shaken
2nd Squad - Nervous
3rd Squad - Nervous If we rewind the clock and give Lt Bike +2 Ldrshp modifier, then re-run under exactly the same circumstances the situation would have been after 5 minutes;
  Plt HQ - Nervous
1st Squad - Rattled
2nd Squad - Nervous
3rd Squad - Nervous This is because the Plt HQ would not have been so affected by the casualty build up of 1st Sqd so that when the HQ came under some suppressive fire, it was still in a high enough Morale state not to become Shaken by it and therefore the C2 link between the HQ and the Squads and the benefits it brings (see C2 - Command & Control) would still be intact.



Motivation

Motivation reflects the units dedication to the cause and their willingness to sacrifice themselves for their squad mates and commanders.

Motivation from best to worst ranges as;
 
Poor > Low > Normal > High > Extreme > Fanatic Motivation has 3 characteristics which effect unit behaviour under duress;
 
1. Resistance to Combat Stress - better motivated troops are less affected by the psychological impact of losing team/squadmates.

This characteristic is cumulative with Experience and Leadership.

2. Resistance to Combat Shock - highly motivated troops are less affected by the temporary impact of suppression upon Morale. They are less psychologically affected by being shot at and better desensitised to the immediate impact of seeing team/squadmates killed & wounded than their less motivated counterparts.

This characteristic is cumulative with Experience and Leadership.

3. Resistance to Panic and Breaking - highly motivated troops can be Shaken but are less likely to Panic and try to run from the fight to save themselves. They are also more likely to recover to a positive morale state after being Shaken than less motivated troops and are less likely to become Broken and Brittle.

Fanatic units will not surrender.
Fatigue

Fatigue is the physical effect of running around and using up energy.

Fatigue states best to worst are;
 
Rested > Ready > Tiring > Tired > Fatigued > Exhausted
Tired troops cannot Fast Move.

Fatigued troops cannot Fast, Assault or Hunt Move.

Exhausted troops cannot Fast, Assault, Hunt or Quick Move.

More tired troops do not move slower than less tired troops moving at the same movement command, ie Unfit troops moving at Fast Move, cover distance at the same rate as Fit troops moving at Fast Move, they just won't be able to keep up that pace for as long.

Keeping troops stationary recovers their fatigue relatively quickly. Hiding troops has no additional benefit.

Troops will recover fatigue whilst at the Move but it is at a slower rate.

Experience, Leadership and Motivation do not effect Fatigue states or recovery times.

Fatigue has no effect on Morale either from Combat Stress or Combat Shock.

Fatigue has no effect on accuracy nor the range at which targets are engaged at.


Fitness

Fitness represents a units physical resistance to Fatigue.

Fitness states from best to worst are;
 
Fit > Weakened > Unfit  
Fitness has 3 characteristics which effect unit behaviour under physical exertion;

1. Fitter troops tire less quickly from Fast Move (sprinting), Slow Move (crawling) and Quick Move (jogging).

2. Fitter troops recover from tired states sooner than less fit troops.

3. Weakened and Unfit troops recover fatigue on the Move extremely slowly.  
Closing

All of the conclusions made above have been arrived at through thorough isolation and testing procedures which can be backed up by video evidence.

There is more stuff in the CMx2 engine to dig up than what has been uncovered here but for now I'm unable to go further into this rabbit hole.

Hopefully the information presented here clears up some of the historical confusions that have been around on the various forums. It may also affect the way in which unit purchases are thought about, and hopefully it allows players to make better informed tactical decisions and enhance the way their game is played.

Josey Wales updated 24/09/17

We completely agree. But I think those games are more like movies, in the sense that they are never meant to be something you keep playing. They offer a very cinematic, scripted experience, and once that's over, you move on to the next blockbuster game/summer movie.
Combat Mission is one of the last 'true games' that are actually games, in the sense that it's something you have to focus on, learn, and get good at. That's why we're still here after ten years of playing fundamentally the same game, and still having fun (or cursing in frustration, be as it may..) 
But the moment CM gets obsolete because there's a better CM out, I'll be the first to buy the new version. Until then, I'm not much in a hurry to collect them all.

"The only good church steeple is one that has been blasted to bits. Especially if is in the Catholic Spanish Netherlands. Bloody TARDIS, I said 1944, not 1644."

I think that might not necessarily be the case. Back when FI came out, I played a couple of battles where crossing vinyards was necessary or at least expedient. After messing around with it, I found that you could get infantry to move across the grain if you gave them movement commands on both sides of each row. That seemed to discipline them away from taking "shortcuts" around the end of the row and exposing themselves to fire in the process. As I say, this was quite a while back, so I can't vouch for whether this still works or not, but you might give it a try.
Michael

Is it time for Dozer-Tanks in CMX2? 

Don't know if this is common knowledge, but it isn't in the manual; engineers can blast vineyards. Pretty big holes for each demo charge. Can come in handy to make shortcuts through otherwise hopeless terrain that provides good concealment.

I have to agree with some of the above comments. Having them in the game is both historically valid, and far from "pointless". You just have to bear in mind how they were used during WW2, and keep that in mind, in game. One, their pre - battle function, providing intel. Which in game terms means going out in front of your troops and providing the info that we are then provided with during the set-up phase. Two, garnering more info either by moving into a hull-down position, or having the crew dismount and find themselves a decent vantage point.

Agreed, but I'd overlook that if they manage to crack the old problem of how to make a tactical multiplayer shooter, well... tactical. Instead of a random chaos mess.