DerKommissar

The smell of burning fuel, metal and death permeate the foggy winter mist. 

Pictures from the front lines.

Frozen marshes.

On the left, 2nd Kompanie is at full strength, fresh and mounted up in their halftracks and tasked with taking three objective, Rot, Gelb and Schwarz along an elevated ridgeline overlooking Mocsczana.  My plan is to hit their flank and rear.  Additionally, 2nd Kompanie will be supported by elements of Pioneer Aufkl.Abt. 4 in their halftracks and a platoon of PzIVs from 1st Bat. Pz Regt 35.   I plan to flank the enemy positions with my infantry and pioneers supported by their halftracks and the welcome PzIVs.  They are not Panthers, to say the least, and I plan to use them a bit more defensively than I did the Panthers in my previous fights but regardless, the men are very happy to see them come along.

Just my two nickles:
We have a lot of talented folks on here. Why stop at campaigns/scenarios/maps?
What if they give these trustees the ability to edit TO&E, and add new models? They could make modules that BFC may not be interested in (early war, PTO, 'nam, arab/isreali etc.). This may bring new customers, who are more interested in other conflicts.
There are, already, some impressive mods, why not turn them into full fledged modules? DCS has really expanded their line-up after publishing third party modules.
Big disclaimer here: I am sure BFC knows their business better, as they've done it for decades. This is just me thinking (proverbially) aloud.

Just my two nickles:
We have a lot of talented folks on here. Why stop at campaigns/scenarios/maps?
What if they give these trustees the ability to edit TO&E, and add new models? They could make modules that BFC may not be interested in (early war, PTO, 'nam, arab/isreali etc.). This may bring new customers, who are more interested in other conflicts.
There are, already, some impressive mods, why not turn them into full fledged modules? DCS has really expanded their line-up after publishing third party modules.
Big disclaimer here: I am sure BFC knows their business better, as they've done it for decades. This is just me thinking (proverbially) aloud.

Hey now!!  PLEASE, no more spoilers until I finish!!
 

I'm still interested. 
Keep in mind, I am greener than the freshest butterbar sent to Kalach in November 1942.
I don't want to get promoted to field marshal, lol.

But still, the enemy isn't finished and victory is still not in our grasp.  Pockets of resistance are spotted all along the tree line facing my exit objective and the enemy soldiers must be driven out or destroyed.

And as always one of the assault guns gives my men the advantage they need, right when they need it.

And somehow, with just minutes remaining, my soldiers are in close up knife fights trying to mop up and drive out the enemy before time expires.  I am super nervous at this point and just hope I have taken enough ground, or at the least, deprived the enemy of it.

Again, into the swamps... My men know what to do.


On the left another terrific struggle is erupting through the woods as my men fight and push hard.

The Soviets are determined to not go quietly, even to the last minute.


Los, los, los!!



 
 

With the road cleared through the woods, I pull my Panther back to join the others as time creeps on me.  The only option I really have is to press forward with my tanks to find the enemy guns and silence them.  It's risky, I am going to take losses but the clock is forcing my hand.
And just as expected, rounds begin bouncing off my armor as my commander desperately searches for the enemy guns through his cold and frosted viewing block.
Not only has he spotted a couple of 76mm guns but also one or two infantry guns.  Eventually, a round makes it through and the crew bails.

The dreaded Ratcha-Bums.

Meanwhile on the forest road, a lone Soviet armored car intrudes on a farm clearing where my men have set up to guard the road as the StuGs and halftracks make their traverse.  A waiting Panzerschreck team makes short work of the enemy scout.

From the high ground on my far right, the Panthers have set up a base of fire and slowly roll forward with the intent of breaking the enemy Pak line.  Guns are spotted and fired upon in unison, slowly knocking out the biggest threat to my advance.  With the guns cleared I can finally make a run on the exit zones and hopefully have enough time to drive the enemy off some of their objectives.

As expected, but thankfully not KO'd, one of my Panthers does get a track knocked off by enemy fire and is immobilized. 
Now, my Panthers have driven off the high ground on the right and pressed directly into the suspected enemy AT gun positions.  My Panzergrenadiers have also regrouped and are awaiting orders to move in and drive off any enemy presence still lurking around the forest.  Most troublesome is the objective to my left.  Two StuGs and elements of both 5th and 3rd Kompanie have exited the woods but now have to make a run on the other objective at the very end of the map.  Enemy AA positions have been spotted around my objective and I know the Soviets are not going to let me walk on by. My plan is to cut across the open space and then jump back on the road to get into position for the final assault.

You mean the towns? 
No.
They are mentioned in various briefings but I did not create any scenarios with the actual places on map.

Staszów? Szydłów? Will they appear in the Battlepack?
I have fond memories of fierce battles, between those two towns. That county was the main setting of Iron Front: Liberation 1944 (later ported to Arma 3).

What @Combatintman wrote - the battlepack will become an integral part of the game exe download. In the short term a patch will be created that includes the battlepack. This might all complicated by work to create patch = other stuff might be considered (e.g. PBEM+++) then its going on Steam (my understanding) so you have all that additional stuff.
It'll come out for sure  

Just like RU nats venerate Putin, CA nats venerate Poutine.

I'll host these links for a few days. Get them while they are HOT!! And a big thanks to the creators of both of these campaigns!
Thunder Over Ponyri:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0at3bcstky8yasx/Thunder Over Ponyri.zip?dl=0
Zitadelle:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hoo2hfyvb6yvk72/Zitadelle.zip?dl=0
Kursk mod pack is included with the Zitadelle zip, parts of which can be used in both campaigns.
 

Another PzIV is KO'd on the road just before making his run but the rest of the platoon and 1st Kompanie are already on the move. My last two mortar teams, with any ammo left, lay into the patch of woods on the north end of the battlefield where I have finally picked up AT gun contacts and immediately go to work suppressing or destroying those guns.  6th and 7th Kompanie abruptly seize the farm complex and the lead platoon of 1st Kompanie bolts across the bridge!  As so many times in battle, just when you feel like you are losing and can't break through the pressure, the tide turns and we literally begin driving the enemy before us.

Now I have an urge to replay the original Deus Ex. Truly a classic PC Role playing game. 😁

Time to release it. 

The same soldier who just killed an enemy tank with a Panzerfaust, recovers from the blast and begins firing his rifle at the wave of troops pushing hard on my right.  

My timing worked out better than hoped as the wave of Soviet troops, by chance run between my separated Panthers and create a gauntlet of death.

A trail of enemy dead and wounded marks their direct line of assault.  My tanks have completely turned the tide of what started off as being entirely overrun by the initial assault.

10 Panthers have spread out among the defense works and have stabilized the entire line.  Now to just hold and destroy the final incoming waves.

Soviet Valentines do not fair well against German Panthers.  Especially up close.


The final hordes of attackers is put down and their destruction is near complete.  Carnage is everywhere in the amount of dead and wounded and columns of smoke from burning vehicles.  As time runs out the Germans breathe a sigh of relief and realize that they have held through the Soviet push.

Truly, there are men to be decorated today as the Panthers value to this victory, all the campaign in general, cannot be understated.  These three alone did beyond their share of the destruction wrought upon the enemy today.



The campaign will continue with battle 8.
 

And then a second platoon of Panthers arrives on the field!  Wiking Panzers to the rescue!

My main line of defense waits in high anxiety for the onrushing wave.  The Panther's help and arrival on the battlefield is graciously accepted.

Shells and bullets bounce off my armor as I drive into the maelstrom.

On my right the attack has penetrated my outer defenses as the tsunami swept over my breastworks. Layered in defense though two MG-42s open up on Russians appearing through the gloom.



A third wave of reinforcement in both my HQ and Platoon HQ tank arrive bringing my total to 10 Panthers now in the fight. 

Realizing the pressure on my right might be too much I rush two of my tanks to help shore up the defenses.  But simultaneously a Soviet tank commander decides for his platoon to do the same thing.  A literal running tank duel occurs as both my Panther and the enemy Sherman tank race to their friends  and realize at the same time, "Oh god, that's an enemy tank...right there!"

Incredibly, a lone and very brave German soldier, who had earlier run from his trench as the enemy advanced, rises from the snow and lets the Sherman get a face full of Panzerfaust!


Knocked all that tank's teeth right out.  A medal is in order if we survive.  My tank then proceeds to KO the tank behind the leader.  Only one remains.

 

The Soviets begin pushing hard, spoiling to disrupt my breakout attempt.  At first, just the eerie sound of the enemy comes from the darkness.  Men check their weapons and prepare for what they know is coming.

And then it becomes real as waves of Soviet attackers wipe out my pickets and then hit my main line.

The first wave of reinforcements show up none too early.  

Into the fight they go and immediately reach out and start pummeling the Russian attackers.

Another Panther rushes into the fray and pounces upon an approaching column of Soviet armor.


My right is being overwhelmed by a human wave of Russian attackers and those that survived the abrupt fury surrender and beg for their lives.


 

This is a very important example of what russian "opposition" really is and why I personally dislike them so much.
Also bonus: her godfather is literally putin himself. Not kidding here. It's even more telling how deeply "Navalny camp" is rooted into the imperial "family", sometimes quite literally.

I'm a bit of a noob to CM modding, but this is a concept I wanted to try.
If you are still looking for players, I can be requisitioned.
Fantastic idea, btw!

Whether it's good or not, it's here. I've created a Stalingrad campaign map, and semi-historical Mastertoe (reduced for September) for it as well. I used material from Glantz, Joly and youtubers to research. I spent way too much time learning about the preliminaries too, crazy stuff.
I present an Army level assault on a huge map. It will take place September 13th - September 30th 1942. There will be two turns per day, with one battle per grid per turn possible.
The German TOE is 6th Army (One from 4th Army) which had four infantry divisions, two armored, and one motorized. They will be reinforced with two more divisions later on. The Soviet TOE is the 62nd Army in defense which contains too many divisions to list.
The campaign is being hosted on TheFGM since I am able to split teams with a password: https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/thefgmforum/forums/cmrt-top-commander.493/
Formations will start full strength instead of their historical strengths, despite numerous and specific infantry/tank strength reports.
Everything is being hosted in a program called "Geccos" which is similar to vassal. More about that digital campaign tracker in the link above. An image of the campaign in Geccos is at the bottom. It only shows troops on the front line to start.
Supply, Ammo Dumps, Signals, Medical are all planned.
More detailed information at the link above
On September 12th, LTG V.I. Chuikov replaced LTG A.I. Lopatin as commander of 62nd Army, and thus the defense of Stalingrad. That night he entered the city and observed the burned out wreck that was left of it. He was driven 800 meters behind the front lines to 62nd's Army HQ to meet General Krylov, 62nd Army's Chief of Staff and Commissar Gurov. The next day the German Assault on the city would begin.
 

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My plan:
So this is where I can really enjoy myself now that the stage is set and preliminary stuff is out of the way.
The left side of my spawn is all commercial property. There isn't a lot of cover, it's mostly open. There are some tall buildings which could make for good observation hides, but with the thick haze looming over the city, it wouldn't make sense. They are too far away. I expect to find the largest concentrations of my enemy around the bridgeheads, so this serves me little use.
 

 
Instead of leaving this side of the map completely undefended, I opt to send my 89th Panzer Pioneers into the complex. To do so, they will have to blow a wall. Their plan is to search the buildings, then slowly proceed to the bridges. The Panzer platoon from II/Pz.Rgt.31 will remain on call to support the pioneers if needed, since they lack any sort of heavy firepower aside from plentiful MG's. They should be fine, since our attack generally carries the element of surprise. Light infantry is all that we expect to face for the first few hundred meters.
 

 
The right side of our starting position is where we will send the main attack. 1st Company Panzergrenadiers will penetrate into the thick suburbs and attempt to push their way to the river. In doing so, they will capture the Tall Suburbs. From here I will generally be able to look over the river into my enemy's positions. Considering the height, the suburbs would be a suitable location to move my forward observers, higher HQ's, and fire support elements. Though the height difference is marginal, windows from second story homes prove as capable observation hideouts.
 

(View from the High Suburbs to the Soviet positions on the other side of the river)
The plan to secure these High Suburbs is threefold. Blue, Teal, and finally Green.
1st Company Panzergrenadiers will initiate Blue from our jumping off position (Spawn). They will carefully enter suburbs from the low hedges. A small base of fire will sit themselves there as the rest of the platoons initiate Blue.
Teal will be our first real fighting position. I plan to send one platoon into teal, which will provide the beginning framework for my advance through the High Suburbs.
After Teal is secure, the buildings are tall enough to provide covering fire most of the way to position Green. A second platoon will advance to Green.
My third platoon will be held reserved, with not much for them to do here. I don't want to cluster my men up too much for the both their and the game's sake.


 
I will come to find out sending mechanized troops through an environment like this is very restricting.

I have been enjoying this one a lot. So much that I want to share it. I will show how I dissect this tactical dilemma my way from the beginning. Whether it's right or wrong, this is how I approached this scenario and why.
The location:
We are fighting on the map Summer In The City by The Forger. The map is originally for CMBS, but I've ported it over to CMRT since it's that good. 
Here is the particular section we are fighting over. I start in the East as the German attackers and Sgt. Grunt starts in the West as the Soviet defenders.

The theme is a 1942 battle during the winter months. Forces are around 1700 men per side.
The Soviet force consists of the 2nd Guards Rifle Brigade backed by elements of it's parent formation; 3rd Guards Tank Corps. While this is a motorized brigade, I removed the trucks for the standard infantry squads. While this brigade may look dumb and harmless to the untrained truppen's eye, these badass mot. infantry battalions come with 4 infantry squads per platoon along with snipers totaling around 40 men each. This - when used right - nearly evens the firepower against German platoons. Additionally I expect the Soviets will have substantial armor support in the form of T-34/76. This will probably employed in a counter attacking force somewhere down the line.
The German Force is as follows:

Both panzer companies each have 12 PZIIIG Short barrel, 4 PZIIIM L, 5 PZIV L and 1 PzIIIN stubby. The support company and HQ section add 6 PzIV L and 2 PzIIIN stubby.
Altogether 24 PzIIIG Short, 8 PzIIIM Long, 16PzIV Long, and 4 PzIIIN Stubby. 52 tanks supported by a pioneer and anti-air platoon.
1/14 is fully mechanized with 3 companies of panzergrenadiers supported by a stummel and mortar platoon.
14th pioneer company is a typical motorized pioneer company with one flamethrower per platoon.
14th cannon company has 4 on-map 150mm grille howitzers split between two platoons.
89th Pioneer is in halftracks.
1/288 is stationary and pretty much useless, but is there for moral support.
4/288 has 6 anti aircraft guns
53rd panzerjager is armed with 14 marder II's.
And I have 12 guns of 105mm, and 6 of 150mm off map.