chuckdyke
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Posts posted by chuckdyke
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7 hours ago, MikeyD said:
If we're throwing around acronyms, this discussion is less about LOS and more about FOW. You the scenario commander cannot tell if scampering a unit to a location is guaranteed to provide them with LOS because you the real world commander wouldn't know either. A LOS tool would be giving you more information that you'd have in a real world situation.
I agree with Mikey D 100 %. The job of the scouts or the first section you commit. In the larger scenarios even the first platoon. See that they pass on their contact icons asap. I know I have a LOS upon correct spotting and identifying a contact. 90% of the time you don't have to manually plot except when you spot 2 or more contacts.
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I think the game was not designed for this. LOS tool just to give me a rough idea. Positions and the shadows in the game play a role. If you have a hull down and there are 2 shadows effects between you and the target you usually get the first shot in. Place every shot as you would do it in real life. From a position before you're spotted. You may have a Javelin but if a tank stands in the shadow and partially in the shadow or a roof of a building the Javelin can mis on occasion. Immersion and Interdiction scenario don't use the Javelin against the T72. It seems to miss every time, or he has some electronic defense we don't know about.
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10 hours ago, Lethaface said:
Being born in 1982 it's quite a long time indeed ;-).
I think much of the land in The Netherlands are to be considered polders. I guess in south Limburg and South Brabant, which lay higher, there are less polders because there is no watermanagement necessary unless near to the rivers.
Matter of semantics for me a polder was reclaimed land under sea-level enclosed by dikes (not lesbians). Remembering my geography lessons from the early 60's. The rivers were controlled by summer-dikes and winter-dikes. The secondary roads are often located on the dikes. I imagine deviating from them risks the bogging down of heavy vehicles. Maybe disappointing for #Warts 'N' all I am actually a British Subject for the last 52 years. I am a strong admirer of their armed forces. Won't jump on the bandwagon of the anti-Monty brigade. He fought also with outdated equipment and under pressure by the cabinet to end the war by Christmas. CM reflects this the British Commonwealth battles are I found harder to win. The Lee-Enfield was a WW1 weapon the M1 Garand was not. Montgomery fought set piece battles Patton pursuit. Arnhem assume they had cancelled it; I see myself reading the books now. An opportunity was lost to end the war by Christmas. Respect the airborne involved of all nations participating. The finest infantry ever.
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Yes, in the UK RM stands for Royal Marines in the Netherlands it stands for Real Marines. The concept was first used at the Raid on the Medway. The good old days when Iron Men served on wooden ships.
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4 minutes ago, Lethaface said:
Not that I'm a polder grog, but I'd been surprised if there weren't any polders around the area with the Maas, Waal & Rijn.
A quick google learned me that they've been poldering around Gelderland and Brabant for quite a while. Some polders in Brabant:
http://www.jvdn.nl/images/BD/Ham.jpg
A polder just means a piece of land with it's own watermanagement, or something like that. But Wikipedia does a better job:
Amen 55 years is a long time since we left
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1 minute ago, Warts 'n' all said:
@chuckdyke I would never rely on proximity when it comes to Dutch History. I'll stick to Pieter Geyl's writings if it is all the same to you.
Of course in Limeyland some people use the word "chuck" when talking about ending a relationship. So I suppose dyke chucking could refer to Rita Mae Brown and Martina Navrattyratbag. Personally I was always more of a Chris Evert fan, probably because John Lloyd borrowed my mum's car to ferry Chris down to Eastbourne one summer.
In the meantime I hope to see some Zeeland polders if we ever get a late war West Front module.
I thought chucking meant not properly bowling a ball in the game of cricket. Now the battles for the Scheldt Estuary will be a game I would be interested in. You had RM which stands for Real Marines and not US Marines and Commando troops among were Norwegians. Elite troops in Buffalo LVT's, it will be a wonderful scenario. Translate polderland just as marshy ground. Schiphol Airport is located in a polder the 'Haarlemmermeer'. They actually found shipwrecks from the Spanish wars there.
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6 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:
Doesn't look much like CM:FB.
This is a screenshot Thread? It is cute that the leader needs binoculars to observe the wall outside.
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All my games including the games I play are backed up on Microsoft's 'One Drive'. I imagine if I ever have something like your problem, it is download everything back on my computer.
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On 1/7/2021 at 12:27 PM, Macisle said:
Area fire absolutely does work. Targeting the ground right in front of a building instead of the building wall itself can be just as effective, or even more effective than direct fire -- at least for suppression (wider splash of bullets, I think). Just recently, I posted a few screenies from a CMBN battle as the British. The whole battle was a series of identifying enemy building locations and wearing them down to the point that my infantry could get into the building to confirm clear, clear, and/or take willing survivors prisoner. To do that, I drained most of the MG ammo from two platoons of Churchills. I was up against a gaggle of low-grade LW troopers (AI random blind pick).
None of them ever retreated from the buildings (newest patch in action), but I was quite surprised to see how many were left when I entered some of them. I've never bagged so many prisoners. Like...50? Sometimes nearly whole squads threw up their hands when my dudes got close. I had no idea they were there until my men were taking the cigarettes out of their pockets.
Allowing them to get close was all about area fire. Also, lots of the buildings (Holland map, just the luck of foliage and building angles) didn't allow for direct targeting of walls, so I got as close as I could with ground targeting as per above. Worked a treat.
Ever tried a boxing barrage? I did, taking of Aleppo Airfield. The first building 120 Mortars just outside on the back, 155 mms Howitzers just outside the side walls of the complex. Had the Marder's IFV's assaulting the front and the infantry dismounting the moment the barrage lifted. The Syrians inside just surrendered. The it is the algorithm of the game. Block all the exits during a fire fight and once the casualties build up panic sets in and they surrender. It seems consistent, the game only permits exits and entrances in buildings. Block them to make the enemy surrender and your losses remain light. Aleppo airfield was extreem but this strategy in MOUT operations works.
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2 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:
That kind of sounds like the Netherlands to me.
The highest point in the Netherlands is some 386 meters above sea level. In the Market Garden module, the marshy ground is located between the river levees. Not exactly terrain in which 30 tons Shermans could operate. Last time I was back was in 1991.
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28 minutes ago, Warts 'n' all said:
I don't wish to be too pedantic but with street names like "Polderweg" and "Rosandepolder" on the north bank of the river near the Driel Ferry crossing, I think it would be fair to say that Gelderland has polders.
A polder means reclaimed land which is under sea level. Take the word Dutch I am sure you're familiar with. Derived from Duits in Dutch. In the 17th century the word 'Duits' in the Netherlands had the same or similar meaning as Dutch has in English today. Today Duits means German in Dutch. Polder seems to have changed its meaning originally it meant marshy ground. I just had to look up the etymology of the word. Dyke Chucking could mean evicting ladies of a certain sexual orientation. But we get off topic here. You live a lot closer to the Netherlands than I do. Kind regards
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7 hours ago, John1966 said:
Just going by Anthony Beevor's Arnhem (because I just finished it).
One thing I know about being bilingual, one must be careful which words to use especially from another language. The route was through the eastern province of Brabant, Arnhem is in the province of Gelderland where the Meuse, the Rhine (which splits into the rivers Waal en de Rijn in Dutch) form a delta. The Romans made the area already into defensive terrain and used Germanic auxiliaries to defend it (The Batavi) I appreciate the author gave you an enjoyable book. To my knowledge there are no polders in the provinces of Brabant and Gelderland. The terrain however may be similar.
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3 minutes ago, BornGinger said:
Proper house to house fighting with different rooms on each floor and basements where the troops can fight is probably something for CM3 if that engine ever will arrive.
I like to see that attics can be used for OP's and troops can modify buildings. To depend on doors to enter is just ridiculous (windows should be an exit or entrance too). Brick and rooftiles can be removed in a matter of a few minutes. if you set up a defense before you start, making trenches or foxholes in a house should be possible. Rooms could be sandbagged. Have something like a house and bunker in one. Foxholes to be spotted by fit and trained troops is also more realistic (Veterans) and above or scouts and snipers. Infantry can share spotting by walking up to a tank inside a turn. It can be done without unnecessary eye candy.
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On 12/29/2020 at 1:28 AM, John1966 said:
On the subject of Market Garden, the allies seemed to be oblivious to the fact that the road was surrounded by polder that was completely unsuitable for XXX Corps' tanks. Which is why they had to stick to the road and present easy targets for the German gunners. The Nijmegen-Arnhem stretch was a particular non-starter.
The Dutch underground pointed it out but were largely ignored.
What I can remember of the Netherlands is that polders are north of the river delta and mostly in the provinces of North and South Holland. The 'Afsluitdijk' was completed just before WW 2 and the IJsselmeer was only reclaimed well after WW2. The Netherlands is not good tank country the rivers also have a levee or dike system which manages the flooding during winter. This is what you mean with 'polder country' possibly. Their approach was only one road which had to be used for the time permitted. The Dutch underground was compromised as the Germans had infiltrated it. So, it was a no no in the eyes of the allies. Their commander Prins Bernhard was German born not found to be competent or trustworthy by the allies. The allies were opposed by a competent and ruthless enemy with one of the most efficient police forces in Europe. The underground at best knew when one of their own was caught and automatically assumed he or she would talk. The cause of it was since the French era the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte (Louis Bonaparte) introduced a population registrar and the Germans got their hands on it and knew exactly where everybody lived or worked. You try to organize a partisan or secret army in that environment. The allies knew all of this and had a good reason to be skeptical of any bit of intel, especially if it was too good to be true.
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"Come on Ahmed be a sport, this is for my girlfriend on Facebook."
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8 hours ago, surfimp said:
It's so true! I'm having a literal blast (pardon the pun) just cooking up my own small, simple scenarios and messing around with them.
This evening, I threw together a King Tiger vs four Sherman scenario. Let's just say... it's not going well for the Americans, lol! I should probably try using actual tactics, haha.
Last night, I made a scenario to help me learn the mechanics for assaulting houses. I setup a German rifle squad in the house, with their mandatory HQ unit along, and the LMG in one of the upper windows. An American Glider squad with their HQ was outside, and I had to practice splitting the squad, using covering fire, and then running the assault unit up - but just outside, so they could fire in through the windows and throw grenades.
Very good way to learn how the game works, when you take it in tiny bite-sized pieces like that. And you can just create endless variations, it's tons of fun for someone like me, who enjoys the kind of tinkering that sandboxes like this provide.
A 76 mm Sherman like the 'Easy Eight' in 'Fury' Can penetrate the side armor of a 'King Tiger' up to 1 KM. You learn that movies like Fury is a lot of bulldust. The game teaches you coordination. Dueling doesn't work my first advice. You have artillery, (The USA had the best in the world), Armor the Sherman has four lifting eyes its purpose to transfer it from the quay to a 'Liberty Ship'. The Sherman could be shipped anywhere in the world. Europe has lots of Bridges. A King Tiger has problems crossing a bridge which capacity is forty tons. If you have air support coordinate it with all your other tools. Good, Infantry advancing, Artillery strikes have been called in, you outnumber German Armor by 3 -5 to 1. You have better radio's your trucks are now ammunition dumps. Surprise surprise you see the King Tiger is not that effective. It is popping smoke and it seems to reverse in panic. After the game you discover your sniper which was hidden away, and you forgot about killed the HQ commander. This happened to me in a game. The sniper attached to its Company HQ in the British Commonwealth module turned a battle. Don't plot too many biased plans based on movies or TV. Take advice from Heinz Guderian 'Klotzen nicht kleckern'. To explain it. "Don't point one finger but punch with your fist. In CM it is coordination of: Airpower, Artillery, Armor, Infantry operating as one. Carefully read the scenario before a battle, which is your operation orders, plan which units you use for what, your fragmentation orders and Troop Leading Procedures. Recon Programs, Listening Recon, Scouting, Ambushing, Raids, without them the battle will fail. Sometimes all you need to do is to read the scenario. See what was done in the scenario before you start a battle. Shermans vs a King Tiger you started with. All five go at full speed at an angle. Three 75 mm Shermans obscure with smoke if you have a 76 mm Sherman, he will get the opportunity at the side. (The Tiger either rotates its turret or rotates its hull.) You have the HQ Sherman and a 76 MM Sherman tackling the Tiger. Often you lose a Sherman often you lose none. It is a tactic I used successfully. My rant for the day happy gaming.
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I agree with Macisle especially with mortars (81 mm and up) against bunkers. You cause an obscuration with debris in front of their firing slit. This also permits your assault teams to close in.
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On 2/25/2020 at 12:14 AM, MOS:96B2P said:
Yes, they horizontally share information. This works much better if the 2IC / XO team has a radio. Then the 2IC / XO team is able to use radio C2 to send the information (gained through horizontal C2) back to its parent unit. The team will also receive information (tentative contacts) via radio from its parent unit and horizontally pass that information to the other unit.
This is most useful when playing with house rules where tentative contacts (information) plays a role. A friendly unit can't react to an OpFor unit unless it knows (at least a tentative contact) about the OpFor unit etc. This is one of the cool things about combat missions. The extra house rules and C2 ability can be used by players that like that kind of thing or they can be totally (or partially) ignored.
Also as Bud said an XO / 2IC team will take over for a KIA CO team.
Depends in which army they served in. The second in command is also responsible for the administration. In the US they tend to communicate more with abbreviations which can make communication more cryptic
LOS: my personal rule against the AI is don't do area fire unless the unit has a 'Contact Icon'. We can't test every level people chose to play with. A recent game was a revelation for me with contact sharing I may have a super-duper computer in which I can see instantly the battlefield the pixels on the screen don't.
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Thank you for all your work, the important thing is to get the intel shared asap. It is part of the TLP before you start a game. This forum avoids a lot of frustration to inexperienced players. We also need to look at the motivation and competence factors. An experienced sniper sees subtle details and is more situational aware. How can you reflect he sees some introduced foliage in a pine forest? We can only go by more experience levels and motivation.
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16 hours ago, ASL Veteran said:
I actually have collected numerous first hand accounts of what tank crews do when the tank is hit and typed them into a word document for these kinds of discussions. In the case of an immobilized vehicle it's probably around 50/50 as to whether the crew bails or not (in general). If the crew knows or suspects that there is a gun capable of destroying their vehicle they will bail out of it as soon as it's immobilized because an immobilized tank is a sitting duck. If the tank is in a relatively safe environment or they don't think they are in immediate danger they tend to remain mounted. The only case I have ever read where a tank crew will remain in a burning / immobilized vehicle under all circumstances are accounts of Japanese tank crews who, needless to say, would take things well beyond what most would consider rational behavior. On the opposite side of the spectrum there are accounts of Soviet crews that bailed from a moving vehicle when taking hits from guns that didn't penetrate, but there is no way to know what experience level those crews were - not sure if any 'booty' Ukrainians were used as tank crews or not, but if they were their motivation levels would certainly be suspect. I also seem to recall something with an American tank crew bailing after a rifle grenade hit.
When reading first hand accounts of tank crews you have to read a lot of them before you get any sort of a decent picture of what may have happened on average. Some of the Soviet accounts that I've read come across as a little suspect relative to what I have read from other armies (which tend to paint a similar picture), although certainly not all of the Soviet accounts fall into that category. I would just recommend branching out beyond just Soviet accounts if you want a fuller picture.
I have made numerous suggestions to BFC at various times about how I think tank crews should act, but I'm pretty sure players would not look upon more realistic tank crew behavior as an improvement to their gaming experience.
Take Michael Wittman he bailed out after a mobility kill, and he was supposed to be Elite. We can assume it is the protocol also it depends on the terrain. I imagine in a reversed slope defensive position he would have stayed in his vehicle.
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7 hours ago, Anson Pelmet said:
Totally agree!!
We bought the game to have fun. The only time I played RTS it was by mistake. I honestly can't see how to play RTS on Company Level and above. Like I said we bought to have fun and if you like RTS I wish you well. I am fortunate I have two other people to play Hot-Seat with Turn Based.
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5 hours ago, weapon2010 said:
yes bunkers are knocked out to easily, I feel all defensive works don't give enough protection and need to be tweaked in favor of the defender, that goes for trenches, foxholes, and sandbags
Too easy to spot even on Iron, if you study the map you already see geometric outlines on the terrain. You can't use foxholes for a listening or standing patrol. As they are supposed to be constructed prior a scenario, I would assume their camouflage would give them a fog of war bonus. I don't have a problem that they are easy to knock out, it is their visibility I have an issue with.
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If you like WW 2 I would go for Final Blitzkrieg. My reason infantry can ride on tanks which was widespread practice in WW2. I work my way through SF 2 as the modern stuff is fascinating for me. I am 70 years old soon I will be 71, I found CM realistic as you can apply real world tactics. I find it money well spent. If you buy the SF2 bundle for example it will keep you going for a couple of years. Yes, there is a learning curve and as your first games stick to the tutorial games. There are five different levels it will keep you busy.
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8 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:
Have the tank 'Open Up' when close to an infantry HQ.....They do communicate but it can sometimes take a minute or two.
Yes, a minute or two is ok, but I had 4 Abrams with their .50 Cal firing at a building for at least 2 minutes with no effect. This afternoon I had the .50 cal of some Strykers breaching a wall, but they had a contact icon on their target. I don't know or this is the case with all levels. I do my testing with games I already played. If you test on the testing level with no fog of war yes you can see the effect. But my theory is no icons means you wasting your ammunition. it may also be the case of LOS issues if you plot the LOS but find the No LOS sign popping it may be there is something, but you can't shoot at it. Thanks for your attention.
CMFB (Unofficial) Screenshot Thread
in Combat Mission Final Blitzkrieg
Posted
They need it in the period 1944-45 when the island of Walcheren was flooded. Campaign to liberate the Scheldt estuary. I think the nasty Germans did that deed.