New VAAR: At All Costs

[Sizzle-fry]

Griswold,

That was a fantastic assembly... you have the knack. You oughta be getting paid for this!

The game was definitely riveting from start to finish. I expected a few losses as attacker, especially considering the attacker gets deployed into (essentially) a funnel. I also expected a few mortar rounds... but cripes was I stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gris had pre-planned that strike for 5 mins into the game.

Those two platoons were supposed to have regrouped behind that hedge there, suppressing whatever defense lay in the next field, and then they were to have gone their separate ways (one to the left, one to the road). When the nasty high explosive rain started though everything changed. I figured the game was over at that point, it sucked big-time. The cries of 'Ahh! my arm!!' etc. will echo in my mind forever.

When all was said and done I was court marshaled and sent to Adak for incurring such heavy losses. That Hitler-huggin leader I was up against got a posthumous Iron Cross. WTF does brass know anyways. sigh.

[Holien]

Excellent VAAR. At the point of the mortar strike I too thought the Americans had lost it. The German counter attack lost it for the Germans and they would have been perhaps better off waiting for the Americans to attack?

Thanks for sharing this...

[LongLeftFlank]

This is the best CMBN video I've seen yet, even including the "mockumentary". Really captures the flow of the action.

Very well made bocage map too -- great "feel" of the green maze of hedgerow hell.

The mass casualties -- especially all the fatalities -- under those mortar barrages do confirm my general sense that the pixeltruppen need a quicker "Hit the dirt!" reaction to incoming. Nobody should still be standing or taking a knee. You'd still get a lot of decimation and panic from the barrage, but not whole squads massacred to a man... or anyway, that outcome would take a lot longer to achieve.

[Erwin]

Yes, really terrific editing. Clearly a lot of work.

[Hessian deserter]

These videos have made me start using the zoom and wide keys.. Just another Kool feature of this Battlefeild Simulator.

[Vark]

the pixeltruppen need a quicker "Hit the dirt!" reaction to incoming. Nobody should still be standing or taking a knee. You'd still get a lot of decimation and panic from the barrage, but not whole squads massacred to a man... or anyway, that outcome would take a lot longer to achieve.

Agree, combat footage from the period shows soldiers hitting the deck as soon as they hear incoming rounds come close. The net result, for a unit under HE fire, would be a slow but steady rate of casualties, but a highly suppressive experience. Look at the tables the artillery used in WWII and the number of shells needed to suppress an infantry target were considerably less than those needed to neutralise it, (I think that is the term used to render it combat ineffective).

[Erwin]

The videos are also a great lesson on what works what doesn't, or what to do and NOT do.

At first I thought maybe it was a RT game that had turned into a clickfest with little time to consider good tactics, but rather an Ancients-type game where everyone rushes out in a mob to do battle. Then I saw it was PBEM.

What I saw (mostly issues with the US):

1) Troops bunched up way too much.

2) Troops sent in squads or platoons through gaps that were obvious ambush points rather than sending recon teams in first.

3) Failure to protect flanks.

4) Failed assaults continued to no good end.

5) Success of relatively small teams to do a lot.

What lessons did you guys learn?

[LongLeftFlank]

Agree, combat footage from the period shows soldiers hitting the deck as soon as they hear incoming rounds come close. The net result, for a unit under HE fire, would be a slow but steady rate of casualties, but a highly suppressive experience. Look at the tables the artillery used in WWII and the number of shells needed to suppress an infantry target were considerably less than those needed to neutralise it, (I think that is the term used to render it combat ineffective).

One of the many awful things aboit mortars is that they don't make as much noise when falling to earth and therefore give less warning (I'm sure someone here can explain the physics which I forget -- Angle of drop, rotation and sound barrier or sumfink)

The vertical drop plus the impact fusing and casing design made mortars far more lethal over an open area relative to (non-air or treeburst) shell impacts, which tend to lose a lot of fragments in the earth. So that, their high rate of fire and their subordination to the frontline formations (Coy, Bn) makes them ideal defensive weapons for driving enemy attackers to ground and pinning them there.

But on the other hand, mortars are far less effective in killing infantry that has already gone flat and/or interposed even an inch or two of solid cover between their flesh and the showers of fragments. Even shallow scrapes provide all-round protection against anything but direct hits at the same level.

That's why for dug-in infantry with overhead cover, regular mortar "stonks" were more an annoyance than a hazard. Unless they had left their holes of course.

[Heinrich505]

Clark,

Really nice vid. I was drawn in right away. Your hard work was quite evident and really appreciated. Excellent job.

Heinrich505

[ClarkWGriswold]

What I saw (mostly issues with the US):

1) Troops bunched up way too much.

2) Troops sent in squads or platoons through gaps that were obvious ambush points rather than sending recon teams in first.

3) Failure to protect flanks.

4) Failed assaults continued to no good end.

5) Success of relatively small teams to do a lot.

What lessons did you guys learn?

I can't speak for the US commander, but I'll give my thoughts from the German perspective.

I think I did everything right except for my counter attack. Unfortunately, the way that I executed it meant that it happened in a single turn. So, by the time I had the chance to change orders it was already too late and both squads were dead/surrendering/panicking. If I had not performed that counter attack, I think I could have held off the Southern front without TOO much trouble.

The other major problem I had was my MG bunker not working properly. I think it was caused by line of sight issues caused by bushes, but really don't know for sure (everyone fired BUT the machinegunner). If the MG had fired, I think I would have inflicted a LOT more casualties.

60mm mortars are devastating in direct fire. They bring their power to bear so quickly and are insanely accurate. If you have decent concealment, don't even bother with using HQs to call fire. Just put these guys where they can get a decent line of sight and let them do the heavy lifting.

The last thing that I finally learned is that buildings are frickin' deathtraps. I had three men in the 2nd story of a brick building and they were all taken out in under 30 seconds by four ammo bearers with rifles. From now on, I'm avoiding buildings like the plague. They are okay for concealment, but worthless for cover.

"2) Troops sent in squads or platoons through gaps that were obvious ambush points rather than sending recon teams in first."

This is something we discussed at length after the game was over. It was a costly mistake for the Americans, but not nearly as costly as I thought it should have been. My MGs killed probably less than a dozen men when they opened up. I would have thought everyone not behind the bocage would have been wiped out. But, to be fair, I don't think that Sizzle-Fry had any idea I'd be deployed that far forward. My guess is that he planned to take cover behind the hedge that I was using, thinking I was one hedge further back (at best).

[Vinnart]

Very nice job Clark! That was some good camera work and editing that made that especially entertaining to watch. You should check out Vein’s tracer mod and effects mods. They will add to the look of your future movies. I recommend Vein’s largest tracer as it shows up the best.