New file at the Repository: Habibollah Kalay (2013-01-13)

[Battlefront Repository]

Company sized battle, Blue versus the AI. 42 Cdo RM engagement of the Taliban in Habibollah Kalay on 10 Jan 07. Based on real events.

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[Buzz]

Combatintman,

I got a quick start in Habibollah Kalay vs AI this afternoon. I should have tighten movement forward as instructed. Looks like a well crafted Blue versus the Red AI mission.

Thanks.

[TheDudeAbides421]

I downloaded this and the battle didn't show in the select screen. I tried to open it in the editor and the map wasn't there and no units were selected. Imagine the upload was corrupted somehow

[Fizou]

Great scenario combatintman, this is the stuff that will have you returning to CMSF over and over again. Big thanks!

[Erwin]

I really like the look of this. However, when I was setting up I realized that am not sure if the 7.62 ammo in the Brit vehicles will resupply the Afghans. If not, shouln't there be at least one afghan vehicle for their resupply.

[Combatintman]

Erwin - I don't know if the Brit vehicles will resupply the ANA or not - strictly speaking they shouldn't because the AK is 7.62mm short vice the 7.62mm NATO cartridge. I don't see it as a showstopper to be honest but it depends how you choose to use the ANA guys. If there is a big call for it I'll issue a new version with a truck - trouble is if I do that people will need the NATO module as well I think.

[Erwin]

I agree that the NATO round should not work with the Afghan AK's. However, it's never been made 100% certain if generic 7.62 ammo will work for everything that has "7.62". From many playings over the years I get the feeling it's been fudged. Which is fine in this case.

Regardless, I always find that it's my Afghans or Red forces that will run out of ammo quickly since they are never issued with much to start with. If this is a scenario based on RL, did the Afghans have any resupply? If they did, you should give em a truck or two. (How else did they even get there since the Brits have transport?)

[Frankster65]

Been playing it and thouroghly enjoying it. Looking forward to your other scenarios.

[Buzz]

Combatintman, Habibollah Kalay vs AI is a good time. I am @ 1/2 way into it and enjoying your work.

Thanks.

[Erwin]

Half an hour into it and really enjoying the challenge. It's nice to have enuff time and support to do things "right".

Looking forward to more scenarios and campaigns from you.

[Frankster65]

It's nice to have enuff time and support to do things "right".

That is spot on. The scenario is almost like conducting a classroom lesson in battlefield tactics.

[Erwin]

Am about 1 hr 30 mins into this scenario and still enjoying it immensely. Have dealt with all the enemy on the left edge and have reached the treeline that goes all the way to the left edge.

Trying to catch up now with the forces in the center and right who are encountering more enemy in sunken tree lines. I did CF to gauge progress and so far have lost 8 guys WIA and 2 KIA. (4 ANA, one crew and 3 Brit troopers, plus one AFV immobilized by a grenade cos it got too close to the action... I thought I was mopping up a last shell-shocked Taliban only to find at 3+ enemy eager to fight to the last man. This is where I lost my 3 Brit troopers as well!)

A few observations and questions:

****POSSIBLE SPOILERS****

I find the ARTY suprisingly ineffective. I hit the same spot or building sometimes 3 times with 81mm, 105mm and medium chopper fire, and there are still enemy units who pop up ready to fight (per losing 3 Brits and an AFV as described above).

I assumed there would be more 81mm mortar ammo than 105mm. However, I find I am almost out of 81mm with maybe half the 105mm still available. This is probably due to hitting a tree area or spot with mortars once or twice, finding it ineffective and then moving on to using 105mm and aircraft.

The briefing paragraphs could be split up a bit. The paras are so dense I missed the chopper reinforcement sentence. As a result, I have been way too economical in my chopper usage thinking I had to make 2 choppers last for the whole scenario.

As for shopper and aircraft usage, I find they often don't seem to attack at all.

I hear something like "Cleared for positive control... Clear off..." What does that mean?? Many times the attack winow says they are attacking or "coming around" as if they already attacked, but there is no attack (that I can see).

I know this is supposed to simulate a RL operation, and it is fun. However, as a hint to other designers it would be even more "fun" to have ANA AFV's and vehicles as well as more of the plethora of Brit AFV's and their other soft-skinned vehicles. I miss not having tanks or even AFV's with more than a 12.7mm.

[Erwin]

I forgot another question re RL use of the Red (ANA) "Command" squad. I have no idea if I should use em as regular inf or what.

Is the "Command Squad" a company reserve, or an enforcement-like unit to stop the regular troops if they try to run away, or is it used for Recon?? ie: What is its intended function?

[Frankster65]

Am about 1 hr 30 mins into this scenario and still enjoying it immensely. Have dealt with all the enemy on the left edge and have reached the treeline that goes all the way to the left edge.

Trying to catch up now with the forces in the center and right who are encountering more enemy in sunken tree lines. I did CF to gauge progress and so far have lost 8 guys WIA and 2 KIA. (4 ANA, one crew and 3 Brit troopers, plus one AFV immobilized by a grenade cos it got too close to the action... I thought I was mopping up a last shell-shocked Taliban only to find at 3+ enemy eager to fight to the last man. This is where I lost my 3 Brit troopers as well!)

A few observations and questions:

I've lost about 3 Brits myself, all suprisingly being the squad leaders...picked off I believe by a sniper.

****POSSIBLE SPOILERS****

I find the ARTY suprisingly ineffective. I hit the same spot or building sometimes 3 times with 81mm, 105mm and medium chopper fire, and there are still enemy units who pop up ready to fight (per losing 3 Brits and an AFV as described above).

I assumed there would be more 81mm mortar ammo than 105mm. However, I find I am almost out of 81mm with maybe half the 105mm still available. This is probably due to hitting a tree area or spot with mortars once or twice, finding it ineffective and then moving on to using 105mm and aircraft.

The same has actually happened to myself as well. Pounded the hell out of a tree line and still some Taliban were there, not much though. I rake the tree line with MG fire from the Bulldogs before my squads go in. I've got my squads split up into smaller teams, Brits that is in order to make them smaller targets to the enemy both for spotting and firing at and it seems to work. Are you spitting your squads up into smaller teams?

The briefing paragraphs could be split up a bit. The paras are so dense I missed the chopper reinforcement sentence. As a result, I have been way too economical in my chopper usage thinking I had to make 2 choppers last for the whole scenario.

I've been using my attack helicopters and F-15 at a good rate...still many targets out there and the F-15s I'm finding are not doing the job well. Actually been using them now more for taking out buildings with confirmed insurgents in them.

As for shopper and aircraft usage, I find they often don't seem to attack at all.

I hear something like "Cleared for positive control... Clear off..." What does that mean?? Many times the attack winow says they are attacking or "coming around" as if they already attacked, but there is no attack (that I can see).

That means they did not see any targets as they got over the assigned target area. Nothing was moving, nothing was out in open just as they came over assigned area. The insurgents are well hidden and until they move or are out in the open, maybe doing firing at your troops as well, the aircraft are not going to see them.

Try to coordinate more. By this I mean pour area fire form some Bulldog or other Brit vehicle into a tree line or building while your choppers are just coming overhead; if they stir up something the attack helicopters might just well pick something up then.

I know this is supposed to simulate a RL operation, and it is fun. However, as a hint to other designers it would be even more "fun" to have ANA AFV's and vehicles as well as more of the plethora of Brit AFV's and their other soft-skinned vehicles. I miss not having tanks or even AFV's with more than a 12.7mm.

I'm afraid I disagree with you with a minor exception. I like this battle as it is; an infantry battle. The Brits have a few supporting vehicles but I think the number is just right for support while not getting away from infantry fight. The only thing I would have the scenario designer change is at least give the ANA troops one truck for ammo resupply so they can do just that...resupply their ammo cans.

It is a great mission. Very much enjoying it.

[Buzz]

Combatintman,

"It is a great mission. Very much enjoying it." Sums it up well. I am enjoying your challenge . Thanks,

[Erwin]

Yes, all my Brits are split into teams. And I thought I was doing well on hunting around the place and being very careful. But, I find that my guys can hunt past a hiding enemy only a few feet away.

Not sure what firing at the treeline would do since the ground there is cleverly lowered, so direct fire is a waste of precious ammo - and the 7.62mm is about half gone in all the AFV's, and so is the 12.5mm.

At just under 2 hours to go we're about 800m - 1200m from the start positions with the most progress on the LHS (ANA) side. All my Brit inf are resupplied with full ammo, but the LHS task force has zero 5.56mm left in the vehicles, and no chance of linking up till the dam. Of course I am scared to fire the ANA as only one squad and their HQ has full ammo remaining, they have no resupply and a long way to go.

The center and RHS forces have just linked up midway up the map. They have maybe a couple thousand 5.56mm in the vehicles.

I CF'd to see what damage I was doing at the halfway point and found I suffered 3 KIA vs 60+ enemy so 20:1, but only about 5:1 WIA (approx 8:40+)

The poor effects of the support are annoying. I bombarded a section of treeline with 105mm, then choppers, then two fixed wing - which left two huge 12m wide craters about 20 meters apart. So, when my troopers moved in, carefully hunting, two Taliban IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TWO CRATERS, popped up and shot two Brits in the back!!! You woulda thought that if they weren't blown to pieces, they would have been unconscious at least. Grrr...

Re air attacks, it seems that they will attack a point target even if nothing is seen, but they seem to want to see a target for area fire.

This is great mission. Loving it! (Please, please do some more... A campaign like this would be terrific.)

PS: I agree that in this mission siunce it was a RL mission it is about perfect (except that you'd think the ANA would have some ammo resupply vehicles). But, in another scenario, especially fictional, it's fun to be able to play with more toys. BTW Frankster: If you like inf battles, there is no better scenario than ROYAL MUD MARINES to show off the Brit inf and light vehicles.

Also, anyone have an idea of the RL purpose of the ANA (or Syrian) Command squad? I like to at least try and use units in a reasonably realistic manner.

[Erwin]

A related MOD question:

I have an Afghan-Taliban mod that someone made to make the Red side look like Taliban/villagers (sorry, their name isn't attached to my mod folder and I donlt recall where they came from). Anyhow, it doesn't show up in my game.

Example names are "mujahideen1_body 26.bmp" (3 versions) and "mujahideen1_body_head 11"

Any ideas why they don't show up? Would I have to change all the bmp names to Syrian names or some other??

I also have a mod by Mord in which the names are "cyrian-spy-uniform 4.bmp" and cyria-skin 3.bmp"

There is no help file to explain why syria is spelled with a "c" and whether it should show up in the game named like that, or if one needs to change all the "c's" to "s's".

Some folders also feature mds files as in "syriacombatant-lod-3 1.mds"

Can anyone explain what they are and do?

[Combatintman]

Guys - I am really thrilled that you like this one so much and many of the points of difficulty that you are facing are the same ones that I encountered in play testing. I'm glad I stuck with it because at one point I thought that I was going to have to tone the enemy down a bit. As you can see, I did persevere and it does seem as if I have got it about right.

Reference the offensive support, I have also found that you need a mix of offensive support and suppressive fire to keep the Taliban down. Mortars I tend to use on point targets with lots of short or quick missions right on top of identified enemy units in the irrigation ditches/tree lines. The 105 light guns I use generally on linear shoots again mostly on tree lines and again only when I have identified enemy units in them. This is all in the interests of ammunition consumption. Air and aviation I tend to use against buildings and I try to get the most bang for my air buck by dropping on buildings that are close to irrigation ditches/tree lines in the hope of getting some kills of enemy that may be lurking there.

Reference the questions about the ANA ... I put ANA in the scenario to add some flavour to it. They were there on the day but their actual task was to provide rear area security. I note your comments about giving them some form of ammo supply and am still toying with whether to do it or not. Fire discipline and logistics are not the ANA's strong suits so the fact that they have limited ammunition and get through it quite quickly is realistic. With reference to the function of the ANA HQ, I put it in there to ensure there were no command issues for those playing at the higher levels of difficulty. The HQs themselves would be colocated with their ISAF mentoring elements (OMLTs).

[Erwin]

You make a good point that one should make an "support philiosophy" before one starts. I found I was wasting a lot of support ammo by starting on a target with 81mm and then getting heavier and heavier as it seemed like the Taliban were "indestructible" to smaller calibres - even when simply being in trees(!)

As I mentioned, I had F16's drop big munitions creating two massive holes in a treeline only a couple dozen meters apart... and there was still Taliban left alive between those holes - and they shot two of my Brits in the back as they carefully hunted from one hole to the next!

[agusto]

Some folders also feature mds files as in "syriacombatant-lod-3 1.mds

Can anyone explain what they are and do? "

My guess is that those are 3D models - would make sense, since there are no turban-wearing syrians in the stock game. I saw the same mod at the repository and thought about downloading it when i play a mission set in afgahnistan next time. The model on teh screenshot at the repository did look as if the Taliban models and textures were those from CM:A.

[Buzz]

"Reference the offensive support, I have also found that you need a mix of offensive support and suppressive fire to keep the Taliban down. Mortars I tend to use on point targets with lots of short or quick missions right on top of identified enemy units in the irrigation ditches/tree lines. "

I think I am going to restart using this advice. I too thought I had decimated the enemy with some serious pounding from the sky but I was wrong. I probably didn't use enough suppressive fire to keep the Taliban down and I got chewed up.

Good challenge Combatintman.

Thanks,

[Combatintman]

I'm sure you'll work it all out - I'm a pretty average player and spent a lot of time playtesting this before I found what worked and what didn't. Even with this knowledge I still end up getting caught out occasionally and end up having some of my guys getting shot up by determined remnant fighters.

[Buzz]

Thanks Combatintman. I thank part of my issues are also related to not much British Forces experience as well. Your scenario os a good one to learn with.

[Buzz]

My restart using everyone's advice has improved my early results. Clearing carefully and moving methodically has resulted in only 2 injured in RT play with plenty of pausing. Thanks.

[Buzz]

I hear these air controller guys say "Positive Control".

Then why did they blast my Bulldog and all the guys in it when they were almost 100 yards away from the outside of the target zone?

I am still making slow but methodical progress and having fun.