BATTLE DRILL - A CM Tactics Blog

[Warts 'n' all]

Good advice, and great cartoons.

[domfluff]

From 29: A "Mooncalf" is a foolish person. Term is derived from aborted/miscarried cow fetuses, which are obviously viscerally unpleasant and apparently random events, so obviously ascribed to the moon, being witchy and such.

e.g., Stephano to Caliban in the Tempest:

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Mooncalf, speak once in thy life, if thou beest a good mooncalf. 

 

[Bil Hardenberger]

5 minutes ago, domfluff said:

From 29: A "Mooncalf" is a foolish person. Term is derived from aborted/miscarried cow fetuses, which are obviously viscerally unpleasant and apparently random events, so obviously ascribed to the moon, being witchy and such.

e.g., Stephano to Caliban in the Tempest:

 

Thanks.. yeah @sPA505 told me the same thing via PM... I knew about the aborted calf angle but I didn't get the foolish person bit (its not an American term obviously).. that line makes more sense now.

Bil

[domfluff]

It's a really old reference - I'd not be surprised if it was unusual in the 1940s as well.

[Erwin]

Very relevant to moving vehicles in CM.  Thanks.

[MOS:96B2P]

18 hours ago, Bil Hardenberger said:

With the help of @sPA505 I have posted a full translation with some commentary of the German pamphlet: 

+1.  Very cool. 

[Zloba]

@Bil Hardenberger Thank you kindly for your very informative blog full of useful topics. Outstanding work, much appreciated. 

I'm pretty new to the CM games (just bought CMBN a few days ago) and have a lot to learn. Going through the blog i just want to make sure i'm not missing something here ... i can see 2 downloadable scenarios for CMBN - Infantry squad attack and Tank section attack. I can see also 2 PBEM scenarios made for CMFB and CMRT respectively, which i can't try now as i don't own the games.

Are there any other Tactical Problems scenarios and if so, could you please point me in the right direction because i'm not able to see them on the blog.

[Bil Hardenberger]

6 hours ago, Zloba said:

@Bil Hardenberger Thank you kindly for your very informative blog full of useful topics. Outstanding work, much appreciated. 

I'm pretty new to the CM games (just bought CMBN a few days ago) and have a lot to learn. Going through the blog i just want to make sure i'm not missing something here ... i can see 2 downloadable scenarios for CMBN - Infantry squad attack and Tank section attack. I can see also 2 PBEM scenarios made for CMFB and CMRT respectively, which i can't try now as i don't own the games.

Are there any other Tactical Problems scenarios and if so, could you please point me in the right direction because i'm not able to see them on the blog.

Appreciate the kind words Zloba.  Unfortunately those scenarios are all I have actually ever posted on the blog.  It never became the Tactical Problem repository I had initially envisioned.. instead it went a different direction and became a warehouse for tactical techniques, and AARs.

Good luck in your exploration of these games, and let me know how you get on!

Bil

[Zloba]

Oh nevermind, now i totally get it. I was reading through this whole thread and even if you might think you didn't achieve your former goal .. i still believe the opposite .. the time and knowledge you did put into your blog is something spectacular and the information given is really like nothing else i comed by as a "casual WW2 player". I'm just a 2021 Combat Mission novice and getting response on the forums from guys like you, with a decade (or 2) worth of experience, is like ... it's really something you won't see regularly nowadays.

You sir and a lot of other members of this community (i'm sorry to not name anyone else, there are just too many .. really) are the reason i enjoy this "game" more, than i enjoyed it yesterday. every. single. day.

Whish you all the best, stay healthy and strong. And keep up the good work man, Thank you!

[Vergeltungswaffe]

4 hours ago, Zloba said:

Oh nevermind, now i totally get it. I was reading through this whole thread and even if you might think you didn't achieve your former goal .. i still believe the opposite .. the time and knowledge you did put into your blog is something spectacular and the information given is really like nothing else i comed by as a "casual WW2 player". I'm just a 2021 Combat Mission novice and getting response on the forums from guys like you, with a decade (or 2) worth of experience, is like ... it's really something you won't see regularly nowadays.

You sir and a lot of other members of this community (i'm sorry to not name anyone else, there are just too many .. really) are the reason i enjoy this "game" more, than i enjoyed it yesterday. every. single. day.

Whish you all the best, stay healthy and strong. And keep up the good work man, Thank you!

+1

Bil and so many other awesome people make this game and community the best.

[Zloba]

SPOILERS!     SPOILERS!     SPOILERS!

Quote

 

Played the Infantry Attack Drill yesterday for the first time. I spent around 10 minutes testing the movement orders to get the synchro right (found out that the infantry goes around 20m per minute during SLOW, 60m during HUNT or MOVE and 120m+ on QUICK or FAST) but it helped me big time.

After my scouts were already in the river and i was switching from Traveling Overwatch to Bounding Overwatch, my BoF team was pinned immediately by SMG fire from the Woods D and lost one man. I've immediately set TARGET towards that position for my Scout and Assault team. Assault team moved after 20 seconds FAST towards the Woods C. Unfortunately i forgot to cancel movement orders for the Scout team, so instead of giving suppressing fire, their MOVE order changed automatically to QUICK and they've sprint a few meter ahead, before they actually started shooting. For this reason i lost another man from the Assault team, while they were crossing the river towards Woods C.

Meanwhile the BoF team quickly moved back so i could set TARGET for them also. Assault team moved towards the enemy position, hidden by the crest and assaulted the position a few moments later, finding few suppressed soldiers. Two were killed on site, while one was killed while falling back, in the open field.

I think it was 10min left on the clock when i took care about the casualities and Scout team started Alternating Bounding Overwatch towards Woods F in tandem with BoF team. Assault team took a bit of much needed rest and after the rest of the squad were close to their final destination, they moved to the right side of Woods F. The squad formed a line on the Southern bank of the river and crossed it one team at a time.

4min left the Platoon Leader performed Reconnaissance by Fire and were able to roughly locate the HMG position. This distraction was used by Squad 1, when they sneaked into the woods and assaulted the suppressed HMG position. The last minute of the scenario were used just to make sure it's all clear. I think my score was 145 vs 69 or something like that.

I learned a lot about movement synchronisation, suppressing fire and assaulting. Again BIG thanks to @Bil Hardenberger

I'm looking forward to the Tank Section Attack drill 

 

 

[Zloba]

SPOILERS!     SPOILERS!     SPOILERS!

Quote

 

Tank Section Attack:

At the start i left Section 1 together with Platoon HQ untouched and started bounding section 2 down the marked area. My plan was to TARGET the AT gun by Section 1 just before moving Section 2 out of Woods D. Everything was going fine until i left Woods C with my first tank. I checked the LoS at the edge of Woods C towards the AT gun position and it said Spotter Hull down. So i moved the waypoint outside the woods where the tank didn§t had any LoS, just to make sure they won't get in sight before the flank. During the bound of the next tank, the 1st one was somehow spotted and hit by the AT gun. 2nd Tank managed to get into Woods D.

At this point i ordered Section 1 and HQ to TARGET on the most probable AT gun position and started to move the lonely tank from Section 2 towards it's flank. I smoked tsome parts to blind it and to also blind any potential AT guns watching from the back. The tank got into the Woods E and started HUNTing. Found the abandoned AT gun and a few moments later found the crew. For some reason he didn't want to open fire and one of the enemy infantry threw something, what looked like a AT grenade, directly from the front. Tracks got damaged and the tank crew for some reason panicked and bailed out. They killed 3 of the AT gun crew in the process, but my 2nd tank was lost.

Section one with HQ advance towards that position to mop up the reamining crew. After they were finished with them, Section one TARGET the "unknown team" position and advanced towards it from left and right. HQ followed a few moments later in the center. HQ was able to spot some trenches and put some rounds into it but with the impression of it being abandoned, they moved on. Only after the mission was finished i found a lonely HMG team in a trench right next to it which was not discovered.

Section 1 advanced with both tanks towards final "Reported enemy contact" position, suppressing on the move. HQ was put on hold in reserve. Suddenly an enemy armor was sighted on the left flank, one of our tanks got hit and i noticed a 2nd round coming from behind the crest - i thought there would be another tank in the woods. So i kept the 2nd tank Hull down towards the enemy tank on the left while keeping it hidden from the forrest.

After the first tank got hit for the second time, the crew panicked, bailed out and got killed by enemy panzer in the process. HQ came to help just a few seconds later and my last 2 tanks were able to finish what looked like Panzer IV.

So with the impression that there is maybe last tank in the woods, i slowly HUNT the tanks to the crest into a hull down position. Unfortunately there wsa no tank in the woods, but an AT gun just around the crest. One shot and the Platoon HQ was burning. I flanked the gun from behind and that was it.

American tactical defeat, 0 vs 50 score. Oh how i whish i had some infantry to scout ahead. Lesson learned and thanks again to OP for this 

 

 

[Bil Hardenberger]

Great write ups @Zloba!  Happy you took those for a spin and hopefully some of the lessons will stick.  

Bil

[chuckdyke]

Using the MG42 in HMG Mode. Grazing fire to counter the US foxhole line of defense. #spoilers With grazing fire the MG42 creates an effective beaten zone. 

Unfortunately, I can't force the riflemen to go under cover. The HMG can be positioned just on a ridge.

The fire is effective the US Foxholes are in a similar position as our HMG however fire superiority is ours. Hopefully their 60mm mortars will be unaware of our HMG. I am impressed it seems the engine illuminates tracer? If that is the case it works both ways eyes open for spotting rounds. 

 

[LukeFF]

.

Edited June 15, 2021 by LukeFF

[Ultradave]

One of "Murphy's Laws Of Combat" :

"Tracers work both ways"

[chuckdyke]

Never saw this mentioned. In modern combat you can acquire Javelins but in Battle for Normandy the driver is more useful if he acquires the 'bazooka from the halftrack before he parks it and dismounts.

 

[Erwin]

Have always thought that drivers are not as fit for combat as normal inf in RL, so have resisted arming drivers.  But, in the game, he may be useful.

[chuckdyke]

6 minutes ago, Erwin said:

Have always thought that drivers are not as fit for combat as normal inf in RL

He is a veteran; in the American army it may have been different but learning to drive a halftrack could have been specialist training for a fully trained infantrist. I think it is a little unrealistic to leave him behind in his vehicle. 

[chuckdyke]

Command and Control has been a topic in the news lately. For HQ's situational awareness is vital, not hard to achieve in CM. Make sure your scouts have an overwatch from someone with a radio and binoculars. The Regimental HQ is aware of the foxhole before the scout. The game is more enjoyable if you just stick to what is possible in RL. However, the scout morale went pummeled to nervous. No need to regard a scout as cannon fodder. It may be a little bit rich that the Regimental HQ was updated during the same turn. 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2022 by chuckdyke

[domfluff]

I do miss Bil's blog. It remains the best route to start taking CM seriously, and the platoon level drills aren't complete, which is a bit of a shame.

 

[domfluff]

@Bil Hardenberger I ran Miles through your Squad Attack scenario:
 

I was impressed by both his ability to estimate both the enemy disposition, as well as failing to do anything about that (whilst providing a good learning opportunity along the way).

[Bil Hardenberger]

On 5/5/2022 at 4:02 AM, domfluff said:

I do miss Bil's blog. It remains the best route to start taking CM seriously, and the platoon level drills aren't complete, which is a bit of a shame.

 

Yeah sorry about that.  CMCW work and the followon stuff, plus my new job really out the brakes on the blog posts. 

I do have one in progress that I need to concentrate on and finish up. 

Bil

Edited May 28, 2022 by Bil Hardenberger

[Bil Hardenberger]

5 hours ago, domfluff said:

@Bil Hardenberger I ran Miles through your Squad Attack scenario:
 

I was impressed by both his ability to estimate both the enemy disposition, as well as failing to do anything about that (whilst providing a good learning opportunity along the way).

I’ll check this out this weekend!

[chuckdyke]

*SPOILER ALERT* Playing the fictional Loamshires which is very enjoyable. Here I tried to put together a 'Leader's Recon'. We can't peel the sergeants from every section, so I did the usual two-man scout unit instead. The patrol consisted of the Platoon's HQ with 2 scouting units from the first and second section. Looks like they saved a Sherman Tank or Tanks so far. Even in WW2 a radio is useful to ensure the Company HQ and above get the intel.

Scouts spotted a priority enemy unit. I find the PAK75 a worse menace than the 88mm in view of its much lower profile.

Not much good to scout if you don't have communications with your C2. 

Overall situation.