Crécy Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 Hello everyone! I'm new to the forums (not even a lurker) and was lured here by Ripppe's careful campaign to make an AAR from my point of view from our current Combat Mission game. It's a quick battle with a medium map, 1h 15m long and with too many units. Now, I won't make minute by minute updates. Mostly because it would be too tiresome and there'd updates where nothing major happened. I decided to make this AAR after we started so no screens from OOB but it's roughly like this: -1 Panzergrenadier battalion1 CompanyHQ TeamXO TeamForward Observer Team 1 PlatoonHQ team1 Squad2 Squad3 Squad [*]2 Platoon HQ team1 Squad2 Squad3 Squad [*]3 Platoon HQ Team1 Squad2 Squad3 Squad [*]4 Platoon HQ Team1 Section (MG)2 Section (MG)3 Section (Mortar) 2 Company3 Company -Sturmgeschütz brigade (understrenght) -2 Flak Battery 4 x 88mm gun (Flak 36) -Nebelwerfer Battery Initial plan First thing I decided was to leave that hill in the North alone, even though it does provide an excellent overwatch position but it's also susceptible to artillery fire and risk of getting cut off too easily. Second thing I decided was to not head for the objective town immediately but concentrate 2nd and 3rd companies south of it while 1st company will act as a reserve. Thus I will have more firepower in a smaller space and if Ripppe sprinkles his troops thinly on the whole front or keeps objective town and the hill as his main objective I will cut his forces in half through the center and wheel behind him in the north-west. Second and third company will advance until contact and then, after assessing the situation, goal is to launch the attack first. Swiftly and decisively before Ripppe has time to react. Speed and aggressiveness are the keys here. One mistake was to take the flak battery as they can't be moved and the starting ground doesn't really provide any good firing lanes. I'll use them to A) cover 2 Coy's flank and watch the approach on the hill in the North beside the water and watch over the hill in the south-west which can't be seen from that screenshot. In the end I expect a disastrous game from myself and a quick defeat due to an early cardinal mistake. I usually lose in CMBN and usually I fail to conduct an effective attack, or defense for that matter, but I shall try my best. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herr_oberst Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 No worries about the winning or losing. Sometimes it just takes that one moment special moment to make a game worth playing. An attack that actually works like you planned it, or on defense, the desperate fast move to get a panzerschrek guy in place moments before an allied tank passes by (he made it by 4 seconds, and took out the tank). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 It'll be worth it just for the werfers. -F 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crécy Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 No worries about the winning or losing. Sometimes it just takes that one moment special moment to make a game worth playing. An attack that actually works like you planned it, or on defense, the desperate fast move to get a panzerschrek guy in place moments before an allied tank passes by (he made it by 4 seconds, and took out the tank). True. And that reminded me that my AT capabilities are quite low considering I have no Panzerschrek teams. Have to rely on StuGs and panzerfausts plus on limited support of the 88s... It'll be worth it just for the werfers. -F That's certainly true . If everything else fails at least werfer barrage will make it a night to remember. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dowly Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Good luck! I hope you suffer a humiliating defeat! =) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crécy Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 [Game started at 1400. I'll just mark the time as I'm not updating after every turn. And that hill in the 'north' is not in the north but in the west...] Time 1403 Quiet turn as these first turns are. Troops are moving forward. First enemy sighted (some infantry, a sherman and a firefly) mostly by the forward observer team at the hill in front of the 1st Company positions. Nothing can't be said yet where is Ripppe concentrating his forces. As said 2nd and 3rd company will move until contact. 1st Company is moving slowly forward as well to react quickly if necessary. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJR144 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Herr Hauptmann Crécy, this is not Napoleonic wars! Advancing in lines, and being bunched up that way, is begging for a martial court. Where you have one company, there should be currently not more than one platoon. A forward observer is not a recon unit. You are presenting your StuGs on a silver tablet. Ende der Durchsage. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanzerMiller Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 How is that M-10 visible on the far edge of the map? What difficulty setting are you using? I think this will be fun to follow...something a little different from the textbook Hardenbarger-esque tactics we've grown to know and love... (nothing personal, Crecy...most of don't play like Bil!) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crécy Posted November 3, 2013 Author Share Posted November 3, 2013 Herr Hauptmann Crécy, this is not Napoleonic wars! Advancing in lines, and being bunched up that way, is begging for a martial court. Where you have one company, there should be currently not more than one platoon. A forward observer is not a recon unit. You are presenting your StuGs on a silver tablet. Ende der Durchsage. As said: "I expect a disastrous game from myself and a quick defeat due to an early cardinal mistake. I usually lose in CMBN and usually I fail to conduct an effective attack, or defense for that matter." I haven't played CMBN that much and it's the only Combat Mission I have played so every game is a learning experience. If you can point out some great tactics guides or something like that, please do, I would be happy to get them and improve my playing and understanding from the game. StuGs on the field are behind a hill which is not visible from the screenshots. And that Forward Observer Team is a detachment from a penal battalion which explains their doomed advance . How is that M-10 visible on the far edge of the map? What difficulty setting are you using? I think this will be fun to follow...something a little different from the textbook Hardenbarger-esque tactics we've grown to know and love... (nothing personal, Crecy...most of don't play like Bil!) M10 is visible because it's on a hill and I have troops on a fairly high hill as well. Ripppe chose difficulty and I presume it's on hardest. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 True. And that reminded me that my AT capabilities are quite low considering I have no Panzerschrek teams. Have to rely on StuGs and panzerfausts plus on limited support of the 88s... That's certainly true . If everything else fails at least werfer barrage will make it a night to remember. Have you purchased MG? If so that should help a little. Close assaulting armor works a little better and you should hopefully find the short range PFs a little more useful. Best of luck and welcome to the forum, you've certainly gone about the right way of diving right in. While it can be daunting displaying all your mistakes etc so openly, it is a great way to get feedback from a lot of sources- be prepared for many of them to be contradictory however. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJR144 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 If you can point out some great tactics guides or something like that, please do, I would be happy to get them and improve my playing and understanding from the game. Bil Hardenberger has a nice homepage with some useful stuff. Like in reality also in CM players tend to have a way too high unit density. If you are frightened, you pack up and feel more safe. The player wants to give his units more firepower and so he keeps them bunched up. But that's wrong. Spread, spread, spread! As wide as command&control allows. Why? Gain fire superiority. Fire supriority is not established from one point, but from several points against one enemy. The wider the angle the better the effect. A HMG can easily pin a squad or even a platoon. Spread the squad and the HMG can only supress one team while the others can move/fire. Moving a squad over open ground against automatic long range fire is deadly. But a squad broken up in teams, spread over 50-70 m? The enemy will have to decide where to fire or he will need to show more of his defenses. Then you know where he is and then the heavy support weapons come into play. So spreading is not only necessary to gain fire superiority, it also denies it to the enemy (tank combat is different). Fire effectiveness: fire from the front and into the sides is WAY more effective than shooting from one place with exactly the same weapons. You could hide behind a wall from HMG fire and be safe, but a single pistol aiming behind the wall can change everything. Units in CM react very realistically to multi angled fire. Only by spreading out you will recognize the weak spots or opportunities. And it allows you to keep one or maybe even two platoons of the company as reserve quickly available. While the normal player always is attracted by enemy units like a magnet, it's better to avoid them. Move into their side. This is only possible with a wide spread infantry. If one team or even all teams of one squad come under fire, the other squads probably are not. They can keep moving. And when spread, then the chances are high, that a team will already be close to where you want them to go. Even if the team is way to weak, it nevertheless has eyes and you know what is going on in this area (until the stronger forces arrive). For example if your leading platoon recongizes a gap in the enemy's front, the whole reserve platoon can quickly flow though the gap, while the leading platoon could even be under fire, put pressure on the enemy and has no need to move under fire. StuGs on the field are behind a hill which is not visible from the screenshots. You are moving the StuGs close to the front although you don't have an infantry screen and don't know much about the enemy. You can't bring your StuGs into action without knowing where the enemy is. If the paths of the StuGs are given, recon the area. Locations where you expect ATGs? Shoot shortly with small arms at these locations and hope for a potential enemy reaction. If still in doubt, or too far away to have good vision of the spotting units or HQs, support the infantry with a Sdkfz while the StuGs wait patiently. And that Forward Observer Team is a detachment from a penal battalion which explains their doomed advance . It's a powerful unit. I wouldn't waste it with a task, everyone else can do. Give it an infantry screen and let the infantry find out, if the destination for the FO is secure. Patience. And last but nor least: Do not push infantry forward under enemy fire. Imagine what you would do in that situation in real life. Watch the area from level 1 and imagine you would be there. Would you cross the open field that is under fire if you could walk around? And how would you move? Would everyone walk or would one team lead (hunt), while the others keep their eyes open and stay behind? Once the lead element has reached it's destination, the behind elements move forward. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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