Baneman Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Thanks for the info ( and to White2Golf - whose opinion of the wand is lower than yours ). Seems like a good reason in the narrative to me 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White2Golf Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Thanks for the info ( and to White2Golf - whose opinion of the wand is lower than yours ). Seems like a good reason in the narrative to me Pnzrldr is an officer.... So he probably has less experience actually using the things. "I just ride 'em, I don't know what makes them work." LOL J/K <wink> 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splinty Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Pnzrldr spent his motor pool time inspecting V packs , not cleaning them! lol 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3k Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 It never looks that hard when someone else is doing it! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 APS, both Russian and American, are based on SOLID current systems, with minimal future extrapolation. Israeli Trophy and Russian Arena are both tested and have operational backgrounds. A few more years of tweaking, and, IMHO, what's in the game is pretty darn close to what will be on AFV's. Hypervelocity sabot rounds are "proof" against APS. The energies needed to propel 10kg at 1800m/s require a tank to absorb the recoil. Thus, tanks fight tanks. A swarm of IFV's/ATGM carriers can destroy a tank. They need to salvo fire, and all focus on the same vehicle. That target, if it survives the first barrage, will pop smoke and try for cover. (That's why they pop smoke when lased. It's hard to keep 'em in sight.) APS is a very good protective layer. Next is ERA. Then the armor itself. It's all about layers. Like ogres. And onions. Ken And parfaits, have you ever met a person, you say "let's get some parfait", they say "hell no , I don't like no parfait?" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 It's all about layers. Like ogres. And onions. And parfaits, have you ever met a person, you say "let's get some parfait", they say "hell no , I don't like no parfait?" *pop* 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Almost forgot... "V-Pack Clogged" light. I think it actually says "Air Filter" on the panel, but the bottom line is that the Abrams, having a turbine engine, requires substantially more air to run than a conventionally engined tank. The air filtration system is based around 3 large, V-shaped filters that fit into slots in the left side of the forward portion of the back deck. Each is built inside an aluminum frame and weighs ~ 45lbs IIRC. We used to weigh them to see if they were still any good, but I cannot for the life of me remember the clean/dirty weight range. Maybe a current tanker can update. If they clog up, you don't go... at least, not very well. Tank unhappy. Expedient fix used to be to either just pull them out and bang the dust out (quick and easy) or they put a compressed air takeoff on the engine which came with wand attachment for actually blowing them out. Takes a bit longer, but not over-lengthy. Actually, I was just reaching to provide some reasoning behind why the Steel Commander showed up on map out there w/ Blackknight, rather than with the rest of his formation. This is my hastily invented excuse! Makes sense.... Like trying to run the 100 yard dash ... at full speed (turbine engine) ... but wearing a respirator. You might be able to make the 100 yards but you (turbine engine) would not last too long before you stopped ... then you get shot Pnzrldr is an officer.... So he probably has less experience actually using the things. "I just ride 'em, I don't know what makes them work." LOL J/K <wink> Those 'easy riders' often have tricks to make stuff work when it ain't supposed to 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DasMorbo Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hi pnzrldr Just started on this AAR and I am totally blown away by the narrative! I am just as much an immersion guy as you (and hate to see my pixeltruppen die just as much as you) and came up with this great, brand new idea for playing through the CMBS NATO Campaign: why not follow some hand picked characters and tell the campaign from their very personal point of view!?! Whoooaaa, what a cool and new idea... wait.... that dude just does exactly that... THAT'S SO NUMBA 10! Just kidding - this is absolutely awesome! Hope you don't mind if I copy your idea at some point? Best regards Olf 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hi pnzrldr Just started on this AAR and I am totally blown away by the narrative! I am just as much an immersion guy as you (and hate to see my pixeltruppen die just as much as you) and came up with this great, brand new idea for playing through the CMBS NATO Campaign: why not follow some hand picked characters and tell the campaign from their very personal point of view!?! Whoooaaa, what a cool and new idea... wait.... that dude just does exactly that... THAT'S SO NUMBA 10! Just kidding - this is absolutely awesome! Hope you don't mind if I copy your idea at some point? Best regards Olf The hard part is watching your hand picked guys die and having to start anew from another perspective. Pnzrldr is doing an admirable job in this aar, the closest I have seen for anyone doing it in what we would consider a campaign is the red gambit series and that guy sucks at character development (a whirling dervish tomahawk wielding Native American being just one example). It is apparently his first writing experience so perhaps he will improve, but the characters in this AAR are frankly better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnzrldr Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 You guys have me chuckling, because from my perspective it seems like most of the characters are fairly shallow, and the only modestly developed one, died. Not wounded, dead <sniff!>. I guess that you have a pretty good sense for PdPK Borys and KPT Kovtun, and I'm having fun with O'Brian. LT Sheridan is now riding a mobile bunker (flash idea: ask for leaders jumping tanks in 4.0. Should be easy, since INF leaders already can!) but perhaps we can have some fun with him yet. All excited leading the big attack, and then... oops! Olf, kein problem. You can AAR along these lines to your hearts content. Never been to Bremen, but maybe my next trip over. Only problem w/ doing the NATO/US campaign this way is that the scenarios don't have one common core set of units. They are all drawn from common core, but several use smaller slices that don't necessarily appear in the next scenario. I'll have to look at UKR an RUS campaigns to see if they are more contiguous. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan/california Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 It seems the Russian jamming is so good that you can't even get a sitrep out. I hope you haven't been grid-squared. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vet 0369 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 (edited) I suggest we give Pnzldr a break. He is after all a serving field-grade officer and doesn't exactly work your typical "9 - 5" job. On top of that, you'd have all kinds of "emergency drills" to determine the preparedness of not only the troops and equipment, but the staff officers as well. We don't know why he hasn't responded in three days, but he might not have any control over that. Although I am on the edge of my seat too Edited January 17, 2015 by Vet 0369 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan/california Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I know, it was just a gentle poke. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vet 0369 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I know I'm just feeling a bit sorry for Scott. As a Writer and former Marine, I'm awed by his prose and absolutely adore the immersion he's been able to achieve (sort of like "Harry Potter"), all the while balancing his "Professional" duties. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnzrldr Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 LOL. Your wish is my command. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnzrldr Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 “Blackknight Six, this is Blackknight Five, over.” LT Romero, the XO of B CO, called his commander. His Bradley, along with B CO’s first PLT, was driving hard for hill 347 and helped in decimating the Russian mech PLT in the field where Outlaw 16 had died. “This is Six, send it.” “Just linked up on ground with Outlaw elements. Confirm that 16 actual is down and will work a nine-line MEDEVAC for their personnel. They state that the Russians right in front of us have at least two T-90s hull-down at the base of the hill. I say again, there are tanks to our direct front, close range!” CPT Fuller ponders this for several seconds. He had planned to send his tank PLT to sweep wide to the left, reducing remain in resistance in the small copses of trees between fields and orienting fires to the south, around and behind 347. He shifted gears in an instant. “Roger, break, Blue 1 this is six, over.” “Six, this Blue One, I monitored.” LT Trevor Stanley from Pittsburgh responded with clipped precision, indicating he heard the report from Blackknight Five as well. Although just a second lieutenant, Stanley was a graduate of Officer Candidate School. A former 11B sergeant, he had fought two deployments in Afghanistan, both to RC-East in Khost, during which time he had earned both an Army Commendation Medal and a Bronze Star, each with a “V” device, for valor. After OCS he amazed his instructors by requesting to branch Armor, rather than Infantry. He like to joke that it was too much work to fight dismounted, and his inherent laziness combined with his penchant for muscle cars made tanks a natural fit. He was easily the most competent platoon leader in Farmer’s company, and his tanks were drilled to a razor’s edge. Farmer could hear the turret hydraulics of Stanley’s tank in the background – the turret never stopped scanning as the LT replied to his commander. He had just completed a quick spot report in BFT2 indicating his wingman had engaged and destroyed a BMP far to the south, and was preparing to bound his platoon sergeant’s section forward to begin sweeping left. “Blue One, change of plans. Red continues towards 347 and provides overwatch with Javelins and TOWs to deny anyone getting back up on the hill. Need you to shift from left to center and find those tanks. Work to get them focused in two directions at once.” “Blue one roger.” “Red one roger!” “White, you take over the left side and clear those treelines. Power Six posts a BMP and Flak tank also at the base of the hill. Red, ensure you keep those pinned down so they don’t distract Blue. We’ll flush them with arty if we have to. Take it slow and don’t rush to failure, over.” Even as CPT Farmer spoke, he watched his platoons respond. Red one was just to his front, and looked back. Farmer waved and then pointed directly towards the BMP and Tunguska the Battalion Commander had posted in BFT2. The lieutenant gave a thumbs up, and Farmer saw his right hand go to his right ear, keying his radio and speaking. Farmer could not hear him as he was talking on his platoon internal net, but he could see the Soldiers responding. Infantrymen loaded back onto their Bradleys, and the platoon began bounding forward, as stationary elements kept up a strong fire on the remaining Russian dismounts in the field ahead. http://youtu.be/-PeFDwEGIe8 Power 3 finishing the Russian infantry from the BMP-3 Power 6 destroyed previously. Both are holding position in the center waiting for Blackknight to flush or destroy the remaining BMP-3 and Tunguska to their front. “Tactical patience,” Farmer thought, “we really need to develop this situation and see what is really out here.” White 1, Lieutenant Murphy, was charged with getting a Raven UAS up to observe 347 itself. Telling him to hustle would not help. Farmer checked the BFT2 again, and then pulled up his binoculars to watch the company advance. As he watched, a Blue tank fired again, the AMP round hammering more of the Russian infantry in front of Red. Then he saw his FST’ers work, as a short quick fire mission of 155mm rounds crashed directly onto a farm complex to the company’s front. “Conducting the Symphony of Destruction!” Farmer grinned to himself and continued to watch his company at work. http://youtu.be/9CGgSUtV6l4 Symphony of Destruction, first chord... “Steel Five, this is White One, over.” “Send it!” LT Sheridan was moving, thinking and reacting faster than he ever had in his life. He was still desperately fighting to find any remaining Russian infantry in close proximity to his tank, urging his gunner and loader to try and get the 120mm cannon back into operation and trying to consolidate some control over the disrupted company. “This is White One, we have reached the road. Spotted enemy victors pulling back east down it. Think we killed two and are continuing to engage, break.” “Also have good eyes on south slope of Hill 347. Engaged and destroyed one BMP3 up there for sure. Continuing to scan, over.” “This is Steel Five, roger, hold what you got until we can get this Russian outpost sorted out.” Even as he spoke, Steel’s first platoon was indeed getting it sorted out. The tanks pulled forward, reoriented to their right and began tearing into Russian infantry with their .50 caliber machineguns. “Blue one, Steel Five, have your FO start working up the mortars to hammer the gully to our front. I want that thing plastered!” “Roger, over!” “Vovk, this is Brytva 22. We are at our position at the north end of the town. Borsuk 21 is destroyed. We didn’t see what did it. We have fired at some infantry to our front, and believe there is an element on our east flank, but we are secure here. Believe the enemy has a foothold in Krichek, but with infantry to help we can probably push them back out, over.” KPT Kovtun winced at the news of another destroyed BMP-2 – his last remaining – but was heartened by the optimism of the Flakpanzer commander. Serzhant Levitsky was usually far from optimistic, and if he was acting so positively it must mean he felt the situation was well in control. He turned to MAJ Harris who was working diligently on his PDA. “Is it done?” “Roger that, Kapitain. We are tied into the Task Force fires net now. Couple of minutes and the top of that hill should get flattened. But make sure he knows that SFC Bagby is headed up that way on his left” Kovtun turned back to the radio. “Brytva 22, American artillery will hit the hilltop to support you. If you need it adjusted let us know. You retain control of my command truck and the squad and machinegun team with them. Continue to hold the north end of the town. Be alert for the American Team Sergeant – he is moving up to recon on your left.” MAJ Harris paused before heading out the door back to his HMMWV. “Oh, and SPC O’Brian on the far bank managed to destroy an enemy T-90. With the first two company-teams in range now, the Russians should have a very hard time. Kovtun nodded to the American, without a smile. “Good.” He said. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan/california Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Your usual excellent work! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verulam Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Gripping as always. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splinty Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Can't wait for the next installment! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3k Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 "Symphony of Destruction"? Awesome... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) c3k, Only if Andre Rieu conducts! Not sure whether O Fortuna from Orff's "Carmina Burana" is the way to go (2:45) or whether Holst's "Mars" from "The Planets" and conducted by Slatkin is the better choice? Of course Megadeth has a song called "Symphony of Destruction," but that might ruin the high martial tone we've so carefully created and nurtured here. Also, I expect there'd be so much thundering cacophony, so many shrieks, as pnzrldr goes about his grisly work on Bil's troops it'd be superfluous! Regards, John Kettler Edited January 19, 2015 by John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnzrldr Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 All - apologies up front, but I was on travel to FT Benning last two days, and am taking my fam on vacation this weekend, so likely no further update until next week. SPC O'Brian is in the hurt locker, as the Russians appear to be trying for a desperation push on Krichek. KPT Kovtun and MAJ Harris react, as Speed and Power continue their reduction of Russians trapped in / on Hill 347 and fight their way out of the restrictive terrain in the south. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rinaldi Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 The little tidbit will make the wait all the better; enjoy yourself. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mastiff Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 He'll ne back and the game will be out. to late. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I believe this is what we refer to as a C&C failure. Similar to the British 1st airborne at MG. Scott had failed to clearly designate who was in command while he was away. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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