CM: BS DAR Gnarls vs. Artemis258: Art begone...

[gnarly]

Minutes 51-46

Seeing as the primary readership of this (lengthy?) discourse is me , I'll try to keep it brief... Though the next 5 minutes are fairly 'static' and uneventful; essentially the entire tank company overwhelming suppresses any sound contacts as well as likely vehicle or crew-served weapon positions. There are few if any visual contacts, outside brief glimpses of a couple of ATGM teams amongst the trees at the base of the hill.

The tanks of 2nd platoon dart forward uneventfully, supported by a nice thick smoke screen (you can just see one tank approaching his lay-up position in the shot below, whilst the second enters the smoke screen).

Art's barrage on the northern half of the Medium Ridge continues for another 5 minutes; by the end of it, most teams in the anti-tank and 4th platoons are 1 man down.

[gnarly]

Minute 46-45

One of the tanks of 2nd platoon gets lased. Whilst reversing and popping smoke, it spots (just NE of the minor objective buildings) a T-90A!!! Finally we are seeing Art's big guns....

That beast gets a shot off, but of what I am not sure, as I think the ordnance explodes barley 30m down range (below)? I can only presume it was an AT-11 ATGM, somehow randomly hitting cross-fire machine gun rounds (though I couldn't spot any)?? Or perhaps a low-flying pigeon??

 

The Oplot retreats successfully, and seconds later, the tactical group HQ tank in my backfield spots the T-90A retreating, and ends this movement with a Kornet ATGM... One down, likely 3 more to go??

 

3 near-simultaneous laser warnings remind me that there is still a significant anti-armour threat across the river... To minimise this, the last of the buildings at the minor objective collapses from sustained DF..

 

My sporadic arty mission on big hill complete, I've decided to pulverise Art's last bastion (3 minutes away):

 

I've also begun returning to the medium ridge the anti-tank and 4th platoon teams, with the intent to get LOS into Art's deep right flank.

Edited February 14, 2016 by gnarly

[Abbasid111]

"Seeing as the primary readership of this (lengthy?) discourse is me , I'll try to keep it brief"

I for one am following every word and pic. Nice use of TRPs, they are a must if you are playing UKR or RusFed forces and want your arty to be effective (right place at the right time). You might want to hit the big hill with more fire and make sure anyone up there is busy keeping their heads down.

"There is no problem that cant be solved by a few rounds of HE" 

[Bud Backer]

I'm following it closely as well.

Great screenshots! The T90 scene in particular was nicely composed.

I'm amazed how well you're doing - not because you're bad but because I really have a lot of trouble suppressing enemy defences when attacking in CMBS. Man-portable gear can be so incredibly deadly to armour even at range. Well done!

 

 

[AlexUK]

Following too, really enjoying the modern DAR and the tactics.

[Abdolmartin]

Yeah I'm following this too. The T-90's pre-demise scene was pretty damn good.

[gnarly]

Thanks guys, these DAR's get ever so lonely without some kind words to remind me I'm not talking to the wall..

 

Unfortunately, suggestions of the T-90's demise were premature; it was only a partial penetration to the turret, which is comes back to haunt me in a couple of turns (which I just got back from Art this morning)... Or to put it another way; it ain't dead until it's burning...

Edited February 14, 2016 by gnarly

[Bud Backer]

Thanks guys, these DAR's get ever so lonely without some kind words to remind me I'm not talking to the wall..

 

I completely understand that - I feel the same way when I'm posting a CAAR and I have no comments. One wonders why one bothers.

 

[John Kettler]

gnarly,

Regret you're feeling your considerable efforts on this DAR are being ignored, but I've been effectively out of commission for the last three days and just finished a detailed post on armor arrays, the first real writing I've been able to do lately. I saw your post, realized I'd dropped track on it from following it before, then returned. I must say I'm blown away (apt expression, right?) by your simply stunning, super effective advance, the likes of which I've never seen before in CMBS--or pretty much in CM period. Perhaps you should rewrite the book, since you seem to know exactly what you're doing. While c3k is doubtless ripping his garments asunder and flagellating himself to tatters in utter frustration at your near total lack of glorious (often pointless) own force exsanguination, your men must adore you. Me? I'm dazzled by your tactical mastery!

Bud_B,

While I can't speak for others, I certainly didn't ignore you. To the contrary, I was so active that one of my persistent detractors sounded off in the thread. Also, I've passed the link and my enthusiastic endorsement to interested family and will likely expand distribution shortly. 

Both of you (and anyone else who does these amazing DARs/AARs/CAARs),

I believe that simply doing the work itself has intrinsic merit. It is a form of individual expressions which can even rise to art. As such, it first speaks to you individually, only later to your audience. Recall that Van Gogh never sold a painting in his life, yet is a towering giant among painters today and has been for quite some time. And while it's true your work will never hang in an art galley or museum, it is fair to say, and I've seen it a bunch of times, that newbies will find some wonderful CM thread from years ago, devour it and respond, giving it new life. Obviously, it would be grand to have a large body of active posters chiming in, but I'd observe that the situation, from a performance aspect, is no different whether the audience is a crowd or one person. That is exactly what I was taught when I did my first musical in high school, and I find it directly applicable here. Chin up, lads! Do what you do, and the word will spread. Understand, too, that most people will simply read and never post. After all, we've had people who lurked going back to CMBO and finally surfaced! Passive consumption of your work takes far less energy than does actively engaging you here. Plenty of people value what you do, but to my knowledge, there's no way to determine views on any given thread, just pages. What you do is important and much appreciated!

Regards,

John Kettler

[A Canadian Cat]

We will have to set up a rotation to drop a few words here and there . I am also reading this as it comes in. 

[Seedorf81]

gnarly,

Regret you're feeling your considerable efforts on this DAR are being ignored, but I've been effectively out of commission for the last three days and just finished a detailed post on armor arrays, the first real writing I've been able to do lately. I saw your post, realized I'd dropped track on it from following it before, then returned. I must say I'm blown away (apt expression, right?) by your simply stunning, super effective advance, the likes of which I've never seen before in CMBS--or pretty much in CM period. Perhaps you should rewrite the book, since you seem to know exactly what you're doing. While c3k is doubtless ripping his garments asunder and flagellating himself to tatters in utter frustration at your near total lack of glorious (often pointless) own force exsanguination, your men must adore you. Me? I'm dazzled by your tactical mastery!

Bud_B,

While I can't speak for others, I certainly didn't ignore you. To the contrary, I was so active that one of my persistent detractors sounded off in the thread. Also, I've passed the link and my enthusiastic endorsement to interested family and will likely expand distribution shortly. 

Both of you (and anyone else who does these amazing DARs/AARs/CAARs),

I believe that simply doing the work itself has intrinsic merit. It is a form of individual expressions which can even rise to art. As such, it first speaks to you individually, only later to your audience. Recall that Van Gogh never sold a painting in his life, yet is a towering giant among painters today and has been for quite some time. And while it's true your work will never hang in an art galley or museum, it is fair to say, and I've seen it a bunch of times, that newbies will find some wonderful CM thread from years ago, devour it and respond, giving it new life. Obviously, it would be grand to have a large body of active posters chiming in, but I'd observe that the situation, from a performance aspect, is no different whether the audience is a crowd or one person. That is exactly what I was taught when I did my first musical in high school, and I find it directly applicable here. Chin up, lads! Do what you do, and the word will spread. Understand, too, that most people will simply read and never post. After all, we've had people who lurked going back to CMBO and finally surfaced! Passive consumption of your work takes far less energy than does actively engaging you here. Plenty of people value what you do, but to my knowledge, there's no way to determine views on any given thread, just pages. What you do is important and much appreciated!

Regards,

John Kettler

Very well spoken (written), John.

I  do totally agree; most of the AAR's are pieces of art.

About that silence: some people want to comment on art, while others just take it in. Silently, amazed or bewildered, and sometimes in awe.

When checking the battlefront forum, the first thing I look for is for (an update of) an AAR. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, it's a bit like going to the movies. Anticipation, excitement, humour and surprises and the occasional disappointment (when Bill cease-fired the first Blitzkrieg AAR!) and what not.

Appreciation for these AARs? I love 'm!!

 

Edited February 15, 2016 by Seedorf81
correction of mistake

[c3k]

I simply withold comments until I see men exhibiting bravery under fire. Charge that hill! That would get some commentary flowing.

 

but, yes, it can be a lonely vigil...

[gnarly]

@IanL, @John Kettler, @Seedorf81 & @C3K, thanks for the group hug guys.! 

 

Updates tonight, but I'll post my Lesson #3 for this match in advance; Manual targeting is great, but use it sparingly and cautiously!  Especially when the target is minor, of negligible threat, and at almost right angles to the principal threat axis..... In other words, don't distract your pixeltruppen from their real threats! 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2016 by gnarly

[Codename Duchess]

From all the recent teasing I'm assuming your glorious advance has been turned into glass.

[gnarly]

From all the recent teasing I'm assuming your glorious advance has been turned into glass.

The 'teasing' has been completely unintentional; like I'm sure most of the other 'middle-aged' guys on here, I am rather time poor, so I generally have to alternate consecutive nights between PBEM game time, and reporting into this thread (which is rather time consuming.  My teaser snippets are generally a general comment the next day from work..

 

 

[gnarly]

So tonight I had grand aspirations to deliver:

1. The next two minutes of action...   FAIL!
2. A turn back to Art.. FAIL!
3. Army purchase and setup in a new game versus @Entrenched  (well, I did tell him it was unlikely tonight)... FAIL
4. Something new and highly experimental..  SUCCESS (I hope you'll agree)!

Inspired by this forum's amazingly prolific and rather superb comic AAR creator (if you don't know who that is, you better start browsing!), but with no pretension of emulating his quality, I present my first comic pocket-story! (spanning minutes 47-44)

 

Notes:

• Emphasis on mini-story - I wanted to see how much effort and time it took.
• As it is, this took 3 hours, using trusty Snag-It
• Apologies for any cultural, technical (gunner versus commander positions?), communication jargon or any other errors. This is about the story, not the details...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And with that, I'm going to leave it there for the night, which I'm sure @Codename Duchess will appreciate!

 

(4 hours it's taken now!)

 

[A Canadian Cat]

Very cool. Nice work but that is a lot of work.  I look forward to more

[Jotte]

*Thumbs up* to the Bud_B'esque story style. Me likes.  Previous style was good too.

[Bud Backer]

So tonight I had grand aspirations to deliver:

1. The next two minutes of action...   FAIL!
2. A turn back to Art.. FAIL!
3. Army purchase and setup in a new game versus @Entrenched  (well, I did tell him it was unlikely tonight)... FAIL
4. Something new and highly experimental..  SUCCESS (I hope you'll agree)!

Inspired by this forum's amazingly prolific and rather superb comic AAR creator (if you don't know who that is, you better start browsing!), but with no pretension of emulating his quality, I present my first comic pocket-story! (spanning minutes 47-44)

Notes:

• Emphasis on mini-story - I wanted to see how much effort and time it took.
• As it is, this took 3 hours, using trusty Snag-It
• Apologies for any cultural, technical (gunner versus commander positions?), communication jargon or any other errors. This is about the story, not the details..

(4 hours it's taken now!)

 

Thanks for the compliments, Gnarly. I'm not at all surprised it took 4 hours. And if you do it a dozen times, it could be quicker, but then you'll find new things you want to do so it still ends up taking 4 hours!  

Nice job you've done - there is a certain delight in seeing something in game and turning it into an experience. 

 

 

[c3k]

What is the pole next to the firing tank, with the skull and danger note?

[gnarly]

I do believe its a power pole (combo with telegraph pole)? Surprisingly, I actually didn't really notice it until I'd completed those 4 panels, and stepped back to look at them in totality I was so focused on the T-90...

 

But for all my google searching , I cannot actually find a Ukrainian example of such serious/sombre markings

 

I would have thought a iteration of this more likely:

 

 

Or perhaps it means 'Death to all who park near this pole"? 

 

Edited February 17, 2016 by gnarly

[gnarly]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gnarly]

Minute 46-45 appendium

I did forget to mention the heavy mortar fire that started coming down on 3rd platoon, forward of Lieutenant Colonel  Vernydub's position (just realized, I've incorrectly called them 2nd platoon in my little pocket story!!!). This was accompanied by half a dozen RPG rounds from the a little copse of tree over the river on my right flank (seen in the story); multiple units were tasked with suppressing the area.

 

Minute 45-44

The RPG team on my right flank is eliminated, and the heavy mortar brrage on 3rd platoon's positions continues, without effect.

But through the T-90's dissipating smoke screen, it destroys the distracted (by area fire to the flanks) Tactical Group HQ tank. Soon after it spots one of the 2nd platoon tanks, starting a duel... That the Russian fired first is a worry...

 

Area fire continues on likely infantry positions, revealing the presumed 3rd enemy squad and a number of RPG teams in the large copse on Art's front left. A truck is spotted behind those buildings deep on Arts right flank, and autocannon fire from a 4th platoon IFV forces a newly spotted BTR to retreat with some penetration damage.

 

[gnarly]

Minute 45-44

 

The duel continues between the 2nd platoon tank and the T-90. The T-90 fires 3 rounds, the last hitting and destroying the Oplot. In contrast the Oplot  gets off two, the second one hitting with a partial turret penetration. Those T-90's are tough bastards!  Who said you can't have old fashioned tank duels in modern warfare!!!

 

I'd darted up the 1st Platoon HQ tank to support the 2nd platoon; it arrives as the Oplot explodes, and is quickly lased as the turn ends.... 1st Company HQ tank is still (safely??) up the back; I think it's now the overall commander?

 

My ever reliable 2nd IFV of 4th platoon, positioned up the north end of the Medium Ridge, spots and destroys another BTR on the north slopes of the Big Hill. Be nice to see some T-90s going BOOM though..... 

Oh, an infantry HQ is spotted in the woods immediately east of the 4th platoon IFV, so that seems to round out the expected full infantry company (3 squads and HQ). Now, if only I could find the rest of that tank company....

 

 

Edited February 17, 2016 by gnarly

[John Kettler]

gnarly,

A T-90A in your underwear? If not, it sure looks about that close in your first set of (most welcome and unexpected) war comics. Talk about pucker factor! Your ability to spot and effectively engage infantry targets verges on miraculous. But how is it you clearly lost an Oplot in the second set of panels, but no such thing is evident on your overhead view with casualties marked? I don't get it. Am pleased to see battlefield obscuration is a real tactical consideration.

Regards,

John Kettler