Passage At Wilcox SOP

[chuckdyke]

@Erwin Passage at Wilcox I never breached so many walls since Jericho. That was the first MOUT operation in history. It is the way to go using SWAT tactics may work against a gang of bikers but not in CM. Better use the quick firing gun of the Bradley than the 5.56 mm of the infantry. No need for infantry to run out of their personal weapons ammo. 

[Vet 0369]

2 hours ago, Erwin said:

That's good info re RL.  However, in the CM game, am not sure if one can win some scenarios without masses of Area Fire.  Most tutorials advise "several minutes of suppressive fire, then add a lot more" to be effective.  My sense is that in-game units do not suppress as easily as in RL.

BTW:  "Passage at Wilcox" is one of the best/most enjoyable CMSF2 scenarios.  Kudos to the designer.

Area fire for suppression, what we usually call “base of fire before an assault,” is completely dependent on the situation and terrain, and must be determined on an individual basis. Suppressive fire on an area that’s open, but with a lot of concealment is going to be different than suppressive fire before assaulting a building in a MOUT. This is where your scouts can really help to assess what you need. Another mistake I notice is using a hunt or slow movement command after contact. You already know about where the enemy is, so try using fast movement commands. It makes your pixeltruppen much harder to hit, and is usually how you do it in real life, especially in MOUT.

Probably the best thing I can recommend for anyone with a new title (or even an old title), is to play ALL the campaigns through. For example, over the years, I’ve played the US and Russian campaigns in CMBS. I haven’t played the Ukraine campaign because it uses basically the same equipment and tactics as the Russian, but I probably will at some point. I have a friend against whom I’ve played against since CMBB, and every title since CMBN. We switch between red and blue for each new battle. I tend to win most battles because I’ve played the campaigns of both sides and know the strengths and weaknesses of each. “The Book” is just a basic starting point, and good commanders tend to throw it away when the situation requires. Don’t be afraid to try new tactics and commands. After all, it’s just a game, and you don’t actually kill or get anyone killed. Remember, a great plan is great only until the first contract. Then you have to “adapt, improvise, and overcome.”

[Erwin]

2 hours ago, Vet 0369 said:

Another mistake I notice is using a hunt or slow movement command after contact. You already know about where the enemy is, so try using fast movement commands. It makes your pixeltruppen much harder to hit, and is usually how you do it in real life, especially in MOUT.

Yes...  For years I have made the same "mistake".  Hadn't considered units are harder to hit moving FAST as my (CM game) experience has been that the most important survival factor is to never unnecessarily expose a unit and moving FAST gets the enemy's attention.  I suppose it all depends on range and where and what type of cover is available.  (I try to send guys into harm's way with as many advantages as possible and hate sending tired guys into combat.)

2 hours ago, Vet 0369 said:

the best thing I can recommend for anyone with a new title (or even an old title), is to play ALL the campaigns through.

Agreed.  Campaigns are the way to go.  Especially if the design is sophisticated enuff to feature ammo and force conservation so one has to be mindful of expenditure.

2 hours ago, Vet 0369 said:

a great plan is great only until the first contract.

Yes, contracts can always be renegotiated.

[George MC]

This scenario (which has gone through various evolutions) was originally based on a tactical vignette ‘Passage at Wilcox’ http://companyleader.themilitaryleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Armor-Magazine-Compiled-TDEs.pdf

[Erwin]

5 hours ago, chuckdyke said:

Better use the quick firing gun of the Bradley than the 5.56 mm of the infantry. No need for infantry to run out of their personal weapons ammo. 

Totally agree when one has that sort of supporting force.  Unfortunately, many "not so wonderful" designers make scenarios hard not through clever design, but by simply taking away important assets like those you listed.  So, in the CM game universe, lots of inf ammo expenditure for AREA FIRE may be required.

[Erwin]

3 minutes ago, George MC said:

http://companyleader.themilitaryleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Armor-Magazine-Compiled-TDEs.pdf

Link seems to take a while to work for me.  But, anyhow, great scenario with an interesting mix of units that allows one to play with different tactics and ideas.

Edited January 12, 2021 by Erwin

[George MC]

10 minutes ago, Erwin said:

Link seems to take a while to work for me.  But, anyhow, great scenario with an interesting mix of units that allows one to play with different tactics and ideas.

Thank you - I must admit how it plays now was not how I had originally envisaged it playing out when I first created it. But it seems to have travelled well!

[chuckdyke]

Scouting: Play with a game you have already played. See how the casualties occurred and find out how to avoid it. I am using the scenario 'Bridge No:7 in Battle for Normandy. If a rested scout sprints for the last 15 seconds in a turn an MG 42 firing from 500 to 1000 meters is very unlikely to hit him and gives his position away. The scout sprints across the line of fire from cover to cover. The area where it came from is a 'Block House'. It has a ground floor, first and second floor. I test on Iron and no contact icons are shown. I already established fire positions in some houses with .30 Browning Machine Guns. By plotting area fire inside the Block House on the 1st and 2nd floor the MG 42 is suppressed. Fortunately, it is not very hard in CM to find volunteers. 

[Erwin]

Since at the end of a campaign mission one can see who did what, casualties caused etc. it would be cool to be able to award medals and promotions as one can in the Silent Hunter submarine sim series. 

Campaign missions can easily be considered to take place over months.  They don't have to be immediately sequential in time (altho' most campaigns are like that).  In CM1, one could play a campaign that started with Barbarossa and ended in Berlin.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

In CM1 one could play a month long campaign in a city, well & properly wrecking the place and leaving the map littered with dead armoured vehicles.....God I miss that! 

Edited January 14, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Vergeltungswaffe]

6 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

In CM1 one could play a month long campaign in a city, well & properly wrecking the place and leaving the map littered with dead armoured vehicles.....God I miss that! 

I so miss persistent damage too...