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Be Not The Anvil


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On 3/29/2020 at 1:40 PM, Bud Backer said:

Watching the turret turn it certainly made me scream in anticipation of the squad's total annihilation. It's one of those moments in the game that feels insanely believable. 

I do not know what happened inside that tank. I never asked @IanL but maybe if he swings by this thread he'll comment. 

I don't remember for sure but I think the first hit took out the main gun so all you were ever going to get was MG fire. Not that that is any fun but probably not total annihilation.

On 3/29/2020 at 1:40 PM, Bud Backer said:

The smoke screens turned out to be an incredible blessing most times in my favour in this battle. There was a lot of heavy metal poking about that area and since it was my enemy whose tanks discharged the smoke it was funny that it kept working for me rather than him. Since I knew where he was I just had to position my T90s and... well you'll see what happens. 

Interesting. I had a lot of problems with visibility that is for sure. My tanks were nearly always the last to spot - which equals dead. I was pretty happy with the smoke really. I used it to reposition my tanks so they were not in the same location when you last saw them. I had no problem with the smoke my guys threw around. So, I guess we were both happy.

You prevailed so I guess it did work better for you in the end 🙂

This first action that @Bud Backer is writing about was my bold move to drive over the hill and into his setup area with the intention of disrupting his plans and causing havoc. It did not really work for me though. As you can see from those frames my tanks ended up ahead of my infantry - which I didn't think was a big deal but clearly I was wrong. My losses in that skirmish far out weighed any kills they got. My only hope is that it spooked @Bud Backer about my intentions. I doubt it did much of that though :)

I'm reading this now and will throw my two cents in here and there. Follow the quoted text back to the original post so you can see where in the comic these comments pertain if you need more context.

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On 3/31/2020 at 5:00 PM, Bud Backer said:

Bakhtiyarov drove it like he stole it. Pedal down all the way. It's a pretty zippy, tough little truck, and despite taking fire and being hit multiple times it remained undamaged and the occupants uninjured through the whole rescue operation. 

Drove it like he stole it. Nice. Yeah I really wanted to cause more havoc but bloody hell 4 T90s and 8 BMPs - good thing didn't try. I only knew about half of that but even that was more then enough for me to want to get out of there too. Not many men made it back to my lines. I didn't have a Bakhityarov on my payroll.

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Oh wowsers. A Bud Black Sea graphic novel.!!!!!

 

I haven't been here in ages (normally over at FGM), but I have post notifications setup for the BS forums, and what a surprise to get this present.  Much appreciated Bud! As much as I've followed quite a few of your WW2 comics, its AWESOME to see a modern one, no matter how violent and rapid it is.

 

No trading pew-pews and grenades at 20m here!!!!

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2 hours ago, gnarly said:

Oh wowsers. A Bud Black Sea graphic novel.!!!!!

 

I haven't been here in ages (normally over at FGM), but I have post notifications setup for the BS forums, and what a surprise to get this present.  Much appreciated Bud! As much as I've followed quite a few of your WW2 comics, its AWESOME to see a modern one, no matter how violent and rapid it is.

 

No trading pew-pews and grenades at 20m here!!!!

Great to see you back here, gnarly! I was fixing some missing images in another comic and saw your posts there and wondered "whatever happened to that guy; I don't see him any more." 

CMBS, when I first played it, was a terrible surprise at how easy it was to die in it. WW2 expectations and methods lead to a quick death. 

If @37mm and his merry band of modders choose to make an African-setting variant of their superb mod for CMSF2, I will do one for that game too. I have ideas... and Syria doesn't interest me in the least as a setting. 

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10 hours ago, IanL said:

I don't remember for sure but I think the first hit took out the main gun so all you were ever going to get was MG fire. Not that that is any fun but probably not total annihilation.

No way I could know, as the hole was in the hull just below the turret, near the driver hatch. I thought that it was dead until you rolled it back and then... came back again!! That was an agonizing bit of time watching that tank turn the turret and then... nothing. *phew*

10 hours ago, IanL said:

I had a lot of problems with visibility that is for sure. My tanks were nearly always the last to spot - which equals dead. I was pretty happy with the smoke really. I used it to reposition my tanks so they were not in the same location when you last saw them. I had no problem with the smoke my guys threw around. So, I guess we were both happy.

You prevailed so I guess it did work better for you in the end 🙂

Earlier I mentioned I had more to say about the smoke. As already seen in the comic the smoke came it handy for Gorokhov's troops to advance toward your lines in perfect concealment, as to later withdraw back into it after their mauling by your tanks. More interesting to me was that your tanks responded very rapidly to laser warnings from my tanks, before my tanks would fire. However, once you were hidden behind the smoke (and neither of us could fire) I always adjusted the positioning of my tanks (and brought up more) so that when the smoke cleared, usually there were 3-4 heavy guns pointing at one of your tanks. That's what I meant by using it to my advantage. At it worked every time in this battle. It only failed when I got a bit overconfident and moved a vehicle when the smoke was thinning, but we will get to that later...

So I started using smoke - my own T90 and BMP discharged smoke - offensively; creating cover to move into advantageous positions. I don't know why I didn't think of that before. I guess my tendency to conserve ammo and by extension this life-saving but limited capacity to make smoke made me never consider it before. Probably rather dumb on my part...

 

10 hours ago, IanL said:

This first action that @Bud Backer is writing about was my bold move to drive over the hill and into his setup area with the intention of disrupting his plans and causing havoc. It did not really work for me though. As you can see from those frames my tanks ended up ahead of my infantry - which I didn't think was a big deal but clearly I was wrong. My losses in that skirmish far out weighed any kills they got. My only hope is that it spooked @Bud Backer about my intentions. I doubt it did much of that though :)

This was one of those rare moments when you didn't surprise me. You're definitely the better player. But this time when I looked at this map during deployment I thought, if it was me, I'd try a swing around the ridge and hit early. So I was waiting for just that move. I had a lot of infantry, so losing 2/3+ of a platoon in exchange for  three tanks and two BMPs seemed an excellent trade-off. Though I don't want to overstate things. I was disappointed and concerned about losing that many men, this early on. My own (apparent) lack of familiarity with certain features of modern stuff proved costly. For example, the tank-fired airburst rounds were utterly lethal in causing casualties. Not all at once, but those 3 tanks managed to kill/wound off a few men each and every time they fired, so over time it attrits my force considerably. Thankfully I didn't send more men there with 1st platoon! 

10 hours ago, IanL said:

Drove it like he stole it. Nice. Yeah I really wanted to cause more havoc but bloody hell 4 T90s and 8 BMPs - good thing didn't try. I only knew about half of that but even that was more then enough for me to want to get out of there too. Not many men made it back to my lines. I didn't have a Bakhityarov on my payroll.

It likely was more than 8 BMPs, but certainly all 4 of my tanks were there waiting and ready. I knew you could not cross directly over the ridge and attack me frontally as I had well over a company of infantry in the woods atop it and it would likely not have gone well for an unescorted armour force. So I was already set up with half my armour facing not forward, but to the side where you came. 

I should add that at this point, (and I mentioned this to Ian in an email about this battle) that I felt really good. He lost 3 tanks and 2 BMPs and some infantry. As the defender he had less points so I should be even more outnumbering his forces than at the start. I underestimated his force armour composition badly. More on that later...

Edited by Bud Backer
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9 minutes ago, Bud Backer said:

However, once you were hidden behind the smoke (and neither of us could fire) I always adjusted the positioning of my tanks (and brought up more) so that when the smoke cleared, usually there were 3-4 heavy guns pointing at one of your tanks. That's what I meant by using it to my advantage. At it worked every time in this battle. It only failed when I got a bit overconfident and moved a vehicle when the smoke was thinning, but we will get to that later...

Yes, well done.

 

9 minutes ago, Bud Backer said:

So I started using smoke - my own T90 and BMP discharged smoke - offensively; creating cover to move into advantageous positions. I don't know why I didn't think of that before. I guess my tendency to conserve ammo and by extension this life-saving but limited capacity to make smoke made me never consider it before. Probably rather dumb on my part...

Actually those first smoke screens you saw were me doing just that. Putting up smoke so I could move to the tree line with the BMPs and infantry so when the smoke cleared I could cause some havoc.

 

9 minutes ago, Bud Backer said:

This was one of those rare moments when you didn't surprise me.

Well that explains a lot. That move was a total disaster for me. I had a lot more luck with my <redacted> doing shoot and scoot operations in the <redacted>.

 

9 minutes ago, Bud Backer said:

For example, the tank-fired airburst rounds were utterly lethal in causing casualties. Not all at once, but those 3 tanks managed to kill/wound off a few men each and every time they fired, so over time it attrits my force considerably. Thankfully I didn't send more men there with 1st platoon!

Yes, they are extremely nasty. Your men were on the receiving end of those a fair amount.

 

9 minutes ago, Bud Backer said:

I should add that at this point, (and I mentioned this to Ian in an email about this battle) that I felt really good. He lost 3 tanks and 2 BMPs and some infantry. As the defender he had less points so I should be even more outnumbering his forces than at the start. I underestimated his force armour composition badly. More on that later...

At least there were some surprises for you :D

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8 minutes ago, IanL said:

Actually those first smoke screens you saw were me doing just that. Putting up smoke so I could move to the tree line with the BMPs and infantry so when the smoke cleared I could cause some havoc.

 

Allow me to quote myself:

24 minutes ago, Bud Backer said:

You're definitely the better player.

:)

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Bud,

  Wow, the attrition rate is pretty brutal.  I'm surprised they even knew Oleg's name, as he was a new guy to a tight-knit squad.  

  Gorokhov has to be feeling sick.  He started with 6, lost two in the woods near the tank, and now lost Oleg.  That means there are only 3 of the original squad left.  Sheesh!  :(

At least he can fold his survivors in with a new group.  More targets mean better survival rate, right?  Hah, not on this meat grinder.  But it's better than taking a chance on jumping in the BMP and getting more ammo...and dragging their feet...while someone else gets gunned up.  Those BMPs are rolling explosions just waiting to go off.  I'm surprised they didn't name them TNT instead of BMP.  

Gorokhov shakes his head and wonders how they assign BMP crewmen.  Are they volunteers?  Who would want to crew them?  They explode if hit hard by dirt clods.  He and his men put distance from the death trap and catch up to the large group.  [Sorry Bud, couldn't resist...it's the storyteller in me, haha]

  Great story line, Bud. 

Heinrich505  

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1 hour ago, Heinrich505 said:

Bud,

  Wow, the attrition rate is pretty brutal.  I'm surprised they even knew Oleg's name, as he was a new guy to a tight-knit squad.  

  Gorokhov has to be feeling sick.  He started with 6, lost two in the woods near the tank, and now lost Oleg.  That means there are only 3 of the original squad left.  Sheesh!  :(

At least he can fold his survivors in with a new group.  More targets mean better survival rate, right?  Hah, not on this meat grinder.  But it's better than taking a chance on jumping in the BMP and getting more ammo...and dragging their feet...while someone else gets gunned up.  Those BMPs are rolling explosions just waiting to go off.  I'm surprised they didn't name them TNT instead of BMP.  

Gorokhov shakes his head and wonders how they assign BMP crewmen.  Are they volunteers?  Who would want to crew them?  They explode if hit hard by dirt clods.  He and his men put distance from the death trap and catch up to the large group.  [Sorry Bud, couldn't resist...it's the storyteller in me, haha]

  Great story line, Bud. 

Heinrich505  

Made sense to me that if someone joins an existing squad they will know his name - yelling "hey you, new guy!" isn't practical. 

Gorokhov started with six, if you include him. Two were badly wounded earlier, Danilov and Yablonski. Oleg came and went, so including Gorokhov there are four men left in the squad. 

Now, don't mock the BMP-3s too hard. They can be more fragile than you might wish, which will be shown, but as you will also see, they are quite serious customers for my enemy. :)

 

Edited by Bud Backer
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Nothing to be sorry about. :) I know they have a reputation for being fragile, but I think that might be because some people (me included!) may be using them in a manner that was not intended. Certainly that 100mm gun encourages the notion these are almost tank-like, and that they certainly are not. 

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