Team Yankee Campaign

[Von Richthofen]

As far as I remember, the novel Team Yankee takes place in the V Corps sector of Germany during the early 1980s (there's a large mix of old and new US kit in the novel if memory serves). Would it be possible to make a campaign based on the events of the novel from the POV of the CO of Team Yankee? I think a narrative style campaign that recreates the important missions the Team goes on in the book would be pretty fun to play.

Also if you haven't read the book I highly recommend it!

[Flibby]

Sounds like a great idea. Happy to help with it. The book is great. There's a similar one for the Russians we could look at too.

[Von Richthofen]

Correct me if I'm wrong, are you speaking about Red Army by Ralph Peters?

[akd]

Everything you would need is there except chemical weapons, and maybe FASCAM (I seem to recall that factoring into the novel at some point).

[Erwin]

1 hour ago, Von Richthofen said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, are you speaking about Red Army by Ralph Peters?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Yankee

 

[Von Richthofen]

2 hours ago, akd said:

Everything you would need is there except chemical weapons, and maybe FASCAM (I seem to recall that factoring into the novel at some point).

There are a few battles with a Polish T-55 legion and East Germans too. So maybe something like this would have to wait until a NSWP forces module is released

[LongLeftFlank]

"Team Yankee" is itself set within the future history backdrop of fomer BAOR commander John Hackett's "The Third World War: August 1985". Written in 1978 as a cautionary tale, it was a very influential book as the Brzezinski doctrine transitioned into the Reagan era.

Klaus glanced down into the turret. It seemed to be full of blood and roughly butchered meat. There was an ugly smell of burning..

Hackett knew exactly what that looked like, from personal experience in M3 'Honeys' at Sidi Rezegh and later, at Arnhem.

[IICptMillerII]

8 hours ago, Von Richthofen said:

As far as I remember, the novel Team Yankee takes place in the V Corps sector of Germany during the early 1980s (there's a large mix of old and new US kit in the novel if memory serves). Would it be possible to make a campaign based on the events of the novel from the POV of the CO of Team Yankee? I think a narrative style campaign that recreates the important missions the Team goes on in the book would be pretty fun to play.

Also if you haven't read the book I highly recommend it!

You could certainly do a Team Yankee campaign/mission set with the assets at hand. Most of the battles would be easy to do as they take place on scales that are possible in CM. For the polish troops, they could be simulated/replaced by second echelon Soviet forces in T-55s. 
 

I had a preliminary plan to do up some of the maps from Team Yankee in CW and release it alongside/just after release, but I had to shelve the idea due to everything else that needed attention. 
 

7 hours ago, Flibby said:

Sounds like a great idea. Happy to help with it. The book is great. There's a similar one for the Russians we could look at too.

 

6 hours ago, Von Richthofen said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, are you speaking about Red Army by Ralph Peters?

Yup, pretty sure Flibby is talking about Red Army. Fantastic book, but it is focused on the strategic/operational level for the most parts. There are some tactical anecdotes in the book, but not to the details of those in Team Yankee. Still, could provide a great backdrop to some Soviet scenarios. 

[Von Richthofen]

51 minutes ago, IICptMillerII said:

You could certainly do a Team Yankee campaign/mission set with the assets at hand. Most of the battles would be easy to do as they take place on scales that are possible in CM. For the polish troops, they could be simulated/replaced by second echelon Soviet forces in T-55s. 
 

I had a preliminary plan to do up some of the maps from Team Yankee in CW and release it alongside/just after release, but I had to shelve the idea due to everything else that needed attention. 
 

 

Yup, pretty sure Flibby is talking about Red Army. Fantastic book, but it is focused on the strategic/operational level for the most parts. There are some tactical anecdotes in the book, but not to the details of those in Team Yankee. Still, could provide a great backdrop to some Soviet scenarios. 

I've still got Hackett's book and  Red Army on my shelf. Personally, Ralph Peters' writing style is very underrated IMHO (highly recommend his ACW novels as well). I think a possible Soviet campaign from the perspective of Captain Bezarin would be interesting (would be difficult to simulate the crowded autobahn engagement though). As I have no modding experience in CM (having only recently discovered this franchise and still too scared to play the multiplayer) I intend for this thread to be purely speculative until at least release. After that, I intend to try my hand at campaign modding so as to bring these wonderful novels to life

[IICptMillerII]

32 minutes ago, Von Richthofen said:

I've still got Hackett's book

Lucky! I still haven’t managed to get my hands on a copy. It’s not easy to get, unless one is willing to spend hundreds for a copy. 
 

Mission making is a bit less daunting than modding. Everything you need is included in the scenario editor. All the scenarios for every CM game were and are made in that editor. For me, making the map is the hardest and most time consuming part. Though some here have developed it into a literal art. 

[Aragorn2002]

15 hours ago, LongLeftFlank said:

"Team Yankee" is itself set within the future history backdrop of fomer BAOR commander John Hackett's "The Third World War: August 1985". Written in 1978 as a cautionary tale, it was a very influential book as the Brzezinski doctrine transitioned into the Reagan era.

Klaus glanced down into the turret. It seemed to be full of blood and roughly butchered meat. There was an ugly smell of burning..

Hackett knew exactly what that looked like, from personal experience in M3 'Honeys' at Sidi Rezegh and later, at Arnhem.

Although it must be 40 years ago when I read this book, I can still remember Klaus saying: 'protection through speed? What kind of quatsch is that!' 

He was talking about his Leopard I tank, if I remember correctly. 

[EasyBakeOven47]

Miller, Hackett's book is very cheap on Amazon. Just bought my copy the other day:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0025471104/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

[IICptMillerII]

1 minute ago, EasyBakeOven47 said:

Miller, Hackett's book is very cheap on Amazon. Just bought my copy the other day:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0025471104/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

Huh, well look at that. Last time I checked (a few months ago) all the options were in the hundreds of dollars. Who knows, maybe I’m just going crazy. 

[mjkerner]

You can still get one on Amazon for $902.00 if you’d like, Captain, but I went for $5 used one.

[Von Richthofen]

18 hours ago, IICptMillerII said:

Lucky! I still haven’t managed to get my hands on a copy. It’s not easy to get, unless one is willing to spend hundreds for a copy. 
 

Mission making is a bit less daunting than modding. Everything you need is included in the scenario editor. All the scenarios for every CM game were and are made in that editor. For me, making the map is the hardest and most time consuming part. Though some here have developed it into a literal art. 

I bought it on Amazon used in about 2016 ish for a couple bucks, lost it for a while, and found it recently cleaning out my room. Needless to say, Christmas came early that day

 

[Von Richthofen]

Also, I never read TWW: August 1985. I have "The Untold Story". What is the difference if any between the two?

[IICptMillerII]

1 hour ago, mjkerner said:

You can still get one on Amazon for $902.00 if you’d like, Captain, but I went for $5 used one.

Ha, you know what? I might just go for it! Better than putting it into the evaporating stock market

21 minutes ago, Von Richthofen said:

Also, I never read TWW: August 1985. I have "The Untold Story". What is the difference if any between the two?

I think, but don’t fully recall, that the latter version was updated with new information? Someone else (who actually owns the damn thing) can probably give you a better answer. 

[Megalon Jones]

'Untold Story' is a supplemental that gives more info on the Soviet side as well as details about theaters outside Europe.  They should be read together. 

[Probus]

Just finished the book. Sounds like fun!

[Col Rosenberger]

OK

I've finished the book on kindle in one day* but CMCW is still not out.  Now what? 

*(a great read and story minus the ridiculous number of big typos)

[IICptMillerII]

59 minutes ago, Col Rosenberger said:

*(a great read and story minus the ridiculous number of big typos)

Yeah, the editor really screwed up the re-release on kindle. The original book is not like that. It’s too bad really. 
 

You can still get copies of the original online if you want an untainted version. Im amazed they haven’t fixed it. 

[Probus]

I listened to the audiobook, so I missed out on the typos. 

[danfrodo]

I recently reread Team Yankee and Red Storm Rising after 30+ years.   What a treat.  And read Larry Bond's Red Phoenix (1980s war in korea) also.   reread The Third World War last year.  I am ready for CMCW. 

I suppose I should also re-read Sword Point by the Team Yankee author.  I know I used to have The Untold Story, might have to do that one also.

[IICptMillerII]

Give "Red Army" by Ralph Peters a go for the Soviet perspective, and "The War That Never Was" by Michael Palmer for a really good analytical alternate history. There is still a little time!

[danfrodo]

oh, Right, Capt Miller.  I gotta do those!  thanks.  Someone mentioned those before but I forgot about them