CMFB Rollbahn D Full Campaign

[theforger]

36 minutes ago, umlaut said:

Exactly the same here. Great first scenario so far. Beautiful map.

I have one question, though:
I cant seem to find any info on resupply in any of the briefings? Have I missed it, is it an error - or on purpose? I would be nice to know if I have to conserve my ammo.

little bit of both really.

Rest and resupply is detailed in the later briefings, but pretty limited. Generally some resupply overnight Day3, 4 and 5.

To help out, the Fallshirmjager do get mortar ammo replenished and some resupply at Bullingen when you capture the fuel dump, SN06.

[Sgt Joch]

Finished the 1st scenario, fun little battle. On to scenario 2, beautiful maps!

[Erwin]

+1   A very well-designed situation and seems good for replayability to see if one can reduce casualties.  Do any of the missions have alternative AI plans?

Edited December 18, 2021 by Erwin

[theforger]

22 hours ago, Erwin said:

+1   A very well-designed situation and seems good for replayability to see if one can reduce casualties.  Do any of the missions have alternative AI plans?

Unfortunately not this time. There are local counter attacks and triggers in some scenarios, so different enemy activity may happen at different times.

It was tough enough testing and retesting with one AI plan TBH!

My next campaign will most definitely will have...this is my first and I had learned an awful lot. 

 

[Erwin]

2 hours ago, theforger said:

It was tough enough testing and retesting with one AI plan TBH!

I can appreciate the hundreds (thousand?) of man hours that it must have taken to produce such a well-designed series of maps and situations for such a large campaign.  Thank you again!  

I did find savedgames for the first 5 scenarios of the first version that I had completely forgotten about.  In your notes you say that you have made changes to the first series.  I may replay em for that reason.

[Falaise]

a great job @theforger
I also really like the note of the designer where we see all his passion
well done a thousand times and thank you

[Aragorn2002]

What a great Christmas surprise! Thank you very much.

I've tried to uncam this great campaign, to be able to play individual scenarios, but not all of them uncam, so to speak. Is it possible to post the individual scenarios perhaps?

[theforger]

Yep, will issuing the singles off the album soon.

 

[Aragorn2002]

30 minutes ago, theforger said:

Yep, will issuing the singles off the album soon.

 

Great, theforger, thanks again and have a great Christmas.

[theforger]

posted the core units file.

Not all units make an appearance.

https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/tsd3/cm-final-blitzkrieg/cmfb-rollbahn-d-core-units-file/

 

[Erwin]

Thank you...   Is this just a dealership, or a playable scenario?

Edited December 24, 2021 by Erwin

[theforger]

9 hours ago, Erwin said:

Thank you...   Is this just a dealership, or a playable scenario?

Yep, not a scenario just for future reference by other designers. If for example someone wanted to focus on Knittel or build a Stavelot only campaign.

All the tanks are individually numbered and commanders named. 

All the Kompanie commanders are named.

For Knittel naming goes down to the Zug level and the Spitze down to SPW driver level.

I've used a broad mix of uniform options and troop experience is mixed, green, regular and above.

The pic on the few goodmen is the last status report before the offensive. Unfortunately its not a particularly good copy. The November ones are good quality but don't reflect the new equipment and reorganisations in that last month of preparation.

 

 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

 

[Artkin]

On 12/24/2021 at 10:31 AM, theforger said:

posted the core units file.

Not all units make an appearance.

https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/tsd3/cm-final-blitzkrieg/cmfb-rollbahn-d-core-units-file/

 

Very cool, thank you

[danfrodo]

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah and Happy New Year and anything else going on for y'all!

I have been delayed in my progress in RollBahnD campaign due to the evil real world, but finally have finished second mission.  What an excellent infantry fight.  And the visuals look just like pictures from the era, rolling terrain, woods, fields, fences. 

Here, paratroopers advancing into the unknown in the dull, overcast afternoon light, wondering what awaits them in the village/ridge beyond.

I take the buildings in the village area, get some eyes on the ridge.  I spot enemy assets and begin hitting with mortars and MG fire.  As the battle develops, I have a three pronged attack forming using ~safe areas of approach.  Left via dead ground below ridge, right through the woods, and the least safe route up the center, which will wait until the wings engage.  Enemy MGs appear to be knocked out and so once in position I use mortars for smoke left & right then attack.  One tough bunker falling at a time, via small arms suppression then panzershreks.  Right and left flanks, respectively shown below.

Now the middle moves up and engages while the flank attackers knock out bunkers one by one....

But the toughest Ami of the war just won't flee or surrender -- he won't even stop firing when there's hundreds of bullets hitting all around him!

Alas, he is finally wounded and the panzershrecks move in to finish off the bunker.  Total german victory, low casualties.  I did have one cheat point in the spirit of full disclosure.  An enemy MG that I was flanking was shooting through a bunker that I expected would provide cover/concealment for my movement -- I thought this was un-physical so went back to previous save and didn't assume that. 

All in all, great fun.  Currently reading The Devil's Adjutant, about Peiper's advance, and this really felt right.  On to battle #3, the PanzerSpitze mine incident well known from this and other books on the subject.  I don't know where the mines are and maybe I can somehow miss them?  I am expecting not so, but we'll see.

[Simcoe]

3 hours ago, danfrodo said:

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah and Happy New Year and anything else going on for y'all!

I have been delayed in my progress in RollBahnD campaign due to the evil real world, but finally have finished second mission.  What an excellent infantry fight.  And the visuals look just like pictures from the era, rolling terrain, woods, fields, fences. 

Here, paratroopers advancing into the unknown in the dull, overcast afternoon light, wondering what awaits them in the village/ridge beyond.

I take the buildings in the village area, get some eyes on the ridge.  I spot enemy assets and begin hitting with mortars and MG fire.  As the battle develops, I have a three pronged attack forming using ~safe areas of approach.  Left via dead ground below ridge, right through the woods, and the least safe route up the center, which will wait until the wings engage.  Enemy MGs appear to be knocked out and so once in position I use mortars for smoke left & right then attack.  One tough bunker falling at a time, via small arms suppression then panzershreks.  Right and left flanks, respectively shown below.

Now the middle moves up and engages while the flank attackers knock out bunkers one by one....

But the toughest Ami of the war just won't flee or surrender -- he won't even stop firing when there's hundreds of bullets hitting all around him!

Alas, he is finally wounded and the panzershrecks move in to finish off the bunker.  Total german victory, low casualties.  I did have one cheat point in the spirit of full disclosure.  An enemy MG that I was flanking was shooting through a bunker that I expected would provide cover/concealment for my movement -- I thought this was un-physical so went back to previous save and didn't assume that. 

All in all, great fun.  Currently reading The Devil's Adjutant, about Peiper's advance, and this really felt right.  On to battle #3, the PanzerSpitze mine incident well known from this and other books on the subject.  I don't know where the mines are and maybe I can somehow miss them?  I am expecting not so, but we'll see.

Great right up! 

[Warts 'n' all]

A great set of screen shots. Enjoy the rest of the campaign.

[theforger]

Love the screenshots...and AAR, really capturing the spirit of why this campaign was built, thank you.

Bouck's outfit had spent the week prior improving the ridge position with overhead cover.

A bit tricky to model in the design as you go from foxholes to a more formidable bunker structure.

I went with bunker in the end, to provide some mortar protection, making the scenario more of challenge.

Also the scenario abstracts the fighting in the area throughout the day, showing the earlier bug out of TD teams, leaving Bouck's men to fight it out.

The Devil's Adjutant provided much of the information and timeline within the campaign build... so a good accompanying read to use as a comparison as you progress.

[Erwin]

What is impressive about this (and other missions) is that theforger has been very clever in the deployment of the US - rather than simply forcing one to attack at 1:2 odds or worse which lesser designers make one do.  Notice how few US there are compared to the KIA and WIA casualties the US caused to the Germans.  

Edited December 30, 2021 by Erwin

[theforger]

On 12/24/2021 at 10:00 AM, Aragorn2002 said:

What a great Christmas surprise! Thank you very much.

I've tried to uncam this great campaign, to be able to play individual scenarios, but not all of them uncam, so to speak. Is it possible to post the individual scenarios perhaps?

https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/tsd3/cm-final-blitzkrieg/cmfb-sn35-katz-und-maus/

All 35 individual scenarios are now uploaded.

I've modified some of the battles to reflect campaign losses, however you may want to do more.

It may be worth amending some and releasing as Quick Battle maps. 

[Aragorn2002]

Excellent! Thank you! 

[Warts 'n' all]

I expect that I'll give some of these a go as stand alone battles in the future. Meanwhile I'm really enjoying the campaign.

[danfrodo]

Battle continues.  0430 hours, advancing along forest track through forest, no maneuver options, just have to follow the road.  But it's dark and surprise is still on my side as the Amis probably think it's some american units approaching in the dark.  I am guessing they are half asleep, cold, wet, miserable and have no idea Germans would be coming down this crappy road that goes nowhere.

Scouts forward, don't want to blunder into Ami position. 

Someone yells "KRAUTS!  Hundreds of them!!".   The bleary eyed Amis stare in shock for a second, then let loose with their rifles & BARs!

A couple mad minutes of night firing ensues, I lose a few but knock out the platoon in the foxholes and the house.

The column moves forward, knocking out any opposition, but taking more infantry casualties that I probably can't afford.  And on to battle #5, as Spitze group tries to skirt past Honsfeld.  Again in the pitch dark.  At a road junction, the column collides with some US vehicles entering the same road out of nowhere.  The jeep is destroyed but the fire lights up my vehicles, which immediately take fire from M8s positioned nearby.

The M8s are taken out, but I lose a tank crewman and a 75mm SPW is immobilized.

Every burning vehicle creates a potential death zone of light around it, so I try to avoid those areas as best I can.  I am confident there's no one in the houses ahead so I don't send out separate scouts, surely anyone there would've fired by now -- how many times must I do the same incredibly stupid thing before I learn my lesson??

and the cost of stupid:

What an excellent campaign, just feels so much like what I've read about those first days of the offensive.  Bad terrain, small groups of nasty GIs, a constant whittling down of my infantry & vehicles.

 

 

 

[Warts 'n' all]

@danfrodo A great set of screenshots.

[jonPhillips]

On 1/9/2022 at 2:49 AM, danfrodo said:

Battle continues.  0430 hours, advancing along forest track through forest, no maneuver options, just have to follow the road.  But it's dark and surprise is still on my side as the Amis probably think it's some american units approaching in the dark.  I am guessing they are half asleep, cold, wet, miserable and have no idea Germans would be coming down this crappy road that goes nowhere.

Scouts forward, don't want to blunder into Ami position. 

Someone yells "KRAUTS!  Hundreds of them!!".   The bleary eyed Amis stare in shock for a second, then let loose with their rifles & BARs!

A couple mad minutes of night firing ensues, I lose a few but knock out the platoon in the foxholes and the house.

The column moves forward, knocking out any opposition, but taking more infantry casualties that I probably can't afford.  And on to battle #5, as Spitze group tries to skirt past Honsfeld.  Again in the pitch dark.  At a road junction, the column collides with some US vehicles entering the same road out of nowhere.  The jeep is destroyed but the fire lights up my vehicles, which immediately take fire from M8s positioned nearby.

The M8s are taken out, but I lose a tank crewman and a 75mm SPW is immobilized.

Every burning vehicle creates a potential death zone of light around it, so I try to avoid those areas as best I can.  I am confident there's no one in the houses ahead so I don't send out separate scouts, surely anyone there would've fired by now -- how many times must I do the same incredibly stupid thing before I learn my lesson??

and the cost of stupid:

What an excellent campaign, just feels so much like what I've read about those first days of the offensive.  Bad terrain, small groups of nasty GIs, a constant whittling down of my infantry & vehicles.

 

 

 

@danfrodo Please keep your superb progress reports coming...

Edited January 14, 2022 by jonPhillips