How do you think a US vs Soviet module would play out in Combat Mission

[Simcoe]

Who would be overpowered/underpowered?

What kind of scenarios would be made for it?

I think a US campaign defending against massive T-34 onslaughts would be pretty fun. Also, lots of mechanized warfare. GI's in halftracks vs tank riders.

You would probably need to stack the deck in the Soviet favor though. Artillery and good optics would wreck T-34's.

 

[landser]

If it were done properly neither would be 'over' or 'under'. One may be more powerful or less powerful, but your terminology suggests inaccurately so, if you can see the distinction I am attempting to make.

In the event it were done correctly, my money's on the US, primarily due to the proximity fuse, fire control, and ammunition type and quality, but only just. Assuming this is a 1945+ scenario then I don't think unit to unit there is not much edge either way, so it comes down to technology and numbers. And if somehow Combat Mission figured out a way to properly incorporate airpower in to the tactical landscape of the typical scenario then it's lights out.

Combat Mission is limited by it's purely tactical scope. If this series would become operational, then the US has a marked advantage in such a scenario with factors such as logistics, repair and supply. If strategical, then economy and production. As long as the series remains tactical only, these advantages mean little or nothing. What good are four-engined bombers and massive blue-water fleets in a game such as this?

In a limited tactical scenario such as Combat Mission then I reckon it's a close-run thing and comes down to scenario design and how the designer 'balances' the starting state. If you take 100 of each side's best units and pit them against each other I think the result is in the air. Which just happens to be raining air bursts.

Edited March 21, 2022 by landser

[Codreanu]

I think it'd slightly lean towards the USA but not dramatically so. American infantry is overall better but those SMG platoons shred everything in sight if they can get in range, M4A3 (76) is generally better than the T-34-85, but the Americans have no real tank counter to an IS-2 obr. 1944 or IS-3. C2 advantage goes to America and they'd better be able to employ their artillery tactically with quicker call in times. Balance could easily be achieved by just giving the Soviets a bit more troops to play with anyway.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Codreanu

[jtsjc1]

CM doesn't factor in air power. The USAF would overwhelm the Russian air force and we had a huge advantage in strategic bombers. Tactically the US better small arms than the Russians so I'd give them an advantage based on that. 

[Artkin]

Yep Soviet heavy armor would roll over the US while their 90mm guns would bounce off upper front plates. British 17lbers would be the best troops to counter those, so the Brits MUST be included.

Soviets would have initial success but the Allies did not lose too many troops in the West, so they would generally be a larger and more hardened army than the Soviets, whose infantry particularly were suffering by this point. Squads would be too small from the Soviets to counter American forces seriously. American 75s would bounce off almost every piece of soviet kit (You can try this now in F&R). T-34/85s would be the US' worst problem.

This game would sell like hotcakes. We've all been waiting for something special like this. I have been since SPWAW days.

[Simcoe]

On 7/13/2022 at 3:19 PM, Artkin said:

Yep Soviet heavy armor would roll over the US while their 90mm guns would bounce off upper front plates. British 17lbers would be the best troops to counter those, so the Brits MUST be included.

Soviets would have initial success but the Allies did not lose too many troops in the West, so they would generally be a larger and more hardened army than the Soviets, whose infantry particularly were suffering by this point. Squads would be too small from the Soviets to counter American forces seriously. American 75s would bounce off almost every piece of soviet kit (You can try this now in F&R). T-34/85s would be the US' worst problem.

This game would sell like hotcakes. We've all been waiting for something special like this. I have been since SPWAW days.

The US and Brits weren't doing too much better. The 90 division gamble just barely paid off. I don't think they could have lasted much longer.

[chuckdyke]

It would be like a Korean War module.

[Artkin]

14 hours ago, Simcoe said:

The US and Brits weren't doing too much better. The 90 division gamble just barely paid off. I don't think they could have lasted much longer.

Surely a lot of men were lost in the Battle of the Bulge, but the US and British weren't scraping the barrel for manpower like Russia was. It was a different situation for them