Killing a Forward Security Element

[IICptMillerII]

The following is taken from a write up I am currently working on for my blog. I figured I would post "episodes" here for some interaction before consolidating it all into one post for the blog. It comes from a playtest I did recently on a community made scenario. The small fight that occurred in the beginning of the battle was too good not to share, and is also a great opportunity to talk a bit about the Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE). I also wanted to provide everyone with a change of pace. The Black Sea forum is soaking up most of the attention around here these days, and I figured a break from that might be appreciated. So without further ado:

Visualized in Combat Mission: Killing an FSE

A Tactical Vignette

The Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE) is one of the most common task organized formations encountered by NATO forces. For the Soviets it is an important tool that helps fix an enemy defender in place and shape the battlefield to allow for a successful attack. For NATO it is the first significant Soviet tactical combat formation encountered and a harbinger for a larger dedicated attack by a motor rifle battalion (MRB). The stakes presented to both sides by the FSE are high for both sides. Initial success in a tactical engagement largely comes down to the success or failure of the FSE.

This vignette features some excellent US Army vehicle reskins, done by S-Tank on the CM Discord. He recolored and upscaled the resolution on every US vehicle in the game, and they look fantastic. They can be downloaded here, or for those of you in the CM Discord, a download link and preview image can be found the mod repository text channel.

Forward Security Element

The Forward Security Element (FSE) is a Soviet task organized formation that is approximately Company sized. It is also known as the Advance Party or Vanguard. It generally consists of a company of motor rifle troops (mounted in either BTRs or BMPs) and a platoon of tanks. The tank platoon is often made up of four tanks instead of the better known three tank platoon organization the Soviets use, because in motor rifle regiments the tank units tended to be plussed up. There is usually at least a battery of field artillery on call for the FSE to call upon and may also have mortar sections/batteries in support as well. The FSE is a fluid formation that can have additional attachments delegated to it, such as engineering units/equipment, air defense artillery, forward observers, and reconnaissance units. Generally speaking, the Soviet FSE is similar in composition to a US Company Team.

(This image doesn't agree with the forum software, so I recommend viewing it in full size in another tab. Apologies for that, a graphic artist I am not)

The primary role of the FSE is to make contact with the enemy and either destroy it if it is of a smaller size than the FSE or fix it in place to give the rest of the battalion time to deploy and attack through the enemy.

To better understand the role of the FSE, one must understand how it fits into the larger Soviet warfighting machine. In simple terms, Soviet tactical formations are like a conveyor belt. Way out in front are the regimental reconnaissance assets, but their primary role is not combat. They are there to make sure what is on the map exists in reality and other non-combat related tasks. The smallest formation is the Combat Reconnaissance Patrol (CRP) which job is to find the enemy. A tripwire if you will. The CRP is followed by the FSE, whose job is to put pressure on the enemy by engaging and destroying him or at least fixing him in place with direct fires. The FSE is followed by the MRB (also known as the Advance Guard) which has the weight in numbers and support to conduct a deliberate attack and keep momentum going. Following the MRB is the rest of the Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR), and behind one MRR is another MRR, etc.

Apologies for the resolution on this, it is a scanned and stitched together image:

There are a lot of good resources out there to learn more about the FSE and how it fits into the Soviet way of war on the tactical level. This video does a nice job of breaking it all down, as does this simple yet informative writeup. Other resources worth checking out are TRADOC Pamphlet 350-16 Heavy Opposing Force, and the Cold War Gamer’s excellent blog. Just a heads up, many of the links on the Cold War Gamer’s blog are no longer active, and I think the owner is no longer keeping up with his blog.

A German Town—A Fighting Withdrawal

For this vignette I am going to be focusing in on a small combat action that occurs during a larger scenario. To help understand why the combat action plays out, I will provide some context.

This fight was the result of me play testing a scenario made by Cousin Hubert (Bartimeus on the CM forums). This scenario is the first of a series he is working on at the time of this writing for a mini campaign. Hubert makes fantastic maps, scenarios, and campaigns, all because he wants to add to the CM community and provide us with quality content. His map making skills alone make him a massive benefit to the community. Anyone familiar with how tedious and frustrating the CM map editor can be will have an even greater appreciation for his work. His AI plans are also very well done too.

He is the creator of two campaigns for Shock Force 2, which can be downloaded here and here. He has also produced some fantastic large maps for Cold War, which can be found here. We are very fortunate to have amazing contributors such as Hubert!

Situation

On the 8^th of April the Soviet Union launched a surprise attack on West Germany. Caught by surprise, NATO’s front line has collapsed, and friendly forces are now in full retreat. Communications with higher headquarters is severely deteriorated by enemy jamming and artillery fire, but they were able to inform us that a Soviet formation is headed our way and to pull out when able.

Mission

Fox Company must hold the town until intelligence and logistics personnel have finished loading M35 trucks with gear and sensitive equipment. These trucks are located at the fire station and industrial park and should be loaded and ready to go in approximately 40-50 minutes. Then the entire force must be withdrawn from the battlefield. Fox Company must withdraw as much of its combat power as possible and remain combat effective, as it will likely have to fight its way back to friendly lines. There are two egress routes on either side of the river to the rear of the town.

Enemy

An entire Soviet motor rifle battalion and all its supporting assets can be expected to attack us.

Troops

I am in command of a heavy combined arms company team, Fox Company. It consists of two tank platoons equipped with M60A2 Starships (the second platoon of tanks is due to arrive in approximately 5 minutes), and two mechanized infantry platoons mounted in M113A1s. In addition, I have a few support assets on hand, such as a self-propelled mortar platoon (three M125 mortar carriers, which provides all of my indirect fire support for this fight), two heavy machine gun teams (dismounted .50 caliber machine guns), two M150 ATGM carriers, three M48 Chaparral SAM tracks, and 8 M35 supply trucks. The company headquarters (CPT Duvauchel) along with the company FSO is present.

Terrain

A small town on a riverbank rests at the southern border of the map. There is single road bridge in the town that crosses the river, though there is also a railroad bridge and a dam that cross the river as well. North of the town are some plowed fields, a farm, a small inn, and light forests. A single MSR runs from North to South into the town down the middle of the map, and a railroad parallels the MSR on the West side of the map. The terrain elevation undulates slightly with approximately +/- 20m of change.

The weather is less than ideal. It is misty out, which reduces visibility. It is early morning and thus low light, further hindering visibility. The ground is damp, which increases the chance of vehicles bogging and becoming immobilized. There is a medium strength breeze blowing from the North.

Of note for this vignette, there is a small raised and wooded area just North of the town along the Western map edge. It is a forward position with good concealment and good sightlines (given the conditions) overlooking the terrain the Soviets are likely to attack across to get to the town. To its immediate South is a gentle decline that provides a covered route for friendly forces to fall back into the town. It is the ideal location to get early warning on Soviet movements and to conduct a delaying action. This is where our combat action will take place.

The Plan

The larger plan is to use the tanks and infantry to defend the town long enough for the M35s to be fully loaded, then to have everyone collapse back to the rear and take the Southern most exit point and leave the field. The infantry are dug into the buildings, tanks and M150s are in keyhole positions, and the mortars and Chaparrals are in the rear, standing by.

2^nd platoon led by 2LT Tassin is occupying the forward position. Their task is simple: disrupt the enemy and fall back. The Soviets must conduct a movement to contact. They know we are in the town, but they do not know the specific layout of our defense. The opening phase of this battle will have the Soviets attempting to shape the battlefield in their favor. This simply means they want to discover where my defenses are while also establishing advantageous positions for themselves that support the attack going in. By disrupting the Soviets ability to shape the battlefield in their favor, I make my overall defense easier and I buy precious time for the supply trucks to load up and get out.

To accomplish this, 2^nd platoon will occupy the forward position and lay low. This will allow them to ambush the Soviets if the Soviets bypass the forward position (Engagement Area Primary) or deny the Soviets the forward position while attritting the enemy at the same time (Engagement Area Secondary). If either of these engagements are successful it will hurt the Soviets early, giving me a crucial advantage and a nice time cushion.

The men of 2^nd platoon are dug in. They have foxholes (as well as a handful of dummy positions) just inside the tree line along the Southeastern edge of the woods. They are equipped with the infamous (for its questionable reliability) Dragon ATGM, the venerable M72A3 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) M60 GPMGs, M16s and hand grenades. The platoons 4 M113s are waiting along the Southern tree line, ready to mount up the infantry for a mad dash back to friendly lines after engaging the enemy.

2^nd platoons’ initial positions:

The men of 2^nd platoon occupying their fighting positions. The men are keeping low (‘Hiding’ in CM parlance) to keep from being seen:

Instead of being dug in near the tree line facing North, 3^rd squad is further back in the woods. They have taken up position in a ditch along a dirt road and are covering an opening in the forest. If the Soviets decide to attack these woods and take the position (which I anticipate) this small opening is an ideal killing ground:

The M113’s, ready to mount up and haul ass:

One engagement. Let the Soviets stumble into our positions, knock off as many as we can in the initial engagement, then break contact and fall back.

Up next is the fight itself!

Edited April 27, 2022 by IICptMillerII

[Vacillator]

OMG, I love it.  Thanks .

[Vergeltungswaffe]

Wow, the immersion factor...

[Rinaldi]

"Enfilading fire?"

Sorry, I only speak English. 

Followed. 

[Simcoe]

5 hours ago, IICptMillerII said:

The following is taken from a write up I am currently working on for my blog. I figured I would post "episodes" here for some interaction before consolidating it all into one post for the blog. It comes from a playtest I did recently on a community made scenario. The small fight that occurred in the beginning of the battle was too good not to share, and is also a great opportunity to talk a bit about the Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE). I also wanted to provide everyone with a change of pace. The Black Sea forum is soaking up most of the attention around here these days, and I figured a break from that might be appreciated. So without further ado:

Visualized in Combat Mission: Killing an FSE

A Tactical Vignette

The Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE) is one of the most common task organized formations encountered by NATO forces. For the Soviets it is an important tool that helps fix an enemy defender in place and shape the battlefield to allow for a successful attack. For NATO it is the first significant Soviet tactical combat formation encountered and a harbinger for a larger dedicated attack by a motor rifle battalion (MRB). The stakes presented to both sides by the FSE are high for both sides. Initial success in a tactical engagement largely comes down to the success or failure of the FSE.

This vignette features some excellent US Army vehicle reskins, done by S-Tank on the CM Discord. He recolored and upscaled the resolution on every US vehicle in the game, and they look fantastic. They can be downloaded here, or for those of you in the CM Discord, a download link and preview image can be found the mod repository text channel.

Forward Security Element

The Forward Security Element (FSE) is a Soviet task organized formation that is approximately Company sized. It is also known as the Advance Party or Vanguard. It generally consists of a company of motor rifle troops (mounted in either BTRs or BMPs) and a platoon of tanks. The tank platoon is often made up of four tanks instead of the better known three tank platoon organization the Soviets use, because in motor rifle regiments the tank units tended to be plussed up. There is usually at least a battery of field artillery on call for the FSE to call upon and may also have mortar sections/batteries in support as well. The FSE is a fluid formation that can have additional attachments delegated to it, such as engineering units/equipment, air defense artillery, forward observers, and reconnaissance units. Generally speaking, the Soviet FSE is similar in composition to a US Company Team.

(This image doesn't agree with the forum software, so I recommend viewing it in full size in another tab. Apologies for that, a graphic artist I am not)

The primary role of the FSE is to make contact with the enemy and either destroy it if it is of a smaller size than the FSE or fix it in place to give the rest of the battalion time to deploy and attack through the enemy.

To better understand the role of the FSE, one must understand how it fits into the larger Soviet warfighting machine. In simple terms, Soviet tactical formations are like a conveyor belt. Way out in front are the regimental reconnaissance assets, but their primary role is not combat. They are there to make sure what is on the map exists in reality and other non-combat related tasks. The smallest formation is the Combat Reconnaissance Patrol (CRP) which job is to find the enemy. A tripwire if you will. The CRP is followed by the FSE, whose job is to put pressure on the enemy by engaging and destroying him or at least fixing him in place with direct fires. The FSE is followed by the MRB (also known as the Advance Guard) which has the weight in numbers and support to conduct a deliberate attack and keep momentum going. Following the MRB is the rest of the Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR), and behind one MRR is another MRR, etc.

Apologies for the resolution on this, it is a scanned and stitched together image:

There are a lot of good resources out there to learn more about the FSE and how it fits into the Soviet way of war on the tactical level. This video does a nice job of breaking it all down, as does this simple yet informative writeup. Other resources worth checking out are TRADOC Pamphlet 350-16 Heavy Opposing Force, and the Cold War Gamer’s excellent blog. Just a heads up, many of the links on the Cold War Gamer’s blog are no longer active, and I think the owner is no longer keeping up with his blog.

A German Town—A Fighting Withdrawal

For this vignette I am going to be focusing in on a small combat action that occurs during a larger scenario. To help understand why the combat action plays out, I will provide some context.

This fight was the result of me play testing a scenario made by Cousin Hubert (Bartimeus on the CM forums). This scenario is the first of a series he is working on at the time of this writing for a mini campaign. Hubert makes fantastic maps, scenarios, and campaigns, all because he wants to add to the CM community and provide us with quality content. His map making skills alone make him a massive benefit to the community. Anyone familiar with how tedious and frustrating the CM map editor can be will have an even greater appreciation for his work. His AI plans are also very well done too.

He is the creator of two campaigns for Shock Force 2, which can be downloaded here and here. He has also produced some fantastic large maps for Cold War, which can be found here. We are very fortunate to have amazing contributors such as Hubert!

Situation

On the 8^th of April the Soviet Union launched a surprise attack on West Germany. Caught by surprise, NATO’s front line has collapsed, and friendly forces are now in full retreat. Communications with higher headquarters is severely deteriorated by enemy jamming and artillery fire, but they were able to inform us that a Soviet formation is headed our way and to pull out when able.

Mission

Fox Company must hold the town until intelligence and logistics personnel have finished loading M35 trucks with gear and sensitive equipment. These trucks are located at the fire station and industrial park and should be loaded and ready to go in approximately 40-50 minutes. Then the entire force must be withdrawn from the battlefield. Fox Company must withdraw as much of its combat power as possible and remain combat effective, as it will likely have to fight its way back to friendly lines. There are two egress routes on either side of the river to the rear of the town.

Enemy

An entire Soviet motor rifle battalion and all its supporting assets can be expected to attack us.

Troops

I am in command of a heavy combined arms company team, Fox Company. It consists of two tank platoons equipped with M60A2 Starships (the second platoon of tanks is due to arrive in approximately 5 minutes), and two mechanized infantry platoons mounted in M113A1s. In addition, I have a few support assets on hand, such as a self-propelled mortar platoon (three M125 mortar carriers, which provides all of my indirect fire support for this fight), two heavy machine gun teams (dismounted .50 caliber machine guns), two M150 ATGM carriers, three M48 Chaparral SAM tracks, and 8 M35 supply trucks. The company headquarters (CPT Duvauchel) along with the company FSO is present.

Terrain

A small town on a riverbank rests at the southern border of the map. There is single road bridge in the town that crosses the river, though there is also a railroad bridge and a dam that cross the river as well. North of the town are some plowed fields, a farm, a small inn, and light forests. A single MSR runs from North to South into the town down the middle of the map, and a railroad parallels the MSR on the West side of the map. The terrain elevation undulates slightly with approximately +/- 20m of change.

The weather is less than ideal. It is misty out, which reduces visibility. It is early morning and thus low light, further hindering visibility. The ground is damp, which increases the chance of vehicles bogging and becoming immobilized. There is a medium strength breeze blowing from the North.

Of note for this vignette, there is a small raised and wooded area just North of the town along the Western map edge. It is a forward position with good concealment and good sightlines (given the conditions) overlooking the terrain the Soviets are likely to attack across to get to the town. To its immediate South is a gentle decline that provides a covered route for friendly forces to fall back into the town. It is the ideal location to get early warning on Soviet movements and to conduct a delaying action. This is where our combat action will take place.

The Plan

The larger plan is to use the tanks and infantry to defend the town long enough for the M35s to be fully loaded, then to have everyone collapse back to the rear and take the Southern most exit point and leave the field. The infantry are dug into the buildings, tanks and M150s are in keyhole positions, and the mortars and Chaparrals are in the rear, standing by.

2^nd platoon led by 2LT Tassin is occupying the forward position. Their task is simple: disrupt the enemy and fall back. The Soviets must conduct a movement to contact. They know we are in the town, but they do not know the specific layout of our defense. The opening phase of this battle will have the Soviets attempting to shape the battlefield in their favor. This simply means they want to discover where my defenses are while also establishing advantageous positions for themselves that support the attack going in. By disrupting the Soviets ability to shape the battlefield in their favor, I make my overall defense easier and I buy precious time for the supply trucks to load up and get out.

To accomplish this, 2^nd platoon will occupy the forward position and lay low. This will allow them to ambush the Soviets if the Soviets bypass the forward position (Engagement Area Primary) or deny the Soviets the forward position while attritting the enemy at the same time (Engagement Area Secondary). If either of these engagements are successful it will hurt the Soviets early, giving me a crucial advantage and a nice time cushion.

The men of 2^nd platoon are dug in. They have foxholes (as well as a handful of dummy positions) just inside the tree line along the Southeastern edge of the woods. They are equipped with the infamous (for its questionable reliability) Dragon ATGM, the venerable M72A3 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) M60 GPMGs, M16s and hand grenades. The platoons 4 M113s are waiting along the Southern tree line, ready to mount up the infantry for a mad dash back to friendly lines after engaging the enemy.

2^nd platoons’ initial positions:

The men of 2^nd platoon occupying their fighting positions. The men are keeping low (‘Hiding’ in CM parlance) to keep from being seen:

Instead of being dug in near the tree line facing North, 3^rd squad is further back in the woods. They have taken up position in a ditch along a dirt road and are covering an opening in the forest. If the Soviets decide to attack these woods and take the position (which I anticipate) this small opening is an ideal killing ground:

The M113’s, ready to mount up and haul ass:

One engagement. Let the Soviets stumble into our positions, knock off as many as we can in the initial engagement, then break contact and fall back.

Up next is the fight itself!

This is awesome thank you for sharing.

[S-Tank]

Good stuff, can't wait for the next part. Also, thanks for the free advertising. I was going to post the link to my vehicle pack in Maps and Mods but I'm just too damn lazy.

[Monty's Mighty Moustache]

Looking forward to it all kicking off, following this one!

MMM

[IICptMillerII]

The Fight

(Apologies for some of the gifs not embedding. It seems Imgur only generates a .gif link if they are under a certain time limit. They can be viewed by clicking on the link, and once uploaded to the blog they will be properly embedded there as well. )

Things start off in typical Soviet fashion, with an artillery barrage.

https://i.imgur.com/Y2yEi2B.mp4

The Soviets pummel the town with BM21 rockets and tube artillery, probably a mix of 122mm and 152mm HE. What’s more, helicopter gunships can be heard over the din of artillery fire. The town is getting shellacked.

However, 2^nd platoon and its forward position remain unmolested. There is some sense to this. The Soviets are correctly massing their preparatory fires against the town, which they know to be defended. As they do not know about any of my positions outside the town, firing artillery at random points on the outskirts of town would be a waste. Part of the job of the FSE will be to identify my forward positions and either fix them with fire or destroy them outright, clearing the way for the main attack. The Soviets not knowing my specific unit positions as well as the main body of the battalion being at least 15 minutes away explains why there are no smoke missions either.

The volume of artillery fire reduces from a crescendo to a steady drumbeat as the BM21s empty their tubes and begin displacing and reloading. The tube artillery keeps up a rhythmic barrage. Casualties are suffered but are not nearly as heavy as an observer may think. In fact, the most damage done by this barrage is to prevent infantry and light vehicles from moving around inside the town to reposition the defense. Artillery does not have to kill to be effective. Despite the light casualties caused, reducing my ability to maneuver is just as debilitating.

The men of 2^nd platoon breathe a sigh of relief, which is quickly replaced by pangs of guilt as they watch the town get bombarded. These feelings pass quickly as well when they realize they are not out of the frying pan. Just as the Germans were infamous for their counter attacks, so too are the Soviets famous for their massed ground assaults following a preparatory artillery barrage. 2^nd platoon does not have to wait long until the lead elements of that assault begin making their presence known.

Through the leaves and mist, and over the din of artillery fire, vehicle engines are heard.

Based on these tentative contacts it would appear the enemy is moving along two initial axes, the small inn, and our forward position in the wood.

The contacts creep closer and closer to 2^nd platoon. More vehicle engines are heard as they draw closer.

The men brace themselves, knowing it is only a matter of time now before the enemy is upon them.

The contacts draw closer. The vehicle noises grow louder. And then, it happens.

A T-64 comes roaring into the clearing in the wood. 2^nd squad sees it first. The men grab for prepared LAWs and the Dragon gunner begins aiming. It is hard to ask for a better shot than this, broadside on within 100 meters. The broadside behemoth is aligned in the sights, and 2^nd squad cut loose.

https://i.imgur.com/u6wRiSf.mp4

The first LAW rocket misses high but the second one slams home, hitting the tank on the upper hull, penetrating it, and detonating the ammo stored in the auto loader carousel. The result is a massive explosion as all the ammo cooks off instantly, exploding violently up and out. 2^nd platoon has drawn first blood.

Moments later a BTR rolls up to the edge of the tree line. The Dragon gunner aims and takes a difficult shot through the trees at close range.

The gunner makes the tough shot, dispatching the BTR. Moments later, another BTR rolls up and begins spraying the area with machine gun fire. The Dragon gunner frantically ducks and begins reloading the launcher.

Soviet infantry suddenly appear, advancing forward in bounds while firing.

3^rd squad holds their fire till the enemy are at point blank range, then lay into them with rifles, machine gun and grenades.

https://i.imgur.com/tV6vH9Z.mp4

This firefight is short and sweet. The three advancing Soviets all go down in a matter of seconds under the close-range fusillade. Its not over yet though. More Soviets rush in, and a sharp firefight develops.

Both sides exchange fire at close range.

A Soviet RPK gunner gets off a good burst, wounding three men from 3^rd squad. The victory is short lived for the gunner. Return fire silences him and his buddies.

Firefights at close range like this with automatic weapons, underbarrel and hand thrown grenades and shoulder fired rockets are very short and very violent. The casualties suffered by 3^rd squad certainly sting, but they are not unexpected or catastrophic. Despite these losses, 2^nd platoon continues to put out a large volume of fire, killing and wounding the attacking Soviet infantry. After a firefight lasting no more than a minute or two, the Soviet infantry is repulsed, and the survivors flee.

The Soviets aren’t done yet. In a last desperate act, a T-64 charges through the woods at our positions. It screams past 2^nd squad guns blazing, wounding the squad leader.

It continues further until it is intercepted by point blank anti-tank fire from 1^st squad.

https://i.imgur.com/YAPYY1K.mp4

With the destruction of the tank, an eerie quiet falls over the wood. After waiting a few moments to watch for a renewed attack and with none materializing, the men begin tending to the casualties.

Once the casualties are collected and tended to, 2^nd platoon begins falling back by squad, starting with the squads furthest forward. 3^rd squad and part of 2^nd squad fall back, with the other half of 2^nd squad and 1^st squad providing security.

After they have safely passed, the rest of 2^nd squad and 1^st squad pull back to the M113s. The platoon leader and FIST team are the last to pull back to the waiting carriers. The entire movement proceeds without incident and the men mount up.

With .50 cals facing to the rear, the whole platoon pulls away from the woods and back to friendly lines. 2^nd platoon has completed its mission.

I will post a small after action debrief along with a link to the entire consolidated post once completed in the next few days. Thanks for the positive feedback everyone!

Edited April 29, 2022 by IICptMillerII

[Vacillator]

Excellent. Love the graphics and the reporting.  And stuff like this:

1 hour ago, IICptMillerII said:

Artillery does not have to kill to be effective. Despite the light casualties caused, reducing my ability to maneuver is just as debilitating.

 

[Rinaldi]

Splendid show. I love these battles within battles. 

[Bil Hardenberger]

@IICptMillerII, very well written and your graphics are perfect... you have come a long way padawan.  

[IICptMillerII]

8 hours ago, Bil Hardenberger said:

@IICptMillerII, very well written and your graphics are perfect... you have come a long way padawan.  

High praise from the master himself, thanks Bil!

[AttorneyAtWar]

Fantastic!

[Crinius]

Heres a training movie from the NVA of the GDR. Its in german and it demonstrates how the FSE of a East German MRD would handel a occupied hamlet. I think the Soviets would act in a similiar way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq_j2pCsdyE&list=PLTuXoP0i0GpiFUaXe6havKaM2eBtVYuVu&index=37

Edited May 5, 2022 by Crinius

[IICptMillerII]

1 hour ago, Crinius said:

Heres a training movie from the NVA of the GDR. Its in german and it demonstrates how the FSE of a East German MRD would handel a occupied hamlet. I think the Soviets would act in a similiar way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq_j2pCsdyE&list=PLTuXoP0i0GpiFUaXe6havKaM2eBtVYuVu&index=37

Nice find! Thanks for posting it. Love these old archival strips. 

[IICptMillerII]

Apologies for the delay on this one. I had to travel for a significant part of May and was unable to finish this before I left. Without further ado, the concluding post, along with a link to the entire post consolidated on my blog: https://millerswargamingvault.blogspot.com/2022/06/visualized-in-combat-mission-killing-fse.html

Hasty Debrief

This was a resounding success for the US. The Soviet FSE was stonewalled, and 2^nd platoon was able to fall back into friendly lines without further incident. Under combat conditions, this is probably the best outcome that could be realistically hoped for.

Some might make an argument that the position was abandoned too early. After all, the enemy was destroyed for relatively little loss, and the position is a good one. There were AT weapons remaining in the platoon (roughly half the dragon missiles and LAW launchers), the defensive fortifications were intact, and the M113’s were unmolested. They could have displaced later in the fight after potentially causing more damage to the Soviet attack.

However, this would have been cutting it too close in my opinion. The platoon had stopped the initial probe of Soviet forces and helped determine and shape Soviet intent. Staying in a good position isn’t always the right call. After all, the main goal of US forces in this scenario is to hold out long enough to allow logistics unit to pull out of the town and then have the combat forces fall back as well. Leaving 2^nd platoon far forward could have risked them being cut off, either physically or by fires.

In the end, the decision to fall back is a subjective one made by the commander in the field. There is no perfect solution, but there are certainly wrong solutions. Many times, the difference between a good plan and a bad one is a simple matter of timing.

How did the Soviets fare? From the US perspective, they were soundly defeated. From the Soviet perspective, it is not quite that clear cut. Jokes about political commissars and propaganda spinning aside, this is not as bad for the Soviets as one might think. The job of the Soviet FSE is to find and either destroy the enemy or fix them in place. In this case, the FSE found the enemy and engaged it. The engagement was not successful, but the enemy was found. As a result, the Soviet main effort went down the other flank, avoiding the defensive position that caused them problems. Had 2^nd platoon stayed in place, they would not have been able to effectively engage the Soviet main effort as it conducted its attack down the left flank and could have easily been cut off and unable to return to friendly lines. Plus, the Soviets do eventually take over the village and surrounding areas, which is the overall Soviet objective. While not blatantly successful, the efforts of the FSE have aided in attaining that goal. Finally, the entire FSE did not perish. Roughly half of the tanks and a 3^rd of the infantry were lost discovering 2^nd platoons location. The remaining tanks and infantry were able to establish initial positions in the center and left side of the map, revealing those routes to be viable avenues of approach for the Soviet main effort.

When viewed through the somewhat brutal lens of Soviet battlefield arithmetic, one can begin to understand how the Soviets might not view this as a resounding defeat. This understanding reveals insight into how the Soviets thought about success and defeat on the battlefield.