AAR: Ranger/Airborne Short Camp.

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by Lt. Ketch

Does anybody know why 4 of the possible 5 battles have been meeters?

Probably because the first 3 battles in a LC will be meeters.

Andy

[Imp]

Originally Posted by Mobhack

Probably because the first 3 battles in a LC will be meeters.

Andy

As a cheat round it for the first couple of battles set turns to 2, set vision low if need.
Select vic flags & press C (clear) set all to one side & place near there map edge.
Start the battle do nothing ends in 2 turns as one side controls all flags & its a meeter.
Sell your force & rebuy if wish as will have gained some experience.
Remember to think about start date as these battles will progress the time line but if do 3 can start with an attack or whatever.

[Lt. Ketch]

Originally Posted by Mobhack

Probably because the first 3 battles in a LC will be meeters.

Andy

But the campaign isn't a long campaign. It's a generated campaign with 5 total battles. As I said at the beginning this was an experiment in high mobility, so I didn't plan on going too far with it. I could be wrong with the number of battles I set, but it would be 10 max. Any idea?

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by Lt. Ketch

But the campaign isn't a long campaign. It's a generated campaign with 5 total battles. As I said at the beginning this was an experiment in high mobility, so I didn't plan on going too far with it. I could be wrong with the number of battles I set, but it would be 10 max. Any idea?

Generated Campaign == Long Campaign.

A User Campaign will have the battles (scenarios) the designer crafted. All other LC will have the first 3 as meeters. To include PBEM, campaign generator, or WW2.

Andy

[Lt. Ketch]

Thanks, Andy. I obviously didn't realize that.

[Lt. Ketch]

Last night I got 13 of the 28 turns played. In a continuing attempt to effectively use my high mobility, I decided to put a new twist on an standard tactic. Some updates on the map:

There is a stream that runs N-S at about the midway point, with a small (400M) lake in the north. It effectily puts a revine down the middle of the map. Lots of swamp and rough.

There are multiple roads: A primary road that runs E-W and crosses the lake at it's mid point as well as two secondary roads that basicly make a big X just west of Center on the map. There is also a rail line running NE-SW. All of these cross the stream at various points and form a large intersection in the middle of the map.

The terrian rises very steeply. The "Fort" (the backwarks "C" mentioned above) rises from level 20 to level 100 in all of 300m. On the oposite side of the stream, overlooking the intersection is a hill, covered in rough and impassable terrain that looks like a small range of Himilayas. The North is dominated by smaller hills and plataues while the south is similer but with a lot more trees.


The plan, again, was a little risky in that I was going to strand myself over on the west side of the stream. While I try to avoid obvious deployment areas (like on roads right on the deployment line), I decided to give it a risk. The AI hadn't bombarded those spots in the last battle. The plan was to cross the lake and move along the northern approaches, in essance duplicating the manuver I executed last time: penatrate, flank and capture. The twist was that I would be airlifting 2nd Ranger and their APCs far in advance of the rest of my troops. With visiabilty 38 and the number of trees and hills that were present, I was able to find a suitible route for my choppers to take. I reassigned the Chinooks and Blackhawks to 2nd Ranger, loaded the each chopper with A M113A3 and as much infantry they could carry, fitting all but the hummers into the 4 birds. 1st Ranger, the Sharidans and the SPMs would make their way across the bridge, which I targeted for bombardment from my support SPAs (which weren't 155mm but 203mm. I'm not always awake when I buy support and so it's hard to remember the next day.) The reason for this was I was leaving my Airborne without transport with the expection of the Hummers from 2nd Ranger. The Airborne were going to set up shop on the hill overlooking the intersection and "the fort" and keep an eye out for troops, target Artillary and, if large targets of opportunity were to show themselves, blow the snot out of them with the Javelin. I wanted to blow the bridge for two reasons, one to protect the airborne's right flank, the other, to see the pretty lights (silly, yes, but I was also hoping to catch enemy units on it). I also planned on keeping my artillary close and so would use the chinooks to move them around undercover. The Apaches would support the airborne and move against units coming against their left flank.

The plan has gone well so far, although there have been a few hic-ups. If I was playing against a human opponent, I would be in a lot more trouble.

Pre-turn bombardment was present, in large numbers, where you could expect it - along the roads at the deployment line. My troops sustained very light damage, and weren't slowed in their crossing of the lake (which was right on the other side of my deployment line. Two MiGs did make an appearance and tried to shoot up some units, but missed.

Break for a lucky moment. When the MiGs appeared, my APCs and Ammo Carriers opened up on them. The first plane made it through without a problem. The second plane made his run and as he was leaving the map (in the last 100m) was hit twice receiving 8 damage. One shot was by an APC with 3% to hit, the second by am Ammo Carrier with 5% to hit. He never came back.

Stage one of the plan, getting into position, when off well. The birds deleivered 2nd Ranger to a sheltered spot along the north map edge and they were able to move up into a scouting position in short order. The choppers also farriered over the MLRSs and their Ammo carriers as well as my core Ammo carriers with little difficulty. 1st Ranger, the Sharidons, Company HQ, Battalion HQ, and the SPMs all made the trip to meet up with 2nd Ranger via a small path (only 50m wide at times) between a cliff and the lake edge. I love finding paths through impossible terrian. The area up there facilitated higher visibility than I originally thought, but my units were all able to get undercover without being seen (to my knowledge anyway). The Airborne moved into position and started spotting units coming over the walls of "the fort" at the end of turn two. My leading Apache was able to spot and elimnate, with no threat to himself a large collection of low grade APCs, as well as the regular BTR-80s.

By turn 5 2nd Ranger had spotted and destroyed a platoon of T-62s that tried to move throught their position. The Apaches were also able to eliminate a group of unts (APCs and T-80s) moving along the E-W primary road before they got to the bridge. The artillary didn't bring the bridge down and doesn't look like it will. If they had made it to the bridge however, one of my Sharidans had a lovely little spot in the trees picked out which gave him a clear shot at the rear of anybody that got to the middle point of the bridge. Say what you will about lightly armoured, low ammoed Airborne tanks - in my book the Sharidan is a nice little killing machine. You got to love something that uses a cannon that is bigger than a lot of artillary pieces. The airborne troops were being a resuffle as my ATGM spent three missles on dinky little APCs (I can't wait to get the CD and the op fire filter) and I didn't want any of the enemey's 130mm steel rain coming down on him. As it was, on of the hummers was destroyed by a revisiting MiG. Crew survived though. The airborne squads, MMG team and Javelin team were airlifted by the blackhawks north to resupply the ATGM and watch the lake with the rifle squads simply moved around the hill, still keeping eyes on the intersection and southern (left) flank. Their spotting helped the Apaches remove a couple of pesky APCs that slipped across the river at a ford. They also were able to call down artillary on "the fort" decimating the milling squads and units trying to make it to the primary road from there.

The action started picking up in the north as 1st Ranger met up with 2nd and prepared to move out. An enemy rifle squad was spotted west of their position. Where there is one, there will probabably be a company. I moved 1st Ranger onto a small hill directly south of 2nd ranger to set up overwatch of the area. As I unloaded units, they drew fire from a sniper as well as a hummer taking ATGM fire from the road to the south of them. I hadn't realized that the hill was visible from the road. There was a SP ATGM unit, as well as a couple of the everpresent SPAA guns. One APC was hit on the following turn and lost its AAMG, but I was able to evade, avoid furture damage and moved the vehicles off the hill, leaving my troops to continue overwatch and pop smoke. I targeted MLRS, 60mm and 120mm mortar fire on there are in front of me. It was a bit close but seing as I had good LOS and couldn't see any furture, I figured I was okay. I was right. A few othe squads were spotted along with a section of SPAAs hanging in the rear. Right after the rockets rained down, 2nd Ranger was in APCs and moving forward, unloading next to the enemy and driving them away. One Sharidan also moved out and although he took fire from a ATGM team on the road and some SPAA fire, he poped smoke, got cover from a line of trees and was able to dispatch the SPAAs to the west and south and also suppressed the everloving tar out of the ATGM team. TI is very nice when you can see through smoke. I did lose two an APC before the Sharidon was able to dispatch the SPAAs. The turn after 2nd Ranger made their move, Rocket artillary (mine, planned) came in on their left flank and 1st Ranger stared moving. One turn earlier would have been better as 130mm and 122mm steel rain fell on them. With no clear causalties, I tried to rally my troops, but it was tough. One made it clear, the others still pinned. I brought up the APCs and kept them close so they could evacuate next turn if possible. The artillary fell again, once more with no visible losses and what troops weren't rallied to move on their own were extracted by APC. Currently 2nd Ranger has almost reached the NW arm of the X road and will be setting up a quick defense, waiting for the other element to arrive before proceeding down it. Atrillary will help prep the area, since my MLRSs are now rearmed. I have already used some artillary on the southern road to supress the element there. The one thing I do have to watch out for is the bomblets left over. I've alreay spotted two of them from my first bombardment.

Overall, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. I've only seen eight AFVs and they weren't of sufficent points to make me think that the enemy's almost dead. There has to be more of them out there. Recon will be important, as will overwatch. Enemy LAD is still very much in place on his side of the map. I've only taken out 1 MANPAD and the AI will generally have 3 or 4 per company. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but it's worked so far. I should get some more down tonight, but my not be able to post until later.

[Mobhack]

Unfortunately you are using the SP carry categories, which really do not properly reflect the real life carry capacities of units. (With regard to guns, vehicles etc anyway).

The chinook has a carry capacity of 244, to allow a decent number of leg troops to be carried, and also a small vehicle (hence the 2XX code). But a 210 carry capacity would limit the thing to just 10 grunts (or 1 hummer). 4 hummers would be a reasonable load for a landing craft with about 250 load code though.

Carry capacity in SP has nothing to do with "tonnage" - it is just a "magic number".

M113 and sheridan are really too heavy to actually be carried by chinook - you should limit yourself to a jeep/hummer and when doing so, no extra passengers. Chinooks rarely actually carry vehicles, just grunts.

Otherwise you are simply using/bending the game system mechanics to allow yourself unrealistic outcomes compared to real life.

Cheers
Andy

[gila]

Ketch,

When you get tired of fiddling around with your toy soldiers for practice, play me another game.

[Lt. Ketch]

Originally Posted by Mobhack

Unfortunately you are using the SP carry categories, which really do not properly reflect the real life carry capacities of units. (With regard to guns, vehicles etc anyway).

...

M113 and sheridan are really too heavy to actually be carried by chinook - you should limit yourself to a jeep/hummer and when doing so, no extra passengers. Chinooks rarely actually carry vehicles, just grunts.

Otherwise you are simply using/bending the game system mechanics to allow yourself unrealistic outcomes compared to real life.

Cheers
Andy

Didn't know that. It makes total sense and I'll rememeber that in the future. I guess that when I loaded a Sheridan into a Blawkhawk on the last two turns, it was more than stretching reality.

Originally Posted by Gile

Ketch,

When you get tired of fiddling around with your toy soldiers for practice, play me another game.

My turn around time would be 3-5 days. I'm not sure if you want to play a game that may last two months. But I am feeling more confidant at MBT. I'll look at my schedule and see what we can make happen.

[Lt. Ketch]

It's been almost a week since I finished this battle, so details are a little sketchy at the moment.

2nd Ranger waited a brief moment moment to regroup before heading down the road towards the objectives. 1st ranger took up overwatch in the trees and a small hill directly north of the objectives. I was able to take to objective by moving both down the road, 2nd ranger securing the right flank and fending off units coming up the road, and moving across the open area north of the objectives with 1st ranger. There was little resestance immediatly around the objectives, but I did lose a MMG squad and APC to a stupid move on my part (ran full bore into a RPG team). 2nd Ranger routed a platoon's worth of squads comming up the NW-SE part of the 'X'. I kept moving past the objectives after taking them, knowing the AI would drop artillary on them. This proved doubly helpful as several squads of infantry began appearing east of the objectives, obviously trying to reclaim them. My choppers supported a couple of squads in eliminating these pests, however one was able to inflict causlties to one of my squads.

My airborne units were finally able to spot the other shoe that I've been waiting to drop. It consisted of a platoon of T-62s and three "Shiny" AFVs (Can't rememeber their names for the life of me). Apaches were sent to remove the T-62s as they were in a area that was known to be clear of LAD. My airborne targeted MLRS fire in the path of the "Shinies", hoping to eliminate them at range without endagering the Choppers. This worked in someways, but not in others. Ultimatly, the Apaches depatched the shinies at range after the MLRS fire suppressed them and the company's worth of infantry that was with them unseen.

With 3 turns to go, I made a desicion to made a try at the middle objectives in "the fort". It took a turn to load up a chinook with two squads and an APC and bring in the blackhawks to support, one loaded up a ranger patrol and Law team, the other with a Sheridan tank. As Andy pointed out above, this sort of thing is very very un-realistic. I thank him for that observation and instruction. The choppers landed made it to the objectives with no insident and the troops were able to take all but one of the objectives the next turn. The choppers were fired on by a MANPAD as they exited, but it was located and destroyed.

This battle was a good confirmation of things I learned in the last battle. However, if I had been playing a human opponent, I'm sure I would have been creamed as they would have likely responded early to the presence of my troops in close proximity to the objectives rather than acting when I started flipping objectives. Also, it turns out I did things with my choppers that can't be done in real life, so my tactics were flawed somewhat. Overall, I'm content with my marginal victory, but I am not pleased with my tactics. I still have much to learn.

The next battle is an advance and the last battle for this core. As such, I upgraded the Hummers I used for 1st and 2nd ranger to Bradleys, intending to use them as scouts and for a more anti-armour support. In support I picked up a section of Urban MBTs, six 82mm mortars, 3 105mm guns and a number of air units consisting of 2 WW F-16 SEAD, 2 A-10 Strike with Cluster bombs and Mavericks, and a UAV. I planned on using my choppers to move the artillary as needed. My plan is not set, but I'll post when I've begun.