CMBS Ukraine DAR - Quinte vs Mr_Centipede (Mr_Centipede, stay out!)

[Quinte]

So I just had my first PBEM ever in Combat Mission, against Mr_Centipede. I screwed up the setup a bit (he didn't get to preview the map, and I did), so we agreed to a second match (He would do the set up this time).

As I'm quite new to CM, I figured making a DAR would probably be the best way to learn, so here I go. I'm playing the Ukrainians, assaulting his russians. He let the map, time and weather as random... we ended up with night, heavy fog. And lots of trees. Basically, hell for me.

First, here is the map:

In red, the three main phase lines I want to cross. Tree major steps, I'll figure the rest out once (if?) I get to the Highway. Here is to hoping he doesn't have any defenses set up before Treeline Alpha.
Magenta outlines the most important pieces of high ground. While the two easternmost hills should not be any trouble immediately, the Victory Hill has a perfect view over a large piece of open filed that I will have to cross eventually.
The OP Alpha point has a good LOS towards Victory Hill, as well as most treelines around.
The main road, going from West to East, is almost entirely exposed to the NE Hill.

Jumping to my forces purchase:

- 3 full companies of infantry. 1st Co has two platoons mouted in BTR-4Es, one in BTR-70s.
2nd Co has one platoon in BTR-4Es, the rest in BTR-70s. 3rd Co is mounted in trucks. Each company comes with a Weapon platoon (Two ATGMs, 4 machineguns)

- 1 recon platoon. Four teams in BRDMs, and one recon squad in a truck. Those are my only infantry with NVGs.

- Each company is attached with either an FO team or an arty observation vehicle.

- 1 battery of heavy howitzers, a platoon of heavy mortars, and a platoon of medium mortars

- 2 Tunguska ADS

- 2 Oplots (one with APS)

- ten TRPs

Basically my tanks and my recon units are the only one to see in the dark. With that in mind, here is the genral plan:

1st Co will attack on the left flank, while bypassing as much as possible any defences set up along the main road. 3rd Co (mounted in trucks) will stay in reserve, and come up to either relieve 1st CO in the assault or mop up the bypassed defences.
2nd Co will move on the right flank to try and secure a base of fire at OP Alpha. The tanks will be moving behind 2nd CO to set up there.
I will avoid moving along the main road, as it will probably be covered by guns and ATGMs from the NE Hill.

All movements will be screened by dismounted recon units. Hopefully I can identify enemy positions, and then use overwhelming fire to assault them, even with little visibility.
Obviously, it will all rely on the ability to put down indirect fire as suppression. Sadly, the delays for ukrainian arty are pretty long, but at least the use of TRPs should help.
I'm already afraid I didn't take nearly enough arty with me. I'll have to be quite conservative with it.

Here is a map with all my TRPs, marked by a 50m radius circle.

First turn is sent! I reckon I'll get absolutely wrecked this game, but I still might learn a thing or two.

 

[Quinte]

As you would expect, turn 1 was unenventful...
Except that one of my BRDMs is immobilized already, and another one is bogged. I failed to check the terrain condition, and it 's wet. It's just getting better and better.
Also realized that while I was sure my scout teams had NVGs, they don't. Only one pair of NVGs for an entire battalion, and we're attacking at night.

 

[Gnarly]

Looking forward to your DAR Quinte, as I'm now about to finish my second PBEM game against Mr C as well, as the Ukranians again, and the TRP's have proved invaluable (in fact, UKR arty I think would struggle to be useful without them, particularly with poor LOS as in wooded an urban terrain).

Question; is the N-S feature through the Major VP a road? Is it a raised berm or not raised?? If raised, is it a likely locale for him to hull down or emplace some teams behind, therefore some TRPs?

"Except that one of my BRDMs is immobilized already, and another one is bogged. I failed to check the terrain condition, and it 's wet. It's just getting better and better."

I know that sinking feeling...


Nice highlights on your maps by the way.

 

[Quinte]

Turn two was equally uneventful. The bogged recon vic got itslef unbogged, and on the left flank, my scout teams are getting close to position. The first barrage of mortars should hit the left flank of Treeline Alpha in about 4 minutes, so first platoon is advancing behind my scouts to get ready for the assault.

My plan is to assault on a very limited width, with two squads acting as a base of fire, and one squad crossing when the barrage ends. I'll use a BTR4 to deploy smoke on the right flank of that assault, as well as another platoon that will fire indiscriminately across the smoke.


On my right flank, the scouts have a bit of a hike to go yet.

 

[Quinte]

Turn 5: My scouts have gotten in position in front of treeline Alpha. They can't see anything, what with the lack of NVGs and a finnicky reverse slope.
Nonetheless, my troops are moving in for the assault...

While the treeline is receiving some antipersonnel fire from my mortars.

That slight terrain oddity is messing up with my plan, though. I can't get any LOS on the treeline, and I need to move up a bit in the open to set up my BOF. A BTR-4 is gonna be sending smoke on the right flank of the assault, if the trees don't intercept every single smoke canister.

@Gnarly : Assuming you're actually talking about the second Min VP, it's a big highway, with a small wall in the middle. I expect him to have a bunch of defenses there, but we're not there yet...

 

[Quinte]

Turn 6: I have no idea how he managed to synchronized that, hat's off to Mr_Centipede!

Just when my assault was getting in place, he responded with a perfectly time artillery barrage... sending 12 of my men to the grave before even getting in contact with the enemy.

Smoke was more or less succesfully deployed on my flank, though.

And my BTR-70s come to the rescue to suppress the enemy treeline.

I get a few suspected contact icons in the treeline, indicating there was indeed enemy presence here. Next turn, I move across and try to secure myself a position there, especially on my right flank.

On the right flank, 2nd Co's scouts are slowly getting into position, still not seeing anything.

 

[Quinte]

Next turn, turn 7.

I crossed with a few "small accidents" (1 RPG failed to cross the open and exloded near one of my teams, killing two more men and creating a bit of a panic).

I'm now in the process of moving the rest of my first platoon across, and clear the treeline, while third platoon will try and provide security on my right. Here is the current map.

 

[Quinte]

Two turns later, I think, so turn 9.

My scout squad, sent to get some eyes on the main road, ambushed an AGS team as well as what could be an FO team. Then something big exploderized them. I have two scouts left, and I still see two enemies on the road. There's no way I'm pulling away from them in open terrain, but I'm sending him a surprise. I'll also dismount a lone grunt to serve as a sentry, so that he doesn't try to push through the middle and end up whacking my reserve company on the starting position.

In the meantime, on my right flank, my scouts are still moving to get some eyes on suspected enemy positions. I've got two platoons, mounted in BTR-70s, and two Oplot to make that assault. I'm thinking about using the tanks to deply smoke on the left flank of the assault, the using their optics to identify enemy positions while my infantry charges forward.

Finally, on the left flank, my first company is still engaged in heavy combat with an invisibkle force. I've sent a squad on my right flank, and was rewarded by flanking a foxhole positions which I shall assault next turn. I have a few stragglers still in the same treeline as I am, but I'm decided to keep my momentum and assault the next treeline immediately, as they're already firing on me. Mortars should fall in a minute.

 

[Gnarly]

Sensational shots!

 

[Quinte]

14 minutes into the game...

As a short mortar barrage ends, my two platoons on the left flank assault the next treeline and finish some shell-shocked troops at point blank.

Meanwhile, on my right flank, some troops supported by a tank start crossing an open field, waiting for the mortars to shell the opposing treeline. Not very subtle, and if he doesn't know by know that I'm also moving on his left flank, he's about to receive the message loud and clear. I can't afford to get there without arty support though, his NVG-equipped troops would destroy mine if he has some in that treeline.

Plan is to have a tank deploy a smoke wall on my left, while a platoon crosses on foot and another crosses mounted, all while mortars are falling. Should happen in two minutes.

 

[Quinte]

Two turns later...

I lost a BTR4 and a BTR70 on the right flank. In the heavy fog and the dark, nobody can't see anything. Area fire is mostly not happening, and I was forced to bring then really close to the enemy.
Overall, my situation on the left flank is not good. A lot of casualties, I haven't even crossed my second phase line yet, and the enmy on my flank is starting to cause me trouble.
Good thing is, my first Company still has a reserve platoon that I can bring up, mounted in BTR-4Es. And I still have a full company in reserve.

On the right flank, my 2nd company has begun the assault. My soldiers emerge from the smoke, running towards the treeline under heavy bombardment.

On this side, I have some suspected contacts from what seems to be two tanks. I'll make a situation map next turn to show all that. I have yet to figure out how to deal with those.

 

[Quinte]

Didn't get to make that map after all. My assault got bogged down on both flanks, and even though I've still got some reserve troops, I cannot cross large open fields to make it to the railroad.

I've issued a cease-fire request now.

Edit: Cease fire was accepted. Major defeat, as I didn't get to secure any of the objectives. Upon reviewing the map, I could probably have pushed my last company in the center, up to the first objective, but it was in plain sight of one of his FO teams. Overall, I feel there wasn't much to do given the conditions, and retreating was probably the smartest thing.

 

[Mr_Centipede]

It was a tough fight... sorry about the fog... I selected random weather, and the game chose fog. My troops also can see anything in the dark... my AGS team cant even use their grenade launcher... sad really

 

[Cargol]

Nice read keep those DAR coming @Quinte!!