CM: BS DAR Gnarls vs. Artemis258: Art stay out...

[Gnarly]

Gents, my first DAR; I had planned one back in December, but my sparring partner vanished…



This is my third BS game versus @Artemis258 (and in fact my first PBEM game was against him), and I must admit that I am thoroughly embarrassed at the ending of the previous two, both being rather pathetic cease fires from my side. This is also my second ever PBEM game using armour. So this DAR has a twofold purpose; to hopefully keep a few of you entertained at my likely rapid demise and poor usage of Ukrainian Oplots, and to keep me honest. Oh, and possibly to get some extra tactical opinions from the grogheads on here! ;D



I have rapidly learnt that BS is absolutely brutal, and very unforgiving. If you can be seen, you are likely gonna be deaded real quick! My last game versus Art was my first experience with armour in a PBEM, and that was truly a lesson by fire; my (prehistoric) Bulat’s started going pop rather rapidly….

After that game (small force on a medium map), I realized that BS really needs a map 2 sizes larger than the force when using tanks, for them to have decent tactical options and maneuvering room. To quote Artemis, (it was) a knife fight in a phone booth.



So having learnt my lesson, Art (defending Russkies) and I (attacking Ukranians) are again going to head to head in another probe over a medium map, again with small forces. And this map is pretty much open country through the middle… GAH! And I was the map selector… Stoopid!

This is a no-holds barred match, except with no air assets whatsoever (including drones).

So here goes.

 

[Gnarly]

First the terrain.



I’m attacking from the west, across a river with a bridge (major objective) and two fords either side. I’ve a moderately wooded Medium (height) Ridge running at an angle on my left flank, and a low Sparse Ridge on my right flank. The map is dominated by a Big Hill on Art’s left flank (SE corner).


Looking obliquely back across from my right flank:


From behind my jump-off line, looking east.

 

[Gnarly]

Gnarls brainstorming


This is where CM luminaries such as Bil would invoke an obscure acronym such as METT-T, or some other random collection of consonants, which lacking any vowels, almost invariably fail to stick in my brain, and require a google search every-time to unearth the meaning of each letter....


Instead, I'll apply my own effortlessly remembered acronym, in the spirit of @C3K's current approach vs @Baneman in their CM:FB battle: KISS



So, the midfield is a veritable death trap (again stoopid map choice by the author ); as soon as any of my team steps foot (or tread) past either the Medium Ridge or the Sparse Ridge, they will almost invariably be met by a swarm of ATGM missiles and T-90 125mm projectiles.


Art’s side


In terms of Art's deployments, whilst the Big Hill has a commanding view over the whole map, it is very exposed, so I am not expecting much armour up there. Instead, I presume he will liberally seed it with ATGM and supporting teams (likely an FO) in foxholes.


The buildings at the minor objectives will also likely have an FO and ATGMs, and a tank or two keyholed if possible. The bulk of his armour is likely to be around his right flank, tucked away amongst the sparse trees and being held as a reaction force once he has an idea of my intentions.


I am expecting Art to make liberal use of arty, as I have very limited features on my side to work from.


Gnarls side


I’m generally a cautious player, and as mentioned previously, in BS, he who sees first, generally wins. So a C3K style rush will in all likelihood lead to my complete devastation.


Instead, I’m going to get eyes (and barrels) across the lengths of both the Medium Ridge and the Spare Ridge, get an idea of Art’s forces, blast those I can see, and see what happens from there. I am inclined to focus getting a force onto the western flank of the Big Hill at some point; from there they can dominate Art’s right flank, whilst being out of LOS of any of Art’s forces in his middle.



On my left flank, the Medium Ridge has quite a width and density of trees, but with little foliage at the base of the trunks (poplar trees or something). Pretty difficult to get Oplots with LOS through/across it, without exposing them. And their maneuverability in there would be crap. So instead I’m going to convert it into a prickly ridge of crew served weaponry, though I expect casualties amongst them from an arty barrage sooner or later. The Antitank Platoon, led by callsign Charles with 2 BMP-2’s, will deploy 3 AT-4c and 2 recoilless rifle teams across the length of the ridge, with LOS onto Big Hill. They will be supported by the paired-down mechanized 4th Platoon, with 2 BMP-2’s and 2 squads.



Anchoring the right side of the Medium Ridge will be a reduced 2nd Platoon of 2 Oplots under, as well at the Company HQ tank. The overall Tactical Group HQ tank backstops this force.


My right flank is pretty simple; an extended line of both 1st Platoon’s 3 Oplots and 3rd Platoon’s 2. My FO (callsign ‘Assassin’, with 1 battery of off-map 152mm) and the Command squad is also over here, as well as one attached ATGM team from the Antitank platoon.



Intent



Find ‘em and blast ‘em!



Get LOS quickly across the field with the Oplots, and eliminate any vehicles. Use the arty to neutralize any ATGM teams on the Big Hill, as well as destroy the buildings at the minor VP (specifically looking for FO’s). Then we’ll see. I have added three TRPs at Big Hill, the minor VP and the buildings on Art’s right flank, to this purpose (otherwise UKR and US arty call times are almost useless in a fast moving battlefield, as this will be….)

Lets see just how quickly this 'plan' goes to the crappers!!

 

[Gnarly]

Opening minute 60 – 59



Surprisingly, no visual contacts.

The antitank and infantry platoons disembark close to the treeline of the Medium Ridge.

The northernmost ATGM team hears infantry movement on the opposite side of the ridge, whilst engine sounds are also heard amongst the trees at the western base of Big Hill.

 

[Gnarly]

Minute 59-58



On the right flank, a missile from Big Hill impacts close to a tank of 1st Platoon.

Immediately the 1st Company HQ tank and a 4th Plat. IFV open fire on the pesky crew-served weapon.

Meanwhile, 3 BMPs from the antitank and infantry platoons converge on the infantry contacts on the Medium Ridge, providing area fire, whilst the A team of 1st Squad/4th moves in, providing protection for the weapon teams.

First blood to Art (I think?) as the machine gunner in the A team is killed, after crouching up to engage the (I presume?) Russian scouts.

Lastly, a single heavy calibre spotting round impacted the road just west of the bridge (you can see the dust below). I'm surprised that Art hasn't TRP's dialed in for both the Medium and Sparse ridges...

 

[Gnarly]

Minute 58-57

The bunfight amongst the trees at the north end of the Medium Ridge continues; a member of the 2nd ATGM team is critically wounded. A BTR-82 is spotted by a recoiless team high and to the back of the Big Hill.

With an extensive IR-blocking tank-deployed smoke screen (due to laser-warnings) in front of my right flank (moving rapidly NNW), I've ordered the two tanks of 2nd platoon to rush forward to the little copse of trees to their front left, to try and get some LOS down onto the minor objective, and Art's right flank.

 

[Gnarly]

Minute 57-56

That BTR ineffectively engages the Antitank IFV's whilst under a barrage of rounds from the 1st recoiless team; it takes them 7 shots before the BTR is neutralised.





One of the ATGM teams briefly spots another BTR to the right.

The firefight continues on the medium Ridge, with another 3 man team spotted ln the middle of the ridge.

On my right, 2nd platoons Oplots dart forward unopposed (whew!). 1st platoon's HQ tank gets a visual an another BTR in the trees at the west base of the Big Hill at the turn end.

 

[Gnarly]

Minute 56-55

A few more team-sized infantry contacts among the Medium Ridge woods, suppressed by the IFV's with some airburst crossfire from a 2nd platoon tank.

2 BTR's are briefly spotted reversing from the copse of trees on the west base of Big Hill; they are lost before they can be fired upon.

My tanks are putting down area fire on any vehicle contacts, with the hope of at the least forcing them to retreat and perhaps revealing themselves, if not actually damaging them. A missile detonates harmlessly in the trees in front of 2nd platoon.

 

[Rico]

Minute 56-55

A few more team-sized infantry contacts among the Medium Ridge woods, suppressed by the IFV's with some airburst crossfire from a 2nd platoon tank.

2 BTR's are briefly spotted reversing from the copse of trees on the west base of Big Hill; they are lost before they can be fired upon.

My tanks are putting down area fire on any vehicle contacts, with the hope of at the least forcing them to retreat and perhaps revealing themselves, if not actually damaging them. A missile detonates harmlessly in the trees in front of 2nd platoon.

Can't see your screenshot pics

 

[Gnarly]

Can't see your screenshot pics

There are none for that minute; pretty dull minute visually. Lots of sound contacts, and any infantry vanishes the moment it's hit, so screenies are just explosions over sound icons...

 

[Rico]

There are none for that minute; pretty dull minute visually. Lots of sound contacts, and any infantry vanishes the moment it's hit, so screenies are just explosions over sound icons...

No -- meant in your previous Minute 57-56 post.

 

[Gnarly]

No -- meant in your previous Minute 57-56 post.

Ahh, got it. I needed to upload from URL, not try to insert Google drive image links as images..

Think I've fixed it now; do all images in this thread show as full size?

 

[Rico]

Ahh, got it. I needed to upload from URL, not try to insert Google drive image links as images..

Think I've fixed it now; do all images in this thread show as full size?

Yes, all good now. :cheers:

 

[Gnarly]

I got the next turn back from Art in the wee hours, and the action is starting! A preview:

 

[Gnarly]

Minute 56-55

Much excitement amongst the men!!!

Surrounded by the 6 limp bodies of his devastated squad (and here I thought it was a scout team...!), the lone surviving Russian in the northernmost part of the Medium Ridge woods surrendered!

Putin's finest... BAH! More like conscript scum.... Never bring an assault rifle to an IFV gunfight!

Which leads me to think that the other contacts in the middle of the Medium Forrest are also likely a full squad (somewhat reduced by now...)?



The IFV (of the Antitank Platoon) pictured above in fact spent most of the turn hosing down the buildings at the minor objective (also to be the target of my arty barrage). The gunner was so preoccupied, that it took him some time to realise he was getting targeted (aka 'plinked'...) by a BTR atop Big Hill (the second one as spotted briefly back in minute 58-57). Angrily he slew the turret around, and made short work of the BTR.

Never bring 14.5mm to a 30mm gunfight Russkies!

And whilst we are talking about always having the biggest gun at a gunfight (and likely much to John Kettler's amusement), a few rounds of 152mm HE arrived on that likely (wooden!!) house OP at the minor objective (which I'd already been hosing down with the IFV above...).



I sooo hope there was someone in there....

 

[Gnarly]

Lastly, there had been a vehicle sound contact amongst the trees on the northern slopes of Big Hill; my tanks had been hosing the area down for a few turns. The smoke screen dissipated to reveal another destroyed BTR. Nice!



So at this point I've seen:

Medium Ridge - likely 2 squads on infantry (1.5 of which are neutralized). Therefore I reckon there is another squad plus HQ somewhere near abouts; i.e. a whole infantry platoon. Likely anchored at the trees either side of the northern ford...

Big Hill - 5 BTR's (3 neutralized, 2 OK at western base), 1 neutralized ATGM team. Did he deploy a weapons/antitank platoon over Big Hill?

Graphically represented below, where:

Red = Dead

Green = Alive

Yellow is somewhere on the way to being dead.....

 

[Gnarly]

So aside from trying to find and mop up that 2nd Russian squad in the mid-Medium Ridge, and some area fire on the 2 live BTR locations and the copse of trees on the east side of the northern ford, I've planned a special gift for the other likely ATGM teams locations up the hill in about 3 minutes...

 

[Mr_Centipede]

Hey mate. nice reading there...

 

[Gnarly]

Hey mate. nice reading there...

Thanks Mr C, and welcome back; I was wondering which corner of the earth you'd fallen off. I hope you have resolved the business issues from late 2015?

Being my first DAR, I am still trying to work out the best mode of story-telling, for both the reader and myself; keep it dispassionate and from a god-like view, or give the soldiers more character and a face, as Bud_B over at the BF forums does so well (@Anschlad on here, I hope that ain't supposed to be a secret!)? Or someone between. We'll see!

Anyways, glad you enjoyed. I can say that the prophesied arty from Art is finally arriving over the Medium Ridge next turn...

 

[Gnarly]

Minute 55-54

Area fire from my right flank destroys one of the two BTR targets at the west base of the hill. The company HQ tank spots the other:

Light artillery fire starts to drop over the medium ridge. My northermost pixeltruppen come under fire from I think the woods east of the northern ford, possibly MG fire. An ATGM crew member is incapacitated.

An inbound missile misses one the nearby IFV's; it looks like the Russian ATGM team I thought neutralised, may not be. Area fire on the location from multiple vehicles should rectify that oversight.