CMBS Quick Battle Operation Nutcracker Con vs UCG no UCG!!

Started by Con, December 19, 2015, 11:17:21 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Con

Operation Nutcracker
Scenario = Meeting engagement
Mech Inf only
Weather Hazy
Temp Warm
Time of Day = Dusk
Month June
Battle Length 75 minutes
Location Hills/Farmland

Forces
Task Force Grinch
1xM126 Stryker w M19 Grenade Launcher
2nd Platoon HQ
3x Squad Troops
2x LMG teams
1X FO
Strykers
3X M126 Styker w. 50cal
1xM126 Stryker w M19 Grenade Launcher
Supported with
Ops Team (Major)
Stinger Team
Fire Support Team
Javelin Team
M130 Command Stryker

Task Force Krampus
3x M128 MGS Strykers
1x M129 Mortar Stryker

Task Force Buddy the Elf

1st Platoon HQ
3x Squad Troops
2x LMG teams
1X FO
Strykers
3X M126 Styker w. 50cal
1xM126 Stryker w M19 Grenade Launcher
Support
Javelin Team

Task Force Frosty the Snowman

2X M129 Stryker (mortar)
1X M130 Command Stryker
1X M167 Humvee (ATGM)
Support
1X Sniper Team

Task Force Rudolf (with his nose so bright)
C Co HQ
2X Scout Teams
1x Sniper
1xXO team
1x M126 Stryker
1x M126 Stryker Mk19
1xM131 FST Stryker

Task Force Santa (or the Fat Man)
1st Battalion HQ (Lt. Col)
Javelin Team
Heavy Mortar Sq
Stinger Team
TACP Team
Support
Headquarters Co HQ
Mortar Platoon HQ
HQ Support Team
Sniper Section HQ
2x Sniper team
2x M130 Command Strykers

Offboard Support

1x Battery 177A2 155mm Howitzer
2X RQ 11B Raven Observation Drones

Locations

Objective 1 Center = Plum Pudding
Objective 2 (NW) = Gingerbread House
Objective 3 (S) = Mince Pies
Objective 4 (NE) = Fruitcake
Eggnog Hill
Figgy Pudding Valley

All righty then.  After a long pause brought on by real life commitments its time for me and UCG to commence battle once again in Combat Mission Black Sea.  I am going to try another AAR but this time I will try and provide more context on orders and visual clues to help orient the readers (all two of you).  In honor of UCG and me duking it out starting over Christmas I have tried to use an Xmas flavored theme to my naming of forces and locations.

Our last battle was from a scenario with the forces and reinforcements etc pre allocated.   If those of you who followed it recall I was Russian and it turned into a horrific war of attrition where the Russians just managed to be the last one standing (but probably like in a real war scenario both sides were decimated and rated as combat ineffective after it was over).  This time its a Quick Battle Meeting engagement which for me is a first for having to choose my forces.  We decided to switch it up this time with me taking the Freedom loving Good Ole Boys from the US and UCG playing the land grabbing Russians.

I allowed the computer to auto select the forces first and then began to edit them based on my liking (we limited it to Mech infantry only so no heavy armor on either side).  The computer AI took mostly elements of a Stryker Brigade.  I deleted some mortar units and a company (dismounted) to provide me some extra points.  I spent these on recon, off board 155mm howitzers, sniper, stinger and extra Javelin teams.  Then I hit the button and got my first look at the map.

First thing I noticed is that I sort of screwed up my individual team selections.  I should have placed them with the groups I wanted them to go with-by sort of adding them in ad hoc I now have an amalgam of support teams that are not under the direct command of the groups I want to support them with.  They are mixed up with the various parts of the Stryker battalion with HQs randomly dispersed.  Oh well lets hope that  this doesnt turn out to be too big an issue.

Looking over the map I think I lucked out.  This fight will be taking place at dusk so my nightfighting spotting will be better than UCG Russians.  Also I have a couple of hills that are close to me where I can spot a lot of the map from the top of them.  When I played UCG I wreaked havoc with him using Tunguskas.  I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to buy a bunch of these.  Based on that strategy I limited any airpower purchases instead looking to get more Javelins which I believe are an awesome force multiplier for the Americans.   
I divvy up my support groups and make several task forces (see the header above to get an idea of each Task Groups composition).

One Major Note NORTH is towards my left side of the map.  Thus looking direct from where I enter the map is looking due EAST.

Overall Situation


Looking from top of Gingerbread House.  Notice good LOS to other objectives


Eggnog Hill with excellent LOS onto Mince Pies


Operation Nutcracker is a GO (hopefully because it will put UCG nuts in a vice).

Moving from left to right of the map (North to South)
Taskforce Grinch on the North side of the map will proceed rapidly up the road and then make a hard turn right after they pass a stone wall.  Keeping below the crest of the hill they will disburse the infantry who will hopefully rapidly take Objective Gingerbread house.  The infantry will take their javelins with them and provide a base of fire for any AFVs they see coming from UCG side towards objective Fruitcake and or Mince Pie.  Taskforce Grinch will have a Stinger team staying on the reverse side of the crest of the hill to provide MANPAD support against any air attacks.  Additionally I have added in an FST to help with arty fire and another Javelin team.



Taskforce Krampus will enter the Orchard but remain out of LOS behind the hill.  I am hoping that the Orchard will help mask them from any of UCG air assets.  Eventually I will want them to either go to Gingerbread house to help suppress UCG units with long-range gunfire or go down into Figgy Pudding Valley if I need to push towards the center of the map.


Taskforce Buddy the Elf (just Buddy from now on) will be my reserve.  They will remain buttoned up and hide behind the houses on the center of the west side (the US entrance).  Eventually they will support by moving up through Figgy Pudding Valley.


Taskforce Frosty the Snowman (Frosty) consist of mostly mortar Strykers.  They will flow like water down Figgy Pudding valley until they reach the first set of houses (about 200meters).  There they will find hiding spots and be prepared to support with mortar fire directed from either Eggnog Hill or Gingerbread house.


Taskforce Rudolf is mostly recon and FST.  They will proceed South of Figgy Valley staying out of LOS from the Russian side.  I will dismount the scouts to try and see if we can scout out covered routes that will allow forces to reach the center of the map.

Taskforce Santa is the most mixed up.  It contains lots of disparate elements including the overall HQ with a Lt. Col in charge.  Their mission is to get to the top of Eggnog hill.  The mortar section will setup there and the rest will be spotting.  I have also added in an additional stinger team and Javelin team.


Lastly to give UCG a welcome Christmas present when looking at his side of the map I notice that he has a steep hill to climb before he gets to Objective Mince Pies.  He needs to get up that hill in order to start spotting.  Now being a devious minded sort I thought a short but intense linear barrage of 155mm Howitzer GP would catch his units just as they were sprinting up the hill.  I choose the best leader I have with a +2 to leadership to call in arty fire.   Since it is the opening salvo it will arrive in under 1 min.  Merry Christmas UCG.


Time to hit the send button

Con

JasonPratt

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good niIIIGGGGHHHHHHHgghhh... {blamming}
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Con

Time 1:01 remaining - 9 Turns played

The plan as much as it can be called one is progressing without requiring much deviation.
The original salvo of about 8 155mm Howitzer GP shells landed behind the ridge line over a 2 minute period.  I didn't see any plumes of smoke but that would have been a bonus.  hopefully it caused UCG a moment of terror followed by some sweaty Pavalovian mouse clicking to stop his troops from running into the barrage.  If it accomplished this then it will help allow me to get my troops onto their vantage points on Eggnog Hill and Gingerbread house.

Moving North to South on the map here is the situation.

Taskforce Grinch made it up onto objective Gingerbread house.  Troops were unceremoniously kicked off the Strykers and they departed rapidly back down the hill into reverse slope out of any LOS into the orchard.
The infantry spread out around the buildings on Gingerbread.  One MMG was given the honors of slow crawling into the far left upper house and one FO team to the house on the right.  Because of where the door was placed they need to low crawl to the front of the building (they couldn't enter it from anywhere else apparently the Ukrainian architects are unfamiliar with the concept known as a backdoor).  The FO makes it but the MMG is possibly spotted or just plain unlucky.  First shot from something big in the woods causes an airburst over the MMG team shredding them all instantly. First blood to UCG.  The unspotted Russian APC then proceeds to pound the front of the left house where the MMG was going to enter.  Fearing that UCG might switch targets to the house on the right where the FO is located I order the FO to slow crawl to the bottom floor.



The APC is located in copse of woods on a Knoll overlooking Figgy Pudding Valley.  I will call this copse of woods Candy Cane Woods.  I try and swing my Javelin team that is hiding up behind the stone wall into a position where they might be able to spot them.  I also detach another Javelin team to try and work their way to another possible spotting location to the right of the houses on Gingerbread objective.



The rest of the battlefield is quiet as the other task forces reach their objectives and begin to settle in and spot.  I sense this is the calm before the storm.