Gefechtsaufklarung - German Reconnaissance Units in Achtung Panzer Kharkov 43

I regard reconnaissance units as military elite. In WWII they went ahead of everybody, in nimble vehicles, armed with just a stick and skill ...  looking for trouble.

In Achtung Panzer Kharkov 1943 (APK43), reconnaissance units are important assets during the 2D turn-based phase. They will spot enemy units at a larger range than other regular units. The moves and spotting done by reconnaissance units during the 2D turn based phase are the last throws of what the Germans called tactical reconnaissance (link opens a pdf written by me and stored at Matrix Games). Any type of reconnaissance done during the 3D phase would have been called "battle reconnaissance" by WWII German doctrine .Battle reconnaissance came in different flavors and sizes, being more of communal endeavor of line and reconnaissance troops. With a wise mixture of armored car patrols, 4 men battle patrols and squad-sized combat patrols, the objective was to gain detailed information in order to plan the battle accordingly.

It all depends on your commanding skills!

"While scouting a woods, a favorite German ruse is to drive the leading car toward its edge, halt briefly to observe, and then drive off rapidly, hoping to draw fire that will disclose the enemy positions." Quote from this book.

Fight the good fight, but bug out if the odds are against you.

By the way, why is this guy's wingman not providing mutual support?

Don't be shy and mix your platoons!

Cheers,

Now that ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead is out, who will care about VBS2 Lite US Army?

Last word I know about VBS2 Lite US Army is that the US Army legal counsel is holding up its release to civilians.

If VBS2 Lite US Army ever gets released to civilians, I wonder who is going to care anyway. With Operation Arrowhead you get a similar geography (a mountainous country side, a desert and a middle-eastern looking city), more equipment, more factions and likely better AI.

US soldiers push towards an Afghan village in VBS2 US Army Lite.

Yet, if ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead would run as smooth as any of the VBS2 "Lites" ... I would be in heaven.

Cheers,

WWII Eastern Front Book/Game Combo

I'm anxiously awaiting the next book series by David Glantz about the battle for Smolensk. First volume was supposed to come out in June, yet it has been delayed a couple of times.

On the meantime, I'm playing Matrix/SSG's "Across the Dnepr Second Edition".

I still remember when I reluctantly picked up a boxed copy of "Korsun Pocket" from the local CompUSA. At that time the only other wargame I had was Close Combat 3 and the idea of a computer wargame featuring dice seemed strange to me. I know, I was like Zoolander in this scene ...

This game series never deviated from its original board game roots. Yet the engine has evolved into a unique gaming experience with exquisite and intricate rules. Playing this on cardboard would be almost impossible.

I still have the first edition of "Across the Dnepr", maybe I should re-install it for comparison.

Cheers,

ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead - Counter IED Hunter Killer Tactics

Well that was the idea anyway ...

In this fictional scenario, me and my virtual men are trying to capture insurgents that according to HUMINT plan to emplace mines/IEDs in a road span near the village of Sakhe. The objective is to capture them alive for interrogation.

I wanted to experiment with the so-called "hunter-killer" tactics for counter-IED operations. A detailed explanation of these tactics can be found in the January-February 2008 issue of the Armor magazine (Hunter-Killer Teams, by Mjr. Mark Aitken, page 18). Of course this scenario features far less troops than in real life.

The "hunter" team is composed of a squad leader and a marksman. They are emplaced in a vintage vantage point up in the hills.

A full squad of infantry is the "killer" team. They are down the valley, hidden until the last moment.

The thermal sights of the squad leader from the "hunter" team picked up a group of insurgents down the road (white shapes in the third quadrant of the aiming cross).

Warned by the "hunter" team and in command of the "killer" team, I maneuvered the squad as two separate fire teams. Under the concealment of terrain and vegetation, one fire team approached the insurgent group from the north and the other team (closer to me) from the south. I wanted to force these insurgents to surrender.

Unfortunately, even when I ordered my troops to hold fire until the last possible moment, the insurgents took the first shot and we were forced to open up on them. Two insurgents fell prey to the well-aimed fire from the north fire team. Two other insurgents fled south using the road, right into where I was waiting with the south fire team. They aimed their rifles at us, but we got them before they could fire.

The two first enemy casualties, in the background.

These two were fleeing ...

The thermals in ArmA 2 are fantastic

I know we are not the police department, but I would like to see the enemy to surrender in this scenario. :)

Cheers,

ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead - Kommando Spezialkrafte

One of the many new units in ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead: the kick-ass German special forces. Here shown in two specialties (scout and rifleman).

Cheers,

ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead - Bohemia Interactive messes up the sleep of thousands of gamers... again

Today I picked up a copy of the stand alone expansion to ArmA 2, Operation Arrowhead.

Bohemia Interactive now takes us to Takistan, a country that for all practical purposes looks pretty much like the other "stan". The past story of the country of Takistan is pretty much generic: a civil war in 1988 (the US backing the royalist faction and the USSR backing the socialists), the royalist faction prevailing after some fighting, all leading up to the uprising of the royalist tribesmen during April of 2012. On June 1st, 2012, Alliance forces deploy to Takistan after the socialist government of Takistan threatens to attack Karzeghistan ... blah, blah, blah. In case you are wondering, Borat is not playable.

Operation Arrowhead packs more factions and units than in previous iterations of the franchise. The US Army, the Czech Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Takistani Army, the Takistani Republican Militia, the Chernarussian Defense Force as UN forces and the Takistani people.

The village of Shamali is suspiciously quiet this afternoon.

I'm going to have lots of fun with this thing.

Cheers,