Combat Mission Shock Force, Marines Module - Making my Battle from Scratch

Do you remember the "Game vs. Book" stint from earlier posts? The one about the infamous "Ambush Alley" at Nasiriyah (Iraq War of 2003)? In episode two, I played a pre-made scenario from John Tiller's Modern War. The scenario fell a bit short in the last part, where the US Marines crossed the Saddam Canal. In real life, it was a very sharp fight. In Modern War, a bit of a cakewalk. So, I took a deep breath and re-installed my copy of Combat Mission Shock Force. I have to thank the guy at Battlefront's help desk, who went above and beyond to solve my e-license problems. It's really impressive to receive support for a game on a Sunday morning.

So, after a bit of Google maps, mate and the map/scenario editor of the Marines module for Combat Mission Shock Force I have a map for the battle.



I don't claim the map being totally accurate, pretty or anything else. All I want to do is get a feeling of the real firefight.

It will take some time to establish the objectives and assemble a computer opponent. From a book I have read, there was a lot of enemy indirect fire on these Marines.

The scenario will focus in the minutes after the crossing of the Saddam Canal, and sure enough it will be a hot scenario start. Man, I hate those type of scenarios!

To the left, the last meters of the bridge over the Saddam Canal. It's a pity that Shock Force never got proper 3D models for bridges or water. Oh, well ...

A panoramic view of the map. Again, to the left is the last leg of the Saddam Canal bridge. In the background, the enemy awaits ... Just kidding, actually I have to figure out what type of enemy, where and doing what ...

The "sandbox" part of Combat Mission goes all the way to quick and easy map-making. Still unrivaled!

Do you guys know of any Combat Mission Shock Force scenario/s based in the US Marines fight at Nasiriyah?

Cheers,