Effective Reconnaissance Requires Fighting - Combat Mission Shock Force 2

While revisiting Combat Mission Shock Force 2 in single player mode, I felt compelled to try again at the ATGM Ambush scenario. In command of a US Army reconnaissance troop (mix of HMMVs and M3A3s) I was quickly reminded of an old paper  from the The Institute Of Land Warfare (Trading the saber for stealth: Can surveillance technology replace traditional aggressive reconnaissance? by Major Curtis Taylor). 

Published 20 years ago, still resonates in my mind because of many reasons, in this case fighting for information and the pace of operations.Combat Mission is not the right tool to envision operations, but it can show how different equipment and tactics can acomplish a mission that supports the high tempo of an operation.

A tightly enclosed area with not much concealment, it was not suited for the use of HMMWVs. They are fast, but can't hide in places like this.

The use of M3A3s was in itself somehow challenging. 

Early on, I lost one M3A3 to an anti-tank missile. In the screenshot above, the dismounted troopers move ahead to avoid an enemy artillery mission. Tragically, the only crew of the M3A3 that survived the missile was killed by enemy indirect fire (vehicle in the left).

But to make contact, the dismounts were the kings. They could spot the enemy and supress it until I could move up the M3A3s to provide real firepower. Not stealthy, but a mix of eyes and rounds.

The hills and folds in the terrain required a careful approach, but the cavalry fighting vehicles managed the task very well. All the enemy units were infantry.

Tight vehicle-infantry cooperation worked well up until the main enemy weapon systems (ATGMs and recoilless rifles) were located. 

Targeting the enemy ATGMs was tricky. The enemy hid them well, but once the enemy teams were destroyed, my troopers kind of ignored the regular infantry and dashed towards the objective. Ironically, the objective offered a great defile to my troops.

In conclusion, the scenario shows why cavalry's fighting capabilities are important. Reconnaissance is, as Maj. Taylor said, a combat operation.

Cheers,