Steel Beasts ProPE 3.0 - The Battle for Tskhinvali: A Humble Foothold (1 of 2)

Tskhinvali, day one of the Second Russia-Georgia War. Tskhinvali is so close to the South Ossetia-Georgia border that a Georgian soldier could spit from his outpost and hit the outskirts of the strategic city. This is the hot spot where from the first war was triggered, but things are unfolding a bit different this time. The Georgians are now attempting to reach the Roki tunnel or at least to achieve a good blocking position against Russian forces using it.

The fake Second Russia-Georgia War, yet again. This time brought into virtual life with Steel Beasts ProPE 3.0. In this custom-made single player scenario, I am in command of a platoon of 3 Georgian T-72M1 tanks. Many thanks to DarkAngel for his Tskhinvali map. 

How to Win a Free Copy of the Next John Tiller Software Game

John Tiller Software is about to release a new game. There are currently two competitions with a free copy as the prize.

Details inside.

Command Modern Air and Naval Operations - The Battle for Poti: Fighting the Russian Beachhead, The Seaborne Invasion Comes to a Halt (2 of 2)

Continued from a previous entry. The two  F/A-18 Super Hornets of group 165 with their AN/ASQ-228 advanced targeting forward-looking infrared (ATFLIR) system have identified the Russian vessels. From an impressive 29 nm, both aircraft are attack ready.

Despite the presence of significant SAM coverage from  the Grisha-class corvette, and the Neustrashimy-class destroyer (this one being the most troublesome, with its SA-N-9 missiles), the bomb run is a go. Two GBU-12D/B Paveway II LGBs are released from high altitude. The target, as per the crews' briefing is any type of landing craft that could be used to disembark mechanized forces. 

Steel Beasts ProPE 3.0 - Tanks Get Cooler Over the Years

Besides their shooting, a big indicator of a tank crew's readiness is their ability to detect enemy targets. As you know, modern tanks have target acquisition devices that can rely on thermal imaging. These thermal imaging devices reveal the difference in temperature between the environment and the metal of the steel beasts which are heated by moving parts' friction (tracks, rounds moving through the main gun) and the combustion of the engines. Around the late 1980s, tank gunnery training documents required that targets should be 5 degrees Fahrenheit (5F) hotter than the environment. I suspect that 5F figure went down quite a bit in the following years, because Soviet/Russian engineers put a considerable effort on getting their tanks cooler and cooler.

The old and new. Changes included not only bigger guns but also reduced thermal signatures.

Are these differences in thermal signatures taken into account in Steel Beasts ProPE 3.0? In this blog entry, several Soviet/Russian tanks as seen from the thermal sights of an American M1A1.

Steam and Iron: Russo Japanese War - Funneling the Russians Back Into Chemulpo

Chemulpo Port (present day South Korea), 09Feb1904. The D-day of the Russo Japanese War has just happened, with an impressive landing of one Japanese infantry regiment near a filthy, cold port forgotten by all but the naval powers who could afford meddling in the newest focus of conflict around the Yellow Sea. Refusing to surrender his two ships (the protected cruiser Varyag and the Koryets gunboat) to the Japanese, Captain Rudnev made a brave but futile attempt to escape the port.

New toy of the week is the recently released Steam and Iron: Russo Japanese War, which I got on Christmas Day as a digital download for $34.99. Is a stand alone game (no previous version of the Steam and Iron line of products is required) with solid gameplay and a good interface. This short blog entry is about the Chemulpo scenario and contains some spoilers.

Command Modern Air and Naval Operations - The Battle for Poti: Fighting the Russian Beachhead, The Seaborne Invasion Comes to a Halt (1 of 2)

Poti, day one of the Second Russia-Georgia War. The events in the morning and early afternoon were key to slow down the Russian effort at the port city of Poti. The decisive blow against the Russians can't be delivered. The Georgians are weak, and so is the US contingent. The strategic surprise of the Russian attack has been of epic proportions and the US can only muster some of their assets available in Turkey. 

For a better view, right click and open in a different window/tab. The tactical air situation during the mid afternoon, as presented to the US airmen operating from facilities in Pazar airbase (Turkey) and Batumi airport (Georgia). Two Patriot SAM batteries have been deployed, one at the Senaki airbase and the other at the Batumi airport (note their radar arcs in red). Airbases and airports in red are in Abkhazia and Russia (Sochi international airport) are considered hostile.

Yes folks, the fake war continues. This time I chose Command over DCS World because the latter has many gaps in the simulation of SAMs, radars and naval weapons and sensors. No pretense of tactical or doctrinal fidelity in this custom/made solo player scenario.

Small Unit Tactics - Delaying Detection and Hastening Contact

In his magnus opus Fighting by Minutes, Robert Leonhard dissects tactical/operational/strategic surprise. In chapter eight, he argues that delaying detection is the first step to achieve surprise, which is a very intuitive concept to grasp. In chapter nine Leonhard explains why once your forces have been detected it is very important to hasten contact in order to deprive the enemy of the time he needs to prepare his defense and/or counter attack.

Although the weather was awful in Altis, ArmA 3 continues to look great. In the image above my 3-men US infantry team is trying to exfiltrate from a town patrolled by six CSAT reconnaissance troops. One of my men just detected one enemy patrol but is holding fire because my machine gunner is a few meters behind.

Last night I payed dearly in virtual blood to my misuse of the concept of hastening contact. 

DCS World, A-10C - The Battle for Poti: Fighting the Russian Beachhead, The Bridges Over the Rioni

Poti, day one of the Second Russia-Georgia War. Earlier this morning, heliborne Russian forces have landed near Poti and secured the bridges over the Rioni River. Their intention is isolate Poti while they fight for the control of the port city of Poti. The Russian blocking position has moved east by now and it is imperative to recover the bridges in order to fight for the port.

For the first time in this region the US has put its money where its mouth is and although the number of US personnel within Georgian borders is modest, nobody can argue that the logistical juggernaut will shift the balance of forces within a few days.

Unity of Command: Black Turn DLC

If it didn't hit the stores by the time this post goes live, it will within hours. The latest DLC for Unity of Command will take the player to Operation Barbarossa, with Germany in a full strategic offensive posture and the Soviets scrambling to stop them.

HistWar Napoleon - Losing the Reins of my Cavalry

The new toy this week is HistWar Napoleon, a 3D tactical Napoleonic war game.

Yes, I know this is not cavalry. But is a cool picture nonetheless. That's the 3rd Line Infantry Regiment marching through a town.

I hit the field today and it was obvious I have lost quite a bit from my command mojo. I want to share some mishaps of mine with the heavy cavalry.