US Marines' Assault on Danahem: Close Combat is Here to Stay

The USMC, NATO and ANA forces joint assault on the Taliban-held village of Danahem (Afghanistan) is all over the news today.

A U.S. Marine of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment fires on Taliban positions from a rooftop in the village of Dahaneh, Aug. 12, 2009 in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Alfred De Montesquiou)
Used without permit or monetary gain. Comment to this entry for concerns about copyright infringement.

For civilians like me, details on how the assault was conducted at the tactical level are only available from the traditionally poor media reports.

A marine with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment of the 2nd MEF, patrols the outskirts of the village of Khwaji Jamal, Aug. 10, 2009, in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Used without permit or monetary gain. Comment to this entry for concerns about copyright infringement.

But something can be sorted out from those news stories.

"Marines were met with small arms, mortar and rocket propelled grenade fire as they flew in helicopters over Taliban lines and dropped into the town." CBS/AP

"... Marines rolled into the town despite roadside bomb attacks and gunfire." CBS/AP

Our Marines pushed through and got really close with the Taliban. In a certain way this is no surprise, the small-units tactical doctrine of the USMC recognizes that there is no substitute for close combat.

From the above quotes and if one takes the media reports face value, apparently the Marines maneuvered through the Taliban without gaining fire superiority. I'm not talking here about shooting back at the Taliban who opened fire at the incoming troops but rather to the old American-style better-safe-than-sorry, all-out type of fire superiority. Do you guys remember the old saying: "Fire without maneuver is indecisive, maneuver without fire is fatal"? That saying is even on one USMC doctrinal publication for small units! Part of this apparent departure from old time SOPs can potentially be explained by the concerns to harm the civilian population. Take a look at this other snippet:

"Martin [Captain, Golf Co, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines] said the Marines had devised tactics to minimize civilian casualties in the densely populated area. He said troops would strictly limit the type of weapons they used and would stick to a "proportional response" when under fire." CBS/AP

If this is true I can't even imagine the effort and the increased risk faced by our troops while changing their drills and tactical stance from soldiers killing militants to SWAT cops liberating hostages. I can only commend the sacrifices they make for our nation.

And finally, the always controversial point of air support for fighting insurgents.

"U.S. Marine Harrier jets streaking overhead and dropping flares in a show of force." CBS/AP

I find it hard to believe that these aircraft were there just as a show of force. But the fact that apparently they didn't have to drop ordinance on the town is good news.

As time passes, stories from this battle will start to come by.

On the meantime: Semper Fi!

Suggested reading:

Let's Get Closer: Remembering the Relevance of Close Combat
By Lt. Col. Robert R. Leonhard, U.S. Army retired
Army Magazine September 2004

On War #293: The Price of Bad Tactics
By William Lind, February 2009
(Discusses the relationship of poor infantry tactics and the excessive reliance on close air support)

Cheers,

Steel Beasts ProPE v2.483 Release Notes Posted

As you may now, Steel Beasts ProPE will soon be upgraded to v2.483.

A few minutes ago, Ssnake posted in the official forums a link to the release notes.

Almost everything I'm playing is getting upgrades/patches! Can't complain ...

One of the things I'm waiting the most from this patch is the infantry being able to shoot from buildings/bunkers. For some reason that was broken in v2.460.


Cheers,

Stay Off the Line of Fire of Your AI Platoon ... or Else! (Steel Beasts ProPE)

Hello, folks!

The ASLAV-25 is one of the many fully crewable armored vehicles in Steel Beasts ProPE . Intended mainly for reconnaissance missions, the ASLAV-25 is an Australian spin off of the LAV-25 used by the US Marine Corps.

Nimble and small, the ASLAV-25 can take you to places no tank can go. This screenshot is from a deep reconnaissance mission I played a while ago. Image is clickeable.

As soon as you hop in your simulated ASLAV-25 you feel its lightness, speed and agility. It is a sense of empowerment being liberated from the threads and the heavy weight of a tank's armor. Unfortunately, any comfort brought by that washes away as soon as you spot an enemy tank or infantry fighting vehicle. More about this in a new blog entry that will come soon.

Fighting in an ASLAV-25 requires very cautious tactics. That I was practicing last night, when my platoon of ASLAV-25s was surprised in a nightmarish worst-case scenario: a platoon of BMP-2s with a 2,000 m+ field of fire on our left flank. The problem with BMP-2s is that they have ATGMs with ranges of 3,000 m+. Compare that to the 2,200 m maximum range of the ASLAV-25 cannon.

I wanted to get out of the kill zone and I didn't even bothered to re-orient my platoon. Full speed forward! I could see the fireballs of at least two ATGMs being launched. Move, move, move! Damn it, where is that fold of terrain when you most need it?

Quickly enough, the adrenaline rush gave way to the disappointing realization that my ASLAV-25 was no more. What the hell?

If that wonderful "after action report" (AAR) tool Steel Beasts ProPE has wouldn't be there, most of the time I would never understand what in earth happened. This AAR tool allows you to review the action, shot by shot, at the pace of your choosing. Here is the screen of what hit me.

There is nothing friendly about friendly fire. In all my rush, I ran my ASLAV-25 (foreground) through the line of fire of a vehicle from my platoon (background). The red line is the path of the armor piercing round. Image is clickeable.

I didn't know that blue on blue was possible in Steel Beasts ProPE.

Stay tuned for more ASLAV-25 action.

Cheers,

DCS Black Shark 1.0.1: Taking the Patch for a Ride

As I mentioned in a previous entry, DCS Black Shark has been patched to version 1.0.1.

One of the things I was most waiting for is the new trim implementation. The new 1.0.1 trimmer waits for you to re-center the controls before starting to take your inputs again instead of giving you just one second as in the previous version.

I took my 1.0.1 Black Shark for a ride in order to test this new trimmer implementation.

It works like a charm. My control of the bird is more natural and precise than before. Only thing I found a bit disorienting is the effect of the trimmer on the yaw. There will be some re-learning, but overall I'm really happy.

Also, when you press and release the trimmer button there is a metallic sound (maybe the electromagnets holding the controls in place?) that resembles heavy coins thrown into a can. Pretty neat metallic feeling into that.

To this under-skilled virtual pilot, nothing is more challenging than landing the Black Shark in a FARP. No other maneuver is better to test if my control of the helicopter is easier after the patch.

Coming in high (~500 m) and relatively fast (~100 kmh). Can you distinguish the rectangular form of the FARP, below the speed indicator? Click the image for a better view

The way I land on FARPS is a bit rough in the edges, so bear with me.

I set the collective and trim the controls for a 3-5 m/s descent with a forward speed of ~100 km/h. A couple of hundred meters off the FARP, I flare the helicopter until the forward speed drops to around 20 km/h.

After the flare, I use the nose pole of the Black Shark as a visual reference. I try to keep the landing spot between the tip and the base of the pole. Click the image for a better view

When the helicopter is trimmed correctly after the flare, all it takes to land is collective and small cyclic inputs! And the new trimmer implementation, off course ... :)

Right after touchdown, pull the stick a little and trim it so you avoid forward movement. Don't forget the parking brake! Click the image for a better view

The landing shown above accomplished without sweating or cursing as during the pre-patch days.

Cheers,

DCS Black Shark 1.0.1 Patch Released!

The wait is over!

Finally, the 1.0.1 Patch for DCS Black Shark has been released.

Go grab it here.

Cheers,

Combat Mission Shock Force: British Forces; PBEM for the Rusty Solo Player

After a long hiatus, I'm slowly starting to PBEM again. This one scenario I'm playing against a fellow wargamer from Europe features a British "armoured Coy" (getting used to British military terminology is another game within the game!) against a Syrian Republican Guard mech. inf. formation (possibly a company too?). I am playing as the British.

I was never good at PBEM with Combat Mission Shock Force (CMSF). I am just too spoiled by hundreds of hours of real-time, solo play. Moves I could do almost in my sleep during a real-time game require a thorough thought for a turn-based PBEM game. In addition, during real-time games against the computer, I am the only witness of my tactical ineptitude. This makes me overly cautious during PBEMs, particularly when I'm the one attacking. I am convinced that even General Montgomery would be astonished at my glacial tactical tempo.

So, fellow wargamer/PBEM opponent: that's my story and I'm sticking to it! :)

Seriously, I am enjoying the PBEM game. Is there something more exhilarating than the beginning of a Combat Mission PBEM game, when you send your combat patrols ahead?

A dismounted British armoured infantry section moves to contact in a combat patrol role. Image from the PBEM game I'm playing. Click the image for an expanded view.

And speaking of combat patrols, this scenario I'm playing by e-mail wiped out some concerns I had from the demo. The demo showed some light reconnaissance forces bumping at a murderous short range into the teeth of a heavily defended Syrian suburb. Light reconnaissance forces are only good for reconnaissance from the protection of long ranges. Light reconnaissance forces are not suitable for combat patrol, a tactical task that a formation performs when it is already commited into battle. In this scenario, I have the right tools (armoured infantry) for my combat patrols.

A Plt command team anxiously waits for the SITREPs from the combat patrols roaming ahead. I hope that mortar is not needed in the immediate future. Image from the PBEM scenario I'm playing. Click the image for an expanded view.

Also, I was very happy to read the word "templated" in the briefing. Kudos to designer George McEwan for a meticulously written briefing.

Let the real fighting begin ...

Cheers,

ArmA 2: Update 1.03 Released!

A new patch for ArmA 2 has been released.

The patch includes:

* Major AI tweaking and balancing (especially AI infantry can hear much less)
* Improved multiplayer and cooperative campaign (saving games, connection issues)
* Numerous fixes and improvements in the Harvest Red campaign

Sadly, no performance enhancements ...

Go grab it here.

Cheers,

The British Army Tactical Doctrine is ... What?

At least for me, the great thing about playing around with simulators and war games is trying to understand what the real deal is all about. I'm just so fond of this approach to the hobby that I like to browse military doctrinal publications and field manuals. There is plenty doctrinal publications out there from the US Army and the US Marine Corps, and so far I never found a shortage of material for a well-read tactical war gaming session involving US land forces.

Right now, I have two war games on my desk that are waiting to be played with some minimal doctrinal backbone: "Battle Group Commander: Episode One" and "Combat Mission Shock Force: British Forces".

Unfortunately, it turns out that the British Army tactical doctrine is ... classified! (?)


The publications that compose the British Army military doctrine have been consolidated in the so-called "British Army Electronic Battle Box". Allegedly, "the box" is 7 CDs that are only available to British servicemen and MoD personnel.


I would bet that in general terms, the British Army tactical doctrine is not that different from the one of the US Army and US Marine Corps. There are tactical drills which are almost universal. However, if one browses the scenarios included in the games I mention above, the organization and equipment of the British Army suggests that there have to be some particular things they do differently than their US counterparts.

For a complete ignorant on this topic like me, there are at least some nice sources to start learning about the real life operations of the British Army (see the attached images).

Cheers,

ArmA 2: Can an Automatic Rifleman Run as Fast as a Rifleman?

In a previous entry, I asked if a Marine automatic rifleman would actually move slower than a rifleman. The automatic rifleman carries more weight than the rifleman and it sounds reasonable to expect a difference in their speed.

To test this, I placed an AI AR and an AI R in one end of the runway at Utes. Each of the AI units had a move waypoint at the other end of the runway. I followed this race from a bike.

Watching the race from the comfort of a virtual bike. Image is clickeable.

It was a perfect tie: both the AR and the R arrived to their destination at the same time.

I'm a bit surprised by this result. That big backpack the AR carries must be empty.

Cheers,

Combat Mission Shock Force: British Forces is Selling Well

According to this forum thread, in just 48 hours the module sold enough to calm the nerves of Battlefront. Congratulations!

Overview of what's included in the British Forces Module. Image is clickable.

A mechanized infantry section moves along with a FV432 MK3 "Bulldog" armoured personnel carrier. Image is clickeable.

The British Forces module includes the following formations:

• Light Infantry Battalion
• Light Gun Tactical Group
• Mechanized Infantry Battalion
• Mechanized Engineer Troop
• Armoured Infantry Battalion
• Armoured Engineer Troop
• Armoured Regiment 58
• Armoured Regiment 44
• Reconnaissance Regiment
• AS90 Tactical Group
• TacAir Control Party

... and others, including artillery units and air support units (Apache AH-1s, Harrier GR9s, Tornados GR4s and Typhoon F2s).

As you can see, no Paras ... :(

Cheers,