Short Stories from Small Wars IV - Breaking the Peace at the Peacekeeper's Camp South of Tskhinvali - Reconnaissance and Tactical Plan

Continued from the previous entry.

I am now at the observation position. The Russian camp can be seen in the far background.

The observation position turned out to be a bit too close for just observation. My gunner is itching for a shot.

Short Stories from Small Wars IV - Breaking the Peace at the Peacekeeper's Camp South of Tskhinvali - Understanding the Mission and my Own Troops

This is a continuation from a previous post.

From what I read in The Tanks of August, the three Georgian tanks executed what in US Army doctrine is called an "attack by fire" tactical mission. Seemingly the simplest mission (fire at the enemy), it actually requires thought and planning.

Short Stories from Small Wars IV - Breaking the Peace at the Peacekeeper's Camp South of Tskhinvali - Intro

Another scenario inspired in the South Ossetia War of 2008, this time using Steel Beasts Pro PE.

Steel Beasts ProPE has no map of South Ossetia so I had to use one of the stock maps and buildings. This scenario and blog entry is just loosely inspired in the true story.

Lots of ideas right now. One of them is a more detailed look and discussion of small units tactics, so I hope to combine it with the "Small Wars Series" successfully. I also hope to be wrong  frequently so I can get comments from you, folks.

Phaeden's Upcoming Marine Corps Twentynine Palms Air Ground Combat Center - A New ArmA 2 "Island" Now in Beta

Phaeden was kind enough to share a beta of his upcoming map/"island" based in the famous US Marine Corps base. The map covers a very large area, including the adjacent town of 29 Palms.

This picture taken in the middle of the town of 29 Palms.

Screenshots inside ...

Argentine Army Sherman Displayed Near my Hometown

This image posted here courtesy of Fabian Pesikonis, the man behind the great blog "Carros de Combate" (fighting vehicles in spanish). Check out Fabian's blog for more photos.

This tank is displayed at the base of a monument honoring the III Argentine Army Corps. I maybe wrong but this looks like a Sherman Ic "Firefly", hybrid variant (welded aft joined to a cast glacis). I can't be sure about the gun, because the Argentine Army modified con gusto the stock guns of these Sherman exports.

This display is a couple of kilometers west of the city of Cordoba, Argentina and some 90 kilometers south of my hometown. I may have traveled past this site like a million times on my way to college. Never payed attention to it (maybe too focused on parties and girls by that time).

Cheers,

Short Stories from Small Wars III - Two Cops Delay the Sinking of the Navy of Georgia - Shootout!

This is the continuation of the previous blog entry.

Not a big fan of two men ambushes! Find out what happened to the two-cop team at the port of Poti.

Short Stories from Small Wars III - ArmA 2 - Two Cops Delay the Sinking of the Navy of Georgia

This one is for a cheap thrill and not for anything tactically relevant ... Still, the context is based on real events.

The real events
During the 2008 South Ossetian War of 2008, the Russian troops took advantage of what appeared to be a general withdraw of Georgian troops and quickly seized the town of Senaki. The small airbase at Senaki was also raided. The overall effect of this move was the isolation of the port of Poti, which was some ten miles west. On the afternoon of August 12, a squad of the Russian 45th Independent Airborne Reconnaissance Regiment entered the port of Poti and blew six Navy and Coast Guard Georgian vessels. These vessels included the fast attack craft Tiblisi and Dioscuria. The humble Russian squad sunk almost the entire Georgian Navy.

Game vs Book II - Ambush Alley - Epilogue

The enemy pressure increases as the objective nears.

Another mobility loss, this time I'm sure from an enemy RPG. No crew casualties and the Marine squad disembarks from the vehicle under the cover of smoke.

The convoy  is starting to loose cohesion and order. Besides the mix up of different platoons, more vehicles get delayed to suppress and destroy by fire enemy units, which become more bold and tenacious as the Marines approach the Saddam Canal bridge.

Rhodesian Cover Shooting - Bullet-Storming the Bushes

Do you read the Small Wars Journal? It's in the blog roll down there. Make sure to check it out some time.

The topic I want to bring up with this blog entry is something I read from the Small Wars Journal, the so-called Rhodesian Cover Shooting (also known as Drake Shooting).

Game vs Book II - Ambush Alley - Part 1

This is a continuation of a previous entry. As in real life, the objective is to reach the Saddam Canal and secure it. So, I'm not going to get my Marines too engaged on their way north. I have Charlie Company, which in this scenario has 13 AAVP-7A1s and a single HMMWV  for the company commander. According to the book, the amount of AAVP-7A1s was 11 and the command HMMWVs were three. I am expecting Iraqi irregulars armed with automatic weapons, RPGs and mortars along the way. I am going to have my Marines suppress and bypass any resistance until the Sadam Canal Bridge is reached.

The Marines tracks have plenty of firepower, yet the game engine mechanics are made in a way that the vehicles can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Every time one of the tracks fire the 40 mm grenade launcher and the .50 cal, 23 action points are depleted from an initial total allowance of 69. This reduces the range of movement of the vehicle. Other thing that is not implemented is the ability of the troops carried in the vehicle to fire from the top of the passenger compartment of the AAVP-7A1s.