Panzer Campaigns Tunisia '43 - German Attack on Sidi Bou Zid - 14Feb1943

The underwhelming fires from field guns and howitzers didn't provide enough support to the grenadiers and panzers of the 10th and 21st PzDiv. Undeterred by the scarcity of shells finding their way into the enemy, men and machines carried into battle against an enemy whose only refuge against direct fire and close assault was in the equally scarce prepared defenses.

Steam and Iron The Great War at Sea - Patch V1.30 and Baltic Campaign Beta - Released

The developers of Steam and Iron continue to improve their great naval wargame, which now is updated to version 1.30. I haven't quite followed the recent developments and I was floored when I got news about a campaign system.

The beta Baltic campaign features the Germans against the Russians. Here is the main screen where you deploy your warships and spend your operation points (fuel and other logistic assets) by activating them. You then have to assign objectives to these ships and the engine will create scenarios for one week worth of operations.

Panzer Campaigns Tunisia '43 - German Attack on Sidi Bou Zid - Battle Plans

The game: Panzer Campaigns Tunisia '43 (John Tiller Software)
The scenario: Like Wolves in the Fold
Situation: Sidi bou Zid, E of Kasserine Pass, Feb 14th 1943: German Pioneers were busy clearing lanes through the Allied mines in the Faid Pass. Behind them were the 10.Pz Div and, to the south, near the Maizila Pass, elements of 21.Pz Div. As dawn rose on the Eastern Dorsals, the Americans seemed completely unaware that the Germans were about to pounce out of the pass on them, "like wolves on the fold."

When I got this game (quite a while ago), I thought of vast expanses of open desert and wide flanking battle maneuvers almost like in naval warfare. It turns out the Tunisian desert is too frequently interrupted by rough hills and mountains that force the attacker into wide flanking maneuvers to avoid fortified enemy positions at narrow passes. Well, at least I got the flanking part right.

Combat Mission Fortress Italy - The Fortified Backyard of Gela - Scenario Available

In case you are interested, the scenario that was the subject of my previous Combat Mission AAR is available at the Battlefront's file repository. Sorry for spoiling it with an AAR. :(

Grab it here.

Cheers,

ArmA 2 Army of the Czech Republic - More on Satellite Patrols

Light armored vehicles and satellite patrols again, fellows. This time in ArmA 2, I took on a Pandur II supporting a squad of Czech infantry ... Or maybe the other way around?

Czech infantry moving under the careful watch of a Pandur II light armored vehicle.

I have been messing around with the usage of light armored vehicles in Combat Mission, and one of the things that surfaced from that scenario was the inability of the LAVIII to provide early warning to the infantry and a lackluster target acquisition performance. Two fellow readers pointed out the possibility that the abstracted (i.e. not visible but computed) civilian villagers could be obscuring targets and that there is a possible game design gimmick (toned down target acquisition) into it.

Combat Mission Fortress Italy AAR - Il Cortile Fortificato di Gela

Title of the entry is in Italian, meaning "the fortified backyard of Gela".
In the (very) few accounts I read about the landing and the initial beachhead in Gela (10Jul43), the whole  affair has the overtones of a cakewalk.  I’m not saying it may have not been one, because compared to the scale and intensity of the events that followed just hours and days later, it may have been easy. But I bet there is no shortage of journalistic and historic research selective memory behind the high availability of material and accounts about all things Patton, 82nd Airborne and Goring Divisions with bare passing mentions about the outright badassery shown by the US Army Rangers and Engineers that cleared Gela.

I am still searching for a good map or aerial reconnaissance picture of the town of Gela, circa 1943. But I will not refrain from throwing together some US and Italian units in an historical fiction type of scenario.

Combat Mission Shock Force NATO - Canadian LAV III Platoon Attack Scenario Available

The scenario from which last week I wrote an AAR is available at Battlefront's file repository.

Suggestions, impressions, tactical insight will be very welcome!

Stay tuned for an AAR on a similar tactical situation but using Steel Beasts ProPE.

Cheers,

Flying Aircrafts Of War During Peacetime - My First Flight on the Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone

A multi-role shipboard helicopter that will eventually make it to the Canadian Forces.

Got this payware for X-Plane 10 and it was worth every penny. It's by DMO Flight Design and it packs 5 S-92 models and 22 liveries.

Combat Mission Shock Force NATO - A Canadian LAVIII Infantry Platoon in a Hasty Attack - AAR (Part 2 of 2)

The final part of the AAR: the assault into the village.

The 2nd and 3rd Sections start the assault on the village.

SPOILER ALERT: This scenario is going live at the Battlefront's repository within the next 48 hours. If you are going to download and play this scenario, this AAR may spoil your playing experience.

Combat Mission Shock Force NATO - A Canadian LAVIII Infantry Platoon in a Hasty Attack - AAR (Part 1 of 2)

The transition from a presence patrol into a hasty attack demanded too much idle time, burnt metal and blood from this Canadian platoon.

SPOILER ALERT: This scenario is going live at the Battlefront's repository within the next 48 hours. If you are going to download and play this scenario, this AAR may spoil your playing experience.