Command Ops: Battles for Greece - Review

Command Ops: Battles for Greece, by Panther Games

Published by Slitherine/Matrix Games

Boxed Edition: U$39.99 (includes immediate download)

Download Edition: U$29.99

This is an expansion pack that requires ownership of Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge.

The war was young and the Germans were seemingly unstoppable. The inopportune and unsuccessful offensive of Il Duce Benito Mussolini against Greece has prompted a British intervention. From a reluctant and lukewarm response first, the British ended up deploying some 60,000 troops on Greek soil. The "W Force" (6th Australian Division, the New Zealand 2nd Division and the British 1st Armoured Brigade) proved too small to stop the Axis forces, despite a mountainous terrain that favored the defender. The German Twelfth Army advanced through Greece not without difficulty, but in less than a month from the H-hour the entire country was under the Axis boot. One gets the impression that from the grand tactical point of view, maybe this campaign was just a delaying action of gigantic proportions for the Allies. For the Axis, in particular the Germans, this operation must have looked like a déjà vu on steroids that made the recent crossing of the Ardennes look like a cake walk.

ArmA 3 Beta Nears Release

On June 25th, the Alpha will be replaced with a Beta version. New vehicles, a new faction and more weapons are coming your way. The new green faction are Greek Army, I heard. I went into a screenshot frenzy and here are some images of the new and old content. Enjoy.

 

DCS UH-1H Huey - Incident at the Inguri Dam

With Russian support, Abkhazian militias are getting bolder along the border. There is no shortage of uneducated guesses about what Georgia is capable or willing to do about this type of border aggressions. Inaction is not in anybody's calculus. Abkhazian troops are up to something this morning and have crossed the border into the Georgian's side of the Inguri dam/power plant. We are dispatched to affirm Georgia's sovereignty ... Scare them off, or blow them to hell!

This is a debrief for a custom-made mission played with DCS UH-1H Huey. This mission showcases navigation, maneuverability and the use of the M134 7.62 mm minigun.

ArmA 2 - The Infantry's Fight in Mechanized Warfare

The last Steel Beasts ProPE scenario ("Flank Attack") I played and blogged about left me thinking about how intimidating the mechanized warfare battlefield has to be for the infantry.  Do you remember how as a tank commander I had to abandon a great fighting position because of enemy infantry remnants were taking shots at us? Eventually, the enemy infantry was evicted by two platoons of panzer grenadiers.

In this custom-made single player ArmA 2 scenario, I command a platoon of US troopers (cavalry scouts on M2A3s) against the remnants of a Takistani Army mechanized platoon. Pretty much like in the Steel Beasts ProPE scenario, the Takistany Army unit has lost its vehicles to a combination of direct tank fire and indirect artillery fire. The US Cavalry tanks have moved away, weary of the enemy infantry remnants who have fired ATGMs at them. It is our task to clean up the enemy infantry from their position ... This is the desert, the terrain can't be more open.

Falcon 4 BMS - Targets of Opportunity

Our F-16C flight crosses into North Korea on a battlefield air interdiction mission. The FEBA is ripe with enemy targets. Rifle!

The high number of ways that the Falcon's targeting and navigation systems can be used to accomplish a mission is just amazing. In this short entry, how I used a mark point to acquire targets of opportunity that were not in our briefing.

Iron Front Liberation 1944 - D Day DLC - Infantry Anti-tank Tactics Gone Bad

If you ever read Anti-Tank Weapons (Derek Whipp, 1942), you will be shocked at the suicidal tactics the infantry was asked to use against the iron beasts.

Without any doubt, between 1942 and 1944 (the year of this fictional scenario) many things have changed. The sophistication and widespread use of combined arms, which translates into the concept of accompanying infantry, is one of them.

In this short mission report, you will find out how the accompanying infantry turned out to be more dangerous than the tanks themselves.

Combat Mission Fortress Italy Gustav Line - Notes from the Front

Paratroopers meet paratroopers. German and British elite infantry face off in east Sicily as Operation Fustian starts.

This is the second scenario of a Combat Mission Fortress Italy (Gustav Line module) campaign. This is not a full-blown AAR as the scenario deserves ... Just a quick note on how hard is to fight against well trained troops. Possible spoilers.

Steel Beasts ProPE - AAR - Flank Attack

An American mechanized battalion conducting a fighting withdrawal in the middle of a regiment-sized Soviet attack. In an attempt to take pressure off the American forces, my German panzer grenadier battalion hits the Soviets in their right flank. The main problem? I have only one company available to start this business.

My best and worst moments while playing this great scenario (Flank Attack, stock scenario in Steel Beasts) by LtHenkel. Obvious spoilers. You have been warned.

ArmA 3 Alpha - Vidales, Agia Marina and The Theory of Special Operations - Part 2

Soldiers win battles that can’t be foretold. Scholars foretell battles that can’t be won.

William H. McRaven's theory of special operations. Available from Amazon.com

During the last six months, I've grown a bit distant of my military theory books. It's never too late to catch up with the nerdy side of warfare. And if you can play around (pun intended) with what you read, the better. So here we go with a book that has been unread in my shelf for quite a while and an ArmA 3 mission that was tough to crack.

Levels of Tactical Proficiency: The Advanced Wargamer and Terrain - Combat Mission Battle for Normandy

The advanced war gamer is not only able to recognize key terrain but also places a priority in that such terrain is used to his advantage.
 

After a thorough recon with three scout teams, the advanced war gamer found the main enemy positions (only some of them visible in this screenshot, grey icons) on the left flank. He sets up BAR teams at elevated positions covered by hedgerows (A and B). One additional position (C) will be occupied later by an additional BAR team when the suppressive fire catches up some steam (the position is in the middle of a road with not so good cover). One scout team (D) was left on the left flank to add some firepower closer to the river. Not labeled here but visible in the center foreground, the mortar team is on its way towards a firing position in the left flank. The advanced war gamer has already moved his maneuver teams to the right flank. An explanation for that follows shortly.