Falcon 4 BMS - Debrief: Sortie 25929

Is the late afternoon of the first day of hostilities and we take off to a battlefield air interdiction mission.

The skies are clear and we don't expect too many surprises.

ArmA 3 - Modern Peltasts, a Tale of Infantry Hunting Tanks - Briefing

In the spring of 480 BC the Persian emperor Xerxes invaded mainland Greece with the most formidable army ever heard of. He almost succeeded in subduing the loose coalition of city-states. His defeat came from the sea at the mercy of Greek ships attacking his supply lines. Centuries later, when CSAT strategists outlined their war plans, they made sure that control of the seas was a top priority. The invasion of the island of Altis, a vital strongpoint for the CSAT anti-access naval strategy, has overrun the meager NATO forces. For the time being, the west powers have no navies to summon for help.

This is the briefing for a custom-made single player ArmA 3 mission. The case is made that, no matter the era, light infantry has strengths and weaknesses that need careful attention by the tactician.

Combat Mission: Market Garden Module - Mechanisms of Defeat, Part 2: Functional Dislocation

This is the second and last part of the two-entry series based around a stock Combat Mission Market Garden scenario ("Out on a limb", by Steve Burke).

The crucial enemy strength on one side of the creek is a German AAA gun located on top of a hill. From this position, the enemy gun controls all avenues of approach to the bridge.

This second tactical vignette contains some spoilers. You have been warned.

Combat Mission: Market Garden Module - Mechanisms of Defeat, Part 1: Preemption

Combat Mission got patched last week (both Battles for Normandy and Fortress Italy). This was not an earth shattering patch content and features wise if you already have Market Garden. But it shows a strong commitment to take Combat Mission towards its full potential at a steady pace.

This two-entry series is based around a stock Combat Mission Market Garden scenario ("Out on a limb", by Steve Burke). It is a devil of an scenario and I highly recommend it. I will present two very short vignettes during my play of this scenario, at the cost of spoilers for you.

IL-2 Cliffs of Dover Fusion Mod - Landing the Spitfire

... and stopping without tipping on the nose. I finally can do it. It was a matter of airspeed at touchdown.

Inbound to an unnamed airstrip in England. Landing flaps and gear down, the canopy open. Finding these air bases is quite difficult at the beginning, and its supposed to be that way. Anything different would be like a neon sign "Bomb here, please". 

Steel Beasts ProPE 3.0 - Bounding Overwatch: Why, When and Where?

I played a very nice Steel Beasts ProPE 3.0 scenario ("Platoon Recon"), in which I commanded a platoon of 3 Leopard 2A4s in an armed reconnaissance mission.

This scenario is small but packs a lot of good punches against the player. It is small and allows the player to focus in its tactics. The enemy forces are randomized, so the replay value is above average.

Command Modern Air Naval Operations - ASW Exercise

Naval warfare strains my poor tactical skills but the feeling of accomplishment, even after a not so successful Command mission, keeps me coming back for more. Today, this devil of an scenario entitled "advanced ASW (anti submarine warfare) exercise".

Massive spoilers ahead.

ArmA 3 - Mission Editor Goodies: The "Observation Post Site"

For the tactical nerd with a copious imagination and an urgent itch to fight the firefight he just imagined, there is nothing more convenient than ArmA's mission editor.The editor always allowed to create a rapid prototype and dive straight into it to tune it up into an exciting new mission.

NATO infantry infiltrating enemy positions north of Kavala.

Today I thought of an ArmA 3 mission about the control of those bridges north of Kavala. The CSAT forces would be controlling the bridges and the mission needs computer controlled bots that would hold positions around them and continuously patrol the nearby areas. In ArmA 2 and before this could have been edited in several ways. From scripting to a clever combination of waypoints. The new ArmA 3 offers a click and drop module named "observation post site" that takes care of everything I needed.

The Second Georgian War - Assault on Poti, Part 1 - DCS Black Shark

I flew this mission as the commander of a two Ka-50 flight. There will be two videos plus commentary for this mission.

Details and commentary will follow soon.
Make sure to check the video in YouTube for a high definition version.

Cheers,

Scourge of War: Brandy Station - Review

Scourge of War: Brandy Station, by NorbSoftDev
Published by Matrix/Slitherine Games
Boxed edition: U$19.99 (includes digital download)
Download edition: U$ 9.99

This is an expansion pack that requires ownership of Scourge of War: Gettysburg.

The Battle of Brandy Station (also known as the Battle of Fleetwood Hill), is frequently cited as the biggest cavalry engagement ever on American soil, the unique cavalry-only (almost) battle of the American Civil War and the start of the Gettysburg campaign. Trivia and connection to something bigger aside, you military buffs out there will recognize that this battle holds a special place in military history for who, why and how it was fought. Right after the defeat at Chancellorsville, the Union commander of the Army of the Potomac (Joseph Hooker) grew very uneasy about the threatening deployment of a strong Confederate cavalry force in Culpeper County (northern Virginia). Hooker's assessment was that the Confederate cavalry was about to raid the Union supply lines, and he ordered  Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton to conduct an spoiling attack across the Rappahannock River. Pleasonton, commander of the relatively new Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac, engaged the command of the legendary Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart with a daring two pronged attack that threw the Confederates off balance for a while. Undaunted by the bravery, skill and stubbornness of each other, both Union and Confederates threw themselves onto a battle of sabers, pistols and carbines.