The Shadows of Synneforos - ArmA 3 - Briefing

For weeks we have operated from the high ground near Mt. Synneforos. In this area of operations, the invader found his patrols both increasingly inadequate in effectiveness and expensive in attrition. We fed from the neighboring villages, camped in the hills and moved, sometimes with borderline infamy against standard guerrilla tactics. We sabotaged, ambushed, stalked, sniped and thrived in waging assymetric war.

Scourge of War - Fox's Gap, AAR

This is from one of the two Fox's Gap scenarios in Scourge of War (Antietam expansion). This game has one of the best AIs in the market and is a hall of fame tactical war game. The setting is the American Civil War and the real life battle was fought just a couple of dozen miles from where I live.

The Confederate forces I command are sitting pretty on the summit of Fox's Gap. The high ground and the stone fences in front of us are seemingly a formidable defensible line (blue). Unfortunately, the Union forces outnumber us and start their push (red arrows) onto just my most weak right flank. 

Steel Beasts ProPE - Keeping the Screen Up - Part 2 of 2

The infantry out, commander and gunners' eyeballs stabbing the CV 90's sights. A battle position against enemy tanks is not simply occupied by infantry fighting vehicles. It is embraced and cared for as a limb. It is, after all, the last sight you may have of earth.

Battle position. The infantry in front is manning machine guns and Javelin missiles. The enemy vehicles were already arriving at a choking point in the background. 

Steel Beasts ProPE - Keeping the Screen Up - Part 1 of 2

When I watch at that enemy T-90 in the middle of their main reinforcement route, immobile but with a very alive main gun, even the clamor of the dead around me stop. The subjectivity in the principle of economy of force always is too often thrown as a shroud over tactical mistakes, even blunder. I sit tight in my CV 90/30 and mull over what has just happened.

The will to fight of my panssarijääkäri was never as tight as during the last 12 hours. A screen mission that lasted more than 12 hours has put us in the spotlight when the Russians started what it looked like a turning movement around our position.

Combat Mission: From Pinned to Berserk with the Evade Command

This British infantry section should have used some scouting. But shoot happens and now they have blundered through the field of fire of a German HMG.

The German HMG (grey icon in the background) opens up mercilessly. My British infantry section, moving from left to right,  gets pinned immediately.

Command Ops 2 - One of The Greatest Wargames of All Times Gets a New Interface and Features

Command Ops 2 (Panther Games) has just been released by Lock N' Load Games.

Command Modern Air and Naval Operations - Not a Piloting Team, Just a Commander

Heads up, Command Modern Air and Naval Operations has been updated to version 1.07.

Click and open in a new window for a better view.

When I edited this Command Modern Air and Naval Operations scenario I had in mind the discussion in Milan Vego's Soviet Naval Tactics about the geometry on how to a submarine searches and intercepts surface contacts.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad - With a Mission Editor, Now We are Talking!

This is the one feature I was waiting for so long! The newly added mission editor of Battle of Stalingrad allows me to put together whatever scenarios I want to play.

Another village, another gun run. The difference is that this time I can add stuff at my liking.

Not that I don't like the canned in-game content. I just don't feel like putting up with unlocking new content like a 12 year old.

ArmA 3 Tactics - Slicing the Pie

In its infinite wisdom and optimism, FM 17-15 (Tank Platoon) explains the concept of "battle space":

... battle space is the three-dimensional area in which the platoon can acquire enemy forces and influence them with effective fires.

I briefly introduced this concept to you back in February of 2010. The concept of battle spaces also applies to infantry tactics.

The intricacies of tactical combat in built up areas revolve all around the treacherous quick changes in the layout of the battle space around every single soldier.

DCS: MiG-15bis by Belsimtek

This was released as a beta last week. I've been waiting for it for quite a while and finally I can get my virtual hands on this aviation classic.

The Mig-15bis flies like a dream if you treat her well. Belsimtek has accomplished a virtual flying experience that mimics exactly what the books say about the real deal.