Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate This Thread
Hop To
#3941551 - 04/19/14 06:56 AM A Soviet Assault (CMRT)  
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 224
CCIP Offline
Member
CCIP  Offline
Member

Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 224
Here is a sort of soldiers-view photo log of my recent foray into the just-released CMRT (Combat Mission: Red Thunder) - which by the way is an excellent addition to the CM2x family and even in my first few missions has resulted in some of the most intense and nail-biting action I've ever had in a CM game. These shots are from the first Soviet campaign mission, and are not meant to be a full-on analytical AAR - more of a view from the ground, showcasing some of the visuals, and a few bits of incidental humour biggrin

And so, it was a violent and unforgiving battle - I'm not a reckless player, but assaulting a well-prepared German defense line with a battalion of lightly-supported infantry is a difficult proposition. Even though much of the attack successfully flanked and hit German positions from the rear, the fighting still amounted to largely human wave assaults. At the end of the battle, only 59% of Soviet troops that started the fight walked away from the battle - 41% of the battalion (or 267 of the total 649 troops) were casualties. Things were even worse for the Germans though, with 82% of their soldiers dead or badly wounded by the end of the fight - though they only had 200 soldiers manning this sector of frontline, with no heavy weapons except a trio of AT guns, so their actual casualty numbers were only half of ours. In the end, Soviet forces won, and I give you...

SOVIET ASSAULT
June 23rd, 1944 - Orsha region of Belarus







After crossing the Sukhodrovka river without resistance, the Soviet troops stop at the edge of the woods and swamps, looking for the German troops. There is only sporadic fire from the enemy positions in the first few minutes of the battle.



The soldiers and a company of supporting SU-76 self-propelled guns pull up to the edge of the woods, probing the enemy position



For the Motherland!
The 3rd and 2nd companies of the 1st battalion, 167th Guards Regiment, follow the scouting sappers into the forest, having already checked for enemy mines along the treeline.




At last, the first line of German defenses reveal themselves, dug in along the southern flank of the advance. The Germans are well-prepared for the Soviet attack...


....well, most of them screwy





-Hey.. what did you say, Fritz? I can't hear you! What do you mean "Ivan"? Quit messing with me man, I don't see any Russians...




With support from the SU-76 guns, 2nd and 3rd company quickly clear the first line of German trenches with relatively few casualties. The Germans are quickly sent packing...




However, a few hundred meters further, the 2nd line of defenses is far better fortified, built around 3 positions of reinforced wooden bunkers and AT guns like these.



Soldiers of the 3rd company move up as MG teams suppress the enemy strong point.

With the 1st company held back, 2nd and 3rd companies have already pushed in and probed these positions along the far southern flank. It is therefore decided that rather than advancing through open ground at the center, we'll try to flank them through the woods. 3rd company will pin the German position with fire across a swampy pond on the side, while 2nd company will sneak up through the woods to their rear.




Meanwhile, 1st company scouts do some recon along the open ground in the center.
Craters left by the 300mm Katyusha rocket bombardment prove to be good cover for a whole infantry squad!




The scouts quickly discover an even bigger strong point in the center, and are forced to quickly fall back to the craters by heavy fire and casualties.



A squad of 3rd company's AT rifles take a break in the recently-occupied German forward trench



Soon, things start getting ugly, though. On the edge of the woods, 3rd company come under heavy and accurate mortar fire. 30 casualties are inflicted in the space of a couple of minutes - among the killed is the company's commander.



But our Soviet scouts won't be outdone - they quickly return the favour by directing accurate mortar fire to suppress the enemy position at the center.

Despite all the fireworks, though, the position remains largely intact...



...and continues firing. Accurate fire from an enemy 75mm AT gun, along with mine fields, deny the forward troops some of their direct fire support.



Soon, however, the sneaky 2nd company manages to stealthily circle through the woods and spring an attack on the first strongpoint from behind. A single SU-76 even manages to drive through the woods with them and give them much-needed support.



The Germans are taken by surprise and heavy fighting ensues - but they are not keen on fleeing their position.
Here, Fritz has his Michael Bay moment.



It seems like the position is mostly mopped up when flamethrowers clear the forward bunker - but Germans continue fighting from the nearby woods.



Now that the southernmost strongpoint seems cleared, the 1st company - until now held in reserve - rush forward as a human wave to try and flank the central enemy fortifications. For the Motherland!



Even as they advance to the treeline, though, yet another very accurate mortar barrage begins falling on their heads.



But that will not stop the Soviet soldier! As explosions flash around them, the troops run forward to the firing line, using the big rocket craters as cover.



Even as some are cut down, their comrades continue their advance



Careful not to fall into the sights of powerful German AT guns, the self-propelled fire support vehicles move through the smoke and dust kicked up by enemy mortars, just behind the 1st company's troops



As the 1st company pins down the central fortification's flank, the 2nd company has already moved into the enemy rear and begin clearing out the trenches in another surprise attack.



Bitter fighting ensues. Here, the brave lieutenant commanding the 2nd company leads his troops into the melee.

He seems keen to find some Germans.



-Say, Fyodor, do you see any fascists on the horizon?
-No, comrade lieutenant! No Germans in sight within 500 meters!


hmm... duh



-Fyodor, what was that noise? Fyodor?



-Oh no, you're kidding! Vassily, don't just stand there, do something!
-But what must I do, comrade lieutenant?
-USE YOUR SPECIAL MOVE!


tactical


...




KYAAAAAAA!!!!!!

And so, Vasily avenged his hapless comrade with a fine display of communist martial arts! exitstageleft



With the central trenches now mostly cleared, the 2nd company and the sappers that helped them with recon continue sweeping around the enemy's flank, reaching for a 3rd and last major enemy position, seeking to complete the Soviet breakthrough...

There, they come upon yet another AT gun



The gun's crew, though attacked from behind, shows little sign of wavering, continuing to fight even with their sidearms as the Soviet soldiers close in.



The 1st company now occupy the German trenches in the center, providing fire support for this last attack from inside them.



Nevertheless, the Germans don't give up until the last.



Only point-blank SMG fire silences the AT position for good.






The surprised Germans are temporarily pushed out from the trenches near the AT gun; they quickly re-assemble and try to counter-attack.



Their grenade-throwing is almost impressive as Soviet martial arts skills...



...but it is too late to do much. The 2nd company's troops, advancing despite casualties, are already swarming the last of the German trenches.



Soon, the guns fall silent, and Soviet troops scour the trenches for trophies and tend to their casualties, numbering well into the hundreds.



German positions are wiped out - most fell where they stood. The AT guns in particular had been deadly - this one alone inflicted nearly 40 casualties on the advancing Russian troops.



Although the supporting self-propelled guns were very effective, travelling through the hazardous woods and swamps took their toll. At the end of the fight, of the 10 SU-76 vehicles, only one was still moving - 4 others fell to mines or enemy fire, while 5 became bogged down in the wet ground and had to be abandoned.



With the German defensive lines broken, troops of the 1st battallion, 167 Guards Regiment advance into the forest to the rear unopposed.



Nearly an hour and a half after it started, the Soviet assault is declared over. The front is broken, and it is now up to other units to exploit that breech.

THE END

Last edited by CCIP; 04/19/14 07:51 PM.

If you're having trim problems, I feel bad for you son
I got ninety-nine problems, but my pitch ain't one...
Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#3941555 - 04/19/14 07:32 AM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: CCIP]  
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,506
Magnum Offline
Lifer
Magnum  Offline
Lifer

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,506
Naples, Florida
Very nice, good job.

#3941561 - 04/19/14 08:03 AM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: CCIP]  
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 11,234
LukeFF Offline
Veteran
LukeFF  Offline
Veteran

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 11,234
Redlands, California
Very good! It's always nice to see an AAR from one of the CM games here.

#3941572 - 04/19/14 09:23 AM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: CCIP]  
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 8,771
Para_Bellum Offline
Oberkriegkaboomführer
Para_Bellum  Offline
Oberkriegkaboomführer
Hotshot

Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 8,771
Germany
Nice AAR. Shame Imgur pics never show up in forum posts for me.

frown


"...late afternoon the Air Tasking Order came in [and] we found the A-10 part and we said, "We are going where!? We are doing what!?"

Capt. Todd Sheehy, Hog pilot, on receiving orders during Operation Desert Storm

#3941754 - 04/19/14 07:53 PM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: Para_Bellum]  
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 224
CCIP Offline
Member
CCIP  Offline
Member

Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 224
Originally Posted By: Para_Bellum
Nice AAR. Shame Imgur pics never show up in forum posts for me.

frown



I've replaced all the images with SimHQ hosting instead smile


If you're having trim problems, I feel bad for you son
I got ninety-nine problems, but my pitch ain't one...
#3941773 - 04/19/14 08:36 PM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: CCIP]  
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,857
marko1231123 Offline
Member
marko1231123  Offline
Member

Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,857
Excellent.

#3941930 - 04/20/14 06:31 AM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: CCIP]  
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,458
Smithcorp Offline
Member
Smithcorp  Offline
Member

Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,458
Oz
Nice AAR!

#3942013 - 04/20/14 02:24 PM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: CCIP]  
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 369
JC______ Offline
Member
JC______  Offline
Member

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 369
Awesome! Very intense fight.


Real and Simulated Wars
Stray thoughts on war and its representation by off-the-shelf computer games and simulations
#3942621 - 04/21/14 08:58 PM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: CCIP]  
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,677
kludger Offline
Hotshot
kludger  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,677
SE Pennsylvania, USA
Nice AAR!

Thanks for posting thumbsup


i7-7700k@4.5ghz, GTX1080Ti,BenQ XL2420G-g-sync,Oculus Rift
#3942683 - 04/21/14 11:30 PM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: CCIP]  
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 4,429
enigma6584 Offline
Senior Member
enigma6584  Offline
Senior Member

Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 4,429
Wisconsin, USA
Superb AAR!

#3942699 - 04/22/14 12:43 AM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: CCIP]  
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 212
Antares Offline
Member
Antares  Offline
Member

Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 212
99 Decision St
I really enjoyed this! Gripping fight dotted with wry sense of humour. Thank you CCIP!

Cheers cheers

R



Quote:
So the Thunderhawk would come screaming out of the sky at mach ohmygod! and as soon as the struts hit the ground they would rip off.


Quote:
You're trying to apply scientific principles to 40k. Do you not see the problem with that?
#3942728 - 04/22/14 02:45 AM Re: A Soviet Assault (CMRT) [Re: CCIP]  
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 455
Whammo Offline
Member
Whammo  Offline
Member

Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 455
Very nice!


Moderated by  RacerGT 

Quick Search
Recent Articles
Support SimHQ

If you shop on Amazon use this Amazon link to support SimHQ
.
Social


Recent Topics
CD WOFF
by Britisheh. 03/28/24 08:05 PM
Carnival Cruise Ship Fire....... Again
by F4UDash4. 03/26/24 05:58 PM
Baltimore Bridge Collapse
by F4UDash4. 03/26/24 05:51 PM
The Oldest WWII Veterans
by F4UDash4. 03/24/24 09:21 PM
They got fired after this.
by Wigean. 03/20/24 08:19 PM
Grown ups joke time
by NoFlyBoy. 03/18/24 10:34 PM
Anyone Heard from Nimits?
by F4UDash4. 03/18/24 10:01 PM
RIP Gemini/Apollo astronaut Tom Stafford
by semmern. 03/18/24 02:14 PM
Copyright 1997-2016, SimHQ Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.6.0