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Can’t afford a full battalion - real life?

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Can’t afford a full battalion - real life? - 10/11/2020 10:07:02 PM

FAA

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Joined: 12/10/2019
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I thought that battalions were the main tactical units, usually operating together on the battlefield. The way this game is built, and especially its custom battle function, it rarely gives you enough points for a full battalion, if you want additional support. I’m not a real world soldier, I don’t know what the practice is, but isn’t it a bit unrealistic to have a battalion HQ with just one or two companies?

Post #: 1

RE: Can’t afford a full battalion - real life? - 10/12/2020 7:58:35 PM

OldSarge

Posts: 642
Joined: 11/25/2010
From: Albuquerque, NM
Status: offline

I can't speak for other services or countries, but the U.S. Army usually uses two companies on the attack leaving one as a reserve to reinforce or exploit breakthroughs. One company is tasked with the main effort to take key objectives, while the second company provides supporting attacks designed to keep OPFOR from moving assets to stop the main drive.

FM 3-21.21 THE STRYKER BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM INFANTRY BATTALION
Chap 4 Offensive Operations

More US Army Field Manuals can be found here: Army Field Manuals. A very useful site!

For CMSF, I'm able to use an entire SBCT Battalion by boosting the number of point and using a larger map. Though, it is daunting getting everything setup correctly

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You and the rest, you forgot the first rule of the fanatic: When you become obsessed with the enemy, you become the enemy.
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(in reply to FAA)

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RE: Can’t afford a full battalion - real life? - 10/16/2020 3:00:34 PM

MOS96B2P

Posts: 167
Joined: 2/7/2019
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: FAA

I thought that battalions were the main tactical units, usually operating together on the battlefield. The way this game is built, and especially its custom battle function, it rarely gives you enough points for a full battalion, if you want additional support. I’m not a real world soldier, I don’t know what the practice is, but isn’t it a bit unrealistic to have a battalion HQ with just one or two companies?

It is very possible to play with an entire battalion. Some players prefer this. It is often possible, in Quick Battles, using the point system and selecting a Huge Battle. Or the editor can be used to modify an existing QB or scenario. Some scenarios have been designed with more than a battalion.

Having said all that, many consider a reinforced company sized engagement the sweet spot for Combat Mission. This is because the player must issue orders to all the friendly squads and vehicles on the map. This can be a lot of orders if you have an attack mission and open the map to see an entire infantry battalion waiting for your orders. However it is very possible and some players enjoy commanding battalions.

Combat Mission allows the player to command everything from a fire team or vehicle up to a battalion plus. The scenarios and Quick Battles reflect this. The mission might be to command an infantry platoon and recon a village or command a mechanized company to secure a bridge, or use an unconventional combatant group equipped with IEDs and VBIEDs to ambush a convoy etc.

As in real life all commands in a unit are assigned their part of the mission. The squads mission is to take the farm house, so the platoon can secure the crossroads, so the company can take the ridgeline so the battalion can secure the town so the brigade can........ etc.

By choosing the scenario or Quick Battle (or using the editor to create a scenario/campaign) the player can choose his level of command (up to about a Bn. plus) and TOE.

It is useful to have the Bn HQ on the map if there is more than one company to facilitate Combat Missions C2 system. Alpha Company reports up to Bn. HQ. The spotting contacts are then disseminated from Bn HQ to Bravo Company via the C2 system. No borg spotting in Combat Mission.

Below is a link to how the C2 system works. The screenshots in the link are from a WW2 title but basic C2 system is the same.

https://community.battlefront.com/topic/126005-c2-information-sharing-redux/

(in reply to FAA)

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RE: Can’t afford a full battalion - real life? - 10/18/2020 7:30:36 PM

varangy

Posts: 198
Joined: 11/1/2018
Status: offline

In Combat Mission Black Sea you get more points in quick battles. There it is possible to get an entire battalion, however not here.

(in reply to MOS96B2P)

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RE: Can’t afford a full battalion - real life? - 10/19/2020 2:31:24 PM

A Canadian Cat

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Joined: 4/16/2018
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CM can create scenarios from very small to pretty large. If you cannot create what you want in the Quick Battle editor then you can create a scenario and add what ever you want.

(in reply to varangy)

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RE: Can’t afford a full battalion - real life? - 10/20/2020 7:00:55 AM

varangy

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Joined: 11/1/2018
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quote:

ORIGINAL: A Canadian Cat
you can create a scenario and add what ever you want.

That way you also have to create the AI plan and that way it is going to be boring since you already know what the enemy will do because you told him to do that.

(in reply to A Canadian Cat)

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RE: Can’t afford a full battalion - real life? - 10/20/2020 2:23:42 PM

A Canadian Cat

Posts: 14
Joined: 4/16/2018
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quote:

ORIGINAL: varangy
That way you also have to create the AI plan and that way it is going to be boring since you already know what the enemy will do because you told him to do that.

Somewhat true. You can create a couple or three AI plans and then you don't know which plan you will get when you play the scenario. Or you can take a QB map (the ones that ship with the game all have AI plans) and just assign units to the AI groups - don't look at the actual plans - and then you don't know what is coming your way.

A side effect is you might really enjoy scenario creation and then you will have a whole new way to play the game :D

(in reply to varangy)

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RE: Can’t afford a full battalion - real life? - 10/20/2020 2:24:47 PM

MOS96B2P

Posts: 167
Joined: 2/7/2019
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quote:

ORIGINAL: varangy

quote:

ORIGINAL: A Canadian Cat
you can create a scenario and add what ever you want.

That way you also have to create the AI plan and that way it is going to be boring since you already know what the enemy will do because you told him to do that.

You can use existing AI plans if you want to. Something I like to do is open a scenario that I'm interested in and change some of the TOE. This can be anything from adding or deleting a single vehicle to replacing the entire force. The AI plans are still intact.

I often create a favorite core force and save it. Then I open an interesting scenario in the editor. Delete the friendly units. Then hit import units and choose my saved core force. Then play the mission. Great fun.

(in reply to varangy)

Post #: 8

RE: Can’t afford a full battalion - real life? - 10/20/2020 2:32:58 PM

A Canadian Cat

Posts: 14
Joined: 4/16/2018
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: MOS96B2P
I often create a favorite core force and save it. Then I open an interesting scenario in the editor. Delete the friendly units. Then hit import units and choose my saved core force. Then play the mission. Great fun.

I keep forgetting about the core force import feature. I could see this being used to create something interesting, call it Quick Scenarios, where you create a map and some AI plans with place holder units and then release it with some instructions about what kind of units to assign to which AI group (something like split your tank force in two and assign them to group 1 and 2, make sure mechanized infantry are assigned to group 3 etc..)

(in reply to MOS96B2P)

Post #: 9