Combat Mission Final Blitzkrieg: Multiplayer quick battle 08/04/19

[@TheSDB13]

Those Greyhound shotgun shells look absolutely brutal

[@joseywales3848]

Yes it's extremely effective against infantry, some kind of canister round.

[@Skringly]

Yeah the US 37mm canister shot has a disgustingly nasty result when used on infantry. Gives me flashbacks to Napoleon era line battles and grape shot. Ouch!

[@ManoredRed]

I didn't know such shells existed myself, and I have played quite a few WW2 games. The more you learn I guess.

[@sirfanatical8763]

Didn't even know they exist lol. Are they avalable in Battle for Normandy

[@CharlesvanDijk-ir6bl]

Glad to see you again. The challenge of WW2 city fighting would be communications. This is what cost the allies operation Market Garden. I would imagine using AFV or radio jeeps for signals. You have to select buildings carefully for observations by officers and your radio vehicles for communications.

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Charles, good to be back.

[@Kommradable]

Those shots of the interior gunfights were very cinematic. Impressive as always!

[@IHateYoutubeHandlesVeryMuch]

Good job by both of you. Great cinematography as always.

[@daveclarke2155]

Hey Jason, great video as always. I was surprised that you were playing a QB as opposed to a scenario. Great action shots inside the buildings was nerve wracking. I always find myself rooting for your troops and hoping you get the win, but bulletpoint had the upper hand in this one. Once again "well done"

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Dave, I like to mix it up with scenarios and QB's. At least no-one can really complain that a QB is unbalanced.

[@Philhamm]

Always a treat to watch these vids. The copious amount of canister shots is a bonus!

[@joseywales3848]

First use of the word 'copius' on my channel, good man!

[@ora096]

Finally a new CM video! :P Despite i never play the game myself, since CoH Bk Mod is my top of interest. Yet, i have to say your content is just magnificent, josey! ;) Keep up the good work. Edit; oh... i'm also using PowerDirector btw :D

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks man. This is my first foray into Power Director and I am very happy with it.

[@LordHughfusJarted]

i no longer play the cm games. but i do really enjoy watching these vids. great stuff.

[@hardrada51]

Another great AAR video. Close game, that Gas Works building is a death trap.

[@MrSirDouble]

I really enjoyed the video and a good battle, especially like the close up coverage. Urban battle in CM is always difficult and often involves an element of luck. Good luck with future battles :)

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Double. Looking forward to your next vid aswell.

[@dv6000islame]

Fantastic AARs as always! Glad to see you posting these again! That was some nasty urban fighting there. Out of curiosity, approx. how many total hours did it take to play, film, narrate, and edit content for this AAR?

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Jared. It took about a month to play, 3 weeks to film and edit and a few days to narrate. It's why I only make a few of these a year as I am in full time employment.

[@SprikSprak]

Your AARs are great - cinematography is really good while also giving you an understanding of what's going on tactically

[@Dlw-bz3wj]

ah good to see more CM, had some troubles getting some matches going nowadays, we need more CM members!

[@davidhorkoff902]

Can't get enough of your Combat Mission videos! You make them into an afternoon at the cinema level experience.

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks, glad you're enjoying them.

[@GenBuBlu]

Bulletpoint never leaves home without his Greyhounds (I've had my fair share). :D Great video, as always!

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks. I have a new found appreciation for the Greyhound. In my current battle I am up against them again and without giving too much away they are being used to devastating effect and proving very hard to kill.

[@GenBuBlu]

@@joseywales3848 I think part of their power is that they fall somewhere in between a tank and an armored car. For their point cost, they're extremely effective and flexible. Especially if you're using a "tracked vehicle limit" for force selection. The combination of tires with an armored main gun - at a comparatively low point cost - is a tough nut to crack. ;)

[@joseywales3848]

Yes I completely agree with you. I was so impressed by their performance, I ran some tests in the editor where I put a platoon of 4 Greyhounds up against their German equivalences and each time the Greyhounds came out on top, including getting the upper hand against a platoon of 4 Puma's with 50mm guns. The only thing that seemed effective were quad 20mm AA guns which didn't cause much damage but rattled the Greyhound crews to the extent that the Greyhounds all ran away.

[@remake223]

I have no intention of ever playing this game but you do a great job of making it entertaining and exciting to watch!

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks

[@jamesclements9448]

Great work Josey! I love watching your AARs.

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks James, glad you enjoy them.

[@Seshins]

Great video - some brutal combat going on there!

[@dartvader4081]

Glad to see you back with a new AAR (you got me interested in the game and I bought CMFB a year ago or so). CM offers never ending possibilities of tactical situations. I love it! All the best Josey Wales !

[@joseywales3848]

Thank Dart, glad you enjoyed the vid.

[@CharlesvanDijk-ir6bl]

Obstacles are LDA (Linear Danger Areas aka roads ) and ODA Open Danger Areas. Companies are divided 3 platoons. Each platoon has 3 sections 2 sections for attack and 1 section for security. The security section is responsible to observe the LDA and ODA's before the attack sections can negotiate the obstacles.

[@billfrazier5619]

Great commentary and game play by both players!

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Bill

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Very nice AAR man! A large urban map like that seems like a bad hand to be dealt for a tiny scale game. Were you able to preview the map and tailor your force, or did you go in blind?

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Hapless, no we both went in completely blind. I don't usually preview a map but this one was doubly blind due to the random setting. Whilst most of my force selection was typical, I like to showcase something I haven't used before. In this case it was the Hummel which unfortunately was of limited use but was fairly cheap.

[@Tom_Quixote]

@@joseywales3848 Actually your Hummel was extremely useful, because it forced me to abandon some great positions in the factory buildings, denying me building up a base of fire there. The reason the Hummel didn't cause many casualties was only because I did everything I could to not get hit by it. -Bulletpoint

[@Dusty7460]

Great video, would love to see more AAR and in the near future maybe we will do a PBEM

[@carloscarvalho6710]

well done

[@sirfanatical8763]

30:01 that looks very menacing

[@markraffety3246]

Very well done. This is my favorite map from any of the CM WW2 era games. It is deceptive in a way because while it looks like the cover is considerable in reality there is a lot of open ground and many of the buildings have such large gaps in the walls that the cover they provide against direct fire is very bad. I have always been surprised how effective the US canister shot is against units behind the thick stone walls.. It does mean that Stuart tanks (or any other vehicle with the 37mm gun) become one of the most dangerous weapons in the US arsenal. I have found the Administration Building easy to take, but very tough to hold. Enemy AFVs have an easy time pouring devastating fire into three sides of the building, and the corner areas are easy for infantry to sit it and deny control to an opponent This video demonstrates the effectiveness of US rifle squads with their semi automatic M1 Garands. Effective at long range, they also put out a lot of ammo for close in fighting or suppression work. The force choices were interesting. I have found when playing German on this map that vehicles with armored side skirts have a much better chance of surviving because of the ability to deflect the first hit from a bazooka. Again, very well done

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks for your input Mark. Some very interesting insights especially about the canister shot and armour skirts. I'll bear this in mind for my next urban battle, cheers.

[@Achbiter]

great vid. that was a brave run to kt1 that position seemed exposed a bit as a salient had you been able to occupy it.

[@joseywales3848]

Agreed, it was a step too far. If I had just held my positions without pushing across the gap I may have fared better. At the time I realised that KT1 was a gamble but thought that if I could have got troops in there it would have caused my opponent quite a bit of time routing them out.

[@voakk4062]

Josey you beautiful man, thank you for this.

[@jonshive5482]

2:20--Heh-heh. Dense urban terrain is my least favorite terrain as well, since I've had TOO MUCH familiarity with it. Not in CM but a derivative of Avalon Hill's Squad Leader sequential-movement game of similar scale called WINSPWW2. Usually comes down to infantry and artillery slugging it out, since in SP you can fire indirect without LOS. At least here there were enough open spaces to allow armor to come into play.

[@UrkkiTheMan]

Well made video! You show a lot of the strategic level and that is great. I do not watch CM for the eye candy ;) I watch it for the tactics and strategy

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Mutsu

[@offtemp5733]

Excellent video, This looks like a very interesting and fun strategy game, but I don’t think my pc could handle it without melting

[@joseywales3848]

You can try the demo for free; www.battlefront.com/

[@wartsnall7332]

An excellent watch as always with your videos.

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks Warts!

[@wartsnall7332]

@@joseywales3848 This looks like the first map from the Aachen campaign, albeit turned on it's side. It really is a shame that we no longer have the CMx1 style Operations. I'd love to defend on a map like this.

[@joseywales3848]

Unfortunately Warts I haven't played that campaign but I would wager that defending on a map like this is easier than attacking.

[@wartsnall7332]

@@joseywales3848 The campaign has two maps like this one, then a graveyard, before rounding with a city centre of apartment blocks and parkland. All good fun.

[@MZeleni8]

Great as always thank you.

[@joseywales3848]

Thank you

[@GeneralJackRipper]

Long time, no see.

[@jayatfreelance]

Should have covered the railroad track with an HMG. Save the Hummel's 150mm rounds for the inevitable need to blast enemy infantry out of buildings.

[@joseywales3848]

That's a fair comment. The Hummel is pretty good at hammering buildings, but pretty rubbish at everything else. I brought it along because it was cheap, I had a few points left to spend and I had never fielded one before which makes for more interesting footage than just picking the same vehicles again and again. So, I was genuinely unaware of it's abilities but found out pretty quickly that it would be useless against vehicles or anything moving. A HMG would have worked covering the railroad, as would a Stummel or flakvierling.

[@ganymedeix9511]

We should build more mid-rises in the UK.

[@taylorcorcoran4967]

this was dope! excellent stuff.

[@joseywales3848]

Glad you enjoyed it, many thanks.

[@taylorcorcoran4967]

@@joseywales3848 just of curiosity, and it may be a bit personal.... were you ever in the military? The way you describe things and the vocabulary is so spot on, as in, so fitting for the content. I only know of what your saying because of my affinity for war games, war films and studying military history. Wondering if you learned the same way or had perhaps..a bit more substantial exposure...

[@joseywales3848]

Yes I was a tank crewman in the British Army many years ago, although all of the tactical thinking that I apply in my games comes mostly from my own study of military tactics which I have gotten really into over the last five years or so.

[@taylorcorcoran4967]

@@joseywales3848 very cool. it totally adds to the immersion. thanks for that!

[@joseywales3848]

No problem, enjoy the vids!

[@paoloferroni179]

Thanks !

[@joseywales3848]

Thank you!

[@shawnclarke9414]

It's a shame you stopped making these videos

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Shawn, I just don’t have the time these days to commit to makings these vids.

[@jayatfreelance]

Where did you get thi map?

[@joseywales3848]

This was a quick battle on a randomised map so I've no idea which map it is although I can say it is a Final Blitzkrieg stock map.

[@malak299]

playet whit 4.0 v or 3.0 ?

[@joseywales3848]

With 4.0

[@Doomdab606]

Great video again. Thank you. You should arrange a battle with Double. kzbin.infofeatured That would be great to see !

[@GeneralJackRipper]

Well, it seems Bulletpoint decided to do everything the most difficult way possible.

[@joseywales3848]

An interesting observation. Can you expand on that a bit?

[@GeneralJackRipper]

@@joseywales3848 Now that I'm home I'd be happy to... He caught your forces in a perfect position, he had you in the classic 'L' shaped ambush, with enfilading fire, that quickly destroyed a platoon of yours and gave him a simple numerical advantage. The initiative then passes to him. Now while I was watching your briefing, the plan I came up with was a combined armor/infantry push down the railroad tracks with the intention of securing both major VP's and ensuring a complete victory. Bulletpoint had the opportunity to maneuver, he could have screened his infantry with armored cars, and moved down the railroad tracks. That would have knocked out your flank protection for the two forward objectives, cut off and destroyed your HQ and Mortar teams, and given him control of both major VP's, and one minor VP. _Your forces in the center would have been surrounded with nowhere to go._ However, Bulletpoint decided to breach the walls and attack straight into the center of your position, thus wasting his numerical advantage by attacking into the teeth of your defense. Running that M8 right up to the building (to be lost via panzerfaust), then breaching the walls directly in front of occupied buildings was a MASSIVE blunder. Yes, he did succeed in contesting one of the minor VP's but at what cost? By far the heaviest casualties he took by running directly towards you. I couldn't have facepalmed any harder and avoided brain damage. He turned that open ground into a perfect killing field, then proceeded to cross that same killing field, and entered YOURS. Any way you look at it, that was a tactical mistake. A major one.

[@joseywales3848]

It would be good to get Bulletpoint's assessment. I accept that rushing his Greyhound forward seemed a bit reckless but I'd like to hear his reasoning before I form a solid opinion. Whilst I also accept that he could have pushed my right flank very easily, there was no way he could have known that my right was so weak nor could he have known the amount of armour that I had as each vehicle was a single unit and not part of a formation. The Hummel was on my right for the latter half of the battle and the flak cannon was popping up in random positions which may have made him nervous about pushing his amour on this flank. It is a long way from the Iron Works to the Coal Processing objective and I could have easily held off his infantry with the flak cannon and Hummel. He would have needed to have been sure he could have neutralised both of my remaining armoured vehicles to ensure success and as he only had 2 Greyhounds available at this point to do this, this perhaps was a bigger risk. Bulletpoint gives his reasoning for attacking the Gas Works in my AAR thread over at the FGM and given the situation I agree with him that he made the best of it. He had achieved fire superiority over the open ground and was therefore able to manoeuvre his infantry across it in relative safety (unlike myself). He managed to get a total around 4 squads into the Gas Works intact albeit that 2 were wiped out once there. The frontal attack where he breached the walls was a diversion as most of his units entered via the south eastern end of the Gas Works unnoticed. I only knew there was a problem when I went looking for the 2 US riflemen that I knew had made it in only to discover an entire squad deep inside the objective.

[@GeneralJackRipper]

All I can offer is my own observations. @@joseywales3848 For what it's worth, the M8 Greyhound can easily KO a Hummel or Flak Wagon. If I had three available I would have made the attempt[on the coal plant], even if it failed. His pushing an entire platoon into the gas works was a surprise to me as well, but it didn't accomplish much except to contest a minor VP at a cost of 50% casualties. I still think that force would have been better served elsewhere, but hey, I'm just a guy giving his opinion.