Combat Mission Fortress Italy: Multiplayer The Fight for Borgo Cascino 03/04/18

Scanario: The Fight for Borgo Cascino
Multiplayer H2H PBEM on WeGo and Elite vs Buckykatt from the FGM.
Charlie Company must attack elements of the 15th Panzergrenadier Division and secure Borgo Cascino thus opening the way to Enna.
www.thefewgoodm...
Music:
Failing Defense by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (creativecommon...)
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/

[@mkeogh76]

6:33 The BAR being reduced to a single-shot weapon when fired past a certain range was an "issue" introduced by the rather wonky 4.0 upgrade that STILL has not been fixed by Battlefront. The same issue also effects the Bren gun which really hurt the already anemic firepower of the Commonwealth squads. Battlefront has acknowledged that the BAR and Bren functioning this way was not intended and will be fixed with the next patch, but here we are over a year later and no patch.

[@JacquesMayhoff]

The pactch was said to come out Soon(tm) as of january. I believe they are probably being slowed-down by their contract with the Kiwi Army.

[@spcwrnglr]

has this been addressed? (October 2019)?

[@man_vs_life]

Has this been addressed? (June 2020)

[@sentenciademuerte]

has this been adressed? (Dezember 2021)

[@Arth0715]

@@sentenciademuerte yes it was

[@UrkkiTheMan]

Finally my regular Josey Wales fix. Oh yeahs!

[@joseywales3848]

I wish I could do more but you know... commitments and all. Thanks for the support.

[@Doomdab606]

That mortar squad! Hardcore!

[@joseywales3848]

On map mortar teams make useful infantry once they're out of mortar rounds.

[@Doomdab606]

I'll bear that in mind. I usually let them sit around sucking their thumbs. Next time I'll have them up on the front line!

[@renes9966]

Can’t help but think they got lucky at 27:07 though! Had they not taken out the MG34 he could have caused some strife at that range

[@joseywales3848]

Exactly that was a very lucky shot, I think from a carbine IIRC. The MG34 was in cover behind the wall and the mortar teams were in the open apart from the jeeps providing some cover. It should have been tougher to win that engagement than it was but sometimes you roll all sixes!

[@16prospero]

Great to see this show up in my feed. A new CMFI. You really conveyed the narrative of the battle well. It was easy to follow what was going on, and the visuals were excellent. Thanks a lot for the effort that went into this!

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks for the feedback. I am very happy that you enjoyed it, makes the effort worthwhile.

[@rinaldiaars5443]

Well done. Textbook fire and maneuver and you used the US Army's secret weapon - the company weapons - to excellent effect.

[@joseywales3848]

There's a good video by Military History Visualised which talks about the US Army doctrine for a battallion attack. As I re-watched it the other day it struck me that this played out very similar to that doctrine albeit at the company as opposed to the battallion level. It shows me that real world tactics can be applied to Combat Mission and can work which just makes this game ever more impressive. Those MG's from 'weapons' were pretty much constantly firing for 50 minutes and man I love those rifle grenades for the closer up work. Thanks for the praise. I look forward to seeing more of your vids.

[@EvilTwinn]

Excellent job! 17 casualties for 55 is a good day, especially when it's only 6 KIA for totally annihilating the position!

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks, one of my best efforts yet.

[@ottofin3178]

I love the part at 32:44 with the private giving thanks. Really adds to the realism.

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks, I believe it's part of the HQS mod.

[@JamesWB100]

Great AAR, as always! Thanks for taking the time to put it together!

[@joseywales3848]

Cheers, James. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@IHateYoutubeHandlesVeryMuch]

28:35 that's one damn lucky rebound.

[@nightrise45]

Or unlucky depending on your perspective

[@JohnsonLobster]

There's no rebound, the guy half-hidden by the bush shot the German.

[@Seshins]

got the alert for this upload on my way to work - waited all day and wasn't disappointed. Top notch sir *tips hat*

[@joseywales3848]

Ha - I'm impressed with your patience. Many thanks.

[@Seshins]

As i stated on your Londsdale block video - your AAR's are such top quality it got me back into CM. In fact i just purchased CMBN with the commonwealth bundle so will look forward to a game with you in the future when our schedules align. I'll even pick up CMFI so i can play my home force (the kiwis).

[@joseywales3848]

Good to know. The best way to get a game is to check in every now and again on the FGM forums. I prefer playing people from there. I have a queue of opponents lining up to take a swing and the reality is that they won't all get a look in but if you keep your profile on my radar and catch me at the right time then we can get a game up and running.

[@errantknight-f2z]

Could be used as an infantry training video on how to conduct company-level fire and maneuver.

[@wartsnall7332]

Brilliant video. A clear commentary explaining your tactics, and a great blend of overview, and close-up action.

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Warts, one of my best results yet. All that practice is paying off!

[@joecallan8422]

Excellent use of fire and maneuver! I really enjoy your stuff. Production values are top-notch!

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Joe. Out of all the CM games I've played, I think this one nicely demonstrates the function of a US rifle company in WW2.

[@EasyTiger700]

Very nice analysis. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 🇬🇧

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks Neil, glad you enjoyed it.

[@michaelcharles4596]

A pleasure and inspiration to watch your AAR. As always will be looking forward to the next one.

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Gafford, high praise indeed.

[@Dusty7460]

Finally Thank you for this Easter Gift !! Keep it up Josey !!!

[@joseywales3848]

No worries, thanks for the encouragement.

[@Ramiiam]

Nicely executed attack. Keeping attacking infantry alive is a challenge for me in this game. You show that real-world infantry tactics work just as they should in the game--the mark of a great sim.

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Ramiiam, out of all of the videos I have created I think that this one best demonstrates a platoon attack. There's a lot of useful stuff out there that can help reduce your casualties. One of the most important concepts for me was learning that the primary factor protecting your forces from enemy fire is not terrain or their own armor, but their firepower.

[@michaelyiannett4515]

Another excellent AAR. Well fought Josey!

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks Michael

[@jamesa702]

very entertaining. Thanks for your gaming expertise. Great stuff

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks James, glad you enjoyed it.

[@MrHyde-wv8wi]

My comment to show support and appreciation for your Video is as follows. -Big Thumbs Up

[@Dlw-bz3wj]

ever notice nobody ever plays the italians in CMFI multi lol

[@joseywales3848]

Ha yeah, I can't say I've ever picked them or faced someone who has.

[@Dlw-bz3wj]

btw do you use a sound mod and a UI mod? they sound and look nice

[@joseywales3848]

I agree, the sound mod is HQS 2.6. The UI mod is Juju's Tweaked UI.

[@voakk4062]

I’ve used them, often only to get a major defeat

[@bretdouglas9407]

You do realize the romans were Italians? Greatest fighting force in history.

[@GenBuBlu]

An excellent AAR and superb tactical execution! Your patience in creating these videos must be unlimited! I was happy to see an infantry gun, but then you took it out so quickly! I assume you had your mortar in direct LOS? The sound-mod you're using (HQS 2.6 as you've answered below) is really nice. I'd just be missing more supersonic bullet-crack-sounds instead of the zipping/whistling subsonic sounds. Also, judging by the sounds, your artillery shells must be traveling really slow. But that's just me nitpicking. :D

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks General (Kaunitz), it does take patience but believe me I don't have unlimited reserves. I know it takes a long time to make one of these so I tend to pace it out over several weeks. HQS 2.6 is the best sound mod I have tried out. It's not perfect and I've deleted some sound files that seemed out of place or overused but in my humble opinion it's the best one available. I don't quite recall if the mortar fire that took out the 75mm gun was direct. I think actually it may have been indirect on a light fire mission which I then 'adjusted' as required.

[@tomaszmarczyk1892]

Great video as always!

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Roman.

[@renes9966]

Having played quite a bit as the British recently, I wonder if you’d be able to pull off such a decisive victory with one f their rifle companies - the lack of firepower at platoon level might have hampered the advance to KT1 without the support of the firm base. Amazing AAR - always look forward to these.

[@joseywales3848]

I'm not hugely familiar with the British Army infantry company structure in the game as I've only ever played as the British Army once (I'm not including British Airborne in this as they are a completely different kettle of fish) , however my success is down primarily to firepower. With MMG's, 81mm & 60mm mortars at long range, BAR's & rifle grenades at shorter ranges and lets not forget the M1 Garand, the US infantry company could certainly pack a punch. It would be interesting to conduct a similar attack with the Brits to see how it plays out.

[@GeneticVehicle]

Excellent AAR

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks Guetapens.

[@ashiltokhai6673]

I don't know if I mentioned it in one of your videos before but I strongly believe you should do a campaign. Perhaps the Scottish Corridor. Simply because you'll be able to track your overall progress towards the campaign objective and live with your consequences throughout the game.

[@joseywales3848]

I think I remember you mentioning it. The reality is that I find Combat Mission H2H against a human opponent to be more rewarding. A campaign would mean a lot of pay against the ai and it's just not that appealing for me from a gameplay perspective, although I can see why a viewer would find it appealing.

[@sal2841]

That was a great watch

[@ragnarok2106]

great content, hope you get back to uploading this

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks, yeah gameplay is a bit slow at the moment as real life is affecting both my and my opponents turn rate. However the next vid is already well into the editing stage. It will likely be a 2 parter.

[@ragnarok2106]

good to hear, keep up the good work

[@Kanovskiy]

Very nice battle, few troops, mostly infantry and everything went according to plan. The germans had too few troops though (about half than the americans), is the scenario designed that way or did the opponent messed up in selecting his force composition?

[@joseywales3848]

The scenario is designed with the troops shown, however the deployment of those troops is down to the player.

[@hardrada51]

Another great AAR. Thank you. I notice you are not using any uniform mods. Is that for video performance?

[@joseywales3848]

No its just personal preference. The aesthetics of the vanilla uniforms don't bother me as much as the vanilla vehicles and smoke effects do.

[@purpheart23]

Was that a no scope at 18:48 :)

[@joseywales3848]

If you watch carefully you can see he 'curves the bullet'

[@purpheart23]

I saw that movie, great video as usual, i really appreciate your production value, it's great, please don't change.

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks. I'm playing quite a long H2H battle at the moment which still has some way to go so my next video will still be a while yet but it will be the same format.

[@whyme943]

Hey, Josey. You're a much better player than me, but I have a question: Did you consider bringing up the MMG teams to KT2 in the jeeps? We're they out of ammo? Just interested in your reasoning.

[@joseywales3848]

Hi, do you mean bringing them up after the assault on KT1 & KT2? Well if you look at the overview at @33:34 you can see the MMG's on KT1 moving into position to engage targets on the Road to Enna objective if any had presented themselves.

[@man_vs_life]

The U.S. sure had some solid squad firepower.

[@pdolny]

What is the name of the sound mod which are you using?

[@joseywales3848]

It's HQS 2.6. I'm really liking it although I've deleted some of the more repetitive 'voice' files.

[@chrissullivan6769]

Mama Mia

[@santiagoortega9614]

More!!

[@joseywales3848]

Okay okay!

[@josephsequeira8020]

I like your videos but you need to check your audio, I seem to get it very very low. I have to up both the volume controls to full.

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks for letting me know, unfortunately I can't see the same issue. I have my YT volume at 80% and my speakers at 60% and the audio seems fine to me.

[@DrewShotsFan]

Josey Wales, I love your AARs. Watching them propmts me to then play the scenario a couple of times, both by using your tactics and my own (if they differ). I do have one question though. I play all my games on Iron mode setting. Do you? Your mortars, if directed by a FO, seem to start firing far quicker than mine

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Drew, glad you enjoy the AAR's. I play on Elite which may explain the quicker reaction time for the mortar teams however it may only appear that way due to how I've presented it.

[@DrewShotsFan]

@@joseywales3848 thanks for the reply. If you fancy a H2H on Iron setting, let me know :-) I have all CM2 packages, and all are the most recent patches

[@joseywales3848]

Hi Drew, thanks but I'm taking a short break from CM at the moment. Are you a member of the Few Good Men?

[@DrewShotsFan]

@@joseywales3848 yes I am, but circumstances at home at the time meant that I had to quit a couple of games (apologies to my opponents). All settled now, so I'm ready for H2H again. No worries if you're taking a break. Shame though, love your vids

[@dash1141]

Plz return

[@boz1943]

First!! Please challenge me next! Long Live Josey Wales.

[@joseywales3848]

Sure thing. It will have to be CMFB, something small as I am also playing a campaign game at the moment. You pick the scenario and send me a PM at either the FGM or BF forums.

[@boz1943]

Perfect, will contact you. Thnx bud great vids.

[@Dusty7460]

Can t wait to see the fight between you guys !!! Popcorn and juice is standing by

[@Philhamm]

Rack 'em

[@joseywales3848]

Finally another MP victory!

[@GeneralJackRipper]

That was very nearly textbook. The only thing you could have changed was to include as part of your movement plan on Borgo Cascino, the assault on the buildings you ended up carrying out several minutes later. That, however, is just a nitpick about time, which you were not short of anyway. Congratulations.

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks Christopher, studying those TTP vids has paid off!

[@GeneralJackRipper]

I'm hoping to have the next one out within the next few months. I had to choose between work and fun, and work won.

[@TheDiscerningGamer]

Hey mate, really enjoying your videos! Drop me a message if you'd ever want to collaborate on something.

[@joseywales3848]

It sounds good, I'm pretty busy at the moment though as I get quite a few requests for games.

[@TheDiscerningGamer]

Josey Wales Yeah I can imagine! I don't think I'd make the most riveting opponent on Combat Mission, but perhaps you could do some tutorials or something with me. I could do likewise with some other games like Steel Division or Wargame Red Dragon. Anyways, drop me a message if it takes your fancy and we can set something up.

[@joseywales3848]

You never know, I've had newer players give me a run for my money. Compared to many CM players I'm still a noob myself. I've never played Steel Division or Wargame Red Dragon, and I've wondered how they compare tactically to CM? I realise they are different in scale, what I'm wondering about is the tactical decision making process. In CM I'd say it scores very high in this regard, how do the other games compare?

[@TheDiscerningGamer]

I guess newer players don't adhere to the conventions sometimes so they surprise you? Comparing Steel Div and Wargame to CM is an interesting one because they're real time, however they do concern themselves with a lot of the same 'wargamey' aspects that CM does, so it works. They are similar in that they concern themselves with cover, concealment, quality of optics, stealth training (or size of vehicle), veterancy, stress / surpression, armour, penetration, applying the right weapon to the right task and chain of command + encirclement just in Steel Division. They are however a little more forgiving in that artillery and air support doesn't require a link to a spotter and can be called in relatively quickly. Generally matches play out in a bit of a mad dash for position at the start of the game, using main arteries of transport (terrain makes a big difference). You have initial clashes with reconnaissance elements to feel out the enemies position and draw out the front line, then the 'economy' element of the game comes in and you bring out the progressively bigger toys. This is a big point of decision making because how you choose to spend your points or even build your deck makes a big difference, you might choose to stack up on decent infantry in trucks and spread into a wide line to cover more ground, or bring out a heavy tank, artillery or air support to create an opening with superior firepower / armour but leave yourself open to being cut off because you've concentrated your resources in a core of elite units. From that point it generally becomes a war of intelligence and trying to pick apart your opponents interdependent forces to create an opening. For example in Steel Division, if you can get a scout team up through a series of concealed positions and spot an enemy AT gun, then you might be able to call in a strafing run or attack it with infantry, thus you've opened up an opportunity for your tanks to attack his infantry whilst yours advance. Or in wargame for example, say you get a helicopter with elite troops around the edge of the map, drop them off and send them for a yomp behind enemy lines, they might be able to blow up an AA vehicle meaning that your ground attack jets can loiter and neutralise his amour when you advance. Basically there are a lot of hard counters in the game and you rely on an interdependent net to keep your lines and units protected (that or concealment / misdirection). If you're able to pluck out one of your opponents counters its a bit like pulling out a key jenga piece allowing the rest of the tower to fall, so your other units will clash but one side will have created a key advantage and it's kind of all over but the crying. Not to say you can lose the entire game in such a fashion just that this is how key territory or objectives generally change hands. You have to consider a lot of the same things you do in CM but its more forgiving in some aspects, but also more challenging because it's in real time and you can get distracted or out played, not to say its a game that requires fast reflexes apart from right at the start. The fact that all matches are meeting engagements is a key difference too. Sorry that was a bit of a wall of text! Hopefully you get the idea though, I'd be happy to play a few rounds with you tutorial style if you want to give either of them a spin.

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I don't think I'd play them as I'm not really into real time strategy but the decision making process seems very tactical. I have watched some multiplayer battles on YT to get a better understanding. To answer your question on newer players, yes they do tend to do more unexpected things, but I suppose the main thing they can do after you watch them make mistakes is lull you into a false confidence. You may take risks against an inexperienced player that you wouldn't normally take against a more seasoned opponent and sometimes that can bite you back.

[@fdsfggr]

unsharpening sucks