Highway Two: Semper Fi, Syria Mission 12, Combat Mission Shock Force 2

[@RedandWhiteGuerilla]

Posthumous Medal of Honor for that 2nd SMAW team.

[@Froggygameyfourtytwoey]

Reshaping the fabric of reality to kill a tank with era almost completely covering the frontal arc probably warrants 2

[@baronvonbadbeaver]

Uncanny timing in relation to recent events in syria.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

The curse of CM strikes again...

[@PaulMcElligott]

I get that more than a decade of civil war would degrade the Syrian military, but it was like the Republican Guard and more elite formations didn’t even exist.

[@DTOStudios]

​@@PaulMcElligott after a decade of fighting, they probably don't, not in any real sense. The men in those units either died or aged out. The replacements almost certainly never got the same level of training, so the quality of the formations just kept dropping as the war dragged on. And early on they probably got hit hard because they did the brunt of the fighting as the best quality loyal troops. The Republican Guard formations now are probably a shell of what they were. Look at what happened to Russia's VDV troops in the first year in Ukraine, probably a similar story for the Syrian Republican Guard just more strung out over a longer time

[@burningphoneix]

@@PaulMcElligott The elite formations put up some resistance around Hama, even counter attacking at some points, but all the other formations around them were falling apart and there was no saving the situation.

[@wojszach4443]

@@usuallyhapless9481 worse curse of cm is mission near Brovary in black sea, i remember seeing drone forage of highway that looks way too familiar and then i remembered the mission

[@gaz2113]

Man these arma 3 briefing backgrounds are an amazing idea! This looks really great!

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Thanks very much!

[@xurxotroche366]

From the production to the narration and the story, this campaign has been a joy to watch. This feels like having KZbin platinum or something. Hats off to you UH! ;)

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Thanks very much! I've had a lot of fun wrangling ARMA for the briefings

[@ninjasocks1048]

Never in my life have I seen such a display of élan from a BTR.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

It happens!

[@igoralekseyev3347]

I do think this engagement shows quite well how even a hopelessly obsolete piece of armour like the BTR-60 can be a menace to infantry with no proper AT weapons.

[@Lazuli2-6]

I loved this final mission because it just felt so Marines. Something about the infantry focus with limited firepower against a combined force just feels like its a job only the Marines could do

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Definitely got that Marine flavour

[@Tekisasubakani]

@@usuallyhapless9481 Purple Crayola?

[@nbr1rckr]

Welcome back to Ender's Game: Syria

[@MichaelCharge]

Really enjoyed the series, and a great ending scenario to go out on!

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Thanks very much! We're going to Sicily next, I think.

[@gareththompson2708]

@@usuallyhapless9481 That'll be interesting. The Sherman is an absolute beast in Sicily. Its frontal armor is immune to the most common German anti-tank gun on Sicily, the 50mm Pak 38 (actually I have seen these get partial penetrations on the gun mantlet, but the frontal hull armor is basically immune), and to every Italian gun I can think of (side armor is still vulnerable). I certainly wasn't expecting to see my Shermans so effortlessly shrug off hits as if they were heavy tanks when I first landed in Sicily. And the lack of man-portable anti-tank weapons for either the Germans or the Italians mean that they can pretty much operate with impunity against infantry. I defnitely picked up some bad habits in Sicily that I had to start unlearning once I hit the Italian mainland.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Yeah, it's a nice change after Normandy! Of course, providing the current plan doesn't change, any Shermans are probably going to be on the other side...

[@gareththompson2708]

@@usuallyhapless9481 In that case be careful fighting them with Panzer 3s (or obviously with any Italian tank). I've found that it's actually harder to fight Shermans with Panzer 3s than it is to fight Tigers/Panthers with Shermans. Like I said, the Sherman's frontal armor is more or less immune to the Panzer 3's 50mm gun. So just like with Shermans against Tigers/Panthers, you'll need to get on their flank. The difference is that the Sherman has a much faster turret traverse speed than either the Panther or the Tiger (actually I can't remember if you mentioned that in your Sherman video, so you might already know this, but it's dangerous enough to be worth a reminder). 15 seconds for a full 360 degree rotation. That means they can get their gun pointed at a threat 90 degrees to their left or right in 3.75 seconds. That's fast enough that they actually managed to get the first shot off against my Panzer 3s on one occasion even after I sprung a nearly perfect flank attack.

[@MechaMaestro]

Great stuff! I'd love to see you tackle the Canada campaign for Shock Force 2!

[@usuallyhapless9481]

I played the first mission a few years ago with an eye to giving it a go and it was so frustrating I backburner'd it pretty quickly.

[@skinnybob6784]

The syrian rebels have been taking notes the whole time..

[@usuallyhapless9481]

I had a check, according to YT analytics I have no viewers in Syria. To be honest, it's probably not a great idea anyway...

[@skinnybob6784]

@@usuallyhapless9481 In hindsight I'm sorry for bringing a tough, real life topic into this.. That said and ship sailed: "The long road to rebuilding this ancient site starts here and now" is a message I can get behind. Hope this poor region can taste some peace at last. Anyway, great content as always Hapless 🙂👍

[@MetallicaMan172]

Lovely series. Also love how the assault men missed every shot despite having a spotting round. RIP 0351s

[@brosefmalkovitch3121]

"The tank is dead! It's too vulnerable!" One BTR in a keyhole holding up a Marine assault: "Hold my beer." Really shows how just damn useful a mobile, high-velocity HE-slinging armored gun is on the battlefield. Infantry anti-armor weapons and light vehicles can only do so much, had you had an Abrams that keyholed BTR would've been a complete non-issue.

[@mariusssssss]

man i played this mission a few days ago spent most of the mission trying to maneuever then found syrian reinforcements to the west proceeded to run out of ammo after killing as many as i could with mostly enemy infantry left called a ceasefire when i completely ran out of ammo won by less than 10 points or something and no deaths surprisingly wasnt able to take the farm in the end

[@Prederick]

Just a huge thank you for such an entertaining series and for the incredible work you put into these videos Hapless. I'm a lapsed CM player, I just don't have the time anymore, but your vids are so good I find myself wanting to pick it up again.

[@KashouWannabe]

Incredible campaign. Loved watching this through. I love the modern CM titles but find them clunky to handle. Also I feel there is almost a puzzle game nature to them. For someone only casual when it comes to understanding military tactics and the equipment used it can be quite a struggle. Very much looking forward to your next modern title campaign.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Thanks very much!

[@personperson3328]

I hope you continue this series with another campaign!

[@Tamburello_1994]

Quality content delivered, and watched. Thank you.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Much appreciated!

[@WolfTheTrueKing]

Enjoyed very much so watching this series! Great ending

[@CarlosZig]

Amazing campaign Hapless, and awesome job with the 10x1 ratio, coulnd't be better honestly! That being said, I can totally see that ratio going way down with a good player commanding the Syrians, but in the end, the result would probably be the same, a Major Coalition/Marines win. Either way, awesome job and can't wait for the next one! Red Thunder next maybe? hahah

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Think we're off to some kind of island for the next campaign ;)

[@CarlosZig]

You got me so confused and hooked at the same time that I don't know how to react. hahaha Can't wait for it!

[@mimir4965]

Lovely ending to a great campaign.

[@Protester19]

Thanks for the excellent series. Those mission briefings from inside the vehicles are absolutely inspired

[@daredemontriple6]

It's easy to disparage oneself by saying that the AI has limitations and that's perhaps why the result is as good as it is, but that overlooks how the Ai limits you as the player too. Most notably, troops in real-life don't generally sit out in the open getting shot at because you clicked the wrong button or forgot about their position. In Combat mission, morale withstanding, they'll sit in the beaten zone of a machine gun until it runs out of ammo. And then there's things like the pop-up attacks attempted in this mission - IRL, an infantryman on the crest would have run down to that Humvee and told the gunner exactly where to look before they rolled up to the crest. They would have been on target far quicker, laid into the BTR with half a box of .50, and popped down again before the Syrians knew what hit them. But in combat mission you're relying on them spotting the target all on their own, and you can't order them to clear out as soon as the BTR starts looking their way. Similar with the SMAW teams, who wouldn't simply go up to the ridge, go "Welp, we're 10 yards too far to the left, I guess there's nothing we can do" and then sit around waiting for an HE round to find them. The true skill of these games is the macro management, more than the micro. The micro is clunky, and unrealistic. What is more key though is the decision making - like keeping the second javelin team in reserve, just in case. A lesser player might have jumped at the Javelin as an answer to the BTR, and then found themselves without an answer to the T72, which as you rightly pointed out could very well have been the difference had it had the chance to bring it's force to bear. All throughout this campaign you've made shrewd tactical decisions that have meant 99% of the time, you have an answer for the enemy's threats. It's a well deserved total victory, and it's been a blast following it blow by blow!

[@danielfield2570]

Great series, always love your AARs. Do you have any ideas as to what campaign/CM title you will go through next?

[@usuallyhapless9481]

I have some idea, but we're heading to the Gulf first.

[@danielfield2570]

@usuallyhapless9481 Nice, can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for us!

[@tysumm]

You are the Man Stan!

[@Hiddenronin]

I think its criminal you dont have more subscribers. These videos are fantastic. Do you have any plans to cover the 'Highland Games' Campaign?

[@usuallyhapless9481]

I have about 20k more subs than I ever expected! Having just finished a modern campaign, we'll be heading back to WW2 for the next one, but Highland Games is a distant contender. Except that one mission with the Police Station. That would be getting skipped.

[@Hiddenronin]

@@usuallyhapless9481 Yeah, that mission is a total fuster cluck, didn't enjoy that one at all!

[@ku9305]

Loved watching this campaign from start to finish, thank you for putting so much effort into it, Hapless. When I look at the 2003 invasion of Iraq, perhaps the most comparable conflict to Combat Mission's scenario in terms of equipment, Wikipedia claims that the coalition forces had 172 KIA and 551 wounded. So I wonder if the Marine Corps casualties in that campaign alone would be considered acceptable in real life?

[@wheelcha1rman2]

This feels very timely. Unfortunately so in a way.

[@sniffdogg420]

great series. are there any campaigns on the other side of the peer vs sub-peer coin?

[@usuallyhapless9481]

There are a few community-made campaigns, but nothing official

[@Mechanized85]

Let's Go! Marine!

[@Ghidorah6381]

Nice recommendations consider what happened in Syria

[@boredsights3923]

Thanks for the video. Did the Cobra’s have ATGM’s?

[@usuallyhapless9481]

The Cobras only had their Hydra rockets and cannon

[@jacobmartin1100]

The casualty count doesn't even consider the surrenders from the AI deciding to throw in the towel, so the number of captured is even higher.

[@jonathonphillips7903]

when i did this mission it came down to demo charging tanks and taking the farm felt like a ww1 charge.

[@MrJH101]

Plan was solid, a bit too conservative with the use of javelin missiles. Marines love their explosions and will overmatch with everything to protect their own.

[@statstats3724]

This feels like mission 3, but with a much nastier setup - more a meeting engagement than a defend. And with no reinforcements. While I enjoyed mission 3, I've still not brought myself to finish this one as it just didn't feel good to play. I actually restarted it once, as I decided not to take out the BTRs with javelins (I had them on pre-emptive arcs) and the three of them proceeded to pin most of my force while the SMAWs just flew here and there uselessly. So I can confirm that any one of the Syrian vehicles is a serious threat in this open terrain - exactly as was highlighted in the Marine Rifle Company video! Plus we don't even have a whole company, which is just rude. Still, I have my platoons advancing without the BTRs to worry about, so at some point I'll see how that plays out - I think probably OK, as while I have one javelin left to smack one of the tanks (whoever decides they can sit out on the hill) with the platoons forward in decent terrain I don't think the tanks will be quite as scary. Or, at least, they'll have to come within range of a volley of AT4s.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Yeah, if you can get into the woods or onto the reverse slope up the right you should be in a good position to take the tanks on your own terms, assuming they get close enough to have a go.

[@Murauder04]

Hi, what's the uniform mod used for USMC?

[@usuallyhapless9481]

It's vanilla, actually. They have desert MARPAT on and it looks pretty good.

[@georgea5991]

If only the mission makers knew how easy it would be to take over the country irl.

[@arquebusier1995]

Not realistic. Trying to escape by highway will turn it into highway of death

[@usuallyhapless9481]

That would be a lot less fun though

[@nestorgamer9746]

you mean a HIGHWAY TO HELL ?

[@wojszach4443]

im watching your vids for long time now, have you considered becoming warlord?

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Turns out you need other skills as well.

[@wojszach4443]

@@usuallyhapless9481 all you need is charismatic friend, you will be his kongming he will be your liu bei

[@Anu242Bis]

@wojszach4443 always thought of Hapless as a Guo Jia, so perhaps he needs a Cao Cao instead.