The Covering Force Battle

[22sec]

"In April 1989, 2-1 Cav of the 2nd Armored Division deployed to northern Germany to hone its cavalry skills. The exercise was designed to help the unit become more proficient in the recon/counter-recon battle. It's mission this afternoon is to defeat the recon force of the OPFOR as well as the Combat Recon Patrol (CRP) and Forward Security Element (FSE) of the OPFOR main body."

Below you can see the Objectives screen, and how I am setting up the upcoming battle before I select the forces. You can also see the size of the battlefield I've chosen, in this case 15km by 8km.

[22sec]

The first thing I like to do when I start a new battle, if it is not a premade mission with the player's forces already locked", is to move my forces in to "assembly areas" to allow me to begin to formulate a plan.

It may be difficult to see, but for the upcoming battle I have ten sections of M3A1's (two vehicles plus scout), a section of M1A1's, a platoon of M3A1's (six vehicles plus scouts), an attached mechanized infantry platoon, a M163 section, two MANPAD sections, the squadron's mortars, and then two HQ sections (one consisting of two M3A1's, and the other consisting of three M113's plus MANPAD). I also have support from the division's air cavalry squadron, which we will get to later.

[exsonic01]

This might be a good tutorial-AAR-to-follow. Good work!

[22sec]

I try and follow the old U.S. Army acronym of METT-T, which stands for Mission, Enemy, Terrain, Time & Troops Available, when planning my fight. One of my favorite things to do is analyze the ground and terrain. Any good scout has an eye for key terrain, and in Armored Brigade, it is important to identify those key positions along with likely avenues of approach when preparing your plan. A good starting point is to look at the elevation of the countryside you'll be fighting for.





While this part of Germany doesn't have high hills it isn't flay, and in AB just as in real life, even seemingly small rises can play a critical role in providing fields of fire.

[22sec]

Of course what covers the ground is as important as the elevation of the ground. In this area we have a mix of open areas, forest, and even large marshes. Based on this I believe the enemy will advance along at least one of three possible axis. I also now have an idea about where I want to begin focusing my men and resources.

[22sec]

I now have an idea of where the enemy will come from, how he will come, and the vicinity I need to deploy my forces. Next it will be critical to find the exact locations to deploy my units. This takes some time as I will recon, primarily using the game's line of sight tool, to place my units. Also, note that when using the LOS tool, if you click on a unit you'll see the areas of the map it can see. If you just click on a location on the map, you'll see what given the current environmental conditions one could see from that location.

[22sec]

This sector presents some challenges. There is not a lot of dominant terrain with long lines of sight, and I don't want to deploy my forces in the marsh. I also am trying to make sure I am not missing any dead ground for the OPFOR to slip through. Finally, I also have to consider the routes my forces will take when they begin their withdrawal. I don't want them forces to cross large areas of open ground, unnecessarily exposing themselves under fire.

[22sec]

More scouting unit positions. I typically prefer to keep formations together, but this time I am going to have to "detach" units to ensure I accomplish my goal of leaving no dead ground. I still don't want detached units left alone, and have to make sure their fellow troopers are within range to lend support of the situation calls for it.

[22sec]

I have deployed my forward elements.



Now I need to come up with a plan to cover their withdrawal, and how I will defeat the OPFOR's CRP and FSE. I have a feeling it is time to consult with the air cav. [:D]