THE RETURN OF FIRST CLASH

[12Alfa]

Last weekend of Jan the campaign starts.The Cold War goes HOT.

 

Location - Southern Germany

 

Forces - 4CMBG VS 290th MMR and Soviet 1 Guards Tank Div

 

Edited January 10, 2018 by 12Alfa

[Gibsonm]

Dates?

 

Times?

 

Will this be three missions like last time?

 

Again trying to make sure it doesn't conflict with Rolling Thunder.

 

Edited January 10, 2018 by Gibsonm

[12Alfa]

https://www.google.com.bz/maps/@48.8318166,8.2970425,27966m/data=!3m1!1e3

 Google map location above.

[12Alfa]

10 minutes ago, Gibsonm said:

Dates?

 

Times?

 

Will this be three missions like last time?

 

Again trying to make sure it doesn't conflict with Rolling Thunder.

 

As per Kanium timetable, and

I will ensure it does not conflict.

Looking at 6, if 4CMBG survives.

[Gibsonm]

Well for those of us without access to the "Kanium Timetable" (its not in the calendar here)?

 

Edited January 10, 2018 by Gibsonm

[Major duck]

28 minutes ago, Gibsonm said:

Well for those of us without access to the "Kanium Timetable" (its not in the calendar here)?

 

http://www.kanium.eu/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=102&t=3793 aka the "Kanium timetable" it will change over time as its a working document where we plan which scen and campaign we plan to play, then a week before or close too, we make a thread on SB and Kanium where people can sign up for the weekends game.

 

MD

Edited January 10, 2018 by Major duck

[Gibsonm]

2 hours ago, Major duck said:

http://www.kanium.eu/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=102&t=3793 aka the "Kanium timetable" it will change over time as its a working document where we plan which scen and campaign we plan to play, then a week before or close too, we make a thread on SB and Kanium where people can sign up for the weekends game.

 

MD

 

Hi,

 

i don't see any indication of year but there is an entry in April (I'm guessing 2018) for:

 

" SUN 1st - "No name yet" by Swordsmandk "

 

Does that mean there is a clash with one of the proposed dates for Rolling Thunder"?

[Swordsmandk]

This means that I have reserved Sunday 1st for a not yet published mission.

 

This means that if that's the date you run rolling thunder on then I wont plan anything big.

 

If it's not the date you run rolling thunder on then we will do a longer mission than usual since its day of on mondays for many people.

 

Let's keep to 1st clash in here plz cause 12a put some effort into this. I for one look forward to trying this since I wasnt around when this kicked off first. 

 

12a is running lead on this so look forward to this. Changes have been made from the previous missions I know. 

[Furia]

What type of vehicles would be available? Is there a Manning List alalaible?

[12Alfa]

For the 4CMBG it will be the Leo 1,M113 etc of the time period 80's

Russian of the same years.

[Furia]

Excellent. Thanks Count with me

[12Alfa]

1 minute ago, Furia said:

Excellent. Thanks Count with me

Great, manning list will happen soon. Note on the above, due to some of the AFV's not currently present in SB Pro Pe there will be stan-in's, a example is our CDN Lynx, the Ausy M113 is I think a acceptable replacement.

[Nike-Ajax]

Sounds GOOD - will be looking forward to it !

[D u k e]

Servus,

 

sounds good, last time I had a great time with a TOW section. By the way is @Brun still around?

Time to test the old skins.

 

Here the M113AS4 as Lynx from 911 website, made by Falli(911).

 

cheers

 

D u k e

CA_M113CR_Lynx_3025.rar

[Los]

Cant wait!

[IrishHussar]

So with ref to the blue ORBAT, am I right in saying the Armour unit in the 1980s would've been the 8th Canadian Hussars???

[Los]

In the book, IIRC,  they were the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

[Gibsonm]

24 minutes ago, Los said:

In the book, IIRC,  they were the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

 

As per his wire diagram posted earlier.

[12Alfa]

My Regt 8CH closed out Germany but during First Clas indeed it was the Regt I was posted with in 74 the RCD's. First Clash

 will represent the RCD's

Edited January 13, 2018 by 12Alfa

[Gunslinger668]

Shame it's the RCDs...we would have won for sure if they were LdSH(RC) haha

[12Alfa]

 

THE FIRST DAY

1 In the assembly area

It scarcely seemed three weeks ago that the latest political furor had loomed over the horizon. Like so many of its predecessors, its characteristics at first had looked no different to all the other threats which, in the past, had risen to a crisis and then receded in response to diplomacy and political maneuver. But this time the onward march of events, of threat and counter-threat, had escalated unabated until, on the 15th of June, in response to unusually heavy and persuasive evidence of a build-up of Warsaw Pact military force in Eastern Europe (as well as increasing activity by Soviet forces almost everywhere they were to be found around the globe), the moment for NATO taking overt precautions could no longer be avoided. To the astonishment of the NATO people, successive states of readiness for war were declared, reinforcements warned to go to Europe, reserve equipment and stocks made ready for use, and transport facilities positioned in readiness to move the reserve units and begin the evacuation of civilian dependents.

Perhaps it was the departure of families, school teachers and the other dispensable categories of camp followers which most brought it home to the officers and men of 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group that this time it was going to be the real thing. The prior arrival of reinforcing sub-units — the squadron of the RCD, the battery of 1 RCHA, the companies of 3 RCR and 1 R22eR, the two field troops of 4 CER, along with other minor elements — had acted as a sharp warning of what was going on; but after that, all had been in the nature of previously rehearsed exercises. Taking away the women and children cut a link with peace which placed the brigade, psychologically, on a war footing before the order to leave barracks and move to its operational assembly area was received on the 21st.

 

On the 24th of June, they were at war. It had begun with widespread air attacks followed by the landing of airborne troops in the rear, disruptive sabotage by guerrillas and the crossing of the frontier on the night of the 22nd/23rd by strong Warsaw Pact forces. So far the Canadians lay relatively undisturbed despite the almost ceaseless manifestations above of air warfare, the heavy rumble of battle away to the east, and the tensions induced by anticipation, by occasional bombing and rumors of spies and saboteurs at large amid the towns, villages and woods where the brigade group lay hidden in wide dispersion for fear of nuclear attack. To a minority of hot-heads, for whom the prospect of action was a lure, the 36 hours' inactivity was galling. To the majority, the leaders above all who needed all the time possible to improve the combat readiness of their commands, the extended period in waiting was welcome, a heaven sent opportunity to smooth out the rough edges among troops who were conditioned to barrack life. It also gave a chance to absorb reservists and others who, until a few days before, had been enjoying the soft delights of life at home in Canada.

Major Dick Connors, OC N Company 3 RCR, in the manner of three fellow rifle company commanders of 3 RCR, and four more in the Vandoos, felt that his command was ready for war and, moreover, the best in the brigade. A small percentage of his men were militia, the bulk had trained together for at least 12 months and some for much longer. War, coming when it did, had pre-empted the summer posting season, so officers and men were at their peak. Of course there were deficiencies. Standards of marksmanship with all weapons left something to be desired, and Connors had taken the opportunity within 24 hours of entering the assembly area to take over a suitable nearby quarry for use as a range. Here he watched Lieutenant Eddie Leach putting No. 1 Platoon through intensive practice against man-size targets. Still higher on his list of priorities for improvement was the standard of field defenses construction. Although the company was situated within a village, with its Ml 13s parked at hand between buildings, he had insisted upon the men digging in instead of sheltering in rooms and cellars. That way they could practice and have emphasized to them the vital matter of always being responsible for their own protection. But the initial spadework had been slow. It had taken an aggressive MiG, of unrecognized nomenclature, with a roar of gunfire and the resultant loss of a comrade severely wounded, to bring it home to his men that this was a dangerous business which affected them personally. At that, the company accelerated its rate of earth shifting remarkably! After stand-to on the morning of the 24th, Connors had walked the rounds, watching his men at work after breakfast, sensing their mood, giving a word of encouragement here, a reproof there. Bracing them for the oncoming test. With gratification he watched his sergeant-major and senior NCOs supervising the soldiers. In a barn, close by soundly constructed trenches with stout overhead cover which toned in well with the farmyard, Sergeant Al Hobbs was checking his section's equipment. Each man had his NBCW kit laid out and his weapon stripped for inspection, the working parts of

SMGs, FNs, 7.62 GPMGs and the .50 HMG exposed for his meticulous scrutiny. Inside the section's 113, Private Paul Charrier was looking to the stowage of M72 PAWs to see they were readily at hand and not liable, as sometimes had been the case on exercises, to be buried under personal kits. In peacetime, weapons tend to take second place to comfort; in war priorities change. At a corner of the village, Connors came across Gunner Jake Martin scanning the sky away to the east. Ready at hand was his Blowpipe AD missile in case another MiG decided to disturb their repose. Last time, the sheer unexpectedness of the attack had taken the entire detachment by surprise; next time, he vowed, it would be different, providing, that was, he received enough warning and could raise and launch the missile in time. They talked about the problem of target acquisition and were joined by Captain Pat Kendal, the FOO from A Battery 1 RCHA who was attached to N Company. Together, the officers walked towards company HQ, discussing their future collaboration. A similar procedure of inspection allied to man management was being employed half a mile distant in the midst of the evergreen wood occupied by Major Ian Linkman's B Squadron RCD. Deep among forest paths, his four troops of Leopards and their associated command and administrative vehicles lay hidden, the drivers and signalers engaged upon maintenance, commanders and gunners checking sights and the low-light-level TV, and practicing fire orders and gunnery techniques. The training programe was being supervised by the battle captain, Captain Peter Cummings, a gunnery instructor who had long held the uneasy belief that the complex array of controls, sights and instruments which festooned the commander's and gunner's side of the turret might, in combat, overload the ability of both men to cope and actually degrade instead of improving the accuracy of shooting. At this very moment, Cummings was criticizing errors in the orders just given by No. 3 Troop Leader, Lieutenant Ron Pike, which had led to utter confusion for his gunner. "For God's sake remember," he pleaded, "if you find that sort of difficulty on the day, get back to 'steam' gunnery, using the Mark One Eyeball for range-finding and set aside all the gadgetry. But as of now, start all over again and get your drills right while there's time."

Linkman was talking to Warrant Officer George Crane of 3 Troop, a discontented warrant officer whose Leopard was off the road until the mechanics had changed its transmission. Watching the ARV crew winching in the replacement unit, Crane bitterly commented: "Just another hangover from going left handed round the airfield track, I suppose, but why must it happen to me?" And Linkman commiserated, but pointed out to one of his most experienced troop warrant officers that it might have been worse — it could have happened in battle. As usual, a road run had revealed hidden faults.

O Company of the RCR was engaged in very much the same activity as the others, although a remark by the CO, Lieutenant-Colonel Doug Tinker, had led its OC, Major Tom Panton, to guess that he might well be called upon to hold a village in any defensive scheme the battle group might be called upon to take part in. He talked it over with his second-in-command and platoon commanders while, from different parts of the company locality could be heard NCOs putting men through their paces - Master Corporal Fred Terry practicing with his Number 2 on the Carl Gustav MAW; Private John Grimes undergoing a local refresher course in stoppage drill on the 113's 50-cal gun.

In the Reconnaissance Platoon of 3 RCR, that 'élite group' as its commander, Captain Gordon Truman, chose to call it, they were checking the surveillance kit supplied to their Lynx and Ml 13 vehicles. Truman harbored no illusions about the inferior combat ability of his vehicles, but he was a convinced advocate of the vital role they could play, particularly at night, in locating enemy movement between widespread company localities and round open, exposed flanks. This was his reason for ensuring that all were in working order and that his men, once more, fully understood the vital role of the AN/PPS-15 short-range radar; the AN/TVS-501 medium-range NOD; and the shorter-range passive-viewing devices with which his troops were lavishly equipped. Truman had a feeling that the other infantry elements in 3 RCR battle group might not accord quite the same importance to these instruments of darkness as he did - the one exception being, perhaps, the TOW platoon which, uniquely, had the benefit of the long-range crew-served weapon sight (to enable it to make better use out to 2000 meters of their guided HAW's full 3750 meters range). Truman was pleased to observe a TOW operator, parked nearby in his Ml 13, paying similar close attention to his night sighting devices — but Master Corporal Gene Pétrie, like Truman, was also somewhat of a perfectionist. At every spare moment, he sought to practice weapon drills with his crew and, if possible, obtain the use of the simulator to maintain his own skill in target tracking. Like everybody else, he realized the vital importance of the Leopards with their 105 mm guns, but he also liked to think that TOW, with its long-range capability, would have an important part to play in the anti-armour battle.

Only in P Company was the atmosphere noticeably different from the others, but this was hardly surprising. It had been living in Canada less than a week ago and the OC, Major Alan Ferrier, felt somewhat more anxious about the future than his fellow company commanders. It was not that his men were untrained; many indeed had served in Europe before, as he had himself. It was simply that the sudden disruption of life was unsettling, and he had to be sure that his techniques fell in line with the others. With this in mind, he had driven over to B Squadron for a chat with Lieutenant Phil Brown, 4 Troop Leader, to make his acquaintance in the knowledge that they might find themselves teamed for combat in the future. Their meeting had been fruitful, but it took him away just before the CO called in to look over the company in an endeavor to search out any weaknesses which might so easily be found in the least-well-known part of his command. Inspecting, along with the company second-in-command, Tinker was able to spot and correct a few defects. He recognized several NCOs and men with whom he had served before, and that gave a sense of continuity and made him feel better. At the same time, he welcomed men from other regiments who now found themselves posted to a strange unit. Also he warned the 2IC to nominate one platoon for detachment to C Squadron RCD if, as seemed likely, that squadron became the Brigade Reserve, and had to be strengthened with an infantry platoon from the RCR.

 

Edited January 21, 2018 by 12Alfa

[Nike-Ajax]

Good Stuff !

 

Looking forward to more and the scenario

[12Alfa]

Deployment

Lieutenant-Colonel Tinker to his gathered subordinates, "the CO of VII (US) Corps has told our Brigade Commander to get there fastest with the mostest! That means we've a busy night ahead.

The WGN O had reached 4 CMBG at 1600 hours, having left HQ VII Corps the moment it was plain to their commander that his counter-attack had failed. With the conditions of radio silence which had applied to the brigade since it had left barracks, the message had been sent by telephone, in the same manner as within the brigade where most messages were also being sent that way or by messenger or through LO’s. It was only 45 minutes later that battle groups and the other units within 4 CMBG, spread as they were over a ten-mile radius, had received their own warning order, telling them briefly all that was necessary to know at that moment; saying they must soon move to a new specified location where the brigade would take up a blocking position; no move to take place before 2000 hours — that is, shortly after last light. It stated, too, that the Brigade Commander's Orders Group would be held in the village of Blickheim at 1900 hours without saying who would attend. (The latter was unnecessary since, in accordance with SOPs, all battle group and other unit commanders knew they must be there.) The warning order went on to confirm that a standard overlay order, along with a movement order, would be issued as soon as possible and that, in the meantime, only the essential reconnaissance groups and advanced parties would be allowed to go forward.

 

Orders for the move of 3 RCR battle group were issued verbally at 1900 hours by the operations officer to company squadron 2ICs. They reflected in the briefest terms those which had been received from Brigade in the operation overlay order and the movement order. To save time, everybody had marked up his map from the trace which had been transferred onto a map displayed in the operations room — the inn's dining-room. Captain Andrew Barton, the operations officer, and a stickler for the formalities of staff duties, tried his best (and succeeded) in keeping briskly to the laid down sequence of orders, but failed somewhat in holding his excitement entirely under control. Sometimes, even he permitted an aside to betray the seriousness of the occasion. That way he kept everybody steady by avoiding any suggestion of surprise innovation; at the same time, he managed to transmit confidence by raising a few laughs.

"OK," he began, glancing round the assembly of officers with their maps and note pads poised, "orders - and they're not to say the exercise is off because it'll all cost too much. This time its for real!" and he launched into the familiar sequence, which now both thrilled and chilled them by its meaning.

Some of the things Barton mentioned were already known and these he kept to a minimum. Under situation, enemy forces, he merely repeated what had seeped down from above about the enemy progress and that which they had already looked at on the Intelligence Officer's map. Friendly forces and attached and detached units remained unchanged. 4 CMBG would use two route-. -Diamond and Club. Barton felt no need to underline the mission, which was largely as expected.

 

"3 RCR will move to an assembly area in the Bannwald prior to occupying a defensive position in the area of Blickheim."

"OK? Execution," he went on. "Deployment will be effected by simultaneous movement and, on our route Diamond, we'll have 4 CER, D Squadron RCD, Recce Platoon, Mike Company, the Mortar Platoon, Armored De fence Platoon and the Pioneers, Oscar Company, Battalion HQ, November, B Squadron, Papa, and Echelon. Form up with head of the column at Karlsbad crossroads and move off at 2100 hours so as to arrive at the brigade start point at 2115 hours. There are no specific critical points; could be the whole thing will be that way since there's a hell-of-a-lot of civilian stuff starting to join the roads. So they'll be no deliberate halts — just keep going best you can. Air defense, enemy still has air superiority. The AD measures included in our SOPs will augment the umbrella of coverage provided by the AD systems deployed by corps and higher formations. Some additional protection will be provided by the AD detachments inter spaced in the column.

 Speed, 30 kilometers per hour. Density, 20 meters apart. Lights, blackout drive. TC, our own MPs will man the SP and release point, there will also be German civil police who have their hands full, but who, I'm told are going to give us all the help they can. They're not giving us a traffic ticket today! They also know it's in their interests to help. Service Support, unit first-line recovery as usual, but 4 Service Battalion is bringing a recovery detachment up the route after everyone has gone through. Medical, normal. POL, you're all topped up now — I take it — eh?" Was there a slight hint of sarcasm in the question as he looked keenly at past offenders who had forgotten before - just once? "Top up in the assembly area once you get there. Command and signal, the strictest of radio silence of course, as of now. And I do mean that! Impress it again on your signalers: no press-switch pushing, but monitor your sets continuously. We'd like to surprise the Russians; no need to tell them we're coming. Questions?"

 All wanted to return quickly to their vehicles to pass on the orders and make the final arrangements. This was the moment when, in the absence of officers on reconnaissance, company and squadron sergeant-majors along with the warrant officers and sergeants came into their own, setting the example of meticulous preparation once the orders were known. Passing on as much information as possible to all the men, supervising the careful stowage of kit, the readiness of weapons, the briefing of signalers, the feeding and, as of habit, the cleaning up of the area before they left it - each act the inculcated product of ingrained routine spread over generations of older soldiers. Trying above all to make it look all in a day's work.

 

[Gibsonm]

I'm enjoying re-reading the book but I presume you aren't going to re-type all of it.

[12Alfa]

Once we launch the story will change, stay tuned