The Assault of Alcazar - A CMAK DAR

[Montmorency]

This is a blow-by-blow account of the Siege of Alcazar 36 scenario, stock with Combat Mission III: Afrika Korps. I expect it to be done entirely in text and screenshot. I'll start off with a prolegomenon this weekend, then the first turn the next few days, and hopefully one turn a day after that. Each turn in this hybrid wargame is one minute, by the way.

The mission briefing:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The objective:

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Don't be fooled:

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This here is also something to capture:

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The setup:

I have at my command a reinforced Republican battalion, or even the better part of a regiment.

--14 rifle platoons
--2 assault engineer platoons
--I don't know, 6 or 8 snipers?
--3 medium mortars, give or take
--4 independent LMG, give or take
--4 MMG
--8 3-inch tubes
--4 4.5-inch tubes
--4 6-inch tubes
--4 Schneider CA-1 Assault Tanks
--5 Bilbao armored cars

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

A. 2 engineer platoons, 1 MMG, 3 sniper
B. 1 rifle platoon + Ind. LMG
C. 1 rifle platoon
D. 1 rifle platoon
E. 2 MMG, 2 sniper
F. 2 mortar, 1 MMG, 1 sniper all arty spotters
G. 1 rifle platoon, 1 Bilbao
H. 1 rifle platoon
I. 1 rifle platoon + mortar, 1 Bilbao
J. 1 rifle platoon + MMG
K. 1 rifle platoon + Ind. LMG, 1 Bilbao
L. 1 Bilbao, 2 CA-1, 1 rifle platoon, 1 mounted rifle platoon in mobile reserve
M. 1 rifle platoon + Ind. LMG, 1 CA-1
N. 1 rifle platoon + Ind. LMG
O. 1 rifle platoon + Ind. LMG + Mortar
P. 1 Bilbao, 1 CA-1
Q. 1 rifle platoon


It's at this point that I should mention that CMAK does not model the SCW, so the Republicans are represented by Free French units, and the armor is British/Italian.

The tactics:

I only get a bit over half an hour to cover 200-350 m of dense urban territory. These short time limits are a common design flaw in CM scenarios. Obviously, no one would deem such an operation a failure if it were not concluded in just a few minutes!

Nevertheless, I've found that haste in such tight, or "crowded", infantry-heavy scenarios can be fatal. Never commit in force when the enemy dispositions are unknown. I'll likely violate that principle...

If I do this right, I'll set up decent overwatch with the MGs, mortars, and snipers in the south (N is down, S is up in this map). The enemy will probably be spread throughout the town, so perhaps sending all my arty spotters where they can for the most part see only the fortress is a mistake. Oh well... The good news is that if I can break through in any one spot, I could likely make a beeline for the objective and rout the defenders.

My engineers are the best troops I have, and they will advance along the same axis as the main thrust, though from the opposite end. They have the advantage of relative proximity to the fortress.

There is not much room for fancy manoeuvre in a map as dense as this one, so I'll have to reduce my overall tactics to "advance everywhere from the red line toward Alcatraz Alcazar".

[Montmorency]

Alright, here's the first one to show I mean business.

0:00-1:00

They're off.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

0:00: I may have set the bar too high. These are mostly green troops, which entails command penalties. I shouldn't have set them to cover so much distance. I need to cover only 8-12 m per minute, on average, to reach my objective within time. Some of these platoons are going up as much as 75 m! Hopefully, the defenders don't have a very wide outer ring.

0:47: An MMG of Position E entered a building of the Riding School and ran into an enemy squad!! No fire has been exchanged, but there is a positive ID on a veteran 10-man unit with two LMGs. It will take 22 seconds for the MMG to set up in these conditions, and in that window they might easily be wiped out. I neglected to give the D platoon orders last time. Perhaps they'll be used to clear these rats out...

1:00: No other contacts. The vehicles all completed their routes. The infantry that were running reached their destinations. Those on more cautious stances will conserve their orders. The next turn should be devoted to clearing the Riding School for my heavy equipment, and for low-intensity advancing.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Montmorency]

1:00-2:00

0:00: I have some good views of the east side of the alcazar (as in, "fortress", not This Fortress as I had incorrectly assumed earlier), thanks to my two snipers in the riding school. A bit of trenchwork has by them been noted on the Esplanade of the fort.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

You might be wondering why I have three rifle platoons around the Riding School. I can't hope to get them to cover the 250m between it and the fort, of course. On the other hand, they are for the most part riflemen, and could lay down some serious covering fire in their dozens, along with most of my heavy equipment. I think...

The mounted platoon will move up to within 100m of the Toledo cathedral ("Santa Cruz"). Most of the action later will occur around the E or N ends of the objective, I believe. This is a good position from which to respond to changes in either sector.

The rest are small movements, and would not be of much interest to you at this point. Continue as planned.

0:01: It has been revealed that there is a full company of enemy infantry running to and fro on the esplanade. The enemy status within the riding school has just been updated to "1 platoon". This is rather serious. I wish my MG were in place.

0:30-0:50: My MG is wiped out. The platoon in the riding school heads south and engages D platoon, inflicting a casualty. An enemy platoon comes down along the Cobertizo de San Miguel, opposite my engineers. One of my MGs reaches its position between the School and the Government offices and opens fire all across the esplanade.

1:00: Now is the time for artillery. I need to reorganize my men to save the situation at the Riding School too...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Montmorency]

Anything I should be doing that I'm not? I'm not planning to update daily until the following week, so there's time to modify my style.

[Visor]

I don't know what this is, but I am interested.

[Montmorency]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

This is a tactical wargame of the Combat Mission series. I'm currently leading a Republican battalion in an assault on the citadel of Toledo, Spain. The year is 1936.

Is there something specific with regard to mechanics that I should elaborate on?

I have units of squads, vehicles, and weapons systems. I maneuver them around the battlefield towards objectives, and they fight it out with the enemies they meet, unless ordered otherwise. Command and control is modeled, as well as morale - these are something to keep in mind when planning a turn. Lower-quality troops of course have worse morale and higher order-response times. They get higher penalties for being out of command.

I'm not sure what I can add to that unless asked on a specific point.

2:00-3:00

0:00: The engineers of Detachment - yes, detachment! - A will advance to better positions in buildings along the cobertizo, and will set firing arcs over the street in case the enemy decides to push on beyond their current position.

C and D detachments will engage the enemy around the Riding School. B detachment will complete its deployment while remaining prepared to support C and D at short notice. The MG and snipers in the Riding School (E Detachment) will support as needed.

F detachment is still moving up, particularly the arty spotters. I need to The MG already in place will continue to ly down fire across the esplanade. Hopefully the noted company will stick around for the 3-5 minutes necessary for my shells to start coming down. F detachmentwill advance a few tens of meters to the outer gov't offices and engage the enemy as well. The 2 Bilbao in the area will attempt to get a keyhole LoS on the esplanade, as the enemy may well have artillery hidden in the treeline.

From the North, away from the action, we proceed normally.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Here is the view of a sniper from the Riding School.

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0:40-0:60: My MG in the riding school, coupled with a squad of D Detachment, rips into an enemy platoon atttempting to cross the square in the open. At least 19 of the enemy go down - a solid victory. One enemy squad runs past D Detachment's pincer and meets one of B Detachment's squads.

A platoon or two of the enemy emerge from the east side of the alcazar. It seems as though at least 1/2 of their force is concentrated here. Thankfully, one of my arty spotters has reached a good position.

1:00: It is reported that the commander of a Bilbao near the cathedral was made a casualty. It is not known from where the shot came nor from what caliber weapon. Though caution may be merited, I expect that the best way to draw out the enemy is by continuing the latest orders.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Montmorency]

All my views from spiders and bots? No matter. As you'll soon get to filter through your primitive and rigid I/O frameworks, this one shouldn't last too long.