COMBAT MISSION II
Game User Manual
PDF Addendum
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
1 |
Safety Information
A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these
.photosensitive epileptic seizures. while watching video games.
These seizures may have a variety of symptoms including: lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.
Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms.children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures.
The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by sitting farther from the television screen, using a smaller television screen, playing in a well-lit room, and not playing when you are drowsy or fatigued.
If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.
2 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
Table of Content
Please note that parts of this manual are contained on the CD in PDF format.
THE BASICS |
3 |
THE INTERFACE |
11 |
THE MISSION |
26 |
THE ENVIRONMENT |
PDF 4 |
THE COMBAT |
41 |
THE MEN AND MACHINES |
PDF 24 |
THE COMMAND |
64 |
THE EDITOR |
PDF 63 |
THE CHALLENGE |
PDF 89 |
THE BEGINNER’S TUTORIAL |
PDF 108 |
THE ADVANCED TUTORIAL |
PDF 123 |
THE OSTFRONT |
PDF 128 |
APPENDIX A – HOTKEYS |
73 |
APPENDIX B - ORDERS |
76 |
APPENDIX C - TROUBLESHOOTING |
PDF 142 |
APPENDIX D - INDEX |
PDF 152 |
CREDITS |
83 |
SUPPORT |
86 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
3 |
The Environment
“The effect of climate in Russia is to make things impassable in the mud of spring and autumn, unbearable in the heat of summer and impossible in the depths of winter. Climate in Russia is a series of natural disasters.” — General von Greiffenburg, Chief of Staff 12th Army
(War on the Eastern Front, the German Soldier in Russia 19411945, James Lucas, pg 78)
The Environment
Many things can influence the outcome of wars, but among these the environment where a battle takes place – be it the weather, the lay of the land, the ground conditions and even the time of day – is generally regarded as the most influential in a military sense. The beginning of the mud season, the near standstill of combat in the winter, the unreliability of equipment in the hot summer months in the steppe – were all deciding factors in the outcome of the struggle on the Eastern Front, at both the strategic and tactical levels.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin simulates many different environmental conditions, from the seasons to the time of day, to the weather, temperature and ground conditions. Each mix can be a unique challenge. From fighting in a foggy night in deep snow, to struggling through deep mud on a rainy day in spring, to sweating in extreme heat on the steppe – the possibility for scenario designers and armchair generals are manifold. The
4 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Environment
following chapter explains the various settings and their effect on gameplay.
Terrain
There are many different terrain types in the game. Each one has an impact on lines of sight, cover, concealment, and movement. What you need to understand to play the game is that what you see in the game is merely a visual representation of the underlying mathematical 3D battlefield and some abstractions are necessary to keep the game (dis)playable.
Trees are one such abstraction. Although you see individual trees on the map, their actual placement plays no role for the game as such, as can be seen by the fact that tree density can be toggled by the user to fit hardware performance ability. What counts is the “woods” terrain “tile”, as seen by the different kind of ground beneath and around trees. Same applies to – for example - brush terrain, and “graveyards”.
“Open ground”, although seemingly “empty”, is not. Bushes, small dips, high grass and other random features are all taken into account, and so the LOS cannot be traced endlessly even across open ground. More importantly, weapons accuracy decreases dynamically with range, not only because it is harder to hit something farther away, but also because it is harder to see the target at all.
The LOS tool is a very useful aid to understand the terrain on the map better, as it shows what kind of terrain is used for the in-game calculations. You can pinpoint the exact end of woods, the exact corner of a building, the exact point where a wall or hedge starts, etc. Most of the time such things are clear from looking at the map (and your judgement will become better with playing experience), but when in doubt, the LOS tool provides the answer.
Terrain also changes with the different seasons. For example, depending on the scenario’s time and date trees can be dense and thick (summer) or leafless (winter). Grain fields also change dramatically with the seasons and
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
5 |
The Environment
weather. This has a direct impact on the concealment and cover provided by such terrain.
Buildings
There are various types of buildings in the game: wooden shacks
(considered extremely light buildings), small farm houses (light and heavy), a tall light building (2 levels), a big blockhouse (2 levels, heavy), a church (basically a special type of the big blockhouse, i.e. 2-level heavy building), and large factory complexes (considered 2-level heavy buildings). Buildings have an impact on concealment and cover, with heavy buildings being more protective than light ones. Light buildings also tend to be reduced to rubble much more quickly than heavy buildings, with a few highexplosive rounds of 75mm caliber or higher being enough to achieve this (one such round is often enough to destroy a wooden shack). Any unit inside a 2-level building which collapses will usually suffer serious casualties.
Lines of sight can be a bit tricky around buildings at first, but most answers are easy when you think about it. In order to be able to look outside of a building without restrictions, a unit needs to be within a few meters of the outside wall (i.e. to peer through windows or other openings). If it is further away than about 5 meters, it can still “see” a few meters into or out of the house, but not far beyond that.
When a building or a unit in a building is fired at, regardless if it is direct fire or indirect fire (from mortars for example), most of the fire hits the outer walls of the building. Units hiding within can still be hurt by the blast from flying stones, glass, shrapnel or even just the blast. However, some rounds can also make it into the building and explode within, e.g. through holes in the outer walls or roof, blasted doors or windows. Such shots can cause severe damage. There is even a very small chance that a round can make it into and THROUGH a building, exploding on the other side!
The interiors of buildings are abstracted and included into combat resolution calculations. Although you can trace an LOS within a building without restrictions (though with
6 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Environment
limited range) the chance of enemy units hiding within the same building and remaining unspotted is relatively high (imagine them hiding in another room), but drops dramatically the more time your units spend inside.
There are also two different height levels for buildings. Level one, the ground level, simulates houses that are one to two stories high. Level two simulates houses three to four stories high. These are the only available levels for Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin. You cannot place units in church towers.
One thing to keep in mind with buildings is that they are a confined space and can contain only so many soldiers at a time. The general rule of thumb is one squad per corner of a building. But if you try to put a whole platoon into a small farmhouse, don’t be surprised to find that one squad has to leave and wait outside.
Watch out when you want to fire weapons with backblast (like bazookas and Panzerfausts) within buildings - this often suppresses the firing unit and there is a good risk that the building will catch fire from the backblast. Vehicles and guns are not allowed to enter buildings. Mortars can enter a building, but cannot fire from it.
Building Damage
Buildings and bridges display “damaged” or “heavily damaged” labels according to how much damage they have received, and the “Warning Labels” option is on. Additionally, they’re listed with a ‘*’ attached, like “light building*”, or a ‘**’ for heavy damage. The building will begin to show damage visually after 40% of the structure is damaged.
Rubble
These are the leftovers after a building has collapsed. Vehicles may not
enter rubble. It provides excellent cover and concealment for infantry. LOS is heavily restricted across rubble, but only to a certain height (which is naturally much lower than the building previously was). There are two forms of rubble in the game – rubble as it originates from a
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
7 |
The Environment
collapsed building, with parts of exterior walls still standing, and “flat” rubble, which can simulate debris piled up on roads for example. The difference is visual only, as both types of rubble behave the same and cannot be, for example, entered or crossed by vehicles.
Scattered Trees
These are single trees with little or no brush, standing in loose groups together or along a road. Orchards fall
into this terrain type as well. They provide only light cover and concealment, but are certainly better than open ground. Do not expect miracles, especially in winter when even a single squad has trouble hiding in scattered trees.
Note: Scattered trees can also be used to simulate narrow paths in forests, allowing tanks and other vehicles to pass at a slow rate and considerable risk of bogging down.
Woods
This is the “usual” woods terrain, which includes mixed types of trees, and fairly thick underbrush and bushes.
Woods provide good cover and concealment. No vehicles are allowed to enter woods in Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin.
Tall Pines
“Tall pines” represents dense woods terrain, but with only little underbrush
and bushes, and provide cover and concealment similar to “Woods”, except that the pines are taller and so are more likely to block elevated lines of sight from tall buildings or hilltops. Movement through tall pines is faster than through woods, and LOS can be traced further due to less underbrush.
Hedges
This is the common type of hedge and is about one meter high, planted or
naturally grown, and is passable for tracked vehicles and
8 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Environment
infantry (with some impact on speed, however). It provides decent concealment for prone units, but little cover.
Stone Wall
A man-made stone wall, about 1 meter high, and thick enough to block even a direct hit from a tank main round. Walls are passable for tracked vehicles and infantry, albeit at a lower speed. Vehicles behind stone walls can achieve hull-down status, unless the enemy is on a higher elevation. Stone walls provide good cover and concealment, especially for prone units
behind it, but not when the attacker is at a higher elevation or attacking from the sides or rear.
Wooden fence
A man-made fence, usually to separate fields, but also very often found in Russian villages around each house. This is only a small obstacle to vehicles and infantry, and can be crossed by all unit types with a small delay. It provides nearly no cover and very little concealment.
Brush
Brush can be used to simulate several things types of terrain such as
bushes, wild fields or low trees. It provides good concealment and restricts LOS, but offers little cover. It tends to catch and spread fire quickly.
Grain Fields
Grain fields are just that. The concealment and cover they provide vary with the seasons. Basically
considered open ground in winter with not much to hide behind, they can provide decent concealment in summer and less so in fall or spring. Cover, however, is almost nonexistent. Grain fields also increase the chance of vehicles bogging down in them, even with otherwise dry ground conditions. This type of terrain tends to catch and spread fire quickly.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
9 |
The Environment
Marsh
Marsh is swampy open ground, providing little more cover than some bushes and grass. It is difficult to walk
on even for infantry, and cannot be entered or crossed by vehicles or heavy support weapons of any type.
Soft ground
This can be a muddy field, a shallow marsh or a small stream, and although passable to all units, dramatically increases the danger of vehicles bogging down as well as slows down all movement. It provides no extra cover or concealment.
Rough
Rough represents heavily broken or rocky terrain, impossible for vehicles to cross and
accessible only by infantry. It provides good cover and concealment.
Rocky
Similar to “rough” terrain but more easily passable - with usually a number of large rocks or debris to provide decent cover and concealment, but also enough open space for vehicles to pass through.
Roads
Roads come as two types: dirt and paved. Dirt roads are the main type of
road encountered in Eastern Europe outside of the big cities. There is no cover or concealment on a road, but movement is fast.
Paved roads have gravel or hard concrete surfaces and are relatively easy to drive on even during muddy ground conditions or snow. However, besides some few main highways and city streets, paved roads are not encountered very often on the Eastern Front.
10 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Environment
Bridges
There are three types of bridges - wooden bridges, often encountered across small streams or creeks and two
elevations high; stone bridges, spanning small rivers at two elevations high; and tall stone bridges, across major rivers or valleys, four elevation levels in height which allow vehicles and troops to pass under them.
Railroad Tracks
These offer little concealment and almost no cover, and troops do not gain
much speed advantage on them (in fact, wheeled vehicles are slowed down, and chances of bogging increase due to the rough surface).
Water
Water tiles are used to simulate rivers or lakes, and cannot be entered by any units except infantry embarked in assault boats. Regardless if there is
snow on the ground or not, when temperature is set to freezing and below, water becomes frozen - vehicles and guns are not allowed to enter, but infantry is able to cross ice.
Fords
CMBB features two types of fords, which allow crossing rivers on foot or with vehicles. Shallow fords can be crossed (slowly) by all units, although the chances for bogging down are high – especially for non-tracked vehicles. Deep fords can only be used by infantry units.
Slopes
These are inclines steep enough to prohibit vehicular travel. Infantry can still climb them, albeit slowly.
Cliffs
No unit is allowed to traverse a cliff.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
11 |
The Environment
Steppe
This is a special type of terrain, found mainly in Southern Russia. It consists of waist-high grass which provides excellent concealment for hiding infantry, but very little cover. The random map generator in Quick Battles and the editor will use “Steppe” as the default terrain type for all southern maps with “rural” and “flat” or “gentle slopes” settings (see Editor). Of course “Steppe” terrain can also be used to simulate “high grass” on any map.
Fortifications
Fortifications (bunkers, pillboxes, wire, and mines) are available only for the defender, and never in meeting engagement scenarios. They are granted to a side by the scenario designer or can (and in the case of Assault type battles MUST) be bought for Quick Battles. During the Setup Phase of a battle, you are free to move and place them within the constraints of the setup zones, but they cannot be moved during the battle itself.
All forms of fortifications (including mines) may be placed only within a valid setup zone. A minefield is 20m x 20m in size (except for daisy-chain mines, which represent hasty laid mines not dug into the earth, and which are slightly smaller than 20m in diameter), with the mine marker placed in its center. The defender can place minefields next to each other, thereby creating larger minefields, but for game purposes CM treats these as separate 20m x 20m elements. Once a minefield has been spotted, the TacAI will try to move units around it during the Action Phase, or simply refuse to enter minefields and stop a distance away from them. You can not force units to enter minefields, as the movement line will turn red trying to do so, until these have been cleared by engineers using demo charges.
Fortified Firing Positions
Bunkers and pillboxes have a firing arc inside which they can engage targets through a frontal firing slit. Outside of this arc, they are basically impotent. The rear of a bunker or pillbox is its weak point - since this is where the exit doors are located - and can be penetrated even by light ordnance. From close range, however, a bunker/
12 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Environment
pillbox is always vulnerable to infantry, which can throw grenades through firing ports. Flamethrowers are especially useful for knocking out bunkers/pillboxes, as well as grenade bundles, demo charges and molotov cocktails. Additionally, ordnance can occasionally score a lucky hit to a pillbox’s frontal firing slit, possibly knocking out the pillbox in the process. But this is generally only possible at close range (within a few hundred meters).
Note: AT gun Pillboxes receive an accuracy bonus, vs. a normal AT gun, because such fortifications have already “ranged in” the area within their firing arc. Range determination is one of the greatest contributors to aiming accuracy, so predetermined and reliable range information greatly increases accuracy (all else being equal).
Barbed Wire & Roadblocks
Wire can be crossed by infantry or fully-tracked vehicles, but only at a much slower pace. Roadblocks can be
crossed by infantry (at a slower pace) but are impassable to vehicles. Roadblocks and wire cannot be placed on water and marsh terrain, as well as not inside buildings. There must be sufficient space to place wire and roadblocks, so when two houses are too close together it might be not possible to do so (or you will have to rotate the wire or roadblock marker to fit in between).
Trenches and foxholes
Each defending infantry unit in an eligible location (i.e. not on paved surfaces, in marsh or water or other
unsuitable terrain) can dig in at the beginning of a battle, creating a foxhole underneath. The foxhole remains on the map for the duration of the battle (or operation), and can be used by other units (including the enemy) to gain its defensive benefits (mainly cover). Digging in occurs automatically but the player can toggle it on or off with the “Dig In” command.
Also, depending on the parameters of a battle or operation, the defending player can create additional fallback positions using the ALT-F hotkeys during the setup phase of a battle. These additional foxholes can be created
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
13 |
The Environment
anywhere within a valid setup zone on the map by leftclicking on the map while in ALT-F mode, and the number of available foxholes is equal to the number of non-heavy infantry units on the map. Left-clicking on an already existing foxhole makes it disappear and return to the “foxhole pool”. Hitting ALT-F again exits the foxhole placement mode.
Note that in Quick Battles which are Meeting Engagements or Probes, neither side is allowed to dig foxholes. And Assaults are the only Quick Battles in which the defender may dig fallback foxholes.
In regular scenarios, neither side may dig in during Meeting Engagements. Otherwise, the ability of the defender to dig in is determined by the scenario author.
Trenches are similar to foxholes except they are much larger and provide considerably more cover and concealment for their occupants. Further, they may be placed and rotated during the setup phase like any other unit. In addition, they can be used by infantry to move from one location to another while staying inside the trench, thereby benefiting from its defensive bonus on the way. In fact, it is possible to place a whole trench system on the map by simply linking trenches together (placing them adjacent to one another). Trenches can be rotated like any other unit in any direction desired. Trenches cannot be placed on unsuitable terrain (marsh, water, fords and in buildings), and remain on the map for the duration of the battle (or operation).
Only fully-tracked vehicles are allowed to enter or cross trenches, but do so very slowly and at great risk of bogging.
Mines
There are three types of mines in the game.
Antipersonnel Mines
Lethal to infantry and can cause several casualties within seconds when stumbled upon. Casualties are higher
14 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Environment
for infantry units moving quickly through a mined area than when crawling or moving slowly. Once spotted, a mine marker appears in the area. Infantry will refuse to enter such a minefield even when ordered to. They may, however, enter it when in panic or rout. Since mines are dug into the earth, they cannot be placed on paved surfaces or in buildings, in water or marsh or rough terrain.
Sneak (crawl) is always less likely to set off a mine.
Mines are also much less likely to go off if they’re *known* (i.e. one already went off, and your men are now assumed to be paying more attention and doing things like moving in a single line (or a couple of lines) to minimize further explosions).
So the least mine explosions happen in a known minefield to crawling units.
Note: Dug in mines are never spotted unless one actually explodes!
Antitank Mines
Dangerous to tanks and all vehicles, and although not always lethal, can at least immobilize them. Antitank mines are harmless to infantry because infantry is not heavy enough to detonate them. Since mines are dug into the earth, they cannot be placed on paved surfaces or in buildings, in water or marsh or rough terrain.
Daisy-Chain Mines
Hastily-placed anti-vehicle mines that are easily spotted by the enemy because they are above ground. They do not generally cause direct harm, but rather deny the enemy certain approaches, generally across road surfaces. Their real life advantage is that they can be placed MUCH faster than normal minefields and hence were used often in hasty retreats. Daisy-Chain Mines cannot be placed on water or marsh, and not in buildings.
Clearing Mines
Engineers and Pioneers with demolition charges are able to clear gaps through minefields. Simply move them within 25 meters of the minefield and wait. It takes a few
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
15 |
The Environment
minutes (turns) to clear a gap through the mines. You can of course also target the minefield marker manually.
Additionally, engineers can clear Daisy-chain mines without the use of demolition charges. The number of engineers and their experience affect their speed in clearing mines. Generally a near full squad is needed to accomplish clearing a particular mined area.
Minefields can be reduced or eliminated by shellfire (though this will not be explicitly shown - you just have to judge roughly by how many craters you see, and hope).
Weather
It is common military knowledge that weather can in fact dictate the outcome of wars. The German progress (or lack of it in the winter) during Operation Barbarossa - their assault against Russia - is a good example. The Russian ability to bring their air superiority to bear (with decisive results) during periods of clear weather later in the war is another. At the tactical level, bad weather means troops tire more quickly and vehicles get stuck more easily. Movement is generally slower during periods of rain or snow, and visibility can be seriously impaired as well. Simply changing a battle’s weather settings can fundamentally alter the way the battle plays out.
Time of Day
There are four daylight conditions simulated in CM: dawn, mid-day, dusk, and night. Visibility is reduced during dawn and dusk and heavily restricted during night. Nighttime fighting also creates a risk of misidentifying one’s own troops as enemy and friendly fire can result. Keep this in mind when separating your forces and/or moving close to enemy positions, and occasionally check your unit’s target orders to make sure they have not by mistake decided to fire on their own troops.
Atmospheric Weather
Clear - a nice sunny day with few or no clouds, offering good visibility across long distances. This is the only weather type that allows airplanes to operate in the game.
Overcast - the sky is full with dark, low hanging clouds. Visibility is somewhat reduced.
16 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Environment
Rain - Visibility is reduced substantially. Noises are muffled and sound contacts are considerably more difficult to obtain.
Fog - a light mist covers the battlefield and visibility as well as noise are reduced.
Fog and Rain - a mix (or more like an addition) of the two above. Visibility and noise are heavily reduced.
Thick Fog - you almost can’t see your own hand if you stretch it out in front of your face. Visibility is reduced to a mere few meters and the fog reduces the chance for sound contacts.
Snow - reduces visibility and has a slightly lesser impact on sound contacts than rain.
Blizzard - very heavy snowfall reduces visibility and noise substantially.
Ground Conditions
Very Dry - very dry ground conditions increase the chance of fires substantially.
Dry - dry ground.
Damp - early in the morning or after several days of overcast weather or fog, ground conditions are often damp. This raises the chance for vehicles bogging down when off dirt or paved roads.
Wet - after rain showers you tend to have wet ground. The chance of bogging down when off roads is substantially increased, and even the dirt roads pose some danger of bogging.
Mud - when it has been raining for a few days, wet ground will turn into mud. Vehicles tend to get stuck in muddy ground (even on dirt roads) quickly and mud also greatly reduces the speed of vehicles and infantry.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
17 |
The Environment
Deep Mud - after long periods of rain or melting snow, the ground can become a quagmire, what the Russians call “Rasputitsa”. Vehicles should stick to roads (paved if possible) and even infantry will find the going slow and tiring through such ground conditions.
Light Snow - a few inches of snow. The chance for bogging is increased slightly and the snow affects movement speed a bit, but most vehicles can handle it well. Soft ground remains uncovered by snow during this condition.
Snow - roughly 8 inches of snow. Wheeled vehicles will get stuck frequently and even tracked vehicles will find the going tougher. Infantry moves more slowly.
Deep Snow - 12 inches or more. Most vehicles will get bogged eventually and infantry movement is slowed down substantially.
Fire & Smoke
If there is anything to be found on a WWII battlefield more often than casualties, it is smoke and fire, from burning terrain or vehicles, or from smoke rounds used to cover the attacker’s approaches or defender’s line of retreat.
Smoke
Smoke in varying sizes comes from burning buildings, fields, woods, vehicles, and smoke rounds from tanks, guns, or artillery. Small smoke shells or small burning vehicles (e.g. Kübelwagen) degrade, but do not always block, LOS through them.
Designer’s Note: Infantry smoke grenades, a source of smoke commonly found in other WWII games is not available in CMBB. Our research shows little credible evidence that this type of smoke was used regularly at the squad level in WWII for tactical purposes. Instead, it appears to have been used for signalling mostly, and we have therefore decided to exclude it from CMBB to prevent its potential unrealistic overuse.
18 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Environment
Fire
The chance of a piece of terrain catching fire depends largely on ground conditions and weather. You will see fewer terrain fires during rain or with wet or snowy ground. On the other hand, very dry ground increases the chances for fires, and sometimes even tracer ammunition from an MG can be enough to spark a blaze.
Terrain fires often start off “small”, and at this stage have no effect on the game except for some smoke. But small fires have the chance to grow and spread depending on overall conditions. If a fire becomes “big” (the whole terrain “tile” (20m by 20m) is burning) units located in that tile are forced to exit the area immediately. If for some reason a unit cannot do this (say it is immobilized), the unit will be destroyed by the fire and any remaining crew will abandon the vehicle/gun immediately and run to safety. Units will also refuse to enter terrain burning with a “large” fire.
Burning terrain and vehicles remain burning for the duration of a battle (and can, in fact, cause adjacent terrain to catch fire eventually). Fires and smoke will cease, and burned buildings will collapse to rubble between the battles of an operation.
Fog of War
Unless you choose to play with “Fog of War: none” (in the Options menu at scenario startup), only friendly forces will be visible on the map initially. Enemies must be spotted by one of your units before they appear on the map. Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin uses a complex spotting model to simulate the limited knowledge of a battlefield commander and what is generally known as Fog of War.
Enemy units can be displayed on the map according to five “spotting levels”:
No Contact - Level 0
No enemy unit is displayed. It’s still out there, but you can’t see it, because none of your units are able to see or hear it. Keep in mind, though, that the enemy might see
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
19 |
The Environment
you! If you’re walking down a quiet road and the enemy is hiding behind some hedges, he might have identified all your units before you even catch a glimpse of him. In fact, your units might be dead before they see where the fire is coming from in such a situation.
Sound Contact - Level 1
Most wargames allow spotting only when a line of sight exists between the spotter and the target. In Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin, sound also plays an important role. If you are close enough, or if the target is loud enough (e.g. a tank racing down a road at full speed or an infantry squad firing its weapons), you can “spot” a unit even when no line of sight exists. Such units are displayed as generic gray icons, and clicking on them reveals SOUND CONTACT in the unit info window. The general type of the unit is displayed as well, e.g. infantry? or tank?, but do not rely too much on this. Additionally, the enemy unit is shown at a location which may be somewhat incorrect (your soldiers are making their best guess by listening), so don’t be surprised if the enemy unit seems to move through impassable terrain (or even off-map), and then suddenly “moves” into line of sight in a different (but nearby) location.
First Contact - Level 2
The enemy unit has moved into line of sight and one of your friendly units has caught a glimpse of it or the enemy has opened fire at you and you see the muzzle flashes. At this point only sketchy details are available. When you click on such a unit, a general unit type is given (Infantry? or Tank?), but not much more than that. Enemy infantry units are always displayed using one soldier figure, regardless of the actual type. Enemy vehicles and guns are always displayed with a generic grey model.
Contact - Level 3
If the enemy is close enough, is exposed, or has been firing at you for a while, more information becomes available. Enemy infantry units now are classified as squads or teams (e.g. mortar teams, anti-tank teams) and weapons can be spotted, too. Vehicle types - tanks or tank
20 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Environment
destroyers or assault-guns - are usually identifiable at this stage.
Infantry is displayed with the corresponding number of figures based on unit strength and vehicles are displayed as a common model of vehicle for the identified vehicle type and the given month and year.
Take careful note of the fact that sometimes your troops - especially the inexperienced ones - can incorrectly identify enemy vehicles, usually as something bigger and scarier than they really are. However, once the spotting reaches level 4 (see below) any “mistakes” are corrected and the true identity of the vehicle is displayed.
IdentifiedLevel 4
If the unit is sufficiently close or exposed, one of your units will identify it fully. This means that the number of soldiers in a squad or team are displayed in the unit window, as well as the correct model of vehicle, experience of the unit, and more. This is as much information as you will ever get about the enemy.
Lost Contact - Generic Unit Marker
After a unit has been spotted, it is possible to lose contact with it. The “lost” unit will be graphically replaced by a generic unit marker (each nationality has its own unique marker typestars for Russians, crosses for Germans, etc.), showing the last known position of the enemy unit. Clicking on such a marker will display the last available information about the unit.
These markers stay on the map until the same unit has been spotted again (even if in a completely different location) or if you approach near enough to the marker to verify that the previously spotted unit is no longer there. In such a case the marker disappears, regardless of whether the enemy has been spotted elsewhere.
Option - Extreme Fog of War
With the option set to “Fog of War: extreme” it will take a lot longer before your units are able to fully identify enemy units, i.e. reach spotting level 4. Enemy units must
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
21 |
The Environment
come into very close contact with your troops before headcount, experience and armament become “visible” to you, and many units in cover or far away will never be fully identified for the duration of a battle. In fact, reaching identification level 4 and even 3 will be a rare occurrence in most situations. While more realistic, this option requires more attention from the player, and is therefore not set as default. Otherwise, this option works the same as “Full Fog of War”, which is the default setting explained above.
Option - Partial Fog of War
With the options set to “Fog of War: partial”, enemy units must still be spotted, but every spotted enemy is automatically fully identified from this point on. This is a good way for less-experienced players to get used to the game system.
Option - No Fog of War
With the setting “Fog of War: none”, all enemy units on the map will be shown and fully identified, regardless if they are spotted or not. This is a great way for beginners to get a feel for the game, but also for scenario designers who wish to test a battle they made. Mind you though, this works both ways, your opponent is able to see all of your units also when this setting is in effect, even the computer player!
SPOTTING
Units spot best when stationary. Movement, especially running, means that a unit’s field of vision is generally restricted to the direction in which the unit is moving. The same is true for vehicles, as the driver and tank commander are (at least partly) focused on getting to their objective without colliding with obstacles or bogging down. Hiding units also spot worse, as their main task is to keep their heads down, not watch for the enemy.
Spotting is always worst to the rear of a unit, and panicked or broken units relay almost no useful spotting information to the player.
Vehicles are generally much poorer spotters than infantry, especially when buttoned up. In fact, most tanks
22 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Environment
have large blind spots within a certain distance around the tank when buttoned up due to the heavily restricted field of view. In CMBB, this has been abstracted into a general rule: Buttoned vehicles have a blind spot for infantry (which is NOT currently targeting the vehicle) within 15m provided the infantry is not in the front 60-degree arc centered on the turret facing.
So don’t be surprised when one of your tanks with closed hatches suddenly runs into an anti-tank team hiding just a few meters away from it. Also don’t be surprised when YOU (as the player hovering above the battlefield) can see a target that your tank simply will not engage. What you can see is not necessarily what the tank can see!
It’s often tactically wise to keep some units stationary on overwatch duty while others advance. Unfortunately, one cannot always afford the luxury of being cautious.
Designer’s Note: In order to prevent the abuse of bailed out crews as disposable scouts, we drastically reduced their ability to spot enemy units. Be warned that if you go moving your crews off into enemy territory the first unit they spot might be their last!
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
23 |
The Men and Machines
“In addition, a fire fight with Josef Stalin tanks should not be undertaken at less than platoon strength; employment of individual Tigers means their loss.” From Septemer 1944 issue of the Nachrichtenblatt der
Panzertruppen, report of a Tiger unit which had met the IS-II Stalin tank in combat (found in: Soviet Armor Tactics in World War II, Charles C. Sharp)
The Men and Machines
Units in Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin represent squads and teams of soldiers as well as individual vehicles and guns with crew. These are (with a few exceptions) the smallest tactical elements that can receive orders – in other words, in Combat Mission you are not telling every individual soldier what to do, but issue orders from the position of a squad or team leader to the whole group.
This is obvious from looking at your units – although you will see individual figures standing on the map, these do not represent single men, but rather a group. In the case of squads, usually three figures (two if you use the “reduced figures” option) represent anywhere from 7-14 men. Teams (including HQs and gun crews) are usually shown as one figure regardless of the actual team size – a design decision to keep squads and teams easily recognizable.
24 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Men and Machines
Designer’s note: We would have loved to show every single man on the battlefield, but have decided not to because of restrictions of current computer hardware to display and animate thousands of soldiers on the map, and in order to keep the interface from getting clogged. Individual soldiers and their positions on the battlefield ARE tracked with regard to casualties, however, albeit somewhat abstractly.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin features a tremendous number of units for each of the six nations, including infantry formations, guns and vehicles and other heavy weapons. Listing them all even with a brief overview would be totally beyond the scope of this manual. However, each unit’s detailed information can be accessed from within the game and in the editor, by clicking on a unit and hitting the ENTER key. This opens the Detailed Unit Information window in the upper left corner. Detailed stats for each unit, its weapons, and capabilities are displayed here. On the following pages you will find a short explanation of what is shown and tracked by CMBB.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
25 |
The Men and Machines
Men
Nationality, Division and Type of Unit
This shows the nationality of the unit, its parent division type, and the unit type, similar to what is shown in the unit information panel described earlier.
Speed Class
The speed class determines the speed at which the infantry unit is able to move. The speed class a unit belongs to depends essentially on how much heavy equipment it is carrying. There are three speed classes for infantry units (there are some more for other units, explained later in this chapter):
Slow - most heavy equipment (e.g. the MG42 heavy machinegun) but also units carrying a lot of extra equipment like artillery spotting teams without radio sets
Medium - light machineguns, light mortars (e.g. the 60mm mortar), and spotters with radios
Fast - squads, sharpshooters, and other small and mobile infantry teams
Slow and medium speed units CAN use RUN movement orders, but will tire a lot faster than FAST units; if you do not want to exhaust your troops too quickly, RUN orders
26 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Men and Machines
should be given to slow and medium units to cover short stretches in emergencies only.
Transport Class
Ranges from 1 to 9, with 9 representing the largest heavy equipment in the game. Units can only mount vehicles which offer at least the same or higher transport class.
Leadership Abilities
If the selected unit is an HQ unit, its leadership abilities (if any) are displayed as, for example, “Morale +1” or “Command +2”.
Special Equipment
If a unit is carrying special equipment (e.g. Panzerfaust, rifle grenades, demolition charges, Molotov cocktails, magnetic mines etc.), the type and quantity is mentioned here. Hand grenades are NOT mentioned here seperately. Also, if the unit has binoculars (greatly enhancing its long range spotting and identifying abilities), this will be noted here as - you guessed it - “has binoculars”.
Weapons & Firepower
A list of available small arms for the selected unit is displayed. Which weapons are available depends on the nationality and type of the unit. Note that some captured weapons can be assigned to units from game start, depending on their documented historical use (the Germans reportedly loved the Russian PPSh submachinegun for example, and you will often find a number of these assigned to German squads and HQ units)
As the unit takes casualties, individual weapons disappear from the list, showing that the soldier carrying that particular weapon has been put out of action. Sometimes, however, soldiers can exchange weapons. For example, if the soldier carrying a squad’s machinegun is hit, another soldier of that squad might drop his own weapon and pick it up.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
27 |
The Men and Machines
Beside the weapons listing, a firepower table shows the firepower of each weapon according to the range to a target. The firepower (FP) is shown for all weapons of the same type, e.g. a German Rilfe 44 squad has 6 K98 rifles. That means 6 x fp 3 at 250m = 18 fp. However, the firepower as shown in increments of 40m, 100m, 250m, 500m, and 1000m is a reference for the player only - the game engine uses a more precise system measuring down to the meter.
Eligible for exit
If a unit is eligible for map exit (as part of a scenario’s victory objectives), this will be noted in the right upper corner of the detailed unit info screen.
Info/Kills
By clicking on the white Info/Kills box in the upper right corner of the info screen, you can toggle the display between unit stats and a summary of how the unit fared in the particular battle so far. To preserve the “fog of war”, only verified kills are shown - so if your mortar team takes out a squad hiding in woods and nobody sees it, the “kill” will not be shown here until the battle is completely over.
28 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
The Men and Machines
Machines
Nationality, Division and Type of Unit
This shows the nationality of the unit, its parent division type, and the unit type, similar to what is shown in the unit information panel described earlier.
Maximum Speed
This states (in miles per hour and meters per second) the maximum speed the vehicle can go on a paved road. Cross-country movement is generally much slower.
Weight
Measured in tons (U.S. and metric).
Engine
The horsepower is used for speed and acceleration calculations. Diesel-powered engines are slightly less likely to catch fire when hit.
Ground Pressure
Measurement of the vehicle weight and the surfacecontact area of its tracks. Higher ground pressure increases the chance of bogging down.
Silhouette
A numerical value representing the size of the vehicle, modified especially by its height, that affects gunnery accuracy and spotting against it. A value of 100 is “medium size”.
Transport Class
A vehicle can only transport (tow) other units with the same or lower transport class.
Passenger Capacity
Can be squad, team or none. Units may ride on the deck of a tank for example, or within a passenger compartment on transport vehicles like some halftracks and trucks.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
29 |
The Men and Machines
Armor
The armor table gives the thickness and slope of armor for various tank parts (usually turret, upper hull, lower hull, and top) for the front, sides and rear. Other information may include armor quality (values lower than 100% represent manufacturing and metallurgical flaws, common in early Allied vehicles and some late-war German vehicles). Special features like armor skirts (Schürzen) or partly-open vehicles (open top and/or sides) are also noted here, along with “curved” mantlets such as the famous “Saukopfblende” of the German StuGIII, which can provide an effective armor protection substantially higher than the base thickness and slope indicate (depending on which part of the curved armor is hit, thickness and slope can vary to a large degree within a fairly small hit area). When you see a value like “50+20”, then the 50 represents the tank’s base armor, and the 20 additional bolted-on armor, either as field modification or done by the factory. This increases armor protection somewhat, but bolted-on armor is usually a somewhat less effective than the armor of the same thickness made from a single piece of metal.
Special Equipment
Smoke Dischargers - small chemical packets mounted on the outside of a tank that can create a smoke cloud.
30 |
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin |
Loading...