The Greatest Escape - AAR

[Ebden~SPARTA~]

After Action Report Form

 

Executive Summary

 

??This is a cooperative escape and evade mission. Escape Chernarus at any cost.

You have quite the selection of spots for making your escape from Chernarus.

These spots are marked on the map, but be warned...

Not all spots will give you what you need, so you may end up looking for a bit.

Also... the Russians don't like you. So they WILL shoot you on sight... in the face:? ? Mindwalker

 

?Strengths demonstrated during this mission were coordination of movement and communication.

?Areas requiring improvement include stealth and evasive maneuvers in the face of superior combined arms.

 

Exercise Overview

 

Exercise Name: ?The Greatest Escape Co-6? by Mindwalker

Duration: 2200-2220Zulu, approximately.

Exercise Date: November 23, 2009.

Sponsors: Legion of Sparta Teamspeak, Ebden-Host

Type of Exercise: Game

Funding Source: Legion of Sparta, Ebden

Program: ArmA II

Focus: Response

Classification: By Invitation Only (IO).

Scenario: Cyber (Y)

Location: Northern Province, Republic of Chernarus

Participating Organizations: Legion of Sparta

Participants: Ebden-Host, Bsilenced, Fo[?]?Identify yourself, Teamspeak lurker.

Number of Participants: 3

Exercise Overview: Escape Chernarus, utilize the environment and available or found equipment to maintain speed and stealth until a Southerly or Easterly escape is successful.

Exercise Evaluation: No evaluative tools used were used during this exercise. Implementation of FRAPS or a similar tool will be considered for future exercises. The AAR format is adopted from training materials used by the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management.

 

 

Exercise Goals and Objectives

 

Goal

? Escape

o Objective: Ensure survival of squad

o Objective: Utilize the environment

o Objective: Utilize available and found equipment

o Objective: Maintain organization and communication

 

Exercise Events Synopsis

 

00 minute: This exercise begins in late dusk in Northwest Chernarus at the remains of a US Army FOB, near Grozovy Pass. Three hmmvws with mounted M240s, and a UH-1Y with 00% fuel and 30% health were present. Upon beginning the exercise, the AI officer failed to exercise sound judgment by ordering his squad into hmmvws, then ordering them back out of the vehicles. He was relieved of command by three 5.56 NATO rounds from Ebden?s M4A1. Ebden assumed command. Fo[?] confirmed that the AI officer was fully relieved of command. Ebden ordered BSilenced and Fo[?] to each take one of three hmmvws, Ebden taking the third.

 

05 minute: The convoy immediately departed the FOB and proceeded south toward, with Ebden front, BSilenced middle, and Fo[?] following. Three full Spetznaz infantry squads were advancing on the FOB along the road. Our convoy pressed through. Ebden confirmed one hit, BSilenced confirmed two. Russian fire peppered the rear of each hmmvw. Two friendly hmmvws lay burning on the West side of the road, several KIA were visible. Preservation of our squad from approximately 30 pursuing enemies, some armed with RPGs, prevented further investigation of the disabled convoy.

 

07 minute: Unknown multiple enemy SUs passed low from east to west and began making wide turns.

 

08 minute: One SU strafes the convoy from east to west. The rockets land behind Ebden?s hmmvw causing 5-10% damage. Bsilenced and Fo[?] are still 100%.

 

10 minute: Our convoy passed Skulka peak to the east, and an abandoned fuel truck on the southbound lane. A man, possibly the driver, lay dead in the northbound lane. The team bypassed the fuel truck, but considered its use under more controlled circumstances to refuel the UH-1Y at the abandoned FOB to the north.

 

12 minute: Entering Lopatino from the north, Ebden?s hmmvw receives small-arms fire to no effect. The convoy pushes through the otherwise quiet town.

 

14 minute: Unknown enemy helos are heard approaching from the east. The helos are confirmed to be at minimum two KA-52 attack helos. The team expresses anxiety following the identification of the enemy.

 

15 minute: Multiple rockets are fired on the convoy?s left flank. No hits.

 

16 minute: Between Lopatino and Vybor, one KA-52 initiates a cannon attack on the convoy. Minimum damage.

 

[The following section of the report may contain imprecise information. The circumstances of engagement prevented the squad distinguishing between opposition helos, and the convoy?s spacing failed.]

 

16 minute 30s: A second KA-52 successfully disables Ebden?s hmmvw with rockets. Ebden instructs the convoy to maintain speed until the immediate threat is passed. Bsilenced pushes past Ebden?s hmmvw.

 

17 minute: The closest KA-52 passes overhead and begins a turn. Fo[?] stops to retrieve Ebden, who assumes the gunners position. Bsilenced?s hmmvw is disabled by enemy rockets 50-75m past Ebden?s hmmvw. The remaining hmmvw retrieves Bsilenced and proceeds at maximum speed for Vybor. One KA-52 pursues. Ebden aquires the KA-52 and engages with LMG fire. Bsilenced, as spotter, confirms fire. The KA-52 breaks pursuit.

 

18 minute: At the immediate outskirts of Vybor, an unheard KA-52 disables the last hmmvw. Fo[?] is KIA. Ebden and Bsilenced eject from the disabled hmmvw and seek alternate transportation. Ebden finds and starts a nearby civilian commuter bus and Bsilenced boards the bus. Ebden proceeds to drive south, off of the main road into a recently harvested field. Multiple KA-52s pass overhead but do not engage. The squad considers that the civilian vehicle may provide some degree of confusion to the enemy helo.

 

19 minute: Ebden steers the bus for the southwest road out of Vybor. A KA-52 engages the bus with cannon and Ebden is KIA. Bsilenced assumes command of the bus and continues driving to the road. Bsilenced is killed sortly after pulling onto the southwest road from Vybor toward Pustoshka.

 

Analysis of Mission Outcomes

 

The single goal, to escape, was not achieved, thus the overall outcome of this exercise was failure.

The objective ?Ensure survival of squad? was not met.

The objective ?Utilize the environment? was poorly met.

The objective ?Utilize available and found equipment? was fairly met.

The objective ?Maintain organization and communication? was well met.

 

Analysis of Critical Task Performance

 

Task: Ensure survival of squad

Issue: 1

Summary of Issue: Survive. Dammit.

Consequence: Survival means escape.

Analysis: No soldier survived.

Recommendations: A greater focus on other mission objectives will help ensure this objective is met.

Actions: Consider stealth and movement on foot when faced with superior air forces. Consider covert refueling of the abandoned UH-1Y.

 

Task: Utilize the environment

Issue: 2

Summary of Issue: Low-light was the primary means of concealment for an escape. Clear weather meant greater range for enemy engagement.

Consequence: Stealth could have been achieved with better recognition of the benefits of low-light.

Analysis: Ebden failed to take full account of a low-light advantage, opting instead for speed of movement. The squad succeeded in using low-light to their advantage by not using the hmmvw headlights.

Recommendations: Recognize the strength of low-light concealment, and how vehicle use will

diminish the low-light advantage when faced with a radar-capable opponent.

Actions: Consider movement on foot over speed when faced with superior air forces. This will significantly reduce the radar signature of the squad.

 

Task: Utilize available and found equipment

Issue: 3

Summary of Issue: The squad has minimal equipment at the FOB. Creative use of found equipment

is critical to escape.

Consequence: The misuse of the hmmvws was a critical element in the exercise failure.

Analysis: Although initially a successful means of escape from the FOB, the hmmvws became a magnet for enemy fixed wing and helo attack, ultimately resulting in the failure of the exercise.

Recommendations: Recognize relative strengths and weaknesses of the hmmvw against combined arms.

Actions: Use the hmmvw when speed is a critical factor in survival, or when facing an enemy with lesser speed and/or maneuverability. Infantry pose a highly maneuverable, but slow, opponent. Fixed wing, though fast, is poor at danger-close maneuvering for ground target assault. The hmmvw succeeded in evading these two groups. Helos are fast and maneuverable. The KA-52 is especially adept at all ranges of attack. Hmmvws have a low likelihood of survival when attempting to evade an attack helo. Ideal circumstances would be the abandonment of the hmmvws when facing attack helos for covert movement away from the vehicle?s radius.

 

Task: Maintain organization and communication

Issue: 4

Summary of Issue: Organization and communication are critical in this, as in other, exercises.

Consequence: Communication about the course, speed, and direction of enemies ensured survival through the first two waves of attack. Organization and good spacing of the convoy prevented the SU rocket attack from becoming a deciding factor.

Analysis: Organization and communication, as implemented in this exercise, was generally good.

Recommendations: Brevity and clarity when in immediate danger could be improved

Actions: Continued practice with current communication and squad organization will show further improvements.

 

Conclusions

 

This mission is brutally difficult, and will require extremely focused awareness to survive and escape. The tools for success are available from the missions start, and include the soldier?s map, compass, radio, and boots. Vehicle use can make or break the mission, as is evident from this AAR. The low-light advantage will only improve as the mission progresses, and permitting the battlefield to develop in this manner may prove useful.

Bsilenced and Fo[?] both behaved admirably during the mission, and would do well to have improved leadership at their disposal. Ebden could do with further practice at utilizing his surroundings to advantage and recognizing opportunities for stealth.

 

 

 

[MedicSN6]

Really?

[Ebden~SPARTA~]

Really?

 

You like? I found a form after a quick google, and had fun with it after.

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

This looks tough but good

[Ebden~SPARTA~]

This looks tough but good

 

It sucks you in big time, especially after the first SU rockets land just off your bumper! I'm eager to clear my evening slate and try it again, maybe going for that fuel truck and the Uh-1Y.

 

The only thing I'd like to change so far is the MP setup. The first player in the map isn't the officer, but the #2 (an engineer). I don't know why it's set this way, and I don't think the AI officer's commands are working correctly. Also, the author is gone, his web-page is disabled, and the armaunderground website has been devoid of life for months.

 

Can I open the mission in the game editor, or do I need something else to edit the mission?

[T_1]

Can I open the mission in the game editor, or do I need something else to edit the mission?

 

UnPBO get it from Armaholic

[Watchman~SPARTA~]

Like the sound of this, would love to give this a go at some point.

[KalXen~SPARTA~]

The pbo only contains one mission.sqm file. I suspect that this map would be very easy to tinker with in-game editor.

[KalXen~SPARTA~]

Out of curiosity I downloaded this and threw it up on my server. I was able to get in a Hummer, kill 60+ infantry, and drive down main roads (never seeing another OPFOR again). I drove the coastline twice looking for boats and decided upon grabbing one at Chernogorsk.. but I apparently died just trying to enter the boat....

 

Idea: **** - Concept has lots of potential - I like the escape idea alot and could make for some good tactical coop.

Execution: ** - no "I" in the AI, buggy boats, needs more patrols, and logic.

[AJsarge]

Looking at it in the editor, there's a few issues. First, the officer has no "playable" or "player option on it, forcing him to be AI controlled. Second, the trigger that makes you finish the mission is a "lose" trigger. It needs to be one of the other ending triggers.

 

I'm poking about right now, but it really ruins the experience once you know what you're up against and what's available for escape. But, it's sloppily done, and could use a few tweaks here and there.

 

I'm fixing the officer to be a player (and changing him to a squad leader instead) and bumping up the player count to 8 (leader, corpsman, automatic rifleman, rifleman (136), and 4 more riflemen). Should be good.

 

 

PS: And I'm adding a few more pre-placed squads near the escape routes.

[Ebden~SPARTA~]

Looking at it in the editor, there's a few issues. First, the officer has no "playable" or "player option on it, forcing him to be AI controlled. Second, the trigger that makes you finish the mission is a "lose" trigger. It needs to be one of the other ending triggers.

 

I'm poking about right now, but it really ruins the experience once you know what you're up against and what's available for escape. But, it's sloppily done, and could use a few tweaks here and there.

 

I'm fixing the officer to be a player (and changing him to a squad leader instead) and bumping up the player count to 8 (leader, corpsman, automatic rifleman, rifleman (136), and 4 more riflemen). Should be good.

 

 

PS: And I'm adding a few more pre-placed squads near the escape routes.

 

 

Awesome! I'm disappointed to learn the mission was buggy, but as you can tell from the AAR, we never made it far enough to learn about the bugs.

[Ebden~SPARTA~]

Out of curiosity I downloaded this and threw it up on my server. I was able to get in a Hummer, kill 60+ infantry, and drive down main roads (never seeing another OPFOR again). I drove the coastline twice looking for boats and decided upon grabbing one at Chernogorsk.. but I apparently died just trying to enter the boat.... \

 

 

In previous attempts, I had waited and fought the infantry wave. I never survived after 3 tries because an SU rocketed my position, so I figured it was best to get moving.

 

Sucks about the boat though.

[AJsarge]

Yeah, the mission relies on the Ambient combat Module to work. You'd have a more effective setup using scripts maybe.

 

I've so far:

 

-Removed any markers (those ? ones and the other ones. I think the escape ones are fine where they are. ) so that you'll run across any interesting scenes without having a clue that it's there beforehand.

-Adjusted the starting FOB (you know that the huey actually has fuel? It's just got a leak so it all goes poof before you get in) with only 2 humvees and a bit more fortification. No static guns though.

-Added more defense at the major escape points.

-Added roving MI-8 patrols.

-Added another escape point.

-Moved an escape point.

-Small tweaks here and there that you wouldn't notice otherwise.

 

One of you dedicated mappers would do a bit better job of this than I would. It's a fine line between reallyreallyfrickenhard and soeasyacavemanbabycoulddoit.

[KalXen~SPARTA~]

One of you dedicated mappers would do a bit better job of this than I would. It's a fine line between reallyreallyfrickenhard and soeasyacavemanbabycoulddoit.

 

LOL...

 

Good work AJsarge.. I'm sure whatever we can do to tweak it will just continue the interest.