{"id":339,"date":"2011-02-25T02:34:59","date_gmt":"2011-02-25T02:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=339"},"modified":"2011-02-25T20:31:20","modified_gmt":"2011-02-25T20:31:20","slug":"look-sarge-no-charts-used-for-officer-professional-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=339","title":{"rendered":"Look, Sarge, No Charts Used for Officer Professional Development"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chris Palmer, Sam Fuson, Ed Duffy, and I staged an officer professional development event for the officers of the 114th Signal Battalion today. \u00a0There were two main purposes for the event: team building and learning some tactical lessons. \u00a0Sam is the human resources officer (S-1) for the battalion, and he organized the event. \u00a0He and Ed set up the table before Chris and I arrived. \u00a0Chris and I brought the troops, set them up, and ran the game for the group. \u00a0Afterwards I conducted an After Action Review with the officers.<\/p>\n

\"OPD<\/a>
Officers of the 114th Signal making their moves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We ran an event like this about 18 months ago for the same battalion; however, only four of the officers from that game are still in the battalion, so mostly they were novices. \u00a0We used Look, Sarge, No Charts: WWII (which Chris Palmer, Dave Wood, and I wrote) for this game. \u00a0LSNC: WWII seems to be a good set for conducting this kind of event, because the rules were easily learned and the players could focus on the tactical situation.<\/p>\n

The scenario was based on the fighting around Lvov in 1939 Poland. \u00a0The Germans arrived at Lvov and began to surround the town. \u00a0The Germans occupied high ground near the town of Zboiska and shelled Lvov. \u00a0Among the Polish defenders was the 10th Mechanized Brigade. \u00a0When the Russians arrived a few days later and completed the encirclement of the town, the Poles surrendered.<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/a>
Looking down the table toward the battalion commander in the distance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In our scenario, however, we presented a hypothetical situation that required all three forces (German, Russian, and Polish) to maneuver. \u00a0 There was no coordinated operation between the Russians and the Germans in reality, but we wanted to create a scenario that provided some interesting tactical challenges.<\/p>\n

The table was shaped like a “T” with the Russians and Germans pushing across the top of the “T” to seize the town of Zboiska in the center. \u00a0In the meantime, the Poles counterattacked down the vertical part of the “T” to seize the high ground and destroy the artillery batteries shelling Lvov.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The heat of battle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The officers, ranging from second lieutenants to majors, quickly grasped the rules. \u00a0Very few of them \u00a0had ever played war games before this event. \u00a0After just a few turns, they were running the game themselves with Chris, Ed, Sam, and me just answering the occasional question.<\/p>\n

\"Germans<\/a>
Germans preparing to assault a small stream defended by Poles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the fourth time we’ve run this scenario, which was originally designed for Cold Wars 2011 next month. \u00a0Each time it has played very differently, but the outcome has been in doubt until the end. \u00a0We conducted an After Action Review after the game and discussed a number of tactical lessons.<\/p>\n

In one case a Russian infantry battalion was completely wiped out by two defending Polish battalions. \u00a0That Russian battalion was supposed to create a penetration through which the Russian tanks were supposed to push. \u00a0The officers quickly adjusted their plan and pushed the tanks through another penetration. \u00a0We’ve noticed that often gamers will focus on killing enemy troops instead of the mission. \u00a0The Russian objective was the town of Zoiska. \u00a0Interestingly, the Russian commander made the decision NOT to race for the town, since he would arrive without infantry support. \u00a0Instead he pushed left and right from the penetration. \u00a0It was exactly the right tactical decision in this case. \u00a0On the other flank, the Germans, however, tried to root the Poles out of some woodlines, which they could have easily bypassed with their panzergrenadiers and tanks. \u00a0The Polish commander, instead of a frontal assault on the Germans defending the artillery on the high ground, used one battalion to fix the Germans while pushing another around the flank. \u00a0It was the only time we’ve played this game when the Poles managed to take the high ground.<\/p>\n

\"Buck<\/a>
Buck interacting with some of the officers <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was interesting to see how a group of Army officers approach the game. \u00a0During the AAR, they seemed to have learned a few tactical lessons and have had a good time.<\/p>\n