Red Hammer

This is a work-in-progress mission in Iron Front: Liberation 1944 which features a Soviet infantry platoon attacking three checkpoints held by German Wehrmacht. The framework is complete, meaning that there is a working briefing with clickable objectives that tick properly upon completion and the scenario ends as expected (once all three tasks are achieved).

Red Hammer is the working title and is taken from an Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis expansion pack several years ago (before Resistance hit the shelves, back when there were shelves for PC games). There are some armor units in the mission, namely the Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track armored fighting vehicle. This unfortunately demonstrated that for all that Iron Front does right, there is a lot that it does bad.

One of those bad things is that Soviet AT soldiers do not have any anti-tank weapons. The Soviet AT Engineer does, but it is the German Panzerschreck which I found quite disappointing that the Russians were not modeled with their correct late-WWII anti-tank weaponry.

Furthermore the light armored vehicle of the Germans was a shooting gallery for Stalin’s conscripts as they fired round after round and threw multiple grenades at each one trying (I am speculating here) to get the driver out. That is what happened at the last objective requiring me to play “Where’s Waldo?” because the AI could not see the enemy right in front of them.

The following screen shots are way too much for a pre-Alpha mission, however I will pare this down once revisions are made and it gets closer to prime time public display. On to the strikingly on-point commentary…

Conscript: Sarge? Why we attacking in broad daylight?

Sarge: Shut up script! Today we die!

If you thought this was a long march to the objective, wait until task 3!!

"Get out of the road if you want to grow old..." - Pink Floyd

First contact!! Jodie Foster was right!!

In true conscript fashion, everyone panics and hopes the guy in front takes the bullet.

If only that dude would move I could be Soviet Hero Union!

Although I was not a medic, I would be doing a lot of this today.

Clear Sector 1 achieved, blah blah blah...this will be fleshed out later on.

The German troops litter the causeway.

Conscript: Sarge? Why are we crossing a fence leading into an open field?

Sarge: Shut up script! Today you die!

Conscript: Ten minutes ago it was we...

This would be a great place to employ mutually supporting MG's for the Axis.

This reminds me somewhat of the wheat scene from Gladiator...

This is a really good tactical map that features many slopes and rises to obscure line of sight.

Approaching the airstrip was particularly challenging with the dual 251 half-tracks on scene.

The scripts start to break cohesion along the fence and in the face of a vehicle-mounted MG 42.

Many troops were killed or injured by friendly fire targeting the Sd.Kfz.

Seeing that the gunner was down, I thought I could make it to the injured comrade.

At this point I am moving to the vehicle on the left, not knowing if the one on the right still had a gunner.

As soon as I make it to the half-track I have to face plant to avoid the incoming fire from the right.

After the armored car was finished, it was rinse and repeat medical treatment for the infantry.

Having the troops scattered about created exposed situations such as this.

Here I think I am about 20 minutes into the mission hoping for a stray bullet to put me down.

I think I know how General Pickett must have felt.

After some sustained fire from across the open field, the boys begin to push the Axis off of the objective.

I get too close to a half-track and take a grenade blast from my own men.

After about an agonizing two minutes I finally receive substandard care.

Objective/Task 2 is resolved and on to the next blood bath.

Did I mention rinse and repeat? If we did not heal our soldiers, we would have had less than a squad left for the final assault.

...across open field with long lines of sight.

More dead Kraut for the birds.

This little bitch has a forming-up point 800 meters from the last objective with an assault phase stretching 500 meters to the final objective. The troopers are so splintered about that the lead squad comes under withering fire and is quickly cut to pieces.

Luckily for the readers Staff Sergeant Timmy is not part of that squad, but can hear their screams from just over that ridge right about there.

Yeah, you guys go forward and I'll cover you!!

As they assault forward, a half-track appears on the right flank and begins to fire down the slot.

This one died quicker, but still took a ton of lead to force the driver out.

Which led to a classic OFP/ArmA I/ArmA II "Where's Waldo" moment where they AI cannot resolve the enemy unit right in front of them.

Soviet Hero Union!!

48 minutes for the base mission and I had to contribute 1,600 points to the overall effort. The AI would not have survived without me, which is what I was aiming for (requiring player participation).

More to come...