"Convoy Organisation" Topic

This thread is suitable only for 1/144 scale players and below.

We were simulation a convoy ambush which was fun but with a UK expert in such matters. One failure in the set up we were told was that the Convoy should have been split into "Packets" spaced at least 1km apart and often 10 minutes apart. This allows some flexibility to keep the flow if you hit a bit of an obstruction such as a slow bend, keeping the convoy sensibly spaced.

The packets would each consist of typically 8 trucks and 2 or 3 escort vehicles if required. So a packet is probably about 0.5km long and spacing 1000m so 3km approx long just for 2 packets. This is doable for us on a 6ft by 6 ft board with the road round 3 sides and impassible obstructing terrain/board edge creating a U shaped battle Space.

Obviously not practical proposition at larger scales without enormous boards.

It would be interesting to know what criteria you have used in setting up convoy simulations.

So people who don't game in the smaller scales are incapable of providing you with their experience and training? That seems rather odd.

The only thing I've ever heard about this sort of didn't make sense to me. A WWII veteran observed there was a weird phenomenon that happened with long vehicle columns. The lead vehicles were limited to 25-30 mph to insure the columns could stay together and maintain interval.

In actual practice, even tho the lead vehicles observed the stated speed cap, the mid column had to floor it to keep up and the tailing vehicles got left in the dust. I imagine it's the result of the lead vehicles having gone 25mph for 5 minutes before the mid vehicles getting to move at all.

This may explain the packet notion. Like rally driving. Staggered starts to avoid bunching, sprinting and straggling.

Maybe…

79TH PA that is not the case but I do get folk being negative as its not a 1/72 scale issue so somehow take offense that it does not work for them so point out the negatives for no good reason. Most folk don't have a table that big for 1/72. Or moan that I am ground scale obsessed. Many 1/72 games don't really do ground scales as they have Non liner ranging which is at odds with simulation and makes basing a farce as the size of the base varies with the distance its viewed.

Also some folk seem obsessed with saying its only a game, no problem with that, but why make statements like that on a simulation thread, it's ruder than anything I write as I only states the scope as I see it.

HMS Exeter That is the case as I understand it.

We always ran into the slinky effect: vehicles bunching up, slowing down, spreading out, speeding up, bunching up, etc. We also didn't get much practice/training.

Modern:

PDF link

Vietnam Era:

PDF link

Late 90's FM updates and revisions:

link

I generally try to adhere to whatever the manuals say. Staff officers have a lot of experience moving soldiers around. The convoy concertina effect is well documented and applies to marching and cavalry columns too. Queuing theory has something to say about the matter.

I'm not that bothered with a 1:1 tactical game where I have worry about convoy spacing, but I'm certainly interested in grand tactical and operational march rates, unit/formation column lengths and forming up and deployment times.

79th PA Thre are a lot of scenarios in that lot of links Thanks.

Well practice makes perfect. We just finnished a riveting probe game, 2 platoons defending about 5km of road to a bridge the objective of a reconnisance in force (in 1:1 of course) of a Russian armoured infantry with a platoon of tanks attached. I used some of your ideas, a crater in the road caused much delay as my opponent needed to drive round it through some difficult road boundaries. Unfortunately he detoured where my nice mined road edges were not (but I only had 600 mines so not many).

a few things came up which was on interest.

As ddedfender I only had LAW72 about 4 per team, not really enough as quite a few missed or did little damage. Could I have a stockpile of say 6 LAW not 4 for each team, would it be plausible?

Is it tacticaly more sound for the attacker to drop off some elements to protect the route hame as unfortunately there is only one road in the area. An off road route home would be possible but the nature of the field boundarys would make it very slow.

Peoably one or two of the attackes tanks should have had a dozer blade so filling the creater may have been a better uoption then diverting round it.

Your thoughts?