Untutored Courage

Untutored Courage is the name chosen to refer, collectively, to a series of operationally-focused realism mods, each using the same statistical template regarding the calculation of ballistics, vehicle mobility, squad sizes and equipment loadouts, and a bevy of other factors.

Operationally-based, you asked? Each release will have its basis in an actual operation that was planned and conducted during either WWII or the Korean War, as detailed below

Note: for the time being, my focus has been and will continue to be focused on the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. I am planning to expand this to include operations spanning from the opening of the war to its conclusion, and including those on the Eastern and Western Fronts, in the Pacific, and possibly involving partisan (and anti-partisan) operations. Later, of course, will come operations from the Korean era conflict.

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Western Desert Campaign
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Unternehmen SONNENBLUME - Siege of Tobruk (Operation Sunflower--initial deployment of the Deutsche Afrika Korps, and its initial attack on 6 Feb. 1941; the main focus will be on the Siege of Tobruk that was 10 Apr.-27 Nov. 1941)

Operation BATTLEAXE (15-17 Jun. 1941) 7th Armoured Div. attempted Commonwealth relief of Tobruk; attack repulsed with heavy losses, C.O. of 7th AD sacked)

Operation CRUSADER - A Sweeping Flank (18 Nov.-30 Dec. 1941) attempted flanking action that brought the British 8th Army to within 50 km of Tobruk; included engagements around the Sidi Rezegh airstrip, wherin the British 7th Armoured Div. suffered immense losses (~350 tanks vs. the DAK's loss of 100) but still managed to carry the battle--Tobruk was releived when Rommel opted to lift the siege and reinforce the now-depleted DAK.

First Battle El Alamein - Mancò la Fortuna (1-27 Jul. 1942; title taken from a commemorative stone placed by the 7th Bersaglieri Reg. that reads "Mancò la fortuna, non il valore"--A lack of fortune, not of valour). The British Eigth Army is routed at Gazala, and falls back to the rail junction at El Alamein where it digs in for a final stand. The DAK attacks, but after suffering fairly heavy losses, Rommel halts his attack and digs in. Battle ends in stalemate, but halts the previously irresistable advance of the DAK in North Africa.

Second Battle of El Alamein - End of the Beginning (23 Oct.-11 Nov. 1942) British forces advance under an utterly ridiculous amount of covering artillery fire, breaking through the now quite thick defenses created by the DAK. The first major tank battle occured on 25 Oct. after dusk, resulting in stalemate. The inital British attack ended that same day.

Phase Four - Operation SUPERCHARGE (2-11 Nov. 1942) Sub-operation; the final assault during the Second Battle of El Alamein--with no more infantry left with which to attack and capture the remaining Axis positions, the British opted for a simple, overwhelming frontal armored attack. Following a 7-hour artillery bombardment, the 9th Armoured Brigade made their attack, losing nearly 70% of their tanks and 50% of their personnel, but overrunning and destroying many Axis gun positions. The remains of the 15th and 21st Pz. Divs. and the Littorio Armored Div. attack the British positions, destroying 100 tanks (the 9ths position was reinforced by other units), but losing about the same amount of tanks--which, as it were, happened to be the last that Rommel had available. The 90th Leichte Division was ordered to fight a desperate rearguard action, which it did, being consumed and destroyed in the process, but saving what remained of the DAK as it retreated.

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Tunisia Campaign [ MAP OF THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE CAMPAIGN - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ochsenkopf#/media/File:Tunisia1942-1943.svg ]
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Operation TORCH - The Yanks arrive (8-16 Nov. 1942) Anglo-American landings in French Morocco and French Algeria--the first time the U.S. Army saw combat on a strategic scale. The Americans landed at Safi (Operation BLACKSTONE), Fedala (Operation BRUSHWOOD, the largest landing with 19,000 men), and Mehdiya-Port Lyautey (Operation GOALPOST), suffering losses in the initial landings, but eventually overrunning Vichy French positions. Other landings occurred at Algiers (Operation TERMINAL), also seeing quick success. The battle ended with the full occupation of French Morocco and French Algieria.

Operation PUGILIST - The Mareth Line (19-29 Mar. 1943) The 50th Northumbrian Infantry Division attacks the Mareth Line, a string of gun positions west of Zarat, but is repulsed by the 15th Panzer Div. Elements of the British X Corps breach Axis positions farther north (part of Operation SUPERCHARGE II), making defense of the Mareth Line untenable. On the 27th, Axis forces make a 48-hour fighting withdrawel, breaking contact on the 29th, and moving their forces north-west to Gabès, where they fought the Battle of El Guettar and the Battle of Wadi Akarit against the American II Corps on one side and the British Eigth Army on the other (from 22 Mar to 28 Mar). After a week of fighting, Axis forces left the area (on 28 Mar.), allowing the Anglo-American forces to finally join hands--the remaining Axis forces retreated to positions held by the Fifth Panzer Army in the hills west of Enfidaville.

Unternehmen OCHSENKOPF (Operation Ox head; 26 Feb.-4 Mar. 1943) The final Axis offensive in North Africa, launched by Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim on a wide front, was able to make some headway, but in the face of moderate but mounting losses, the assault was called off, and Axis forces retreated to a perimiter around Tunis. Six weeks later, on 12 May 1943, the remainder of Heeresgruppe Afrika and allied Italian forces--totaling 230,000 men--surrendered, ending all Axis resistance in North Africa. The campaign as a whole was considered concluded the following day, 13 May 1943 (this may be included as a separate project titled Assault on Tunis, but this is TBD).

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Sicilian Campaign [ MAP OF THE INITIAL LANDINGS - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Sicily#/media/File:Map_operation_husky_landing.jpg ]
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Operation HUSKY (9 Jul.-17 Aug. 1943) Allied landings on Sicily, Italy, consisting of British, U.S., Canadian, Free French, Australian, and South African forces launch a massive, coordinated attack on the island of Sicily--the largest landing of WWII in terms of size of the battle zone, and number of divisions put ashore in the initial landings. Landings commenced on the south-east corner of the island, and Italian coastal divisions offered little resistance--the weather and nervous American gunners incurred more losses than the Axis forces defending Sicily. General George S. Patton took his forces on a wide sweeping movement to the north-east, and captured the Sicilian capitol of Palermo--the first Axis capitol to fall in WWII--before racing westward across the northern coast of the island. As British forces pushed northward up the western coast of Sicily, Axis forces began an organized, orderly, and highly successful withdrawal on 11 Aug. and on 18 Aug., the remainder of all Axis forces in Sicily reached the Italian mainland.

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Italian Campaign
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Operation AVALANCHE - Italy Quits! (3-16 Sept. 1943) The American 5th Army lands at Salerno, threatened by a German loudspeaker from the landing area that proclaimed in English: "Come on in and give up. We have you covered."--the Americans commenced the assault regardless, managing to push back Axis forces in the vicinity, though the involved U.S. 36th Infantry Division, inexperienced and untried in combat, made gains that were too slow and too small, and was nearly pushed back into the sea by the attacking 16th Panzer Division. A tentative beachhead was secured, after heated combat, on 12 Sept, at which team British General Alexander reported to London that: "I am not satisfied with the situation at Avalanche. The build-up is slow and they are pinned down to a bridgehead which has not enough depth. Everything is being done to push follow-up units and material to them. I expect heavy German counter-attack to be imminent."
[ MAP OF THE SALERNO LANDINGS, AS PLANNED - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Italy#/media/FilealernoDDayPlans1943.jpg ]
[ MAP OF THE SALERNO LANDINGS ON 11 Sept., AFTER THEY HAD OFFICIALLY CONCLUDED - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Italy#/media/FilealernoBeachhead1943_09_11_2400.jpg ]

Operation SLAPSTICK - A Sick Joke (9 Sept. 1943) The British 1st Airborne Division lands at Taranto, Italy, and, facing only minor opposition by elements of the 1st Fallschirmjager Division, eventually pushes 125 miles (201 km) north to Foggia. With two British infantry divisions in place behind them, the 1st Airborne was withdrawn to England to take part in the upcoming invasion of Europe--Operation OVERLORD.

Naples - On the Road to Rome (Oct. 1943-Jan. 1944) With the whole of southern Italy in Allied hands, the Americans and British begin their slog northward through the Volturno, Barbara, and Bernhardt Lines before reaching the Gustav line in mid-January, 1944--setting the stage for the four assaults on Monte Cassino, and the nearly-disastrous landings at Anzio.
[ MAP OF AXIS DEFENSIVE LINES BETWEEN NAPLES AND ROME - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Italy#/media/File:ItalyDefenseLinesSouthofRome1943_4.jpg ]

Operation SHINGLE - An Odour of Whale (22 Jan. 1944-5 Jun. 1944) An Anglo-American force, Lucas' VI Corps, lands at Anzio, Italy, behind the defenses of the Gustav Line. Due to the poor planning of the attack and the personal advocation of Winston Churchill, Lucas, a few days before the attack, wrote in his diary that "[The operation] has a strong odour of Gallipoli and apparently the same amateur was still on the coach's bench." The "amateur" can only have referred to Winston Churchill, architect of the disastrous Gallipoli landings of World War I and personal advocate of Shingle. After the attack stalled under unrelenting pressure from a constantly-shifting series of German divisions hurriedly moved to the area to contain the salient, Churchill remarked that "I had hoped we were hurling a wildcat into the shore, but all we got was a stranded whale". The salient remained locked in stalemate until the launch of Operation DIADEM on 11 May, 1944. SHINGLE eventually concluded on 5 Jun. 1944, after Gen. Mark Clark, newly appointed commander of the VI Corps, opted to let the German 10.Armee escape in its totality in order that he could garner the headlines and the prestige of the capture of Rome--an unfortunate, vain ambition, as although his news did indeed appear on the front page of papers around the U.S. and England, it appeared below the fold, at the bottom of the page, and in small print, eclipsed by the Normandy landings the following day--Operation OVERLORD was now in full swing, and the liberation of Axis-occupied Europe was now at hand. 10.Armee would continue to offer bitter resistance until the end of the war in 1945, costing many thousands of lives on both sides that would have otherwise been saved.
[ MAP OF THE LANDINGS - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Anzio#/media/File:Cassino%2BAnzio1943JanFeb.jpg ]

Operation DIADEM - The Breakout at Anzio (11 May 1944)
[ MAP OF THE OPERATION - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Diadem#/media/File:BattleforRome1944DiademPlan.svg ]

[I'm currently gathering information on later operations!!!]

Orders of battle for the participating belligerents have been calculated, as best I've been able, down to regimental, and, in some cases, battalion level as seen in the following example;

Operation SHINGLE (22 Jan. 1944-5 Jun. 1944; Anzio & Nettuno, Italy)
14. Armee

90.Panzer-Grenadier-Division (first five days)
Pz.Gren.Rgt. 200 (reinforcing)
- 2./Pz.Gren.Rgt. 200 (mot) (in reserve, around Lake Bracciano)
Pz.Gren.Rgt. 361
- Stab
- Stab Kompanie
- 2x Battalion
- 7,5 cm le.IG 18 Kompanie (mot)

Additional weapons that the 90 was garrisoning:
4x 7,5 cm Flak 264/3(i) (Cannone da 75/46 C.A. modello 34)
2x 7,62 cm F.K. 36(r) (ZiS-3)
5x 9 cm FlaK 309/1(i) (Cannone da 90/53)
2x 10 cm s.K. 18
4x 10,5 cm K. 338(i) (Canon de 105 mle 1913)
2x 12,2 cm s.F.H. 396(r) (122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30))
2x 15,2 cm K.H. 433/1(r) (152 mm howitzer-gun M1937 (ML-20))

Additional aspects of the mod include the realistic representation of small arms through painstaking research, the result of which is a functioning system that imparts realistic 'damage' values and 'criticals', ballistic coefficients, ballistic drop, the use of scatter in place of weapon accuracy rolls (that make use of research and factors including individual training, quality of arms, type of arm, human error, and so on). Represented are the cyclic and practical rates of fire of weapons, their inherent accuracy (calculated in MoA, or Minutes of Angle), their magazine/clip size and/or belt length, the time needed to reload a given weapon under battlefield conditions, the loss of accuracy that comes with the repeated firing of a weapon (influenced by climate, on an operational basis, as well as if the weapon is open or closed bolt, if it has a quick change barrel function and if spare barrels were in good supply at that time, etc.) and so on.

The effects of different types of explosives has also been taken into consideration, especially in regards of the effectiveness of a given quality of a given type of explosive versus a similar quality of a different type. Factors include the generated concussion and shrapnel effects; these calculations range from the damage caused by the 10.85 g (167.4 gr) German 7.92×57 mm Mauser Patr. B. (Beobachtung - Observation) bullet all the way to the awesome explosive power of the 2,700-pound (1,200 kg) Mark 8 "Super-Heavy" shell fired by a 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 – United States Naval Gun!

Also included is an attempt at the accurate representation of vehicular combat regarding the speed and handling of each and every vehicle on the battlefield, down to gear shifting, transmission quality, engine failure, and so on, and also including as realistic of a penetration system as I'm able to generate--this pales in comparison to the mountain of effort that has produced the outrageously fantastic system used in the Fortress Europe mod series. The penetration and fragmentation of different types of shells as well as the type of armor on a vehicle, its angling, and so forth are taken into consideration regarding the protection it offers, as well as the type of sights made available (in way of magnification, field of view, and so on).

〈〈 Т-34-76 обр. 1942 г. (a.k.a. T-34/76 model 1942) 〉〉
Country of Origin & Manufacturer:
Handling:
Weight: 26.5 tonnes
Engine: В-2-34 (V-2-34) V12, liquid-cooled, inline, diesel
Horsepower: 450 hp (net) at 2060 rpm
Power/weight Ratio: 16.981 horsepower/tonne

Fuel Capacity: 900 liters of octane fuel
Range (Maximum): 400 km (250 miles)
Range (Combat Radius): 200 km (125 miles)
Transmission: Manual; 5 speed (4 Fwd, 1 Rv)
Suspension: Coil-spring Christie Suspension

Top speed (road): 48.28 km/h (30 mp/h; 13.411 m/s)
appropriate gear/total: 4/4
0 to speed time: 22 s (0.61)
deceleration time: 6.25 s (-2.146)

Top speed (cross-country): 24.14 km/h (15 mp/h; 6.706 m/s)
appropriate gear/total: 3/4
0 to speed time: 4.5 s (1.49)
deceleration time: 4 s (-1.677)

Top speed (rough terrain): 14.484 km/h (9 mp/h; 4.023 m/s)
appropriate gear/total: 2/4
0 to speed time: 2 s (2.012)
deceleration time: 3 s (-1.341)

Top speed (reverse): 4.828 km/h (4 mp/h; 1.341 m/s)
appropriate gear/total: -1/4
0 to speed time: 1 s (1.341)
deceleration time: 2 s (-0.671)

Minimum 360º pivot time (chassis): 17 s (13 º/s)
Turret rotation rate: 26 º/s
Gun settle time (moving to stopped): 1 s

Collective field of view (crew cabin/vision slits): 45 º
Commander's copula: No

Sights: ТМФД-7 обр. 1941 (TMFD-7 mod. 1941)
Field of View: 15 º
Magnification: 2.5x (yields 500 m eff. spotting range)

Armament & Ammunition Load: 1x 76-мм Ф-34 Л/30.5 (76.2 mm F-34 L/30.5; 100 rds), 2x ДТ (DT; 945 rds)
Crew Count: 4
Generated HP: 220 = 55 x 4
Cost (in-game):
Armor:
Type: Rolled Homogeneous
High Hardness: 450 BHN
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On top of everything is a new system of 'veterancy'; vet as we know it is no longer a "thing". The effectiveness of individual combat formations at the divisional level (this may be brought down to regimental, battalion, or even company levels as additional information is made available) will be determined by taking into account the following series of factors, and will determine, on a scale of 1 to 5, the "average" effectiveness of that particular unit.
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Equipment & Supply: As Napoleon once said, "An army marches on its stomach." Troops with adequate supplies and manpower reserves will be more effective than troops with missing armament. Under-supplied troops will tax the resource income of a commander and his logistics more than troops with ready reserves of ammunition and supplies. However, these troops will more readily scrounge the battlefield for munitions and supplies, increasing the value of anything scavenged and allowing these troops to equip more enemy weapons.

Deals with capping speed, cooldown, speed of construction, repair costs and rate of repairs, scatter, value of scavenged resources, slot item spaces, and upkeep (manpower, munitions, and fuel).
-(i) totally unprepared
-(ii) under-equipped
-(iii) adequate
-(iv) well-stocked
-(v) oversupplied
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Experience: A cruel mistress, experience is the reward for survival--the more troops have seen and survived, the better prepared they are for the rigors of combat. While good, too much time spent of the front lines will leave the combat effectiveness of troops in serious doubt.

Deals with ability cost, camouflage modifiers (incl. activation delay and
number of shots before de-cloaking), construction speed, repair speed, suppressed modifiers, suppression recovery rate, suppression threshold, upkeep (munitions only), number of 'free' slot item spaces for pick up weapons, and the size of area reveal/spot abilities. In the case of war-weary troops, a movement penalty is incurred (including sprint duration
and recharge) along with hefty accuracy and reload penalties.
-(i) untested
-(ii) acclimated
-(iii) blooded
-(iv) grizzled
-(v) war-weary
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Morale: Ever important, morale is the mood, generally speaking, of a given unit or army whilst fighting at the front. Many things can influence it, such as training (a good espri de corps), the availability and quality of food, presence of unknown and un-befriended replacements, and the relationship with local civilians. Faith in their equipment and the quality of their leadership also influences the mood and opinions of the men.

Deals with point capture rate while sprint or and equivalent is active, pinned threshold and recovery, retreat modifiers (utterly broken troops will flee with absolutely no regard for their safety and may abandon their weapons along the way), reaction to command auras, and movement speed
(especially through rough terrain or water, or in miserable weather conditions).
-(i) broken
-(ii) demoralized
-(iii) unshaken
-(iv) determined
-(v) fanatic
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Training: In preparation for their fight to come, most troops in WWII were subjected to strenuous combat training.

Deals with ability duration (spring)/cooldown/recharge, accuracy, capping speed, command auras for officers (quality, quality, and type of buffs--or debuffs!), cooldown, scatter, reloads, target prioritization, recovery of wounded, accuracy of targeted ability, the ability to spot/point out/mark targets, manpower, munitions, and fuel upkeep.
-(i) untrained
-(ii) hurried
-(iii) standard
-(iv) rigorous
-(v) merciless
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When dealing with the following modifier increments, be aware that those marked with (base ____) are 'based' at the 'iii' rank, which means that units with a rank lower than that will have that modifier incrementally reduced by the given amount, starting at the 'based' statistic. E.x.:ability dur. (sprint): 5s (base 25 s) ---> a rank 'i' unit will have a sprint duration of 15 s; reduced by two increments of five from the base.

ability dur. (sprnt): 5s (base 25)
accuracy: 0.1
camouflage modifiers;
-camo activation: 1 s (base 3 s)
-num. of shots (decloak): 1
-re-camo rate: 0.125 s

capping speed: 0.25 (base 0.75)
cap speed (sprint): 0.15 (base 0.75)
command aura modifiers:
-
"conceal" delay: 15 s (base 60 s)
construction speed (experience/training): 0.15
construction speed (supply): 0.5 (base of 2x original built time; max 3)
cooldown: 0.25
cost (ability): 5 (or x1.25)
pinned recovery rate: 0.01
pinned threshold: 0.25
relevant target priority: 25
reload: 0.125
repair cost: 10 (base of 0, max of 20)
repair speed: 0.1
retreat modifiers:
-received acc.: 0.15 (base of 0.5)
-received dmg.: 0.25 (base of 1)
-received supp.: 0.25 (base 0.5)

scav. wpn. income (experience): 1 (base 3)
scav. wpn. income (supplies?): 5 (base 15)
slot item spaces: 2 (base 6)
spot zone: 5 m (base 10 m, min. 1 m)
suppressed modifiers:
-accuracy: 0.15 (base of 0.5)
-cooldown: 0.125 (base o.75; super inexperienced etc. might have very high cooldown at cost to scatter
-rec. supp.: 0.075 (base of 0.65)
-rec. pen.: 0.075 (base of 0.5)
-reload: 0.125 (base of 1.5)
-scatter: 0.35 (base of 2)
-weapon supp.: 0.15

supp. recovery rate: 0.0005
supp. threshold: 0.15
target ability ?aoe: 0.15
upkeep (fuel): 8.5/min
upkeep (manpower): 2.5/min
upkeep (munitions): 5/min

First on the list of operations to be released is Operation SHINGLE, the Anglo-American landings at Anzio, on the shore of mainland Italy.

Part of the 'Untutored Courage' realism mod series, Operation Shingle is set in the short period between 22 January, 1944 and 29 January, 1944, during which time the U.S. VI Corps came ashore at Anzio, Italy. The Allied troops' purpose there was simple: under the codename of Operation SHINGLE, the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division would land behind the stubborn defenses of the Gustav Line in order to cut off any retreat by Axis forces routed out of their Gustav Line fortifications. With those troops captured, the VI Corps would push north and capture Rome. That was the plan, anyhow. In reality, Operation SHINGLE turned into a drawn out slugging match in which the combat more closely resembled that of the First World War. Understrength and short on supplies, the opposing German and Italian units received their de-facto orders from Hitler: 'Lance the abscess at Anzio'. They were to push the invaders back into the sea, or die trying. What will you do? Can you force a move and catch the Axis 10.Armee by surprise, or will you fling the American and British dogs back into the sea? Do you have the cunning, gall, and skills to lead your troops to victory? As George S. Patton once said, "Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets."

The release date is TBD as I'm juggling working on this mod alone with university and a (soon to be two) full time job(s). I may or may not also be a slightly lazy individual.