[jivemi]

Actually I don't think you need combat experience to understand what suppression and rally correspond to in real battles. Suppression simulates the effects of enemy fire, causing infantry to reflexively keep their heads down, falling to ground or otherwise taking cover (thus becoming pinned), or run away (retreat or rout in panic). Vehicle crews may experience similar effects, slowing down to better determine the source of incoming fire, closing hatches to prevent small-arms or shell fragment penetration, searching for safer ground or avenues of approach, or perhaps just "getting the heck out of there" as discretion proves the greater part of valor.

Rally simulates the effect of leadership attempting to regain control of the situation by encouraging--through a variety of means--squad or crew members to avoid becoming combat-ineffective and fight back.

A prime example of suppression and subsequent rally occurred during the assault on Carentan by the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne, US Army, during the Normandy campaign in WWII. Easy Company (aka "Band of Brothers" in the book by Stephen Ambrose) was given the task of capturing an intersection at the edge of town by moving down a road in plain sight of the defenders.

When the lead (1st) platoon got within 50 meters a German machine gun opened up. The platoon leader, Lieutenant Welsh, and 6 men continued moving forward, but the remainder, nearly 30 men, dived into ditches on either side of the road, lying motionless in a desperate attempt to avoid the bullets zinging overhead.

Seeing this, the company CO, Lieutenant Dick Winters, ran forward into the middle of the road and shouted at the cringing laggards to get moving. At first nobody moved, but as Winters continued to berate and kick them, all the while cheating death as he moved back and forth across the road to "encourage" his men to fight back, they finally responded.

As they charged forward, Welsh and his squad--assisted mainly by Winters providing a distraction to the defenders--finished off the enemy position with grenades and small-arms fire. Then 1st and 2nd platoons (3rd was in reserve) continued into Carentan and, with the help of F Company on their left flank, secured the town.

Thus did Winters "rally" three squads that were "pinned" in ditches on either side of a road up which streams of machine gun bullets were coursing. Not only does this episode remind me how much Steel Panthers imitates real combat, it makes me appreciate how lucky I am to have avoided the grim realities of war. Cheers.