Sakai007

More often then not, the person who fires the Pzfaust is killed in the explosion. I have used them several times, and at the ranges I engage at, it's a crap shoot at best. 30 meters is almost too far, I prefer to use them in defense of hedgerows that tanks roll right up too. Granted, at this range my results should be expected, but the explosive force of the PzFaust is HUGE!!! Does kill any tank, no questions asked!

I have 20 yr old elvis stamps. No, I really do, picked em up when they were first printed as a gift from the grand parents. I was hoping I could pre-order the d/l only version as my cash flow is inconsistent. Guess I will just have to get the mail version too......

What kills me is when the info tells me I am firing, I am not firing, and the enemy Stug has full LOS on me and plinks me with an AP round. I had a Sherman 76 soak up 7 Stug round while he never once fired in response. Granted, I was stoked that with the angle the sherman was sitting at it would soak up 7 AP rounds, but come on. He can shoot me, I can't shoot him??

The same is happening on this side of the pond Trail, as our boys go out packing an M14 or two for long range and heavy cover shooting. The Squad Designated Marksman. There are still some SDM M16s kicking around as well, but they don't solve the penetration problem. Got to ask guys, anyone ever heard of or seen a bolt action version of the M14??? Buddy of mine was in Iraq 06 - 07 and swears up and down that their platoon had at least one issued. His was a sort of fire brigade platoon for the whole Batt. and had some ops as security for spec ops guys and I thought he might have mistaken the weapon he thought was in his squad to one those guys were using. He said no way, so I was wondering if any of you had heard of such a thing???

I have it happen too. I think what is happening is this. Your TC in the hatch has full LOS to the target, the gunner looking through the sight has partial LOS to target. I only get this when I am trying to get in a hull down position or there might be trees in the LOS.

+1 Chops, and god forbid that they have a Thompson or a Grease Gun, then they are real assault troops!!!

meh, to be honest, campaigns are not why I buy Combat Mission games. Granted, they are amazing for the most part, but I play a lot of QBs to use the forces that I want to use. When I get tired with that, I will play a few missions, either stock or community made, then I may give a campaign a mission or two, then back to the QBs and editor built QBs. When the folks at BF go through the process of building a campaign, I trust their judgement that it will be entertaining. The only time that mission building was not quite mature enough was the original Shock Force. We are now 3 modules and 1 more base game past that, almost on to the 1st module for the second game in the CMx2 series, and mission/campaign building has been refined to an art. I am excited to play anything they send me!!!

An M1919A4 per platoon seems good to me. You are providing tri-pod mounted MMG support for each and every platoon in the company. Not to mention the single BAR in each squad of that platoon. That's a lot of firepower for a platoon IMHO. Is that equal to the number of MG42 in a German platoon, no. However, just about every rifleman was armed with the semi-automatic M1 Garand. More then a match then the 98k armed squad when it comes to fire superiority. With the airborne we get much close to parity with the M1919A6 being deployed on the squad level. Granted, the direct lineage of the M14 does not include the BAR. The concept is there, as in a full automatic rifle firing full rifle rounds. If anything, it's furthering the concept by placing one in the hand or each and every rifleman, instead on one per squad.

Just to be clear, I would buy a PRC vs. ROC combat mission game so fast it would make the numbers on my debit card switch places!!! I think the main reason I play modern war games is to try out hypothetical scenarios to sedate what ever wild curiosity grabs me for the day. That's why I love Harpoon, and there are PRC vs ROC/US/Russia/pretty much every neighbor they have scenarios a plenty. The most exciting have the chinese sporting two CVs like the one they now operate. The goal of the USN and JSDF is to sink them before they can put to sea a be a real threat. There is a lot of buzz about the idea of a naval confrontation in the South China Sea between the numerous small nations against China with or without American support. I certainly hope cooler heads prevail in reality, but it makes for some great wargaming!!!

maybe they were going to call it Glorious Duty, but the shortened tag of GoD just didn't work for the ChiCom folks. I am of the mind that it is certainly a cut paste of CoD, when has reverse engineering something bothered the Chinese???

The MG42 was developed as a more mass producible version of the MG34. She's made almost entirely of stamped steel, just like a Sten gun. The rate of fire was one of the things that made the weapons reputation. You can't hear the individual 'bang' of each round and it sounded more like a long burp. Really, I think the best description I've heard is that is sounds like canvas being torn. Anyway, that sound alone was enough to make men prostrate with fear. The US Army even put out a training video about the MG42 to un-scare the folks going over as replacements. The MG42 was a beauty tho, I think the main feature that makes it stand out is the quick change barrel. That allows someone with a commanding view to lay down suppressing fire for as long as they have new barrels and ammo. So, I guess to answer your question, yes they were spread around like candy on Halloween.

LoL, now that's what I'm talking about. Glorious Combat Mission!!!!!

Wow Six and Bill!!! All the vids I see from the bad guys have them saying 'god is great' and letting loose some AK rounds at a coalition position a mountain top over. Then receiving return fire and hiding. Is it more common for the average afghan farmer type to have his one AK in the home then it is to find enemy fighters armed with AK series weapons??? It's a scary though to be under M4 fire from someone who knows how to use it. My time with the M4 taught me that, even with iron sights, you can hole someone at 300 meters if you have her zeroed correctly. Also very interesting that you come across G36s. Are they captured weapons or are the Pakistanis buying them and then supplying the Taliban???

For me, it's always been about the toys. The Germans had the cool ones. And you guys need to picture this, since I am half black AND live in Maine. My friends would stop by when I was playing CMBB with the nazi flags on vehicles as air identification placards. They would see this and just look at me funny for a moment. I still get a kick out of this. The first time for each I generally give them the rundown on the German military in WWII as well as you can in 5 minutes so they can rest assured that I am not a nazi. Still funny tho....

I read that the Australians used indirect HMG fire very often during the battles in New Guinea during WWII. It was described in great detail in "Touched with Fire: The Land War in the South Pacific" by Eric Bergerud. Americans also used this tactic. It was not used for battlefield support, primarily being used as a method of interdiction. Trails and paths used by the Japanese to bring up supplies and such were regular targets. This proved successful enough that HMG Battalions were brought back into Aussie Divisional TOEs for the first time since the end of WWI.

I'll be honest, one of the things I have learned from my studies inspired by CM:A is the variety of weapons the muj had access too from the pakistani gun smiths. I had no idea, none at all, and was blown away. I just didn't think that small operations in the middle of no where could produce decent fighting weapons. And do so in quantity! Everyone is always talking of the Stinger MANPAD like it won the war for the muj, when in fact pakistani built weapons probably killed far more soviet soldiers then did anything else. I do see a larger number of AK-74s in muj units later on in the war, is this due to having far more of them captured from the soviets???

Yes, CM:A is strong with infantry only type operations. I am also a fan of the convoy missions, and that is true to history as well. A huge part of the Soviet-Afghan war revolved around the protection of convoys and keeping the routes clear to stop the placement of what we now call IEDs. Looking forward to this!

I was talking to an Army buddy of mine, he related these stories to me so I felt I should share them with you. He was in a firefight, Iraq, 2007. While in a 2nd story window, he is providing overwatch for a Bradley parked down below. The characteristic sound of an RPG splits the air. This rocket traveled something close to 600 meter down a city street and hit the Bradley straight on. This Bradley didn't have ERA either. I swear that he swears this next part is true. The RPG hits the Bradley and bounces straight back the way it came. He swore it seemed to be going faster after the ricochet. When it hit the ground, it exploded. I say to him, "was it under minimum arming range maybe?" Nope, it traveled 600m before impact. the funny part was, the paint wasn't even scratched on the Bradley. No dent, no nothing. Months later, Iraq, my buddy and his fire team on in a Humvee just leaving their patrol base. The area is an intense hive of enemy activity. It took two tried to even enter the city in an attempt to re-capture the IP compound that had been deserted in the face of forces financed by a radical cleric with a lot of money. He told me the name, but it slips my mind now. On the first attempt, they were driving fairly slow, and when they went through the city gate, all hell broke loose. They beat a hasty retreat, repaired vehicles, and two hours later went back in. This time the whole convoy at 55 mph! Wasn't a radical insurgent who could hit them, and they crashed through the gate and re-secured the IP compound. The next day, the fireteam was in the Humvee, as mentioned before. They had just received the FRAG5 up-armor kits the day before, and this was the first combat for them with the upgrades. The Humvee is hit, behind right under the rear door, drivers side. This is the same seat where my friend is sitting. I don't know what god was watching over him, but this is what happened. The RPG didn't penetrate. It did explode though, and it had the force to crumple the FRAG5 armor on the door and the frame of the humvee. My friend was hit with some fragments in the left leg, and suffered some pretty nasty burns from the intense temperature of a HEAT round going on 1 foot or so from your leg. This was his first purple heart, but sadly it would not be the last. I remember seeing him at Ft. Benning, he was pumped cause he was going to Javelin school. I was like, ha u bastage, don't want to have fun in firefights I see (young and stupid version of me, I had no idea to say the least) and we had a good laugh about it. You just never know. I have even more crazy RPG stories, but this should do for now.

I am with YankeeDog on this one. That's why I've been playing Harpoon ANW all morning running through some missions that predicted such an encounter. Iran has been all sorts of aggressive here recently, and I wouldn't put it past them to send a silkworm or two at some Arleigh Burke DDGs patrolling near the Strait. I don't think the Iranians will try to close the strait through pure military force, I think they will pull an Egypt and sink 40 or so merchant ships to block it and then attack the ships that try to clear the channel as they will be sitting ducks. Unless there is a CVNBG or two cruising in the area, then things will not be so much fun for their air crews at the very least. I just don't see anything Iran has in it's airforce as being able to do any good besides making big chaff clouds when they are shot down by SuperBugs with AMRAAMs. The swarms of small boats armed with ASMs?? This might be a more effective, but no less bloody, way to attack us in this area.

Steel Panthers does this to a certain degree. Personally, I am of the thought that SP is build for a slightly higher level of forces to command then CM. A full company of paras doesn't seem to take up the same room on the map as one in CMBN does. They did have all these things, firing from the ground, sticks being scattered due to wind, enemy fire, bad luck, green pilots, etc. Makes for an interesting turn replay, thats for sure.

Hey, I am Stryker over at Wargamer, and welcome to the fold!!! Taget Light will fire MGs only at a target. With infantry it will only use small arms, no bazookas or rifle grenades. breech teams can breach anything if you order them to, including bocage. Also walls of houses, good for when you need an entrance in a hurry.

I will, still play daily and have all the modules!

I am surprised that the weight of his cast iron man parts didn't sink that little boat he was in!!!! He must have been Chuck Norris's father!

Since I play as the Amis more often then not (total opposite of my CMx1 preference) I will add my $0.02 to balance things. BTW - I had a Schultz in my basic training platoon, makes me remember good times, any ways.... I buy my basic Infantry Bat, and take on Co off the top. I also tend to shed the on map 81mms and the MG teams, as I would rather just buy some off map assets and not clutter things. I keep my 60mms as they are the perfect suppression tool, bar none. I add a scout team to every platoon for their demo charges and Tommy guns, great at close range, and you never know when you will need demo. I will also buy as many 75mm Shermans as I can, and one Priest. Also, all the infantry squads will carry zooks that can. Finally, I add an FO to the Batt command post, and sometimes an extra zook team. Batt HQ FO Sherman 75s 1 Priest 81mm off map A Co 3x Rifle Platoons each w/scout team Weapon Plt w/60mm mortars B Co same as above I use 75mm Shermans since they are just as good in close tank fighting as any german tank, reliable, and fast. The 76s can fight head on, but whats the point when return fire kills them just as easily. They are also excellent infantry support platforms, and with the Priests 105, any enemy infantry will be in trouble. Those 60 mortars are a force to be reckoned with as well, so my soft target kill capacity is unmatched. While I may suffer in long range tank fights, I try to avoid them like the plague. The advantage for the Amis is the close range fight, so that's how I want to fight my force. Smoke is great for allowing me to close the gap if the terrain in not conductive to such activities.

LoL, isn't that the truth! Been watching the news about a missing 20 month old in Waterville, that's only an hour and a half from here. I have two 16 month old girls, and while impossible with my apartments setup, the thought of someone coming and taking them in the night scares the hell out of me!!!! The comedy is much appreciated!!