Sakai007

For the last week or so, Bradley Dick and I have had a running PBEM match. We chose random on both, and ended up going Polish vs Polish purely by chance. This was the best PBEM QB I have ever played in my life. Learning to kill Panthers with Shermans is fun, but learning to kill Shermans with Shermans is something else totally. We had a duel at 200 meters head on, we both bounced three shots off, and then pulled back pretty much unharmed. The tank fight was amazing, really good fun and a nail biter to say the least. Our infantry fought hard, and his casualties were outrageous. I think he went real light on arty, as he out numbered me 4 - 1, but my arty decimated his troops. I tried to use tanks in an infantry support role, while his tanks did the same. All the while our single Firefly each stalked enemy tanks with success and failure. What a match I tell you. If you haven't tried it yet in CMBN, you're wrong!

For those out there who had doubts about the snipers ability to do their job in CMBN (I was one) here is a 425m kill from a Canadian sniper. Epic win!!!

I can't imagine a more terrifying way to die. This is exactly why I joined the infantry when it came time to serve. I played enough Steel Panthers 2 to know how many weapons exist that are designed to kill tanks in a big way. After the service, CMSF reinforced this. For infantry, Artillery is the stuff of nightmares, for tank crews, everything else. Granted, modern MBTs are designed to take hits and allow the crew to escape, but there is no guarantee that you will escape with everything you climbed in with. Really intense vid there, I already respect WWII vets with almost god like reverence for going to war without all the stuff we have today to keep you breathing, but to see it.........

I would say yes, but at the same time no. It depends on your agreement pre-game. I wouldn't use them, but if my whole infantry force is dead or it's armor only, it can give you an advantage to be small and hard to spot. Hand grenades can kill tanks, it's true it's true.

Friend of mine saw this happen in Iraq. Didn't know it was possible, but it is. RPG's can and have done some mighty strange things. Suppose when you have a weapon system that gets used so often every possible malfunction and mishap will happen at some point.

Since the fact the German's didn't have a heavy weapon of similar caliber to the M2, I have to wonder why they didn't develop one? I know they had the capability and a decent design. The MG131 was in wide spread use on aircraft, why not mount one on the roof of a PzIV or PzIII to give it more punch and penetration compared to the MG34.

IMO, about the moment you get to thinking about pulling your boys back in a shifting defense, it's already too late to do so.

LoL! In an episode of pure irony, I had forgot to open up drop box when I re-started the PC and what do ya know? There is a turn from the OP sitting in the game folder. Thank goodness I read this thread or I may not have figured it out until way later on in the evening. My favorite part of playing other people is the friendships you develop along the way. Obviously, we all share some common interests or we wouldn't be playing this game. One positive thing that has come from the internet, is allowing people with interests and tastes that might not be so main stream to congregate, some of the friendships lasting a lifetime!

**********************************************************************************************************************************Spoiler Alert!!! ************** ******************************************************************************************************************** This campaign is so very well put together. I really don't play campaigns all that much, ADHD is a mean mother! I am playing this one, and am currently about 10 turns into the second mission of Act I. I managed to get through the first mission only losing one Lynx and one PzIV (that hurt I have a feeling...) What really did me in was the end of the mission. I had actually played the first half of the mission when CW was released just so I could play with a Lynx. When I came back to the mission, I decided to be a little more aggressive then I was the first time. It worked out pretty well in the beginning. One thing I do in almost every mission I play is overestimating the enemy's forces and those forces capability. You see a squad, I say to myself, "there must be a whole company over there, best take this slow....." I took the OP on the right using my PzIIs and PzIVs to suppress enemy infantry contacts while the boys advanced, sometimes under fire. At the road block I routed the troops defending the road and hedges and inflicted serious losses as they ran from the fight. Then......I went to move a unit up the main road to flank and destroy units I had pinned down behind the barn. Ran right into an HMG team and took a few losses. At this point, frustration won out over patience and I used a lot of direct HE fire to dislodge all the infantry I could find. I regrouped my boys and took the OP on the right of the road (facing the enemy lines) and the first of two on the left side of the road. That operation went of without a hitch and only 2 or 3 losses. This is when the enemy armor showed up. My Panther and other Lynx were advancing through the field left of the road, the Lynx went up in a flash, but not before knocking out an enemy M8 armored car. The Panther then dispatched the two tanks who hadn't made the safety of the hedge rows. I then brought up a PzShrek trooper who lost his team mate and had one round left. He snuggled up to the hedge and KO'd the enemy tank like it was nothing. That's right! Pics or it didn't happen? Here it is! After this the rest of the assault went pretty well. I lost the better part of a rifle squad at the final objective due to direct 60mm fire, but it was an outstanding victory, and some of the most fun I have had in a CM campaign!!!

Jorge, that pic with the PSW 222 could be a photograph. A real work of art right there.

I don't use any house rules except the no bombarding setup zones. Now, do I always choose a realistic force? I try to, and unless the AI is selecting troops my opponent does as well. I had great fun playing a ranked match at FGM against PoorOldSpike when the AI selected both forces. I got an HQ in an M3, plus a few M4s and a single M4105. I won, but only when my HQ attacked his Panther at point bank range with grenades after using all their zook rounds. A fun PBEM match does not a historical matchup make!!

I think the BMP-1 is the best thing since sliced bread..........in CM Afghanistan that is. For the time period, it's the only thing short of a tank that has direct HE support like you really want it. IIRC, it's not so much a 'gun' as it is a RR firing rockets correct??? When I pause the game in CMA it looks like an RPG round coming out the pipe. The BMD is my second favorite, due to the immense number of machine guns and all the suppression you can ask for with a target light command. My least favorite, the BTR in all it's forms. Now THAT is the definition of a battlefield taxi. One that I wouldn't pay a fare for BTW. Reminds me of the M113, just not as cool looking.

I have crap luck with the Tiger I and II. I almost always lose the gun when I take a hit to the mantle. But, every now and again, I will have a 'my Tiger kills 8 Shermans' kind of mission too.

I have adapted to losing the old commands. I really don't think they would work as well as we think in this setting anyways. It feels like the requirements to spot an enemy unit are far more demanding now then they were before. You need to be at a stop to spot anything worth while (AT guns for example) so I use slow movements with pauses of 30 seconds at waypoints. The last leg of the movement order will generally be the hunt command since that is where I will expect enemy contact. I think an armor cover arc is something really needed, but I can get by without it. These types of things are where guys that have played CMSF for years will have the advantage over folks that have only been with the CMx2 system for a year since CMBN was released.

Company (+) is my happy place as well, maybe a platoon of armor along with them for support/AT duties. The map needs to be large enough, but not so much as to get lost in it. I want to be able to have a couple options as to axis of attack, but want the battle to be joined in a decent amount of time as well.

Couple shots from some recent play. The 'Might Wolverine' is from the CW Scenario Buron-Sticking it out (I think, whichever one has the Canadians defending) and is one of your two mobile AT assets. I picked a good spot and waited. First victim was a Stug. Then the Panthers started into my kill zone. I made sure to keep my M10 out of LOS as to avoid premature firing. Once I had two in my zone, I advanced 10 feet, contact was made, and opened fire. First one, then two Panthers were hit. I reversed out of LOS, waited a few moments, and advanced again. This time there were three Panthers, all flank to me. Fire, Fire, Fire!!!! First one burned, never even turned the turret. Second one, took a hit that glanced off the turret. The second one sliced through the side of the hull. Owned! The third, well the third took no less then six 3 inch rounds. He managed to get his front armor to me, and when I tried to fall back, we got hit. Wasn't all that bad, most of the crew got out, and they were well decorated. This wasn't even the 17lbr Achilles, and she still put the smack down. This is why I play CM, as there is no other game out there that gives me a small sense of achievement like CM does. The other shot is the remains of a Jagdpanther and the victorious Sherman I that took him out. It was in a QB, used an Achilles as bait down the front in and out of LOS using buildings to keep his interest. Once known infantry positions were cleared, I raced my Sherman around the flank and let him have it with my 'weak' 75mm Scratch one Kitty!

Heh, I don't think any of the fronts were all that pleasant. I guess in relative terms one could be better then the other. The idea of getting taken prisoner wouldn't exist fighting on the Eastern Front. On the Western Front, meh, I might just get small and wait for the Tommies to come and ship me off to England for tea.

The death toll of the Cold War was surprising to me when I started to educate myself about such things. The aircraft losses alone (the only reliable number I have seen) are enough that, at the time, I marveled on how WWIII didn't break out. I just think of the Chinese who we killed on 'accident' during the air war over Bosnia in the late 90's. The media made a lot of noise about it. I can only think that today that would be multiplied ten fold if we put down a few 'advisers' with a JDAM supporting rebel forces.

Yeah, noticed this the other day myself. Neat feature, and took me half the game to figure out what was going on.

Would be nice to have the option of issuing squads more or less in the way of automatic weapons by use of the editor.

Prudent and Russia go hand in hand, more often then not, to the harm of their own people from time to time. The fact that they deride any talk of foreign troops on Syrian soil in the UN, then send their own SF to 'asses' and others to advise is really something. They have effectively killed any chance of western air intervention with the possibility of killing Russian troops on accident. Not saying that is likely, but now it's impossible. I wonder how the Russians would react if we sent Green Berets in to train and advise the Free Syrian Army??? It would be a poop storm of epic proportions.

This is assuming that the old advantage was indeed correct. I would say things 'feel' better now then they did then.

The KingTiger is one mean looking tank when you take the time to appreciate it. Really a terror weapon. I say this because, if I were an allied solder and saw one this close, I would be terrified!!!

Well, now I wish we had a Russian TOE for this. Not get me wrong, this isn't my only concern in this, but as far as CM goes, conflict means scenarios, plain and simple. http://news.yahoo.com/russian-anti-terror-troops-arrive-syria-164035966--abc-news.html

I've been playing a ton of CM since the module came out, and being a veteran of CMSF, all squad firepower seems on the low side in comparison to what is available now. The Brits are a whole different can of worms, but played closer to the germans then the US. The Bren is a vital tool, and my key has been to get as many of them on target as possible. Lets not forget the Vickers either, it's a very useful HMG and very mobile with the carriers. In fact, use of Carriers is the big British force multiplier. If you deploy them like you would infantry, you have a small arms resistant MG or Bren team at your disposal, not to mention ammo for everyone else. I pulled a 'drive by' with a Bren carrier w/scout section mounted on a german trench line the other day. I was danger close, but it was great to blast in and blast out. The squads Bren gunner was standing in the back letting loose with the Bren as they passed and drove away, great moment!!!