hank24

According to the 4.0 manual, there are the following limits: Maps can have a maximum total surface area of 18 kilometers squared (4248m x 4248m if shaped as a perfect square). No side can be longer than 8,000 meters. The ratio of the length and width of the map must be 10:1 or less. So, the longest map can be 8 km x 2.25 km (18/8 = 2.25). Very useful for an interesting vehicle recon scenario displaying a long range recon behind enemy lines after infiltration.

Precisely what I think. Just did never found the time to dive deeply into scenario scripting. Sometimes recon troops stay at an observation point for longer time, though. But that is not interesting for a scenario here.

Schneller Durchbruch eines leichten Spähtrupps. Quick Break-thru of a lt. recon troop. A Quick Battle with CM:RT. Three light recon troops (lt. Spähtrupps; two eight-wheel SPW each) cross the map Village Forest Meet 056 (1008m x 992m) against a Russian Inf Battalion reduced to third strength to get low force density on map. Two of three troops succeeded, but in the end, a quick break-through was inevitable but nice to watch. Unfortunately, there is no bigger map available as Quick Battle that is suitable to the tactical situation desired here (Studienka has a river and Gog and Magog is devoid of cover). The AT-guns were just relocating - fortunately.

A deep recon Quick Battle can be designed the same way against the US forces in CM:FB as described above.

Aufklärungsabteilung (AA) of Infantriedivision (with slight variation here and there): Staff Reiterschwadron (cavalry squadron) Radfahrschwadron (bicycles) Schwere Schwadron (hvy. squadron) with 2 lt. Inf. Geschütz 7,5 cm, 3 PaK 3,7 cm, and 3 lt. Panzerspähwagen (armored car; '39 that was SdKfz 221 (MG), 222 (2 cm), and 223 (Fu = radio with frame aerial). SdKfz 221 was tactically useless and soon relegated to message relay vehicle role. The AA and Anti-tank battalion were often used as Schnelle Truppen (fast forces) because they were the only ones being at least partly motorised in the InfDiv. Especially for sealing the pockets in Russia. In '45, the Aufklärungsabteilung was substituted by a Füsilierbataillon, basically a normal grenadier battalion equipped with bicycles. The AA of InfDiv(mot) were organised like those of the armored divisions I think. I know it of the later war GrenDiv.

Interesting discussion here, recon is not subject of CM scenarios often. @SimpleSimon, you are right in principle, Abteilung means department. But here it is different, in the Wehrmacht it was used for battalions when applied on tank or armored recon forces, e.g. Aufklärungsabteilung 33 (in short AA33). The recon forces had and still have a strong relationship to the cavalry and their traditions. The 24. PzDiv (sign see above), which was converted from 1 . Kavalleriedivision in 1942, retained words like Rittmeister instead of captain and Schwadron instead of company. I served with PzAufklBtl 1 of the German Bundeswehr from 1979 to '83 and as far as I know, in '79 (Heeresstruktur 3) it was organised and had the same doctrine like its counterparts at the Wehrmacht from 1944 on. In the late war, the PzAufkl grew heavier and heavier and the task shifted from scouting and road recon (Viel sehen, ohne gesehen zu werden - See much without being seen) to the ability to fight for information, flank security, and rearguard on delay operations. The AA and later PzAufklBtl was always a divisional force and did recon to some 40 km depth. There are always leichte Spähtrupps (light recon troop) of two eight-wheelers (SdKfz 234/1 (2,3,4), later Luchs) and hvy. recon troops (StuG III, later three Leopard1 - you fire into something, if it fires back, it is enemy occupied). The AA were often misused as line manoevre element, because it was a complete all-arms battalion (in '44 and '79). The vehicles were precisely built for these tasks, the Luchs is so quiet, you hear nothing from 1 metre distance, except breaking twigs. Eight wheel drive to operate on soft ground, rear driver, powerful radios, and even able to swim (Luchs). So, nearly no problem to infiltrate enemy lines at night. During the buildup of the Bundeswehr, there were two doctrine fractions, the russians and the africans. First the russians prevailed with the M-41 Walker Bulldog as recon vehicle, later doctrine changed to the african model, therefore, the Luchs. For information on recon procedures, see 3 part video from 1957 below, narration is in German language, but there are a lot of informative drawings used, also. The next two days it will rain here, so, I will try to set up a Quick Battle with CM:RT, for recon behind enemy lines. Objective is to reach opposite edge. Huge map, meeting engagement, low force concentration, two or three light recon troops. Maybe later one for infiltration at night. Might be interesting and thanks for all the tips and tricks.

Must have been late '79 or early '80. I remember I was just busy to learn to drive the M113 for the drivers license. The GIs liked my boots which were privately purchased and made of nice, shiny, soft leather. I instantly took orders, rode to the shop at Hildesheim and bought some 8 or so pairs of boots and exchanged them for cigarettes. Everybody won with this deal. And I mean their boots were rather primitive, thin, and ugly. I think it is like living next to a volcano. You know about the danger, but you simply don't care after some time or when you are born at that place. And you are absolutely sure where you have been in Germany all the time? With all these odd place names like Gross Dahlum converted to Great Sssadahlum by the British soldiers? (They all knew Salzdahlum, a village close to their barracks; always coined their own names - really strange) And be assured, the farm was not ruined by this incident.

This video is excellent! Best presentation ever.

Wow, that picture looks exactly like the landscape where I grew up; east of Brunswick, north Germany. Rolling hills, much agriculture, very small woods between fields and larger forests on hilltops. Villages typically two kilometers apart. North of the Autobahn A2, the Lüneburg Heath starts with less hills, larger distance between villages, and more forest, because the soil is not that good. To the south, the Mittelgebirge starts at the Harz mountains and the Weserbergland with steeper and higher hills and more forest. So, long lines of sight here, this is the perfect ATGM country. Cocerning the compensations farmers received for damages. My father was not really pleased when three or four Chieftains rolled over one of our fields. The destroyed crop was compensated, but MBT's compressed the soil so much, that far less grows in these lanes for some years.

The Bundeswehr PzAufklBtl (armored recon) had a radar platoon at that time, 4 Rasura on DKW jeep and 5 AN/TPS 33 on Spz kurz (Hotchkiss). As far as I remember moving targets only, you just see a spiky plot on a very small screen or a signal on your ears. Much depended on the skill of the operator. They were able to discriminate tanks from moving infantry and give an estimate on number of targets. The range was fairly long, though. So, as the name says, it was for surveillance, not more.

@FlatEric999 your pictures are not visible.

I remember to meet a comrade in 1980 from the Bundeswehr PzAufklBtl (armored recon) at Eutin. This btl had the M48 with 105 mm gun. Do not know the version, though.

And the sound of the Leopard1! Not long ago I happened to hear one again at Trier proving ground. It roars like a lion, pure brutality - I love it. Leopard2 does not have that.

Yes, it is the badge of 24. PzDiv, one of my uncles served in it, he was flown out of Stalingrad wounded and my grandfather was missing in action while serving in the artillery branch of this division 1945. And now this is the color of the German recon forces, which I served in.

I grew up just 8 km from the inner-german border and never felt any fear or such - today I think that is strange. Just the opposite, there are many nice memories concerning the military of that time. We often had the 16/5th Queens Royal Lancers on exercise at the farm of my father. They were stationed at the town of Wolfenbüttel nearby and everybody loved to see them, my mother because we talked english all day, the soldiers because they had warm places to sleep and a shower, and my father because he had an agreement to get a bottle of Famous Grouse for each day of their stay. We did things you never get elswhere, driving a Ferret Mk1 (I called it armored Dune Buggy), a Scorpion tank and even firing a Sten SMG on the meadow behind the barn. Once my father and me visited their barracks for some claybird shooting and the officers invited us to the officers mess. Wow, never saw so many silver cups and a living tradition like that. When I served at PzAufklBtl 1 (Armored Recon) from '79 to '83 (just the proper time for this game) we were not even allowed to keep our battalion coat of arms, it was from the Black Hussars from Brunswick who fought with the British against Napoleon, but was too similar to the SS sign. That happens to military traditions when you loose your wars. At that time I met kind guys from the 2nd Armored Division on Reforger exercise near Brunswick and found some nice friends there (Cpt. Hutto somewhere around here?). And I served as contactperson for the team of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards during the Boeselager Cup, an international competition among reconaissance forces. Still remember the 'Biwak' on the last evening. One day I heard the sound of a Huey helicopter nearby and it did not disappear. So I looked for the source and found some thee or four Huey Cobra hovering directly at the outskirts of the village. I immediatly fetched my brothers and we tried to follow them with my Renault R4. Tough job, soon they were gone. But suddenly they reappeared one after the other over a ridgeline and took my car as a training target. Oh, man, that was exciting. I tried to make their job as difficult as I could but these helis were really fast and agile. I would love to ride one of those, must be like a flying Kawasaki. I think Germany really lost something important with all these kind soldiers who are gone now and with them the BFBS radio and the British Wargamers Association with which I had so nice times at Rheindahlen and elsewhere. And, by the way, a german Recon Btl was a complete all arms force in '79, ideal for a Bundeswehr expansion one day. There was a ground surveillance radar plt, two companies with Luchs and Leopard1, and a heavy company with grenadier plt (on Schützenpanzer kurz, later Fuchs), engineer plt, and 120 mm mortar plt. And now I am here, working as an engineer on military simulation and looking forward to my retirement next year being excited to have all the time necessary to play my favorite game then, CM:CW.

Do not confuse capabilities of todays radars with those of the 80s. At that time a ground surveillance radar needed the doppler effect to discriminate targets from ground clutter. Today there is massive signal processing power.

When I served in the Bundeswehr 40 years ago, I always hoped that if this goes hot, it will be as during WW II. Everybody had chemicals and, therefore, nobody used it. Maybe due to own experience not even Mr. Hitler used them at the end of the war. And at least my unit was nearly not prepared for it. I did not have the impression to be well trained for the case. The British Army showed a different picture judging by the small insight I had at that time. In a game like this it is most certainly a factor which can easily unbalance a scenario and a whole bag of new interdependencies which need to be researched, designed, and programmed. So, I can very much understand the decision to keep it out.

First Fire & Rubble and now THIS? What the heck shall I do? It is coming too early, my retirement is next year! But joke aside, I am absolutely exited to see CM:CW; I requested this years ago and very much look forward to play it and see the Bundeswehr later. Steve, I hope you did not hammer a nail through your toe, as you promised to do in December 2006. But if you did, just think of all the nice Bundeswehr uniforms which are to be designed, the Moleskin Arbeitsanzug, the Panzerkombi and so on. All my dreams came true, Jagdpanther on the eastern front, Leopard 1, Luchs and the SCHWIMMWAGEN! Many thanks to the team, especially @Bil Hardenberger and @The_Capt.

As far as I understood the information from Battlefront, that timespan will be included in one of the next modules planned. See at Bones thread here.

Interesting discussion. During my time in the German Bundeswehr, I had the pleasure to use the MG3 often which is very similar to the MG42 (ROF was reduced to less than 1200 rds/min; too much heat and too much ammo to carry forward I heard. The only machine I ever heard of where the performance was reduced). Phantastic piece of engineering, we fired single shots on a bunker target at 600 m - no problem to hit an opening 1 ft x 1/2 ft with the first shot. Barrel exchange is really made in seconds. The container for the substitute barrel is a cylinder which opens lengthwise to two half cylinders with the barrel lying on one half. Take the asbestos glove, open the barrel arrestor, pull out the hot barrel, lay that into the empty half of the open container, take the cold one , put it in, close the arrestor, recock and fire. We had drills to train that, I would estimate some 10 sec. When I remember correctly, this was required after some 250 rds fired. The same quick exchange was made with the breech block, approximately the same time needed when trained (after 500 rds?). Against ground targets always short bursts were recommended. Aerial targets were to be fought in long bursts. Carry and use: In CM, the MG is fired standing and kneeling, something we never did or were trained and it was not part of the field manual for the MG; at least I cannot remember to having seen that. I am convinced, no matter how strong or heavy you are, most of the burst will go upwards into the sky. This piece pushes really hard and steady. Mostly it is fired prone, the trick is to find some arrest at your feet, push into the two leg support at the front with your shoulder somewhat high, and then lower your body so, that there is a strong pushing tension between your feet and the front support. Then, the MG lies perfectly fixed and does not deviate when fired. Left hand is always at this small hook at the underside of the shoulder piece and pushes that rearwards. During extended training we had an exercise to advance with five soldiers, one with MG3, and half size targets (head to hip) flipping up suddenly at relatively short distances. There I found at the field manual how to fire the MG from the hip and immediately implemented that. The leather carry belt is actually composed of two parallel belts, as you can see at the photo on the previous page with the soldier carrying it with one hand. This belt is fixed forward at an eye at the centre of gravity, rear end of belt unfixed at pistol grip, split in two and hung around the neck. The right hand takes the pistol grip and the left both legs of the frontal support. The legs are pulled to the left side of the barrel. Now you have a configuration like Vasquez at Alien2. Nice to carry, quick, stable, and precise. I used that at this execise, one short burst at each emerging target, aimed low and pulled up, all targets hit, some ammo left, no other comerade was able even to fire one shot with their G3 assault rifle - quick shooting was never trained. Besides the old but decent shotgun of my father, this was always my favourite weapon.

Not by accident is the name of this website National Interest (or better US National Interest). Well made propaganda. My personal opinion is that we Germans are not doing enough for our military, because I think, when you decide to have a military force, you have the obligation to train and equip it to the best standards possible and affordable. But there is a large proportion in our population which is clearly opposing more military spending, maybe due to WW II, the reheating cold war with its nuclear threat here, all the lies they heard from people keen to start a war, e.g. Saddams weapons of mass destruction and some more incidents, never ending conflicts producing even more failed states, the failure to stop terrorism by military means, etc. That these people have a significant influence on our military spending is a direct result of the democracy the US implemented here (for which we are thankful). So please accept, that this behaviour seems to be in our national interest as defined by democratic processes. Is here anybody thinking that the US would spend less when Germany spends more? Is not the premier reason for US spending policy the ability to project substantial power which it would do with or without Germany? But here are the good news: german chancellor, Frau Merkel, expressed that it would be a good idea to have a German aircraft carrier. Wow, I seldom laughed so much before. Back to European Army. EDA is trying to hamonise things and coordinate industrial effort concerning defence matters. The mixing of units is even going down to battalions, e.g. a dutch/german armored battalion. See https://www.deutschesheer.de/portal/a/heer/start/aktuell/nachrichten/jahr2016/maerz2016/!ut/p/z1/hVDBToNAEP0arjtToBS9QdBUg8TYpi17MQuMgMFdsixgjB_vkia9aOMcZjJv3rx5GeBwAi7F1NbCtEqKzvY5D17jMN2n7o3rpn4SYbT17rL90xbR9-EAx_8o3I7xSkQIu4ogtxqb6xoe7IADfxeT-GS90qYjw0S5eIS8EbLq6FmV0RmwxIpYqaTl2GxImtbmWguj9GW7HLW2E9ZWkOMqiXF98bT6jsIgCQ8BbpKH-AUegdedKs7fiGThhTVwTW-kSbNRW7gxph9uHXRwnmdWjLKiYaZGs4ocXC6KzkHhYDEvwGCENraMZUN_STZqMHD6pQT9x32YZevpK6XjD0OwLLk!/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/#Z7_B8LTL2922L4DA0AH3ENTMH0043 Language problems should be less after all these international deployments. Everybody is speaking english.

StieliAlpha you are right, seems like we mess up each big project now and I do not understand that, too.

Interesting to read what others think what we Germans think of our Bundeswehr. Maybe my view is a little biased because I served as a volunteer for four years during the cold war. At that time, each family had someone who served or did serve at some time. So, there was was a close, direct relation between population and army. At that time, the Leopards, helicopters, jets (except F-104) were working, the equipment was OK. There was a clear opponent and the Bundeswehr for home defence, exclusively. Knowing our own history, we were fine with the role of being part of the defence of our common home soils of NATO and not playing any role as world sheriff. One defining thing here always was the binding relation to the west and a respect and admiration of anything from the US. Serving with the army was looked at to be a good and ordinary profession and not even during the time of huge protest against the Pershing 2 missiles I ever experienced bad habit against me wearing uniform. What changed since then? The opponent was gone, relations to Russia developed very positive, I myself cooperated with an aerospace company in Moskov for two years. The Russian military equipment was just scrap after some years. So, people were happy here to have the opportunity for a much smaller army. The world really loooked to become a better place - until 911. Suddenly, Germany was more or less forced to leave this area of consensus and engage in foreign conflicts. That was not popular and it is not today and these engagements are not seen to be overly successful. In addition, the army changed to an all volunteer force and lost much of its ties into the population. So, the army spending was reduced over years and as far as I know, first cracks were visible at 1999. But that continued and now the Bundeswehr really is in a bad shape. Another factor is that by our constitution, we are bound to have a civil authority to buy all army stuff and to conduct all projects. That was reduced, too. Therefore, each new weapon system is faulty in some way, from inprecise rifles to grounded helicopters. And even if we would like to spend much more money on defence (it is already incresing substantially) there would be no sound place to use it. Seems like Ursula von der Leyen needs some more time to clean this mess up and she already receives a lot of friendly harassing fire from inside Germany. Then, the strategic climate changed again, Russia developed back to an opponent and suddenly there is a US president declaring NATO as obsolete. The latter really came as a shock here. In my opinion that, if persistent, will ultimately lead to some more or less independent European defence. But still, the Bundeswehr is well settled within the vast majority of the German population and the impression that Germany would ever prefer China as a partner before the US is ridiculous.

Double post, net slow in this hotel.

Not only the US soldiers were here in Germany, the British and French also. So, a wide population which might be interested. A game spanning from 68 to 80 starting at Fulda would show a new area and different weapon systems and would offer tons of expansion opportunities. Think of north German plain, British, Polish, two German forces, Middle East.... Ah, no, German terrain will already covered with the CM:FB expansion, mostly. Would be interesting to see, what would have happened to the recon battalion I served with at that time.