Bil Hardenberger

Thanks Pillar, great read. It isn't like we needed justification for how we play CM... some of us learned the hard way the value of good recon, no matter what level of operation we are talking about. Bil

I work in Annapolis and live in Easton... not a Government job, but I keep busy Close enough to the DC area for ya? Bil P.S. Perhaps we should all get together and plan a trip to the tank museum at Aberdeen one of these weekends.

That may be true ScoutPL... however, often a real commander will have some Intel as to the enemy dispositions, force makeup, etc... so this type of recon will have already been performed, perhaps via tactical signals intercept or some other means. Besides, is there not a recon made of the objective before an attack is launched? Maybe not by the attacking unit, but it is done regardless. The attacking unit will take that information into account when planning it's attack... this is what performing recon simulates in CM, at least to me. Just my 2 cents. Bil [This message has been edited by Bil Hardenberger (edited 01-24-2001).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Fine, so you agree then there is a distinction between "mass" involving indirect fire and "mass" involving manuever elements. That is probably enough.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Ummm... forgive me for intruding in your debate.. but really, these are the same thing. The end result is the laying of fire en masse onto a position... whether that is accomplished by the concentration of troops, or the concentration of firepower is irrelevant. Everyone must agree that firepower is the key... you cannot achieve the shock effect you want without overwhelming firepower. How that is accomplished is the trick, and differs with each situation. Whether it is accomplished by the pre-20th century means or with modern methods, the result is the same, concentrated firepower. To paraphrase Patton: the only way to defeat firepower is with overwhelming firepower. Bil

Have you given any thought to actually having a season? Where each player would have scheduled games... the league leaders going to a playoff? Just an idea... right now it just sounds like another ladder to me. Bil

Pillar, You are becoming quite the little theorist aren't you? I agree about massing fires... which really is what you want to do, rather than the massing of forces... however this can be very difficult to achieve in reality and the tendency can be to bunch up your forces to allow you to apply overwhelming fire on a position, which can have dire consequences if your enemy has Artillery or tank support. As Jason so eloquently explained. Really, how one applies synchronized concentration on a sector is an artform. It can be very difficult to do... damned hard against a good opponent in close terrain, or at night. As the Defender, applying mass depends on a good picket line, to allow you to identify the main attack routes. This also can be very difficult to achieve, especially if the attacker moves in multiple cloumns, with the intent of concentrating at a specific point in time. The key is not to only apply mass on a sector, but to identify where the enemy is weakest and concentrate against that sector. As the Defender this can be very dangerous if you ID one point of your line as the primary attack zone, shift your forces to cover it, only to find out, to your horror, that your enemy had a second attack zone in a different location. There are countless examples of such situations in history. Good discussion. Bil

Wisbech_lad, Don't let one ill-informed person get you down. Your AAR was good reading and I enjoyed your thoughts as well. Anyone who thinks the Brits can't fight need only to remember the Desert war... that was a see saw affair, it wasn't all Rommel, in fact, it was won long before the Americans landed in North Africa. Also, who defeated Napolean? Oh yeah, the Brits. Bil

Rune, Try to find Ken Tout's excellent book, "A Fine Night for Tanks : The Road to Falaise"... he speaks of this fight. Bil P.S. I had heard that there were in fact no AC in the immediate vicinity.. and I think it's been confirmed that one Canadien Firefly took out the entire Platoon. [This message has been edited by Bil Hardenberger (edited 01-12-2001).]

Ahhhh... so there is a 3rd series (UK) interesting, and encouraging Bil

Joeski and I have 3 turns left... this battle has not been pretty... from the size of the map to the numerous AC Joe bought... and we are just now having some Infantry engage... We are going to hook up tonight and finish it up. It is going to be tight right to the end... hope those damned AC don't show up again. Could still go either way. Bil

Rexford you need a website. So you can put all this great information in one place... you have posted some great statistics, but as is now, they are scattered all over the forum. Talk to Matt, maybe he can help you out Bil

There was a bug with tournament saved games in those older patches... it is fixed in 1.1 (final). Bil

You are not alone... I am hooked on the show as well... between it and Battlebots, there is precious little else on TV worth running home from work for Bil

From Panzer 301: Infantry in treelines, engaging with our Puma's... Achtung Panzer! Sherman Jumbo, engage! ... From panzer 302: Engaging Jumbo, first shot long... moving to next posi..... [static....contact lost] From Panzer 201: Taking rounds from an enemy Bazooka team... 203 is suppressing... [This message has been edited by Bil Hardenberger (edited 01-05-2001).]

From Panzer 201: "Contact! 2 panzer: 1 Hellcat, 1 possible Sherman... both destroyed... out... From Panzer 302: "Moving in on enemies flank... possible ambush spotted, comprising ...(sanitized)... taking appropriate action... out...

Kitty, You know you have my support as well... keep the mods coming, I for one, (as a vet) thoroughly enjoy the humor, and as an artist, I understand the time you must have spent on them. Thanks for giving CM a humorous side Bil

Just a quick update, Joeski and I are on turn 14 (I think) and are FINALLY coming into contact... (this map was a bit too big IMO) This from one of my units (identity sanitized for security): "Achtung Panzer! Possible Sherman, Infantry sound contacts to our front (sanitized) Artillery falling to our front and rear! (sanitized) Out!" Wish him and the rest of my force luck as they start to grapple with the evil Joeski and his (really slow moving) minions Bil

Yes this has been addressed in CM. From personal experience I can tell you that the Tiger I is now a very tough foe from the front, as it should be. Rexford, I am really enjoying your posts, keep them coming. Bil

Joeski beat me to it... yeah, well we only started a few days ago... Currently we are jockeying for positions on this huge assed map... Bil

This criticism about guns in CM pops up periodically on this forum. I have used them effectively, and have had them used effectively against me. I do not think anything is broken in regards to guns in CM... in the Fire & Maneuver scenario AT guns are very effective because they are firing at over 2000 meters... they can kill several German vehicles before they are even spotted. Try using them at shorter ranges and they become very fragile, as they should. Bil

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Can I play you while I'm waiting?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Sure, send me an e-mail and we'll discuss the terms. Bil

It's a one of a kind MK IV with a special experimental drive train. And yes, it is located in Aberdeen (about 2 hours from me) Bil

HAHA! Good luck Kitty, I will be interested in the outcome. Of course if you do beat him, you will have to play me next Bil

Just had a talk with Fionn, and he assures me the 104 straight wins is the truth. With his last loss coming from yours truly So I stand corrected I believe this streak of Fionn's makes him the reigning king of CM PBEM play, a fact that I intend to end in our next battle (a huge 10,000 point per side affair) Bil [This message has been edited by Bil Hardenberger (edited 12-20-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Fionn says he's won 104 in a row though.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> LOL! Kitty, I would take anything Fionn tells you with a grain of salt Bil