MCab

Damned if you do, damned if you don't, eh? So, the 2nd SS should never have been there? Well, if they did have the right division, then we'd have somebody say "BUT THEY NEVER FOUGHT AT RAMELLE!" And if we did have a battle at the correct bridge town, somebody would say "BUT THOSE GUYS WEREN'T THERE!" or "THEY HAD THIS-THAT-THESE-THOSE AND IT HAPPENED LIKE THIS." Yes, the bridge battle never happened. But did a battle SIMILAR to the bridge battle happen? Now we're asking a more relevant question in regards to the purpose of the film. And about the Germans going into town "foolishly." Well, maybe they had a foolish commander? Or maybe the "dung was rolling downhill" for them to make a hasty assault? Or, perhaps the German commander felt that it was better "to have a good plan now than a perfect plan later" and assault the town? I like the TacOps scenario design philosophy where the AI may make the not-so-perfect decisions because you may not be up against a commander who always scores 100% in tactics. Also, about the Germans entry into town: As one of the characters mentioned, they had gotten pounded by 88's. Perhaps the Germans felt that they had attrited the forces enough for a hasty entry? And the Tanks providing fire support from outside of town: Wouldn't they need some L. O. S.? And if they didn't, wouldn't that be a bit "danger close?" BUT, the Germans should have had the MG 42's at the bridge battle. But Mr. Wayne apparently believes that all was rosy in WW2 and everybody was up to full TOE strength with lavish support available at whim for the Germans. You can't say that every German Co. had mortar support available. Same goes for engineer availability. Mr. Wayne's first mistake was assuming that that was a complete German Co.! It could've been the friggin' leftovers from a KG! About Allied support: Maybe the German "Co." had already been attacked by allied air and arty (That's probably why they had that 20 mm handy). Now, about the MG 42 nest scene: Had a sniper, true, but do you now how far was the initial distance from the nest to the Ranger squad? Would a sniper have been useful, or an easy target? Also, look at how Tom Hanks portrayed Capt. Miller in that scene: He just saw the unburied corpses of 3 All-Americans. Look at the tension and emotion built up in him. It's easy to make the perfect decision comfortably in your den, but in the battlefield after seeing your dead allies? Most of all, SPR is fiction. But as S. Ambrose pointed out "it is fiction that brings out the truth."

The board game I have been looking for has been GDW's Third World War. Has anyone played this? I read about it in the comment section of a set of rules I have (Fist Full of Tows 2000) and it sounds cool. I saw a set of it on ebay with unpunched counters with a bid for $9.00. I was hoping to bid, but they hadn't sent me my password yet (steam percolating)! Peace, Mark

For those whose nation is involved in China's WTO status, read this: http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/ed-column-2000320184125.htm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mark IV: CM = Chick Magnet?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> or = Cashing Millions "had been playing the game One Thousand Years non-stop for 17 hours before his death" How long until you finish a game with that title?

If anybody would like to know what China could deploy, go to www.softwar.net and look up the SS-N-(forgot number) "Sunburn" anti-ship missle. Go to www.washtimes.com and search for China's new military communications technology.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by davedial: Marketing is my chosen field. DD<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Oh, really? On your profile, I could've sworn it said: RADIO ANNOUNCER I am educated in it and experienced in it. DD

One thing I love about SPR is that it is one of those movies that just the issue of WATCHING it can be a litmus for somebody's character. For instance, I'm sure everyone here has met somebody who has said the following: "(smacking bubble gum) that movie was, like, gross." or "It's not my type of movie. I like movies that leave me feeling happy." What kind of people are these? Would you want to share a foxhole with them? Are they going to buy war bonds, save fat and tin cans, and stay up all night building your tank or apc? Peace, Mark

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CoolColJ: Tom Servo I agree, I can hear an loud WW2 engine a km away ccj<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Of course if you were bright and chipper, but could you after all that stress, marching, and lack of sleep? MCab

As far as the historical reliability of SPR is concerned, S. Ambrose stated that it was fiction that brings out the truth. I think it makes a good point there. What they did with the movie was to make a situation plausible for the plot, without any references to particular locations and people. Otherwise, everybody and their lawyer will start raising Hades about it ("that person was never at that city, etc"). MCab

I know that some soviet tanks have anti-atgm countermeasures on their tanks. Is this or will it be modeled in TacOps? Also, in some modern wargames, when a unit has TI, it's assumed that all weapons can use it. The problem is, man-portable atgm crews can use their rifles with TI capability. Has this been noticed in the game? Thanks, MCab

It wouldn't be the first time an advertisement used the image of Hitler to promote a good/service in Asia. In Thailand, it was used in a snack commercial. In China, for the world cup, his image was used in a montage in an article covering the German soccer team. Recently, in Taiwan, there is a restraunt called "The Jail" where it has a prision motif, with a picture of death camp inmates starving to death in their barracks (this was shown in the Daily Show). Although this doesn't portray Hitler's image, it does show a lack of sensitivity to his crime. This is probably due to the lack of proximity of the asians to anybody who had suffered from the Holocaust and the European theater. But it is still no excuse. We don't exactly use advertisements with Pol Pot. Peace, Mark

Just what is that song that plays in the opening screen? And where can I get it? Peace, Mark

Have you thought about having SOP orders for light regulation in low-light scenarios? And how about artillery-launched flares? And yes, I've been reading "The Heights of Courage." Peace, Mark

I've heard that the TOW-2b and the Javelin are top-attack ATGMs. Is this factored into the penetration value? If not, shouldn't there be a top armor value? Also, I read in the manual that the air strikes were generic for the reason that it wouldn't make a difference what showed up, that the effect would be the same. However, what about dedicated CAS fighters such as teh A-10 and the Su-25? Wouldn't they be able to perform more sorties and stay in the fight longer? Peace, Mark

Will there be any? I was hoping to see something from the Arab-Israeli Wars and a possible war with China or NK. Peace, Mark