Major Tom

Do'h, Do'h, Do'h! This is what I get for not reading all the other posts before posting one myself. Do'h.

How in Satan do you get Company/Platoon HQ's to spot for Mortor units attached to them? I heard that this was going to be a feature in CM, but, I cannot get the darned thing to work. Thank you oh mighty lords of the great computer game!

Also, it is illegal to POST the information that you stole off of someone's computer, or, tracked down. Another guy, on another board, posted another guy's info (Phone number, etc.) that he got through hacking into his computer. The police made a visit. Just beware your attempts at tracking down people through the internet. For one, it freaks people out, and secondly you could end up in jail. PS. my PBEM files will be sent out soon, I cannot hang on the Internet too long, as, I have Job interview phone calls to wait for. So, I can't tie up the line. DAMN MAYBE THEY CALLED NOW!!!!!

I liked SP, but, I also like CM. When my brother gets his highspeed connection going I am going to get him to download SPW@W and burn it on a CD. I would not pass up a good wargame, especially one good AND free. From what I have seen and heard, it is a great product. Indeed, I am looking forward to EVERY game updated or created my Matrix games. They appear to be heavily dedicated in coming out with a quality product. Doing it for free is amazing. But, BTS doing CM at such a low cost is as, if not even more amazing!

Hey, it's been a while since I last beat... er... played you in a CM scenario. How about a go at the new one, eh? I lost your e-mail address during my last format, and I am too lazy to go and look up an old post of yours, so, if you are up for it, set the sucker up and whip it over in my direction.

I have around 5% more of the Demo to download, so, I haven't had a chance to look at the thing. What I am after is another PBEM opponent who is also willing to play a blind game. I don't know any Scenario(s), so, you can set the thing up, choose any side you want, and any game (if there is a choice) you want as well.

Hey, it was an error of circumstance. The Manieri post, and the ressurgence of the old Beta Demo post were all done at the totally wrong time. I don't see how Steve and Charles could have realized that when they were putting up the demo we actually thought it was already out. They looked at the Manieri Post, but, didn't post at all during the old Beta Demo post, and it was this last one that set everyone off to refresh the dowload area. Steve, Charles, et al. do not deserve any blame, nobody really does (anyone hurt?)

Got this through the Pacific War List. Product Registration This was actually posted very briefly on the McDonnell Douglas website by an employee there who obviously has a sense of humor. The company, of course, does not - and made the web department take it down immediately. (In case you don't know: McDonnell Douglas is one of the world's chief suppliers of military aircraft). _____________________________________________ Thank you for purchasing a McDonnell Douglas military aircraft. In order to protect your new investment, please take a few moments to fill out the warranty registration card below. Answering the survey questions is not required, but the information will help us to develop new products that best meet your needs and desires. 1. [_] Mr. [_] Mrs. [_] Ms. [_] Miss [_] Lt. [_] Gen. [_] Comrade [_] Classified [_] Other First Name: ................................. Initial: ........ Last Name: .................................. Password: .............................. (max 8 char) Code Name: ....................................... Latitude-Longitude-Altitude: ........... ........... ......... 2. Which model aircraft did you purchase? [_] F-14 Tomcat [_] F-15 Eagle [_] F-16 Falcon [_] F-117A Stealth [_] Classified 3. Date of purchase (Year/Month/Day): 19....... / ....... /....... 4. Serial Number: ........................... 5. Please check where this product was purchased: [_] Received as gift / aid package [_] Catalog showroom [_] Independent arms broker [_] Mail order [_] Discount store [_] Government surplus [_] Classified 6. Please check how you became aware of the McDonnell Douglas product you have just purchased: [_] Heard loud noise, looked up [_] Store display [_] Espionage [_] Recommended by friend / relative / ally [_] Political lobbying by manufacturer [_] Was attacked by one 7. Please check the three (3) factors that most influenced your decision to purchase this McDonnell Douglas product: [_] Style / appearance [_] Speed / maneuverability [_] Price / value [_] Comfort / convenience [_] Kickback / bribe [_] Recommended by salesperson [_] McDonnell Douglas reputation [_] Advanced Weapons Systems [_] Backroom politics [_] Negative experience opposing one in combat 8. Please check the location(s) where this product will be used: [_] North America [_] Central / South America [_] Aircraft carrier [_] Europe [_] Middle East [_] Africa [_] Asia / Far East [_] Misc. Third World countries [_] Classified 9. Please check the products that you currently own or intend to purchase in the near future: [_] Color TV [_] VCR [_] ICBM [_] Killer Satellite [_] CD Player [_] Air-to-Air Missiles [_] Space Shuttle [_] Home Computer [_] Nuclear Weapon 10. How would you describe yourself or your organization? (Check all that apply [_] Communist / Socialist [_] Terrorist [_] Crazed [_] Neutral [_] Democratic [_] Dictatorship [_] Corrupt [_] Primitive / Tribal 11. How did you pay for your McDonnell Douglas product? [_] Deficit spending [_] Cash [_] Suitcases of cocaine [_] Oil revenues [_] Personal check [_] Credit card [_] Ransom money [_] Traveler's check 12. Your occupation: [_] Homemaker [_] Sales / marketing [_] Revolutionary [_] Clerical [_] Mercenary [_] Tyrant [_] Middle management [_] Eccentric billionaire [_] Defense Minister / General [_] Retired [_] Student 13. To help us understand our customers' lifestyles, please indicate the interests and activities in which you and your spouse enjoy participating on a regular basis: [_] Golf [_] Boating / sailing [_] Sabotage [_] Running / jogging [_] Propaganda / disinformation [_] Destabilization / overthrow [_] Default on loans [_] Gardening [_] Crafts [_] Black market / smuggling [_] Collectibles / collections [_] Watching sports on TV [_] Wines [_] Interrogation / torture [_] Household pets [_] Crushing rebellions [_] Espionage / reconnaissance [_] Fashion clothing [_] Border disputes [_] Mutually Assured Destruction Thank you for taking the time to fill out this questionnaire. Your answers will be used in market studies that will help McDonnell Douglas serve you better in the future - as well as allowing you to receive mailings and special offers from other companies, governments, extremist groups, and mysterious consortia. Comments or suggestions about our fighter planes? Please write to: -- McDONNELL DOUGLAS CORPORATION Marketing Department Military Aerospace Division P.O. Box 800, St. Louis, MO

I think the Webboard is going though another time warp.... (ie. I posted this @ 10:35) [This message has been edited by Major Tom (edited 05-09-2000).]

Huh?

I agree that the withdraw from Normandy was a success, but, it could have been WAY more successful if Hitler would have allowed a retreat sooner. The German Armoured formations were wiped out after the attack on the American bridgehead and at Falise. Imagine after the Americans broke through the Germans decided to withdraw to a line on the Somme. The war could have been extended by a few more months, indeed possibly longer due to the lack of the Allies caputing Antwerp. The Germans did have a plan to form a line at the Somme, but, too many formations were destroyed as effective units that it was impossible when the troops reached it.

If you wanted you could put the entire 21st Army Group on a map in CM, however, it would get a little crowded. The maximum map size is good for manuvering units of about a Battalion and a half. You can do larger, but, people bump into eachother a lot.

From what I have read of the Maginot Line, is that the Vietanmese Garrison troops put up heavy resistance. Also, you have to remember that the French strategic reserve for the forts had been mostly drained off to make up the new armies out West. So, if the fortress had been directly attacked at the beginning of the war the French would have the reserve divisions and tank forces to aid in repelling an attack. ANY totally unsupported defence is doomed to eventual failure. The judgements on the breeching of the Maginot Line should be acknowledged as under special circumstances, which by June 1940 was what the series of Fortresses were experiencing. They weren't designed to stop an attack solely by themselves, which they were forced to do when eventually attacked.

The Metz defences in 1944, even Patton could not succeed in taking these through direct assault. He had to starve them out. The Maginot Line did not fail, indeed, when it was engaged by the Germans it did more than its job. However, the French were defeated well before the line was attacked.

I thought that "Tora Tora Tora" adequately portrayed the attack on Pearl Harbour enough not to warrant the need for a sequal? "Pearl Harbor II"? Oh well, hopefully Disney can be objective, and not throw a little kid in it, or an animated charactor.

The history of Russia has been barbaric. In the 19th Century the first government sponsored Jewish Holocausts took place in Russia. The Russian Czars beat up on the Russian people just as much as the Soviet Government did. Sure, you can say more Russians were killed by Germans, but, demographically there were more Russian civilians to kill than German Civilians. Also, at the end of the war they had a different plan than Hitler. Instead of settling in Germany they planned to control it as a puppet state. So, killing off the inhabatents was not in the best interest of Russia. Both sides were barbarous. Plus, there are many acts that we know nothing about perpetrated by both sides. Again, I am not defending Germany, just putting Russia in a different light. Also, 4 of the 5 years of the war was spent in Russian territory. Type 95 Tank vs. Sherman. Well, I would have to say that a 75mm AP gun would knock the stuffings out of a 37mm AP gun. On Tarawa the Japanese found it difficult to defeat the Armour of a Sherman with 47mm AT guns. The Japanese armour is only effective against small arms fire. One instance of an entire Japanese Tank Company being wiped out by just two British 2 Pounder AT guns in Malaya shows their pathetic weakness to even obsolete weaponry. Just imagine a King Tiger vs. a Type 95 Tank! [This message has been edited by Major Tom (edited 05-05-2000).]

Nobody can say one side is worse than another in a situation as large and confused as that of fighting on the Eastern Front. Germans recieved orders from their highest command to initiate brutality, and so did the Russians. The murder of 4000 Polish officers in 1940 was done by an order from Stalin. So, the Germans were not alone in making this an officially brutal war. I am wondering where you got this information about Russian and German treatment of rapists. I have heard the exact reverse of your statement through many sources. This is not a defence of the Germans, it is just an attempt to bring the Russians up to their actual historical rate of brutality, which greatly mirrored that of Germany.

Well, the same thing can be said about any army (ie. treating its minorities badly). The French treated their colonial troops as shock troops, but, cared little for their survival (Gave them surplus weaponry). The British had Good Indian formations, but, rarely did they ever allow Indian officers or African officers in their West and East African Divisions. The South African Army was pretty horrible too in its treatment of its Black soldiers. Canada wasn't known for a large contingent of Black soldiers, but, it, and the US did integrate its Amerindian population into the Regular armed forces.

A lot of this short hair and lack of facial hair probably has a lot to do about lice. Being in the field for months at a time without a bath will tend you to get lice and other critters living in your hair. Best way in getting around this is to cut your hair short. Also, not seeing many SS troopers with facial hair? This is probably due to them being too young to grow it! By the Bulge, soldiers who were 19 years of age were considered to be old and veterans of the regular army.

Actually, I did this in one of my PBEM games. My opponent situated his 88mm Guns close up to the battlefield of Reisberg and knocked out 3 of My Shermans. However, I was able to position my 3 Mortor teams and 2 HMGs up on the Hill on the American Left flank on the reverse crest. My mortors, like mortors do, at high elevation, were able to shoot over the crest to bombard enemy 88mm positions, where, his weapons had to shoot vertically and could only hit the front face of the hill. I wiped out his 88mm positions with no casualties for my 60mm mortors and my HMGs kept his infantry at bay.

Just wait for CM3, then we will have a true representation of the African, and African American contribution to the war. They only employed Black soldiers on the Italian front (the Americans) in an entire black division. There were French Colonial Divisions, as well as British Indian Divisions. So, you will have a larger diversity of people, probably the most diverse nationalities in any version of CM on the Mediterrainian Front. Historically, the only Black people who fought in Western Europe were those of the Redball express.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tss: That is the TOTAL number of Soviet deaths, including some 18 million civilians. The number of military deaths is somewhere near 11 million and even from that number 3 million were killed in German POW camps. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> And, the 5 Million remaining POW's liberated by the Russians were all imprisoned and died there considered to be traitors for surrendering. Total US casualties 600 000? Maybe including WIA and MIA.

You can also give them makeup, dresses, and nice summer hats that th...

I too was an old "Just play the Allies" guy. Every game, Steel Panthers, Pacific War, etc... I played the Western Allies. However, once I got War In Russia (in a Wargames pack) I finally got around to playing the Axis and the Russians one day. You will be amazed at how interesting the Eastern Front is. Such a large arena to fight on, with such different terrain and equipment. It is the perfect game of Quality vs Quantity, then Quality vs Quantity and Quality. Indeed, I played many of my older games as the Axis, instead of the Western Allies, and experienced an entire new game. Strategy for the Axis, even down to Tactical warfare, is MUCH different than that of the Allies. I was so bored doing campaigns with the Western Allies in Steel Panthers, then I had the extreme pleasure in starting a campaign as the Germans. Totally new strategies had to be developed in order to win against virtually impenetrable Soviet tanks that appear in vast numbers. Sure, Games proposing American and British forces will probably sell many copies, but, most wargamers are extremely interested in the Eastern Front, so, there would probably be as many, if not more, sales of an Eastern Front version than any other single version of CM. The difficulty of attachment might be a difficulty experienced in remembering the German names. If you are English speaking, English names will stick better in your mind. With enough exposure, Hans will become as common to you as Joe. Also, if you just play as the Allies you are only really using half of the game!

I don't think we can totally psychoanalyze every single war movie ever made. If we did, then we would have to do the same with science movies, mystery movies, and so on. There are probably countless things that we see on television or the movies that in the mind of a scientist makes absolutely no sense, yet, is portrayed as being accurate and real. Innacuracies are going to be present in any movie. We, including myself, have been especially hard on SPR. But, I still have to say it is one of the greatest movies I have seen at a movie theatre. Despite its problems. The movie (U-571) combined two events into one fictional, yet extremely entertaining movie. If the crew were to be British, then the Americans would be the ones complaining about history. They could have had a mixed British and American crew, but, would anyone believe this? Actually, the Poles were the first to get a crack at Enigma. Their research, and a surviving working model was vitally important to the British success. The only historical innacuracy, and indeed logical impossibility which is... How did they know that there was a damaged and stranded German submarine if they needed to capture it in order to read the German naval code to read the message that there was a damged submarine to capture? This is probably taken care of in the movie. Was it through a Luftwaffe code which was cracked much before the Naval code?