Mark IV

You really should fire a Garand. Hell, everybody should. I wouldn't say it necessarily kicks less than the L-E (depends on the model and weight; my Jungle Carbine will out-kick a Garand anyday). The action spreads out the recoil some, but it was loaded a little hotter (2800 fps vs. 2200 fps, muzzle velocity). My point is that the excellent action of the Garand lends itself to rapid-rate suppressive fire, but that the recoil of .30-06 is so high that quick follow-up rounds will be so off-target that the suppressee will not know he is being suppressed by the subsequent rounds. The automatic action was perfect for an intermediate cartridge, like the Soviet 7.62x39mm and its predecessor, the 7.92 kurz. You know, the punt gun was shoulder fired, after a fashion. It was held in a crutch for the forearm, and the shooter placed a sack of straw between the butt and his shoulder. The thing weighed well over 100 lbs. and ran about 9 feet long, and was meant to be fired from nearly prone in the little "punt" duck boats. They have one in a little historical museum in Pontiac, MI, but I couldn't check the bore at the time.

Geez, how many Meeks personalities do I hafta shoot? This thing only holds 6 rounds. Oh, well, they'll make more. Clickclick...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Germanboy: And you, you are a, a... Bonehead<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> You bastard! My grandmother had osteoporosis! Oh- and apologies to the illegitimate everywhere. I'm still learning.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Kitty: I'm getting a little tired of all these "girly" comments a lot of people are making throughout this thread.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> There about 4 posts in this 65 post thread even referencing "girlie" things. It is about hamsters (epoch-making in that regard, and you'll HATE the thread where the hamsters live), and some interesting history of the SS and CM, not about girls. And it was cold and dead until you resurrected it. The truth is, we are running out of taunty things to call one another, without offending those eager to be offended. Germanboy, you are a... a pebble. Yes, that's it, a shiny pebble. Any rocks in the crowd?

Interesting that they categorize CM and CC differently- CM is under "sims", while CC is under "strategy". The high satisfaction rating (compared to most games listed) should be a real source of pride to BTS.

M60 is based on the MG42 feed and the FG42 action. It had its problems at first but has proven itself over time. The observation about GIs forming impressions based on 20-yr.-old issue gear is right on- my .45 barely had rifling left in the bore. I never used the M60 but the grunts seemed to like 'em. In the tank we had the M73 (for the coax) and THAT was a POS. M16 was absolutely designed by Eugene Stoner in the 50s, based on the Armalite AR10, and licensed to Colt for manufacture in 1959.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Germanboy: The locks of Bal, an ancient middle eastern God.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> You may be some kind of mythologist, but you clearly napped through etymology. Ballocks refers to the gonads of Loki, an ancient northern European god, who had to leave them in the mouth of the wolf-god for as long as he wished to... oops, wrong thread. This should be going toward the 2000!

Thanks for the update, Matt. I think it answers all the relevant questions, and I know most of us are glad that Fionn is still involved with CM. I don't think this thread has anyplace useful left to go? Click?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Formerly Babra: Oh, Peng and his blatantly anti-smiley cronies just make me sick... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> It must be late, I just LMAO at this. I believe there's a separate nostril stream there, nice attention to detail, ROTF

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mirage2k: I think I'm going to print it out and tape it to my wall...depends on what I ate the night before.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Might be handy either way, don't you think? 55 pages is a lot of personal hygiene, on the hoof, so to speak....

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JOCHEN PEIPER: If there is any IMATURE people its them... they provoke me...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Was it the near-flawless, gripping game, or the free and highly cool bulletin board, maintained at their expense, that provoked you? We (nearly all) like good sites, including, but not limited to, Waffen SS pix. Can you not SEE that it is your attitude that is causing the problem here? We don't joke about real atrocities because they aren't that funny, and because some of them really happened to real people (all sides), whose children and grandchildren read this board. If you would re-read and edit your posts from an adult point of view before hitting Submit, I'm sure we would all benefit. Save them and read them in the morning, before posting. If you try to work quasi-political, military wannabe opinions into every single subject, people notice and react to that. Why not just grow up and let it be a GAME! Or find another board? Either one....

My own 155mm FO just nuked himself. I mean whacking your own troops happens, but the FO? By accident? Basically he needed to move while the strike was in progress. It was a tight mission, but I don't use big arty much and there looked like plenty of room. The strike kept going and a "near miss" knocked him backwards- end of strike. It must also have wiped a dozen other guys in the general AO. Note to self: give 155s more respect.

September 23, 2000 12:00 Noon PST Fingers, don't fail me now. At this time, that means a mere 644+ posts. Hell, Germanboy and Seanachai can do that on their own (if Seanachai posted each paragraph separately, we could see it by the 10th).

Many of you have expressed concerns in private correspondence about the 2000th post to the Peng Challenge thread, or P2K, as the media have come to call it. There are wild rumors that the board will crash, the server will split in twain, and the Demons of the Cesspool will spill out over the earth. People, there is no cause for alarm. The Pengennium will not actually begin until the 2001st post anyway. Have your Mac or PC checked for P2K compliance, and relax. The biggest danger will be human panic in reaction to this superstition, possibly resulting in another "Day of the Refreshing Monkeys" (and I'm not talking about a minty aftertaste, as those who were here will ruefully recall). P2K is a safe and manageable milestone on CM's road to greatness. Please remain calm. [This message has been edited by Mark IV (edited 09-02-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Seanachai: What it this...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I believe this is one of yours. "click-click-BANG" I'll help you lug the guts into the next room. Or, to coin yet another phrase: "Follow Meeks, and I'll show you where the padlocks grow." Now, about that rematch...

Ramming "can" definitely work- dunno what the odds are. Seen it, done it. Ramming is a largely undocumented and unexplored little world of its own. I usually try to Rotate, then Move a little, after canceling previous orders. Seems to help, but it may just be luck of the draw, or superstition. There is no clear official guideline on this, so you just have to try things. Like real life in snow country, it might take longer than a CM scenario to get that sucker moving, no matter what. When Bogged becomes Immobile you are a pillbox. A CM law is that it will be in a place with a clear LOS to absolutely nowhere important.

Thanks. Probably the most momentous anniversary date of the 20th century. August 6th '45 gets a lot of votes, but if it wasn't for today's date 61 years ago, it would never have happened. Sic semper tyrannis.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Teamski: The MP44 was a pretty scarce weapon...The gun was cheaply made and couldn't hit the broadside of a Terrapin...What gets me about the MP44 is the fact that it looks soooo much like the AK-47, yet they have two different types of actions<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> No, I wouldn't really agree. I used the term "MP44" generically (like Hogg and most others) to cover the production variants, from MP43 up through StG44. There were plenty enough in the late war, but more importantly, they are liberally available in CM scenarios, which is what concerns us here. Whence your accuracy comments? Are you basing this on anything in particular? I'm always interested in small arms testimonials from the practitioners. Cheaply made? You mean the "pressings and stampings"? Not on critical path components. They weren't pretty, but the "drive train" of the MP44 family of weapons was excellent(and they were in production from mid-43 through the end, in many shops and factories, so there are certainly quality variations). As for not resembling the AK-47, you've got the intermediate cartridge, delayed gas-operation, piston tube above the barrel, delayed tipping or rotating bolt, cocking lever diagonal upper left, and the esteemed Mr. Hogg and every other writer of note crediting Kalashnikov with "improvements", "modifications", and "copies" to and of the original Schmeisser design, based on StG44 right down to the cartridge itself. I'm not knocking the M1 at all, because it made best use of the existing technology at the time of its development, and commonality of ammo with the light MGs. But in a sense it was an evolutionary cul-de-sac. Its cartridge was too powerful for the role its action could support. The M14 showed the reluctance of conventional wisdom to part with the big-bullet "man-stopper" while the Soviets rushed headlong into the more versatile intermediate cartridge, based on the StG44 action, to transform modern infantry squads into multi-purpose close or long-range suppression teams.

Not sure what you've been reading, but check out the Huertgen forest battles... treebursts were a major source of casualties and fuzes were designed specifically to take advantage of their effect. Also, just down from the small branches are the big hairy ones. Any shell burst above ground is going to be more effective than one on (or in) the ground, as more of the blast is available where the people are, plus the HE gets to use all those big and little branches as free shrapnel. This is why soldiers learned to top their foxholes with stout logs- to protect them from the falling and flying lumber. Tree-bursts were an art-form for artillerymen, as one of them will no doubt tell us very soon.

I killed a Sherman this very morning with a side shot, at about 80m, from the 75 IG. It blowed up real good. It then engaged one of the Sherm's comrades in a head-to-head duel at about the same range. Spunky bastard bounced 2 rounds off the Sherman's front ("no serious damage") before being knocked out.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bullethead: So in just a few turns, you could convert a large grain field into ash.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> You may wish to expound on the spread of building fires, as well. As it is, they are either fine (not burning at all), or completely engulfed in flames. The apparent effect is of instant Hollywood-style mass combustion. Some distant future, Fire-Smart CM might have the bulding catch fire a section at a time, with corresponding increases in LOS blockage and casualty-producing ability as the fire spreads. The backblast from a 'zook is a fearsome thing, but will rarely ignite an entire building instantaneously with immediate catastrophic loss of life. Personally, I could go for a moratorium on new versions, until there are a bunch of major things to roll in at once. There's nothing seriously broken right now, and keeping up with differently-flavored PBEMs has been taxing.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jeff Heidman: If I bet enver and then go and start cursing and stuff so that the thread gets locked up, will I win?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I'll see that enver, and raise you two envers. Anyway, why lock up the noblest thread of the board, when a simple ban would do the trick? After your privates are amply gnawed by rodents and the other things that live there... your corporals and sergeants, too...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mr. Clark: 1) has a fix been found for the lack of objective flags texture? It does not even happen to me in regular play, only in the PBEM games. (NOTE: I'm still playing the DEMO while waiting for my copy to arrive) Not sure exactly what you mean, here. Do you not see the flags at all? Do they just look funny? Have you visited www.3dfx.com and downloaded and installed the latest drivers for your card? 2) What is the best resource for finding People to play by E-Mail with? I'm talking friends into buying the game... but so far I will be the only one with the full version. The Cesspool might be a bit harsh for a newbie. You can always post right here, like you just did, with the header "Looking for PBEM" (or something more provocative, but along those lines), and depending on time of day you will be swamped in hours/minutes. Demo games are not compatible with the released version as far as I recall. Maintain them in separate directories, and you can play both your old demo-bound friends and the bloodthirsty maniacs here, by starting with the appropriate .exe file. 3) Are the DEMO and the full game hard drive compatible? It seems like a stupid question I know, but I remember some games in the past warning you to remove all demo copies from the HD before install. I'd like to leave the demo for awhile so I can still play vs my friends w/o the full game. As above, no prob, keep in separate directories. Just remember who's in which version, which can be challenging after a while. Great Game! Combat Mission, combined with Shogun: Total War, has made my Wargame dreams come true this year!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Borg?

This thread... like the return of an old friend. However, it is very cruel to post about one's freshly-poured triple Laphroiag while some of us are still at work. Considering the source, I'm not surprised, which reminds me that I am looking for our rematch any time, now. Nothing new in tippling to report, but lots of the same old.