John Kettler

Here's what a tank that hasn't had proper maintenance for a long time looks like. Frankly, I find the shape the cannon's muzzle in to be shocking, but the overall appearance of the tank shows it's had a harsh life and lots of exposure to the weather, almost certainly amid a sea of other rusting Cold War relics. The crew has made an effort where possible, but it's easier to paint slogans than it is to deal with the results of prolonged exposed outdoor storage and being in the field. As a bonus, you get to see a defensive position for the tank and some crew related detritus, too. The kitten is a

Their teacher sent me these today of the kids in the strategy club hard at it--a sight to gladden a wargamer's heart! Regards, John Kettler

bardosy, Huge thanks for this information, which I almost certainly wouldn't have ever gotten otherwise. Regards, John Kettler

Bufo, Fair point. Shall watch your link to see what was actually presented. MOS:96B2P, Glad you found it so. fireship4, Appreciate the info! Regards, John Kettler

Obviously, this is well outside the timeframe of CMBS, but if BFC ever decides to do something beyond then, this might well come into play. In any event, believe this will be of real interest to many. Beware of a defect in digital VO which the AI wrongly translates the "L" of caliber lengths as liters. Someone in marketing at Rheinmetall deserves a hiding for not catching that one. Regards, John Kettler

Russian combat engineers training on mine clearance, building takedown and more. Some great AFV footage. Also, it looks like the combat engineers are now using a special shield fitted with stroobing high intensity lights. Regards, John Kettler

WW II historian Geoffrey Roberts talks about the contributions of Russia and Stalin to winning WW II. Interview was evidently made on the 65th anniversary of Victory Day. I don't necessarily agree with everything he says, but this interview is well worth watching. Regards, John Kettler

Bufo, Was laughing so hard I could barely type! Frankly, it never occurred to me to consider the possibility you raised. Was referring to Chain of Command, by Two Fat Lardies. It's a WW II skirmish game that's typically played with a reinforced platoon. Like CM, it rewards smart play and mercilessly punishes bad tactics, but there is considerable scope for bad runs of luck, good luck and unforeseen developments, for the game is not deterministic but probabilistic. It is emphatically a leader driven game, and it's leaders who make things happen. Game tracks Force Morale, Shock accumulatio

This is how BFC gained a new customer (or will be gaining one soon). One of our CoC colleagues wanted a WW II computer game at CoC level, so a number of us (myself included) pointed him squarely at CM. We told him it was a military grade tactical sim that modeled a wealth of things CoC didn't. In no way did we blindside him. To assist him in figuring out where in WW II he wished to fight, we told him where the demos were for all the games and that there was lots of coverage on YT, too. Somewhat later, he told us that CMBN was what he wished to play, so we naturally pointed out the numerous a

This is part of an epic (War and Peace of WW II) film which is Included with Prime or available by 30-day Free Trial. Regards, John Kettler

This is from a Russian 2012 film called The Life and Destiny. It splendidly depicts what an absolute nightmare it would be for BFC to depict melee combat. If you've got PTSD, you may not want to watch this--ugly and intense. Things like this only make we wonder afresh how they can get people to subject themselves to this stuff? Regards, John Kettler

Sniper31, During Barbarossa, Grossdeutschland did NOT have fire discipline and in fact, fired with such wild abandon it used up all its ammo. Disgusted, higher left the Regiment effectively unarmed through a very long night in enemy territory before remunitioning it the next day. Thereafter, GD was a model of fire discipline. Regards, John Kettler

On a separate note, if anyone's interested, I can provide the full breakdown of Lance Corporal Jones's awards and medals. Regards, John Kettler

Sgt Joch, Seems to me that every time the bayonet is again decreed to be useless, along comes a war in which it assuredly isn't. Soldiers have a visceral fear of being gut stabbed, and yes, I used that adjective deliberately. As Lance Corporal Jones many times averred of the bayonet on "Dad's Army" ref fighting the Fuzzy Wuzzies, "They don't like the cold steel up 'em." The British assaulted an Iraqi unit firing from a trench using rifles and bayonets in a 4-hour action and sustained no losses but killed 30 enemy soldiers--2004! StieliAlpha, there are plenty of accounts of vicious had-to

To those of us who do historical wargaming in miniature (or know those who do) this is a terrible blow to our hobby, for there are few such stores in the entire country. Search FB under "Panzer Depot" to find the particulars. Would post the FB link directly, but info on that page includes extensive product listing and prices, so am not going to push my luck with the Mods. Deep-super deep discounts, depending on what the product is. The store sells minis and everything else to work on them, paint, base and play, including rules and small tools. FB page has contact info, and the store will ship