John Kettler

Treeburst155, Not at present, but I remain hopeful. I have gone through the entire hard drive with my antivirus software. Found nothing, but admittedly mine's a bit out of date. Have also removed a thousand plus messages from my hard drive, yielding faster load times for E-mail but no apparent protection from whatever's made my iMac so twitchy of late, causing it kick out memory's filling up messages, followed by loss of parts of the posting window and apparent loss of button function when posting. A crash follows closely thereafter. The latest wrinkle to a problem which has cost me several posts because of system crashes is that something I tried to protect by moving it to the Clipboard didn't take. This cost me yet another post. I really miss playing the game, and I still don't know what happened in my last turn against Texas Toast. Regards, John Kettler

Treeburst155,TexasToast and troops, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I can at least post again, albeit with a computer which gets suddenly twitchy and posts memory full messages followed shortly by crashing. Have lost several long posts, too. The bad news is that I still don't have the CD drive's being read, the computer's out of even its extended warranty, and I don't presently have the money to take the beast in for repairs, let alone have the "seismic sensor" removed and replaced by a standard component. Good one, though! I apologize again for the delays. Regards, John Kettler

Treeburst155, TexasToast and anyone else affected, My computer is still performing marginally and is not reading the CD drive. If the problem is indeed tied to electromagnetic emissions from the crust, then I suspect the problem will clear shortly. Why? People in the Pacific Northwest are reporting feeling ground movement, are having objects fall off the walls, and some are reporting seeing earthquake clouds in far greater numbers than were seen before the Nisqually 6.8. In short, there are multiple indicators that something's about to hit. There are further indicators that other areas are in play as well, notably Sacramento, California. A friend there reports all kinds of strange and destructive behavior, much like what the period chroniclers noted in Lisbon, Portugal before the great quake there in the 1680s. Both people and animals acted out in all sorts of ways before that one hit. This is because the EM frequencies and infrasound emitted as the plates grind together affect living things both neurally and physiologically. I apologize again for delaying the Invitational, but believe me when I say no one is as dismayed by the situation as I am, especially with a movie waiting for me to view. Regards, John Kettler

Michael Dorosh, Since I believe there is a 1/35th scale model for the mortar in question, and since he does have the similar in bore Japanese "knee mortar" and lacks the Russian 45mm grenade thrower, I suspect he simply hasn't gotten around to it, particularly considering all the detail work he does. Regards, John Kettler

Bumping this to make sure people see it and check it out for themselves. Regards, John Kettler

I found this gem while hunting for some completely unrelated info: www.mortarsinminiature.com The owner is a former mortarman, has lots of beautifully done WW II mortar models, and apparently has thousands of mortar manuals, including the 1941 Finnish regulations. He could probably save you some time on skinning many of your mortar wireframes and answer all manner of obscure technical questions if asked nicely. Regards, John Kettler

Why is no one else writing AARs? There must be other games still in progress for the Invitational? Regards, John Kettler

Someone was discussing airpower earlier in "We Can't Wait." I found it devastating, but it could've been worse. It could've killed my tanks. Basically, it wiped out most of my light armor reinforcements, whether on the approaches or in the town proper. The numerous strikes hit with artillery already falling and seemed to last forever. Happily for me, I'd had the good sense to debus my troops earlier, so they survived to carry on the fight. My Jagdpanther somehow survived being bomb straddled twice, emerging unhurt and unshocked, though buttoned for a time. In "Duel in Dompaire" it caught me in the middle of an attack across the wheatfields on the left. As I recall, it ate a couple of 251s and buttoned a Panther at an inopportune point. It wasn't fun, but it was a picnic compared to "We Can't Wait." Got no shootdowns in either scenario. Regards, John Kettler

Minor progress to report. Today I was able to get the aforementioned Desktop rebuilt and trash the Finder Prefs. Sadly, this didn't solve the main problem. Regards, John Kettler

If my current equipment problems are indeed the harbinger of a coming quake, then I have bad news for somebody. This time the problem is so severe that not only won't the iMac read the CD, but when I invoke the three finger salute to restart with Extensions off, I don't get the Desktop rebuild query, hence can't even rebuild the Desktop and trash Finder Prefs to see if doing those things helps. I have tried lots of restarts, cold boots, completely unplugging the iMac, etc. No joy. TexasToast, hang in there. We'll finish our fight yet! Regards, John Kettler

Stacheldraht, You're welcome! The rest of you are missing out on a real treasure. Regards, John

I found an amazing Russian website while reading a post at AFV NEWS. It's called TANKMASTER (http://www.sura.ru/~tam/English.htm) and has tons of high resolution color and B&W images of Russian armor and artillery. Yes, even the unpowered, tracked 203mm howitzer from the Berlin '45 footage. If you need to know what a T-18 based bunker looks like, it's there, together with the BR-14 SP gun. Not only that, but it is also a retail model site (see three icons below picture links and one above) for all sorts of juicy Russian stuff, such as a white metal 1/35 scale kit of a Quad Maxim, or a 1944 T-80 light tank. Those of you of a more modern persuasion will find the special fitments made for Afghanistan and Chechnya. If you need a twin DShK for your technical, it's available, as is a 1/35 scale Aerosan. KwazyDog, you should find the pictures a huge help in your work, but you may want to extend the contest another month so that people can order the array of special models I know aren't in their local shops. The coverage is positively eye watering. Regards, John Kettler

TexasToast, Have tried a whole bunch of stuff so far, with more to come. Am pretty perturbed about the unwanted development myself. We had great momentum going in our game, and I'm intensely curious what happened in the turn I can't yet open. Regards, John Kettler

I've almost finished the manual and am in the process of reading the last section on German tactics against Russian breakthroughs. Have found a wonderful basis for several wild CMBB scenarios, too. This manual's been a real education for me. I'm astonished so few here have responded to this amazing find. Have the rest of you long since read it and moved on? Regards, John Kettler

For sheer, unrelenting edge-of-your-seat excitement, abject terror and endless tactical nightmares, let me recommend playing the Americans double blind in "Sounds in the Night." It was so tough I was lucky to emerge from fighting Tom with my scalp, much less hair. Though it was one of my few outright wins in RoW, I was nearly destroyed several times, and his initial blow was so powerful it vaporized an entire platoon, leading me to wonder if I had any chance at all. Repeatedly, he had me on the ropes and in the most dire of straits, and I barely bought enough time to save the big VL at the end. The tension was such that were I a chewer, I would've had no fingers left. The lethality factor in this battle is horrifying and unnerving, with squads and even platoons wiped out in a single turn. The Americans need several more TRPs, for without them, the mortars are virtually useless. Unless this is a truly instant defense, the mortars should have final defensive concentrations registered across the entire sector. Wish there was a mortar only TRP for this application. Indeed, several of my teams got cut up after I withdrew them, since unlike in real life, they couldn't fight as infantry, only to wind up victims of Tom's flank attack. The American FO was worth his weight in gold, especially when in command. The FO was the glue that held things together through much of the fight. By contrast, the logic controlling the sharpshooter wouldn't let him fire at the short ranges found in this battle. More largely useless points. My AT guns were useless, too, except as something to fret about or for Tom to storm. Lost one that way. Would've killed to have those points in bazooka teams. My armor, sparse though it was, was vital to stemming an infantry attack, inflicting casualties, and paving the way for a counterattack on my right. Though one tank was gun damaged, its twin stopped a breakthrough attempt in my center and destroyed several key pieces of armor when Tom needed them most to finish off my severely depleted force. The bocage implementation was poor, forcing some bizarre adjustments in the battle, but infantry was king here. The name of the game was controlling existing chokepoints and creating new ones as needed. One block alone had the best part of a platoon strewn around it, as did a house I identified at one point as critical terrain. A third featured an ambushed AFV and more dead Germans. I exacted a fearsome toll, but usually lost the block force, such was Tom's superiority, close-in firepower and frequently, direct fires from his armor. Once his armor got past my blocks, things started to come unglued in a hurry, an event which regrettably occurred the same time my FO ran dry. I won by inflicting casualties, delay and disruption, NOT by destroying the German force. Regards, John Kettler

WineCape, Lanzerac Manor was a featured destination for globe trekking contestants in the U.S. reality TV program "Amazing Race." New arrivals were greeted by an aged gentleman in what looked like 1700s costume. Holien, Sounds like you've got your hands full and also make some salient points about the philosophy of RoW. As for Sally, I'm guessing you don't want to hear about the sallyport and my intentions! Regards, John Kettler

Mother Nature has perhaps reentered the Invitational! The dread nonread CD problem (like the one apparently cured by the 4.6 quake near me last week) has returned, in time to prevent me from opening the last turn TexasToast sent me before retiring last night. I never did do that disk imaging thing, for the problems all cleared up, but now I wish I had. TexasToast, I'm trying to get my iMac to cooperate again. Please bear with me. Sorry for the delay. Regards, John Kettler [ March 25, 2002, 04:11 PM: Message edited by: John Kettler ]

The meatgrinder continues. Like Bismarck's famous comment about the making of sausage, it definitely isn't pretty to watch. The two platoons are still slaughtering each other on the far left, and TexasToast shifted forces in time to avoid the next volley of light support fires. Happily, part of that force is pinned down by MG fires. The major development is that the platoon minus is squarely on my transverse ridge and is in a hot fight with my guys in the center of same. The platoon minus overran and captured one of my HMGs. Grr. Worse, there is another platoon in the woods behind the new arrivals. TexasToast is applying considerable pressure, but I have a few surprises of my own. I predict next turn will be multiply ugly. Regards, John Kettler [ March 25, 2002, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: John Kettler ]

(wrings hands and grimaces) What to do about this Holien than thou attitude? Am quite a fan of British humor and also understatement. The nad thing just begged a sally. Regards, John Kettler [ March 25, 2002, 09:43 PM: Message edited by: John Kettler ]

I shifted fires in the last movie, putting my lighter stuff into the copse to the right of the disputed VL, a copse housing an estimated platoon of infantry. The pattern wasn't great, but the guys in that copse probably aren't happy at all. They're positively ecstatic, though, compared to the recipients of my heavier stuff after I moved the aimpoint a bit back and to the left. Saw some spectacular treebursts and straddles right where they hurt the most. In case anyone thinks this is one sided, I 'd note that my MGs on the ridge have been conducting losing duels with a Challenger and a Cromwell, though buttoning them up, and that a ferocious point blank firefight rages in the trees on my extreme left, a platoon on platoon fight which has cost me a unit and a bunch of casualties and chewed up TexasToast's men, who are benefiting from fires from a sibling platoon nearby and help from that armor. How they're avoiding own goals I know not. When I issued orders, my display showed that TexasToast had regained control of the left VL, hardly a surprise considering the Cromwell practically atop it. Next turn will be exceedingly busy. Regards, John Kettler

Sargent_Isa, Let me be the first to welcome you to our mad legion of fanatics. Your technical questions will doubtless be answered shortly, during which you will learn the glories of mods, proper settings, etc., but for now take a moment and reflect that your life will never be the same. This is a good thing, but your wife/girlfriend or husband/boyfriend, family, coworkers, friends and such may not think so, for they'll see little of you--unless you can recruit them into our fold. Now that you're properly briefed, report to CM Borg for assimilation. Resistance is futile! Regards, John Kettler

Troops, Aren't we telling tales out of school by discussing OOB, arrival times and such here? I thought that there was a dedicated thread in Scenarios just for that so that people could read the heavily censored DARs and such here without the scenario details being blown as a result. Holien, if you're battling over a nad in the mist then I don't want to know the rest of the story. Kinkiest military objective I've ever heard of! Regards, John Kettler

TexasToast was congratulating himself on his splendid progress, but that was before the movie in which my fire support came crashing down on his armor and infantry near the now disputed left VL. Quoth he of the event: "That was painful." His advance on my far left continues, though, much to the detriment of my infantry and aided by what appears to be a Challenger, the first I've seen since beginning to play CM. Casualties continue to mount, and he has lots of troops committed to the advance. Looks like echeloned platoons. The plan appears to be to shatter my flank and get to my rear. The next turn should prove anything but dull. Regards, John Kettler [ March 23, 2002, 07:49 PM: Message edited by: John Kettler ]

Apache, The closest one volume Russian armor reference book I know of is John Milsom's RUSSIAN TANKS 1900-1970: The Complete Illustrated History of Soviet Armoured Theory and Design, published by Galahad Books in 1970. It's a must read. Steve Zaloga probably has something more recent out, considering one of his books (coauthored by James Grandsen) picks up the topic in 1946. I expect that a wartime volume is out or pending. Hope this helps. Regards, John Kettler

The firefight didn't go as well as hoped, costing me a squad and other unpleasantness, but I definitely dished out some hurt myself. TexasToast appears to be making a major effort on my left, estimated company strength, for this turn saw the arrival of yet another tank in sector, making three, as well as unwelcome visitors to what was supposed to be my left VL, but is now British, thanks to a serious whupping an estimated platoon appearing out of nowhere put on one of my small elements in the woods by the flag. I console myself with the fact that I solidly control both big VLs and the smaller right one. Will win big if I can hold them for 21 more turns! Regards, John Kettler