John Kettler

By a sheer fluke, I happened to notice there was a forum for what I thought was a new title for the much desired CM Fulda Gap. Oh, was I ever wrong! Had NO idea there was anything but Modules and maybe Vehicle Packs in the development pipeline, so this was quite the shock, combined with elation and dismay. Was thrilled to see a game coming out covering the sometimes terrifying period when the Soviets and Warsaw Pact were my bread and butter as a Soviet Threat Analyst, but was greatly dismayed that, after what brother George just asserted was two years, am still not CM functional. Indeed, there are times when I'm not even CoC functional. Immensely frustrating to have such a marvel come out, yet not be able to play it.

May do the pre-order anyway and dare to believe I WILL be CM capable again! Congratulations to those who made this game happen. Shall get up to speed by reading the initial AARs which ever precede game release.

Regards,

John Kettler 

P.S.

Over on the product page, it says this is a CM 4 engine game. Already have the hard copy Engine 4 manual from CMBS, so is all that remains is to DL once the pre-orders can be received? Will there be a dedicated CM Cold WAr Manual as there was for CMBS?

By a sheer fluke, I happened to notice there was a forum for what I thought was a new title for the much desired CM Fulda Gap. Oh, was I ever wrong! Had NO idea there was anything but Modules and maybe Vehicle Packs in the development pipeline, so this was quite the shock, combined with elation and dismay. Was thrilled to see a game coming out covering the sometimes terrifying period when the Soviets and Warsaw Pact were my bread and butter as a Soviet Threat Analyst, but was greatly dismayed that, after what brother George just asserted was two years, am still not CM functional. Indeed, there are times when I'm not even CoC functional. Immensely frustrating to have such a marvel come out, yet not be able to play it.

May do the pre-order anyway and dare to believe I WILL be CM capable again! Congratulations to those who made this game happen. Shall get up to speed by reading the initial AARs which ever precede game release.

Regards,

John Kettler 

P.S.

Over on the product page, it says this is a CM 4 engine game. Already have the hard copy Engine 4 manual from CMBS, so is all that remains is to DL once the pre-orders can be received? Will there be a dedicated CM Cold WAr Manual as there was for CMBS?

Kind of made up the descriptor, but am out of my element here. This is a March 1945 pic showing everything from PBI to Churchills at/near Kervenheim, Germany. There appears to be an armored jeep behind the Dingo, there are T-handled shovels in plain view on the backs of some of the infantry, and there's a PIAT team front left and center. The Churchills seem to be equipped with varying wildly in position and quantity spare track, presumably as additional armor protection. This was originally posted by Gordon John Smith in the Bolt Action International FB group.




Regards,

John Kettler

Falaise,
Well done, sir! Judging from the texture, I thinks it's plywood, not sheet metal.

Regards, 
John Kettler

Kind of made up the descriptor, but am out of my element here. This is a March 1945 pic showing everything from PBI to Churchills at/near Kervenheim, Germany. There appears to be an armored jeep behind the Dingo, there are T-handled shovels in plain view on the backs of some of the infantry, and there's a PIAT team front left and center. The Churchills seem to be equipped with varying wildly in position and quantity spare track, presumably as additional armor protection. This was originally posted by Gordon John Smith in the Bolt Action International FB group.




Regards,

John Kettler

Kind of made up the descriptor, but am out of my element here. This is a March 1945 pic showing everything from PBI to Churchills at/near Kervenheim, Germany. There appears to be an armored jeep behind the Dingo, there are T-handled shovels in plain view on the backs of some of the infantry, and there's a PIAT team front left and center. The Churchills seem to be equipped with varying wildly in position and quantity spare track, presumably as additional armor protection. This was originally posted by Gordon John Smith in the Bolt Action International FB group.




Regards,

John Kettler

Brother George, a retired Army Scout, found this and passed it to me. Looks like prime material for CM use.

http://www.bayonetstrength.uk/USArmy/USArmdInfBn/Org of the US Armd Inf Bn 1942-45.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1qczOynlwbn9jSp6oHYZyKBhLV29fW756-mafJ38uKpiE2qIzbIbi3w6Q
 
Regards,

John Kettler

Artkin,
This is flatly untrue. HEAT is highly sensitive to angle of strike, for that determines a number of things, such as the effective thickness of armor needing to be penetrated. If. the angle of strike is low enough, the HEAT projectile may ricochet or not detonate at all. Evaluation of destroyed tanks in the 1967 War showed that HEAT projectiles could be rendered nonfunctional or deflagrated by such things as lifting eyes, headlight flanges and such. Sometimes toolboxes sufficed to defeat HEAT by acting as spaced armor. Most of the rear turret proper of a Tiger 1 is protected by that large stowage box, which would make superb spaced armor, given the massive air gap. HEAT is highly sensitive to strike angle but insensitive to. impact velocity in that period. 

Regards,

John Kettler

Artkin,
This is flatly untrue. HEAT is highly sensitive to angle of strike, for that determines a number of things, such as the effective thickness of armor needing to be penetrated. If. the angle of strike is low enough, the HEAT projectile may ricochet or not detonate at all. Evaluation of destroyed tanks in the 1967 War showed that HEAT projectiles could be rendered nonfunctional or deflagrated by such things as lifting eyes, headlight flanges and such. Sometimes toolboxes sufficed to defeat HEAT by acting as spaced armor. Most of the rear turret proper of a Tiger 1 is protected by that large stowage box, which would make superb spaced armor, given the massive air gap. HEAT is highly sensitive to strike angle but insensitive to. impact velocity in that period. 

Regards,

John Kettler

Artkin,
This is flatly untrue. HEAT is highly sensitive to angle of strike, for that determines a number of things, such as the effective thickness of armor needing to be penetrated. If. the angle of strike is low enough, the HEAT projectile may ricochet or not detonate at all. Evaluation of destroyed tanks in the 1967 War showed that HEAT projectiles could be rendered nonfunctional or deflagrated by such things as lifting eyes, headlight flanges and such. Sometimes toolboxes sufficed to defeat HEAT by acting as spaced armor. Most of the rear turret proper of a Tiger 1 is protected by that large stowage box, which would make superb spaced armor, given the massive air gap. HEAT is highly sensitive to strike angle but insensitive to. impact velocity in that period. 

Regards,

John Kettler

Brother George, a retired Army Scout, found this and passed it to me. Looks like prime material for CM use.

http://www.bayonetstrength.uk/USArmy/USArmdInfBn/Org of the US Armd Inf Bn 1942-45.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1qczOynlwbn9jSp6oHYZyKBhLV29fW756-mafJ38uKpiE2qIzbIbi3w6Q
 
Regards,

John Kettler

Brother George, a retired Army Scout, found this and passed it to me. Looks like prime material for CM use.

http://www.bayonetstrength.uk/USArmy/USArmdInfBn/Org of the US Armd Inf Bn 1942-45.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1qczOynlwbn9jSp6oHYZyKBhLV29fW756-mafJ38uKpiE2qIzbIbi3w6Q
 
Regards,

John Kettler

Brother George, a retired Army Scout, found this and passed it to me. Looks like prime material for CM use.

http://www.bayonetstrength.uk/USArmy/USArmdInfBn/Org of the US Armd Inf Bn 1942-45.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1qczOynlwbn9jSp6oHYZyKBhLV29fW756-mafJ38uKpiE2qIzbIbi3w6Q
 
Regards,

John Kettler

Brother George, a retired Army Scout, found this and passed it to me. Looks like prime material for CM use.

http://www.bayonetstrength.uk/USArmy/USArmdInfBn/Org of the US Armd Inf Bn 1942-45.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1qczOynlwbn9jSp6oHYZyKBhLV29fW756-mafJ38uKpiE2qIzbIbi3w6Q
 
Regards,

John Kettler

Brother George, a retired Army Scout, found this and passed it to me. Looks like prime material for CM use.

http://www.bayonetstrength.uk/USArmy/USArmdInfBn/Org of the US Armd Inf Bn 1942-45.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1qczOynlwbn9jSp6oHYZyKBhLV29fW756-mafJ38uKpiE2qIzbIbi3w6Q
 
Regards,

John Kettler

This is a long and penetrating piece not just about recent problems, but of how the SAS and commandos are used and super heavily at that. The article shows that current SAS purported war crimes don't exist in isolation, but in fact are but the latest in a long line of war crimes and claims of same going clear back to the Boer War. It lays the ducked responsibility for their continuation chiefly on Australian high command and the pols. The deployment stats are shocking. Some Australian SAS troopers have had eight (8) tours in the same province, and there is apparently intense competition between the SAS and Commandos to receive missions, and things seem to have gotten out of control. Things are so bad the Australian SAS may not survive at all. Got quite the education from the article, but what caught my eye to begin with was the spectacular picture of an SAS motorized patrol in the Afghan desert. Blink twice, and you'd swear it's WW II, but the vehicles aren't the same, and the armament is considerably nastier.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/16/australias-special-forces-problem-why-the-sas-is-facing-a-crisis

Regards,

John Kettler

This is a long and penetrating piece not just about recent problems, but of how the SAS and commandos are used and super heavily at that. The article shows that current SAS purported war crimes don't exist in isolation, but in fact are but the latest in a long line of war crimes and claims of same going clear back to the Boer War. It lays the ducked responsibility for their continuation chiefly on Australian high command and the pols. The deployment stats are shocking. Some Australian SAS troopers have had eight (8) tours in the same province, and there is apparently intense competition between the SAS and Commandos to receive missions, and things seem to have gotten out of control. Things are so bad the Australian SAS may not survive at all. Got quite the education from the article, but what caught my eye to begin with was the spectacular picture of an SAS motorized patrol in the Afghan desert. Blink twice, and you'd swear it's WW II, but the vehicles aren't the same, and the armament is considerably nastier.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/16/australias-special-forces-problem-why-the-sas-is-facing-a-crisis

Regards,

John Kettler

For those not familiar with the 'yellow handbag' cultural reference ...
https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=2018-04-3-1
 
Made up that this is from the National Army Museum, although in my day 4 Armoured Division was Herford-based.

One of my CoC colleagues found and posted this British Army 1983 training film on fighting the Soviet Advanced Guard. In my 11+ years as a Soviet Threat Analyst, I never saw anything like this. It's fantastic, and that's an understatement. This sort of thing was my bread and butter at Hughes Aircraft Company Missile Systems Group, since we built both TOW and Maverick and were involved in work on what eventually was the Javelin, as well as deep strike systems, such as Assault Breaker and WASP. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler

One of my CoC colleagues found and posted this British Army 1983 training film on fighting the Soviet Advanced Guard. In my 11+ years as a Soviet Threat Analyst, I never saw anything like this. It's fantastic, and that's an understatement. This sort of thing was my bread and butter at Hughes Aircraft Company Missile Systems Group, since we built both TOW and Maverick and were involved in work on what eventually was the Javelin, as well as deep strike systems, such as Assault Breaker and WASP. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler

One of my CoC colleagues found and posted this British Army 1983 training film on fighting the Soviet Advanced Guard. In my 11+ years as a Soviet Threat Analyst, I never saw anything like this. It's fantastic, and that's an understatement. This sort of thing was my bread and butter at Hughes Aircraft Company Missile Systems Group, since we built both TOW and Maverick and were involved in work on what eventually was the Javelin, as well as deep strike systems, such as Assault Breaker and WASP. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler

One of my CoC colleagues found and posted this British Army 1983 training film on fighting the Soviet Advanced Guard. In my 11+ years as a Soviet Threat Analyst, I never saw anything like this. It's fantastic, and that's an understatement. This sort of thing was my bread and butter at Hughes Aircraft Company Missile Systems Group, since we built both TOW and Maverick and were involved in work on what eventually was the Javelin, as well as deep strike systems, such as Assault Breaker and WASP. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler

One of my CoC colleagues found and posted this British Army 1983 training film on fighting the Soviet Advanced Guard. In my 11+ years as a Soviet Threat Analyst, I never saw anything like this. It's fantastic, and that's an understatement. This sort of thing was my bread and butter at Hughes Aircraft Company Missile Systems Group, since we built both TOW and Maverick and were involved in work on what eventually was the Javelin, as well as deep strike systems, such as Assault Breaker and WASP. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler

One of my CoC colleagues found and posted this British Army 1983 training film on fighting the Soviet Advanced Guard. In my 11+ years as a Soviet Threat Analyst, I never saw anything like this. It's fantastic, and that's an understatement. This sort of thing was my bread and butter at Hughes Aircraft Company Missile Systems Group, since we built both TOW and Maverick and were involved in work on what eventually was the Javelin, as well as deep strike systems, such as Assault Breaker and WASP. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler

One of my CoC colleagues found and posted this British Army 1983 training film on fighting the Soviet Advanced Guard. In my 11+ years as a Soviet Threat Analyst, I never saw anything like this. It's fantastic, and that's an understatement. This sort of thing was my bread and butter at Hughes Aircraft Company Missile Systems Group, since we built both TOW and Maverick and were involved in work on what eventually was the Javelin, as well as deep strike systems, such as Assault Breaker and WASP. 
 
Regards,

John Kettler