Andreas

Kozure, I don't think that your vision of a battle has even a very slight resemblance to what went on during combat in world war two (or many other wars for that matter). That does not mean it would not be fun, I am sure some people would enjoy it, but it does not sound very realistic. Company commanders do not choose their own objectives. Small forces do not just roam about in the hope of meeting the enemy somewhere.

Sven - I now had a look at this article. I think I'd rather not comment further on the thinly veiled antisemitism and other tasteless content of the website you got it from. That has little to do with the content of the article though, because they took it from a more serious publication. Looks generally alright, I noticed some errors. Not sure if the author is not too busy to prove his point though. I generally dislike this sort of academic writing.

We are actually getting close to the end. I'll write you an email with comments. Cory One way to simulate combat breaks at irregular intervals is to put the attacker in the driving seat. Say you do a 3-battle, 40 turns each operation. In the defender briefing, you instruct the defender to have to accept a cease-fire request from the attacker, at any given point in time. That way you leave the attacker with the choice to either use the time, or forego time allocated, but reorganise. In many (but by no means all) situations, this would reflect combat quite well, I feel.

All the old battles are at Der Kessel, courtesy of Helge. http://www.derkessel.org/cmak/memorylane.html

With a 37mm gun, the size of a barn, main armament hidden in a sponsoon, etc.pp. Not sure about the mechanical reliability of the M3, wasn't that a bit shoddy too? So there were lots of reasons to upgrade, regardless of how the turret front performed in hull-down situations.

ISTR that the restriction is there in order to avoid the abuse of borg spotting. Same for not allowing HMGs to fire into smoke.

I agree with Mark. If someone posts complete claptrap about one of my scenarios, I will be able to hold my own (now that I have found my security number again) and no other support (other than genuine reviews) is required or wanted. I don't think that it is productive to react to a review in the same way as if it was a post here, if you are not the designer - in which case you have the right, and the means to post a response. While that sort of behaviour is probably well-meant, it is a quick way to demean the depot, and it will make Keith's work all the harder.

There are lies, there are damned lies, and then there are Finnish AARs. The only reason my liberating working class heroes are not well on their way to Helsinki by now is that collecting all the pledges for their quota of Finnish soil to occupy took a bit longer.

Michael - you have me embarassed now. But thanks. Apart from that, if you come across flaws/mistakes, whatever, just email me. That is more productive than the depot anyway for constructive feedback.

Sven, I know no more than what I found on LdW. JM, I am very busy this month, so probably not before February.

Ben Ariel explicitly states that there is no record of any visit by Freyberg to the frontlines. He is fairly scathing about it. Apparently the closest the Allied commanders ever got, according to him, is to OPs in the rear areas, from where you could see the area, but not get a feel for the ground. By contrast, Kesselring did visit the forward positions a few times.

Just Cassino.

But are they the right Churchills for Dieppe?

First time I hear that he said that. But that has nothing to do with it. It is more the other way round - the generals were far to willing to throw away their men's lives for, well, nothing. BTW - does anyone know if officers ranked GOC division or higher ever went to have a close look at the conditions at the front? Ben Ariel claims that none of the Allied generals ever bothered to have a look-see in the forward battle area. You should keep in mind that the Rapido crossings were just another cluster of f*cks, and that despite the willingness to happily sacrifice a regiment, no toehold could be gained on the other side by the US forces. Anyone knows what the official CMH history has to say about that?

Ah, the BS machine running at full speed. Gotta love official histories. It sounds as if the book Cassino by John Ellis would be one that would be very interesting for you, and your dad. I don't say 'enjoy', because it is just too depressing. But it is a very well-researched account of the whole clusterf*ck, without the excuses you find in official histories. If you can find it (unlikely), you can also get Katrie Ben Ariel's 'Monte Cassino', which deals with just the Cassino battles (Ellis covers the months before and up to Rome), but that will be difficult for you.

Judging from the memory of those small-unit actions that I have read about (all of Cassino was small-unit actions, because of the narrow frontages), most of them just would not make even a decent scenario. 1) Take a company of guys. Advance without cover. Have the Germans fire tons of mortars, Nebelwerfer, and artillery, as well as HMG fire from unseen positions, at you. Lose most of your company. Receive a company in reinforcements. Nuke the German part of the map with bucketloads of artillery. Lather, rinse, repeat. 2) The 25 men that are left of your company man a line that is far too wide. The Germans attack. You nuke them with artillery. 3) You lose your Ghurka company because they run into a hedge of thorn bushes full of mines that is covered by the Germans' HMGs and mortars. You never see the enemy. Good night. The only combat that seems to be more promising is in the town itself. That should not be too difficult to do. No idea why nobody did it for the CD. I did not because I get depressed thinking about it. Quick reminder - no fighting on top of the hill

Shame he did not pass it on. Grandfather was drafted in 1937 into the 13. (cannon) company of Infantryregiment 65, of 22. Air Landing Division in northern Germany. Discharged in 1939, redrafted in 1939 into a counter-battery observation unit (B30) - so he ended up going to Holland anyway for a few days in 1940. Their job was to figure out where enemy guns are firing from by spotting their gunflash, and then direct own fire onto them to silence them. He went through Poland, Holland, and France, to finally end in East Prussia in 1941. Participated in the advance on Leningrad, occupation of Kingissepp, and his unit was attached to the infantry division that captured a Leningrad tram. Then he occupied an OP in the tower of the church at the Czar's palace Peterhof. From there to the Volkhov, Mga and Ssinjavino for the Ladoga battles and Kirichi/Tchudovo. The retreat started in Jan. 44. When they had almost made it he was cut off, and with four comrades saw a Soviet infantry company charging up to the cemetary they were defending. When he thought all was lost, artillery defensive fire tore the Russian soldiers to pieces 'poor sods, but what can you do, it was us or them', is what he said. Shortly after that severely wounded in a partisan attack - he still carries a Soviet bullet in his chestbone. He was a Corporal/Sergeant (Unteroffizier) at the time. Evacuated, sent to Denmark by a well-meaning lieutenant with five other NCOs, instead of back to the front, deserted two weeks before the end of the war, captured by the British on the Elbe, released because of his wound, and walked home. First one to arrive home in the village in June 1945. Married my grandmother and spend a lot of his time thereafter running the county association of the association of war victims. He is still alive.

Shame he did not pass it on. Grandfather was drafted in 1937 into the 13. (cannon) company of Infantryregiment 65, of 22. Air Landing Division in northern Germany. Discharged in 1939, redrafted in 1939 into a counter-battery observation unit (B30) - so he ended up going to Holland anyway for a few days in 1940. Their job was to figure out where enemy guns are firing from by spotting their gunflash, and then direct own fire onto them to silence them. He went through Poland, Holland, and France, to finally end in East Prussia in 1941. Participated in the advance on Leningrad, occupation of Kingissepp, and his unit was attached to the infantry division that captured a Leningrad tram. Then he occupied an OP in the tower of the church at the Czar's palace Peterhof. From there to the Volkhov, Mga and Ssinjavino for the Ladoga battles and Kirichi/Tchudovo. The retreat started in Jan. 44. When they had almost made it he was cut off, and with four comrades saw a Soviet infantry company charging up to the cemetary they were defending. When he thought all was lost, artillery defensive fire tore the Russian soldiers to pieces 'poor sods, but what can you do, it was us or them', is what he said. Shortly after that severely wounded in a partisan attack - he still carries a Soviet bullet in his chestbone. He was a Corporal/Sergeant (Unteroffizier) at the time. Evacuated, sent to Denmark by a well-meaning lieutenant with five other NCOs, instead of back to the front, deserted two weeks before the end of the war, captured by the British on the Elbe, released because of his wound, and walked home. First one to arrive home in the village in June 1945. Married my grandmother and spend a lot of his time thereafter running the county association of the association of war victims. He is still alive.

Shame he did not pass it on. Grandfather was drafted in 1937 into the 13. (cannon) company of Infantryregiment 65, of 22. Air Landing Division in northern Germany. Discharged in 1939, redrafted in 1939 into a counter-battery observation unit (B30) - so he ended up going to Holland anyway for a few days in 1940. Their job was to figure out where enemy guns are firing from by spotting their gunflash, and then direct own fire onto them to silence them. He went through Poland, Holland, and France, to finally end in East Prussia in 1941. Participated in the advance on Leningrad, occupation of Kingissepp, and his unit was attached to the infantry division that captured a Leningrad tram. Then he occupied an OP in the tower of the church at the Czar's palace Peterhof. From there to the Volkhov, Mga and Ssinjavino for the Ladoga battles and Kirichi/Tchudovo. The retreat started in Jan. 44. When they had almost made it he was cut off, and with four comrades saw a Soviet infantry company charging up to the cemetary they were defending. When he thought all was lost, artillery defensive fire tore the Russian soldiers to pieces 'poor sods, but what can you do, it was us or them', is what he said. Shortly after that severely wounded in a partisan attack - he still carries a Soviet bullet in his chestbone. He was a Corporal/Sergeant (Unteroffizier) at the time. Evacuated, sent to Denmark by a well-meaning lieutenant with five other NCOs, instead of back to the front, deserted two weeks before the end of the war, captured by the British on the Elbe, released because of his wound, and walked home. First one to arrive home in the village in June 1945. Married my grandmother and spend a lot of his time thereafter running the county association of the association of war victims. He is still alive.

Nasty, brutish, and quick?

The cause of the revolution brooks no rest. STAVKA has therefore authorised me to smite two fascist invader occupant bootlickers of Rockefeller at the same time. IOW - Joachim is also playing me. Have you fulfilled your quote comrade?

Thank you for this post, soon to be Comrade Joachim of the Seydlitz Army. Your post clearly shows the adventurist nature of your doomed to fail Blitzkrieg concept. Clearly, if your effing Wehrmacht rocks so bad, how come it does not have trucks? Eh? Here in the socialist workers' paradise, soldiers drive to work, and after killing their quota of adventurist fascist invader occupants, they drive home. On trucks. That is what socialism does for us.

Just to show those uppity Finnish white counterrevolutionary adventurist invader bourgeois degenerated running-dog lick-spittle lackeys of worker suppressing fascist capitalist factory owners who really is boss (the working man, if there was any doubt), Front command has issued me with 'The All-Seeing Eye', and sure enough we found this, and the first round from a ***** gun managed to convince the occupants that resistance is futile, and they should come with me, if they want to live. The Finnish defense department had this to say (and I quote): Thank you for your attention. You may now go back to overfulfil your quotas.

Ah, some piece of Finnish technology caused a double post.