Andreas

Only if you are concerned about it being correct German.

Not judges, lictors, who are more like officers of the court. http://www.vroma.org/~araia/lictor.html

Yes, if the surrounding countryside is of the brush type.

Not an expert, but here is what I would do. Just use Open or Steppe, with a tendency to get very muddy when it is raining. You will get a lot of wild gras seeding itself, but probably not enough to warrant brush as a terrain tile. Grain is not reseeding itself, AFAIK, so there would not be any seeds from last year's harvest in the ground that could come up.

At extremely close range I think I'd rather have the Bren, because it will be easier to handle than the belt-fed, heavier, difficult to hold and handle, massive recoil, comparatively unreliable MG34. But that's just me.

Those are 'Fasces' - hence Reinald's comment is slightly differently, on the money. 'Fasces, Fasces everywhere' in CMAK.

Yes, I must admit my cunning plan to take revenge on the evil Nazi scum worked like a breeze. All my SS Hamstertruppen died a horrible death at the hands of Basty's steely-eyed worker liberators. Thank you. For my next trick, I will besmirch the Finnish reputation. Watch this space.

Nothing like a bit of quality research from armour penetration experts like Pitt to underpin your argument.

Nothing like a bit of quality research from armour penetration experts like Pitt to underpin your argument.

'Specials' are usually the long-barreled versions, i.e. the 75L43 (later L48) and the 50L60 gun equipped IV and III versions.

'Specials' are usually the long-barreled versions, i.e. the 75L43 (later L48) and the 50L60 gun equipped IV and III versions.

I obviously need to get James out for the odd pint or two.

We are not about to let any twit posting on these boards challenge us. Get over it, and get back into the sandpit with the other crybabies. We are too busy dismembering Elvis and Sergei to deal with the likes of you. STFU when the Horsemen do the Apocalypso.

I am sure he has trouble remembering the taste of the gruel he has had for diner, let alone anything more complex. BTW - we did that to Carthage, we only enlisted your services to clean up the mess. Hugs. War

'A walk in the sun' is supposed to be a good first-hand GI story in Italy - according to the dust jacket. If I can ever work up an interest in US personal accounts again, I'll read it and let you know. 'The recollections of Rifleman Bowlby' is a good personal UK soldier's account.

Back on topic, if you are interested in personal experiences, for the Commonwealth I would recommend Lord Carver's 'Imperial War Museum Book on the war in Italy', which is a trawl through the IWM personal memory archives of veterans (his history is best not mentioned, read it for the personal accounts and ignore the apologism inbetween), and one of the three books by the IWM's oral historian Peter Hart: 'The Heat of Battle', dealing with the Italian campaign of the 16th Durham Light Infantry. Go the Geordies!

How do you (or they) define "harder fought"? </font>

John If that is what whinging at you gets as a response, remind me to whinge more often. Hugs Andreas

No they don't.

Harharhar - says the German. Excuse me while I go and purr. Bringing that Pak 40 along was a really neat investment. You have given Lieutenant-Colonel Goluchko a real headache in getting all those tanks repaired. Say, why don't you show some screenshots of sprawled dead Russians and T34 hulks? There are a lot of them around on that map. Puuuuurrrrr...

Thanks a lot. Must have done something wrong if you managed to beat it first go though. Note to self - must try harder...

www.derkessel.org We know good stuff when we see it, and then host it.

Not even a contest. I whacked Elvis Panzer III driving fascist yahoos like the proverbial red-headed stepchildren, for an 88:12 magnificent victory following his grovelling surrender. His Panzer III got caught in the cross-fire between the Grants and the Shermans, and that was that. The only thing he managed to annihilate was a platoon position in the centre of the map. I lost one Grant and one Sherman to frontal penetrations (sit down Bauhaus), as well as both M3GMCs (the latter to unknown causes). Those PzB41 equipped HTs make nice BBQs after their spectacular explosions.

Hmm, seeing that teh British Army until the 1970s (at least, some say until today) would have refused to acknowledge the need for, much less the existence of, something as foul as 'doctrine', maybe saying it WAS strictly a 'bone-headed, haven't been out to fight Germans at all, but still know it all better, utterly dense civil servant in Whitehall decided it' - matter? Then again, 'doctrinal' is somewhat snappier.

Kenneth Macksey in 'Afrika Korps' gives the info as follows. Originally 2-pdr could penetrate Panzer III and IV out to 1,000 yards. Then in March 1942 face-hardened improved armour turns up, and suddenly the 2-pdr fails over 300 out to 1,200 due to shatter, then penetrates to 1,800 (sometimes) and over that fails again, consistently. Unfortunately he gives no source for that.