Andreas

In descending order of importance, YMMVW: 1a) Was it fun? 1b) Was it reasonably realistic fun? 2) Was the map well done? 3) Were the briefings helpful, well edited, fitting to the situation. 4) Was it reasonably playable for you and your opponent (if PBEM/TCP)? Note, this does not mean balanced. 5) Was it fun? That is how I approach reviews, anyway. I never rate replayability, since it is a pointless criterion in my view. I never replay a scenario, and I never design any of mine to be replayed. The reason for this is that on replay, the FOW is gone, gone, gone.

The point about *cough* 'recruitment' *cough* in newly liberated areas is very important. Training these new soldiers in what often was an incredibly short amount of time (I think it was just six weeks or so that were effectively available between the end of the spring offensive and the beginning of the L'vov Sandomierz offensive operation in 1944, in 1st Ukrainian sector) requested a massive effort of Soviet rear organisation, who not only had to outfit these chaps, but also train them. I believe, but am not that well informed about it, that newly liberated former POWs were often just given a rifle and told to come along, and that partisan bands were absorbed into the army. Hopefully Grisha will be along shortly to expand a bit on it. I am away from all my sources at the moment.

In a frontline environment, a game of Skat is much more rewarding. If you start collecting anything, you implicitly make assumptions about your future. A game of Skat lasts 2-5 minutes, so it is more likely you are still around by the end of it. NP - will be a while though. Email Shelby Stanton, if he is still around. I just googled for him, and he seems a serious historian, so I doubt he would just throw out the claims he made in the WashPo article. He must have sources for this. I am not aware of any studies - the responses in the thread on the German forum lead me to believe there is nothing or very little in German as well. There is one chap there who is a walking/posting encyclopedia, and he did not butt in. I think if there was something, he would have found it. Flimsy and grasping at straws, I know.

This product can still be purchased today. I believe they sell it at Germandeli.com. The tins it comes in even look similar to the ones it was issued in back during the war. </font>

There is some evidence in that German language thread. I don't know more than that about the topic. It comes up every so often, but understandably is not mentioned a lot in memoirs 'Me and my men charged up the hill and took the position' sounds much more glorious then 'Then I drugged me and my men, and in a Pervitin-inspired fury we charged up that hill and took the position. Afterwards we were like Zombies.' I also doubt many of the men would know what the tablettes contained. I'll ask my grandfather when I see him next. Although he probably stuck to alcohol, knowing my family.

If the WW2 2cm worked on the same principle as the post-war Rheinmetall 2cm gun, its rounds would automatically detonate (Selbstzerleger) at 1,200m.

Far more mundane, I think it is a safe assumption that copious amounts of alcohol helped cope with stress on all sides as well. An amphetamin, called Pervetin, although falling under the drugs laws in Germany, was delivered in huge quantities to the Wehrmacht. Also, Schoka-Kola (Chocolate with very high caffeine content), and Dextro-Energen (high energy sugar tablets) were used to keep soldiers 'on guard'. For German speakers, here is the thread where I got that information from. I would not see it as a primary source, so the usual healthwarning applies. It is a good forum with some knowledgeable people though. German discussion on drugs

Beats East London hands down, if you ask me, mate. I am not even going to start on Coventry.

I am going to do one on a weekend late in October (18th or 25th). No renditions of the Canadian anthem permitted. Americans only allowed in if they have two heads. No joking either, I am German. I will serve the English national dish Haggis, and the English national drink Carlsberg. Well, if you are lucky I can find some stale crisps under the sofa. If you want to attend, email me. First come first served. If demand is sufficient, I have another one a week or so later. Would be good if someone could bring an extra Computer (so no PC, Apple only).

I am going to do one on a weekend late in October (18th or 25th). No renditions of the Canadian anthem permitted. Americans only allowed in if they have two heads. No joking either, I am German. I will serve the English national dish Haggis, and the English national drink Carlsberg. Well, if you are lucky I can find some stale crisps under the sofa. If you want to attend, email me. First come first served. If demand is sufficient, I have another one a week or so later. Would be good if someone could bring an extra Computer (so no PC, Apple only).

But that is simple. You just produce CM without the Germans in it. So that would feature the Allies sitting around being nice to each other, apart from Bradley and Patton shouting at Monty, and everyone making snide remarks about the cheese that de Gaulle brought to the picknick. Sounds riveting to me.

Okay......... Thanks Andreas, that clears it up for me. Don't know how I missed it. </font>

Yes. </font>

Idiots, both of you. I am German, I don't joke. The frog is gone to meet its maker, joined the bleedin' choir invisible. Hence 'was'.

You gormless twit. Your supreme complete lack of comprehension of what is going on in the world around you in general, and the forums in particular would only be excelled by the level of understanding the average Dutch cucumber could develop for Shakespeare. I tried to be funny, in an in-joke amongst Grog, hard to get for anyone sort of way. The next thing that happened was that Emrys was called a Nazi (well, he joins AndrewTF in that), JonS was loathed, and Sean got his personal mortal enemy. So far so good you probably nod by now, while contemplating whether the green goo on your finger is still snot, or already brain, but let me tell you, it makes bugger all difference in your case. But then, the next thing you know, all the grogs start posting in the Peng thread. Well, that enlivened it a bit, and quite frankly, a typically overboiled Brussels sprout still marginally (yes that is a word) beats the cream of the denizens here when it comes to grace, wit, worldliness, and (yes you guessed it) taste. Still, I would not expect you to get it anymore than I would expect a tub of lard to develop space travel. Now, just focus that braincell of yours (remember, it is needed to resume breathing in 3 minutes, so think quick!). What will happen next? Well, I got next to me a book on German tanks, the diary of a general staff officer in 4th Army in 1940, and a treatise on Tarnopol 1944. Do you want me to open them, and discuss the lEEtness of the Waffen-SS with the other grogs, who are so handily assembled in here? Punk.

What is it now? Your Li'l Buddy? </font>

That was a frog hand puppet. It is significantly more amusing than anything you have posted here, ever. And that is while it is stowed at the bottom of my dirty underwear hamper.

Do they make them any less likely to blow up on turn 2? </font>

My guess is they are rather busy producing CMAK at the moment. Just a hunch

I'll have you know that Shaw can be perfectly dimwitted all by himself, and needs absolutely no help from me. </font>

Yes.

Idiot. You are mistaking me for Bastables, or *shudder* Kip *shudder*. I don't give a flying monkey's about armour penetration. Go somewhere and get a clue. What are you? Joe Shaw's dimwitted assistant that is allowed to prance about here to make him look better? Dalem's hair-comber incarnate? Oh don't tell me, I could not care any less, actually.

I can not but categorically deny this outpouring of unbridled spin rotating at a speed that would make an energy storage flywheel weep in envy. There are in this world lies, bald-faced lies, and Bastables' posts. Quite au contraire and habeas corpulent to what the pipe-smoking, slipper-wearing excuse for a pseudo grog masquerading as Bastables says in the above, there can be no question that the loss of all my tanks to his red hordes is anything but a magnificent victory for me. His men, who were welcomed with open arms and an invitation for breakfast on the fields of Kursk by my fascist Nazi SS jackboot-wearing village burners, err, I mean cuddly German tourists who just dismounted their Kaessbohrer Mark IV 75L48 buses for a brew-up, instead turned around and threw our offer of hospitality back at us, together with their inferior 76.2mm projectiles. So I had to kill them. Honest guv. Lots of them. So I did. In fact, the Magnitogorsk steel works can run on the shredded remains of his T34s for about a year or so, with no need for new ore to be delivered. Quite frankly, reading made-up reports 'from the front', such as the one poured out some orifice by Bastables, that have the internal consistency of a News of the Screws report, or a Downing Street press release, albeit a slightly higher connection to reality than a Rumsfeld press briefing, makes me sick. I wish there could be some truth in this world. For a change. I'll have to take this to Battlefront.com to see what can be done about it. A good caning comes to mind. All I can suggest is that Basty should revert back to Borkum Reef in his pipe. The cow dung that is currently in it obviously does not agree with him, and produces bad trips.

Ah, thank you for proving that it was really effective in a single sentence. I will go with some others to see CABRANK at work in the National Film Theatre on Wednesday - they are showing 'A bridge too far'. Based on that research trip (I should really ask BFC to pay for the ticket, I guess), I will come back and state my considered opinion on its effectiveness.

Incidentally, getting slaughtered was what happened to the Soviets that day. The scenario is mostly on the CD to provide people with an easy glimpse of what HMGs can do in CMBB, compared to CMBO. I originally designed it for myself to see that.