Andreas

Looks like spontaneous combustion to me. A case for Moulder and Scully.

Soviet tank brigades would normally have a motorised infantry battalion. The site below has all you need to know about the 1942 pattern of Soviet tank brigades. CMMC2 Soviet TO&E info for 1942

The 12,8cm gun is in the Jagdtiger, appeared in the Maus, and there is a Pak based on it. The 10cm K18 is a field piece that was present in the schwere Abteilung of motorised and armoured divisions, in TO&E it would be one battery of 10cm K18 replacing one battery of 15cm sFH18. The 10cm K18 had a much longer range >19km than either the 10,5cm lFH18 (>12km) or the 15cm sFH18 (>15km). As such it could be used longer when the Panzer spearhead disappeared into the green fields beyond. You could do a search with my member number and/or '10cm K18' or somesuch, and find all sorts of interesting info on it. There were also a lot of independent Abteilungen with 10cm K18. These would presumably often work at long-range interdiction and counter-battery. A major drawback of the gun was its small explosive load of only ~5.5kg/shell (for comparison, the total weight of the Soviet 15.2cm howitzer was 43.5kg I believe, and payload was a lot better). The losses of 10cm K18 were high at the start of Barbarossa because they would be used as ATGs, and they really were not meant for that.

4. The Larch T.H.E...L.A.R.C.H...

I have one which was never released, happy to email it to you.

Comrades, in our never ending quest for scientific supremacy on the battlefield, I wish to present to you an analysis conducted by our esteemed Comrade Stalin, outlining The three stages of the German infantry attack (meaning - the ones after they drink the beer, eat the sausage, and yodel themselves into oblivion) 1. The confident dash The picture below shows a strapping German lad, dashing towards what he believes will be his at the end of the day. This is clear parade-ground tactics. 2. Hitting the deck Unfortunately for him and his comrades, their commander Mr.Blue never managed his bed-time reading. He must have missed out on the story of the hare and the tortoise (or Hase and Igel in Hintertupfing, where they come from). Together with a jolly 'Ik bün all dor' from a Soviet tank crew, a hail of cannister rounds greeted this doomed trooper when he crested the skyline. 3. Belly-wiggling Here we see the effect of such a hail of fire straight from the steel-furnaces of Magnitogorsk. The Germans lose all the drive and stored-up anger, and all they think of is getting back to where the sausages came from. Comrades, this concludes Lesson 1. Your essays titled 'What I learned from the wisdom imparted on me by Comrade Stalin who I dearly love' are expected in the Kommissar's office by close of play today. Dismissed, go and agitate the troops now.

I am very happy to see the cause of Communism prevail in this tournament. The historical inevitability of the victory of our Marxist system should become clear to the sausage-eating invaders by now. Lets hope for an 8-0, or somefink.

Anything involving more than 12 flamethrowers on a small map. Steve </font>

The 'modern' Rheinmetall twin 20mm uses belts. I an not sure about the old single-barrel 20mm, but I am sure the quad uses magazines, as does the KWK.

Cor blimey guv! While your boys and girls, and my tax money is out-a-hunting to give Saddam a good wag of the tail with Tally-ho and toodle pips, and all that, I thought it would be nice to have a drink without feeling guilty about collateral damage. This Saturday 1700 in The Chandos pub near Charing Cross Stn. The Chandos location info Stiff upper lips and whalerus moustaches preferred, but not required. Even Americans can come, although I am sure that should the domestic situation prevent them from showing up, we can handle our beer ourselves. Contingency orders will be made at the bar.

Dear Mr. Blue, I guess that means we are both ready for each other. Since my turn is at this point in time with you, may I kindly ask for you to return it fortwith, for me to peruse the result of your deliberations on how to achieve my demise at my leisure. Hugs. Mr Brown

Is that the famous 1-tank invasion of Malta? No wonder it failed

Optics are vehicle specific, not nationality specific. So 'no'. Regarding the cupola/radio question. Not all T34 in German service were rebuilt, some were simply picked up on the battlefield and kept going until they were knocked out again, or broke down. If you want to simulate the rebuilt ones in a scenario, use the obr43 variety, that comes with cupola and radio. Never heard this about Tigers given to special crews. Have you got some more info on that?

Apart from number of spare barrels, obviously... All the best, John. </font>

The Romanians switched sides when the Soviets steamrollered them and the German forces in Romania (the somewhat misnomed AG South Ukraine) in the Iassy-Kishinjev operation after 22nd August 1944. My money would still be on the Soviets telling the Romanian air force to put a sock in it until they have switched to Soviet models.

Red Army grounded their air-force?

Well, nothing to update at the moment, because I am in Rome until tomorrow. Suffice to say that Mr Blue truly must be a Monty acolyte of the slowest sort. I will see if I can light a fire under him to get him going. At the moment, the smart money is on me.

I think Abbott has the right of it in the linked thread (or his mysterious source ). I have seen other references along the lines of 'The Army's Sturmbattalion did...', e.g. during the Bagration battles (about the same time as Cotentin, at the other end of the continent). Sufficient to make me believe that establishing such a formation was a doctrinal, and not an on-the-hoof event or project.

I always thought these were part of the Sturmbatallion, an Army level asset for special tasks, and Army reserve. Which would make them a regular formation with an established TO&E.

Neither, although the second one is a bit closer on the mark. There was no 6th Guards Tank Army at Kursk. 1st Tank Army was clobbered, but not destroyed, AFAIK. It participated in the follow-on Soviet offensive two weeks later.

I would argue that depends on your definition of 'entertainment'. Personally, I find e.g. the 'Panzer Aces' style of writing boring, while many others seem to find it entertaining.

Ammo production numbers quoted in this thread are from a different source. A website , but one I pretty much trust. How rusty is your German John? www.lexikonderwehrmacht.de Do Andreas (not me) a favour and click on some of the banners, he does a superb job. Andreas works quite closely with another chap going by the name of Jörg Wurdack who is a living encyclopedia of the Wehrmacht. I have yet to see Jörg to fail to answer a question about the most obscure units of the Wehrmacht in the most obscure places you can think of. He posts at http://forum.panzerlexikon.de

To be honest, if this is the extent of your contribution, I guess you won't be missed much either. FYI - it is not just me, but also John Salt, Simon Fox, and a number of others who have trouble with your attitude of 'my opinion and unofficial (better: uninformed) reasoning counters all those accounts and documents you can provide' - but please, continue to make an idiot of yourself. You are doing well. Also, short lesson in German guns. The sPzB41 is not an autocannon. It is a single-shot weapon. A quick look into the game would have shown you that, but you seem to be too lazy to carry out even that bit of research.

Thanks Jon, I did not know that the Littlejohn adapter turned it into a squeeze bore gun.

There is; and if it's the one I'm thinking of, mounted on the 250/11(?) HT, then it is a squeeze bore gun that couldn't fire an HE shell anyway</font>