Andreas

Overhead cover against heavier stuff in a long-term position (probably near Kirishi in 42/43). German use of 155 during mobile campaigns - because the 155 was the only MotZ arty bn in the infantry division, it would be employed as support for the Vorausabteilung, built out of the motorised divisional elements (AT, some pioneers, elms of recce, 155 bn). So at the sharp end of divisional operations, the chances to have 155 in support for an infantry platoon were pretty good in those days. Later 155 suffers from the general German artillery problem. There is not enough to go round of anything.

Total Normandy KIA/WIA casualties according to the D-Day museum were >200k for the Germans. Plus >200k POW (many of whom would have been wounded?). 90k KIA/WIA/POW at Falaise out of 400k total. Casualties for D-Day alone estimated at 4-9k KIA/WIA. I'd say 100k looks somewhat high, but not outrageously so, if the D-Day museum has its numbers correct.

What is the Pushkin map like?

Just to ensure that Apple's reputation is not unduly sullied, I need to point out that in the end it was non-Apple RAM that appears to have been the culprit, and not an Apple hardware failure. After some massive work by a very competent chap (if you ever end up in Paris and have Mac trouble, email me), the machine now works fine, even better than before, because the OS is cleaned up, I have a home-wireless system based on two Airport cards, and my old G4 is running perfectly with his new HDD.

What's the date stamp on that one? Mapping certainly improved over time. I need to have a look at my grandfather's maps again, but I am reasonably certain that the later one (Volkhov) is much better than the earlier one (Luga), which is from September 1941.

The German short-range air recon flights (with Hs 126) directly attached to Panzerdivisions or Panzerkorps did a great job in France, and in early Barbarossa acting as eyes of the unit they were attached to. Their losses were never made good, and every officer with a staff job in either of the Grosseinheiten mentioning them mentions the severity of losing them. Hs 126

My grandfather still has two very good 1:50k maps (Schiesskarten quality for counter battery work) from the Luga and Volkhov areas, respectively (Lord knows where he nicked them), based on captured Soviet maps. In the AG North area the Germans found a railway line they did not know existed, and roads appearing out of nowhere, or presumed roads being non-existent seems to have been a relatively common occurence.

Yes, but if you are thinking of the same army I am, I would argue that is a rather special case. No idea. Whatever it was, I would be surprised if it looked much like what was written in the field manuals.

My objection to this—and I suspect Andreas' as well—is that while factory buildings tended to be rather bland, standardized structures (or at least often enough to be treated that way), most other kinds of buildings, whether domiciles or public buildings tended to be rather more individualistic (exceptions such as row houses noted). Unless you have a rather large kit of "parts" I think it would be rather hard to make convincing looking models of all the varieties. Remember, the "parts" that buildings have to be assembled from have to harmonize so that they look like they would belong together (architectural montrosities again noted). Michael </font>

It would be interesting to look at the production schedules of individual plants. Since the Soviets turned the automobile factories over to producing light tanks and assault guns early in the war (T-60, then T-70, from 1943 SU-76), it is surprising that they stopped producing the Gaz-AA just when common sense says they would need it, but maybe less so when one considers that the Gaz factory produced the SU-76. My guess is that at this stage they did not feel the need to continue their own production of heavy off-road capable trucks once they knew they could get the US trucks. It made more sense to produce lots of SU-76 and lend-lease trucks. This would go even further in showing that US trucks were not really such a critical item - if they had not been there, all the Soviets would have done was to produce fewer Su-76, and fill the capacity with Gaz-AA to improve mobility.

French people dig 'Scrubs'. We are not so sure about Mrs. Vega though.

Oh well... The soldier came knocking upon the queen's door He said, "I am not fighting for you any more" The queen knew she'd seen his face someplace before And slowly she let him inside. He said, "I've watched your palace up here on the hill And I've wondered who's the woman for whom we all kill But I am leaving tomorrow and you can do what you will Only first I am asking you why." Down in the long narrow hall he was led Into her rooms with her tapestries red And she never once took the crown from her head She asked him there to sit down. He said, "I see you now, and you are so very young But I've seen more battles lost than I have battles won And I've got this intuition, says it's all for your fun And now will you tell me why?" The young queen, she fixed him with an arrogant eye She said, "You won't understand, and you may as well not try" But her face was a child's, and he thought she would cry But she closed herself up like a fan. And she said, "I've swallowed a secret burning thread It cuts me inside, and often I've bled" He laid his hand then on top of her head And he bowed her down to the ground. "Tell me how hungry are you? How weak you must feel As you are living here alone, and you are never revealed But I won't march again on your battlefield" And he took her to the window to see. And the sun, it was gold, though the sky, it was gray And she wanted more than she ever could say But she knew how it frightened her, and she turned away And would not look at his face again. And he said, "I want to live as an honest man To get all I deserve and to give all I can And to love a young woman who I don't understand Your highness, your ways are very strange." But the crown, it had fallen, and she thought she would break And she stood there, ashamed of the way her heart ached She took him to the doorstep and she asked him to wait She would only be a moment inside. Out in the distance her order was heard And the soldier was killed, still waiting for her word And while the queen went on strangeling in the solitude she preferred The battle continued on

He's got fluid. He's got fluid. He's got fluid. He's got fluid. He's got fluid. He's got fluid. He's got fluid. He's got fluid. He's got fluid. He's got fluid. He's got fluid.

You're too kind. That'll buy you another Cafe in the Cafe du Marche this week.

My understanding was that it was a question of how many axles were driven that made the difference. Were the big Soviet ones 6x6, 6x4 or 6x2 (is there such a thing?). I take it the small one is a 4x2? AIUI at least some of the US trucks delivered to the Soviets were 6x6, and most were 6x4 or 4x4?

Bad idea, unless you also have the ability to do pre-fabs.

I like Denwad's idea. Not that I ever play QBs, but this sounds much better than the current system.

Yup, would not surprise me, and the 1944 'mud' offensive in Ukraine is the other obvious one.

Colder, actually. But a bloody marvellous sunset. In general, making the LOS tool less powerful is probably an easy way to introduce uncertainty, without giving up the squad-command level. Of course, it will have a number of people howling, those who want it to be more powerful instead. I predict a debate on that issue which will at least be as intense as the PBEM debate, if not more so.

Not a lot, IMO. As I said, it was very much tied to terrain considerations. Essentially it enabled them to bypass some chokepoints. If they had never had laid their eyes on 6x4s they would probably have been able to innovate a different way out of the problem. They seem to have managed well enough in other areas. E.g. prior to having lots of US trucks, they used T60 and T-70 tanks to move ATGs in tactical situations with tricky terrain (balkas) during Saturn (that is the operation that Chruschtschow did not get involved in, because he was too busy at Rzhev ).

The assumption is quite correct. Soviet trucks were 2x4, while US trucks were 6x6 or 6x4, or sumfink. Vastly more capable in cross-country movement. This increased Soviet tactical movement capabilities to a point that the Wehrmacht never enjoyed. It had some operational consequences, particular during Bagration, as pointed out by Dunn, but it was much less important during the following major operations in areas with less tricky terrain, such as L'vov-Sandomierz, Vistula-Oder, or Berlin and Prague. My guess is that it will have played a role during Iassy-Kishinev, although there the change of sides of the Romanians and the remote location of the army group as a whole probably contributed much more to making it the stunning success it was. The basic 'trucks played a role' was never in dispute. The current smokescreen put up by our friend who presumably just graduated from Midvale Debating School for the Gifted is of course that it was. And that Chruschtschow murdered Operation Mars, of course. That one still has me giggling.

Not sure if platoon commanders in all armies would get have gotten 1:50k maps as a matter of course. Strikes me as unlikely, except when we are talking very specific operations (e.g. Overlord or Market Garden). They may of course have rough sketch drawings, and may have walked the ground (if defending). What would be interesting, but horrendously ugly I guess, would be to turn anything outside a friendly units direct LOS into a 1:50k map with terrain features (that may or may not be correct) and top-down view only.

Oi, Seanachai. I think this 'blue division' chap in the Scenario forum maybe an old acquaintance. He may just be looking for a mortal enemy too. My fiancee is in town this weekend, consequently I will be too busy to help him out, so I thought, how about you? Hmmm? Sounds tempting, don't it?

Cabron is the other one that springs to mind. Maybe I better tell Seanachai.

Well yes, but he has already 'proved' that (in the 'Lalaland, it's all in my head' sense of 'prove'), so now he has to move on to more exciting topics, such as Chruschtschow's wartime career, that historians everywhere got wrong so far.