Joshik

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Lawyer wrote: BTW, Crocodile Dunnee, the correct term is Gamey Bastard. Sure, "gamey" is BS, but "gamey bastard" is a term of beauty and depth with Shakespearian overtones. Get it right, and you'll be happy again. -------------------- "Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap... "Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake... "Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents... "Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness... "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living..." Psalm 69<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Lawyer-- Your quote isn't exactly right. Psalm 69, translated from the original Aramaic, reads: "Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap... "Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake... "Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents... "Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness... "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living... you GAMEY BASTARDS!" And to this we say... "Amen" and "Amen". -Joshik

U.S. vs. Australia: Who Would Win? I'm afraid the U.S. would be in trouble, if faced with a conventional war against Australia. It is a well-known fact that the Australians have successfully spliced the genes of kangaroos with Australian Special Forces troops, creating a race of fierce kangaroo-warrior men who can jump really high, move fast, and have razor-sharp claws that are capable of slicing their opponents into tiny bits. This was dramatically portrayed in the 1995 movie "Tank Girl". Here's a reference for you: Tank Girl Oh, and then there's Mad Max. But that's another story... -Joshik

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Babra: We called the stock versions "Pattons" since they were little more than an upgraded M48. If modified with special armour, they were known as "Merkavot Giborey Ha'milchama" (Chariot of Heroes), or just "Ma'gach". <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> "Merkavot Giborey Ha'milchama"? Shall we call you "Babra the Sabra"? --Joshik

Russel: oh, yes! And then some! After a few shots of Stoli, let me take a crack at translating Mr. Terence's lingustics... "Ni Shagu Nazad!" This would be "Not one step back!" Wasn't this the command that was given to the Soviet troops at Stalingrad? (grog-help, please) "Eb Tvoyu Mat' Ty Sranniy Nemetski Razpizdyie!" I think he means "Yobe tvai-YAH mat'-- ti SRAN-nee nyeh-MET-skii raz-PEEZ-dyee!" The first part is the famous "go F your mother. The second part... I don't know what "SRAN-nee" means, but it's an adjective. "TI" is "you". "NYEM-tsi" is "German". The last word is interesting. The root is PEEZ-dah, which is slang for the female reproductive organs. The closest English equivalent would be C. But what's interesting is that it has the prefix "RAZ", which suggests "out of control", or "all over the place". For instance, "OOM" is "mind/brain", and "raz-OOM-nee" would be "crazy/insane". So I get the feeling that the word "raz-PEEZ-dyee" conveys the idea of "out-of-control C" or "loose/wanton C". <Whew!> Therefore, T's second statement would translate to "Go F your mother, you ??? German C!" T's last phrase was "Mwee Goro-DAH raz-bom-BEE-lee na-KHOO-wee, Blyad!' Crap. I wish I stuidied more... Uhm... the verb is BOM-bat', which I <cautiously> think means "to bomb". Again you see the "raz" prefix, suggesting "chaotic/out-of-control", so raz-bom-bat' would mean a massive, terrifying bombing. "na-KHOO-wee" (KH--like you're clearing your throat, or saying the German "ach") is the most famous naughty Russian "three-letter word". Similar to English "F", but it still retains most of it's potency and shock value. When I was in Moscow in 1987, you could still get arrested for saying "ee-DEE na-KHOO-wee!", meaning "F off!" KHOO-wee literally translates to cock/prick, but also is used for sh*t,F, etc. It is the king of naughty words, and can be combined with prefixes and suffixes to allow for very detailed and elegant swearing. With this in mind, I believe T's last phrase would loosely translate to "We bombed the **** out of your town, you whore!" Ain't Russian great? -Joshik

If I translated this correctly, you are a very naughty malchik! Please post a translation for our Russian-impaired friends! -Joshik

I'm not sure if I have the story straight, but I thought the term "sharpshooter" came about during the American Civil War. Weren't they a group of skilled marksmen who were outfitted with the Sharpe's Model rifle, thus becoming literally "sharpes-shooters"? Or is that just a tall tale? -Joshik

I thought the ceiling on mods had been reached, but you just raised it up another level. Kudos! Can you perhaps create a little how-to guide for us, so we can attempt something like this? I work at a graphic arts firm, so I have access to wonderful scanners, all the latest photo/paint programs, etc. You said you scanned in photos or images from books? Which ones? Did this images/illustrations cover the whole tank, or did you have to create anything from scratch? If you can show us how you did it, I'll try and take a crack at some of the other models! -Joshik

I recall playing WBW's Bocage scenario (excellent, by the way) and having two squads of US hidden in a wheat field. A German squad wandered in and got to within 20-30 meters before I had my guys pop up and nail them. Within 5 seconds, I decimated their squad. Hiding in a wheatfield works wonders, as long as you're not spotted! --Joshik

More things I’ve learned from watching "Cross of Iron": German regiments were often supported by a company of Kinderzingers, who would inspire the troops with their haunting melodies. Always look both ways before crossing the street. German soliders tend to get killed in slow motion. The cure for concussion? A bottle of vodka and a good schtup! After the war, Col. Brandt emigrated to the United States, changed his name, and developed a fondness for underage girls. Shiny, new leather coats don’t stand a chance on the Eastern Front. Gnarly knit caps, however, last forever. By the end of the campaign, Capt. Treblig had more ventilation than most T-34s. You can always find the cutest girls in the hottub. Photos of war atrocities are a good source of cheap entertainment. The Russians can spot cheap footwear a mile away. And finally… The German policy of "don’t ask, don’t tell" didn’t work too well, either.

Things I’ve learned from watching "Cross of Iron": "He said YES… didn’t he, Kepler… he said YES! Didn’t he, Kepler?!? It is quite amusing to be called an "ehr-row-ik orr-ses aah-sss." A German officer can have a really swinging time, especially if he is stationed in the south of France. Russian soldiers under the age of twelve tend to look alike. Germans have the ability to tear through a salad bar, just like they tore through Poland and France. Private Deitz must not have been able to avoid the sunlight. Never, ever, attempt to sodomize a Russian. Steiner isn’t a man… he’s a MYTH. The most battle-hardened German can be brought to a dead standstill with a big, juicy kiss. German moustaches are a bad idea. A favorite tactic of saboteurs was to sneak into German banquets and spike the punch bowl with Acid. Russians are good on the attack, but don’t hire them to guard anything important. "Demarcation" is a poor choice for a password. Germans can handle all sorts of difficult fighting, but they get a bit weirded out watching their officers take a leak. Dirt, combined with natural body oils, renders you waterproof. And stinky. All that you are now, and all that you may become, is entirely dependent on this present company. The Eastern Front is more enjoyable than a naughty German nurse. And finally… Need to know where the Iron Crosses grow? Ask Steiner.

While studying in Moscow, I discovered that Russians had a terrible time pronouncing the name "Josh". There is no letter J in Russian... the closest they could get was "D-Zh". That worked fine, but the "sh" immediately following a "zh" sound seemed to fry Russian brains and cause smoke to pour out of their ears (hmmm... the Germans never tried this approach). I found an effective solution by using the suffix "-shik", which usually denotes "someone who does something", i.e., a "ba-ra-BAN" is a drum, so a "ba-ra-BAN-shik" is a drummer. Any suffix added to a Russian name also has the connotation of being a diminutive and/or an endearment. Russian has a bewildering array of suffixes and nicknames that convey differing levels of intimacy. So Alexander can become Sasha, Sashenka, Sasuchka, and on and on... With that in mind, "Joshik" roughly translates to "Little Joshie". The Russians could pronounce it, and thought it was very cute. -Joshik! ps- An old guy on the street noticed I had dropped one of my gloves, and he called me "tovarishek", which would be "little comrade". Pretty cool!

OK… I often sit on the sidelines when the discussion changes from armor thickness to armchair philosophy. I’m usually content just to roll my eyes and ignore it all, but I can’t remain silent when this thread deteriorates into an anti-Israel diatribe. I feel compelled to address and respond to certain comments made by John Hough and Major Tom. John wrote: "I don't much care for Zionism. And I HATE how the state of Israel was formed and how it's acted since. " Jews can (and certainly do) disagree on the nature of the State of Israel and its policies, but if Zionism is the political belief in the notion of a Jewish national homeland, there are very few Jews who would deny the right of Israel to exist. The only ones I am aware of are a small group of ultra-religious Chasidim, who believe that there cannot be a true Jewish State until the appearance of the Messiah. There is another tiny group of extreme leftist self-haters, in particular Noam Chomsky, who also don’t believe that the State of Israel is entitled to exist. Unless John is wearing a black fur hat and has peyes (earlocks), I’d place him in the second camp. John continues: "We're supposed to be a special people, an example for the nations. What good is it to have a Jewish state if we act just as poorly as the gentiles?" This sounds like a compliment to Jews, but in fact is not. Modern nations should be held to the same standards of international behavior. This happens almost everywhere except for Israel. Did you know that in 1982, Syrian President Hafez el Assad put down a rebellion in Syria by murdering 20,000 of his citizens, and wiping the town of Hama off the map? TWENTY THOUSAND. Most people don’t, but you can be sure that every time a Palestinian rock-thrower gets shot in the leg with a rubber-coated bullet, it will be all over the headlines. Of course Israel can be criticized for specific policies concerning the latest Arab unrest, but let’s keep it in perspective with what’s going on in the rest of the world. To hold Israel to a higher standard of behavior because it’s a Jewish nation, while overlooking similar behaviors in other countries, is not a compliment. It’s discrimination based on religion. And there’s another term for discrimination against Jews… Major Tom also had some interesting comments, to which I must respond: "What probably would have been the best situation for the world after WWII was for the European Jewish population to emigrate to North America." Well, besides the fact that it’s awfully condescending to decide what’s best for the endangered Jewish community in Europe, the Jews in fact WERE trying to emigrate to America, before, during, and after the war. Desperately. And the US, to its utter shame, would not have them. In 1938 or 1939, there was a shipload of Jewish children (800-900 of them, I believe) that tried to make it to the US. They were turned away, and were forced to return to Germany. All of the children were murdered. Even after the war, Jews were being murdered. There was an incident in Poland in 1946, where about 55 Jews in a small town were murdered in a pogrom. This is exactly why Zionism was conceived in the first place: there was the recognition that Jews would only be truly safe in their own country. (Sadly, even that is tough to accomplish!) Tom continues: "I don't believe in using a historical connection to a piece of territory not really in your control (based on population) as a basis for deeming it your rightfull land." So you are agreeing that the Jews in fact have a historical connection to Israel. 4,000+ years. The territory is in Israeli control, and the Israelis have the majority of the population. So what are you saying? This line doesn’t make much sense. Tom says: "The (Israeli) smaller population controlls most of the wealth, even virtually all of the ability to move within the nation. Palestinains are always suspected of being a terrorist, they are definitely 2nd Class citizens." I think you’re confusing Israeli Arabs with Palestinians. Israeli Arabs are Israeli citizens, although they don’t serve in the IDF. They move around the nation with complete freedom, as any Israeli. There are Israeli Arabs serving as mayors and in the government. They are not "Palestinians". Are they being treated completely fairly? Probably not. Are they being treated as "2nd class citizens"? Probably. But look what’s going on. Bombs going off on buses and in market squares will probably tend to make Israelis view anyone of Arab persuasion with a bit of suspicion. Does this sort of behavior occur in other countries? No, never. And try and catch a cab in Harlem. Tom goes on: "There has to be a limit to what Isreal can use the 1940's Jewish holocaust to get away with. " Okay, this is flat out offensive. This is a line of reasoning used mainly by anti-semites. Tom, I’m sure you’re not an anti-semite, so I’ll assume you weren’t thinking perfectly clearly when you wrote this. This reminds me of a very sarcastic line I once heard: "The Germans will never forgive the Jews for Auschwitz". Tom continues: "I am fairly well versed in the goings on in Isreal, and most of what is called Isreal doesn't have a single Jewish person living there. " Really now. Read this again. Do you really believe this? I wish the topic of Israel would not come up in the CM chat room. Tom and John have spend an awful lot of energy and time focusing on Israel. Why are they so fixated and obsessed with Israel? Do I really have to waste my time responding to these nudniks? I could be busy playing QBs, and learning how to maneuver my Shermans. Do you guys really want me to list all the reasons why a strong and healthy Israel is in the best interests of the United States and Europe? <sigh> On a side note… the original topic of this thread was the notion of pacifism. My buddy served in the Israeli army, and he had an interesting debate with some gun fanatics at a party in Virginia. He said he couldn’t understand us Americans at all, with our notions concerning guns. He said he carried around an M-16, and knew how to field strip and work with Uzis, Galils, grenade launchers, pistols… everything. Blindfolded. He went on patrols in the West Bank and up on Golan. He asked: "Have you ever pointed a weapon at anyone, in defense? It’s the absolute worst feeling in the world! Believe me, if we were able to, just about every Israeli would throw away their guns. We hate them, and they are awful things." Pretty wild statement for an Israeli army veteran. Oh, and by the way, if you, as an Israeli soldier, fire your weapon for ANY REASON, you are considered under arrest and subject to court martial. Unless you can prove you were in absolute peril and on the brink of getting killed, you are in deep trouble. The media doesn’t really mention that point. Enough with Israel. Can we please get back to Combat Mission? -Joshik

...once was a Captain from Kent...

Are all of the mods on Kump's site available elsewhere??? Madmatt- would it be possible to integrate the Kump site into CMHQ? It would sure be a welcome addition to CMHQ... -Joshik

Not to fan the flames, but... I just finished reading the recent thread titled "Emanuel Virus- PBEM opponents beware!!!". I came across such phrases as "Unistall Windows scripting host", "VBScript encoded file", and "Format C". As a Mac user, I'm rather unfamiliar with these terms and concepts. Are these things common in the PC world? Am I missing out on something wild and wonderful here? Damn... all these exciting adventures, and I'm stuck here with a Mac that just keeps chugging along... day after day...

Just turned 31 five days ago, and am enjoying this thread immensly. Here's two more for the list: Der Alles Heimers Der Alter Kackers -Joshik

This is a test! Can anyone guess what this is? And where it's located? Yay CM! -Joshik [This message has been edited by Joshik (edited 12-21-2000).]

Gentlemen: I second ltjimbob's comments! I recently had the opportunity to poke around the tank park at Aberdeen and take some pictures. I'm in the process of putting up a small site that will show off some of the tanks, along with their CM counterparts. I thought the CM community would get a kick out of seeing how accurate and well done the CM models truly are! Concerning the Saving Private Ryan "Tiger" question: I compared my photos of a genuine Soviet T-34 with a DVD of SPR (my finger on the pause button). As ltjimbob stated, the wheels and treads of the SPR tank are absolutely and clearly identifiable as those of a T-34. But the moviemakers spruced up the hull and turret so incredibly well...! Everyone should tip their hats to S. Spielberg and the SPR folks for doing their homework. I'll try and post a comparison picture of the T-34 and a still photo from SPR, and you'll see how much work they did. Simply amazing! Yay CM! -Joshik

Came across this small article somewhere on the web, and thought it would be of interest to the group... --Joshik ************************ Effect of Hedgerow Terrain on Infantry Tactics 1st U.S. Army Report of Operations 20 Oct. 1943 - 1 Aug. 1944 In reporting on the conduct of operations during the first phase of Operation "Overlord," the U.S. 1st Army passed on lessons it had learned the hard way on how to fight in the hedgerow country typically found in Normandy. Concluding that "blitz action by tanks" was unsuitable in the close quarters of the bocage, and not seeing any particular advantage to be gained in "Indian fighting" by individual infantrymen, the 1st Army recommended a "combined action" of infantry, artillery, and specially equipped tanks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In effect, hedgerows subdivide the terrain into small rectangular compartments which favor the defense. With careful organization each compartment can be developed into a formidable obstacle to the advance of attacking infantry. By tieing in adjacent compartments to provide mutual support a more or less continuous band of strongpoints may be developed across the front. Handicapped by lack of observation, difficulty in maintaining direction, and inability to use all supporting weapons to their maximum advantage the attacker is forced to adopt a form of jungle or Indian fighting in which the individual soldier plays a dominant part. The most effective method of attack proved to be by the combined action of infantry, artillery and tanks with some of the tanks equipped with dozer blades or large steel teeth in front to punch holes through the hedgerows. It was found necessary to assign frontages according to specific fields and hedgerows instead of by yardage and to reduce the distances and intervals between tactical formations. Normal rifle company formation was a box formation with two assault platoons in the lead followed by the support platoon and the weapons platoon. All commanders agree that there is no substitute for tanks in this type of fighting since tanks can flush the hedgerows with machine gun fire and also deliver point blank artillery fire against the hedgerow corners. The infantry should be deployed in depth with the leading elements moving just abreast of or in rear of the tanks to provide them with protection from AT [antitank] grenade and bazooka fire. During the advance, fire from mortars, grenades, automatic weapons and tank guns should be directed against the hedges and especially the hedge corners whether or not the enemy is definitely located. Some of the supporting tanks should move along the hedgerows parallel to the direction of attack while other tanks cover the hedgerows perpendicular to the direction of advance. As the tanks cross each cross row, the infantry mops up and occupies the hedge and protects the further advance of the tanks from attack by hostile bazookas and AT grenades. Blitz action by tanks in this compartmentized type of terrain proved to be generally unsuccessful against well prepared, organized positions. In the operation west of St. Lo the successes realized are attributed to the disorganization imposed on the enemy by the heavy preparatory air and artillery bombardment and the subsequent penetration of his positions on a scale which prevented any closing of the gap after the tanks had passed through. Copyright © 1998-1999 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Steve- I don't like brown-nosing... but THANK YOU for not giving up on the CM Macintosh community. You guys are the best! -Josh

NYTImes, Thursday, Nov 16, 2000 Section E: Circuits, page E12 "Choose Your Battle: Action, Role-Playing, Puzzles or War" - Peter Olafson COMBAT MISSION: BEYOND OVERLORD The war game rethought, with a masterful mingling of turn-based planning and 3-D real-time action. The sense of being among your troops as they battle across France and Germany in 1944 and 1945 is entirely real. (Battlefront.com; $45; not rated, but seems appropriate for those 17 and older.) Yay! -Joshik

I have been trying to keep an eye out for CM reviews, and came across one from "GA-Strategy". This might be an old one, but if you haven't seen it, it's good. They give it an overall rating of 96%. Yay Combat Mission! Here's the link: http://www.ga-strategy.com/articles/reviews/cmbo.shtml --Joshik

OT, but of interest... I just remembered a story... I spent the fall semester of 1990 studying in Moscow, and we hit a week of particularly cold and wet weather. I didn't have an umbrella, but I did have a wonderful, long mohair scarf. I would wrap the scarf around my head, looking like I had a toothache. Several Russians on the street laughed and pointed at me, yelling "NYEM-tsee!", meaning "German". I guess wrapping a scarf around your head was the SOP for Germans who were ill-prepared for the Soviet winters. It’s pretty remarkable that 50 years later, the average Russians on the street recognized that so quickly. --Joshik

After a few shots of vodka, my college Russian skills are starting to creep back to life... Here's some Russian dialogue, that IMHO needs to be included in CM2: (forgive the transliterations...) V'per-YOHD! - Forward! Nah LEH-va! - To the left! Nah PRAH-va! - To the right! Za STAH-leenu! - For Stalin! Za ROH-deenu! - For the Motherland! ROO-key VERKH! - Hands up! Pah-moh-GI! - Help! On OOH-mer, Djeem. - He's dead, Jim. and of course... Tee OH-chen kra-SEE-vai-yah. KHO-chesh speet s'kapitalis-TEE-ches-koy sven-OY? - You're very beautiful. Would you like to sleep with a capitalist pig? Ok... the last one might not apply to CM2, but it sure comes in handy if you're ever in Moscow! --Joshik

FYI: The FTP site that holds Gunslinger's Mods appears to up and running, as of 4:45pm, Friday, Oct 20!!! (helps if you have a T1...) 142.55.231.199 cm cmbo /gunslinger's good luck! -Joshik