Paul T. Gardner

You're not wrong Bog - John S made it. You'll find it on the Axis Armour page of Toms Combat Mission HQ amongst other places: http://home.arcor.de/tcmhq/International.html Rgds

von Lucke - LOL!! Very Pythonesque! If your not British you may not know what the hang I'm on about, but I just chuckled out loud at your comments! I can see it in a Monty Python sketch quite easily...

That goes for me too, I've heard alot about these sounds and would like to get my mits on them. Cheers.

KwazyDog - you still living in 2001? Tell me how you do that man, last time I looked I was 18 and at school, then just today I woke up and hey, I'm 24. What gives? Anyway heres a little info on the Stg44:The Sturmgewehr 44 made history as the first real assault rifle; in fact, the term "assault rifle" itself is a literal translation of this weapon's designation. Obviously, the concept of the StGw influenced Mikhail Kalashnikov in his development of the famous AK-47 assault rifle (although the AK has a system of it's own right). The story of the Sturmgewehr is that of the late success of an ingenious and right idea that prevailed despite all efforts to stop it. Many attempts had been made in several countries including germany during the 1920ies to develop an automatic rifle that combined the characteristics of the submachinegun - a high rate of fire and therefore fire volume - with that of the then usual regular infantry rifle - accuracy and projectile power - while at the same time eliminating the disadvantages of the respective weapon types. Most of these attempts failed, because the conservative authorities did not like the idea or -mostly- because these early weapons tried to use the regular powerful rifle ammunition. The german breakthrough therefore came when an order was given in April 1938 to develop a weapon that used the specially developed Maschinenkarabiner-Patrone 7.92x33 or Kurzpatrone, later also called Pistolenpatrone 43, that was essentially a shortened Mauser 7.9mm standard rifle cartridge filled with pistol ammunition powder. Two notable designs emerged. The first was constructed by the company Walther and was called Maschinenkarabiner 42 (W) or Mkb 42(W), the other was designed by Hugo Schmeisser from the company Haenel in Suhl under the designation Mkb 42(H). The two are easily discerned because the Haenel-design has a second barrel housing the gas-operation channel that reaches almost to the muzzle. The latter design was considered superior and went into limited production for troop trials, total Mkb 42 production was 11,833 weapons in late 1942 and early 1943. These were to be kept secret from the high command, especially Hitler himself, as he was a strong opponent to the idea not the least because he feared the large-scale introduction of yet another ammunition type. Hitler nevertheless found out about the limited production and ordered the it to be halted immediately. However, development continued under the cover of an alibi project of producing a carbine for the accepted Mauser rifle ammunition at the company Gustloff. Several aspects of the Walther Mkb 42(W) were incorporated, the gas-operated mechanism was improved and the weapon was given the designation Maschinenkarabiner 43 (G) for the company Gustloff, again to deceive Hitler. Like the chicken bone the witch is shown in Hänsel & Gretel, Adolf was always shown the official Mkb 43(G) that was designed for the regular Mauser 7.92mm rifle cartridge. The weapon that used the actual Kurzpatrone was simply called MP 43 machine pistol in the hope that Hitler would see this as a submachine gun. Eventually the truth surfaced and Hitler ordered the project stopped. However, in the meantime the army that had used these weapons in the trials was so enthusiastic about this new weapon that they eventually succeeded in convincing Hitler to produce the weapon as a replacement for the MP 40. First large-scale use of this new weapon was with the 93rd ID in the northern sector of the eastern front. After small changes the weapon was called MP 44. It was not until July 1944 when several Division commanders personally begged Hitler in his headquarters that the weapon was given production priority. In December of that same year the weapon was given the suggestive name Sturmgewehr or Sturmgewehr 44, abbreviated StG 44 or StGw 44. Total production of the MP 43 and MP 44 / Sturmgewehr was 425,977 at a price of 66.- RM for one Sturmgewehr 44. The weapon is a gas-operated automatic weapon that can be fired both in selective single-shot and in full automatic mode (toggled by a switch located on the right side of the gun). Recoil reportedly is is arguably low. Because the metal hand guard fore of the magazine heated up quickly when the weapon was fired, gunners usually held the StGw 44 at the magazine instead of the hot handguard. The StGw 44 features a 30-round curved magazine and could be fitted with all known accessories: it could use bayonets or silencers as well as the Schiessbecher rifle grenade device or the ZF 4 scope. The regular sights can be adjusted from 100m to 800m range. The Sturmgewehr 44 could also be fitted with ZF 1229 Vampir, an infra-red night sighting device. The scope for the Vampir mounted onto the StGw 44 weighed 2.3kg, the support devices were carried in a rucksack and weighed 13kg. 310 of these night-fighting scopes were produced at the company Leitz. Another intriguing invention was the Krummerlauf ("bent barrel"), a bent barrel with a persicope sighting device for shooting around corners. This idea existed in several variants, an "I"-version for infantry use and a "P" version for use in tanks (to cover the dead areas in the close range around the tank to defend against assaulting infantry), versions with 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°, and a version for the StGw 44 and one for the MG 42. Only the 30° "I" - version for the StGw 44 was produced in any numbers. Technical data: length 94cm; barrel length 42cm; weight (w empty magazine and sling) 4.62kg; weight of loaded 30-round magazine: 920g; theoretical system rate of fire: 500 rounds/minuteM; practical rof in full automatic mode 100 rpm; Vo 685 m/s. Ammunition: Kurzpatrone 7.92x33; this ammunition is known under the designations Kurzpatrone, Infanteriepatrone 7,92mm PP 43 or as 7.92x33.It was a bottle-shaped cartridge, essentially a shortened regular Mauser 7.9mm rifle cartridge. The projectile had a caliber of 7.92mm and weighed 6.95g; the complete cartridge weighed 16.7g (incl. 1.4g powder) and developed a typical Eo of 1,500 Joule. Penetration performance: 25cm of birchwood at 50m; steel helmets were penetrated at ranges exceeding 600m. Total production of the Kurzpatrone ammunition was 822 mio. cartridges until March 1945. A soldier equipped with the StGw 44 had six canvas magazine pouches in two sets of three as part of his field gear. Each magazine pouch held one 30-round magazine; together with the magazine atached to the weapon, the default ammo loadout for a fully equipped soldier was 7 magazines totaling 210 rounds. From this site: http://www.geocities.com/Augusta/8172/panzerfaust7.htm#stgw44 Rgds

Whoa! What terrain is that? Particularly the roads. That Marder is indeed something special... Rgds Paul.

Crayons or no crayons, that Panther Mod is the dogs dangly bits! What are the camos on the vehicles behind though (PzIV & StuG)? Are they out there? Rgds

Welcome, friend.

Well I hear there's a King Tiger rotting in a village somewhere. It's been reasonably looked after actually, but I think we could give it a better home. If you wouldn't mind popping back with all 70 tons of it we could use it to cruise 'round London eh? Will send a mail sometime next week. Cheers

Well, when I say the burbs, I mean the burbs of the burbs! Brentwood in Essex to be precise. With London ever expanding, it appears attached to the burbs on maps. It's an easy trainride into Liverpool street, and then London's your oyster. Do you work in London? I commute and so am in town during the week. Perhaps we could meet up sometime to talk CM and all things military? Also Kip and Peter_NZer if they're close by. Maybe we could organise something for the new year as Christmas usually screws up timetables a treat. Well it does for me anyway. Have a great time in the Ardenne. Rgds

Andreas, I'll definately do a search. I did it the hard way not so long ago - just browsing through. I want to make sure I've got them all though. Have a good time on Sunday - that's what I call getting in the mood - visit the battle site on the anniversary!! Where do you live? Is it far to go for you? I live in the suburbs of London, so Belgium is just a train ride away. I must visit the Ardennes myself sometime... Until then, I will let CM transport me there

Andreas, I'll definately do a search. I did it the hard way not so long ago - just browsing through. I want to make sure I've got them all though. Have a good time on Sunday - that's what I call getting in the mood - visit the battle site on the anniversary!! Where do you live? Is it far to go for you? I live in the suburbs of London, so Belgium is just a train ride away. I must visit the Ardennes myself sometime...

Thanks Andreas, I'll be sure to check that one out. Every Bulge Scenario welcome! Rgds

I'd like to thank everyone for their input, and JasonC in particular for his great looking scenarios. I say 'great looking' because I haven't played them yet!! As the initial post of this thread states, I am awaiting Dec 16th before kick-off... all the best

AndrewTF, That is one mighty impressive mod! I too am a bit of a sucker for the old ambush camo. I think it would be fantastic if we could have the option with regards the wheels however, as I fear I am at odds with some others here already. I prefer the solid colouring - after all, the textures on the wheels don't turn! Man, you know this is a good game when that's the only complaint one can come up with...

Hey History Buff, Glad to see someone else is as obsessed with the nitty-gritty as I am! I'm going to use you as a sounding board now you've let yourself in for it by telling me that. Only because I'm so excited at the prospect of this 'campaign'. As well as casualty figures, I intend to keep record of estimated enemy losses, and corresponding kills info - so I know who deserves the virtual Iron Crosses! Force wise, I'm going to record the forces at my disposal, with a break down of individual units to squad level. I know this may sound a little severe, but I want to personalise my infantry a bit more - so I know who's around at the beginning of a battle, and who's left at the end. I find sometimes that I squander my infantry at the expense of my panzers - usually using them as reconnaissance in force for the armoured boys. If it were 'Real Life' tm I was 'playing' at, I'd probably be taken out and shot!! Actually, thinking of some of the butchers that have passed themselves off as officers through history, I might be promoted... Additionally, I think some sort of 'war diary' of notable events and exploits would be nice. I'm thinking that this could include an intro with my plan of attack laid out based on a reconnaissance of the map so I can include a post battle evaluation at the end of this 'war diary'. Last, but not least, a picture diary of screenshots would accompany all this, topped off with a screenshot of the AAR screen. Phew! This is going to extend the time taken to complete scenarios somewhat! Of course, I intend to start all this on Dec 16th - though I don't think I will be able to keep up with the real offensive with regards dates - as there are several battles per day, and there's alot of work to accompany them. Unfortunately, I think work will get in the way. Hmm, though I do have plenty of holiday left... Just to encourage other CM'ers to get 'Bulging', here's a link to a rather good history of the Bulge... http://rhino.shef.ac.uk:3001/mr-home/bulge/7-8_cont.html Rgds

Almost forgot - I can't seem to get into 'Assault on St Vith' also. Any help much appreciated. Rgds

JasonC, I would very much like to get my hands on such a pack! e-mail is pgardner@supanet.com WBW, I would indeed appreciate you mailing me the Team DeSobry scenario, obviously to the adress above! While I'm here, does anyone have an update on the Baraque de Fraiture encounter? I think it was called 'Woodys Crossroads' or'Parkers Crossroads', - I forget which. Thanks for your replys so far.

Thanks very much McAuliffe. I understand you live very close to the Bulge?! Have you ever come across any old pices of kit not already in museums? All the best

Hi, Its getting close to Dec 16th now, and I'm really in the mood for some BoB gaming! I'm planning to slog through *all* the BoB scenarios (over 40 of 'em!) sequentially, whilst keeping tabs of all losses, special events etc. I also intend to keep a picture diary of 'my' offensive. I was wondering if anyone had a list of all the BoB battles/ops out there? Failing that, is there a site that includes a BoB section? I just don't want to miss any - and as for designing them myself - well I'd know what was coming!! Thanks in advance [ 11-18-2001: Message edited by: Paul T. Gardner ] [ 11-18-2001: Message edited by: Paul T. Gardner ]</p>

Fortunately I have both the Mdmp packs, and indeed most mods that I can think of - which is why I was so miffed at not being able to get hold of this one! I am grateful to you Wolfe. Many thanks. Rgds

Hi, Is Gunslinger out there anywhere? I'm looking for his JgPzVI Mod. I first saw it on Russelmz's page, and the link it gave was to CM Outpost - but I can't find the mod there. I've searched everywhere! Hope someone can help Rgds

Indeed there is no E-79 that I know of, though there is an E-75 as mentioned before. It was to be a replacement for the Panther series and was to superceed the development of the PzKpfw VF and PzKpfw II. Details can be found at Technical Virtue (see below) - a very good site indeed. There is no link for the E-75, though if you follow the link for the E-50 it details the E-75 there. Technical Virtue

Thanks Pvt. Ryan, got it!

Hi, Three things: 1)Where can I get the excellent Waffen SS camos? 2)Where can I get the scenario "Death of the Titans." 3)Where can I get the Tiger I camo in the middle pic from the "Death of the Titans." scen? I visit the CMHQ regularly but can't find them there. Help :eek:

Solid Snake, it's a Panther D or A - not G. Note the shape of the superstructure.