Armdchair

I'd like to see buildings (incl. large ones) with pavement borders, in addition to the grass borders CM has now, so that designers would be able to more accurately reproduce the effect of narrow city streets. I'd also like to see more than just right angles for the grey pavement tiles; there's a variety of angles for dirt & asphalt road tiles, why not for these?

Thanks, AlfieE, it's on the way. I need all the help I can get.

Looking for playtesters for new scenario either solo play - Axis or Allied vs. AI but especially for double-blind head-to-head test. Description follows: Title: Steel Spring Date: March 1945 Type: Assault Turns: 30 **** It should be playable as either side or as a PBEM-TCP/IP game. If playing against AI, use the default settings and set the computer bonus at +3. Despite Allied success on all fronts, German armed forces still retain their ability to lash out with deadly effect. An American infantry company finds itself trying to hold its own against a German counterattack. Have the GIs stuck their heads in the lion's mouth? Or is it Wehrmacht Landsers who are walking into a deadly trap? Design notes: This scenario is loosely based on an account found in Raymond Gantter's autobiographical book "Roll Me Over: An Infantryman's World War II", about a battle for the town of Geisbach in Germany, March 1945. Opponents: US vs. Germany Unit types: Battalion, Combined Arms author: armdchair @ aol.com

"Armdchair"- for armchair strategist, armchair general, armchair quarterback. "Armed" with a brain, albeit a blunt instrument. And still very much alive!

Two for one...too generous of you. Knowing your skill as a designer, I'll praise you now because I'll probably be cursing later as I get ripped to shreds ... thanks.

I'd recommend a book I'm currently reading "Death Traps: The Survival of An American Armored Division in World War II" by Belton Y. Cooper, published by Presidio Press. The author was an officer with the 3rd Armored Division in the ETO.

You can reach me at: armdchair@aol.com Thanks.

This following site (previously posted by a helpful CM-er) contains variety of TO/E's: http://www.britwar.co.uk/lists/index.htm and here's a sample: American World War 2 Army Lists Infantry Formations ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INFANTRY BATTALION 1940-45 Comprising: * BHQ of 30 men, 3-4 jeeps and 4 light trucks. * 3 Rifle Companies each of. * 1 CHQ of 16 men (and 3 bazookas) * 3 Rifle Platoons of 40 men split into 3 sections of 12 men and a HQ element of 4 men. * 1 Heavy weapons platoon with 3 60mm mortars, 2 MMGs and 1 HMG * 1 AT platoon with 3 AT guns and motorised tows. * 1 Combat Support Company with a CHQ of 16 men, 1 Mortar Platoon with 6 81mm Mortars (and 3 bazookas), 1 HMG section with 3 HMGs and 2 MMG platoons each with 4 MMGs. Notes: Prior to the introduction of the Bazooka AT weapon no AT weapon would be issued. AT guns in the AT platoon would either be 37mm or 57mm depending on the period. INFANTRY DIVISION 1943-45 Comprising: * DHQ (Company sized) * Cavalry Recce. Battalion * 3 Infantry Rgts. each of * 1 RHQ (platoon sized) * 3 Infantry Battalions * 1 Attached AT Company with 12 57mm AT guns in 3 platoons * 1 Attached artillery battery of 6 towed 105mm Howitzers * 1 Artillery Rgt. Of 4 battalions, 3 being 12 gun towed 105mm Howitzer Battalions, 1 being a 12 gun towed 155mm Howitzer Battalion. Notes: Due to the lack of a properly implemented tactical doctrine at higher levels each division could also have any number of units attached to it either on a ad hoc basis or by more permanent arrangement. The following are typical examples of attachments, 1 (Medium) Tank Battalion, 1 Towed Tank Destroyer Battalion, an AA Battalion and an Armoured Infantry Battalion. ARMOURED INFANTRY BATTALION 1942 Comprising: * BHQ of 18 men with 2 M3 halftracks and 4 jeeps. * 3 Rifle companies each of * CHQ platoon with 1 jeep, 2 M2, 1 M6/37mm. * 3 Rifle platoons each of * PHQ with M2 towing 37mm AT, and 12 men. * 2 sections each with M2, MMG and 12 men * 1 section in M2, 60mm Mortar and MMG * 1 section in M2 with HMG and 2 MMG * 1 Combat Support company of * CHQ of 1 jeep, 1 M2 and 12 men * 1 Recce Platoon of 1 M2 and 6 jeeps with HMG * 1 Heavy weapons platoon of 1 M2 and 3 M4 SP Mortars (halftracks) * 1 MG platoon of 3 M2 each with 1 HMG and 2 MMG ARMOURED INFANTRY BATTALION 1943-45 As 1942 battalion but with M3 (halftracks) replacing M2 (halftracks) and M21 (halftracks) replacing M4 (halftracks). The rifle companies were each given an AT platoon of 1 jeep 3 M3s each towing a 57mm AT gun and the CS company had an additional platoon of 2 M3 halftracks and 3 M7 HMCs.

Wild Bill, while I appreciate the layout and articles of Manx's fine Combat Missions site I am unable to download any scenarios from there; possibly because I'm on a Mac. I've never had any trouble downloading from your own Boots 'n Tracks site; could I possibly prevail upon you to send me your latest scenario "Painful Progress"? Your efforts are much appreciated by all CM-ers. Thanks. [This message has been edited by Armdchair (edited 01-31-2001).]

I predicted 27-13 Giants and it's now 34-7 Ravens...I feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football with Lucy holding..oh well, I'm a Niners fan anyway,and those Super Bowls were fun.

Much impressed with your posts on tactics. I'd be happy to playtest a scenario for you if you're looking for testers. Two places you might try to submit new scenarios are: The Scenario Depot http://unix.thegamers.net/depot/depot.cgi?c=8&g=31&a=scenario Manx's COMBAT MISSIONS site http://www.combatmissions.co.uk/index.htm Hope this helps [This message has been edited by Armdchair (edited 01-28-2001).]

With a premium on speed these days, fewer NFL players wear knee & thigh pads or protective cups. For those who've never played football, the hard-shell helmet and shoulder pads are more for inflicting pain than protecting against it. NFL players trying to describe the physical punishment they take during the season often describe it as getting into "a major car accident every weekend."

Giants 27, Ravens 13

Wasn't it Confederate cavalry leader Jeb Stuart that said "Git there fustest with the mostest"?

Novels from WWII worth reading: the trilogy by James Jones- "From Here To Eternity"," The Thin Red Line", & "Whistle"; Joseph Heller's "Catch-22"; Norman Mailer's "The Naked & the Dead"; Derek Robinson's "Piece of Cake" (of which the BBC made an excellent mini-series); novels from Vietnam worth reading: Tim O'Brien's "Going After Cacciato", "The Things They Carried"(a collection of short stories);Gustav Hasford's "The Short-Timers", Larry Heinemann's "Close Quarters". There are, of course, many first-person WWII combat accounts often cited here and worth mentioning again: "Roll Me Over"by Raymond Gantter, "Company Commander" by Charles MacDonald, "The Men of Company K" by Leinbaugh and Campbell, "If You Survive" by George Wilson, "And No Birds Sang" by Farley Mowatt, "Goodbye, Darkness" by William Manchester, and "With the Old Breed" by E.B. Sledge.

Great post, much appreciated!

That was me that voted. I haven't actually played against someone else but as fun as it was solo I got to believe it would be at least ok as head-to-head game. Serious pucker factor as US commander. I'm trying to get through to the Depot to download new version, haven't succeeded yet. Look forward to it.

I think this will link you to WWII magazine: http://www.thehistorynet.com/WorldWarII/

It's not unwinnable, just extremely challenging. My first two attempts I got overrun so fast I surrendered after 15 turns. I was under the impression I had to defend all the zones from all directions; that's why I said what goes in the Allied briefing is crucial. My third attempt I "won" a minor victory; as I stated the first time, if the Axis had had a few more turns, there would have been nothing left of me but a greasy spot. In my third try--- I set up the engineer plt ( evacuating the Kuki Picquet zone), a rifle plt, 3-mortar section, and Vickers MG in the treeline along the edges of the tennis court & club area in an L-shaped formation. I further reinforced the area w/ 3 carriers & the 25-pder. I rushed another plt up from the blue zone as soon as I could. When Axis forces tried to flank the engineers from the northwest, they ran into this unit. Acting on a tip from GonzoAttacker, I torched ( w/ my flamethrower team) the tree cover next to the tennis court on turn one. In addition, I called in arty on the two most probable routes of attack, north & east. This was the only outright victory I would win. I set up the 6-pders in ambush positions along the east-west paved road. To cover the dirt roads leading north that Axis armor used, I set up choke points, reinforced plts w/ PIAT teams. On Jail Hill, I practiced a fighting withdrawal with the company there. I covered the retreat with large amounts of arty. The company withdrew along the scattered-tree trail on the back side of the DIS zone. Garrison Hill I occupied with troops from the blue zone & survivors from tennis court-club battle. My choke points & ambushes along the road were overrun eventually, survivors falling back to Garrison Hill. At the game's end, there were still plenty of enemy troops & armor advancing on Garrison Hill, barely being held off my scraps & remnants of troops. I was only able to delay the Axis forces, not defeat them. I think that is that's probably all the British can hope to do in this scenario, but who knows? I'm not exactly a great player, AI frequently kicks my ass, so what do I know? Maybe it's fitting that some scenarios should stand as both realistic and difficult, serving as lessons in humility for CM players, and giving us all a profound respect for those who suffered through the real thing.

Scout PL, liked your tutorial on" Infantry On the Attack" and I look forward to seeing your tutorial on Defense. I've waited patiently for it to materialize on Deanco's and Mina's sites. Since it hasn't, I'd greatly appreciate it if you send a copy my way. Thanks and keep up the great work.

Well, I finally finished it. It was brutal & vicious and I had my ass handed to me on a plate; I got a " Allied minor victory" but a few more turns and the Axis would have left nothing of me but a greasy spot; in other words: great job, Bullethead. I 'm curious to see how GonzoAttacker does with it as he is a far superior player than me. His evaluation of it, therefore, will carry greater weight. But I do think that this Kohima Ridge scenario is clear proof that the Pacific Theater warrants a CM product. The only thing I can really say about the scenario itself is how you write the briefings may determine a great deal. My only other question is what sources did you find the material for both the battle and the actual map? I suddenly feel this glaring gap in my knowledge of WWII. I've read B.H. Lidell Hart, John Keegan, Cornelius Ryan, Len Deighton and so have a passing familiarity with the Fall of France,1940, Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, North Africa, D-Day, and Market Garden but no real solid handle on British operations, esp. in the Pacific. I've been concentrating, for the most part, on American WWII combat accounts. I look forward to seeing your follow-up scenarios to this. I believe there was a Civil War "Battle Above the Clouds" that sounds very similar to the Japanese-British firefights inside stormclouds you describe. Can't wait to see it. Thanks for the experience.

Wow! ask and ye shall receive. Very cool of you to post all that, I really appreciate it. Now all's I have to do is be worthy of such a great effort and play a half-way decent game, which for me is a lofty goal.

I have a question for BTS regarding pillboxes:are there any plans in the future to give them the capacity to set ambushes? This is something I would like to see because it is one of the ways pillboxes were used in reality to great advantage.

Bullethead, thanks for sending me the scenario. The map looks great. Before I play it, is there any historical background/ info you can post here about Kohima Ridge? I'm much more familiar w/ the ETO; done some reading of US operations in the PTO, Marines' combat accounts, etc; but I know next to nothing about British-Japanese battles in the PTO. Thanks in advance. P.S.-let me go on the record here of also being in favor of CM covering the Pacific theater.

There's a great collection of Ernie Pyle's pieces entitled "Ernie's War: The best of Ernie Pyle's WWII Dispatches". In response to Randy Mauldin's question, Cecil B. Currey wrote "Follow Me and Die: The Destruction of an American Division". T-34 Rules mentioned "Condemned to Live: A Panzer Artilleryman's Five-Front War" which is written by Franz A.P. Frisch and Wilbur Jones, Jr. A great title, I personally found it underwhelming. I'm still searching for a good German oral account, maybe it's the title T-34 recommended "In Deadly Combat: A German Soldier's memoir of the Eastern Front". I've read others: "Soldat" by Siegfried Knappe, "Frontsoldaten" a collection of german veteran oral accounts by Stephen G. Fritz, as well as memoirs by van Luck, Mellinthin, Guderian, and Sajer but for the most part, I still can't seem to find the brutal candor of Allied accounts, with the exception of German veterans' accounts in Craig's "Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad". The search continues.