rogue male

Redwolf, Interesting site, thanks for the link. This thread has convinced me to finally go for CMBB too. RM [ May 19, 2003, 05:18 PM: Message edited by: rogue male ]

Andreas, OT, much to the BlackHand's chagrin the Jagdpanther succumbed to a frontal PIAT shot at about 125m. Fortunes of war I suppose. RM [ May 19, 2003, 05:12 PM: Message edited by: rogue male ]

Oh hell, where to begin. BlackHand: All in all, WASP SNAFU aside, our second match has been alot of fun. It will likely end up closer than my original estimation. I'm hoping you'll want to go again. I'm in no way suggesting I'm a skilled player, but have learned alot from getting my lunch handed to me by people I do considered skilled. I'll miss the side chatter that goes along with our turn swapping. Dandelion: If you are game I'll take up your challenge, always like to meet new players. I turned on my profile's e-mailing function. Or just post here, if interested, and we can get a game going. I'm a CMBO only type. Andreas: Damn, my favorite scenario designer has called me out. Maus will vouch for me on this, I love your stuff, am playing TF Butler and 49th Recce at the moment and just finished a back to back side swap of possibly the premier CMBO scenario-Into the East. (Now I'll get an earful from Justin I'm sure, DHK is still excellent, DHK is still excellent) Buttered up enough? On Bure, I attacked as the Brits and once I was past his MG gauntlet, dropped a couple of fortuitous PIAT shots on his armor in town, it was over. I never fired a shot with my armor and in fact they barely got to the town before accepting BH's surrender. Ever trying to remain humble I know I'm not that good and after playing a second game vs BH, he's not that bad, so concluded maybe the play balance was somewhat out of whack. Micheal: Do you really need to waste the key strokes on that kind of comment? For cryin' out loud, at least put a smiley on it or just move on the next thread you're interested in reading. :mad: rm [ May 16, 2003, 12:46 AM: Message edited by: rogue male ]

Hell, 'I thought this is my lucky day!' This was after I thought, '!@#$, here comes a mobile FT!' Like you may have mentioned above these little numbers can be great in an urban environment (got worked by a WASP in 'To the Last Man'), but difficult to to maneuver in open terrain. FTs are bullet magnets in CM (I'd think in RL too, gettin' fried alive does not sound pleasant). Map was random generator so the WASP choice could've worked out. Bottom line I think he was targeting an area (specifically a squad, but the FT torches a greater area) that the AI still considered friendly and would not fire. Same thing if you have two squads in opposite ends of a building and you target your opponent with a tank's main gun...it won't fire a shot as long as friendlies are in the same building. dw [ May 09, 2003, 05:22 PM: Message edited by: rogue male ]

BH, Ah yes forgot about the injured crewman in our discussions and I would say that is the source of the "vehicle is not shocked but will not fire" problem. Same thing happens with a half-track. Dandelion is correct about the squad-level scrounging, no individual scrounging unfortunately. I'd like my remaining 'schreck to run back and scrounge some additional 'schreck rounds from the gunner you killed so I could fulfill your request and put the WASP out of your misery. On the firing problem, not sure if it was mentioned above, and if someone knows, maybe they'll chime in, but I think there is an 'arc' in front of the vehicle that will not allow the vehicle to fire if live friendlies are in the area. The woods by the house had a battered squad still alive during the better portion of two turns while this little drama was playing out. I only wish I could link a screenshot of my landsers hucking grenades at that WASP on take 2. That was damn cool. :cool: All in all a better game than Bure, be interested to discuss the force selection (I know I didn't know what I was doing, my force is relatively vanilla) once this one is over. dw

Engineers or other troops don't necessarily have to step on mines to find them do they? I have happened on a couple of mine fields before entering them (little sign pops up indicating minefield). How do you know the mine field is clear? Does the sign disappear(in a big kabloom! with a satchel charge)?

I have d/l'd scenario and dropped copy into my Scenarios folder but when I launch CM it does not show up in my Scenarios menu. Initially the file has a suffix of .bin. When the suffix is removed it reads as a CMB file but still will not display in my in game scenario menu. Next thing I tried was to open it in Scenario Editor and got a message saying I had to update to a new version, but am on 1.12. :confused: Anyone have any suggestions, similar experience?

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Wild Bill Wilder: If you want a smaller version of Bocage fighting, try Painful Progress. Bocage fighting without a doubt is the most frustrating of any battle. An interesting look of a mix of tanks and infantry is the Barkmann scenario, Le Lorey, A Hard Stand." <hr></blockquote> Bill, Thanks for the post. I've had a go at Le Lorey and thought it was a fun scenario. Managed a major Axis vic. Although I don't think I'm that good. What bonuses would you suggest for the AI on this scenario? I'll check out Painful Progress. I'm getting some great suggestions, now to find the time to play them. It's too bad CM mission didn't model openings in the bocage once an armored vehicle had passed through. Attacking would be somewhat easier for the mounted or unmounted infantry.

Currently working...er, getting worked on two bocage attacks-Villiers Fossard and Sunken Lane. Hence the post, need practice in the bocage (my esteemed opponents would probably say I need to practice on a whole lot more than that ). Suprised the veritable "kotay" hasn't ambushed this post yet. Again, thanks for the suggestions.

Yeah, I meant Scenario Depot. What? Me proofread?

Thanks for the suggestion Dan. This site, Der Kessel and the Scenario are fast becoming my "CM holy trinity" of websites. Now if I could only develop and execute stronger tactics.... :confused:

Okay, managed to move fingers just a couple more times and go to DK site. It's Sunday after all. AI is good too. Thanks for the tip GB!

GB, Haven't read the details but thought BBs were for TCP/IP. The one you suggest is good for AI too? BTW, enjoy your site, am on turn 3 of LeCamp-PBEM.

Yes, please, send it over, my e-mailis in my profile. Thanks for your post.

Can anyone recommend a good scenario that simulates an Allied attack through bocage on a small to medium size map, where the force size is not greater than about two companies (w/ armor sppt) and plays well against the AI. 25-35 turn range. Anyone?

Well, no worries Micheal. And feel free taunt my opponent a second time. I'm sure he is just toying with me. My demise will likely be due to the utter lack of brilliance in my plan and execution of said plan. Then I'll blame it on force balance.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>. I'll try and pretend I didn't read this and determine if the balance was in was in the Germans after the scenario is over. <hr></blockquote> Hmm. That's a good sentence. Meant "was in the Germans favor after the scenario is over".

I guess my point was it seemed like your list was recommending several first person accounts, then in your last paragraph you seem discount the first person account as not being history. Just seemed contradictory. Now I'm not pickin' a fight, just talkin'. I agree that personal accounts are subjective and likely contain some degree of inaccuracy. They also convey a sense of urgency and drama if written well. But I am not sure they are less a legitimate representation of history than a work that is based on primary sources written by a third party. Isn't an historian likely to introduce their own bias once the start presenting the set of primary sources they've gathered? As historian you could interview Lt SoandSo who was at a battle and he would be a primary source. If Lt SoandSo writes his memoir his account of the battle becomes "first person" and is now less historical? I guess I would say that first person accounts are historical but some are bad history, but then the same can said for books some supposed authorities publish.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>I also opened it in the scenario editor to look at the balance of forces and I think the designer must be joking. Rogue Male, I suggest that you demand to restart the battle with +200% forces. <hr></blockquote> Whoa! Where's the spoiler alert. :eek: Not the kind of post I would like to stumble across in the middle of a scenario. I'll try and pretend I didn't read this and determine if the balance was in was in the Germans after the scenario is over.

Micheal - You'll have to open up the scenario for an answer to the arty question. Operational security issue, you understand.

Micheal - Here's the url - www.dragonlair.net/combatmission/. It's the Scenario Depot site. In hindsight I wish I would have sent the infantry thru first and if an MG breaks one squad it is better than losing a tank. Wasn't paying close enough attn to to AT assets that might be hidden. Figured Sherman could go through and control the situation until the my inf platoons made it through. Tried timing everything as best I could, but c'est la vie.... Wasn't it a bocage assault technique to put a Sherman thru the hedge than follow closely behind with the infantry. What was the real life contigency plan for an AT asset being on the other side of the hedge instead of an MG or just infantry w/ small arms?

Geez! He's takin' out my Shermans now he's taking out my thread. Kotay, you're a naughty boy! Micheal, Here's the deal, the way I saw it if I was going to get the .50 cal into a decent firing position (or at least one I thought was decent) it was going to have to travel 1/2 way across the map (slight exaggeration, but still far for a .50 moving thru 3 lines of bocage). If I would have walked the sucker we would've had to have a 70 turn game. I cross the first line of bocage and am 1/2 way thru to the next line of bocage when his MG 42 opens up and wipes the whole team out (I think it took two turns, they were broken by the initial mg bursts and not able to manuv. and destroyed on the next turn). So I did have some infantry coming thru the hedge as simaltanously as possible to support the tank and attempt to avoid the indicident. Didn't work. Still a long way to go (Villiers-Fossard, happened @ turn 5 of 35 turn battle). So maybe my plan was not sound or not well executed. Depends on who ends up eating whose lunch. If I prevail no big loss, if he does possible my plan of attack was unsound or at least its execution.

The .50 cal team (I should say) was riding the Sherman.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>BTW, I suspect that for other reasons, infantry would not want to be riding the tank at the moment it penetrated the hedge. For one thing, could the shock of it striking the hedgerow, even at low speed, have been insignificant for troops with little or nothing to hang onto? Also, I expect that a tank coming through would have every German gun in the area firing at it <hr></blockquote> Micheal, good point. I suspect the tank driver would crank it up a bit before hitting the hedge. Would probably be a manuveur mounted personnel would want to dismount for. Possibly gamey but for expediency's sake I would tend to leave mounted personnel on vehicle when crossing bocage in CMBO unless I was sure of enemy contact on the otherside of the bocage. The loss of my .50 cal I refer to above happened after I was well clear of the hedgerow.

"Many books people recommend are not terribly historical being first person accounts (notoriously inaccurate), based on third hand or worse documents, subjective accounts, etc. They are not based on primary documentation - most of the books above are based on primary documentation." Are you saying that some or all of the first person accounts mentioned in other posts on this thread are based on third hand documentation? If a first person account is actually written by the person who experienced the events, wouldn't that be primary documentation? For example Lt So and So was at Action X and this is what he saw happen. That's a primary source as far as I know. It seems by their nature first person accounts are subjective. Am I way off here?