manchildstein (ii)

is it true that a detachment of the brandenburg regiment was part of an 8th panzer division vanguard which initally took the "bridges over the dvina at pskov?" if so, did the brandenburg regiment have any stugs? from what i've seen of the 8th panzer oob, they had no stugs (at the time ('41) these were in infantry divisions and were attached to corps and army, correct?). to make a long story short i'm making a scenario based upon the 8th panzer's early thrust to pskov, called 'road to pskov.' in it i have 38t tanks (as the oob i found said they had) but have included stugs for extra suppport, ostensibly reasoning that the stugs are part of the brandenburg detachment. in short, are stugs at all appropriate for a scenario representing the early run by the 8th panzer to pskov? one other question... are pine forest tiles appropriate for a 'road to pskov' scenario or should i be using standard 'woods?' thanks in advance andy

i was wondering about that after my earlier post here... it could be that my tactics in the woods had improved between games... this sort of thing definitely requires more testing ...

regarding these aspects of the infantry model; say cmbo equalled 1 and cmbb 1.0 equalled zero; it seems to me cmbb 1.01 equals about .67 i haven't played more than a couple of games under 1.01 but i was mildly dissapointed that a conscript battalion supported by 3 green to veteran (2 green, 1 vet) t26 artillery tanks could pretty much simply overrun a italian pioneer position (2 companies... 6 or 7 flamethrowers... all crack) in some woods... i had thought beforehand that it was going to be more difficult... the conscripts simply shrugged a lot off... under 1.0 2 companies of green soviets - supported by a crack KV2 - were crushed in approaching the same italian position... the infantry was shattered whilst the kv2 kept plugging away along the wooded road... maybe if there is a 1.02 patch these tweaks will be user-settable if possible... of course only further playing under 1.01 will give a better indication... anyway, all of this is more of a 'feeling' than anything concrete so this post is more of a 'bump' than anything else...

one time i was italian and had 7 semoventes in my force... they were making mincemeat of the t-26s and everything was under control... then the 20mm cannon-carrying soviet planes showed up and within 2 turns all of my semoventes were dead... then it was time to get down to brass tacks... ...edit... anyway... yes having aa on hand is always a good idea... in this particular situation none was provided... [ November 28, 2002, 12:14 AM: Message edited by: manchildstein II ]

i find that the more suppression i can apply with some units, the more i can move 'other dudes' forward....

wasn't there a stug detachment in the early phases of the crimea campaign... plus some armored cars, motorcycles, and aa trucks and such?...

CSIR Bridgehead II: Play as Allies against Axis AI Default (1st time) or Free Setup 13 Sep 1941, Dawn South, Dry, Warm 30+ Turns 9 Large, 9 Small Flags Allied Attack Huge: 3k x 2k, ~3300 points per side Yesterday the Italians secured a bridgehead on the Dniepr. This dawn all available Soviet forces are prepared to launch an imminent counterattack against the heights overlooking the bridge, and the bridge itself. STAVKA has managed to scrape up a Conscript Infantry Battalion supported by a Company of T-26 Artillery Tanks, and a Veteran Motorized Rifle Battalion along with a Battalion of KV-1 Tanks. In the default setup your Conscript Battalion and supporting tanks are to attack the heights overlooking the bridge from the near (East) side. The Veteran Battalion and KVs are poised to strike at the Factory area and the bridge itself. A Platoon HQ from the Motorized Unit has moved forward with the Battalion 50mm Mortars into positions overlooking the bridge. They met there with survivors from the battles of the day before; AT Rifles and Sharpshooters. Of course you can change the default setup and attack in any way you see fit. Your total force is made up of: 14 LMG 6 Sharpshooter 3 AT Rifle 1 Conscript Infantry Battalion 1 Veteran Motorized Battalion 3 T-26 Artillery Tanks 7 KV-1 Tanks Force Notes: Since this is an offensive action, the 14 LMG units replace many of the 2 Battalions' organic Maxims. Since the terrain is less than ideal for Mortars, the Conscript Battalion has been stripped of these and provided the T-26 Artillery Tanks instead. Due to previous combat, the Veteran Motorized Infantry Battalion is set to 60% strength. THOUGHTS: 1) The KVs are probably the linchpin of your entire force. As these go (effective or not), so will go the battle. 2) You have a large number of Tank Hunter Teams in the Veteran Battalion. With their 2 SMGs apiece, they make excellent recon troops. Massing them all around a Company Commander and quickly seizing bits and pieces of terrain might not be a bad idea. 3) With 2 of 9 Victory Flags on the near heights, it is worth attacking with the Conscripts. On the other hand, whatever infantry you commit to the battle for the high ground will not be able to participate in the fight for the bridgehead (factory) and vice versa. So you can 'win the battle' by taking 5 of 9 Victory Flags around the Factory, but you can win by an even greater margin if you take the near heights to boot. The remaining 2 of 9 Victory Flags on the far heights are probably just a bit out of reach for the scope of this scenario (if you only had some fast tanks!). So committing everything to the center might ensure victory there, but leave you in possession of only 5 of the 9 Victory Flags. Can you split your force (as in the default setup) and take 7 of 9 Flags? 4) This is a good scenario for practicing infantry tactics. Can you make the Conscripts effective without resorting to human wave tactics? Can you keep your already understrength Veteran squads intact? 5) This is also a good scenario to work on making a bunch of Green KV-1s effective. Finally, can you keep your thin-skinned Artillery Tanks alive? 6) Those 40-meter-ranged foot-FTs of yours are superior.

CSIR Bridgehead: Play as Axis against Soviet AI Default (1st time) or Free Setup 12 Sep 1941 South, Dry, Warm 30+ Turns 20 Large, 20 Small Flags Meeting Action Large: 2k x 2k, ~3000 points per side This morning on your situation maps you found a rail/road bridge which runs past an isolated munitions factory on the far bank of the Dniepr. Your Italian Mech Spearhead has been hampered all day by Soviet Air Attacks. Due to a snafu your units have been without AA protection en route to the bridge. Despite the air attacks, your vanguard has reached the bridge and taken it by a "coup de main," managing to get a toehold with some light tanks and a few mixed Companies of infantry across the river. Your crippled truck fleet is picking up reinforcement infantry at about a Battalion per trip. Your Semoventes and Heavy Weapons are also en route. You need to hold out for about a half hour before the first wave of reinforcements (not included in this scenario) arrives. Your job is to expand the bridgehead into the high ground on the left, and to keep the factory area and thus the far end of the bridge under Axis control. As your first assault wave situates itself on the other side of the river - on the approaches to the high ground on the left and in the factory area around the bridge - you can hear Red tanks from the nearby scattered trees. From the engine sounds there are Soviet vehicles adjacent to all of your current positions. This is the moment of first visual contact. Your vanguard is made up of: 1 Pioneer Company (9 FT) 1 Bersaglieri Company 13 Breda MMG (10 from "Brigade," 3 attached to Bersaglieri Co.) 5 Sharpshooter 5 Solothurn AT Rifle 5 Marosczek AT Rifle Tankette Company: 11 Tankette (Carro Leggerro) Light Tank Battalion: 23 Light (20mm) Tanks (Carro Armato L6/40) Due to earlier combat and enemy strafing, the Infantry Companies have already taken casualties; the tankette and tank units are understrength. THOUGHTS: 1) Those 20mm light tanks are well-suited to this type of terrain. They can work in platoons to outmanuever the disorganized Soviet tanks and hit them from the sides and rear. 2) If you come across T-34s or KVs, you will probably need to either avoid them altogether or close assault them with your infantry. 3) Your infantry are numerically weak for the dual mission, but for an overwhelming victory you will need to take the high ground on the left in addition to maintaining your hold on the Factory area and Bridge. 4) Watch out for more Soviet air attacks.

first there were elite and empire on the atari st; elite had more staying power, but not much... next i saw some cats playing doom and thought, "man that's pure evil" but began playing it myself, even to the point of getting a level editor and changing everything so there were wide open spaces, massive amounts of monsters, ammo, and power-ups... it was total run and gun without the annoying puzzles... around that time came front page sports nfl pro... they had a section in the sportsim forum on compuserve... somewhere in there was a stint playing 'perfect general' practically to death... then of course there were quake and duke nuke 'em... not necessarily in that order... i thought the best was quake ii but the fast-running monsters with the bloody, pointy arms from the original quake were 'gnarly'... as were the '1st 'level' scenes with the guys in the radiation suits... somewhere in there were close combats 1-3... i thought 3 (with redrocks or redrules or whatever that patch was) the best and never understood the great fascination with 2 on the part of 'everyone else.' anyway... i was a massive avalon hill buff in the '70s and '80s... particularly in squad leader and 3rd reich... so after cc had been played out (never even considered buying #4) i noticed cmbo... it wasn't 'my front' but it was 'good enough' compared to other games... now comes cmbb... where the 'real war' was fought... now that's my cup of tea... we used to buy 20, 30, 40, or even 50 squads in sl... but a player could never easily field 50 of a single tank type in the same... with cmbb i get my '20 or 30' squads, plus 'as many tanks as i want'... 'sweeet'... er... l33t... i would say that the time i spent on cmbo was greater than all of the other games combined... the time on cmbb will probably be greater than that spent on cmbo... what can i say?... i have a soft spot in my heart for the 'ostfront...'

indeed... at say ... 400 meters... a 20mm-armed scout car can more often than not take care of a MG pillbox...

Not within the context in which I was using it as an example. Replace the FO with a HMG or a mortar team, then. The numbers may change a little, but the point I was illustrating remains.</font>

i believe that the problem with FOs and movement is separate from the other issues here... i would be happy if telephone wire FOs were immobile in cmbb... this is how it was in squad leader... in squad leader though you could get any battery, and then choose radio or wire FO... i don't know how realistic this was... in any event, how realistic is it to have a wire FO moving around in the middle of a battle?

doh! it's the phreakin' asault boats thanks

$0und$ l33t

hi, i was designing a scenario and when i tried to play it as allied against the computer, no single-player mode was offered. single-player mode is offered when playing as axis... is there some setting in the 'parameters' screen of the editor or something?

yes, keep the tigers back and let them provide covering fire... especially in that period of the war they're very difficult for the russians to kill at longer ranges...

i like to think of most hungarian, romanian, and italian units on the east front as having had above average soldiers with below average equipment... so when in designing a minor allied scenario i like to give them mostly veteran and above troops... then with their 'below average' weapons and machinery the scenario has to be won by the men, not the machines... ... i like the turan ... heck, i like all of the afvs... the biggest challenge i've had is in effectively manuevering toldi lights and czaba armored cars in '41....

as long as you don't loose phase... seriously, yes there is somefink out of kilter with sneak and it is annoying when the ai changes my troops' orders to the same... so while i wait for the patch... when playing cmbb i check every turn to see which units have been switched to sneak and erase those orders and give them something else... as the czar of group moves i would also ask (half in jest), 'how many phreaking waypoints does a person need?' anyway... while sneak is somewhat broken i just use move and fast for ground troops... maybe assault, advance, or follow vehicle here and there but mostly move and fast... the scenarios i play usually involve between 1 and 2 companies of ground troops, backed by extra support weapons... then topped off with however many dozen vehicles are called for... it seems to me that, "THIS GAME ROCKS!" compared to cmbo.... but i'm an eastern front grog at heart and the weak MGs of cmbo really bugged me... one thing about cmbo is that, every scenario has a 'fatalistic' sense about it in that the war is already over... cmbb offers the chance to 're-enact' scenarios where the outcome of the war was still in question... and it gives the grog a chance to play in 'fatalistic' situations too.... ...and i haven't even yet played as germans in '41 or as anyone in any other year... in other words the potential number of interesting scenarios available in cmbb must be geometrically increased over what was possible in cmbo...

i consider the 30 reinforcement slots to be one of the major improvements in cmbb... it provides the kind of flexibility a designer needs to avoid the kind of "CFs" found in certain cmbo scenarios... some of mine included...

Dubno (Suburban Factory) Play as Allies against AI Axis Default Computer Setup Large: 2k x 2k Map, ~2800 Points per side 26 June, 1941 South, Day, Hot, Dry, Still Mostly "Green" Soviets versus "Veteran" Germans Elements of the Soviet 34th Tank and 7th Motorized Divisions from the 8th Mechanized Corps are attacking in a NE direction in order to cut off the German 11th and 16th Panzer Divisions. In their path are units from the German 111th Infantry Division. Here at the outskirts of Dubno the Soviets attempt to clear the area of Germans. As the Soviet Commander you have 52 BT tanks at your disposal, plus 2 Companies of Motorized Rifle Squads at 60% strength. Smash the Germans here on the outskirts of town and clear the way to Dubno. THOUGHTS: Keep your tanks together so they can quickly eliminate targets which come into LOS/LOF. Use the terrain features to keep your flanks secure as you move your tank element(s). For instance, the factory can keep an entire flank secure if you use it to your advantage as you move past/around it. Your BT platoons in the default setup appear at first glance to be intact. Closer examination reveals that they are really ad hoc in that they are missing some of their original tanks and these have been replaced by non-platoon tanks. You have 10 "platoons" plus 2 tanks leftover. The 50mm Mortars in your Motorized Companies have been replaced with HMGs. The Platoon Antitank Rifles have been attached to the Company HQs. This scenario was inspired by the following page: http://fisherts.home.mindspring.com/skirmishcampaigns/ukraine/sample.htm It is an amalgam - and expansion upon - that which is described there. With 52 Tanks and 2 Companies of Infantry it plays "more quickly" than I would have expected. AAR SPOILERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In these 30-turn Mechanized Scenarios, there is room for 2.5% morale's worth of casualties per turn. 2.5% Morale loss per turn over 30 turns equals 80% loss total. So you can function for the entirety of the scenario if you stay below this figure. I went with the default setup for all units. On turn 1 all of the tanks hunted forward while the Company HQs and their supporting units moved up into firing positions left and right. Company "A" on the left would take up positions overlooking the road into town and Company "B" on the right would overlook the rail line from the other direction. The tanks would all hunt up the middle. Right away my units were taking strafe attacks, but the first casualty was an immoblization in soft ground. The left infantry platoons moved up through the woods, as did the right. One platoon on the left became scattered due to strafing. After about 1 and 1/2 turns the lead tanks made contact with an armored car. After another minute or 2 more armored cars were engaged. There are 2 things to be liked about the BT tanks: 1) they carry 146 ammo and 2) when they penetrate an armored car you can figure the target is probably toast. After about 5 or 6 turns I realize that my BT tanks are taking a real pounding as armored cars continue to become visible and 3 StuGs appear on the left. Immediately I order all available BTs to charge the StuGs, abandoning the center thrust in an effort to clear up the flank of the attack. A couple of AT Rifles on the left are also in position to hit the StuGs; as a matter of fact, at the start of this "tank rush" the StuGs are facing the AT Rifles; a perfect chance to strike. By Turn 8 my forces are still at 90% morale so things are looking fairly well. As the tanks charge "through the StuGs, they encounter more Armored Car fire from their own right (the town), as well as sIG fire from straight behind the StuGs, and 37mm AT fire from the hilltop. By the time my tanks have destroyed the StuGs and the infantry guns behind them (as well as more armored cars), it is turn 14 and morale is now 65%. There are only 11 operational BTs out of the original 52, and there is one immobilized and another with gun damaged. The other 39 (52 - 11 - 2) are all destroyed or abandoned. Despite my modest succes in destroying the StuGs, armored cars, and infantry guns, there are yet another 3 StuGs on the far side of town (behind the factory). The Infantry Companies have advance left and right to the near side of the stream (soft ground/marsh) bed. It is uncertain how an assault on the town and/or the factory can be pulled off. Knowing of the StuGs across town is bad enough; but the 37mm ATs on the hill make the successful prospects of another tank charge doubtful. Under less dire circumstances the Soviets would probably withdraw, but today it is determined that the Red Army units must either advance or die trying. Turn 14: There are 2 platoons of infantry in overwatch over the "N" bridge leading (E-W) into the town. The 3rd platoon will attempt to move across the soft ground in the stream bed and secure some buildings on the outskirts of town. On the right another platoon will try the same thing in advancing toward the factory. The remaining tanks will circle around the backside of the hill from the left and eventually try to overrun the guns "up there." Yikes! It looks like the StuGs are moving up between the stream bed and the factory toward my B Company HQ and its platoons! I just now noticed that. Ok... 1 Platoon from B Company is moving fast in order to get to the scattered trees in front of the factory. It is overwatched by all of the other units in the Company. On the left I've decided to wait awhile before rushing the advance platoon across the creekbed. Oops... there are only 10 operational tanks -- 42 out of commission then. They're circling around way behind the hill and going to approach the crest from about 2 o'clock. On the right one infantry squad comes under cannon fire from a StuG. The platoon HQ hits the dirt but 2 squads continue to sprint toward the woods and are in the soft ground of the creek bed. On the left the Germans are getting agressive and armored cars pop out of the town and are approaching the bridge. This is good because Company A HQ is over there watching the road with AT Rifles. Another turn passes and I still have 10 tanks, all moving toward the back of the hill from the left side. On the right the one squad which hit the dirt is down to 2 men and pinned. The Platoon HQ is pinned but still has 2 men. The other 2 squads have reached the woods without taking fire from the factory. The 8-wheeled armored car by the bridge was taken out. Another BT was lost to strafing, which really hasn't let up since the battle started. Turn 16: Morale is 63% and the score is 16% to 26%. I'm sure that if there were a cease-fire now the score would be something like 5-95 or 15-85 at best. Oddly enough, 1 StuG has ventured into the soft ground of the creekbed. It's too far away from any infantry for a stalking manuever. The manuever element on the left dashes for some houses on the other side of the creekbed. Go! The moving platoon manages to get 1 squad just outside of a building. Behind that building is some German infantry in another building. 1 Squad "chickened out" and is still in the jumpoff position. The 3rd squad is in some marsh in the creekbed and the Platoon HQ is right behind the advance squad. They may just make it into the house. On turn 16 the tanks continued to be strafed. The "stranded Platoon HQ and Squad (2-man) on the right continued moving and are almost in position. With that success I order to other 2 platoons to move out and join them across the stream. Company B's HQ and supporting HMGs and AT Rifles are in position for overwatch; they can hit the factory. One of the stranded BTs on the left begins shelling the church. The remaining 9 mobile tanks continue toward the back of the hill. Progress is minimal; probably due to large command delays now that the battle is joined in earnst. Turn 17: On that turn the immobilized tank assigned to shelling the church found a StuG instead. It scored 3 hits - side, side, front. This BT was the one strafed this turn - top hit, no damage. In any case, "This does not bode well." The infantry from Company A; 2 squads of the manuever platoon plus the platoon HQ made it across the creekbed. This turn I will charge the other two platoons. If they can get into the town, the flags by the bridge should become contested. The infantry from Company B made it to the woods whose edge is just 60 meters from the factory. With the HMGs and such in overwatch it will soon be time to 'human wave.' The other 2 platoons of Company A are charging (move fast) and if they are successful will not only contest the flags by the N bridge but will be within meters of the StuG sitting there. The other 2 remaining StuGs are in the creek bed. Turn 19: Morale is at 60% and the score is "16-32." The BT in contact with the StuG was knocked out. The laggard squad from the first platoon of Company A on the left was strafed and stopped its already hesitant movement toward the town. The other 2 platoons are trying to get through a marshy section of creek bed. The platoons of Company B are ready to assault the factory. The remaining BTs continue to move toward the back of the hill. 2 StuGs are now "dancing" in the creekbed. Turn 20: On turn 19 I discovered a method to the AI's madness: the StuGs in the creek bed stopped the advance of the 2 squads between themselves and the bridge cold. The intial platoon is stranded on the edge of town and the 2 follow-up platoons are getting pounded and retreating. It looks like the Company HQ "up the road" to the W will have to be moved up as 1 Platoon HQ is on the verge of being eliminated. Is it my imagination or is the AI more cagey in CMBB as compared to CMBO. This isn't the first time I've seen the AI make a "jack move" on me in CMBB. I don't remember it as having been this tough in CMBO. Turn 21: The last remaining 8 operational BTs are gathering behind the hill. There are also 2 without guns and 1 immobilized (from the 1st turn). They've been given additional orders to hunt from behind (N) to the crest of the hill overlooking the town and factory from "behind." After a few more turns the infantry outside of the factory will charge. Company A's HQ on the left is going to attempt to run about 200 meters in order to rally the faltering squads up ahead. Turn 22: With 21 turns gone, morale is at 54% and the score is ostenibly "16-33." So I'm losing approximately 2.2% morale per turn, which is better than needed to continue fighting until the end of the scenario. Note: A friend of mine once commented that he was astounded at the number of casualties I was willing to take in the days of Squad Leader. It appears that this trait has carried over into the CM series. 54% morale would probably be unacceptable to some players, and 20% out of the question. Anyway, the StuG in the town is moving out to the West, near the bridge, and turned and is going up the front face of the hill whilst being fired at by the AT Rifles of HQ A. The HQ itself has moved up in support of all of the broken and friendly squads on that side, in an attempt to rally them for another push. One of the Platoon HQs is out, and the 2nd push was entirely repulsed - no one made it. The 3rd squad from the 1st platoon push is still awol, and in the town itself there are 2 squads and an HQ - a total of 9 or 10 men. BTs creep up the backside of the hill. A StuG has left the streambed and is on "my side" now. It is moving toward the bridge, approaching my mostly broken squads from Company A. 3 Squads from that Company are routed and behind (West of) the moved-up Company HQ. On the edge of the town the units in the toehold engaged a German recon squad at grenade range. The German squads have been quite aggressive; attacking at every opportunity. Turn 24: Morale is 51% and the score is "16-33." There are now at least 5 German squads attacking on both sides of the stream on the left. Another BT was lost; this one with gun damaged and until now hiding in the creek bed; it was trying to escape StuG LOS and when it reversed out of the bed it was picked off by a 37mm AT on the hill. Turn 25: The score is now 15-41. That BT which was immobilized on Turn 1 gained LOS to the 2nd StuG as it left the creekbed toward the factory. It scored a partial penetration then a track hit. So another StuG may be lost to the Germans here shortly. The Company A HQ on the left is beseiged by assaulting German squads. Turn 26: The StuG was caught from the side, immobilized, and eliminated. The 2nd "streambed" StuG is taking AT Rifle fire from the firebase for Company B on the right. The lead BT crested the hill overlooking the town from behind and was toasted. The BTs in the trees behind the hill are running across some infantry on the backside of the hill. 3 BTs are in position on the crest, apparently out of harm's way at the moment. They wait for the last 4 BTs to catch up. Turn 27: There are 6 unpanicked men left in the "bridgehead" (toehold). The Platoons of A Company are in sorry shape but the counterattacking Germans seem to have melted a bit. The StuG which earlier appeared to have been heading up the hill by the church turned and is sitting by the bridge there; it is taking fire from 2 AT Rifles in "firebase A." The remaining 7 BTs are making a dash down the face of the hill, into the trees N of the factory. Assuming any survive, they will have "circled" the town or at least a good 270 degrees or more of it. The 3 platoons in front (South of) the factory are making a human wave assault. Turn 28: One squad in the factory rush is in the center of the complex and there are no Germans around; those units originally in the factory must have counterattacked elsewhere. The StuG by the bridge is apparently immobilized sideways to the AT Rifles of firebase A and took a couple of partial penetrations and another track hit in turn 27. The BTs on the crest of the hill are just now moving out. The Crack HQ of Company A is down to 2 men. Turn 29: On turn 28 a complete melee broke out in the factory. It appears as though there will be a chance to contest at least some of those flags. I really had thought there for a moment that I would take it by a "coup de main." Only 4 BTs remain and they are trying to get past the guns on the hill into the safety of the woods below. There are at least 2 37mm AT Guns on the face of the hill. All hell has broken loose in the factory. The AT Rifles of firebase A continue to pelt the StuG by the N bridge. The firefight involving squads around that bridge is dying down with just one remaining German squad visible in the area. Turn 30: There is only 1 BT Tank left. It turns out that the StuG by the N bridge was ok. It moved out of the AT Rifle "fusilade." The factory is being lost. There were a lot more Germans there than I'd first hoped. As it turns out I ended up with a 22-78 defeat. There were 49 (out of 52) vehicles destroyed. I managed to "bag" 9 German vehicles. Admittedly this may not be everyone's cup of tea; being flung into a pressing assault with little chance of overall success. Of course, there are many players better than myself and I would expect that at least some of them could gain a victory in this one. The BT tank is that certain combination of firepower (for '41) and speed with no protection whatsoever. If I'd manuevered a bit better I could have won some of the early engagements and perhaps have been in a position to have actually taken that hill with its commanding view of the battlefield. In these "large" (by CM standards at least I suppose) tank assaults, that manuever element is all important: when making contact all tanks must be available for firing on the enemy units. Once again it appears as if piecemeal contact is disastrous. Even in the loss, watching these "large" formations fight it out was a thrill. The constant strafing by Axis aircraft throughout the length of the scenario lent it a further aire of authenticity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . END AAR

you're free to use any maps i've made... so far i've uploaded 4 scenarios to the depot and they all have the 'south' theme... just fire them up in the editor and delete their OOBs...

if i'm not mistaken cmbo would load as many troops as possible onto trucks/halftracks but would not load them onto tanks. i'm not sure how this is handled in cmbb. for the time being, one way to simulate random scenario arrivals would be to make a bunch of identical or 'semi-identical' small groups and have them come in at various places, each with a 5 to 10% chance that they might enter... the problem with random entry times and such is that they play havoc with scenarios which might be chosen for tournament material. in other words, i believe that tournaments usually avoid any scenarios with random reinforcement entry percentages (rrep) <grin>....

i'm not sure what value a japanese assault into the soviet far east would have had to the overall axis effort. given the earlier results between soviets and japanese, perhaps in 1941 the soviets could have blocked imperial japan with minimal forces. i wonder what would have happened if japan had only attacked the dutch east indies instead of u.s. and commonwealth interests... but that's probably _too much_ speculation for one thread...

by the way, that 'suv' dude over on the matrix games thread is a trip... i've never seen anyone who at once fawns over stalin _and_ thinks the soviets were about to attack in 1941...