Mike Zeares

I'm dragging this up from Feb because it's the scenario that sold me on CMAK (the demo version, of course), and I wanted to comment on it. As the Germans against the AI, I really needed all 40 turns. I nearly despaired at a few points, but stuck with it and finally cracked the defenders. The terrain helps -- you can isolate the Americans in their default locations (this doesn't work if you let the AI place units -- forward defense can be a nasty surprise, as can a FO with LOS into the wadi. I found that out the hard way). In the center I infiltrated 2 platoons through the wadi and had them wait for an opportune moment. I sent 2 others to either flank. The guys on my right got into a lot of trouble; they spent most of the battle pinned down. On the left I sent the other two to behind the mesa, where they were out of sight. I had my Panzers hang back for a while in the middle, trading shots with the M3s and several Shermans (my light armor units were slaughtered). I then decided to get things moving. I sent one Pz III platoon to the left behind the mesa. I sent another one right up the middle (fast move), where I noticed the terrain masked them from the M3s. The other had lost two tanks, so I kept them behind the wadi for overwatch. I later sent two of them to the left for reinforcements after that platoon lost two tanks. On the left, I played hide and seek with the M3s, lost a couple of tanks, but finally overran the defenders. In the middle, I had my tanks stopped for quite a while, trying to unpin my infantry on the right (also, trying to figure out what to do. I suck. I know this). They were being shot at by two M4s from inside the oasis. These finally showed themselves (oops) and were taken out, and the American infantry finally broke on that side. Now I was finally ready to move against the "Alamo" in the middle. I basically brought everyone together from 3 sides, suppressing targets as they popped up. Unfortunately, I moved a bit too slowly, and the scenario ended before I took the Alamo. But I would have. Each tank platoon lost two tanks, including all 3 plt leaders. 2 of my infantry platoons were shot up pretty badly, but all were intact and usable at the end. I destroyed all Allied vehicles except two M3s who routed off the map. I used my 105s against the Alamo, and the 81s against the American platoon out in the open on the right. Neither were particularly effective. I also used a smoke mission in the middle to mask the M3s from units I was moving on the right. That was more effective. I'm absolutely horrible at attacking, so I felt a real sense of accomplishment in beating this. Typically, I lose all my tanks. I really appreciated the high turn limit too. Things didn't really start moving until turn 25.

I saw it yesterday. The Hetzer is seen only briefly, in a scene that also has two half-tracks (which are painted correctly, the first time I've ever seen that in a war movie). The German troops seemed to be wearing a mix of field gray and the tropical uniform (mostly the latter; I'm not very familiar with that uniform, but it looked pretty good to me, and would be authentic for that region). I think the Italian vehicles were authentic (trucks and cars). There are also some Stukas that I assume were CGI, but I really couldn't tell (are there flying Stukas around?). It's not a war movie so much as it's a story of how the war turned these people's lives upside-down. There's only one combat scene, and it's brief. Captain Correlli does NOT fight because of the love of a woman, btw.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Time Software: No, the Germans did not use heavy Soviet stuff on the Western Front (or any other front). Steve<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> http://www.achtungpanzer.com/t34.htm Just to make your life more complicated for CM2. It does appear that the Germans only used them on the Eastern Front. -- Mike Zeares

I am one of about 5 people worldwide who not only played AtR extensively but also liked it. This was because I was able to make the mental adjustment to accept the game for what it was, instead of getting upset about what it wasn't. Also, I have a fairly high tolerance for quirks, if there are elements that are enjoyable. Well, I don't know if enjoyable is the right word. "Obsessive" is more like it. I can't say I actually had much fun playing it, but I played it obsessively for several years. I would occasionally put it aside, swearing that this was it, I couldn't take its flaws any more. But then after a few weeks I'd be back at it. I think it was the campaign system that drew me in. I would agonize over my battalion, wondering if I would get enough fuel and ammo, or if I would *ever* get any replacements (this was much more nerve-wracking when playing the Germans, of course). I would curse Division when I needed a company and they gave me a damn StuG platoon (once my American div. gave me a jeep recon plt. Gee, thanks). Then, after finally building my units up to full strength again, I would be ordered into a sensless and hopeless attack that would devastate my poor battalion... or we would waltz over the demoralized enemy to a complete victory. The outcome was never predictable. And every now and then, a battle would play out in a way that was truely satisfying on all levels. Was it the game it was supposed to be? Not even close. Did it have serious flaws? Absolutely. Was it the total piece of crap most people say it is? Not in my humble opinion. Some of my proudest gaming moments came against that "piece of crap." Also some of my most heartbreaking. I only hope that CM will suck me in as totally as AtR did. And that's all I've got to say about that. -- Mike Zeares P.S. I don't play it anymore. Every now and then I start it up, but quickly remember why I finally stopped playing it (namely the fact that better wargames came along. Why play AtR when you have Steel Panthers?)

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ash: Suddenly 2 FULL squads of german popped up in my right rear among the trees bordering the wheat field. Caught completely by suprise I tried to wheel troops around but by the time this happened my command was shot to shreds. [snip] My brother (opponent) had performed a perfect L shaped ambush.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Sounds as if your brother has been taking lessons from Fionn. - Mike Zeares

Another thing the HQ's are good for is controlling support weapons. I sometimes like to put all my mg's together under control of one of the spare HQ's. Works well for mortars and AT guns too. Also, when I'm running my infantry forward, I like to keep a HQ back with the slower support weapons, so there are no delays. This all came up before, with a lot of good suggestions -- do a search. One good idea that someone had was to make a reserve platoon. Detach a squad from each platoon and put them together under one of the spare HQ's. Instant reserve! -- Mike Zeares

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by 109 Gustav: This sounds like a great weapon. I am an expert in shooting *at* chickens, but only with my potato mortar. Maybe I should build a chicken mortar and shoot it at potatoes instead. I live on a farm, so we have plenty of both around. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> BTS, will the potato mortar make it into CM, or will it have to wait for CM2? What's the effective range of the Kartoffelwerfer, anyway? Weren't they sometimes mounted in place of the Nahverteidigungswaffe? -- Mike Zeares

That's one of my favorite sites. Excellent material for constructing CM scenarios. Of particular interest to me in that chapter were the two extra heavy mg platoons (from the battalion weapons company, I'm guessing) and the AT guns that were man-handled through the woods to attack the pillbox. I assume these were 57mm's -- useful little things, weren't they? Shifting the arty rearwards to try to catch retreating or reinforcing troops in the open is a good thing to remember too. -- Mike Zeares

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by kmead: I thought of two books which are fun reads with some application to matters at hand. Boht may be rather hard to find. Sands of Fire by Robert L Crisp. A recount of his experience as a British M3 Stuart commander in the Western Desert after or around El Alamain (sp). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> This is the same author who wrote "Brazen Chariots" mentioned earlier in the thread (in fact, the crab incident is recounted in that book). "Chariots" covers Crisp's experiences before and during Operation Crusader. It also provides the specific origin of the nickname "Honey" -- it was Crisp's driver, I think, who used that word to describe the Stuart after taking the first one out for a test drive. Great book, one of my all-time favorites. It was published by Bantam in the U.S. -- Mike Zeares (is it possible these are the same book with different titles?)

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by kunstler: So far, this is what I have found/learned in playing the demo: 1. Never send tanks close to forests or buildings that haven't yet been swept by infantry. Keep infantry abreast or ahead of armour. Shell from a distance. Only move armour into a town when surroundings all held by your troops. That damn panzerchreck thing has a much longer range than I woulda thought. How far can a panzerfaust fire?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> They come in several versions, 30, 60, and 100 meters, I think. The lessons you list above are probably among the most important in keeping your tanks alive. Smart lad. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> 2. Shift the weight of the attack to one side. Attack on a narrow front, and overwhelm the defenders. Computer tends to set up guys on a broad front. I have found concentrating troops and defending less area more effective, at least vs. the computer. Not sure if this would be really smart vs. humans who might be better at maneuver.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> It can be very effective, but a lot does depend on your opponent's skill at repositioning his forces. See the Riesburg AAR at CMHQ for a good example of this. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>3. Put defenders on hide until the enemy rolls up real close then hammer them.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> This is especially important for your mg's, unless you want them to get shelled from long range. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>4. Avoid roads, go cross country.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> One of Murphy's Rules of War, "the roads are all mined." Of course, if the fields are muddy, or you're travelling from Nijmegen to Arnhem, you may not have a choice. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>6. How do you go about finding the best spot for spotting/machine guns? Spots I think might be good often turn out not to be.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> When I figure it out, I'll let you know. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>8. Use transports to shuttle troops between forests, over open ground. Keep guys in cover whenever possible.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Actually, the trick to open ground is smoke. Smoke is pretty wacky in the beta demo, but it's been fixed since then. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>9. Drop smoke in front of enemy spotters, tanks, guns, troops to block their LOS.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Then take the opportunity to move so your guys aren't back in LOS when the smoke clears. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Has anyone repelled the american attack and prevented them from getting any objectives?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yes, several times, but only against the AI. The AI in the beta demo is not very good on the attack. This has also been fixed, according to the beta testers, may they rot in Hell. -- Mike Zeares

That's some pretty good reading. Do other people visualize the action with CM graphics, or am I just insane? -- Mike Zeares, who keeps waiting for his life to pause after the action phase so he can issue new orders. I suck at Real-Time Life.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lt Bull: Ok seems like there is no problem with crew/infantry on a tank when it fires (or for modern tanks it seems). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Not with concussion. In fact, on Tank Table 6, we had an evaluator perched up on top of our turret. He wore hearing protection, of course. It would probably be best to dismount infantry before combat, but in an emergency, yeah, you could shoot without killing any of your passengers. They might not be too happy about it, but they're only crunchies. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Mike, you said you were within 50m of a tank when it fired and your ears suffered. Thats quite some distance. Where were you positioned relative to the tank? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> As I recall, directly behind it, more or less. It was at the first firing position on the range. From slightly farther away, the tank guns made a loud "boom," but weren't painful. That close, however, it was more of a "crack," due to the shockwave, I imagine. I can hear in my right ear, but sounds are a little "muddy". <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> If you were ever a infantry soldier, would you be conscious of how you deployed yourself around a tank in the event that it fired its main gun? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yeah, I'd get as far away from the damn thing as I could. Besides the noise/shock hazard, they tend to draw fire. -- Mike Zeares

I can second this. Being on your own tank when it fires is no big deal (assuming you have hearing protection). Not much blast at all. If the tank next to you fires, though... ouch. I was on the back deck of an M60A3 once. When the tank next to us fired, if I hadn't been prepared for it and holding on to the bustle rack, I would've been on the ground. As for troops on the ground, I was within 50 meters of a firing tank once. Didn't get my hearing protection in in time. It didn't knock me down, but my right ear hasn't been right since. Those guns are LOUD. -- Mike Zeares

Fionn's article is very nice, but I think he mixed up two of the AI levels. Isn't the Strategic AI the highest one, followed by the Operational AI? -- Mike Zeares

A good thing to remember is that while an ambush marker can only be put down in LOS of an HQ, the HQ doesn't have to STAY in LOS of the ambush marker for it to be triggered. So during your setup phase, move your HQ's around so you can place ambush markers wherever you want, then put the HQ in a safe place while you have everybody else target a marker. This sort of simulates a commander walking around to set up his defense ahead of time. -- Mike Zeares

Holy crap, man, where'd you get those cool color photos of the Hellcats in action? Seriously, a really beautiful job. The new HT looks really good, too. -- Mike Zeares

Desert Fox, I reread Barkmann's story. He was talking about smoke grenades. My mistake. I wish my German wasn't so rusty, so I could read the Panther Fibel. I'm going to try anyway. Kurz, Thanks for the clarification. Learn something new every day. Heck, I was a tanker, and I didn't really know how that worked. I just knew it made a hell of a lot of smoke. -- Mike Zeares

I know what I'm going to be reading the next couple of days. What a fantastic site! The penetration table for the Panther is really frightening. If you have a flank shot on a Panther, you're in good shape, but if you see one facing you -- Eeek! Good grief, was Barkmann lucky or what? The parts about using the smoke generators was interesting. This wasn't the kind of generators that modern tanks use, where they spray diesel oil on the engine block, was it? Is this in CM? -- Mike Zeares

I've been to the Air Force Museum once, about 16 years ago. Truly an awesome experience. I was about 14 at the time. I stood in shock under the B-36, amazed that this behemoth could actually fly. I think the museum also has the only existing B-70, on the outside display. Weird looking plane. I kick myself regularly for not visiting the Patton Museum while I was in Basic at Ft. Knox. -- Mike Zeares

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Time Software: The battle included flamethrowing galore, 100ft deep bunkers (which weren't entered, just blown up), bonsai charges, starving out the enemy, etc. Oh boy, sounds really interesting I can hardly keep my eyes open Steve<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> "Bonsai" charges? They were charging with little trees? No wonder their casualties were so high. -- Mike Zeares

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ol' Blood & Guts: Sometimes I wonder how an M60 tank would pair up against Germany's late war tanks. It's 105mm gun would probably make a big difference. It's armor may be a different story. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Some of us in my Guard tank unit (M60A3 at the time) who were history buffs liked to talk about this. With the good DU Sabot round, the M60 shouldn't have any problems killing a Tiger at 2500+ meters. HEAT would probably be sufficient for most other tanks. Its armor, as you say, is a different matter. We basically considered our tanks to be UNarmored (for the purpose of fighting other tanks), and practiced hiding and ambushing a lot. The front might be ok against an 88, but I wouldn't want to take a flank hit. The really big difference, of course, would be the night sights, especially the thermal sight on the A3. My old unit now has M1A1's. With those, you'd just line up and yell "Charge!" -- Mike Zeares

Fionn's comments about not finding the opening to SPR shocking are interesting. In my Guard unit there were several policemen, and my LT was a fireman. Sometimes they would trade "war stories" about the horrible things they had seen; people caught under a rolling car and squashed flat, guys dropped down the stairs by the paramedics, dismemberments, decapitations, etc. All of this told in a relaxed, joking atmosphere. Their constant exposure had made them callous (which they themselves noted and commented on). They probably didn't see much shocking in SPR either. Those of us who haven't witnessed such things up close, on the other hand... I have friends who say they can never watch it again, and barely made it through the first time. For me, the opening scene has lost a lot of its power with repeated viewing on video, but that first time in the theater was intense. The final battle sucked me in, too. As the "Tiger" came rumbling down the street, one part of my brain was calmly thinking, "Hm, looks like a T-34, like in "Kelly's Heros. Nice VISMOD," while another, more primitive part was trying to tell me to run for my life. The sound had a lot to do with that. Those super-low frequencies are litterally gut-wrenching. Bottom line is, the movie got my pulse racing. -- Mike Zeares

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Captain Foobar: Wittman, I have seen shots from games (LD, specifically) where it SMOKE rounds practically covered the center area of the battlefield. It appears to be terribly effective to cover a troop advance. I would like to hear tactics to counter this. Do you guys feel that the CM rules accurately reflect the use of smokescreens in warfare? I am still learning tactics, so don't take this as a slam on CM. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The smoke in the demo is buggy. BTS has said that they've fixed it, and it will fall in a much more realistic pattern now. One of the little touches that shows their extreme attention to detail is the way smoke rounds won't poof up right away, but take a minute or two to really get going. You can't fire a smoke round and just charge on in. You need to wait for your screen to develop first. Patience... patience.... -- Mike Zeares, learning to be patient. And people say computer games aren't educational.

Heh, this thread reminds me of one of the more amusing incidents I've witnessed in the demo. It was during my first "Reisburg" scenario. The AI lost all but one of its Shermans very quickly (they tried to go right up the road. Oops. ) The lone surviving tank parked itself in a spot that was out of LOS from either 88, buttoned up, and proceeded to shell the heck out of my Volksgrenadiers in the first row of buildings. It didn't move again the entire game, although it was undamaged. Guess seeing what happened to their buddies had spooked the crew. Anyway, I decided to try to sneak a 'Schreck crew around its flank to take it out. Well, I forgot to tell them to "sneak," so they got spotted at about 101 meters in some scattered trees. The Sherman opened up with its coax, and the 'Schreck team stopped and started shooting back. Very ineffectively at first. The Sherman's crew seemed content to fire the occasional burst of coax until the 'Schreck team actually scored a lower hull hit. The Sherman's next shot was from the main gun. One more, and the 'Schrek team broke and ran. Heh, I can just imagine the kinds of things the tank crew was saying. But I won't type those words on a family forum. -- Mike Zeares

Excellent article. I would indeed enjoy reading similar articles on other weapon systems, and would regularly visit such a website. The correct use of mortars is probably one of the more difficult skills to master. My paternal grandfather, an infantry Platoon Sergeant when the U.S. entered the war, was kept in England as a training NCO for the duration due to his expertise with mg's and mortars. -- Mike Zeares