wbs

From Zitadelle: I have to agree with you there, Zitadelle. With respect to CMBO: Manassas, I have a CMBO mapboard of Gettysburg that someone e-mailed me several months ago. I played a meeting engagement on it as the South (conveniently using German-made weaponry ) and the Yankees won again. (Damn!) Pickett's Charge (with Tanks) doesn't work too well against AT Guns.......

Geez! Here y'all are talking about taking out PZ mk IV's with a .50 Caliber, while I, on the other hand, have my guys die because a German HALFTRACK shrugged off a direct hit at 50 meters range from a BAZOOKA. The halftrack then killed my bazooka

From gpig: Hmmm...Go on vacation?? Actually, in this situation I would use either 2/3 or all of my remaining infantry in the woods, and use my halftracks (or the 1/3 of your infantry if you use that option) to lead my armor through the farmland. As soon as someone opens fire from a farmhouse or behind a wall, I would use massed firepower from my armor to destroy it. I would slowly and systematically work my way through, especially since you only have 600 meters left to go. [ May 13, 2002, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: wbs ]

I have read all 7 books, and they are a great read. I highly recommend them. As an alternate, Harry Turtledove's "Great War: American Front" series is also very good. It consists of 4 books that are an alternate history of WWI (They cover WWI as it was fought in North America between the United States, The Confederate States of America, and Canada. They are all fighting each other as allies of the opposing European alliances). The series is a continuation of his book "How Few Remain" which is a novel about the SECOND american civil war between the North and South in the 1880's (It assumes that the South won the first one.) This series is a great read, but you really should read them in order, starting with "How few Remain", then read the 4-book WWI "Great War: American Front" [ May 10, 2002, 04:44 PM: Message edited by: wbs ]

Sorry, no, I don't know what video card or drivers are in the laptop. I bought it used and as long as it works to my satisfaction (which it does) I haven't taken the time to go digging around for the details of its various components. I have played dozens of CMBO scenarios and QB's and have not had any problems before now (going back to September) and I've played a couple of scenarios since without a problem. This incident was so odd, and unexpected, that I thought that I would mention it to see if it has been noted before, and what,if anything, had been done about it.

The other evening I was playing a QB against the computer (assault scenario). I was the Allies and I was on the assaulting side. It was a 500 pt. game. I ran turn #1, and then tried to replay it. When I did, the timer changed to "0:0-^2" (i.e. 0:0-, and a small numeral '2' just to the upper right of the '-') The timer stayed frozen during the replay. All units, with the exception of ONE Axis Halftrack, also stayed frozen. The halftrack started driving around and around in tight little circles. An Allied M10 got a target lock on it, but never fired--even though during the REAL turn it DID fire upon and destroy the halftrack. I hit the 'Start' button for another replay, and this time it replayed perfectly. I hit the 'start' key for a third replay, and the timer again went to "0:0-^2". THIS time, all of the units were frozen again (as was the timer) except for the German halftrack, but THIS time the movement of the halftrack was DIFFERENT. The length of the board was initially around 1500 meters from the Allied back-edge to the German back-edge. The intial range from the Allied M10 to the halftrack was about 300 meters. During THIS replay, the M10 got a target lock on the halftrack (and the HT locked onto the M10) as happened during the "real" turn, but in this case neither unit fired. The halftrack started to reverse out of the field of view of the M10...and it kept going...and going...and GOING. It reversed OFF of the edge of the board, but it DID NOT DISAPPEAR. Instead it KEPT reversing--1000 meters, 3000 meters, 5000 meters, 7000 meters!! It did this over the next ONE HOUR AND 45 MINUTES (i.e. the turn did not stop after 60 seconds) :eek: All the while, the M10 maintained its target lock--through 3 houses and 2 sets of woods and all the way off the board and several (real-life) inches up the screen to the edge. It never fired. Finally, at 7,823 meters range, the halftrack suddenly disappeared and so did the M10's target lock. I hit the 'start' button for yet another replay, and it ran perfectly. I again hit the 'start' button for the final time. This time, I let the replay run for 14 secounds before I hit the 'forward' key to skip forward. The timer IMMEDIATELY changed to "0:0-^2" and only those units that had been in motion at that point in the turn continued to move. The Halftrack again backed off of the board, but THIS time it immediately disappeared. My two M10's had been in motion moving forward towards the German lines, as was one of my platoons. They ALL continued moving forward...right through the German lines (without being fired upon), THROUGH several houses and sets of woods (which is impossible for the tanks to do) and continued moving over about a 10 minute period until they reached the German edge of the battlefield. At that point they each disappeared, in turn, as they got to the edge. I have played numerous times (before this incident) on this laptop (a SONY VAIO)without any problems, and I have not encountered any problems since then. Anyone have any ideas as to what was going on? :confused: [ May 09, 2002, 03:02 PM: Message edited by: wbs ]

From 'USA TODAY' newspaper: Sloth is paying off LOS ANGELES — People who spend too much time playing video games have new hope for gainful employment as Nintendo of America announced plans Tuesday to pay 50 people about $100 a day to play computer games all summer long. For gamers, the program "is sure to be the best summer job ever," said Peter MacDougall, Nintendo's executive vice president. From July to August, members of the "Nintendo Street Team" will earn their pay by showcasing the Nintendo GameCube and handheld Game Boy systems at concerts, malls and fairs. Candidates must be at least 18-years-old and must fill out an application and create a two-minute video explaining why they deserve the job. Applications must be in between May 13 and June 14, and can be found on the company's Web site. Now, if BTS would do this, that would REALLY be the ultimate summer job. Why couldn't this opportunity have existed when I was in college? {Darn it! I meant to put this in the General Forum} [ May 08, 2002, 05:23 PM: Message edited by: wbs ]

From M. Bates: Yes it Does!

Yeah, I've had that problem also. I have read several times on this board that a good way to get into hull-down position is to start in a depression, move up over a crest in "hunt" mode, and your tank will stop in hull-down position if there is a target on the other side of the crest. Unfortunately, I have also paid dearly when my tanks rolled to far forward and into full view of the clearly-visible enemy. Now I inch them up a little at a time, but this method just eats up game turns. Are there any more-reliable methods for finding "hull-down' positions? [ May 07, 2002, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: wbs ]

Don't y'all forget--tomorrow is V-E Day. I suggest celebrating in the appropriate style by taking the day off from work and playing CMBO all day! As an alternative, don't take the day off from work, but take your CMBO CD to work and play it there.

I, too, have seen damaged buildings collapse from grenade blasts on several occasions.

If you can get your hands on a copy of the book "Is Paris Burning?" I believe that you can find your information in there. I read it a long time ago, but don't own it.

From Soddball: I went searching back through old posts regarding CMBB and found a couple which may be relevant to Soddball's comment, above. Both Posts are from BTS administrators and are from the "(ahem) So what was that I recall about wanting a CMBB bone thrown???" thread, started on 3/1/02. From Kwazy Dog: and from Madmatt: I'm not sure what this means in terms of a 32mb vs. a 64mb card, but I think that I will get a 64 mb card just to be safe--unless I'm misreading something here??

From Incoming: Incoming, it seems to me that they HAVE been estimating and revising dates--apparently you have missed the various board posts and/or magazine article quotes where they have publicy made an estimation and/or changed the estimation. For example, in August they were saying December, then they changed it to the end of the first quarter, and then they changed it to (it appears)June. You are, or course, entitled to your opinion, but I think that such negative statements don't do anything to help matters and certainly won't push BTS into releasing the game any sooner than they will--which is when they are finished with it.

From wodasini88's sig: Interestingly enough, this real-life exact series of events was mentioned on a History Channel program about the Russian T-34 tank a couple of nights ago. They were interviewing a Russian veteran who had been a gunner in a T-34 tank. In an interview, he described in detail how the tank commander spotted a Tiger tank, and they turned to engage it. Before they could fire, the Tiger fired at them. The AP shell penetrated the front armor and entered the crew compartment. The gunner stated that there was a "bang", a "roaring noise", and then he lost conciousness. When he awoke a minute later, the interior of the tank was filled with dust, but he could see sunlight coming into the tank through the bottom of the turret, because the turret had been knocked askew. He was uninjured, but the Tank commander was dead and the other crewmen were badly injured. He looked outside the tank and could see German infantry moving in his direction, so he pulled the unconcious driver from his seat, and tried to restart the engine (it had stalled). The engine started, and he was able to drive the damaged tank away to a safe place, while under the small arms fire of the German infantry. It's funny how closely wodasini88's sig (which is a quote from Pondscum, I believe), tracks with this real life interview.

From Bastables: That's interesting. I wonder if that was a field modification. If so, I wonder by what process they made such a reinforcement?

In the CMBO Manual that comes with the CD, it specifically states that direct fire will occasionally go through a building and kill or injure soldiers on the other side of the building.

Thank you, Kingfish, for your excellent reply.

If you haven't played the scenario yet, don't read this, because it will give some things away. I played the scenario for the first time last night, as the US, and I noticed a couple of oddities. 1) What is the purpose of the "Bogus" flag? If you know that it's bogus, why is it even in the scenario? At the same time, why were the Axis forces guarding it so heavily? The AI defended it with 5 squads which, if they had been used to attack the real flag, WOULD have won the game for the AI. 2) At one point late in the game, the "Victory" percentages for the two sides added up to 113%!!! The score at that time was: Allies 59%, Axis 54%. I have never seen that happen before. Is there something about the "Bogus" flag that would cause the score to add up like that? (Secret 'bonus' victory points, or whatever?) At the end of the game, the Axis was firmly in control of the "bogus" flag, but the score had reverted to its usual 'combined score' of 100% (Allies 61% Axis 39%) Please advise. Thanks.

Scott, The 3rd Army is still an active command, and has a website. I haven't looked too deeply into it, but it does have a link for "history" of 3rd Army. Here is the link for 3rd Army's website: http://www.arcent.army.mil

From Gunnergoz: I just double-checked to make sure. As it turns out, there is an M-3 .50 caliber Machine Gun. I got this off of the website of a gun dealer: M-3 Browning Aircraft Machine Gun Government Part Number Description Price 7312953 Booster $45.00 5153192 Screw for Retaining Booster $2.00 7265216-22 Aircraft Shims #1-7 (specify which # you need when ordering). $6.00each M3-001 Complete Set of 12 Shims $49.50 7265160 Bracket $45.00 7313868 Positioner Assembly $10.00 7265619 Link Chute Adapter $75.00 7313313 Guide $20.00 5032232 Nut $2.00 446162 Washer $2.00 5504047 Barrel Jacket $85.00 5504052 Trunnion Adapter $75.00 7312745 Left Depressor $25.00 7312744 Right Depressor $25.00 7312647 Cam, Extr. P.O.R. 7312704 Breech Lock Cam $29.50 7313228 Belt Holding pawl Pin Assembly $8.50 7312646 Extractor (Side Plate) Switch $25.00 7312637 Switch Spring $3.50 M3-002 Trigger Bar (Lever Belt Feed) $14.50 7265622 Retaining Screw $5.00 M3-003 Trigger Bar Adjustable Stop Assembly $36.50 7162757 Removable Bolt Hold-Down Bracket P.O.R. M-3 BACKPLATE 5009356 Spring $2.00 9313153 Latch $9.50 5009275 Pin $2.00 7312665 Spring $2.00 7313162 Stop $6.00 7313157 Plunger $3.00 7313160 Lock $9.50 7313160 Spring $1.00 7313161 Buffer Spring (Alternate For Coil #7313161) - Call for Availability $20.00 7313156 Plate $7.50 7266300 Disk $6.00 7313158 Screw $12.50 7313155 Backplate, Stripped $150.00 M3-004 Backplate, Grade II $60.00 M3-005 Complete M-3 Backplate $195.00 M-3 BUFFER 7312759 Buffer Body $60.00 M3-006 Buffer Assembly with Body $130.00 M3-007 Buffer Assembly without Body $50.00 7312764 Tube Assembly $20.00 7132686 Piston $9.50 7312682 Rod Assembly $15.00 7312689 Valve $5.00 7312662 Pin $2.00 7312688 Retainer $5.00 7312683 Cap $9.00 7312679 Accelerator $18.50 7312707 Pin $4.50 6008782 Spring $6.00 7312687 Spring $2.00 6008782 Guide $9.50 M-3 TOP COVER A13515 Plunger $4.00 A13516 Spring $2.00 7161711 Spring $5.00 7161712 Belt Feed Lever $32.50 7161710 Top Cover Stripped $150.00 M3-008 Complete Top Cover $245.00 7161705 Retainer $17.50 7312642 Pin $3.00 7313175 Pin $5.00 7313716 Pawl Assembly $20.00 7312677 Spring $2.00 A9352 Spring $2.00 7162761 Arm $9.50 7313180 Slide $18.50 M-3 BOLT GROUP PARTS 7162763 Extension Assembly $25.00 7265183 Stop Assembly $12.50 7162764 Firing Pin $20.00 7266161 Pin $3.50 5009382 Retaining Pin for Spring is also the same as the M-2 $2.00 5009353 Firing Pin Spring (Same as M-3) $4.00 7265603 Spring $2.00 7265211 Cocking Lever $12.50 7265110 Sear $12.50 7162700 Sear Spring $2.00 7313752 Extractor $100.00 7265455 Switch $15.00 2 for $25.00 7265604 Pin P.O.R. 7265608 Pin $5.00 7312709 Slide, Sear $8.00 M3-009 M-3 Bolt $325.00 M3-010 M-3 Drive Spring $20.00 Bulk Pricing Available - Call Machine Gun Dave The link is: http://www.sarcoinc.com/m3bmg.html [ March 21, 2002, 08:32 PM: Message edited by: wbs ]

From Herr Kruger: Geez, you shoot like a girl!!

From 109 Gustav: And never, EVER, start a debate about the merits of Gun Control--you'll cause the website to crash!!

From Yankee Dog This "Stafing from above" topic was discussed last night on the History Channel in a piece about the F-86 Sabre. It reported that special ground-attack F-86 units were created during the Korean War, and that many pilots transfered into the units since it gave them the opportunity to fly their jets low and fast and apparently, to the pilots, it was a hell of a lot of fun to do this. It also reported that the F-86's were armed with 6 M-3 .50 Caliber machine guns, whereas I have seen elsewhere that the WWII .50 caliber was the M-2 version. What is the difference between the two versions--muzzle speed? (and therefore penetration ability?) When was the M-2 replaced by the M-3? The piece did not really address the kinds of targets being attacked, so I don't know if they meant "Chinese/NK (in reality Soviet-made)tanks". All they said was 'ground targets' and showed footage of the F-86's firing at roadways from quite a distance. The quality of the film, plus my small TV screen, made it impossible for me to determine the types of vehicles that were being attacked. [ March 20, 2002, 12:03 PM: Message edited by: wbs ]

From Andreas: Interestingly enough, if any of you read the first-person account of the war in the ETO that was done by "CRODA"'s grandfather-in law (the link was posted on another thread a few days ago--"To all the grogs I've loved before....." is the title of the thread), he was an eyewitness to two occasions where a US halftrack was blown completely into the air by a landmine. In one case the halftrack was blown something like 10 feet into the air, across a road, and into a ditch or field on the other side of the road. Now, a halftrack isn't as heavy as a T-34, but I don't think that a landmine is as powerful as a large bomb, is it? If not, then perhaps tanks may have been blown over by bombs.....