patolino

A picture book is translated to English it seems; a thick study called Panttipataljoona by Mauno Jokipii is AFAIK available only in Finnish. To keep this slightly on-topic, Jokipii's book contains numerous anecdotes critisising the ineptness of SS Wiking's tactical leadership in '41. If I have time I can dig some up & translate them.

A funny historical detail is that von Rosen happened to be the brother-in-law of one Hermann Göring (since 1922). "Hermann Göring verkehrte in der Familie des schwedischen Grafen Eric von Rosen; seine erste, 1932 verstorbene Frau war Carin Gräfin von Fock, die Schwester von Erics " Göring-bio another one

Why we call Russians Russians is a funny story actually. The Rus were a Viking tribe whose leader, Rurik, was summoned by the Slavs to govern over them, as there was civil unrest in the land at the time (mid 9th century). So all that happened after that is actually the Swedes' fault. Should've guessed that much. Vikings in the East Origins of the Russian and Ukranian states

And that's how all those craters appeared there. Just in case anyone was wondering. Blame the shroom-eating FOs.

Btw if any Finns from the Helsinki region might shed some light on this... I know there are AA guns as memorials scattered around here and there. Any of you happen to know any addresses? There's a 75mm gun in Tapiola, in the woods between Stockmann & residential buildings and the Tapiola insurance company building, by a path for pedestrians. Sorry for not knowing the address Any others? I believe there's one in Lauttasaari, but where?

I'm in the middle of Panzer Aces now, and can't really read more than few tens of pages at a time (an enjoyable book I might read in one go, given the time). The writing style -- perhaps because of translation -- is poor, even if there are occasional image-evoking paragraphs here and there. The book is really too short for covering so much ground, several wartime careers, and consequently it's just highlight after highlight. It seems that s.Pz.Abt 5-0-something was keeping up the northern front single-handedly, and every turret ring hit knocked the T-34 turret flying in the air Not that this would be the first time I don't like popular books

"designed to promote Combat Mission series of games" :eek: Next they probably make a Lula scenario for CMBB. Lula: Amazon Tank Riders of the Steppes.

I don't know about CM:BB (doubt it does this) but when reading some authors it seemed it was a standard German SOP to put a T-34 in front of a PzIV column and drive through soviet-held villages without anyone noticing ...and if there wasn't any available, never mind, them Ivans won't recognise German tanks anyway. At least in the stories in the book Panzer Aces they regularly do this So ok, probably '41 sov infantry would not know the German tank models all that well and maybe the national insignia was camoflaged... but I guess this would be very hard to do in CM. If you spot a tank you cannot command it's certainly not one of yours and at latest in the beginning of the next turn target it... so no wild cruises through company after company of enemy infantry I'm afraid...

The computer had 2 T-34's and a BA-64 on my right flank (and all its infantry on my left); it is possible that the other one had seen the stug, but probably impossible to tell for sure (did not make savegames). My stug crew was unbuttoned at the time lumps of hot metal came flying past (since the beginning of the qb). As far as I remeber, it did not have to turn the chassis of the tank to start shooting, just to swivel the gun a few degrees. Well, I guess it's just one of those things... as I managed to knock out both of the tanks (the other one with a pak) and the red infantry (about a company worth) advanced directly into my smg squad ambush across an open field using a lane perhaps 50 m wide, making the end score 99-01, I don't have sooo big an issue to complain about wrt lazy tankers btw, I had not set a trp. That probably would help hitting from an ambush with the first shell... [edited because I forgot to mention the armoured car first time] [ October 09, 2002, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: patolino ]

I had a crack StuG (or sturmi in Finnish) waiting for prey coming along a road, in good cover, forest on both sides of about 30 deg sector to which it was aiming. Foggy conditions, visibility 200 m. When a T-34 rumbled along, it managed to shoot twice (fortunately both misses) before my crack StuG noticed there was a shooting war going on. I was pretty upset, and the neighbours may have heard my "Kuka saatanan puusilmä nukkuu etulinjassa?". That must have woken up the little pixel soldiers, though, as the StuG gunner proceeded to perforate the T-34 turret -- though after a delay which seemed like eternity. The T-34 (was later identified as /85) must have missed my tin can 5 times or so, fortunately the StuG missed only once (from 190 m, immobile position, T-34 practically in front of it :mad: ) What gives? Fit soldiers, mid day, tho with unnaturally heavy fog, wakey wakey! No time to sleep now! (p.s. I understand the need for nationality-free audible designation of the opponent for the other nations of the game, but since we Finns have just one enemy couldn't the virtual soldiers just call him "Vanja"? "Vihollinen" this, "vihollinen" that, who has time to pronounce all those letters in the middle of a battle? )

Sorry if this has been discussed already, the threads simply fly past nowadays HMGs... defensive MG suppression increase... mines... barbed wire... trenches and bunkers... all elements ready for a WW1 mod, eh? Don't know if it would be any fun for the attacking party though!

<H1><large>YEEEEEEES!!!!</large></H1> Got mine from Dose -- EUR 42.50!!! But now the question is --- do I cancel my date for today and play, or go to the date and think of the game all the time? Am I lucky to have such problems or what??? :confused:

Ahh, the perfect excuse to post a link to Mark Twain's "The Awful German Language"!

lent-lease? Return after Easter? How silly! Soviet Union, being an atheistic nation, would not celebrate Easter at all! :confused:

AFAIK Greeks when fighting Italians during WW2 would shout "aera" (or whatever that would be in greek letters). I'm told it means "breeze", can anyone confirm?