Mark Gallear

Many thanks Franko - knew I was going to be told to read the manual (CDV version!! ) What I meant was by one of my questions is that I have done a very long Attack operations map - in any given battle only part of it is shown to the player - what determines this? Can I alter it to get more of the map on for diffrent situations?

I am working on a series of three operations that cover Operation Bagration starting in July 1944. The first Operation covers the breakthrough battles. It is from the Russian point of view. Map was created from the 3d battle maps in the Osprey Book on the battle. Forces are real and scaled down. I have been careful to use only troop and tank types that were used in the operation. This is not a chance for players to get there hands on an almost finished beta version early but will require real work. I need the game to be tested for balance over 8 – long games – probably more than once, with full feedback to me. (At present 30 turns each but I may have to up it knowing CMBB!). I need these people because is really hard to play your own games for testing objectively! Testers will be fully credited in the readme . Serious people with time on their hands email me. I am hoping to have a testable version out by the end of this week.

Can anybody tell me what the effect of putting two different coloured set-up regions used to limit the player’s troops to distinct regions of the map in an operation are for subsequent games. Does the pattern continue into the following games or will it revert to the main colour- giving a free choice? I.E. 60% green and 40% black zone in game 1, same again game 2 or 100% green. Is there a way to effect this? I have a very long operations map do I have to put the defenders set-up zone right across the map or will just the area for the first map do – assuming the set-up zone will be pushed back into the next map area? How is length of a map for one particular battle calculated on a long “attack” operations map – is the map divided up equally by the number of games in the operation? There was a choice of reinforcement on map in the pull down menu – how does that work exactly? Sorry didn’t explain what I meant very well at all.

The trick to winning as German is to push head with the elephants even if you only have AP left or for that matter if the gun is totally kaput. Ok the Russian flame-throwers and AT Grenade Teams can get lucky - but even against a human opponent - one of these coming your way is pretty intimidating! In testing the elephants could steal the flags or at least neutralise them.

The complete experience - plugs into a slot in the back of your head so you get the graphics straight in your Brain - mod that Mr Nobby! NKVD - improving morale by mowing down retreating troops in 1941 - Stalins purges, Hitlers purges - straight in the brain!!! No thats version CM IVCDLX I will settle for opptional Women Russian soldiers from 1944 and Russian SMGS restricted to recon troops and Russian Recon troops equipped with German SMgs from 1944 and I want it (no demand it )in a patch tommorrow not in CMIVCDLX!!!! Gone a bit silly - sorry :eek:

Nikke has a point - I personally think that T-34s and KVs in 1941 and the first part of 1942 are just not rare enough. (I know I lost the argument that the Russians should not have T-34s in June 1941 but come on potential use in last couple of days of the month must make them a bit rarer than July at least!) I use T-34s and KVs every QB battle - I am not going to buy BTs or T-26s or those tankette things (Well only that one time) cause I am not an idiot - unfortunately that’s what a lot of Russian tankers went to war in. Everybody also assumes the Russians took up defensive positions in the June/July battles - not so - Russian military thinking was offensive -the battles were encounters and that suited the Germans just fine. One Russian commander in June disobeyed his orders and took up a solid defensive position - he won.

Wow I am on a roll tonight! Can anybody tell me what the effect of putting two different regions would be to limit the player’s set-up in an operation? Say black and green - will these reappear in the second game? Do I need to put the coloured set-up area right across the map or will the immediate area for the first battle do? On my wish list of features - (although some may be do able already) are:- Set-up zones far behind the enemy lines for Partisans to appear behind German units as reinforcements on future battles. Removing units in a sort of reverse reinforcements -such as heavy artillery - used in the first game breakthrough but would like to lose them in subsequent games, as they would be left far behind by the rapidly advancing front. Railroad crossroads - I know you can get a decent effect if you angle them but I am trying to copy an actual map and it looks crap!!!

Many thanks. That should solve it for me - although not tried yet. Does anybody know how to put shell holes in the map by hand - my operational map well have areas heavily shelled and others clear of any damage - So I don't want to set the change globally across the whole map. :confused:

As a Yorkshireman I am highly insulted that you Southerners believe that I cannot play. Although this may be true as I find it hard to find the keyboard particularly on Friday and Saturday nights for some strange reason but who says you lot can play!

I am currently trying to create an operation and have found that I could move multiple units of German defenders by using the mouse to highlight a group and then click to grab them all and place them. However it does not work for the Russian attackers no matter if I right, left or double click. The screen comes up and loses the group and goes to just one unit. :mad: Never noticed this effect before the patch. Anybody else got this? [ February 16, 2003, 02:13 PM: Message edited by: Mark Gallear ]

I thought I would just say how much I appreciate Kwazy Dogs efforts – 2 hours sleep - gulp - and everybody else’s at Battlefront – to make my hobby that much better and cooler.

The changes and extra models sound great. I am just hoping that there have been extra-fixes to the aircraft model and that the number of tank commanders who die is toned down. (I know I moaned it was impossible to do before the patch but I frequently finish a game now with every tank “shocked” which is getting silly. I was going to make a blow by blow moan on why I don’t like the present representation of aircraft in the game but I will now wait for the patch and hope things get better! My other big moan is that the generated maps are a little on the big and wide side - this is increasing the number of turns it takes to play a moderate point game into the 40s. OK I know its all been said before! There is now a lot to like about CMBB - the ifantry model is much better.

I don't think so - as the operation systems represents just a few days of battle - a turn in an operation a few hours - so that a day would consists of a number of operation turns. If you want that kind of a time series in a campaign play Steel Panthers:World at War. Mark

My scenario Charge of the Elephants is available from my site and hopefully the Scenario Depot. Special thanks to Eden Smallwood who put a lot of time and effort polishing the result.

The finished scenario is now on my site and at the Scenario Depot. Special thanks to eden smallwood who put a lot of work into it.

Go on then I will give it a go - people were nice enough to test my effort. You know the email address!

Many thanks Kingfish and JasonC. It is an excellent site and reference. I did come cross a German site and was able to make out that the division used Jagpanzer IVs and Italy and that one picture was of a Jagpanzer IV in Russia? Otherwise very little on the division's composition can be found, only its commanders and theatre of operations. (There is a site with pictures of motorcycle troops for its early career in Russia and a partially completed site which is supposed to be a history of the unit.) I got the impression that it was reformed in France and sent out to the Russian Front, rather than been switched from Italy to Russia? I better get that scenario done now! [ January 31, 2003, 05:15 PM: Message edited by: Mark Gallear ]

I am trying to do a scenario concerning the Herman Goring Panzer division. Any grogs out there know the types of tank and tank destroyer the Fallschirm-Panzer-Korps "Hermann Göring" Division was equipped in August 1944. I found an organisation for 1943 before it was reconstituted but found no information on its late career. Be grateful for any pointers – suppose I should wait for the new Osprey book.

Not sure that you can force them to do it but if they have a line of sight to enemy troops on turn 1 they probably will - however having troops fire on the players set-up area on turn 1 is considered a design no-no. When I played competitive WW2 miniature games you new where the set-up line was exactly and therefore had a pretty good idea where his troops would be. Some players bought the maximum amount of artillery possible and bombarded the start line on turn 0 – before he moved – which was possible under this system. If you killed the HQ unit always a small infantry unit – the whole army had a good chance of routing off table! It made for boring tank battles! Think about your scenario from both ends if human are playing both – you can specify in your brief that it is only suitable for play by one side against the computer if you wish.

Eden Smallwood who has been testing Charge of the Elephants suggested I post my breifings here for editing by all. I certainly had problems producing text documents that kept the line breaks with word that CMBB liked. I think I overwrote my revised files with my first thoughts when I tried to sort out the line breaks. In the end I have found that if you put a 3.6cm margin left and right the correct line breaks stay in. Check the text document in word and make sure the margins are still 3.6. Title: Charge of the Elephants Type: Axis Assault Date July 5, 1943 Location: Butyriki, Kursk Region: Central Weather: Dry/Clear Terrain: Low hills, steppe and small town Wind: Breeze Turns: 33+ Author: Mark Gallear Testing By: Eden Smallwood, James Morton and João Andias. In the opening phase of Operation Zitadelle, Harpe's XLI Panzer Corps committed the Jagdpanzer Regiment 656, with ninety of the new sixty-eight-ton Elephant tank destroyers to lead an assault. Earlier in the day, the Tiger's of heavy battalion 505 had successfully stormed the defences of the Russian Seventieth Army and this new follow up attack would expose the Russian right flank. Deep Russian minefields were penetrated by use of a new engineer Vehicle the B-IV. The B-IV was a low tracked vehicle that carried a 100lb explosive charge which was set off by remote control and cleared a wide lane for the Panzers to make their attack. The Elephants of Regiment 656 supported by tanks and infantry were able to advance two miles into the Russian tactical defence zone and linked up with the 6th division at Butyriki. However the Elephants of 654 Battalion became separated from their lighter tanks and were marooned in a maze of slit trenches on Hill 235.5. Russian infantry played flame-throwers over their ventilation slats and boarded them on the move. Colonel General Heinz Guderian, Inspector General of Armoured Troops judged that the Ferdinand (Pzjg Elephant) were "incapable of close range fighting since they lacked sufficient ammunition for their guns and this defect was aggravated by the fact that they had no machinegun. Once they had broken into the enemy's Infantry zone, they literally had to go quail shooting with cannon. They did not manage to neutralise, let alone destroy, the enemy infantry and machine-guns, so that our infantry was unable to follow up behind them. By the time they had reached the Russian artillery they were on their own." At the end of the day the German objectives had been meet but Russian Engineers working as the battle raged laid an estimated 6000 mines in critical sectors and the Russians were able to move up reinforcements. Source: Robin Cross - Citadel The Battle of Kursk. The Greatest Tank Battle of World War II (1993) Player’s Notes: Best played first from the German perspective with the Russian computer player set-up on set to Scenario Default. Historically the Russian defence points remained hidden and either fired on the German tanks at point blank or let them go by and then attacked the German infantry following up. To model this effect it is possible for the German player to come under fire on turn one in his set-up area, however testing has proved that the German player can still win. German Brief: - Operation Briefing – Your force is to make a deep breakthrough into the Russian lines in the area of Butyrki, this is to consolidate gains made earlier in the day by Model’s XXIII Corp’s and open up the Russian right flank to attack. - Mission – Take and hold as many of the objectives marked on your map as possible. - Intelligence – Attacks earlier in the day have proved that the Russians have set-up a powerful defence zone, which has remained hidden until now. You can expect strong points of AT guns, well camouflaged and set up in a checkerboard formation across the front. Behind these forces you can expect in depth defences of entrenched infantry. - Forces – 2 troops of Ferdinand (Pzjg Elephant) 2 x Panzer IIIN HQ 1 troop of Panzer IIIL 1 troop of Panzer IIIJ Recon Section PSW 232 and 2 Panzer IIC Motorized Recon Platoon in Half-tracks Panzer Grenadier Company 81mm Mortar Battery Nebelwerfer Rocket Battery Fight-Bomber Sorties Russian Brief: - Operation Briefing – Your troops of the 81st and 294th rifle divisions are to hold the area forward of Butyriki. In the past couple of months we have secretly been able to build up extensive minefields, resistance points and belts of entrenchment’s by moving reinforcements in by night and using dummy troop placements and false radio signals to fool the enemy. - Mission – Deny as many of the objectives marked on your map to the enemy as possible. - Intelligence – Intelligence suggests that you can expect an attack by powerful enemy armoured formations in the near future, however we are confident that your tactical skill and the bravery of your troops will see the Nazi invaders smashed against your defences. - Forces – 2 x Anti-tank Resistance Points (Protivotankovye opornye Punkty – PTOP) - consisting of five entrenched 76mmm AT guns, Submachinegun Squads, Engineers, and AT Rifles, protected by mines. Infantry Company Supporting light AT guns, MGs, snipers, flame-throwers and tank hunting teams. MG bunker, mines and trenches. Battery of 76mm guns Battery of 82mm mortars The second test version is up on my site - I have now had the brains to label it as such! Not fully been able to remove the problem of the Russian player been able to fire on the German player on turn 1 in his setup area - however to totally remove this possibility would mean a very long and boring drive to the battle - prepare not to be bored! This is Kursk! Mark What can I say Bengal6 - nice comments -however I don't seem to need CM or a computer to annoy the fairer Sex! (You should be able to "spank" the Germans with the allies - eventually as well.) I don't have anymore plans to do any CMBO scenarios in the future - but have plans to do Bagration and Kursk operations - the battles are so big that you could easily do a number of these without repeating yourself and they are fairly well documented with maps in history books to keep them reasonably historical.

Many thanks to Eden for sending me an email that pointed out this major gaff out - it is corrected now! Many thanks to the gentleman above I will get on it and correct the other bad links right now! Sorry Mark

I have created a scenario representing the fist combat experience of the Elephant SP Gun. I would be grateful if anybody would be willing to give me comments on how it plays. I suggest you play from the German point of view first with the default settings for the Russians. It is not as historical as my previous CMBO scenarios, the map is based on a description of the terrain and a high level map. Forces were largely gussed at, but the Russian defences are typical of those at Kursk. Title: Charge of the Elephants Type: Axis Assault Date July 5, 1943 Location: Butyriki, Kursk Region: Central Weather: Dry/Clear Terrain: low hills, steppe and small town Wind: Breeze Turns: 32+ Author: Mark Gallear In the opening phase of Citadel, Harpe's XLI Panzer Corps committed the Jagdpanzer Regiment 656, with its new Elephants to lead an assault to exploit the success of the Tiger's of heavy battalion 505 and move to position where the entire Russian Seventieth Army's flanks came under threat of attack. A new engineer vehicle the B-IV was used to clears paths through the deep Russian minefields, which allowed the Panzers to make their attack. The B-IV was a low tracked vehicle that carried a 100lb explosive charge that was set of by remote control. The Elephants of Regiment 656 supported by tanks and infantry was able to advance two miles into the Russian tactical defence zone and linked up with the 6th division at Butyriki. However the Elephants of 654 Battalion became separated from their lighter tanks and were marooned in a maze of slit trenches on Hill 235.5. Russian infantry played flame-throwers over their ventilation slats and boarded them on the move. Colonel General Heinz Guderian, Inspector General of Armoured Troops judged that the Ferdinand (Pzjg Elephant) were "incapable of close range fighting since they lacked sufficient ammunition for their guns and this defect was aggravated by the fact that they had no machinegun. Once they had broken into the enemy's Infantry zone, they literally had to go quail shooting with cannon. They did not manage to neutralise, let alone destroy, the enemy infantry and machine-guns, so that our infantry was unable to follow up behind them. By the time they had reached the Russian artillery they were on their own." Source: Robin Cross - Citadel The Battle of Kursk. The Greatest Tank Battle of World War II (1993) You can download it from the bottom of Mod Corner - email me on the above account with your thoughts.

Hardly the answer to CMHQ but my site may be worth a look - I am going to add some scenarios (By me) shortly.

Yes I liked them too! Could somebody tell me which numbers are the Russian and German faces - I would like to have a go at doing some alternative female Russian faces - although I am not sure how to begin - I gather the features are streched in some way?

My New Year is looking up already. My father went in for surgery today for a tumour. (We were told he was to go in Christmas Eve!) He just phoned me and is bouncing up and down. He told me to have a drink for him. I found some expensive Spanish Brandy in his private stock as I have been ordered - I am going to drink that. Why don't you have one for him as well. The big moment in England is now less than an hour away! [ December 31, 2002, 06:06 PM: Message edited by: Mark Gallear ]