akdavis
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Posts posted by akdavis
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Since nearly 10% of our battlefield KIAs have come from suicide bombings, could you justify not including suicide bombers?
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Ah yes, Operation Iraqi Feedom.Originally posted by Battlefront.com:Or we might let it go and allow someone else to use it if we really don't think we'll touch it.
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Non-tile terrain elements that function the way stone walls and hedges do. For example, streams and arroyos that infantry squads can take cover in but are only several meters wide. Similar terrain elements necessary for fortifications (esp. important in the desert campaign) would include anti-tank ditches and berms. It was these type of small terrain features that allowed infantry to survive in the desert.
Also, an easier way to lay down fortifications in the editor would be greatly appreciated. Would be nice to be able to place minefields, trenches and barbed wire the way you lay down roads.
I don't mean to be a naysayer, but if the best new features of this game add up to dust and a tank with two turrets, then you are going to get trashed in the press for selling an add-on as a new game. The way it's being advertised now, it sounds like a user-made CMBB mod.
Things necessary to do the Mediterranean theatre justice:
Region specific terrain elements/buildings (I think I'll **** a brick if mosques show-up in northern Italy).
Beach landings
Fortifications (examples: desert forts, shore batteries, Tobruk-style fortifications). I've heard the desert campaign described as a naval battle where the forts and cities played the role of islands.
Combat paradrops
Vichy French forces
Mountain troops able to traverse cliff tiles (I'm thinking here of Free French forces, the 10th Mountain Division and German mountain troops).
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Hmm...the reference I found list a 546th Field Artillery Battalion with 155s. Here is the text:Originally posted by gunnergoz:MasterGoodale...The WW2 546th Artillery was an automatic weapons anti-aircraft battalion...they had 40mm and 50-cal quad weapons. No long toms there. Could we be speaking of a number mixup?
Here's their veteran's association address:
546th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion, Btry B
Mr. Roger A. Pahl
623 9th Avenue SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404-1950
(319) 365-9355
and here is the link:Beginning on 4 April 1945, the 82d Airborne Division held defensively along the west bank of the Rhine River facing the Ruhr Pocket. Enemy contact ended on 18 April. Attachments during this period were as follows:341st Infantry, 4 April only.
417th Field Artillery Group, 4-25 April.
672d Field Artillery Battalion (155-How.), 4-14 April.
805th Field Artillery Battalion (155-How.), 5-17 April.
746th Field Artillery Battalion (8"-How.), 4-25 April.
541st Field Artillery Battalion (155 Gun), 4-25 April.
546th Field Artillery Battalion (155 Gun), 10-17 April.
790th Field Artillery Battalion (8"-How.), 4-14 April.
942d Field Artillery Battalion (155-How.), 19-24 April.
74th Field Artillery Battalion (105-How.), 18-25 April.
661st Field Artillery Battalion (8"-How.), 18-25 April.
294th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, 25 April only.
3d Co., 22d Belgian Fusilier Battalion, 21-25 April.
12th TD Group (headquarters only), 18-25 April.
1130th Engineer © Group, 25-26 April.
74th Chemical Generator Company, 4-21 April.
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/AbnOps/TABB.htm
[ February 04, 2003, 03:48 PM: Message edited by: akdavis ]
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546th Field Artillery Battalion was attached to the 82nd Airborne from 10-17 April 1945, just FYI.Originally posted by MasterGoodale:My gramp's wife finally got back to me about the camera. Seems I was way off in how the camera was found and when. Also, the film was already developed with the camera!! here is her exact quote:
"Pictures were all developed. They were with the camera. Not the one on display page. Found in an apartment complex in Munich Germany. Spring of 1945 after war ended. Gramps belonged to 546 field artillery. no negatives with it. Camera --- Gramps said you could unleash it & it pulled out like an accordian. He threw the camera away after a few years. He said it was junk. He had it for years, even after he married me. It was a 35 millimeter camera"
So there we have it.
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Also, there have so far been no pictures of large groups of people. I would expect a post-1933 Nazi function to get the people in the streets in large numbers.Originally posted by Screeny:Wild guess here but th elast 3 pics in this posting look to me like this are before or just when the nazis were in power...the reason? well despite it are b/w pics it looks to me like they nazis are all dressed in the SA uniform.... Once the nazis were in power (if I remember well after 1933) slowly the SA was becoming less importanted and the SS with the more "military" kind of uniforms got in the picture. Also the military were suddenly in the picture as being the party in power the nazis "governed" the military top. So in general the earlier the pics from Hitler &co the more SA uniform will be a lot seen, the later the pics the more SS and Wehrmacht uniforms will be seen. (Note: after 1933 a lot of people were still in the SA, but they were not more a "political power", so hitler &co didn't really bothered any more much about those masses dressed up in the brwon shirts on a personal basis like in this pics.)
gr
Screeny
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Goodale, when you get your scanner set-up, follow the directions I posted above in making your scans. It'll save you some time re-scanning everytime you want to do something with them.Originally posted by MasterGoodale:I haven't even looked at scanners yet, but everyone says Epson are the best so I will get a Epson. I can't wait! :mad:
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Goodale, do not attempt to scan the pictures for internet purposes. If you do so, you will just end up with files good only for web posting. You never want to end up having to try and make a small image larger, so start big and then work you're way down for the purpose intended. If you want to print them, then they would need to be 300dpi at the size you want, but 300dpi is far higher res than can be viewed on the Internet, so why post a file that big? Keep that big, high res original for printing and make yourself some smaller (dimensions and resolution) copies for the forum. Here's how:Originally posted by MasterGoodale:I appologize for the pictures being so big. I didn't scan them and don't have a scanner, but I'm getting one very soon. Once I have a scanner I will rescan all of them and find a resolution that creates a higher definition, but smaller picture from the original. This is all I have scanned so far because I am using a friends scanner during my lunch hour at work when I can. I hope to buy one within 2 weeks. Then I can scan all 40 or so in and if I can find a place to host them I will. I only have 10MB of space on the web.
If you can identify the people in the new pictures please help me out! Thanks!
Keep scanning them big. You want high quality files to work with. I would suggest having them AT LEAST 8 in. on the long side at 300 dpi.
Save the original scans in a low-compression file type (either photoshop or tiff format is best).
For web purposes, you should take your big, high-quality scans and reduce them to a smaller, lower resolution jpeg file. Something with a file size of 500k or less is best. I can only imagine the bandwidth you are using posting these monsters.
If you have any sort of image editing software on your comp (your comp probably came with something pre-installed) you should be able to open the high-quality scans, reduce their size (actual dimensions) and resolution(dpi), and save new jpeg copies for posting on the web. Just remember not to save over the original scans.
p.s. Remember to go back and convert the ones you have already posted. If you keep posting 1.5mb files, Battlefront.com (and dial-up users!) may get a bit upset, and you're 10mb will be gone in no time (if it's not already).
[ January 31, 2003, 11:05 PM: Message edited by: akdavis ]
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Actually, assuming no significant cropping, the prints much closer to 35mm format than medium format, at least 6x7. Of course, they could be cropped. Given the nature of the photographs, the camera was almost certainly a hand-held rangefinder type.Originally posted by benpark:Camera grogism:
A Leica would be a negative that has a longer format than these prints. The camera was probably a rangefinder (Leica is known for their 35mm rangefinder cameras, and stick to 35mm in terms of camera manufacture) I would again say that the camera is a Voightlander, or a knockoff-the format of the print fits the format of the negative that those prints were probably from(6x7cm or 2and1/4x31/4").
[ January 31, 2003, 04:20 PM: Message edited by: akdavis ]
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Definitely not Stalin.
Are all the images equally lacking in sharpness? If so, this definitely looks like the work of an amateur photographer (which is good, means it's not copywork of some professional's photos). It could also mean that the prints were enlarged from a small format negative, or that the negatives were improperly developed. They are certainly from a hand-held camera, and most likely one used at eye level, rather than waist-level (like many twin-lens cameras of the time). Probably a Leica.
p.s. You can post smaller images and we'll still be able to see them just fine. I'd say go for 5 in. on the long side at around 200dpi.
[ January 30, 2003, 11:40 PM: Message edited by: akdavis ]
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Okay, before you waste your time looking for a "military photo expert," I'll go ahead and tell you that's probably not the best route. This isn't really military documentation you have, it's political. Someone familiar with photographic documentation of the Third Reich would be your best bet. A German history professor or a professional photography appraiser would be easier to find.Originally posted by MasterGoodale:He advised me to not even touch them or scan them until I have had them appraised by a military photo expert and preserved professionally. He also said they are definitely originals and not photos of photos. I guess he could tell just by looking at them.
I don't know what to do
Second of all, I seriously doubt your friend could tell whether or not they are copywork just by looking at a few prints. What expertise does he have that would qualify him to do so (besides being older)? Did he give you a reason why they are definitely not photos of photos?
Third, have you acounted for the negatives yet? If not, then any speculation on value is futile. For all you know the negatives have been printed off of for years. Thus, there could be 100 prints of the same images floating around out there. Your prints are not the originals. The negatives are.
And fourth, DO NOT EAT while handling historical documents. If I make a black&white print I want to last for a long time, it does not get touched by bare fingers from the moment the printing paper comes out of its box. Use white cotton gloves!
Looking forward to seeing a few of these. Hopefully you picked some of the more "iconic" images. Exciting stuff, no?
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Hmm...the only reference I could find online to the 524th Field Artillery Battalion has it listed as part of the 38th Infantry Division (Indiana NG) in 1954. However, I cannot find the unit listed under the 38th ID's WW2 order-of-battle (which is good, cause that would mean your grandad had been in the Phillipines). Hopefully someone else will have a reference listing which division your grandad's battalion was attached to. If at all possible, double check his records to ensure that you have the correct unit.Originally posted by MasterGoodale:I looked at his little discharge paper, it was old and faded but I thought it said he was in the 524th field artillery. I can also verify this. I asked him in the email. He only lives 40 minutes away so I can drive or call if I have to. But if I drive I get to se the stuff myself and not hear a crickety old voice speak it over a phone.
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Sorry Goodale, your grandad was not in the Battle of the Bulge but also in Munich from 42-43. If he was captured in North Africa and made a POW, I suppose it's feasible he could have been in Munich at that time, but then he wouldn't have been in the Battle of the Bulge.Originally posted by MasterGoodale:I do know that he was in Europe until 46' though, and from 42-43 he was in Munich.
I would suggest looking up some records and doing some independent research. You'd be surprised how hard it is to remember that far back, especially dates and names of places.
You asked how to tell if these prints are copywork: unfortunately, without the negatives, it would be difficult to say.
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Wrong; impossible.Originally posted by Eden Smallwood:</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by RSColonel_131st:
Goodale, depending on where you want the pictures parked in the web there should be ways of preventing people from stealing them.
I'll have a look into that maybe I can did up some scripts to disable mouseclick and sourcecode view on a website. That way no one could copy them.
No matter how clever you get with code, the data is being transmitted, ergo, the data can be copied. At a minimum, nothing can stop the user from grabbing a screenshot.
Eden </font>
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Try a good photography store, the type that supplies college students and professionals. Art and framing stores also usually have archival materials. One of my photography professor had acid-free index card boxes that he stored small, loose 19th Cent. prints in. That would be perfect for a lot of loose, curling prints.Originally posted by MasterGoodale:Where would I get acid-free liners or containers??
[ January 27, 2003, 02:14 PM: Message edited by: akdavis ]
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Goodale, as has been said, do not attempt to restore or mount these prints yourself, at least not until you go through the process of establishing their historical value (and regardless, they should never be permanently mounted to a page). If you simply must flatten them (keep in mind this is not necessary for an expert to look at them), place a piece of archival material (acid-free matting board would be ideal) in between the print and the weight. Putting prints into the ink-covered pages of books is a bad idea.
Anyways, whether or not your grandfather has those negatives and what you need to do to protect them if he does is the most important question you need answered.
If these are simply prints made from copy-work negatives (photos of prints), then they may have very little value. Remember a print only takes on value if its negative original is destroyed/lost. Impossible to say whether they are originals or not until an expert can look at them.
From the content you describe, there's a good chance they are the work of Heinrich Hoffman, Hitler's close friend and official photographer. Hoffman was with the Nazi party from the beginning and took some 2.5 million photographs of Hitler. Hitler trusted only Hoffman to take candid or "behind-the-scenes" type photographs (they were still often highly controlled). Here's some links:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERhoffmann.htm
http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/hitler2.htm
And I'm sure you'll recognize one of Hoffman's most famous photographs:
Where do you live Goodale? If you are anywhere near Austin, Texas, the University of Texas' Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center has an excellent staff of photographic archivists and one of the finest photo archives in the world. If these turn out to be original photographs of Hitler, you might consider this facility if you want those photographs saved for posterity.
No matter what, keep all your Grandfather's photographs safe and dry, preferably in some sort of acid-free container.
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Keep in mind that churches in Russia were usually wood, not stone like Western European churches. I imagine cannister shot would go straight through a wood wall, with lots of extra wood shrapnel as well.
Are churches heavy structures in CMBB?
[ January 24, 2003, 01:13 AM: Message edited by: akdavis ]
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That doesn't justify it though. </font>Originally posted by Kaiser Soze 71:</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Shadow 1st Hussars:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by ichadwick:
but then they were just paying back the same treatment they had received. War is heck.
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Bless you! I've been dying for this! Big maps, here I come.Originally posted by L.Tankersley:By using Mapping Mission, the entire campaign map can be built before the campaign
begins and arbitrary swaths of terrain data can be exported on demand for battle requirements.
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...up at www.simhq.com
It's very indepth. Here's a wee nugget:
Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord was considered by many, including myself, to be the finest company and battalion level wargame ever created. My recommendation for the first game was to go out and get it, immediately. My recommendation for Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin is the same. Go out and get this game, it is that good. If your wife didn’t get you this game for Christmas she doesn’t love you. If your kids didn’t get this for you for Christmas they are ungrateful little imps undeserving of Santa’s presents. -
Every other game on the market has managed to make the Ampulomet look HISTORICALLY CORRECT, why can't CMBB? Jesus...this game is a total RIPOFF! I'd only be willing to spend 10 or 15 bucks on a game that can't EVEN make the famous Ampulomet look how EVERYONE knows it's supposed to. Man, I'm just going to go back to playing G.I.Combat. Now there's a game that's worth every cent of $80.00 Canadian.
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CC5 improved on this by making force structure more realistic. Unfortunately, unrealistic airstrikes and artillery support were also added by this point in the series. Otherwise, all the problems listed with CC3 are the same.Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:Force mixes are wildly armour-heavy and unrealistic. In a typical CC III game most you might get two platoons of infantry, usually much less and usually with several vehicles.
Units are not organized into realistic command structures - there are rules for leaders and command radius, but the game lets you (demands, really) mix one squad of air force troops, another of SS troops, throw in a Pz IV, a Pz V, and a couple of halftracks...
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Same problem. Using Gforce 3. Also have CMMOS.
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R. Rolando Hinojosa-Smith, an English professor at the University of Texas (who I unfortunately never had the privilege to take classes from), wrote a novel based on his experiences as a crewmember of one of those 105s. It is called The Useless Servants(1993). I have the book here somewhere, but it is buried in a box. I'll see if I can dig it up.
[ November 21, 2002, 12:54 PM: Message edited by: akdavis ]
suggested poll: which cm has the best infantry graphics?
in Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin
Posted
Is this somehow related to the eternal question "Are Russian women hot?"