Aragorn2002

Fascinating to read. Especially the information about the allied preference for night fighting, since that is supposed to be a German speciality. I love articles like these, they are seldom found in books and give such a good impression about the fighting. Rommel must have studied these reports too...

Okay, I accept that and will stop moaning. I hope you guys make loads of money, so you can take your games to an even higher level.

If the decision would have been made to bring CMBO up to CMBB/CMAK standards (I expected that to happen after CMAK) everybody would have been happy and delighted to pay the full price for it... And people asked for it often enough. All in all a strange decision.

Will these two improved games only be available in North America, or can we also find them in stores throughout Europe?

I'm too lazy to plough through all replies. Will it be possible to order these improved versions online or only in shops? And if only in shops, will they also become available in Europe?

Just a thought. Wouldn't it be great when the future Combat Mission (improved engine etc.) would also include more complicated buildings like the Kremlin and large house blocks and factories (Stalingrad, Charkow and so on) to be able to fight fierce house-to-house fighting? Of course we already do have factories, but I mean buildings with lots of stores and rooms. Like I said, just a thought.

Just a thought. Wouldn't it be great when the future Combat Mission (improved engine etc.) would also include more complicated buildings like the Kremlin and large house blocks and factories (Stalingrad, Charkow and so on) to be able to fight fierce house-to-house fighting? Of course we already do have factories, but I mean buildings with lots of stores and rooms. Like I said, just a thought.

And with better graphics I mean the infantry, which isn't bad, but could be better. I'm sure Combat Mission can take on Battlefield Command any time.

Well, perhaps they can beat the future versions of Combat Mission in graphics, but never in realism. I bet these are the same guys who've made IL-2 Stormowik and they couldn't resist to make the Soviet planes superior in almost all aspects. They will do the same with this game and probably spoil it. But it is a strong warning that Combat Mission needs better graphics to beat these guys.

Thanks Rachel, I found it. It is better than the original, not much, much better, but definitely better. Thanks for your help.

I've read some less enthusiastic comments on this book. It is mainly about lots of photos and not enough info on tactics. If this isn't true I would like to hear it. At this price I want to be certain before spending that much money.

While playing the Scotland the Brave I scenario I couldn't help finding the Humber SC to be looking very, very ugly. Is there a mod available for this vehicle? I did find mods for the Humber armored car, but not for this Scout version.

Dandelion, not Dendelion. I apologize.

So no French army in North Africa. Historically not really defendable, but it took me at least half an hour to recover from laughing...

Yep, mobile 88s are vital for North Africa.

As much as I like the idea, I don't think Netherlands is ahead. But it's good to hear we are present allright. Personally I'm always surprised by the strong representation of Finland in wargames. As a student of warfare I've always admired their part in the fighting at the eastern front.

Actually I have two out of three. Being fascinated by war is almost a crime in the Netherlands, so that's probably why, we band of frustrated war mongers, have fled in our dream world, called Combat Mission...

Perhaps we are not such a peace-loving little country after all...

Haarlem, the Netherlands

Very interesting. For me it confirms my impression that, especially after Stalingrad, the German training in urban warfare intensified. Thorough people as they are, the Germans must have had an equal professional approach to close combat training. This is the kind of information I'm looking for. I've noticed that some people on this board, like you, posess an extraordinary knowledge of rare details, which can hardly be found elsewhere. Thanks for sharing this. I regret there are few books which can give us an impression of how it was on the level of the ordinary soldier. Personally I like "Death in Normandy" and "Kampfgruppe Peiper" by James Lucas, but I don't know many more books like these. Do you have some recommendations on well-written books (preferabaly not in the style of The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sayer) which give a good view of reality? And with reality I mean the experiences and fighting techniques of front soldiers, without false drama and "anti-war" horror stories.

It certainly did, Dandelion, thanks for your help. I appreciate it. Especially the article of the Canadian Army's Infantry Journal has been interesting reading. I will try to contact the Bundesarchiv for more information (being Dutch that should not be a problem). I now know that specific details on close combat fighting in WW 2 are hard to find, therefor I will also concentrate on studying modern manuals on close combat. I've started by ordering the "Close Combat" of the USMC. By studying these techniques I will no doubt get a reasonable picture of the techniques used in WW2, since the basics seem to have survived the years. Once again, thanks for your useful and to-the-point information.

Dandelion, I realize too late that with references you might mean books. Yes, I would be extremely interested in German Army material and I'm willing to pay for them.

Thanks for these interesting links, Dandelion, I will read them carefully. And yes, I do speak German, so I would be very interested in German links as well.

I'm not sure about most close combat fighting being very lopsided. I've read accounts which suggests that it took quite a while before one of the sides broke down. And there are now many close combat manuals around, which show that the art of close combat is not ad hoc, but must be learned and practised. The Germans had Nahkampf-experts and it is a known fact that the Waffen-SS did put a lot of time in teaching their recruts the basics of close combat fighting. I've once saw some pictures about how they learned to parry a bayonet thrust with their spade, or aim for the throat or belly with their bayonet. There must have been a great number of techniques of close combat (take for example Saving Private Ryan, in which they throw their helmets at their enemy, which sounds like lesson out of practice, passed on by veterans). Of course most soldiers would prefer to use machine guns or grenades, but it is a fact that ammunition wasn't always around. Well, all your suggestions and the poem have been interesing to read, but I guess information on close combat in WW2 is very, very hard to find. I will read "Closing with the Enemy:How GIs Fought The War In Europe, 1944-1945" by Michael Doubler. I'm curious, but I've read from several sources that the US Army infantry were very reluctant to get involved in close combat. Anyway, thanks for all your reactions.