Rokossovski

Much more useful for infantry support, I can imagine.
For the next one, I am going to group together 4 vehicles into one.



Top to bottom: Neubaufahrzeug (1940), Vickers A1E1 Independent (1933, prototype), T-35 (1935), Char 2C (1921)
These are big, heavy, slow, lightly armoured and infamously unreliable -- which made them all but useless in WW2. Albeit, the British were forward-thinking enough to retire theirs to the museum. This was the first incarnation of the Heavy Tank, a concept that would become obsolete by the MBT. They say great minds think a-like. In this case, they were just plain wrong. I can imagine these super-tanks were useful for propaganda -- they look imposing even to this day.

Vergeltungswaffe,
If you troops aren't semi-starved, pretty much the norm in the Red Army, and the guy is bull strong, you might find someone who can shoot an ATR freehand. Get a load of this.
 
Regards,
John Kettler

Can't believe it's already been an hour, but the French battle group in Estonia video was amazing. On the strength of what I saw there alone, I'd happily support your campaign to get the French into CMBS. They look serious and squared away. The colors are somber, so I absolutely didn't understand the jarring bright blue wash stations or whatever they were. Those things would be a nightmare to camouflage. It found it remarkable how low the vertical profile was for the Le Clerc in the field. Has always looked like a beast to me when imaged at defense shows and such. Shall have to watch the other videos but in the sidebar to this one was a video series called "Armies de Mer__" not reproed completely here in case the full word would get me into trouble with Steve! If it means what I think it means, as in the famous Cambron instance, then it would definitely be a bad idea to press my luck. That said, I don't know French, so there may be other meanings attached as well. My Squat +1 knowledge level of what's happening in Mali was considerably improved by the second video. I knew MARSOC was doing CT training there vs AQ, but I was unaware there was a hot war going on. Love those big AMX armoured cars, if that's the right term. Always thought they were cool.

Regards,
John Kettler

P.S.

No idea why I got a quote of my previous one. Couldn't get rid of it, so we're stuck with it.

FoxZz,
There is a huge difference between being the Third World's nuclear power and the third largest nuclear power. Pakistan would fall under the former category of Third World nuclear power, which is why I twitted you about how the French citizenry would view such a description of their nation.
Regards,
John Kettler

This TV series is overall well done, thought provoking, moving, even entrancing at times. The show is called Night Swallows and is in Russian with English subtitles here in the US. The Germans called the members of Stalin's secretly assembled Night Aviation Bomber Regiment die Nacht Hexxen (Night Witches) because of the misery and bedevilment the unprecedented in the Red Air Force female crews inflicted. The Germans dubbed their fragile looking Polikarpov Po-2/U-2 (no, not that kind) biplanes "sewing machines" because of their characteristic engine sounds. Reading a proper book on these amazing ladies (unless you consider flying 1000 missions unremarkable) has long been on my to do list, and watching this has reminded me afresh. Courage, cowardice, devotion to duty, shirking same, careerism, loyalty and betrayal are all on display. The show is about Russia at war, the Party at war, the Russian people at war, the clash between Communism and deep Russian Orthodox religious beliefs. Above all, it is about these young women, operating in a man's world, doing the riskiest of flying, yet remaining women with hopes and dreams, triumphs and tragedies, strength and fragility,  throughout. And overarching it all are  Russia herself and the Russian soul.  There are some wonderful toys (way too many Landser armed with MP38/40s, a common problem in western war dramas, too) and also "forest brothers" AKA Spetsnaz! 

Should say, too, that I got to see a real Po-2 in Night Swallow configuration at Paul Allen's Flying Heritage & Armor Museum in Everett, Washington a few years back. That museum also has the only flying Il-2 on the planet. Amazon Prime offers a free 30-day trial. Might want to jump on that!

Image Credit: Flickr via Wikimedia Commons
 
Regards,
John Kettler

A teaser from the moster thread above. This is the Ukrainian show called "Weapons" in English. This episode is about--tanks!  As a bonus, for a change it's possible for those who speak neither Russian (the usual issue when watching the Russian equivalent) or Ukrainian (total experience about an hour all told) to understand what's being said, thanks to (storm clouds part, trumpets blare) English subtitles.
Regards,
John Kettler

Turns out my number was off. It is actually 34 pages--of AFV gloriousness! Goodies galore, including quite a few things I'd never seen before. I skimmed 27 pages and about lost my mind in the process.
Regards,
John Kettler

This one's got a few more pics of the same vehicle. If the report is to be believed, the vehicle was back in action the next day.

http://info-news.eu/ukrainian-btr-4-apc-withstood-several-rpg-hits/
Anyone for a 25 page thread on Ukrainian armor? It's a year old, but when you see the enormous numbers of wonderful photos, you won't mid the big chunk of your lifespan you'll lose as a result.
http://sturgeonshouse.ipbhost.com/index.php?/topic/61-ukrainian-armor-oplot-m-t-64m-bulat-and-other/
Regards,
John Kettler

Was looking at something different altogether on a defense blog when I found these:
Ukrainian paratroop train during brigade level.exercise. Has some good pics.

http://defence-blog.com/news/ukrainian-paratroopers-enhance-their-professional-skills-during-brigade-tactical-exercise.html
Defense industrial complex reform. Mercifully short, it does have a nice pic of some AC with an impressive CROWS type installation.

http://defence-blog.com/army/ukroboronprom-announced-the-reform-of-the-military-industrial-complex-ukraine.html
This one's a year old, but it's got a fabulous pic of a full war configuration BTR-4E, as well as some AFV, Su-25, helo and para goodness.
http://defence-blog.com/news/ukrainian-troops-undergo-training-at-shyrokyi-lan.html
Another 2015 link, but I've included it because it has some great pics of no slat armor BTR-4Es in the wild, a big technical, a Vasilek under tow and many more things.
http://defence-blog.com/army/photos-ukrainian-paratroopers-undergo-training.html
Regards,
John Kettler

Not sure how I got there, but I was over on SpecialOperations.com and on a whim decided to see what there was under the Poland listing. The article impressed me, but most of it is the backstory of how the unit came to be. That, as far as I'm concerned, is must reading. The site itself claims it's the definitive source on Special Operations, but from what I can see, it's got a long way to go yet.
http://specialoperations.com/28603/jw-grom/
Regards,
John Kettler

Haiduk,
Am very glad I said "claims" in the title! Very much appreciate your detailed discussion and refutation of the issues raised in the article. Have learned much from your posts, which provide information very hard for us in the West to come by.
Regards,
John Kettler
 

Using a link to a different article--and thanks to an English option--I found this attention-seizing article in the sidebar. Though the translation isn't the best, there is some real meat to it. Part of that meet is a statement to the effect the ERA not only isn't effective but damages the tank it's supposed to defend!  There is also a photo of a unmistakably dead Bulat. 
http://gurkhan.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/blog-post_22.html
Regards,
John Kettler

While investigating the myriad book options on Amazon, I decided to investigate commandos, which led me to a further search for Spetsnaz. In plowing through the list, I found pages upon pages upon pages (not kidding) of what looked to be nonfiction Spetsnaz books covering everything from the GPW to the present, some of which were unmistakably history encyclopedia type material (know enough transliterated Russian to recognize certain words instantly). Naval Spetsnaz, KGB Spetsnaz, GRU Spetsnaz, Alpha, Spetsnaz FSB, SSO, etc.--all had books, sometimes stacks. Seemed to me to be a potentially tremendous information resource, one possibly usable by the Anglophones here after seeing some sort of smartphone app used to read Russian MRE text. Thought I'd pass the word about my discovery.

Regards,
John Kettler 

One of my brothers sent me this. together with his opinion this site looked like a good source. A fast skim of the article and the conclusions drawn in it cause me to concur. Strategic Sentinel is a civilian geospatial organization located in Herndon, Virginia. For the Russians, the Kerch Strait Bridge is a very big deal and has serious security implications for Ukraine. 47 trains/day and 40,000 vehicles/day provide huge logistic capabilities for Russia, a nation which used to have to rely on ferries, to move troops, equipment, and supplies across the Kerch Strait. 
https://www.strategicsentinel.org/single-post/2017/08/31/The-Kerch-Strait-Bridge-August-29th-Progress
Regards,
John Kettler
 
 

Aragorn2002,
First they closed the various archives to foreigners, then came the "verbotten to report on things (failed ops) that made the Red Army look bad." Good thing Glantz et al. got copies of the relevant material first. Besides, one such visit just before the State Archives were denied netted unmistakeable DNA proof that the supposed Hitler skull fragment held there was from a woman! The documents over at Tank Archives are high level internal documents, documents which usually had a very small circulation because of classification. The exception, which really stood out for me, was the order to make the findings regarding Ferdinand weak points available clear down to TCs and gun commanders. That was novel. Obviously, the loss ratio manipulation (which I wasn't aware of, so thanks!) is blatant distortion of thoroughly unpleasant historical reality. And I guarantee you the Kremlin is none too happy about Germany's current military capabilities, not to mention the clout it wields in NATO and the EU. Russia's already had two unforgettable encounters with the continental power that is Germany and is accordingly chary.
Regards,
John Kettler

Found this on Tank Archives while trying to chase down something else. This is chiefly about MOUT and is essential reading if you would understand how the Soviets dismantled German defenses via CA tactics and organization. They were meticulous.
http://tankarchives.blogspot.com/2014/05/soviet-tank-tactics-1945.html
Regards,
John Kettler

Have always loved this sort of thing, but just imagine were this to be done US EOD style. Other than the EOD and maybe HAZMAT and ATF teams,  no one would be allowed within, say, a mile of the proceedings before the all clear is given. Would imagine the explosive ordnance wouldn't be removed but blown in place, spoiling the tank restoration plans permanently! Can anyone translate the song?

P.S.

Discovered this is on the wrong game forum. Mods, please move to CMRT. Thanks!
Regards,
John Kettler

This is well worth a read and has lots of photos and maps. Numerous citations, too.

http://www.v2rocket.com/start/deployment/v2s-on-remagen.html
Regards,
John Kettler

Not really an advocate for a Pacific version of CM...but why does everyone think the Pacific only had jungle warfare.  Battles were fought over a huge expanse of the Pacific and Asian regions.  Battles were fought in terrain not very different from parts of Europe.  Even on some "jungle" islands, large battles were fought over open spaces, towns, and airfields.   One of the largest urban battles of the war was fought in Manila.  The US forces would be almost the same as whats in CMFI.
Again, not advocating a Pacific version because of commercial concerns.  But for a bunch of people thinking they are students of World War 2, you seem to not know a lot about a huge part of the war.  Just look up some of the battles in the Philippines in 1942 and in 1944/45.  At CM's scale, there are some battles that would be great for CM to simulate, especially in 1942.  

Bulletpoint,
In order to engage a target, the mortar must either be in direct lay, where someone can eyeball the target from the mortar position and, with or without a map, figure out the range, the appropriate charge, then begin  adjustment firing until the bracket is achieved and FFE can commence. In order to conduct indierect fire, an FO or somebody else has to pass the coordinates to the mortar team, the team must have a pretty good own location in order to be able to shoot effectively, and adjustments have to be made based on spotting the impacts before the shoot proper can begin. What you want to do is run up (not necessarily Fast) on a piece of ground which may or may not be level and start firing. Won't work because the mortar could easily be out of alignment in both traverse and elevation after that, not to mention cant, all of which must first be sorted out; the range isn't known, the crew's been likely subjected to jostling. The ammunition is still in racks, too. Therefore, no charge bags can be added until the rounds are removed from their shipping tubes (or is it boxes?). Nor can the right charge be applied until the range is called. All in all, you're looking at an evolution which may, likely will,  take longer than for infantry to deploy the mortar in the usual way. Realistically, I don't see how you could move up the mortar track and do all the other needed things in a mere minute. Could I be wrong? Sure. But I don't believe I am. Am not familiar with the mortar halftrack in CMFB, but I do know that many pointed rearward for quick escape. This says the M4 type, the first model, which used the M2 halftrack, fired aft, but the M3 based M21 fired forward. If that's the case, then you also have to factor turning around and reversing into position for the M4, which makes things worse. Consequently, taking the various factors in aggregate,  I find it eminently reasonable you can't do what you want to in a single turn. FM 17-27 81-MM MORTAR SQUAD and PLATOON is here. It is the complete how to for the M4 series and is from 1942.
Regards,
John Kettler

FoxZz,
What an impressive and impassioned argument for adding in the French--with arguments based on geography, history, influence, technology, unique force structure, market size, advanced weaponry and more!  I do take exception, though to this eye-catching statement.
Am sure the French citizenry would be fascinated to learn this fact. I know what you intended to convey, but when you give me such great material to work with...
Regards,
John Kettler

Remarkable doesn't come close. Thought this was a gag photo at first. Caption says otherwise. Photo is also an excellent visual reference for GI rifleman in heavy winter kit.

During the Battle of the Bulge , allied soldiers decorated their helmets with lace curtains,
after realizing it provided excellent camouflage in the snow. Image Credit: Original source unknown
but found on www.historicaltimes.tumblr.com
 
Regards,
John Kettler

Here's a link to what the situation was in Alexandria and Cairo. It's on the third page of chapter 8 in Mitcham's Rommel's Desert War. Would post the paragraph, but Google Books doesn't allow that.And I wasn't taking a shot at anyone's ancestors, merely reporting what I'd read. Had forgotten the Fitness setting altogher, too. Doh!
https://books.google.com/books?id=d4pEEm7OQJMC&pg=PT150&lpg=PT150&dq=british+panic+in+alexandria,+rommel&source=bl&ots=jtR1BRd-HW&sig=BFY-ZgopfJSN2H9h8pXbVO-kD-A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjjmbKEttPZAhVHgK0KHfu4D9EQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=british panic in alexandria%2C rommel&f=false
Regards,
John Kettler

CM2 games include the (sadly underused) "fitness" setting on the unit design screen for a similar purpose.  It has a drop menu allowing the scenario designer to select between "fit", "weakened", and "unfit."  The CMBN manual (for example) on page 131 describes the settings as follows: "FITNESS -- determines the inherent degree of physical readiness of the unit's soldiers.  This influences on how quickly soldiers tire and recover from physical tasks, such as running or being bombarded by enemy fire.  Options include: Fit, Weakened, and Unfit."
For example, I would use the setting for Germans in the late stages of the battle of Stalingrad, weakened by cold and hunger, or some Volksstum troops slowed by age (I think I have enough silver in my hair to make that last observation without offending my age cohort).
Reducing the setting to "weakened" or "unfit" allows the scenario designer to simulate troops entering the scenario in a compromised state such as from battle exhaustion, hunger, and so forth, and will reduce their ability to move without tiring, or to recover from fatigue.  However, I agree with Josey Wales' observation that it may be worthwhile to reduce their experience as well if you wish to have an impact on the troops' spotting ability, accuracy, morale, ability to recover from suppression and ability to pass on information.  None of THOSE appear to be impacted by fitness level.
 
EDITED TO ADD: I just noticed a couple of mentions in the thread that I had missed earlier discussing the "fitness" settings.  To the extent my post unnecessarily repeats old points I apologize.  But I'm keeping my post up because I think a bit of evangelizing about the use of that feature remains worthwhile.

I don't understand the childish downplaying. 
What is the purpose of this comment? 
And this? 
I think you have a great point John. A fatigue feature which affects more than just running speed would come with a very welcome yet drastic change in gameplay.