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hello one and all I have used the battle cards from an Avalon Hill game called squad leader game covers east and west front battles no italy but easy worked around like you say makes you feel old..... as i got it when i was kid lets just say i am a 60s child and leave it at that... worth getting old copys of this type sell for quite a bit more as long as you have all the counters... happy hunting...

Hello one and all a nice info site ref the Matilda used in russia http://www.battlefield.ru/library/lend/matilda.html take care all happy hunting

Hello one and all bit of a read for you seems not a great many MatII at the battle of Arras... less than you may think.. 1. The Plan. ------------ Gen Gamelin ordered 'Instruction No12' on 19th June for an attack towards Mezieres from the south, and the Somme from the north. This was cancelled by Weygand on assuming command, who also ordered the roads cleared of refugees and the un-mothballing of as many WWI 75s as possible. On the 20th while Weygand flew around over Northern France having meetings, Gen Ironside ordered Gen Gort to attack south with all possible strength at 0800 hours on that day. Gort pointed out that seven of his nine divisions were already engaged and refused. He said that he was instead planning a limited attack with his two unengaged divisions south from Arras. Ironsides then went to see Billotte (Gorts nominal commander) and bullied Billotte and Blanchard into accepting the attack plan, and it ws agreed that both armies would attack with two divisions each on the 21st. 2. Forces committed ------------------- Attack was coordinated by Major General Franklyn (GOC 5th Div) and he was allotted 5th and 50th Div plus 1st Army Tank Brigade. BUT, the infantry divisions only had two brigades each, one from 5th Div was sent to relieve the French on the river Scarpe and the other brigade (17th) was held in reserve. 50th Div lost a brigade to garrison Arras itself and to hold the river line east of the city. So, all that was left for the attack were two battalions of 151st Brigade (50th Div), plus the armour. 1st Army Tank Brigade started with 100 tanks, but by the 21st its runners consisted of 58 Matilda Is and 16 Matilda IIs. It may also have had some light Vickers IV or VI in the regimental scout troops (not mentioned in Horne). Meanwhile late on the 20th Blanchard informed Gort that the French infantry could not attack until the 22nd, so instead Priouxs Cavalry Corps was allotted to provide flank cover to the West. Unfortunately Prioux had already lost most of 1st DLM fighting Hoeppner,a nd the rest of his tanks had lent to various infantry units, even by 1700 hours on the 20th he had not succeeded in reassembling his armour. He was only able to commit "a few weak detachments of 3rd DLM" - I believe this amounted to around a battlion of H39s. No RAF or ZOAN support was forthcoming. The attack finally went in at 1400 hours on the 21st. 3. The attack ------------- Gen Martel led from an open car. The troops were divided into two equal sized columns of a tank battalion, an infantry battalion (DLI - Durham Light Infantry) plus a battery of field artillery and AT guns. These would probably have been 18/25 pdrs (eight or twelve guns) and the AT guns would be Swedish 37mm Bofors AT guns (three troops of four each). The tanks seem to have been equally divided up. The right hand column - fought to clear Duisans and left two infantry companies & some AT to garrison it. Pushed on to Warlus, again captured after a stiff fight, took Berneville, and put troops across the Doullen-Arras road. The infantry were pinned down by MG/mortar fire and attacked by Stukas. The tanks left them behind and attacked Wailly where they caused panic among the lead units of 3rd SSTK. They were now overextended and the whole force fell back to Warlus with heavy losses, where the British AT gunners and Priouxs tanks fought each other! Some of the French tanks (six) than engaged 25th Panzer Regiment around Duisans. The left hand column - fought all the way but made rapid progress. Took Dainville, destroying a "motorised column" in the process (vehicles KO'd, troops made prisoner). Two miles east six Matildas wiped out an AT battery near Achicourt then pushed on to Agny and Beaurains, a few units reached Wancourt on the River Cojeul (the objective of the attack). Most of the heavy fighting took place in the Agny-Beaurains area between 4th RTR and German 6th Rifle Brigade, backed up by the Div artillery and Flak of 7th Panzer Div. Both sides suffered heavy losses. Meanwhile 150th Brigade (50th Div) attacked across the Scarpe to Tilloy, and 13th Brigade also established a bridghead. However it was obvious that the ground could not be held, and the whole force fell back as 25th Panzer Reg approached Arras from the west. They took 400 prisnoers, destroyed "large numbers" of tanks and vehicles, but were left with only 26 Matilda Is and 2 Matilda IIs. 4. The German View ------------------ (You may have most of this already from The Rommel Papers). 3rd SSTK evidently abandoned its positions in Wailly and showed 'signs of panic' (Guderian). Rommel was busy trying to round up 6th and 7th Rifle brigades to support 25th Pz Reg when the attack started. He couldn't find 7th Bde. He found elements of 6th Bde south of Wailly, and howitzers north of the village were engaging British tanks. The village itself came under MG fire as Rommel reached it. He found that the vilage was jammed with troops and vehicles trying to take cover (RtC!). West of Wailly were some light AA guns and AT guns again hiding in full cover, and there were some destroyed German tanks (he says Pz III, they must have been Pz38s). The German infantry and gun crews in the village then broke and ran. At this point Rommel brought up all the available guns, both AA and AT and concentrated their fire on each group of tanks, evidently with some success as the attack petered out (this was the high water mark of the right hand column). Rommel reports several British tanks destroyed or disabled, and the rest retreating. By the time he got the rest of 6th Rifle reg it had suffered 'very heavy losses in men and material' and he reports the overrunning of their light AT batteries. He organised a gun line between Agny and Beaurains from the Div artillery and heavy AA (88) batteries - according to Guderian there were at most six of these. This finished off the attack in the north, one 88 battery claiming nine kills. 25th Panzer Reg eventually intervened, and Rommel reports the destruction of seven tanks for the loss of nine of his own (no mention of the French though) fighting NW of Arras. He had lost 'considerable numbers' of tanks, 205 dead or wounded, and 173 missing (presumably the remaining 200 prisoners were from 3rd SS).

Hello one and all... a little ref for you all and a nice pic 88 mm German AA guns used as anti-tank guns during the Battle of Arras shown in military art print. The Battle of Arras by David Pentland. German 88mm guns of Rommel's 7th Panzer division devastate Matilda tanks of the British 1st Tank Brigade of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). THE BATTLE - ARRAS Rommel's report of being attacked by 'hundreds of tanks' put a halt to the German advance for 24 hours. This break gave the British troops the time they needed to arrange the retreat through Dunkirk. In an effort to restrain the Germans advance the British 1st Tank Brigade, 6th Durham Light Infantry and the French 3rd Light Armoured Division were quickly mustered under the command of Major General Franklyn. The subsequent attack on Rommel's 7th Panzer Division divided the panzers into two, devastated two rifle regiments, and some of the 3rd SS Division panicked and ran. However, Rommel eventually beat off the British tanks using his anti-aircraft guns. happy hunting...

Hello one and all i may have posted this site in a prev life... http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/britain/matilda.html has some good info on hows and whys of the time of prod take care all happy hunting

hello one and all a little slow here will down it just as i get home seems computers at work on nights do have advantages happy hunting

Hello one and all yet more reading material for you all when on the site click the pics for more info should help iron out the wrinkles http://www.inert-ord.net/atrkts/atrkts.html or blow your socks off take care all happy hunting

Hello one and all i have had battles that are hit and miss if its a meeting eng i feel you have more chance of being zapped.... no defined front line etc depends how the engine works it i guess... question for you all has any one had a blue on blue with AA shooting at the wrong guys ????

Hello one and all hope this site will help throw some light on the subject for you http://www.wwiivehicles.com/index.htm " If it aint broke fix it till it is "

Hello one ad all You have a point take a look at this site it shows the M4 (morter faces backwards) the M4A1 (morter faces to the front) http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/usa/m4_mortar_carriage.html would be a bit of a pain to have to reverse the thing round the battlefield.. you can get the same effect as the M4 just use an M3 and a 81mm morter team dare say saves room on the disk as with other issues of send in the clones but what the hell we could nit pick all day lets just enjoy it for what it is... a great game ps yet again a great site from the beaver... take care all.. happy hunting...

Hello one ad all You have a point take a look at this site it shows the M4 (morter faces backwards) the M4A1 (morter faces to the front) http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/usa/m4_mortar_carriage.html would be a bit of a pain to have to reverse the thing round the battlefield.. you can get the same effect as the M4 just use an M3 and a 81mm morter team dare say saves room on the disk as with other issues of send in the clones but what the hell we could nit pick all day lets just enjoy it for what it is... a great game ps yet again a great site from the beaver... take care all.. happy hunting...

Hello one and all CAS... I have noticed and tryed out a number of ways to get aircraft to show up/and shoot at the bad guys it would seem the better they are ie green > elite the better chance of a: showing up b:getting the target right it would seem you get what you pay for in most battles you do hear the aircraft turn up but.. is it mine or the other guys... to stop attack on your troops i have found after you hear a plane stop moving this seems to help id you ... poss dust etc /in cover.. but god help you if it is the other guy.. take care and happy hunting...

and again here is a very nice site well put together forgot i had it http://www.military.cz/panzer/index_en.htm

Hello one and all Slight change from halftracks but you may find it a good read more load outs for ya... http://www.onwar.com/tanks/ hope people like it Happy hunting

Ref to Dunkirk again Great film John Mills and Richard Attenborough http://www.learmedia.ca/product_info.php/products_id/74 the site tells it all

ref to Dunkirk will be showing in the not to distant future have seen adverts on BBC2 for it press release from last year here http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/09_september/02/dunkirk.shtml Take happy hunting

Hello one and all Over the last few weeks i have seen posts ref to gun damage hits crew hits etc.. and i have found a little site that may help throw a some light on just how much gets jammed in to turrets etc and thats b4 the crew,ord,gear i know from first hand what a pen shot will do.. been there done that... not nice picking up the bits and putting back together.. so take a look it covers mod as well as WWII may help some to understand how complex the game is.. and just how well it has been put together http://afvinteriors.hobbyvista.com/archive.html take care all happy hunting

Hello one and all Yep M3 ammo track or truck would be along for the ride if i am correct one ammo track to 3 T19 nice site to have a look at gives the ammo load outs to the whole M series take a peek http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/105mmhmct19.html " If life is a bowl of cherrys .... What are the stones in aid of ???"

I may be a total spanner but here is a review that i have not seen just passing on the info and if i am wrong and its old news send in the grease monkey... http://www.gameplanet.co.nz/mag.dyn/Reviews/2695.html take care all happy hunting "If power is corrupting ....Then total power must be well cool"

Hello Dr Brian... Just a note on the subject for you ... the spotter for the morter will have to be able to see the target himself and not be hide mode.. to stop the spotter from shooting at the enemy give him a cover arc of about 5m that way he can still spot but not give his postion away.. Happy Stonking....

Just an idea i feel it may have already been a topic.. please tell me if i am wrong you seem to get two types of status on tanks and inf support weapons when taken out by enemy fire.. abandoned and knocked out... i have played several games were i have small units of crew running around with little to do as they no longer have a weapon to crew.. tanks are a little diff as i know first hand that a tank can be put out of action and a major repair would be needed IE the (knocked out) status in the game... But when say for example a AT gun is abandoned due to morale issues what is to say a crew from a gun that morale is ok but have had a large shell punch a hole in it would be able to re-crew an abandoned weapon.... if you see what i am getting at..... i have looked into several battles most early war were brit 25 pounder crews moved from gun to gun when there own was KO your views please thankyou

Just an idea i feel it may have already been a topic.. please tell me if i am wrong you seem to get two types of status on tanks and inf support weapons when taken out by enemy fire.. abandoned and knocked out... i have played several games were i have small units of crew running around with little to do as they no longer have a weapon to crew.. tanks are a little diff as i know first hand that a tank can be put out of action and a major repair would be needed IE the (knocked out) status in the game... But when say for example a AT gun is abandoned due to morale issues what is to say a crew from a gun that morale is ok but have had a large shell punch a hole in it would be able to re-crew an abandoned weapon.... if you see what i am getting at..... i have looked into several battles most early war were brit 25 pounder crews moved from gun to gun when there own was KO your views please thankyou

Hello the point i hoped to have made in my last post "eeek to much beer and turkey" sow Daisy-chain in with the AP mines most people inc Comp spot the daisys and think its a nice safe route for the inf and run slap into the AP mines which are harder to spot take care all happy crimbo

hello... Not come across that b4 had a game this eve 6 Vals and they seemed quite happy to blast away at the inf with the mg only used main gun when i got bored and told them to... :confused: happy hunting...

Just a Quick tip over a cup of Tea... if you come a cross an AP mine and the inf are having probs with it drive a tank or carrier to them embark and drive through sounds lame but the amount of time i have orderd inf to carry on through the mines when a nice Ride is parked a couple of hundred yards away.. if you place mines yourself double them up or place AT mines over the top of the AP ones or for less points sow a few daisy-chain in with them.. "found something its hard to read in the dark i think it says point towards enem.............." "Famous last words" happy hunting