ww2steel

Thanks for the compliment and legal tip. I did just speak with Martin, and have had his permission when I started the projects in 2003. It's fairly obvious I would need their permission. Mike

Sorry Red, I know some people only sit in one or two forums and it's a wealth of knowledge I might be missing. I am usually only in CMBB. Won't do it again. Thanks for the info JK! I just went back through Panther Fibel, but my German is slow. These links will be helpful! Mike

Oh, it won't let me edit the old post, but at least I get the big picture that you can't upload anymore! Bear with me folks, no T-34/ Ferdinand battle anymore! Mike

Hello, Glad you guys like it. Somebody dug up the old post. Now I have to figure out how to edit my post on this new forum because the new version pic doesn't match the text. As far as CMAK/CMBO data. Yes, it can be added... with maybe between a few days and a week of straight work. I will do it though, maybe when I am away at work. As far as the spreadsheets that are our there- they are a different format than I had to use for this program. I can type fast and have my own spreadsheets. The maker of those spreadsheets would not release them to me (since they are kind of copyrighted), even when this was a free project. That's cool, it's his choice. I have spent a tremendous amount of time on this game, what is on my website is maybe only about 2%, literally, of the work I have done. The maker of the spreadsheets did an awesome job, don't get me wrong, but there are mistakes. (There are certainly mistakes in mine too, probably some that are the same as his, because I checked my work with his!) BIG REVISION UNDER WAY. Those who get it today or later will get this new version. Please be patient while I plug in all of the equations! Mike

Check out the Combat Mission part of my website, I just finished a new version of this program. (It's a $10 donation to my website to download, unfortunately I have to pay for the site somehow!) Even if you don't want to pay, check out the site, it should be interesting! Mike

Cool, I'll order it now!

Hi, (posting this in all the CM1 forums) I am trying to find information about the established commands used by the German armor crews, especially in WW2. I would like them in English or German (or both!). My books love to talk about the tanks, love to talk about what happened, but never really give what was vocalized inside the tank. Also, (being a pilot) I am aware that even what is published as standard callouts often gets modified, if even slightly, by the crew using it. This is the stuff I am really interested in! I certainly appreciate any help! Mike

Hi, (posting this in all the CM1 forums) I am trying to find information about the established commands used by the German armor crews, especially in WW2. I would like them in English or German (or both!). My books love to talk about the tanks, love to talk about what happened, but never really give what was vocalized inside the tank. Also, (being a pilot) I am aware that even what is published as standard callouts often gets modified, if even slightly, by the crew using it. This is the stuff I am really interested in! I certainly appreciate any help! Mike

I'd love to be in on the Beta testing, if you've been to my website you know how much I'm into this game! Mike

Hi, just wanted to make sure this: http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Tactics-German-Small-Unit-Armor/dp/0811732444 was the right book. You reference page 486, and it only lists the book as having 368 pages. Thanks, Mike

Hi, I am trying to find information about the established commands used by the German armor crews, especially in WW2. I would like them in English or German (or both!). My books love to talk about the tanks, love to talk about what happened, but never really give what was vocalized inside the tank. Also, (being a pilot) I am aware that even what is published as standard callouts often gets modified, if even slightly, by the crew using it. This is the stuff I am really interested in! I certainly appreciate any help! Mike

Okay, another Vista problem... Vista keeps telling me that Install files are corrupted. I am having HUGE install problems on my brand new laptop. CMBB installed fine, but now on CMBO it goes through like six files, stops on maybe the 5th bmp and says that the file is corrupted. It did this same BS to me on BF Vietnam and Paint Shop Pro. (The discs are all like new condition.) Many other programs I have had to install multipe times to get working. It's really frustrating and I am so tired of talking to people in India, Phillipines, etc that just keep reading some stuid screen to me! Thanks for your help, I'd love to get this running! Mike

If it is a disc problem, I have been having a lot of similar errors with my Vista machine. It says that the install file is corrupted. It did this to me with CMBO, Battlefield Vietnam, and Paint shop Pro so far. I have been unable to get these installed on my wonderful (sarcasm) Vista machine. Mike

I finally found out what KVs used at least: manganese-chromium steel. (New Vanguard #17, plate D (right in the middle of the book)). Naturally, I will use whatever track style was used originally, especially on the German designs like the King Tiger the waffling (though waffle pattern is a description of a Soviet track style) is very much structural. My chassis up for options right now are KV/SU-152, Panther (for which I already have a repro'd turret for a late A model that was intended for a ground bunker) or JagdTiger (despite my better judgment for attempting to move this beast - it would be unique and there's one at nearby Aberdeen I can measure from, plus - no turret mechanisms!). Yeah, I'm going to have to go back to the local foundries and get them to figure up strength and wear and see if there's a cheaper alternative to M-C Steel that's at least half as strong (tensile) and wear resistant. Mike

The vehicles are 1:1 scale made of steel. About 90% of the weight will be tracks, drivetrain, and suspension. Therefore, I am hoping that cast would be strong enough given the nice waffle style structures used. I do not know the tensile strength of cast iron alloys, and don't know if it would be sufficient to hold up to full power application and abuse of driving 30mph over moderate terrain with the replica vehicle weight. Maybe I can find some metals engineer to work this up for me. I think that cast iron is less brittle than hardened steel but more brittle than mild steel. I have plenty of experience welding mild steel, but welded tracks would look odd, especially for German stuff. (Though honestly I haven't decided on a vehicle yet though I have several top candidates.) They could be hollow in places though and could cut the weight of the vehicle hugely. I think the best would be a face hardened steel, but I'm betting that would be very expensive... prohibitively I'd bet. Mike

Very interesting, any idea if the WW2 equipment used bushings? With the exception of German lubricated tracks I thought they were just pins and links. I am wondering if in a lighter (30-40k pound) vehicle, bushings (like stainless or something) will be required to give adequate track life or if graphite alloyed cast iron will be hard enough over like a 40mm pin. Out of curiosity what SPG did you work with? I see looking through my books that many WW2 US tanks did use rubber grouser pads. I thought that was post war mostly. (I study almost exclusively east front and the Germans and Russians had rubber supply problems, as you stated.) My replicas are planned to be of German and Soviet designs... someday. Anyway, still working on methods of casting that are adequate to my requirements. Thanks, Mike

Thanks for the info. If a single cast link can hold up to 21 tons, and the entire replica vehicle only will weigh about 40,000 pounds, I should be safe using inexpensive cast iron alloys... I hope! Thanks, Mike

Does anyone know specifics on what tracks were made from in WW2? I am wondering about hardness, are they poured steel or cast iron? If cast iron: Grey with graphite? I don't know much on the topic but want to learn! Thanks, Mike

Most sources list the BT-7 as loosing the trackless ability. (A few show the BT-7M as the model that looses this.) I am not at home so I cannot double check the specific sources. Mike

It would never stop reading the CD (like it was looking for an autorun) to try anything else. Took the Toshiba back, the DVD player in the HP does not have Vista conflicts. Vista has problems and many errors installing other common XP era programs (including one from Microsoft). CMBB runs, so I'm happy. Mike

Yeah, it's really wierd. I may try to copy it onto a flash drive and install it from there. Maybe I'm a dork, but this is one of my favorite games. I MUST have it on my laptop. I have CMBO,CMBB (US and German versions), and CMAK. None will start the install. The drive is sitting there doing ??? just reading. Many other games install and run without difficulty. Battlefront, (not giving you a hard time) why do these CDs not work in my Vista powered DVD player? Thanks

It looks like problem 2 under the install guide. (PC taking up to ten minutes to look through the CD) .... I've tried like 10 times to install the software, waiting a significant amount of time each time. This time I've been waiting for 22 minutes and it hasn't even opened the setup program I clicked on. Is this a drive, Vista, or Battlefront software problem??? Mike

My Toshiba laptop will not run the install/ setup programs for any CM1 game. It just sits there and reads. Brand new laptop- maybe it's the drive, maybe incompatability with one of the millions of crosslinked software components, who knows? Mike

No problem! I just changed around a bunch of formulas to incorporate max range of the smaller weapons. ...still adding data....

Don't we all! If there is I've never found it.