Wartgamer

Didnt that TD battalion start out towed and then re-equipped? Was your Father in an M8 armored car?

Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.

The sights on most faust were 30, 60 and 80m (PF60 and PF100). The early PF30 had a fixed sight supposedly.

Are self-loathing Germans allowed to participate here as honorary CW Mafia? Edit: A FPS that gave extra points for hitting Michael J Fox as he goes into one of his fits would be nice. Each strike causing him to spastically recoil and throb rythmically as bullets and wasting disease combine for extra action packed adventures. Extra Edit: He should cry out "Malorie!" each time.. [ May 16, 2005, 10:50 PM: Message edited by: Wartgamer ]

A tool is usefull. The CW Mafia is just a drain. And a drain that need some drano.

Did Max W. ever get convicted? I know he lived to a ripe old age. Is this just silly Canadian website authoring gone amok again? Some of the nabe dads would tell stories about surrounding Germans and giving them an ultimatum surrender. If they declined, they gave them little quarter. Some NCOs would shoot a prisoner (sometimes just in the foot), for every KIA they had. Some would pummel a German for every WIA they had. They did not need any 'hate-training'. Snipers were shot in the belly. Did not matter when or what or where. Especially after a sniper attack. I am sure Canadian flamethrower tank crews were treated harshly. Christ, Canadian anythings should be treated unkindly at best. I would like a FPS game against all things Canadian.

In reality, the 'fausts were said to be very accurate (by those recieving fire from them). A PF100 has a velocity of 60 M/s. If held at 6 degrees elevation, most targets 2m height and under (assuming a prone firer) will be struck out to about 70m. Maximum flight time (70m) is 1 1/4 sec. I am not sure how the germans set up the sights but the 'accuracy' (basically a low lob) is there. Shooting at further ranged targets would also have this 'zone' of ranges where tank sized targets are struck (but it gets narrower with range) and would not cover the near ground (of course). I would speculate that in defense it would be easy to pace off known distances. No range finding needed. This further enhanced 'accuracy'. A PF100 fired at 45 degrees would go slightly over 200m and land at a very steep angle. Possibly as much as 70 deg. It would reach 68 m height and take 7 1/2 secs to land.

Many Soviets captured and used MP40. I doubt it was worth thier while to convert them. It would be interesting to know the velocities of the two bullets at 100m and 200m. The lighter bullet may actually scrub off more velocity than the heavier one. It may actually be more subseptible to wind effects. I would think that captured PPsh converted to 9mm would be meant as 'long-term' personal weapons for the German soldiers. Captured 'stock' PPsh could be used as expediant weapons for crews or to bolster a defense (each position gets a 'final-fire' capability in addition to its regular carbine or other weapon).

The Germans did bother to convert captured PPsh to 9mm.

Many barrels overheated and would droop as this picture shows. This weapon, like JasonC, needs some Viagra.

Or instead of sticking with the Panzer IV, going to some other 'non-45 ton MBT' alternative? In 1944-1945, the Germans were using 4 chassis vehicles. The Panzer III (StuG), The Panzer IV (PanzerIV, StugIV, JagdpanzerIV, etc), Panther (Panther, JagdPanther), 38t (Hetzer) as well as Tiger(s) also. The Panther was too heavy for a MBT and could actually be considered a 'semi-heavy' tank. Its retrieval needs, fuel consumption, reliability did not make up for its effectiveness on the battlefield. Its weak side armor and size made it just as vulnerable as any other MBT when on the attack.

Yes, its a general statement and its generally true. The Germans were the only major player (US, Germany and Soviets) to field completely new MBT in the middle of the war. The soviets concentrated on the T34 and developed a 85mm version. The US concentrated on the sherman and developed a 76mm armed version. The Germans ceased production of one MBT (Panzer III) but had to continue production of the Panzer IV and Panther for the rest of the war. The fielding of Panthers has been shown to be slow (at a time when every tank was desperately needed) and plagued with teething problems. Soviet T34/85 were delivered to units in the field as replacements. The only training needed was the gun/turret systems. The Germans had to remove whole panzer battalions to the rear to train them on the Panthers.

The exact opposite is true of the US 4.2 mortar. It was actually prefered for close in work due to its accuracy. The remarks about incediaries is interesting.

I take it that the 4.2 inch mortar is a weapon of British design and not the US weapon?

yeah. clear. you sounded like an 'old-timey'.

Oh. Right. How many horsefeathers in a pound?

I can run a mile in the same time as sea level and I live above 6000 feet. I grew up at sea level. Anyone have a clue what weapon Jason is talking about? A 60mm throws a 3 pound bomb? [ May 07, 2005, 08:17 PM: Message edited by: Wartgamer ]

Happens to anyone that goes to a higher altitude over time.

The modern US 60mm is much more than a 'light mortar' (in WWII terms). Its fuse options, range and lethality makes it much greater than the WWII type light mortar.

The Panther's rate of fire is much better than many AFV. Its actually superior to a M36 TD and even a T34/76. Rate of fire has to do with ammo layout as well as ammo weight and type (one piece vs. two piece), size, interior-space, turret basket and other factors. The Panther could rotate its hull and also use the fact that revving its engine could slew the turret quicker than many AFV. This also effects 'rate-of-fire' in that it allows the fire initiation to start quickly. BTW: The early JS2 were very weak and tests using a ZIS-3 gun showed that it was vulnerable all around at 500-600 meters. This was not rectified till summer 44. http://www.battlefield.ru/is2_1.html [ May 07, 2005, 11:51 AM: Message edited by: Wartgamer ]

I think the heart of the matter is that the Germans, for all thier ground breaking armored ideas, got off on wierd tangeants late in the war. Having a 'Panther' armored division (2 Panther battalions), with heavy retrieval assets (bergpanther) available, is a much better use of Panthers given the known breakdown/recovery issues. The lighter Panzer III and Panzer IV chassis vehicles could still get by with HT recovery vehicles. The nightmare of a single battalion Panther (or brigade) trying to churn out a company of 'runners' was the storey of these heavy vehicles from the beginning. The Panther is an offensive vehicle. It must run its engine to be effective. To use it defensively is just wrong. People talk about Quality having advantage over quantity. But having runners was usually the bottom line.

My IQ is 147. Anyone vastly smarter than me is quite smart. And I am good looking too.

Not if it puts it out.

Yeah the logorythmic eloquance meter. Glad you had it handy.

I like it when John's snippets reveal him to be a foul mouthed commoner.