Evzone

Ah, thanks junk2drive.

thanks, tankibanki. Upon closer inspection the steppe appears to have long blades of grass or some kind of tall flora. I suspect it provides concealment...

The French forces of CM and the Greek forces that fought on the Albanian Front share the same uniform. So how can I replace the French flags and stuff with Greek ones? I'm not too concerned about insignia, weaponry, at least not for now. And I know how to change names in the editor. But if someone could explain how the flags can be changed I would be most grateful. Evzone

Some of you will recall my post from a week back, 'how does AK compare to BB'? Well, I received the game in the post yesterday and I think it's excellent. My first taste of Russian armor was pretty exhilirating to say the least and I find the infantry to be a lot bolder than they are in CMAK. I wonder if this is truly the case, if anyone would like to comment. I have been trying to get my head around some of the infantry types and their various capabilities and the roles they are most suitable in. I usually look at the squads' rifle-mg ratio and the support, if any is attached, to make the most basic distinction between attacking and defending platoons/companies. Would someone care to fill me in on the various infantry types of, say, the Soviet forces? Re the terrain, I'm under the impression that hilly terrain is better depicted than it is in CMAK. Also, at least during my first few battles I found it very easy to find hull-down postions. But is there a particular location and date anyone has singled out and would like to recommend, as Finland/North/Central/South is still a little vague to me despite the bit of hopping around that I've done. Also, I'm experiencing a problem with 'steppe' terrain: I can't differentiate it from 'open ground' when the height's above 2. Might this be a common problem? The game's still very new to me, too new I would say as I'm trying to find my bearings. I don't think I have had anything close to the thrills CMBB can potentially deliver so if someone could help me out with the above, that would be great. All comments would be appreciated. And once again, since I'm posting, I'd like to make an open invitation for a small QB, for my first CMBB battle against a human opponent. Corvidae and I started fighting it out ("Evzone V. Corvidae Aug.41'" in the AK forum) but he will be unavailable for a few days and I'm itching to play. Thanks guys, Evzone

Hey, I know where those rocks are.

Gentlemen, thank you for your responses. I've ordered the game and will be getting it in the post soon. I am a dedicated, albeit new, CM user and I guess it was going to be only a matter of time before I left the African sands and the Italian boot to head for where the real battle's raging. John Kettler's point about the Eastern Front being where the primary German war effort was conducted and the arena for a number of units absent from the other theatres and that this is depicted in BB was something I wanted to hear. Also, the understanding that locations and terrain are diverse, not limited to the stretch between say Leningrad and Stalingrad, but encompassing regions further north and south, including Finland and Iran, and part of the Balkans and Germany herself to the west allayed any fears I might've had that fighting in BB takes place on some Russian steppe the whole time. One concern I had was that gameplay would be very different, perhaps even inferior to that of CMAK, being as CMBB is the older game of the two. Apart from the absence of smoke and the points Redwolf makes re command delays and slower movement rates, I think I can expect nothing too different from how CMAK plays and should be ready for battle after a few QBs. And while I'm here posting I thought I would take the opportunity to make an invitation for a PBEM. Anyone interested in a QB? Evzone

Thank you Mr. Kettler for all your points, I needed a bit of nudging and they worked a treat. I am presently ordering CMBB, from Battlefront, and will very soon be on the Eastern Front! Evzone

Hello, I have owned CM:AK for about a year now and I absolutely love it. I'm currently considering if I should buy Barbarossa to Berlin. (Actually, I'm very close to buying but would like some encouragement!) Will BB significantly enrich my CM experience or are the games too much alike? Any comments and questions will be much appreciated. Evzone

You would think that the company HQ would at least have the platoon HQs belonging to his company under his command -thus indirectly enhancing the squads' abilities. As there aren't any lines running from the company HQ to the platoon HQs I doubt that this is the case.

simovitch, I could be of some help to you. I come from Rhodes in the Dodecanese and am quite familiar with the terrain, landmarks and place names, have served in the Greek artillery and was based on the island, as well. I've visited old Italian/German barracks, fortifications (numerous bunkers scattered across the island). I happen to know a few local war stories as well. Let me know if you're interested. Regards, Evzone

Good day, I have a question regarding the use of the Company/Battalion HQ. Should he be with the rest of the Company/Battalion, leading it into battle as one might expect, or should he be kept away, commanding support units that would otherwise be acting independently? I understand that he can take command of an 'orphaned' platoon, but as long as the platoon HQ is active and his abilities are superior to those of his...superior, shouldn't the latter be kept at a distance, in case the squads fall under his command? Thanks

Thanks lizardman. I'm checking this game out.

John Kettler, poor Italian tank crews driving around in their state of the art military equipment. I read somewhere that the Italian crews in North Africa took to wearing wrenches around their necks ('here, open my tank with this') thus demonstrating the little faith they had in their tanks and the protection that these afforded them. More of a reference to their poor armour. Stoat, thanks for your tip. I stumbled across the thread re the Greek modding project, very promising. Shame it never materialized. I will look in the salvage files as you suggest. Evzone

My father grew up in the Greek border town of Ioannina and was 9 years old when the Italians declared war in late October 40'. He related an absurdly amazing story to me. The Italians sent a number of tanks across the border that had to be stopped at all costs. In the absence of AT weapons, the Greek forces laid blankets in front of these tanks. The blankets got tangled in their tracks, thus immobilizing them. The Greeks then stormed the tanks, pulled their crews out and killed them. Unbelievable but true. If anyone knows where I can find Albanian Front scenarios, Greek forces (modified French?) please show me the way. Many thanks. [ July 01, 2006, 12:44 AM: Message edited by: Evzone ]

Ok, thanks. I will definitely check out your findings. Having the option of excluding enemy air support would have been every real commander's wet dream. Yes, they are a menace, but they were there and they played an important part. For the sake of realism and historical accuracy they should be included more often than not. If a player chooses not to call upon their own air support, that is their prerogative. But to deny your opponent of the option, I don't know, there's something not quite right about that.

I just finished reading North African Victory - The Eighth Army from Alam Halfa to Tunis 1942 1943 by Adrian Stewart. Monty was perhaps the first military commander to work closely and in co-operation with air support, in this case the Desert Air Force. Before that campaign, the air force operated pretty much independently from the other arms. Players who want realism and historical accuracy should include them more often than not. dieseltaylor, have you ever shot down a plane with your AA? In the short time I have been using air support I have not had a plane destroyed, according to the AAR. I wonder if AA work more as a deterrent and merely keep planes at bay. There have been occasions when I could hear my planes approaching without actually attacking any targets. The units promise a maximum of strafes; perhaps a number of well-positioned AAs work towards reducing this number.

During the past few weeks, I have been using a portion of my points to purchase air support. This practice began rather reluctantly, my understanding being that it was not a sound investment,ineffective, unpredictable at best. Now, they are an essential component of my forces, particularly when I'm on the offensive. I have found that even the cheaper, light fighters (strafing only) almost always deliver and more than make up for their cost. Air support will usually be the first unit to make contact with the enemy, thus providing precious recon before your ground units are exposed to any threat. By examining the trajectory of their ammo or the point of impact of their bombs, you can estimate enemy positions and hit those areas with long range guns, etc. When attacking they appear to get their priorities right as they go for vehicles (open tops don't stand a chance) and artillery. Planes not carrying bombs will go for an Armor's tracks thus immobilizing it. A fighter/bomber can completely knock out a tank or at least send their crews packing, abandoning their stations in a state of panic. On one occasion, by the time my forces reached their objective the enemy was in such a shambles that they could not put up a decent fight. Usually they will take out a vehicle or two, that gun in the far back that just won't die, decimating any infantry squads it spots in the process. However, there is such a thing as friendly fire. In one game, I had my guns on a hill in rough terrain, concealed from the enemy but, alas, not from the air. My own Bf-109 took out an 88, a smaller flak, and a howitzer, weakening my offensive considerably. **** happens. I understand many players don't like to use air support as they have no control over them. I quite like this aspect as it means that I (and my men on the ground) can concentrate on the approach to the objective, whilst the enemy is kept occupied. Furthermore, I suspect their worth is often overlooked as we are not informed of their kills in the AAR. Someone suggested this be estimated by means of deduction, i.e., calculating known kills by all the other units and attributing the rest to the plane. Personally I don't have the logistical head to sit and work that out. Overall, I think they're well worth the points (Regular Kittyhawks and Spitfires cost about 80pts.) and I wholeheartedly recommend their use to all -except my opponentts. Anyone who has similar experiences to share, please do so. Thanks.

The White Scout car is good value and firepower, plus a transport class of 6, useful for getting rested support units to the objective(s) swiftly and with some armor protection. The same when you're on the defence where you can shuttle support units to where they are most needed with the same if not better speed and safety. I don't know what their suvivability is when they are the spearhead of an attack, however. Not too good I imagine.

Thanks, guys. I found an opponent! Asofar as the Italian Airborne SMG squads are concerned, I now understand why they're loathed. Is this indeed a programmer error or could it be that they just carried loads of ammo on them, more than the average WWII soldier? They may have a lots of firepower but as it's been pointed out by others before, their vehicles and AFVs are mediocre (German heavy guns and armor later in the war, though). Also, I think you can't get them Crack in quick battles, only up to Veteran. Regards

Greetings to all. I would first like to thank battlefront.com, the forum and its members for providing such a brilliant space for CM players. Over the past few weeks I have learnt a great deal from the many enlightening articles posted here. I've yet to face a human opponent; the AI may be very good but I understand that playing against a human is the true test. I hope to start a PBEM in the next few days. However, I do have some concerns regarding etiquette, unspoken rules and generally how one should conduct himself on the battlefield. I came across a post in which the author expresses his hatred for players who use Italian Airborne SMG squads. Could someone explain to me why? Are there any other units that might provoke such stong feelings from an opponent? I also understand that to some players historical accuracy is perhaps the most important prerequisite and that they react when they encounter infantry squads with too much armor, or mechanized with not enough vehicles, or any combined force that is not identical to what either side might have fielded (at the start of an op...) during WWII. And, I read elsewhere that one should not use artillery during the first turn! If you are not one of the above (or are, but have since reassessed your views!) I would be delighted to have a game with you. My only request is that it does not exceed 1000pts. Thanks again.