Sgt.Squarehead

No puppies were harmed during nagging for this info. 

Did the puppy live? 😃

Sorry, I completely forgot! 
Quick scan of Spielberger has the frontal armour as 80mm for the Ausf H (the earlier 50mm armour plate and 30mm Zusatzpanzer add on kit were replaced with a single 80mm plate), can't immediately see any numbers for the turret.
PS - I've scanned through a couple now and a definitive figure for the turret front still eludes me.....It was increased to 50mm with the Ausf F, but I can't immediately find any figures beyond that.
PPS - Interesting comment in the Osprey book:
"In one way the longer 75mm guns were a very mixed blessing.  In spite of the designers' efforts to conserve weight, the new weapons made the vehicle nose-heavy to such an extent that the forward suspension springs were under constant compression, with the result that the tank tended to sway about even when no steering was applied.  The effect of this was compounded when the Ausfuhrung H was introduced in March 1943, as this model not only had 80mm armour on the bow, front plate & mantlet, but also had 5mm side-skirts and a turret girdle as defence against hollow charge ammunition."

Bonez.....Or we eetzim! 
Alas all my searches for 'Hyena Eats Hitler Youth Volunteer' were fruitless. 

Shame.....But probably very wise. 

Sorry, I completely forgot! 
Quick scan of Spielberger has the frontal armour as 80mm for the Ausf H (the earlier 50mm armour plate and 30mm Zusatzpanzer add on kit were replaced with a single 80mm plate), can't immediately see any numbers for the turret.
PS - I've scanned through a couple now and a definitive figure for the turret front still eludes me.....It was increased to 50mm with the Ausf F, but I can't immediately find any figures beyond that.
PPS - Interesting comment in the Osprey book:
"In one way the longer 75mm guns were a very mixed blessing.  In spite of the designers' efforts to conserve weight, the new weapons made the vehicle nose-heavy to such an extent that the forward suspension springs were under constant compression, with the result that the tank tended to sway about even when no steering was applied.  The effect of this was compounded when the Ausfuhrung H was introduced in March 1943, as this model not only had 80mm armour on the bow, front plate & mantlet, but also had 5mm side-skirts and a turret girdle as defence against hollow charge ammunition."

I vote for an expansion to Soviet forces, plus the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Mujaheddin & Tribals.....CM:A2 with working Stingers!  Oh my! 

I still want to know if @George MC is going to do the Russian Liberation of Scotland (for CM:BS), as suggested by our good friend @Bufo in this thread:
 

I wish we could blend all the games together in one big blob! 
Yemeni T-34/85s vs. Saudi Abrams anyone?  (My money's on the T-34 if it's manned by the Houthis). 

yep, go for it

I vote for an expansion to Soviet forces, plus the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Mujaheddin & Tribals.....CM:A2 with working Stingers!  Oh my! 

Yeah I might have done the article as disservice and you are right, it is an interesting read.
Who knew Combat Mission: Farms and Roads would be a winner!

@George MC linked to an article that discusses it in some detail:
  It's a surprisingly interesting read. 
 
 

My point entirely.....If JK really must make these posts, IMHO he should try to keep them to General Discussion, don't f**k up the game forum.
But this is very far from the first time we have had this discussion.

It is better to prohibit discussion of politics altogether, the Black Sea sub-forum has become "Russia will attack soon in 201x", "Russia will attack", etc. Where the hell is the discussion of the vision of how we want to see CMBS, where is the talk about how it would be nice to add the US and Russian Marines, etc. 
 
I would very much like the administration to remove all these topics. I think there are other forums for this. 

Errrr.....Because this is a CM forum, maybe? 

@John Kettler
A couple points on what you found.
Russian Nuclear Exercises: This is concerning, but I wouldn't freak out just yet. The 2019 exercise was simply an exercise (although any large-scale nuclear exercise is concerning, of course), and I suspect that what happened in March was just a you-know-what measuring contest to show the new president what kind of toys Russia has available. Russia wants to continually show off their new equipment, as it would, in theory, give them an advantage over the US in a nuclear exchange. What a lot of people don't get, however, is that these new toys may not actually mean much. Despite all the hype about the S-500 and other ABM systems, a US nuclear strike/retaliation on Russia would convert the overwhelming majority of the country to a parking lot, even if Russia manages to strike first with their various fancy missiles, torpedoes, unnecessarily large warheads, etc. Putin's obsessed with getting his name in the history books. This requires a few people to be around to read those history books. You must remember that simply possessing a capable nuclear stockpile (even if you have no intention of ever using them) is of massive strategic value.
Mass Graves: After talking to a few friends and colleagues from Russia and who focus on Russian governance, I'm reasonably certain that preparations for mass graves were strictly COVID related. It's an open secret that Russia's official covid fatality numbers only cover a fraction of the true number of deaths. Hell, just about every Russian I know has lost a family member due to covid. If I remember correctly, the document was released shortly after the Omicron variant of COVID was discovered, when we knew it was more transmittable but did not know that it caused less severe illness. If the Russian government expected a new, more dangerous covid wave, it makes sense to begin preparations for the digging of mass graves as was necessary as previous waves threatened to overwhelm morgues across the country. Further, while the number of burials detailed in the manual may be useful in the event of casualties due to a conventional war, 1000 a day is a joke when you've got millions dead in a single city alone as you would during a nuclear exchange. The document mentions CRBN dead, but I suspect that the N in this case is something like a Chernobyl- type incident, rather than a nuclear detonation. Hell, if there's a nuclear detonation due to a strategic nuclear exchange, burying the bodies is probably pretty low on the to-do list.
 
There's a lot of evidence that indicates that Russia could be launching an invasion of Ukraine, and there's no professional consensus as to whether or not Russia will do anything. Time will tell about that part. But I don't see a nuclear exchange any time soon being a realistic possibility.

Thought I'll chime in here. I wouldn't go as far as to call myself an expert, but I am about a semester away from an MA in International Relations with a focus on Eastern European security, so I'm not exactly talking out of my ass here.
First off, Hal Turner is a bumbling idiot. That's probably the least credible source out there. If you see anything by him, COMPLETELY disregard it. He peddles in conspiracy theories, instead of doing any kind of "analysis".
With that out of the way, what's going on in Eastern Europe right now is still concerning, and I would go as far as to say that this is the most dangerous crisis that we've seen since Able Archer. Even if we strip away the whole NATO-Russia angle, there is a realistic chance of war between the two largest military forces in Europe. If that turns into a full on conflict it would not be crazy to imagine a six figure death toll. That said, I am growing increasingly convinced that this is just Russia trying to increase pressure on the West and roll back their expansion to a state that Russia would feel more comfortable with. In fact, I don't think the Russian buildup has as much to do with Ukraine as it does with Belarus. One of the main areas where Russian equipment is being stockpiled is Yelnya. Most analysts that I've seen works from or talked to personally agree that Russian forces in Yelnya (even prior to this current buildup) serve two purposes: for a rapid drive on Kyiv should the situation in Ukraine devolve into open warfare, or to transit through Belarus and cut off the Baltic states in the event of hostilities with NATO. Given the fact that most of the rhetoric from Russia about this mess has been about NATO (instead of Ukraine), I find it hard to believe that they'd build up forces there, then use them to attack Ukraine, removing one of their main assets in conflict with NATO from the board, so to speak. Instead, I think they're building up forces so that they can establish a military presence, including a large portion of the 41st CAA as well as ballistic missiles, in Belarus should this week's talks fail. This isn't necessarily a preparation for war, but is instead Russia's way of saying "NATO expanded uncomfortably close to our borders, so we'll do the same thing and send our troops uncomfortably close to your borders as well". They could also up the intensity of their efforts in Donbas, but the most aggressive move I can see Russia making in the near future would be a move for Mariupol, MAYBE Kharkiv, but the latter is incredibly unlikely.
 
A couple other notes about crap from the Turner piece
I have not seen any good evidence for a Ukrainian buildup in preparation for a military operation to retake the Temporarily Occupied Territories. Can't say 100% that it doesn't exist, but I suspect that at least someone I know would have heard about it. Plus it Zelensky has been fairly passive regarding the war, and such an operation would be out of character for him.
I have also not seen any evidence that the mess in Kazakhstan is related to the Ukraine/NATO-Russia situation. Timing seems to have been a coincidence. That said, Central Asia is a bit out of my wheelhouse so I can't comment much beyond that.
The whole "NATO missiles in Romania" thing is mostly BS. The US Army has been developing a ground-launched version of the Tomahawk, possibly to be deployed to Europe, but those are not yet operational, and despite all the complaints from Moscow, there is no good evidence that the Aegis Ashore system in Romania is anything but defensive in nature.
There is also no evidence that the US has deployed tanks to Europe (Moving that number of vehicles without somebody noticing is nearly impossible), nor is there evidence of American aircraft being moved to Ukraine. Russia would be publicly freaking out if either of those happened.
 
 

Nope.....It's JK, s**tpoasting (again). 

Nope.....It's JK, s**tpoasting (again). 

Ah, maybe I was confusing Javelin with TOW-2B.....Getting old & senile! 

The mechanics are working as intended (actually, better than they did in CMSF 1, where the AI couldn't as easily make use of them).

- Civilian Density cloaks Combatants, not Fighters. This includes Spies, combatant triggermen and VBIED.

- Density settings basically act as "how close can you get". Maximum settings are very close - perhaps a tile distance between the units (8-16m). Actual spotting distance seems to be more than a flat value, so it probably has some factor based on experience of spotted and possibly the Combatant. VBIED get some degree of cloaking, but they are much easier to spot than Combatants on foot.


- Quick and Move seem to behave identically. This is the major departure from CMSF 1, where Quick would expose your forces. Since the AI defaults to Quick, that meant that the AI couldn't move them whilst cloaked in CMSF 1.

- Shooting, or doing something like deploying a crew served weapon, will expose your troops, as well as straying too close.



Basically: Combatants, if told to hold fire, can use the implied crowd of civilians to get extremely close.

Fighters can't hide themselves, but they tend to have better soft factors and have access to better equipment.

If you're intending to put together scenarios or play them in QBs, you can use a mix of Combatants as your forward elements to gain information and ambush from close range, whilst using Fighters as your main line, supporting or reserve force, to make better use of their equipment and enthusiasm.

 

Hello...
I have finished my first scenario using the Rebels in Odessa map that i previously created.
From the briefing:
Odessa, april 10, 1944
Time: 12.00
Weather: Thick haze, cold, medieum wind from the north.
Ground: dry
The 79 GD division is currently engaged in the fighting for the third, and final, axis defensive line established to delay the russian liberation of Odessa. The enemy has realized that the battle is lost and is desperatelly trying to escape from the pocket that the russian
encirclement of the city has created. The last retreat route over land has been cut and the only one still remaining is by sea. while the bulk of the axis forces are trying to board any avaliable ship to escape this trapp some remaining rearguard units are still providing 
opposition to the russian advance. While the russian airforce is reecing havoc amongst the desperate german and romanian troops trying to escape the soldiers from the 3rd ukranian front are tasked with ridding the final parts of the city from the last enemy troops. As part of this effort
the 79 GD division is fighting in the northern part of the city. the 216th regiment has been tasked with securing an old aircraft factory located north of the main harbour area. This is where you as the player comes in. Taking the part of the company commander of the 7th company, 3rd battalion.
MISSION:
The failed attempt earlier this morning by second battalion to secure the factory district has resultet in the need for a second push to try and achive this objective. 7th company, with attached support, has been ordered to lead this attack.
You are in command.
This will be a perfect oppertunity for you personally to prove that you are the right man to be promoted to battalion commander ones 'the old man' leaves 3rd battalion for his new assigment.
At your disposal will be the entire 7th company. The men are fairly well rested and their moral is good. The rest the men recieved this morning while 3rd battalion where held in reserv did them good. Earlier losses has been made good for by recent replacements. 
The company is at full strenth and well supplied with ammunition. 
To support this attack the 216 regiment HQ have assigned the better part of the 93rd recon company, some engineer units equiped with breach charges and some light mortars to assist you in the succesful conclution of this mission.
In addition to this some of our brand new, upgraded, T34 tanks armed with the 85mm gun have been assigned to you from the 160th GD tank brigade. 
Further, 3rd battalion, will keep parts of the 8th company and a small number of SU-85 tankdestroyers in reserv. If your attack boggs down these units may be released to you by the battalion HQ to strenthen your attack.
Remember though ! Any request made for the release of these battalion assets will most likely reflect badely on you at higher HQ...It would be preferable if you manage to complete your assigned task without bothering the battalion Hq.
The attack earlier this morning by 2nd battalion managed to push into the factory compound and secure a few of the main buildings but a subsequent german counterattack forced them out again.
According to a report by 2nd battalion the initial opposition consisted of a mix of german and romanian infantry units of fairly low quality and rather badely equiped. These troops where supported by a few assultguns and a number of dug-in AT guns. The only indirect firesupport our men encountered came from medium mortars and
even this fire was light and badely directed. 
What eventually forced the 2nd battalion to retreat was the counter attack launched by german reinforcements. This attack seems to have been conducted by some scattered SS-units supported by a handful of Panther tanks. It was this attack that routed the second battalion.
As for the current situation...We can expect that the enemy have re-manned their previous possitions and that these SS-units as well a mix of other german and romanian units of lower quality remain in the area. If the enemy still has the strenth to launch an additional counterattack we can expect
them to do so. The most likely enemy approaches will be from across the railroad bridge or from the area around Glubokii hotel.
The second battalion may have been force out of the factory compound but they did manage to hold onto this possition, Glubokii Hotel. This hotel provides you with an exellent defensive possition to fortify your right flank on. 
The troops from the 2nd battalion are currently in the act of withdrawning from this possition as they have been ordered into the regimental reserves. You are advised to re-occupy these building as they will be most useful in preventing any enemy reinforcements making their way towards the factory district from the south.
The approaches to this hotel as well as the area around the trainstation have been cleared of enemy forces. The area south of Molotov road is out of bounds for you and your men. This section of the city has been assigned to the 220th regiment attacking next to you. Their objective is
to defeat the enemy forces that still occupies the area east of the commersial buildings. To avoid any mix-up of forces you are to not advance any of your troops south of the Molotov road (EXIT terrain-objective).Battalion HQ will come down on you hard if you do. We realize that you will be commanding a somewhat larger force then what you are
used to as a company comander but we expect nothing less then complete success. 
Good luck, Comrade !

Briefingscreen:

Download link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jotoy7ebxfn0sky/Odessa will be ours !!.zip?dl=0

It's a winter scenario so it looks kind of bleak. It's a 4k by 4k map and while all of it won't be in this scenario it leaves room for additional battles as tank battles were occurring all over the place at this time.
It's going to be the tank battle of Lisow based on the book "Tank Battles in East Prussia and Poland 1944-1945: Vilkavishkis, Gumbinnen/Nemmersdorf, Elbing, Wormditt/Frauenburg, Kielce/Lisow by Igor Nebolsin."
The map took about 6 weeks to do as it took a little while to figure out what I was doing, not hard once you figured out what to do. Worked on it every day up to 8 hours some days (made for some interesting dreams at night...😀).
Now if I can get the pixel tanks and pixeltruppen to do what I want it should be a good game.

Still think it would be more fun if you just plot the artillery, watch the explosions, then 'save as'. 
PS - Still can't get over the 2D editor image at the top of the screen.....Stuff of nightmares that is!