Heinrich505

PanzerMike, I just finished the Redux version. Didn't play the original. What a freaking ride...this one had it all. Played it Axis vs AI on Elite and eeked out a German Tactical Victory. At one point there were four different actions going on in different locations of the map. I had to move from one to the next in systematic fashion to make sure I addressed each particular hot spot. The map was so big that if you didn't utilize your recon units you were letting yourself in for some ugly surprises. I pushed the Kubelwagen boys out to recon and this was well worth it as it saved me on several occasions. Some might be put off by the long time frame, but that was necessary to do the scouting. I had to reign in the panzers and let the recon boys do their thing. The Russian tank lads were quite good at long range gunnery. I must have had some bad rolls of the dice as quite a few of my Panthers took gun hits and lost their main 75 guns. I didn't let them head to the rear though, as I needed everyone to stay in line and confuse the Soviet tankers about who could still shoot back. There were some crazy tank battles and I thought the enemy placement was quite challenging. One of the Russian tankers blew up my FO, so I wasn't able to control the Luftwaffe when they finally showed up. Göring's boys must have been new at this or more interested in white bread and marmalade back at the airfield. They came close to being effective at one point, but I think they were actually trying to blast one of my tanks and missed, dropping the bomb in the woods near it and actually helping me a little as the woods was salted with enemy soldiers. This was a thoroughly enjoyable battle with lots of tank-on-tank action, but infantry played their part too. Careful use of the halftracks and the other equipment paid off and allowed me to get all the way across the map in time to make a decent effort at capturing the final objectives. I was carefully pushing forward when time ran out - I actually used the full time allotment. This was very nicely done and quite a challenge. Combined arms used properly was very necessary. Thanks for your hard work on this. It was well worth it. Heinrich505

BarbaricCo, Your screenshots of GeorgeMC's upcoming Kampgruppe "Von Schroif" are really selling the product. They are excellent. Makes us all the more anxious for the campaign to be released...hint, hint... Heinrich505

Tashtego, This is one heck of a shot. The definition and shading make this look like a photograph of a diorama of 1/35th scale model figures. Stunning. Heinrich505

Umlaut, Beautiful screenshots. Your frosted and snowy troops and vehicles look stunning. The snowy rubble is excellent. Heinrich505

c3k, I think I hurt myself laughing at this one. A priceless classic... Your commentary is a killer. Loving every minute of it. And yeah, Lori is gonna be steamed at you if she ever finds out how "prominently" she was featured in this missive. Heinrich505

Damn!!! Ken kill Tube Guy! The action sounds absolutely insane. Great stuff. Heinrich505

Baneman, Thanks so much for putting this on. It is great!!! Now, things look a little cold out there. Maybe you should ease the flammenwerfer into position to...ah...lighten up things. Muhahaha!!! Heinrich505

c3k, Amazing action. This is great. Another showcase for CMFB. Wild and crazy as ever. Pretty much non-stop - I love it. Top marks!!! Heinrich505

GAAAAHHHH!!! Canister...Run Awaaaaay!!! Heinrich505

Baneman, Looking forward to this. Ride the heady waves of your previous victory...you have the momentum. Henrich505

Can't wait for the action to start. Heinrich505

Bud, It is all great. I've no problem with the length. I always wished Sgt. Rock would last longer and there never seemed to be enough panels. The story determines the length. You've a really good line here, so take all the time you need. And, we get to see lots more of CMFB in the process. Where the heck is "Tube Guy?" He needs to get in there and battle it out with "Faust Guy." Cage Match. Two men enter...one man leaves. Looking forward to the rest of the story. Have enjoyed every minute of it. Heinrich505

Bud, Couldn't resist. A suggestion?! My two cents... Thomlinson could sense the desperation in the voice of the “Old Man.” Those two kraut tanks hovered over the village like the Sword of Damocles. The things you remember from high school history, he shook his head ruefully. The rest of his crew would likely have no clue about the history of the ancients. They needed to do something though. If those monsters were just left there, then the Germans would fix them and then the killing would resume. He thought about all the good men who had already died trying to stop the attack. His best friend was the commander of the destroyed Sherman. He was pretty sure there were no survivors. [He didn’t know the bow gunner was alive] Caution and prudence dictated that they reverse and seek cover. His acting CO was asking…no, more like pleading, that they try to resolve the dangerous situation by knocking out the damn behemoths once and for all, and gaining intel on the situation. Ah, yes, there was the crux of the argument. They were Recon, supposed to push forward into unknown and dangerous territory, bringing back intel for the rest of the unit to act on. That was their job. A dirty job, dangerous to a fault, but they were good at it, very good. He reflected on that with pride. No choice then, he realized. If they could end this German attack and gain a look-see over the damned ridge, the bloody ridge, then it would be worth it. “Forward,” he ordered quietly. “Eyes wide open…let’s see if they got anything left.” Then he smiled for the crew to show them he wasn’t completely insane. Inside, his guts were churning. Every dirty job, he groused under his breath. Heinrich505

Kohl, Yikes, that looks great!!! Heinrich505

Bud, If this singlehanded charge by the Chaffee works, LT Blanchard is going to owe that Chaffee crew all the beer they can drink...forever!!! Judging from the fact that the Chaffed doesn't look like a Gypsy caravan overloaded with looted stuff, it can't be Telly Savalas's tank. They are bogged at a most inopportune moment, I'd say, staring up at the maws of Hell, even though the maws appears to be gun damaged at this time. Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred 5 crazy guys in a Chaffee "Forward, the Light Brigade! "Charge for the guns!" he said: Into the valley of Death...umm...bogged again? Come ON!!!! Seriously??? Rode the six hundred. [apologies to Lord Tennyson...]

c3k, Would that be a European swallow or an African swallow? Heinrich505

Bud, Kraka-Thoom!!! Beauty, eh? Love it. Am surprised IanL tried to trade 20mm lead with the Sherman. Seems to have ended...ah...badly. Heinrich505

Stonecutter, Nice one. Drawing us in again. Minna was rolling the dice when he threw the smoke out. Good thing he had Picard as back-up. Heinrich505

Baneman and Michael, Good catch. I missed the blur on the Chaffee - was reading through too quickly. Bud, I like it too. Nice effect. More wild action. Can't believe all the bogs hit at the same time. The jeep doesn't seem to be bogging. Anyone got some satchel charges? Jeep them up the flank and have the boys lob satchels at those rolling pillboxes. Or...run the Tube Guy up to a flank shot and see if that might crack one of those babies open. Great action. Loving it. Heinrich505

Macisle, Geez that was crazy. Thanks for posting it. It is amazing that anyone survived. IanL is right. There is a whole story in those fast 24 seconds of insanity. Heinrich505

Bud, Both shots look really good. The blue horizon gives it a much colder feel. Heinrich505

Bud, Two puffs of red mist....that says it all. I knew that was not gonna be good. Not the Choppah!!!! Arrgghh! They should have let the 105 lead the way but they got too..."enthusiastic." Killing frenzy I suppose. Still, they utterly destroyed that enemy charge. More letters to write for the Lootennant. Heinrich505

Bud, Just got back from working three 12s. No time in between to check your CAAR progress. The plus is that I've got all three days of your postings to read through and enjoy. Saw the slow-motion fall of the LT right away. Very nice and adds to the visual considerably. GIFs are fun but if they are too much work for this CAAR, then you can save them for your conventional AARs. I think your maps are just about the right frequency. We are drawn to the story for these, so it isn't all that critical that we know exactly where everything is on the battlefield. Half the time I didn't have, or need, the big picture when Sgt. Rock was dodging bullets to rescue a squad member. I think your choices of views in your panels, down on the ground with the soldiers, gives us a good enough picture of where the enemy is firing from and keeps us focused on the story line. My two cents. This is great action and as previously noted, a very nice showcase for CMFB. Your presentation shows this as more than just a game with a points score at the end and positions taken or lost. You've breathed life into the pixeltruppen, showing them as more than just pawns pushed around on a game board. They are angry or scared or in pain (Aiiieee!!!) and this adds to the many dimensions of the game. Your efforts and hard work are greatly appreciated. Heinrich505

Bud, Very nice angle, the lone survivor of a tank helping his brethren find targets. Cliff is obviously burning with vengeance and looking to avenge the death of his crew. Now the question is whether or not the 37mm gun will win out against the Chaffee. Edge of the seat time, I guess. Heinrich505

Phil, That is great. This is more amazing stuff. You wow us at every turn. Thanks for all the effort. Heinrich505