Heinrich505

Bannon DC, Waiting with anticipation for West Wall - Assault at Rimberg. Sounds very interesting. Heinrich505

I stepped away from a game I had on set-up. My cat (yeah, I should have known) jumped up on the computer and stepped on the keyboard. Apparently, this somehow bound the keys and screwed up things royally. When I tried to move units around (still in setup), using the M key, it simply toggled the 3 figures for squad back and forth. The other hotkeys are screwed up too. I tried exiting the game out and coming back in, but same result. Is there some way to default the hotkeys back to the original setup? I don't want to re-install, as that will probably wipe out any games I've saved. HELP. Heinrich505

Der Kuenstler, I usually sweep forward with three squads and the HQ group, with the FT hanging slightly behind the line. If anyone is encountered, the three squads can give suppressing fire, allowing the FT boys to slip forward and let loose the dreaded flames of oblivion. I actually had a German FT team dueling with a Soviet FT team in a factory during a Stalingrad battle. It was one of those moments that you just have to replay a few times to believe what you are seeing. The Soviet FT team let loose a burst, but missed. The German FT team didn't miss..... z-warfare, I've done that, but it is only successful if the trench is under some very heavy suppression fire, such as mortars and MGs. Heinrich505

John Kettler, My impression from reading the accounts, was that something (either an AT shell or the Nah projectile) penetrated the rear of the hull of the Sherman, not the turret, and not through an open hatch. I didn't check the Nahverteidigungswaffe sites too closely, as they mainly showed pictures of the weapon from the vehicle interior, but some shells were shown that were used, one being a contact fuse shell and one being a timed fuse shell. The timed one would have been the standard to use for rushing infantry, as you'd get an airburst. While the contact fuse one was HE, if fired directly into the rear engine compartment of a Sherman at close range, it should cause some sort of damage that would result in a fire, thus causing their crew to bail. We all know of the legendary ability of the Shermans to burn, if even looked at crossly, thus the nickname "Ronson." This, of course, would require some ability to aim the Nah, which didn't appear possible from some of the posted photos. Barkmann's crew would have had AP in the breech, I'm guessing, knowing they were going in harms way and would encounter US tanks. If the driver put the Panther in reverse and gassed it, he might have jerked the tank far enough back to clear the Panther muzzle past the rear of the Sherman, at which point the gunner would have an easy shot at the rear hull of the Sherman. It would have been point blank, whether AT or Nah. Another piece of the puzzle was whether or not the Sherman crew did anything besides slam the hatches. Nothing was mentioned on that matter. If the Sherman did try to drive forward, it would have been easier for the Panther crew, who were driving in reverse, to then quickly line up the barrel at the rear of the Sherman. Did they (the US crew) sit there quietly, hoping the Panther would just drive off? I'd have ordered my driver to fire up, gass it, and go in any direction possible, or, order everyone out as fast as possible before the Sherman started brewing up from a direct hit. We'll never know for sure, unless Barkmann himself, or his crew, clears up the question. Still, some amazing things happened in combat. Reportedly, one of Wittmann's tank shells went through an allied tank and blew up one further away, destroying both for a 2 for 1 shot. Heinrich505

John Kettler, A quick search on the internet got me this site, which quotes Barkmann himself on the incident in David Pentland's painting. http://www.geocities.com/alkantolga/panzerace/ernst.htm - 55k "Fifty metres away, on the right, there was a tank which had moved in, with its commander standing in the turret, and which was apparently waiting for me. Frauscher! I moved up to the tank on its left-hand side. As soon as both turrets were on a level with each other, I gave orders to stop and turn off the motor and started to speak. But in a flash my opposite number disappeared inside the turret and the hatches clanged shut. My neighbour's driver's hatch lifted and then was lowered again. I noticed a winecoloured panel light. But the Panther had a green one. Then I knew that the tank alongside us was an American Sherman. 'Headphones on, I shouted on the tank intercom: "Gunner! The tank alongside is an enemy one. Fire at it". Within seconds, the tank turret turned to the right and the long gun barrel banged against the turret of the Sherman. Gunner to commander: "Can't fire - turret traverse stuck". The driver, SS-Rottenfuehrer Grundmeyer, had been listening and, without any order being given, he started up the motor and pulled back a few yards. Whereupon SS-Unterscharfuehrer Poggendorf, the gunner, loosed off the Panzergranate into the middle of the rear of the enemy tank at a distance of a few yards. I was still standing in the tank turret. A blue flame sprang out from the circular hole in the rear of the Sherman. As I took cover inside the turret 1 heard the detonation." My "library" is somewhat limited on the Ardennes, as I have mainly focused on the eastern front, but I do have Stackpole's Military History Series, "Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS" On page 206, Obersharfuhrer Barkmann gives an action report, which reads pretty much like that site I marked above, except that on page 208, when Barkmann encounters the unidentified tank, only to discover it is a Sherman, the only difference in this account is that they backed up "a few paces" and put an antitank shell into the rear of the Sherman, at a distance of 1 meter. All the details are exactly the same, the striking point being the rear of the Sherman, except that one quoted account says a Panzergranate (probably the Nahverteidigungswaffe) referred to in Pentland's painting, but the other account in Will Fey's book says an antitank shell. They seem to be in conflict, although one can surmise that, based on the length of the barrel of a Panther, Barkmann's tank would have had to back up a lot more than "a few paces" to clear their barrel, and even further to get far enough to the rear of the Sherman to fire into it using the main gun. Both situations report that the gun barrel could not be brought to bear, because the two tanks were too close together, and when Barkmann's crew rotated the turret, their barrel struck the Sherman's turret. In addition to that, Fey might have figured that the average person reading the account would not be familiar with the Nahverteidigungswaffe defense system, so he merely substituted antitank shell as something convenient that would serve the account in a simplified manner, instead of having to explain what a Panzergranate was. Sorry, John, but that is all I could come up with at present. The painting is a nice one, and I'd love to have it, but can't afford that for now. Maybe when I win the lottery....ha ha. Heinrich505

Bannon DC and Von Schwendeman, I took your advice and posted this to TPG in the discussion section. When I originally searched for the scenario there, I just typed in Kalvin Square, and came up zip. Had I typed in Kalvin Square, Pest, I'd have found the scenario. I'm glad I could help out with this. I, too, have seen very few reviews. The really neat part about this game is the many people willing to research a historical battle and flesh out a scenario for the rest of us to enjoy. It is kind of like bringing the pages of a book to life and experiencing just a touch of what it must have been like to be there. The game never really gets old when authors are creating new battles and scenarios for us to enjoy. So, Bannon DC, keep up the good work. We appreciate your efforts. Heinrich505

Cabe Booth, I'd concur with von Lucke. I just recently had a flame halftrack come sweeping in like the cavalry. Russian troops were in a building, blasting away at my troops across the street. I drove the halftrack in, somewhat recklessly, as the situation was dire and the Soviets were massing for an assault. The halftrack immediately opened up with the MG, but as it got about 45 meters away, and at about a 30 degree angle from the side, it started flaming away with abandon. After wiping out most of the threat in the building, the surviving Russians hid, so only stars were visible. I then gave the halftrack an area fire command, now at about 40 meters out, thinking they'd just fire the MG. But Nooooooo, they started hosing the area with gouts of flame, for the entire turn, until all possible targets threw their hands up in surrender. I can't recall if they were veterans or regulars though. Heinrich505

John, Very nice find. Thanks for sharing. Heinrich505

Bannon DC, I just finished playing your Kalvin Square Scenario. Thought it quite interesting, and didn't know where else to post, so I figured here was okay. Your map was quite close to the original, as I looked at those before playing. I have not studied the battles in Budapest in detail, but might have to now, having played and enjoyed your scenario. The battle took about 61 turns before it ended. I played German vs. AI. I gave the AI a +2 (probably should have made it a +3), and tried to increase the equipment for the AI by 50%, but for some odd reason, the game immediately diverted me to PBEM, asking for a password. I bailed out and retried, this time only giving a +2 and not increasing the equipment. The game loaded up properly. I used the scenario default set-up for both AI and myself. There is a lot of equipment to handle, and the map is large, which slowed down the computer a bit, but the dreaded blue bar crawl was only around a minute to a minute and a half, if there was a lot going on that turn. I enjoyed the battle greatly, and there were some very desperate moments, units breaking and routing into the street only to be cut down by the Soviets, that sort of thing. Tankers were hunkered down in their crates, awaiting the dreaded Red armor, that you just knew was coming. So, on to the details. *********Spoilers******************** I just used the default placement, wanting to test it's logic. It turned out quite well. The pillbox covering Rakoczi Ave was a godsend, one I wasn't even aware of until it starting coring Soviet T-34 tanks. That covered Rakoczi just fine. The Soviet main thrust came from Jozsef Blvd., center of the map, but there was a flanking attempt by the AI from the south edge, moving NW towards Czarnok Square, but cutting north one block before. Luckily I had posted a Panther to cover that corner, and the Panther had a field day, turning the corner into a tank graveyard. The Panther's kills were 1 T-34 M44, 4 Su-85, 1 Su-76, and 1 ISU-152, and the Hungarian troops there hung tough, so no further action in that area. The AI penetrated west about 5 streets from Jozsef Blvd., losing a lot of troops but steadily gaining ground. Eventually the thrust collapsed along Raday, due to crossfire down the street and massive artillery barrages. Still, enough troops got across and then began extensive use of sewer movement. This was particularly un-nerving, as they began popping up - unannounced - 1 block east of Csarnok Square, in the area of Vamhaz Blvd. The defenders there were just barely hanging on, about to be overwhelmed, when I slid in a SPW 251/16 flame halftrack. The carnage was terrible, and several Soviet units surrendered after being flamed. This was as far west as the AI got. A little slower with the flame halftrack, and they'd have made it further west. There was a terrific battle in the large building on the SE corner of Rakoczi & Muzeum Blvd. The AI was stopped there, and never made it across Muzeum Blvd., thanks to artillery and some well-placed machine guns. The battle for the National Museum was tense, as the AI had finally swarmed the building directly to the south, giving a good jumping off place. Massive armor, in the form of ISU-152s and IS-2 tanks, along with Su-76s, initially tried to drive up to the museum, but I had rushed up some badly needed panzerschrek teams. When they opened up on the armor, the assault guns backed off and pounded the museum from a safer distance. I had to run some SS Cavalry squads into the west side of the National Museum because the Hungarians only had molotov cocktails. The SS boys had panzerfausts and grenade bundles. Once the AI realized this, the ISU-152s hung back, at least 61 meters from the building. Odd, methinks, as the SS had the 60 meter version of the panzerfausts. Hmmm. Still, the Hungarians held tough, and didn't abandon their museum. Their Hetzers did well, as did the Zrinyi II. Had the AI rushed the museum again, I'd slipped the flame halftrack behind it on the west side, likely good for one or two hot foots. As it was, the AI held back, giving me time to pull a Panther into a covering position. The very well placed 75 mm AT gun, covering Kalvin Square and bore-sighted SE down Ullio Ave really saved some flanking attempts by the AI. The 75 AT gun ended up bagging 2 T-34 M44s, 1 IS-2, and 1 M5 Halftrack. The battle had some typically east-front vicious hand-to-hand fighting. The AI rarely took prisoners, but I was surprised to see a number of them surendering after losing a lot of men in the unit. There were many dramatic moments, typical of this game, which makes it so enjoyable. Unterofficer Steiner (Cross of Iron fame??) took up position with his squad,just to the west of Jozsef Blvd, rather far forward. The AI flooded the same building, but south of his position. As AI troops moved past his second story post along the street, his squad rained fire on them, eliminating several squads. The never knew what hit them. Then a T-34 eased it's way past Steiner's position, and a well-placed panzerfaust knocked it out. The tank crew came out fighing, and crawled into Steiner's position, eliminated by hand-to-hand. I was thinking it time to sneak them out by this time, as some waves of Soviet troops just south of Steiner's spot were trying to overwhelm defenders on the west side of the boulevard. As I started to move Steiner's troops, anticipating a wild dash across the boulevard, an OS-34 Flame Thrower tank appeared nearby, but seemed to skirt Steiner's building, probably intending to flank to a street further north. Steiner's boys couldn't resist, and fired off their last panzerfaust, from a second story position. Arrggh. They missed, and suppressed themselves with the back blast, which set the second story on fire. I ordered them out down the stairs, but they were still groggy. The OS-34 slowly turned it's turret, and a gout of flame engulfed the squad. Their numbers instantly went from 9 to 4, with 5 casualties screaming from the flames. They were now routed, running for their lives, and didn't stop at the bottom of the stairs. They dashed out into the crossfire of the Soviets in the street, and took 3 more hits, leaving only the Unterofficer Steiner as sole survivor. Fortunately, a panzerschrek gunner immobilized the OS-34 with his last round, putting it out of the battle. I retreated Steiner back to safety near the river. He and his squad accounted for 47 casualties and one T-34 tank. All in all, the battle went well. The AI performed better than I had expected, trying to flank me several times. There were even some attempts at human waves, as I saw Soviet troops rush from their positions yelling "Urrah, Urrah." The AI used sewer movement well, unless that was just them infiltrating through a building and my not having a LOS to them. I think it was though, as there were several squads that all appeared in the same location, seemingly at once. That would have been a real breakthrough for the AI, if not for that durn flamethrower halftrack. I didn't have to use many of my troops, as the AI got bogged down, so it wasn't a nail-biting, white knuckle, hold them at the river battle. The task of getting the wounded out was a nice touch, and added a real sense of urgency to the battle. Conversly, that meant a lot of micromanaging of the trucks and halftracks needed to rescue the wounded. There were many traffic jams on the bridge. The AI seemed very adept at locating most of my Panthers and immobilizing them with Sturmovik Jabos. That was my take on the battle. It probably would have been closer had I given the AI a +3 and been able to adjust the equipment up for the computer side. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and it had the look and feel of a desperate battle in the last days of the Reich. The map was very nice too, and it helps to play a scenario on a map that is close to historically accurate. If you have any specific questions, please let me know. Thanks for putting this battle together. Heinrich505

John and Michael, This was not my thread, but thanks for the information and direction. Those were very nice threads. I've been an informal student of the Stalingrad inferno for longer than I can remember. I plowed through "Stalingrad, Anatomie einer Schlacht" with a German-English dictionary in my hand, looking up translations on just about every third word, such was my devotion. I'll have to save up some serious bucks to snag a copy of "Island of Fire." I almost threw for Carrell's Stalingrad book, and regret not grabbing it then. If you have more sites to recommend, I'd be grateful. I had no idea the ones you guys suggested existed. I was happy to see that some of the books on Russ's site are also in my "library." Heinrich505

Sgt AA, I did some checking with the reference books I have, but didn't have much luck with specifics. The "wall of steel" seems to be a combination of several thousand Stuka air attacks, as much artillery as could be scrounged, and anywhere from 200 to 300 tanks. The 14th and 24th Panzer Divisions supported the 100th Jäger, 60th motorized, and the 389th Infantry. In action reports, by 11:30 AM a German NCO reports that 180 tanks broke through to the stadium of the Tractor Plant. Russian situation reports claim upwards of 100 Facist tanks have broke through. This comes from Will Fowler's "Stalingrad, The Vital 7 days," as well as translations from "Stalingrad, Anatomie Einer Schlacht." Also, a NCO of the 305th Inf. Div. speaks of self propelled assault guns in quantities never seen before (probably StuGs) . In Janusz Pickalkiewicz's "Stalingrad, Anatomie Einer Schlacht," there are many photos of Panzer Mark III tanks and Sturmgeschutz III assault guns. On page 176, German troops relate how the StuG assault guns drove to point blank range to fire into Soviet strongholds. Interestingly enough, specifics about the type of panzer are not related. The list of books I consulted are: "Stalingrad, The Vital 7 Days" Will Fowler "Stalingrad, Anatomie Einer Schlacht" Janusz Pickalkiewicz "Stalingrad, The Infernal Cauldron" Stephen Walsh "Enemy At The Gates" William Craig "Stalingrad" V.E. Tarrant As an aside, and not to be taken directly as a reference, the Avalon Hill Game, Advanced Squad Leader put out a specific game devoted to the assault on the tractor plant, called "Red Barricades." I know the staff routinely did some serious research into putting together their games and scenarios. In this compilation of battles, the armor assigned to the German side was Panzer Mark III, some Panzer Mark IV, both long and short 75mm, and mainly Sturmgeschutz III, usually the B version with a kurz 75mm gun. There were also 150mm howitzer versions of the StuG. Again, not to be taken as absolute sources, but something I throw in as an observation. As another aside, German tanks and assault guns were torn between using HE to destroy the Soviet positions or armor piercing to handle the dug-in T-34s or the counter attacks by Soviet tanks. Many refused to take the chance of driving around a building corner and blundering into a Russian tank, only to have an HE round in the breach, so they shot up Russian strongpoints with AP, which had no effect, leaving the infantry to assault the unreduced, and mainly undamaged positions. I tried looking on the internet, but didn't come up with specifics either. Sorry about that. Hope this was a little helpful. If you can find some specific history of the 14th Panzer Div., that might call to an order of battle at the time of October 14th, 1942. Regards, Heinrich505

Patboy, Perfect. Thanks for the translation and the added information. Heinrich505

Patboy, Looks interesting, but do you have a translation for it? My high school French is pretty rusty. Heinrich505

Dook and Dandelion, Aha, that explains it. I couldn't remember if it was 30 meters or 29 meters. Which now makes perfectly good sense, as my squad of pioneers were perfectly content to sit at exactly 30 meters away, while the M3 Halftrack cowered near a hedgerow, after taking an initial near hit of a satchel charge, and getting shocked by small arms fire. Eventually they got "fausted" from the grenadier squad on the first floor of the building next to where the halftrack was licking it's wounds. The pioneers were content to wait it out, at exactly 30 meters. Somehow the halftrack crew knew how to retreat exactly 30 meters away. Very crafty, zees Canadians..... As to flamethrowers, I am plowing through the Blut Und Ehre operation, where Panzer Meyer is leading the HJ against the Canadians. The Canadians seem to have a flamethrower team assigned to every unit, all hiding in the woods or scattered trees. I had them flame a Puma, which was immediately abandoned. I had them flame a Panzer Mark IV, several times, which then promptly blew up, with no survivors. And worse still, I had them flame a full squad of grenadiers from about 20 meters, twice, with only one guy escaping injury, panicking and fleeing (quite understandable), while his 8 buddies were torched. As the second gout of flame was still splashing all over the squad of men, the flamethrower team was immediately throwing their hands up and surrendering to a nearby Mark IV. If ever there was a time I was not in the mood to take prisoners, that was it. Flamethrowers seem to be VERY effective in this scenario. Heinrich505

David I, This is really a great compilation. I followed your instructions, but somehow didn't quite do it right, so I didn't get the modded terrain. I played a number of scenarios, some which I remembered from way back, and greatly enjoyed having them all together under CMETO. The textures looked fine, but then I thought I would try re-installing a different way. Yikes, what a difference. I just now went back to view some of the scenarios that I'd played this weekend as unmodded, but now see them with your modded textures. I was quite amazed at the difference between the before and after modding. Very, very nicely done. Your textures really captured the feel and look, especially the winter scenes. Together with the uniforms, white camo for the Germans, bundled up US guys with gloves and scarves, it looks and feels quite cold. Just thought I would toss in my congratulations for a really cool job. Thanks, Heinrich505

Phillippe, Very nicely done. I enjoyed the heck out of that. Heinrich505

Philippe, I'm watching as the morale level is plummeting and victory is slipping away. That bazooka team is about to get waxed. Let us know how it ends. Sort of like eating potato chips. Once you start, ya gotta keep eating until the bag is empty. Heinrich505

Leprechaun, Very nice catch. Thanks for locating it. Heinrich505

Leprechaun, I just searched The Depot for that scenario, but could't find it. What is the title? Nothing was listed as "A Bridgehead Too Far." Or is it at a different site? Heinrich505

John K, I just recently played this scenario, against the AI Russians. On the run-up against the hill 271.2, with halftracks only, I got lots of sound contacts, from hidden Soviet tanks in the woods. I was able to dismount, just in time, and handle them with panzerfausts and panzerschreks as they crashed through the underbrush attempting to ambush. As for the armor spearheads, pushing ahead of the halftracks and infantry, yes, the Russians suddenly appeared from the fog with no sound warning. I lost several King Tigers beyond the town to the left, as they swarmed out from the wheatfield. When I did get some infantry to sneak up alongside the King Tigers, I actually did start seeing sound contacts from the Stalin II tanks. I think JasonC has the answer on this, as those Tigers were pretty loud. Heinrich505