Magpie_Oz

I use a flat screen TV via the HDMI port, really cool.

I note in the video too that the Panther "Rosons" quite well. The Sherman and the Panther both had unarmoured ammo bays which causes this. Pretty confronting stuff that is for sure.

Sure I am not disputing that.

In Normandy the Stug was the 3rd most prevalent. PzIV was most numerous, then the PzV, the Stug III, then a few Pz VI and a handful of other types.

Which guns are they? The US 75mm and 105mm use semi-fixed which is a similar situation where you match shells to projectiles.

Looks like BFC have nailed it with a very realistic sim, if you hate it, it must be right!

Certainly a close explosion form a 155 round would almost certainly panic the crew, don't think it would deafen them tho' 50mm to 100mm of armour is a pretty good sound barrier. A big problem would be the cratering of the ground. As for an M12 shooting a Panther, can't imagine it myself for lots of reasons. Would the crew drive with the gun loaded? Could they fire the cannon from its travel rest , if they are driving along they are unliky to have someone in a position to pull the lanyard where the Panthers gunner sits at the trigger, even given all that is the 155 sighted for direct fire and how experienced would the crew be at tank v sp gun action? If the 155 was an emplaced arty piece again I cannot imagine the Panther "stumbling" upon it, rather it would just shell or fire MG's it from range as the crew has no cover.

Ironically it was the ease of maintenance that was one of the few good things said about the Sherman. Not sure if death trap is a fair description.

Seriously, when it is ready

Would be fairly difficult to hit a Panther with a Long Tom, given they were really designed to fire indirect however they did have a muzzle velocity greater than the 88 and they did fire an AP shell so if you did hit the energy would be enormous, HE or AP anything would be devastated.

Despite the gloom and doom that is peddled nightly on our TV's the world is FAR from a spent resource, the oceans are enormous as are the land masses. Venturing to Mars will not be an abandonment of the wasted Earth but merely a spreading of our wings to the next challenge. We need to be prudent with the way that we utilise the earth but the oceans are a long way from being destroyed ecosystems, as pointed out we know very little about what goes on down there so how can we say it is destroyed.

Artillery is always a tricky one, I think in general the statement that artillery is the biggest killer comes form the effect that arty has on attacking forces, where the infantry are by necessity exposed and can be torn apart by the full effect of arty in all its forms. In the bocage mortars were particularly effective as the close country reduced their range disadvantage when compared with field guns and their high arcs allowed them to rain shells into the tiny fields without danger to friendly troops (shells from a field gun on a flatter trajectory passing over their heads may hit the trees). The Germans were particularly adept at quickly brining down a mortar barrage to break up attacks. I have seen it quoted that a 25lbr shell would need to land within 4 feet of a trench if it was to cause casualties. Also consider the tonnage of shells rained on Betio in the Tarawa assault by the US Marines. Days of bombardment by battleships and cruisers that was largely ineffectual. The "crushing bombardments" were more about how much effect the noise etc had on the morale of the defenders rather than physical casualties. Arty in the attack is more about keeping their heads down and in the bunker while your assault troops close in, as well as isolating the forward troops by blocking the movements of reserve troops.

The big problem with being upstairs is it really messes with the firing solution. Compensating for the elevation difference over such a short range would be a real bugger as the projectile follows a very arched trajectory. The "muzzle" velocity was only in the order of 30 to 60m/s depending on the variant. I think a big issue too would be that being on a balcony or in a window or on a roof, 30 to 50m away from a tank is going to make you a pretty obvious target, particularly once you fire.

Fusiliers has had a lot of different meanings over time especially in the German Army, by WW2 however the name was really just a traditional name that had no real significance per se.

yeh we need to simlify before it gets way too comlicated for all of you

is that 8 x 8 or 8 square metres ?

Smoke Dischargers or grenades ? SNAP !

Things is that because beaten zones and grazing fire etc is not modelled in CM:BN as far as I am aware, MG's of whatever form cannot really be employed as they truly were. Why place them on a flank if they cannot enfilade the attackers ?

This link gives some good data from offical sources too. Look down the page to American Forces in Action, quite detailled http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/ETO/Overlord/index.html

I think you might find that the convicts who built Australia and the average criminal in today's prisons are two very different animals. Most people who were transported to Oz were victims of desperation crimes the punishments for which were vastly out of proportion. I doubt that transportation to Mars is going to be a winner, I think Amnesty International (or Galactic I suppose) might have something to say about it too. Perhaps they might ask for volunteers, I would go in a shot. They'll need surveyors I'd expect.

Oh I must watch that one, I have only seen the sequel to it : "Terminator 69: Rise of the Undead Magpie"

Which was that? Under the Tuscan Sun, Sex in the City 2 or the Princess Diaries ?

Sure you weren't being attacked by the Daleks ?

No wonder the German army did so well, having the sort of unit cohesion where you can scratch your mate's lice ............

Yes I know but I don't think that is the one I have. The book is in my bookshelf, unfortunately the shelf is 5000klm away atm.