Ts4EVER

That's because this war is obviously different from the colonial adventures people are used to protesting against.

That's because this war is obviously different from the colonial adventures people are used to protesting against.

That's because this war is obviously different from the colonial adventures people are used to protesting against.

That's because this war is obviously different from the colonial adventures people are used to protesting against.

Maybe it's me being confused, but is it possible the changes somehow deleted the normal Grenadier Battalion from the quick battle selection? At a glance I can only find the "Ersatz" version, at least in June 44.
For those interested in the unspecified ToE changes, it seems like the German were brought up to the FI / RT standard, namely adding the G41 semi auto rifle and getting rid of the random MP44s.

Maybe it's me being confused, but is it possible the changes somehow deleted the normal Grenadier Battalion from the quick battle selection? At a glance I can only find the "Ersatz" version, at least in June 44.
For those interested in the unspecified ToE changes, it seems like the German were brought up to the FI / RT standard, namely adding the G41 semi auto rifle and getting rid of the random MP44s.

I am not an expert on this, but I researched it for a different topic a few years back.
First of all: There is a lot of bs on the internet about it. For some reason Wehraboos flock to this technology like flies to ****. You will find all kinds of stories, like it being used to destroy whole units of Comets in 1945 and that kind of thing. This is all nonsense, just like talk of a second variant (often called "solution B") that is said to have been installed on Jagdpanthers. So beware what you believe.
With that out of the way, here is (to the best of my recollection) what I could ascertain back then:
This system consisted of two parts: one big IR searchlight, installed on a SdKfz251 Halftrack, called "Uhu" (German for a kind of big owl). This was used to illuminate enemy positions at night. The Zielgerät, also called "Sperber" (after a kind of raptor bird) was installed on the turret of Panther tanks. Inside these tanks was a "Bildwandler", basically a screen that showed IR light in apparently very low resolution green. Note that this was installed on top of the turret, NOT hooked up to the gun sight, making its use extremely limited.
The allies had the capability to detect and show IR light at this point. If the Germans had fielded these in any number, it would have been made obsolete almost immediately on account of the units using it being lit up like an IR christmas tree and easily detectable by anyone with an appropriate system. From the top of my head, the British had one called "Tabby" that was not used, but worked well enough for the designers to use it to drive their car without headlights in blackout conditions back in Britain.
As for use, the system was tested by various units, but as far as I could tell they almost all returned it before actually going into combat. The one exception was the Müncheberg Division, which famously fought in the Oderbruch, the Seelow Heights and Berlin. I don't recall exact numbers, but they received a Panther unit outfitted with these and used them in combat as well. Again there is a lot of bs about this out there: I have an otherwise good German book about the Seelow Heights battle where they describe an engagement in detail in which this unit inflicted heavy casualties on Russian forces. According to Russian documents, these losses were all imaginary.
Model companies sell kits called "Nachtjäger". This is a cool sounding marketing term, but not real. What seems to be the case is that these Panthers were supported by Begleitgrenadiers, which were equipped with the "Vampir" IR scope on their MP44s. This was basically a big searchlight on top of the rifle and a scope to pick up these rays. It was powered by a big battery pack. This was a very unwieldy system, but the idea was that these guys would ride on top of the Panthers and provide close support against infantry in the dark. There are sources out there claiming that the Panthers were modified by wielding extra armor plates above the engine deck to create a kind of "fox hole" for these Begleitgrenadiers. The sources claiming this were otherwise good, but I have never seen pictures of this modification and can't imagine how it would work without affecting turret traverse, so no idea.
Generally speaking, this system was only used in the east and only around Berlin. Any other use is probably made up until I see actual evidence. The effect of it seems to have been marginal at best.

There was a grenade launcher attachment for the M1 Carbine, which was used in late war.

That's because this economic policy was in line with the neoliberal policy of the German establishment. Waging war or participating in it is not.

Remember pre-22 when Germany was always quite far at the front of all those "most respected countries" polls? People even called Merkel "the leader of the free world" for a while, because she was arguably less loony than Trump. That's the world Scholz was born for. When the main task of a German politician was protecting the interests of German businesses and shaking hands with this or that sheikh or dictator to get the money flowing. He has not given up on that dream yet.

Remember pre-22 when Germany was always quite far at the front of all those "most respected countries" polls? People even called Merkel "the leader of the free world" for a while, because she was arguably less loony than Trump. That's the world Scholz was born for. When the main task of a German politician was protecting the interests of German businesses and shaking hands with this or that sheikh or dictator to get the money flowing. He has not given up on that dream yet.

Regarding the hybrid warfare potential of Russia: As I am sitting in my classroom here in Germany, looking out of the window, there is a massive traffic jam of trucks from all over eastern Europe. The reason: an as of yet unidentified truck has lost tons of white wax on the A7 Autobahn in the middle of the night. The first day after it happened we joked that it may have been a Russian act of sabotage. Now that we learned that this might take the whole week to clean up, some have started to believe it…
Turns out you could probably cripple all of Germany with 4 trucks full of white wax.

Regarding the hybrid warfare potential of Russia: As I am sitting in my classroom here in Germany, looking out of the window, there is a massive traffic jam of trucks from all over eastern Europe. The reason: an as of yet unidentified truck has lost tons of white wax on the A7 Autobahn in the middle of the night. The first day after it happened we joked that it may have been a Russian act of sabotage. Now that we learned that this might take the whole week to clean up, some have started to believe it…
Turns out you could probably cripple all of Germany with 4 trucks full of white wax.

Regarding the hybrid warfare potential of Russia: As I am sitting in my classroom here in Germany, looking out of the window, there is a massive traffic jam of trucks from all over eastern Europe. The reason: an as of yet unidentified truck has lost tons of white wax on the A7 Autobahn in the middle of the night. The first day after it happened we joked that it may have been a Russian act of sabotage. Now that we learned that this might take the whole week to clean up, some have started to believe it…
Turns out you could probably cripple all of Germany with 4 trucks full of white wax.

Regarding the hybrid warfare potential of Russia: As I am sitting in my classroom here in Germany, looking out of the window, there is a massive traffic jam of trucks from all over eastern Europe. The reason: an as of yet unidentified truck has lost tons of white wax on the A7 Autobahn in the middle of the night. The first day after it happened we joked that it may have been a Russian act of sabotage. Now that we learned that this might take the whole week to clean up, some have started to believe it…
Turns out you could probably cripple all of Germany with 4 trucks full of white wax.

Well, what did Clausewitz say? "War is an extension of politics... stupid, stupid politics."

Well, what did Clausewitz say? "War is an extension of politics... stupid, stupid politics."

While that video is pretty ham-fisted, we should not underestimate the economic downturn and its effect on the lower income brackets. These were already hit hardest by the Covid disruptions and the years of neoliberal policy in Europe. This is the next cherry on top. As a teacher I know from a lot of students that this christmas is a lot less merry than usual for many families, even without pets on the grill.

While that video is pretty ham-fisted, we should not underestimate the economic downturn and its effect on the lower income brackets. These were already hit hardest by the Covid disruptions and the years of neoliberal policy in Europe. This is the next cherry on top. As a teacher I know from a lot of students that this christmas is a lot less merry than usual for many families, even without pets on the grill.

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/bnd-spionage-russland-generalbundesanwalt-1.5720861
Fresh off the presses: German member of BND secret service arrested for suspected spying for Russia.

Generally the element of complete surprise is hard to model in games like this.

Generally the element of complete surprise is hard to model in games like this.

Generally the element of complete surprise is hard to model in games like this.

Generally the element of complete surprise is hard to model in games like this.

Driving into that infamous ambush at Ogledow:
 
Will I be able to do better?