IronCat60

Russia has some very interesting drones on the drawing boards. Sorry this video is in Russian but I thought you would find it interesting that one of the designs has a assault rifle fitted to a helicopter style drone. Another briefly shown segment has a drone diving on it's target and it fires a shotgun like burst into the target. Imagine your platoon getting harassed and incurring casualties by drones that are watching your every move. I also read a great article that I cannot find now or I would share it with you. In that article the writer states he commanded during the cold war and post cold war military. When there was aircraft overhead you knew they were yours. But now with the surge of drones and other countries catching up to U.S. technology in combat aircraft you now have to wonder, is it ours or theirs? Are we going to have to equip units at a company or platoon level with a IFF indicator for drones? And I think it is high time the U.S. gets a decent ADA system up and running. I don't think relying on only MANPADS and the tired old M163 Vulcan ADA is the answer. "These times are a changing" as Bob Dylan put it.

Oh my God! It's just like my nephew! Back when he was in high school, yes that far along in the education system, he brought a history book over as part of his homework. I was washing dishes and having a conversation with him. Passing by the counter where the history text book was I pointed to a picture of Lincoln on the mosaic that was the front cover. "Who is this?" I asked. His response was "I don't know, some dude with a beard?". I almost hit the floor! I then quizzed him about the Civil War, which was a name he kind of remembered. He said it was where a "bunch of dudes fought the rednecks over something". He had no clue about the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution or the Gettysburg Address. What has happened to our society? People have forgotten that history is important as it depicts events that have shaped our world. It also reminds us not to forget those who have served our country in the civil and military fields. Ignorance is not bliss in this case. It is a dangerous road to getting involved in situations backed by a ignorant populace because they do not understand nor remember the lessons of history. And most important, when our country faces a grave threat in the future how can we expect future generations to rise to the occasion with the same determination as our predecessors if they do not understand what our heritage entails.

And as far as the names for the Sturmtigers why not go with something Wagner like. Tristan and Isolde. Or Odin's wolves, Geri and Freki.

Say anyone else notice something new to the game in the last picture? The fortification used by the machine gun team is semi-circular! Could we dare hope those "v" shaped defensive positions have evolved into something that gives better protection for a crew served weapon across their sector of fire. Sorry if this is off topic, but it is a pet peeve of mine not to be able to get defensive positions the way I need them. Like snugged up against a house to allow a AT gun to poke around a corner.

Boy that looks good! 30 minutes on a sewing machine for the cap is damn good. Considering you had to get all the folds correctly done and the number of separate pieces. A lot of detail and work went into that smock. The "double epaulets" (where you can run equipment straps under one part and have rank on the upper half) must have been difficult to do. You know that is the one thing I never noticed about that uniform. But it makes sense as they wore their rank on "shoulder boards". A lot of reinforced stitching plus attention to detail and alignment to get that part done. I also like how you did the "fly" or "run" that the button holes go into. Very neat and professionally done as is the collar tab.

Whenever a unit is selected, having the end of the movement lines of units of the same command display a "capped line" so it looks like a "T" at their stop points would be very helpful. This way when the movement lines of several units overlap you can easily tell if the units of the same command stop in the desired formation and area.

Pigs fly every time there is a football game!

I know that there is a mod for Shock Force that comes in eight parts. However it is not as "green" as you would like it. I tried to re-find a mod that did fit the bill. I saw it awhile back but cannot remember where I saw it

Thanks John! I love historical tidbits, especially this one. Women deserve equality in all things!

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US Army General Martin Dempsey looks like Col. Cotton Hill from "King of the Hill"!

SgtMaj John Sixta: Sgt. Patrick. Your mustache hairs is in violations, growing beyond the corner of your mouth. I hear Godfather hisself say, you look like a bum. Police that mustache! Y'all startin' to look like Elvises! "Generation Kill"

Wow, having one section or battery dedicated to smoke missions. That is how they do it in the real world. The Artillery command gets the commanders intent order and if it employs smoke missions then a artillery section or battery is selected to perform those mission. The selected units load out reflects the mission assigned by having a majority of smoke rounds and a few HE rounds for targets of opportunity or emergency missions. Great point to bring up!

First off let me thank you for the many wonderful mods you have put into the Combat Mission game series. Now I would like to express my thanks for this great series of videos. It is because of you and the like minded members of this community that the forum is such a great continuation of exploration and knowledge.

Batman is my favorite. He has no superpowers. He is just a physically fit person with a load of cash to keep him supplied with a arsenal of gadgets that James Bond would envy. I think that is his appeal, that theoretically anyone could be Batman. Another thing interesting about "Bats" is that he is just that, severely damaged psychologically. Most fans think he is just as screwed up as the Joker but on the positive side of things. Gotham on T.V. is a great show because it centers on James Gordan's rise through the police ranks and the start of a friendship between James and Bruce. It has Bruce Wayne as a kid after his parents death and how his life shapes him into his future role. There is some cases James and his partner Harvey Bullock handle that explore how they shape Gorden's character and others build a foundation for future episodes. Harvey Bullock's character is really explored well and fleshed out by a excellent actor. And the best part of the show is it also sets the foundations of Gotham's Villains. The guy who plays the Penguin is just brilliant in his role as well as the gal who plays the resilient Fish Mooney. And there is a host of other characters present. Some recognizable and some that will leave you guessing. If you are a fan of the Dark Knight check out the show. You will not be disappointed.

Bullocks, how are we gonna' explain this one to the Leftenant? Hope Jerry hasn't made off wiff it! If 'e did it's docked pay and we'll probably be digging privies from 'er to eternity!

Hello Jon, I also have sent you a pm on this subject.

Quick! Where is my bag of marshmallows. All I have to do is attach my 12 inch bayonet to my Mosin and roast away! Maybe I'll find some chocolate and crackers on a Fascist prisoner and make ersatz smores like the bourgeoisie in the west have.

Oh yes optics do help immensely. The ACOG sight, a standard issue item, with a more complicated reticle is great. This sight helps by providing aim points for "bullet drop" while engaging distant targets and lead stadia lines for moving targets. At least the ones I tested when teaching MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain). What I liked about the optical sights was the situational awareness. The optical area covered by the scope was large enough so you could see what was going on around your aim point. Unlike iron sights which are the metal sights affixed to the weapon. With iron sights (the traditional U.S. aperture and post) you look through the rear aperture and concentrate your focus on the front sight post as your eye can only focus on one thing at a time. You switch your focus between the target and the front sight post to align on target. Once the post is centered, your focus remains on the front post. The target is a blur behind it. Your eye naturally centers the rear sight and this helps align the weapon to the target. I explained how the sights work to help illustrate how narrow your focus and optical awareness is while using standard sights. So optical sights help engage your target and makes you more aware of the possible next engagement. After that it is all about soldier training. Reaction time to target, good firing skills and the ability to quickly follow through and engage the next target. These skills must become as natural to the soldier as breathing does..

O.k. it's public apology time for bashing the tankers. Ran into a old friend at the VA hospital who I didn't remember was a tank master gunner! Haven't seen him in over a year as he was living back east for awhile to help with a family matter. We went to breakfast together and when I told him about my tirade posting he almost spit his coffee out. He asked what had gotten into me? I told him about 3-4 bottles of Warsteiner beer. And then he wanted to know how I had mixed up that information as my own. That a lot of the stuff I talked about was information from his friend who was part of the test program where they were putting the M1 through torture tests like seeing what it would require to get a actual engine fire and how the halon system handled it. What was the weakest bridge structure that would handle the tank. What kind of terrain it could operate on before difficulties occurred while driving with a operational tank and one with track and suspension faults. Plus tests to provide effective ammunition for the mounted 105mm and the then experimental 120mm fired from a test stand. And my friend is correct when he said "remember the tanks the military had back when we first joined up? And how the M1 is such a evolutionary step up from those tanks. That for once we were as good if not better than the rest of the world" So that cased me to remember back to Desert Storm and how drove the hell out of the Bradley's and the M1's with little to no maintenance faults. And so I have to say I'm eating crow and I like mine B.B.Q. style

Enjoyed the vids! I like the way you use "radio traffic" to describe what is going on. pretty clever. Also I have the entire Euro mods collection including mods to use water for Shock Force. I just was sitting on the fence wondering whether to get that title. After watching your videos I may have to jump off the fence and get it.

I bet the crew built that wall because they were crapping bricks and pissing cement in fear when they saw that RPG team!

Great tips user1000! "Stay away from fields with many shrubs, for the enemy that you can't see will toss grenades inside." Yep that is one of my biggest bad habits. I send a halftrack along a shrub line figuring like a modern APC they will flush out any enemy I didn't count on and shrug off the small arms fire received. Nope a few "potato mashers" later I have a flaming TRP that marks enemy contact, And to MOS:96B2P. Holy smokes! Those are some great screen shots! I have never seen a Panzerschreck round in flight before! The modeling detail in this game is amazing! And that blast on impact, man that is a pretty graphic representation of a HEAT round!

Thank you for the update! As usual quality stuff! I will always be a fan of your mods, Your efforts are much appreciated. I too have dabbled in mods for this game and a lot more for a train simulator I enjoy, And I will always support the idea that if it brings someone else happiness then that is reward enough for me.

A salute to VladimirTarasov! Wow! I read that post where you listed all the people you knew who fought for your country. Very admirable in my eyes. I have always respected the Russian Military and people. I never let service in the US. Military turn that respect into contempt and falsehoods. As a history buff I know how the Russian people and Military suffered during The Great Patriotic War. But they rose up from the ashes and pursued their enemies to the end. I also know Russia like America is led by people who make mistakes and put their military in harms way only to have it be involved in a hopeless war. Kipling wrote "Afghanistan is the place where empires go to die", and he was correct. I understand that Russian equipment is designed with a different aspect than Western Military design. I do not for one second think Russia is technologically handicapped. After all who put the first satellite and man into orbit? And to whom does NASA turn to when they need access to the space station? I am curious about how you feel about Putin. From my perspective I feel he is helping the country find a new and proud identity in this ever changing world. I respect the man for has a difficult job as does any leader of a nation. Especially one with such a great history. Please feel free to reply by form mail to me on the Putin question as I feel it is a personal matter to you and I.

Wow you can teach a old cat new tricks! I just got me edumocated by reading this here post!