Jump to content

Battle of the Bulge - Bastogne


Recommended Posts

Hi All.

Seeing that CM:BN together with CW and MG modules are being enjoyed to the maxim. And focus has then shifted south to Italy, and then Eastern Front.

What are the chances, of looking at the fall of Berlin from Western Eyes ?

As in - Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne, some belgian wargaming etc.

I had read in the past, that Bulge can be either (1) a standalone release, or (2) a module ?

Any latest hints/info?

best to all

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It will definitely not be a CMBN module. As to when we will see it, guessing from previous statements from BF that Ian referred to I'd say there is a high likelihood that it will be next year and possibly the next family release. Way too early to say though as BF is also prone to do surprises. As far as I know the only family releases they have discussed are CMSF 2, the eastern front series and Bulge. Of those Bulge seems to have more of the artwork done. Not much to go on, but I am really hoping to see that one.

It is also not clear how they might do it. The classic form would be to start right with the Bulge battles but considering the title is to cover Oct 1944 to end of war, they could totally change how they do it and start with the late fall battles and focus on different units than we might expect.

There are operations in the Lorraine, Scheldt estuary, taking of Aachen, the Huertegen. Lots of ground that could be covered in the base game of that family before we even get to the Bulge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Simply Beautiful - don't we agree all ? Thanks Guys - for sharing of thoughts. I think.. Once Bulge is covered (months, year to come) - The Pacific would also be a nice take on the Combat Mission series... that would be a type of game changer.. due to the exotic forests, booby traps, etc. History shows that Bulge and The pacific were some of the bloodiest war periods.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before the Pacific, BF want to do Russia to the end of the war, then a family each for 43-44, 42-43 and 41-42. Then there's the desert and pre-Dunkerque. I think Space Lobsters is ahead of the Pacific/Far East on their "to do" list.

The Pacific is at least ahead in priority of one game possibility: Arab-Israeli wars.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It will definitely not be a CMBN module. As to when we will see it, guessing from previous statements from BF that Ian referred to I'd say there is a high likelihood that it will be next year and possibly the next family release. Way too early to say though as BF is also prone to do surprises. As far as I know the only family releases they have discussed are CMSF 2, the eastern front series and Bulge. Of those Bulge seems to have more of the artwork done. Not much to go on, but I am really hoping to see that one.

It is also not clear how they might do it. The classic form would be to start right with the Bulge battles but considering the title is to cover Oct 1944 to end of war, they could totally change how they do it and start with the late fall battles and focus on different units than we might expect.

There are operations in the Lorraine, Scheldt estuary, taking of Aachen, the Huertegen. Lots of ground that could be covered in the base game of that family before we even get to the Bulge.

Those autumn 1944 battles definately need to be covered, either as part of the Bulge Family (Bulge would therefore start in October 1944) or as the last Normandy module. Either would be fine with me as long as the Siegfried Line Battles ae covered in the near future.

Given that the Volksgrenadier Divisions were important in he Siegfried Line battles I can see a good case for including that period in the Bulge family. The family would then run from October 1944 to May 1845. The first of the family might last from October to Decembr 1944 ad the second covering January to May 1945 introducing formations such as the 1945 OE and new equimpent on the Allied side such as the Pershing and the Germa jets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there, or there, ways on how to 'dig foxholes' ? in Combat Mission series. i know that foxholes are part of set maps already prepared.

Bulge was littered with foxholes.. it would be nice to have that feature

As Lucas said there is no way to do this in game. It's not a combat activity and it typically takes as much or more time to do than a typical CMBN game. For Quick Battle games I think you can purchase and place them if you're defending against assaults.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep.

Even in good conditions with soft ground, digging foxholes would only be applicable to the longest CM battles, and raises all sorts of modeling issues that make it not worth the time and effort (e.g.: What's the situational awareness of a unit that's busy digging? What about signature (e.g., how easily is a digging unit spotted)? How much fatigue is incurred? How long does it take to dig foxholes in various types of terrain? How much additional cover is a half-dug foxhole worth, if any? I could go on...)

But for BotB specifically, digging new foxholes during a battle is WAY out of CM scope -- as a general rule, during the time period and in the area where the BotB was fought, the ground was frozen, meaning digging took even longer and usually required heavier tools than the typical infantryman carried. (There are accounts of combat engineers using demo charges to blast foxholes during BotB!)

So foxholes and trenches are something that's either there at battle start, or not. I sincerely doubt this will change for the foreseeable future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was a fairly extensive discussion about this in a recent thread. And for what my Limey opinion is worth I feel it is beyond the scope of CM. The game since it's inception has always been about those 30, 45, 60 odd minutes of action that take place during a "days" fighting. Digging foxholes, eating food, cleaning weapons etc are all assumed to take place either before or after combat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I read somewhere that US GIs devised a way to create a foxhole in 7 seconds. Fire a few rounds in the ground. Drop in a stick of dynamite (or the WW2 equivalent), lite, and retreat. Boom. Instant foxhole.

Well - this IS interesting. In fact, I never tested/checked this. If one fires mortar rounds or Tank Shell into ground... I believe a form of crater is formed... Does this offer protection ? protect again enemy LOS ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well - this IS interesting. In fact, I never tested/checked this. If one fires mortar rounds or Tank Shell into ground... I believe a form of crater is formed... Does this offer protection ? protect again enemy LOS ?

Potentially, but those rounds are better used eliminating that enemy so your guys don't have to hide in a shell hole.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well - this IS interesting. In fact, I never tested/checked this. If one fires mortar rounds or Tank Shell into ground... I believe a form of crater is formed... Does this offer protection ? protect again enemy LOS ?

Yes, craters made during the game offer the same protection and concealment as craters placed in map creation. They're not as good as foxholes/trenches though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi guys. Not exactly related to Bastogne - but doesn't really warrant a new thread... Can anyone tell me how to 'activate' or 'check' the frames per second of the game. I saw it on pics showing on the top left corner. Is there a command I could press ? (A combination of keyboard commands?) thanks lads.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...