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Going SICK with MG's


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Hi Guys.....

First off I have to say that I have been waiting for this game all my life! That may sound lame to some of you but I am sure that there are some of you out there that are like me and just cant keep a thought in your head because you are so excited about the final product! I am already worried about my girlfriends reaction to me spending every waking moment with this game. Big Time Software....you are the GREATEST! <love you man...> <sniff>

Anyway.....I notice that in replay..all the teams seem to fire in cycles. That is...the MG's will fire a burst...wait a few seconds...and fire another burst... ect....Makes sense to me. But is there ever a time where they just go sick and hold the trigger down? Like if they are being overrun. I know that Brownings Model 1911 Machine-gun was fired for 48 minutes and 12 seconds straight in a demo to the Army. And...<Just as an example to this question!!!> on the D-Day battle in Pvt. Ryan the Germans unloaded some lead into those transports. Just a question. Everybody....keep up the great work and the interesting questions! I'm returning CC4 and making room for CM.

Lanzfeld

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Well, in close combat units don't fire continuously but they do fire much more often, say 7 or 8 bursts per minute instead of 1 or 2..

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Fionn Kelly

Manager of Historical Research,

The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers

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Very rarely would any trained MG team "go sick" with their gun. Superhigh volumes of fire in a short period of time will kill the barrel.

How many holes do you need to drill into one person? With the rate of fire from an MG42 for example, you'd have to slew the barrel like a MadMatt, er madman wink.gif, so you didn't waste ammo drilling some poor guy who might already have 3 holes in him. Two holes is probably enough. You don't have to saw a guy in half.

Add to this the fact that you have to change out barrels periodically, and you find that well-trained teams go for effective fire, not volume fire, even with weapons like the MG42 where a barrel change out was an amazing few seconds for a trained team.

With regard to D-Day and the volume of fire received by the incoming troops, check out some references on the defensive setup. Yes, the volume of fire was high, but there were a large number of machine gun nests with interlocking fields of fire for maximum effect. If I'm motivated, I'll check books this evening for info and post it here...

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Just like fighter engagements during WWII. Nobody held down the trigger. 300 Rounds of MG fire could be used in 14 seconds. They, like the MG's on land were taught to fire in bursts to conserve ammo. Plus, there were only a few rare occurences where a single Machine Gunner had the same number of targets as D-Day right infront of their gun. Plus, ammo in CM runs out fast enough, I wouldn't want it to go even faster!

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Guest Big Time Software

Hi Lanzfeld! Thanks for the praise redface.gif

Exactly like the others have said smile.gif Having fired an MG42 I can tell you that even with short bursts the ammo goes bye-bye all too quickly (especially when you are paying for it!). Also keep in mind that generally there were no more than 250 rounds belted up at one time, often less. For a MG42 that is pretty much 10 - 15 seconds to burn through the whole thing.

I think there are some extreme cases where the gunner would be willing to go all out. Shooting from a bunker at waves of charging infantry is about the only one I can think of. But still... the gunner is going to have brief pauses due to the need to adjust for accuracy. Even in the HMG role on the tripod (the way I shot the MG42) this is necessary.

Steve

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Units of any type can go nuts firing at close range.

An American squad of mine used up five units of ammo at once firing at a German squad at 19 meters. The ammo counter went from 17 then immediately to 12.

So at close range guys will blaze away. Keep this in mind when mounting a clse assault.

Jason

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BTS,

I have to ask - Where can you get to fire a belt-fed Machine Gun??? I thought I was in heaven in Panama City FL, when a couple of friends and I rented Uzi's and a couple clips of ammo a piece. Best $$$ I spent on that Spring Break. The cash went quickly, but at least shooting that afternoon didn't make me want to throw up the next morning when I looked next to me at what I slept with that night eek.gif

CrapGame out...

(and in the doghouse again)

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Guest Big Time Software

There are a couple of events each year in different parts of the country. Guys come up with their "toys" so they can mingle, buy/trade, get parts, and of course shoot. Many folks have a hard time shooting what they own because of legal restrictions.

At these shoots very often these individuals are willing to let you shoot for the cost of the ammo or slightly more. You never know what will be there.

The largest in the country is Knob Creek. It is somewhere in the East. Dang, I should know this off the top of my head... I think it is in Kentucky? But there are smaller ones here and there and I have also heard of small business, like the Uzi guys you went to, that are pay for shoot type deals. I think there are a couple of places in Georgia that have vintage WWII stuff.

Steve

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"I thought I was in heaven in Panama City FL, when a couple of friends and I rented Uzi's and a couple clips of ammo a piece. Best $$$ I spent on that Spring Break. "

All the non americans look at the thread and shake thier heads smile.gif

Just messin with ya guys but bear in mind how odd your conversation looks for the rest of us.

_dumbo

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And some Americans, Dumbo smile.gif

Where are you? Why don't you post your 'location' in your profile. It would be interesting to know. smile.gif

[This message has been edited by TOBRUK (edited 01-10-2000).]

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I have to ask - Where can you get to fire a belt-fed Machine Gun???<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

There are a couple of organizations here in the states... and many more around the world, that you can join and be able to fire all kinds of cool weapons for free. My personal recommendation would by the USMC wink.gif

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Um, there's certain drawbacks to those particular organizations, like the possibility of getting yourself killed. Even worse, IMO, is the possibility that you'll not only get to fire those weapons, but that you'll be forced to fire those weapons AT somebody. smile.gif

-John Hough, your friendly neighborhood wargaming pacifist. smile.gif

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Some of the comments here prompt me to restate the obvious: remember that MGs (especially for an advancing force) are used primarily to keep the defenders/targets' heads down so other elements (like riflemen) can abuse them at more intimate ranges. If you can actually kill or incapacitate some targets then fine and dandy, no one is going to complain, but most guys are gonna duck and crawl (if they move at all) when under sustained MG fire.

CM allows me to do something that not all games do: pin a squad and then drop mortar shells on them. Did that to some guys this weekend in a WWII Miniatures games and it was very much fun.

-dale (never fired anything full-auto) frown.gif

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Fionn said:

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Well, in close combat units don't fire continuously but they do fire much more often, say 7 or 8 bursts per minute instead of 1 or 2..<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Aye, the Achilles Heel of SMG squads frown.gif They are like-- er, ... living panzerfausts--use once and throw away smile.gif.

-Bullethead

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There is a gun store in Las Vegas, very near the airport on Tropicana, which allows rental fire of full-auto toys (note to rest of world: this means you can shoot THEIR guns on THEIR range using YOUR ammo. You may not rent a machine-gun and leave the premises, or rob a bank, and return it).

Last visit they had an MP40, Thompson, Sten, HK MP5, and something else I forget now (maybe a grease gun or an Uzi). Sorry, nothing belt-fed. Shooting these things is expensive- the rental is reasonable (about $30 USD), but the ammo goes quick. To me there were only 2 choices in that list and they were both Deutsches Erzeugnis.

This arrangement is legal, safe, and fun. biggrin.gif Even the novice will quickly learn why short bursts are the norm for shoulder-fired weapons.

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Bullethead,

Well personally speaking I think a Regular or Vet SMG platoon is quite capable of taking out a US Rifle company (including heavy weapons) with its ammo loadout.

I brutally abused a PBEM opponent in Riesberg with an SMG platoon to his flank. I wiped out two entire platoons for only 2 casualties and was just getting to work on some scattered heavy weapons and another platoon while still having half my ammo left when he called a ceasefire.

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___________

Fionn Kelly

Manager of Historical Research,

The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers

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Just gotta chime in on that Paintball comment... You all wanna shoot, why not shoot something that you fire AT someone (without all of the nasty legal reprecussions)...

I actually use a lot of paintball mentality when I play this game, especially LOS/ambushes when using infantry... I find the bast way to use a platoon is think "what would I do if I was them", which is extremely easy for me because I find myself in similar positions once a month... wink.gif

I do pray the paintball is the closest I ever find myself to the real battlefield...

Anyone else here play?

-EridanMan

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Your Source for Combat Mission Scenarios and Operations information-

<A HREF = "http://patriot.net/~carey/cmso/"> CMSO </a>

patriot.net/~carey/cmso

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Fionn said:

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Well personally speaking I think a Regular or Vet SMG platoon is quite capable of taking out a US Rifle company (including heavy weapons) with its ammo loadout.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh certainly. In fact, you'll note I gave a report of just such an occurrance in that "Busy Valkyries" thread that quickly degenerated into arguments about music, of all things rolleyes.gif

What I meant was, you'd like to be able to go on and do that to the rest of the US force wink.gif But the SMG union squad stewards inform me that destroying 1 company per battle is all they're required to do under their enlistment contracts tongue.gif

-Bullethead

[This message has been edited by Bullethead (edited 01-11-2000).]

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Aye it's the damned unions.

Whenever I try to negotiate for my SMG squads to port more ammo around all I hear from the unions are equivalancy arguments about artillerymen and how if THEY get Lorraine Schleppers to carry all that ammo around that my SMG squads want organic Lorraine Schleppers too..

That and a 5 day working week with holiday benefits and comprehensive health benefits.. It's no way to fight a war I tell you.

Next they'll be having me fill out insurance forms for the Amis for every Sherman I brew up wink.gif

------------------

___________

Fionn Kelly

Manager of Historical Research,

The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers

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Ahh, several points to make.

dumbo, why does this conversation sound odd? I am a CPA who happens to be a history buff. I am not a gun-toting crazyman. If I was, I'd work for the post office. I do not own a gun (other than a couple of paintball markers), and I do not intend on buying one. However, my Panama City experience (similar to the one Mark IV describes in Vegas) makes the experience of games such as CM all the more realistic when you have heard some of the sounds and smelled some of the smells first-hand. That is why I would like to experience the MG42.

Berli - Thanks for the tip, but no thanks. Like John H, I would prefer not having to try to kill people nor having people try to kill me. The worst things in my field are being taken off a job or having my boss make me threaten a client with a "Management Comment" - sounds scary, doesn't it? wink.gif

CrapGame out...

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Fionn said:

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Whenever I try to negotiate for my SMG squads to port more ammo around all I hear from the unions are equivalancy arguments about artillerymen and how if THEY get Lorraine Schleppers to carry all that ammo around that my SMG squads want organic Lorraine Schleppers too..<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Heheh, this is great smile.gif

Hey, we should save this sort of stuff in a joke FAQ. You know, kinda like Mad's "Snappy Answer..." feature. And con somebody to post it on his site biggrin.gif

-Bullethead

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