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M1910 Maxim Machine Guns in 7.62 mm x 54 calibre


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Justin, personally I think the Maxim wins hands down, because of the shield, which was often used to display personal propaganda messages, thus increasing unit performance. I have just had a look at my copy of Duschwitz 'Obscure propaganda slogans of the Great Patriotic War' Vol. XVII, Berlin, National People's Army Publishing, 1968. Here are some examples:

'Smile, you are in my sights'

1st Belorussian Front, 1944

'My other automatic weapon is a PPSh'

Vyazma, 1941

'Honk if you like water-cooled MGs'

2nd Baltic Front, 1945

'The machine-gun in front is a Maxim'

Southwestern Front, 1942

'Tune in to 102.4 Stalingrad FM'

Stalingrad Front, 1942

'Vorsprung durch Technitsky'

2nd Ukrainian Front, 1943

'My government went to war and all I got was this lousy ATR'

3rd Guards Tank Army, Berlin, 1945

'Recruits on board'

Smolensk, 1941

Clearly, the propagandistic value of these slogans had a major effect on Soviet small unit performance.

I hope this is interesting.

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Originally posted by Justin5471:

Its not in your version of the demo?

I've got the CM:BB Clown Car demo ver. 102.1a. Its the one with all the good bits they fixed or somefink to make the game miserable.

There arent MG42s in either of the demo scenarios Yelnia Stare is in 41, which is a year before the introduction of the MG42, so you have the slower ROF MG34. The panzers in the citadel scenario all use MG34s as well.
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As always, Andreas, interesting post.

I'm fortunate enough to have a rare copy of Igor Stepupovich's 1954 softbound 'The Sukolov Success" where, on p. 612, papragraph 4, he refers to some additional sloganeering loosely translated, if my Russian ids not too off as : 'Careful - Babushka on-board'. Plate 5.5 even illustrates the so-called 'go faster stripes' so chararacteristic of 616th Infatry Division at the Battle of Sevastopol in May 1942.

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Andreas - good point. Unfortunately, not in that volume.

I've had a root around somne militaria dealers I know and I've come up with a real find: a "Sokolov" mounting comprising the usual pair of wheels supporting a large turntable and a U-shaped trail PLUS full fluted water jackets and magnificent wheeled "Sokolov" Mounts reminiscent of Dr. Zhivago. These aluminum beauties comprise cap and lugs and have hand painted hammer and sickles. These weapons were discovered in Finland where they had been stored in military arsenals since they were captured by the Finns during the Russo-Finnish War (or Winter War; 1939-40).

Hope this helps.

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Andreas - I've only seen examples marked up 01, on a orange field with rear mounted air-horn, attrributed to a rifle brigade under Marshal Lee, Belgrade 1945. Does this count?

Mr. Noobie - I believe a hand painted Sokolov chassis will be an optional extra in the official CM:BB Ladder Players expansion set.

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Originally posted by Michael emrys:

You boys have waaaaaaaaay too much time on your hands. I think you better get out and spade the garden before winter sets in.

Michael

Well, can you prove that Rattatsky or the Maxim ES did not exist? I am a customer, therefore it must have existed.

Why don't you go back to the Peng Thread?

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There was a T34 version, called the 'Monstertank' with extra high roller-wheels, used by 15th Guards Mech Corps to smash fascist tanks at warbond drives. It was usually shown in re-runs on Soviet cable into the 1970s.

The tanks had a red/white colour scheme, and individual slogans on them:

'Eat my shortskys'

'Ossetians do it in the dark'

and

'Vrooom vrooom'

being the ones I came across.

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'My government went to war and all I got was this lousy ATR'

3rd Guards Tank Army, Berlin, 1945

lol.gif I'm sure that that was what those poor infantrymen were thinking when they dragged these dinosaurs into the streets of Berlin, although by that time they had become AMR*'s of course.

* Anti-Material Rifle

On the subject of Machineguns, I just realised that the DP was the only soviet MG that did not come with a wheeled mounting.

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There also was an experimental T-34 version equipped for night operations. It was painted in a black-on-black camo pattern (even the crew compartment) and the main gun was replaced with a 200 watts searchlight that had to be powered by means of a hand crank.

Approximately 12 of those vehicles were built in 1943 but all were lost in night combat trials prior to Kursk and never found again.

Source : some finnish internet page I came across.

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