Quote from: xccam on 29 August 2018, 07:37:18 PM
Whilst Sections may have been numbered I am happier with them lettered to make them more distinct from the German squads in any as yet hypothetical campaign. At the risk of upsetting purists, it works for me.

As for the PIAT, from what I've seen it was up to the company CO to distribute the PIATs an Platoons were as likely as not to have one with them, but I could be wrong. Either way the TooFatLardies have one in every platoon HQ (although this could be to prevent new players instantly losing if an enemy turns up with a single armour asset).

Point taken. If its late war, a lot of British platoons  on point had MG42s- but you won't find that in official weapon issue.   

At this level of skirmish, a AT weapon adds balance. The Typhoon will never appear when you really need it. 

Keep us posted on the game please.

Quote from: Sunray on 29 August 2018, 08:32:22 PM
Point taken. If its late war, a lot of British platoons  on point had MG42s- but you won't find that in official weapon issue. 

Careful on the MG42. The Worcester's had theirs for a few days then had to get rid of the lot. The neighbouring bttns thought Jerry had broken into the positions when the Worcesters used them at night. Very different beast and sound to the mighty Bren. Curiously, I know firearms designers and trainers who despise the MG42 and think it worse than useless! Too heavy, too hungry, too many barrel changes. Fine in a fixed position - rubbish when moving forward.

Super work on those figures !! 

Cheers - Phil

Quote from: Dr Dave on 29 August 2018, 09:24:29 PM
Careful on the MG42. The Worcester's had theirs for a few days then had to get rid of the lot. The neighbouring bttns thought Jerry had broken into the positions when the Worcesters used them at night. Very different beast and sound to the mighty Bren. Curiously, I know firearms designers and trainers who despise the MG42 and think it worse than useless! Too heavy, too hungry, too many barrel changes. Fine in a fixed position - rubbish when moving forward.

Yes, the MB42 has a distinctive rattle. But it was the first of the GPMG - and set the bar.  The Germans - unlike the Brits were trained to fire in short bursts - 3to 7 rounds.   

I have no experience of the MG42, but cross trained with the Bundeswehr and their M3 variant.  It was about 26lb- same as our GPMG (FN) .  I noted the M3 had bolt change options that varied the rate of fire.(were they available in WW2???)  The GPMG could be a hungry beast - as proved in Falklands/ Goose Green - but Jesus, the weight, the hunger and the barrel changes where all redeemed by the weight of suppressive delivery.   Worth all its weight in gold for winning small arms fire fights.    If you want a really badly designed  MG, then the M60 is the lemon.

Re the PIAT, there is a de facto dichotomy between "issue" and "deployment".  Remember it is  a weapon not a crew you get. Your platoon/section will have to surrender two of the rifle group to man it.  So unless you have a clear and present threat from armour, you toss the PIAT/LAW in the PC - in my days the Bv206 /or 432 - or in WW2 in the back of the carrier .   Yes, you can yoump a PIAT/Charlie G with a rifle and full kit- but it retards the effectiveness of the rifleman when he deploys.   He will use one or the other.   The 66LAW  was a godsend. That's why its still in service. Not so much for MBTs, but as a direct support - it will also mallet a lot of APCs and light AFVs. 

Quote from: Dr Dave on 29 August 2018, 09:24:29 PM
Careful on the MG42. The Worcester's had theirs for a few days then had to get rid of the lot. The neighbouring bttns thought Jerry had broken into the positions when the Worcesters used them at night. Very different beast and sound to the mighty Bren. Curiously, I know firearms designers and trainers who despise the MG42 and think it worse than useless! Too heavy, too hungry, too many barrel changes. Fine in a fixed position - rubbish when moving forward.

And yet they moved forward into Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Balkans and Greece, and a hefty chunk of the European USSR.

There's a lot to be said for combined arms, knowing how to use your weapon, and having 8 spare dudes to carry the extra ammo.


Soldiers get very attached to their favorite weapons: Hence the memoirs praising the Bren, BAR and even that Russian record player thingy.
Even the (of some) Dutch thought their Lewis guns were the best (Nobody else has a 100 round drum!).

Gamers can be incredibly idiosyncratic in their attitude to new weapons.
How many times have you heard a British gamer rubbish the B.A.R. but later heap praise on the German "Assault rifle" designs.


I'm not sure what my point is here, except to point out that the armies with the biggest points weapons didn't always win.

Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 30 August 2018, 08:36:17 PM
And yet they moved forward into Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Balkans and Greece, and a hefty chunk of the European USSR.

There's a lot to be said for combined arms, knowing how to use your weapon, and having 8 spare dudes to carry the extra ammo.

I'm not sure what my point is here.

Steve, you made your point very well  in the second line.  I was one of those spare dudes.   Sustained fire mode is still around, but its fire and movement that wins the ground. 

Cheers, 

Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 30 August 2018, 08:36:17 PM
And yet they moved forward into Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Balkans and Greece...

... without the MG42.   

But the 34 is much the same !

In the section role the Bren was much better...the 34 and 42 have several design holidays in them, in particular no way of holding the red hot barrel when you need to change it ! In the SF role the Vickers was better, if you had liquid to keep it cool. Moving it was an absolute pig, but that was one use for a carrier !

Yes, Lindy's standards slipped this time. Even I, who is not a WW2 miniatures gamer (but I do play the computer sim, Combat Mission), had to raise my eyebrows on a couple of occasions (e.g., even I knew a version of the MG34/42 lives on in the modern German Army - although due to be replaced soon). What about overwhelming artillery support, numbers and air superiority? The responder does not come out of it too well either IMO; a touch of indignation perhaps and totally didn't get why Lindy used the term "Spandau" (which is what the Brits called the German LMG - just as every German tank was "a Tiger" and every German shell "an 88"), spending 20% of his response on that one issue. Good finds, Nobby.

I thought the modern method for settling Youtube disagreements was for the Vloggers to humiliate themselves by doing rubbish boxing.

Quote from: ianrs54 on 01 September 2018, 03:27:09 PM
But the 34 is much the same !

In the section role the Bren was much better...the 34 and 42 have several design holidays in them, in particular no way of holding the red hot barrel when you need to change it ! In the SF role the Vickers was better, if you had liquid to keep it cool. Moving it was an absolute pig, but that was one use for a carrier !

We keep identifying the need for the humble little Carrier ! 

If you have a full strength Btn then the carrier platoon has about the same fire power as a rifle company, so could be used as a fast reserve....It was also useful for shifting the 3" mortars which had to be close to the front due to very short range.

Added some armour assets to the options for my 10mm ww2 forces, a Hetzer and a Cromwell.

 

Very nice indeed

Take care

Andy

Nice!

Brill work

Very fun 

Not going to update with all the figures I've painted since the last update - maybe I will at some point who knows - but the current effort is to make a moderately respectable (and portable) wargame surface out of a pinboard. Still a long way to go before it looks good, but here's a start.



And Merry Christmas!