tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post39471286135307033..comments2024-03-28T07:40:20.999-07:00Comments on Chant du Départ: All Work and No Play ...OldAFSargehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-61883621017090800182022-01-30T07:38:05.769-08:002022-01-30T07:38:05.769-08:00Yes indeed, the what-ifs of history, enjoyable to ...Yes indeed, the what-ifs of history, enjoyable to discuss and ponder!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-67646297876503736532022-01-30T04:37:04.278-08:002022-01-30T04:37:04.278-08:00As mentioned above, the Soviets already had plans ...As mentioned above, the Soviets already had plans to attack Germany in 1942, June 1941 caught them by surprise, they hadn't recovered from the purges and were still ramping up military production. <br />Maybe the British would lose the Middle East, but they weren't doing badly before Hitler turned to Russia. I still think Logistics are all important and the Germans were always going to be hampered by their deficiencies. But that is why we love these arguments as in the long run there is no way to know.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05993938643115716912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-69851439216144233522022-01-29T12:16:32.803-08:002022-01-29T12:16:32.803-08:00What I truly consider "the good old days.&quo...What I truly consider "the good old days."OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-77494233240590555642022-01-29T12:15:58.517-08:002022-01-29T12:15:58.517-08:00They kept the Red Army mobile!They kept the Red Army mobile!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-74166244707092146442022-01-29T12:15:27.107-08:002022-01-29T12:15:27.107-08:00Did not know that. Very interesting.Did not know that. Very interesting.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-62842629035141826032022-01-29T12:14:44.403-08:002022-01-29T12:14:44.403-08:00I agree, real life isn't proscribed.I agree, real life isn't proscribed.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-34724290032069614892022-01-29T12:05:43.116-08:002022-01-29T12:05:43.116-08:00Apparently when we sent the Rooskies all that stuf...Apparently when we sent the Rooskies all that stuff, it was as a complete outfit. If they sent a tank, they sent along everything needed to outfit it to U.S. specs. That included Thompson SMGs, the .45 ammo of which you speak, web gear for the crews, etc. Much of that ended up in Russian warehouses for decades and finally about 20 years or so ago it finally hit the surplus markets. There were suddenly a ton of Thompson parts kits and parts, web gear and .45 ACP ammo available, all 1941-43 vintage and flat mint unissued. Very reasonably priced at the time- supply higher than demand. Remember, however, that the ammo is all corrosive primed, as was all U.S. GI ammo of the era except .30 carbine.<br />John BlackshoeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-50634438005136084112022-01-29T11:16:35.588-08:002022-01-29T11:16:35.588-08:00That is exactly the gist, Sarge. Everything was e...That is exactly the gist, Sarge. Everything was effectively outsourced to someone else. Once upon a time it was when confronted with a situation, someone innovated and we rolled. Now, from the occasional glance I have taken, everything is proscribed as to what can and should happen. Oddly enough, life is much more like the first situation.Toirdhealbheach Beucailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872794169534403463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-37946853632822392952022-01-29T10:53:35.632-08:002022-01-29T10:53:35.632-08:00Having lived the "halcyon days of my youf&quo...Having lived the "halcyon days of my youf" in Baltimore, yes it was actually, in the 50s and 60s, I am familiar with Avalon Hill. I lived a mile or two from their place on Harford Road. Bought my first AH game, "Afrika Corps," from a hobby shop when I was about 10 or so. Took we a while to figure it out since it was quite different from the Milton Bradly war games that I was familiar with. Still have my MB games and Africa Corps and others like Luftwaffe, Panzer Blitz and Third Reich.Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14983731436814153001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-74353538996131883872022-01-29T10:29:44.322-08:002022-01-29T10:29:44.322-08:00We sent them an enormous number of Studebaker truc...We sent them an enormous number of Studebaker trucks, which they liked very much, indeed, they called them, " Stooders ", apparently.SCOTTtheBADGERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12859188068159799373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-20294064047311894482022-01-29T10:09:59.433-08:002022-01-29T10:09:59.433-08:00Ah, real life is never so simple. The complexities...Ah, real life is never so simple. The complexities of WWII and its aftermath would take far more than a paragraph or two to delve into. As to the behavior of the Soviets in the post-war, I trace that directly to FDR being sick and weak during the conferences where we basically gave them eastern Europe. No doubt the various traitors in Britain (Burgess, McLean, Philby, et al) and the idiocy and treason in our own State Department and elsewhere (Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs spring to mind) contributed to many miscalculations and out and out mistakes.<br /><br />As to keep going into Russia, as Patton suggested? Insanity, the American public was already war weary (having fought for less time than the other Allies, one of our weaknesses), to have gone after the Russians would have led to chaos back home. But yes, the Pacific probably would have ended sooner without the drain of a European campaign.<br /><br />Soviets would have been a big player no matter what, it's what happens when you have a large army and a dictator at the top.<br /><br />Interesting stuff to ponder on a cold, snowy day.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-79894964306324141742022-01-29T09:28:39.033-08:002022-01-29T09:28:39.033-08:00So how is the game compared to Panzer Blitz or Squ...So how is the game compared to Panzer Blitz or Squad Leader? Is it reminiscent of a good Avalon Hill game? Need more info, need more info NOW! Geez, toss up a picture of 'want' and scratch the old itch and then don't give any info. Ever been a telemarketer in a former life?<br /><br />As to the Russians, no, they mostly didn't and still don't understand that we literally saved them. There might have been a Soviet Union to the east of the Ural mountains, clinging desperately on as the Nazis finally figured out how vast Mother Russia was, but...<br /><br />Though it would have been nice letting the two juggernauts slug it out and beat each other down, and saved all that food and lend-lease for deserving folk like the Poles and, yes, even the Free French. The Pacific might have advanced much quicker if our air and ground troops had the supplies that were going to the Russkies, so the eventual downfall of Japan might have happened by mid 44 and not a year later. And bonus points, no move on the Kuril Islands, and their influence on the ChiComs would have been vastly lessened, even stopped. Which means maybe a free 'All Mongolia' and China broken into separate countries. Sure wouldn't have been the sheer copularity of post-war Cold War with us having to deal with Soviets and their puppets everywhere. Might have gotten a Free Poland (and other eastern European nations) a lot quicker.<br /><br />Gee, Cuba without the Soviets influence, or sub-Saharan Africa, or the Middle East, or Central and South America, or... well, a world where the Soviets weren't a world player.<br /><br />Interesting idea. I think we could have managed taking out Hitler and Mussolini from the west while both were tied up in Russia. Nice point is we wouldn't have stopped and let the Soviets take Berlin. Hell, could have kept going until we wanted to stop.Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-74042317515521241402022-01-29T08:44:43.626-08:002022-01-29T08:44:43.626-08:00I remember doing the same, good times!I remember doing the same, good times!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-12736490683595806772022-01-29T08:29:44.052-08:002022-01-29T08:29:44.052-08:00I still have a copies of Afrika Korps and Wooden S...I still have a copies of Afrika Korps and Wooden Ships and Iron Men in a attic here. We had massive battles playing Blitzkrieg that almost always ended up in a stalemate after a while. Gerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13113612790410057366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-37610349645655585152022-01-29T07:11:25.069-08:002022-01-29T07:11:25.069-08:00As would I.
Too many discount the Russian contrib...As would I.<br /><br />Too many discount the Russian contribution to victory in WWII because of the actions of their Communist government and the evils of Stalin. But Ivan Ivanovich fought hard, he and his comrades suffered greatly. But they did indeed kill a lot of Nazis.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-24055468073848818192022-01-29T07:09:52.724-08:002022-01-29T07:09:52.724-08:00We had a core group playing D&D on Okinawa, mo...We had a core group playing D&D on Okinawa, most of that group also played Avalon Hill games. I remember the three booklets, I still have them somewhere. The newer stuff, nope, never got into it. It seemed to me that folks were letting someone else do the work of creating a world then they would just play in it. I liked creating my own, based on those three booklets. It's all we ever needed.<br /><br />As I write we still have power though the wind is strong and the snow is abundant. Can't really tell how mush snow we've received so far as the wind is blowing it all to the east.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-32193884371524890272022-01-29T07:07:06.737-08:002022-01-29T07:07:06.737-08:00I'm very familiar with Lock and Load Publishin...I'm very familiar with Lock and Load Publishing, I have a number of their digital games. As to "discovering" GMT, that happened Christmas of 2020 when I got a copy of A Time for Trumpets. A huge game, very well done.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-86692129902243204112022-01-29T07:03:53.252-08:002022-01-29T07:03:53.252-08:00Not WWII in toto, but the European theater. WWI an...Not WWII in toto, but the European theater. WWI and WWII, apples and oranges.<br /><br />No Eastern Front would probably have seen the Germans and Italians dominant in North Africa, the Middle East providing oil for the Wehrmacht. Perhaps after we had defeated Japan, we probably would have turned on the Germans and helped the British out. But American morale might not have stood for it after the bloodletting in the Pacific.<br /><br />There was no need to invade Britain, whether or not nuclear weapons would have been developed by us, or the Germans, first is one of those mysteries of history.<br /><br />We in the West love to think that we didn't need the Russians to beat the Germans, but we did.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-40397173828648352972022-01-29T06:45:09.528-08:002022-01-29T06:45:09.528-08:00Yup, trucks, food, tanks; all at some cost (c.f. A...Yup, trucks, food, tanks; all at some cost (c.f. Atlantic, North). Aircraft as well, P-39/63 and B-25's among them.<br />I finally broke open a pea-green spam can of .45 ammo, labeled in Russian. Nice brass-cased Winchester ammo in the typical Russian boxes. Would love to know the story behind that.<br />Boat GuyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-4323014493919253952022-01-29T05:47:18.484-08:002022-01-29T05:47:18.484-08:00Sarge, I am somewhat behind you but also have happ...Sarge, I am somewhat behind you but also have happy memories of Panzerblitz and its companion, Panzerleader, as well as Squad Leader (So. Many. Pieces.) I never did board wargaming quite to the extent you did but we also did miniature wargaming with World War II as well. I am comforted to see that people are still making and enjoying these games. <br /><br />(I was more of a Role Playing Games Guy, as I came of age right when that was becoming a thing. I now snort at the amount of paraphernalia that exists for such things now. "Back in my day" I wheeze into the wind, "we did everything with three - count them, three - books, for what you have twenty now. Also, we walked uphill to school both ways...) <br /><br />I have to admit that post-September 1939 to June 1941 is something I either do not know or do not remember quite as I should, so this will all be instructive.<br /><br />Good luck on the storm and see you on the other side.Toirdhealbheach Beucailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872794169534403463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-23193658131277884322022-01-29T05:28:58.323-08:002022-01-29T05:28:58.323-08:00Have enjoyed what you've done so far with the ...Have enjoyed what you've done so far with the European War and looking forward to what comes next during the Sitzkrieg phase. Nice to see you discovered GMT, have done business with them plenty over the last couple of decades. There's another board game outfit, Lock and Load Publishing that has a tactical system covering WWII up through TGWOT.Plenty of ways to spend your $s Sarge. Nylon12noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-85240593720704813932022-01-29T03:07:46.795-08:002022-01-29T03:07:46.795-08:00Not sure that WW2 would have been lost without the...Not sure that WW2 would have been lost without the Soviets, after all Stalin was planning on attacking Germany in 1942, Barbarossa just jumped the gun, too much traditional hatred there added to the rivalry between the 2 ways of doing Marxism.<br />The war would have been longer and more difficult, but Germany's logistical problems were the same as they were in 1914-18. They took the Russians out in 1917 and still had the issues with food and raw materials. <br />Invading Britain would have been near impossible, there was a reason Napoleon didn't do it either. Unless The US didn't enter the war, I don't see the British collapsing. German technology would still be hobbled by the military dilettante at the top and eventually nuclear weapons would have been game changers.<br />Everything would have had to go right for Germany to win and we all know how often that happens. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05993938643115716912noreply@blogger.com