FPPR Central Committee Official Communiqué

Austria 1946 By: 20th Century Wargames

An improvised cold war game, Where there were four villages
with the winner being the one who ended up with possession of
the most of them. Huge gaming table!

http://20thcenturywargames.blogspot.com/2011/01/austria-1946.html

FIREBASE-SPARTAN: Welcome to FIREBASE-SPARTAN

FIREBASE-SPARTAN: Welcome to FIREBASE-SPARTAN: "Welcome, FIREBASE-SPARTAN is the amalgamation of my three other science-fiction wargaming blogs, FIREBASE 6mike-mike, FIREBASE 15mike-mike, ..."

FIREBASE 15mike-mike: Announcing : FIREBASE-SPARTAN

FIREBASE 15mike-mike: Announcing : FIREBASE-SPARTAN: "FIREBASE-SPARTAN is the amalgamation of my three other science-fiction wargaming blogs, FIREBASE 6mike-mike, FIREBASE 15mike-mike, a..."

Wehrmacht Panzer Division (Modified)

Here I've taken ideas from a few sources first and foremost the great
work by Chris Kemp "Not Quite Mechanized",also using the fantastic
work by Tim Gow and his "Megablitz" system, and where it all began
(for me) "Series 78" standard MTOs. Add to this that we are playing
our games on our near earth "Terra Secundus' and not the actual
historical earth I can take a few liberties with the German
organization to fit into our games.
******************************************************************************************************
Div HQ 1 Commander mounted in Kubelwagen or Staff Car(s3), 1 Signals Van or A/C(s3),

1 SP Flak(s2-4)

******************************************************************************************************

Pz Recce Bn* 1 Lt Tank or A/C(s3), 1-2 A/C or 1/2Track(s3), 1-3 Motorcycle(s1-3) but total M/C Str = no more than 3 ( Change to 3 M/C With sidecar Str 2 each)

******************************************************************************************************

Pz Regt HQ1 Comd Pz(s3), 1 Signals A/C(s3),

Pz Bn x 2 3 Pzs (See notes below)(s3-4) ( Change to 3 Bn)

******************************************************************************************************

Pz Gren RHQ1 Comd SdKfz(s3), 1 Signals A/C(s3), 1 150mm SiG(s3)

Pz Gren Bn 1 Comd SdKfz w 37mm PAK(s3), 2 SdKfz w MG(s3), 4Rifle stands (s3) Rifle stands may have AT Rifle capability, 81 or 50mm Mor(s2-3) (Change to 2 Bn)

******************************************************************************************************

Mot R RHQ1 Comd Staff Car(s3), 1 Signals Van(s3), 1 150mm SiG(s3) or towed gunMot Rifle Bn x 3) 1 Comd Stand(s3), 3 MG stands(s3), 3Rifle stands (s3) may have AT Rifle capability, 81 or 50mm Mor(s2-3), 2-3 Trucks or 1/2tracks(s3) (Change to 2 Bn)
*****************************************************************************************************

Pz Arty Regt2RHQ comd(s3), up to 3 FOO(s1-3), 2 x 105mm Div gun + limber(s4), 150mm Howitzer + limber (s3-4). Some or all guns may be SP

PAK Bn37mm or 50 Gun+Limber(s3), 75mm Gun+Limber(s3) all may be SP

*****************************************************************************************************

Pz Engr Bn3 Engineer Stands (@2 figures), SdKfz or Truck with optional Bridging Trailer*****************************************************************************************************

Add***Manit & Supply 1 supply truck, one Maint Van, one Recovery Halftrack

*****************************************************************************************************

Note that the Panzer Grenadier Regiment Has one Armored Bn (the Pz Gren Bn), and one motorized Bn that, for convenience, I have listed with the two Bns for the Motor Rifle Regiment. Most Panzer Divisions only had the luxury of one Bn mounted in that iconic vehicle the SdKfz 251 (SonderKraftZeug). Don't believe the propaganda photos, fully three quarters of the Wehrmacht's Panzer Grenadiers went to war in trucks or unarmored halftracks.A Nod to my actual collection here, I had way too many Sd Kfz 251/1w/mg34 so went with two Bn
*****************************************************************************************************

Early in the war, the division would have a Motorcycle Bn. However riding motorcycles is dangerous enough at the best of times, and their role in combat meant that the Bns suffered heavy attrition. I have shown the rump of the Battalion absorbed into the Recce Bn.A Nod to Megablitz here......Always felt that the recon elements in NQM were too small.
*****************************************************************************************************
I have not specified what sort of Panzer should be used in the Orbat as this changed as the war progressed. Early on the proportion was roughly ( 1 PzII : 2 PzIII : 1 PzIV) As the War progressed, the proportion of PzIVs increased to 50% of the TOE, and the PzII disappeared. Later still the PzV replaced the PzIII. In addition, large numbers of StuGIIIs and IVs were produced. The StuG (SturmGeshutz) was a casemated gun on a tank chassis. The design benefit being that a more effective gun could be carried on the chassis than a turreted design would allow. In addition, production costs were lower, at a time when numbers were critical.

Tribute To My Grandfather

Heinz Muller

My grandfather was my maternal grandmother's second husband, and therefore

of no blood relation to me however, I knew no other grandfather growing up. Both

my biological grandfathers lived until I reached adulthood but, I saw them not often

because of the distance of where they lived.

******************************** Papa Henni, as I knew him had one of the most interesting of lives, born in Germany

and growing up there after WWI in a small farm village in East Prussia, it was easier to get to his uncle's fields by cutting through Poland! it even resulted in him getting shot at by Polish boarder guards a few times. Because of where and when he grew up he developed a great facility for language, he grew up speaking German, Polish, Russian, Slovak, and later learned English and Japanese. He in early teens was an ardent anti-Nazi, he told me of putting sand down the gas tanks of army trucks! He then would put it like this; "I was asked to politely leave at the business end of a

Kar98!" Not surprising given another of his stories where he tells of his village where half the houses are flying the flag of the Weimar Republic the other half the Nazi flag, his house had the old Imperial battle flag because his uncle Willy was convinced that the Kaiser would return! So perhaps it was no shock that My grandfather would go against the authorities...

******************************** In 1936 he came to the states with his father and later followed by his uncle Willy, He became an American citizen in 1940 and after Pearl Harbor joined the US Army and went to Training in Mississippi, where he also taught German to Officers heading to Europe. He as A German was sent to the Pacific theater. His first stop was for several months in Schofield BKS Hi, where he stayed in the same building that I was assigned to many years later, I Quad. His tails of training there came home to me many times as I marched over the same ground that he did many years before me .

******************************** He went on to the Pacific theater where in one story he was watching a PBY being worked on and a naval officer asked him "Sergeant do you like what you see, my Grandfather replied as he said (like an idiot) Yes Sir" He was then asked could he fire a 50 cal Machine -gun he replied "Yes sir , on the ground" the officer said it shouldn't mater...The next thing he knew he was in the right bubble manning the 50 cal flying out over the islands in a PBY. He didn't go too much into detail about that other than saying he gunned allot of tomato gardens, later learned that was slang for any Japanese installation. The next stories he told me involved running into various islanders that were fluent in German! In the first story he is walking along this recently occupied island and hears someone singing "Watch On The Rhine" a very patriotic German song being done in flawless German, he walks up and finds this little old man cutting vegetables who as it turned out used to work in the German governors mansion. In the next story he and another German American GI are at this elaborate ceremony where the chief is in the full black top hat and tails but spats and no shoes. My grandfather speaking in German to his friend said you think they could have got him some shoes...Then thinking nothing about it is approached by the same Chief who proceeds in perfect German to apologias for his lack of proper attire etc...My grandfather said he felt about 2 inches tall at that point, lol.

******************************** The next things he really went into were how he learned Japanese from a Buddhist monk while on occupation duty in Japan. I guess the reason I thought of all these things was I turn 53 tomorrow 11 Jan, and was going back over the many things I learned from this very interesting man, and how it was really him that caused me to make a career in the army. Sadly Papa Henni passed away just before Germany was reunified and didn't live to see that, I'm sure he would had allot of interesting things to say. The other reason that brought all this to mind was my friend Tim was showing some of his Japanese aircraft models and my mind sort of went back to these thoughts. There are so many other stories that I half remember now and so many other life lessons he taught me, that of all the people I've met in my life he I miss the most.....

FIREBASE 15mike-mike: Alternative to hiatus: Consolidation of the FIREBA...

FIREBASE 15mike-mike: Alternative to hiatus: Consolidation of the FIREBA...: "I have gotten quite a few requests to reconsider putting FIREBASE 15mike-mike and FIREBASE 28mike-mike on hiatus and instead consolidate all..."

Wargaming for Grown-ups SCW!

SCW Painting Update

http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/2011/01/scw-painting-update.html

gurkhas 4

gurkhas 3

gurkhas 2

gurkhas 1

Sikh Soldiers From World War 1 to Present

Tank action!

The Battle of Kursk - the Biggest Tank Battle in History (4/6)

FIREBASE 15mike-mike: Changes coming.... indefinite hiatus for FIREBASE ...

FIREBASE 15mike-mike: Changes coming.... indefinite hiatus for FIREBASE ...: "I am still dealing with sporadic internet connectivity, but I have been making decisions about the changes to my blogs once the internet p..."