Posts made by MauserBob

Sounds good. I think I’ll go with that.
Thank you all for the input. 

@wittmann:

I think that is far too much; sorry.

Okay…I respect that. What if I remove the sub and both artillery, which, in hindsight are Kind of superfluous… leaving:

3 inf  on both Java & Sumatra
2 inf on Celebes
1 on Dutch New Guinea

…plus the cruiser & destroyer in SZ 42?

I’m not married to the idea of an inf on DNG…so if the above are still a bit too heavy, then maybe only  2 inf on Java & Sumatra, 1 inf on Celebes, and none on DNG. Better?

Wow…a lot of good input here.  Thank you so much, guys.

Upon consideration, I think my initial setup will be a cruiser, destroyer, and sub off Java.

Having been persuaded to use some land units after all, I’m going with:

3 inf and 1 artillery on both Sumatra & Java.
2 inf on Celebes.
1 inf on Dutch New Guinea.

Reasonable, or maybe 1 inf too many on Sumatra and/or Java?

Good evening, all…I just picked up a small assortment of orange Dutch pieces because I wanted to explore the possibility of adding a couple units to the Java SZ ala’ the short-lived ABDA forces that were historically formed after the initial time frame for Global40. I have no intention of messing with the mechanics of the money islands by proposing adding Dutch ground forces, just a couple naval units. Historically, the Dutch East Indies naval contingent of the ABDA forces was decently substantial in size, but I don’t want to go overboard…maybe just a cruiser and destroyer, just for the fun of having a couple orange ships in the area, perhaps, but maybe to add an interesting little twist to the early part of the game, too. I’m not opposed to tweaking the British and/or ANZAC naval forces to compensate if adding a couple extra Allied ships might alter the balance too much but I’m hoping I won’t have to. One of the things I was considering but haven’t figured out yet was leaving them off the board until a state of war exists between Japan and the ANZACs, so as to avoid unbalancing things by being able to pre-stage them in a more advantageous SZ than off Java, but I’m wondering if this over-complicates things too much.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Realistic number of units and unit types that might be acceptable? Possible changes to Japanese forces to keep or restore balance? Ideas on when/where to add them? I did look through the forum a bit for ideas/suggestions in past threads but I didn’t scan all 170+ pages; I did find this one helpful:

https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=19613.0

…but it doesn’t have much to about a Dutch naval aspect so I thought I’d take a shot and see what y’all have to say.

Thank you in advance.

Rob.

Ahh, I see. Looked at the other thread by fredrick (and the one about the parts evolution over the years) but only got more confused. My set�s marked 345 pcs, copyrighted 2000…so your turn of the millennium info makes sense now. So the early release Pacific sets with the pale green would be kinda hard to find then, huh? Guess I�ll just have to get lucky. Thank you for the reply and the info.

I got one of these when they first came out and it has the orange/red Japanese pcs…but it also has both khaki AND light (pale) green British pcs.

Been looking for another with the same pale green British pcs included for a while now but have struck out repeatedly. Was this a limited time thing or just an abberation?

Thanks.

Very reminiscent of the animation style of Heavy Metal.

Rob.

Better yet, napalm against those dug-in Maus-es.

Don’t need to be pinpoint with napalm, or even penetrate anything; just send a 4-bird formation of napalm-toting Corsairs against every one of those emplacements. Lather, rinse, & repeat.

Rob.

You guys are awesome. Thank you very much. 

Rob.

I just acquired a pair of these 1940 sets (one each) that were quite a bit discounted because the plastic miniatures were removed, presumably for secondary market resell. I don’t mind that too much since money’s gonna be a little tight in the next few months (Christmas, etc), and also because of the fact that, like the rest of you, I’ve got tons of extra pcs from all of my other duplicate A&A variants (and a few off-brands) that I can use to restock these pretty decently for a minimal $ expenditure. All I need to know is, how many of what do I need, basically. If someone could provide me with either an inventory of all the plastic miniatures for both of these two games (minus chips)…or an online link to same, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you guys.

Rob.

There are more than a few like that out there, some of which are out of print and hard to find. However, I don’t recall ever seeing any done in color before; that certainly adds to the ‘wow’ factor. Pretty cool…thanks for posting it.

Rob.

Big Flyers fan here. 

Hate the Rangers, Devils…and Cindy Crysbee.  :lol:

Rob.

Perhaps.

I have a vague memory of reading something about ammo shortages, although that might have been more a problem of supply ability than actual shortage. Whatever the case may be, the IJA really only fielded one submachine gun/machine-pistol type during WW2, the Type-100. They weren’t made in any significant quantity (from more than 10,00 to less than 30,000, depending on what source you use), they weren’t made very well, and they used virtually the same weak 8mm round that the Nambu pistol used. I have no real idea if the various Japanese arsenals could have supplied a copy of the MP40 in large enough quantities to make a difference, but if so they would have increased their firepower per man dramatically.

Rob.

OF the choices of items/inventions listed, I’m going to go on the offensive side and say the MP40.

The Arisaka was a fair-to-decent weapon (I’ve owned my share of them) for it’s time,…but it was the absolute wrong weapon for attacking and counterattacking in a short-range action, especially in situation where banzai attacks are being employed as the Japanese made use of them historically: one shot on the run and then lead with the admittedly wickedly-long bayonet into a fixed, well-entrenched, and desperately-determined defensive line fielding weapons with much higher rates of fire, not to mention quality. Now, consider re-arming those banzai waves on Guadalcanal, etc with a submachine gun far superior to their own examples (of which much fewer were actually employed by Japanese forces), and when the action gets close, the balance of firepower becomes much less unbalanced…perhaps enough to carry the day somewhere along the line. Would such a change have averted the eventual outcome of the war as happened? No, it is far too likely that they still would have lost eventually any way, but with such increased firepower being widely employed, their mass-attack tactics would’ve been more effective in inflicting higher casualties…something that had already begun to wear heavily on morale amongst both the public and the troops themselves as the war dragged on. The A-Bombs themselves were used specifically because (at least in part) the high command and the gov’t didn’t believe the public would stand for the horrific casualty numbers they expected to suffer during an invasion of the mainland. Now, just imagine battles like Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Okinawa and Peleliu where the MP40 could’ve been employed to its fullest advantage in large quantities during quick, violent short-ranged actions in the jungle and across all of that rough terrain. And their actions against the British and Australians during the New Guinea campaign would’ve been more effective in that similar terrain, too. It’s a much bloodier scenario for Allied forces.

If i had a 2nd choice I might have gone with ‘other’…and chosen German defensive doctrine. Yes, they lost, but they were very very good in defensive warfare…much more so than the Japanese imho. I think the Japanese wasted a ton of time, resources, and initiative during the island hopping campaign and i firmly believe that the Germans would’ve been more effective in that role if one were able to swap the two. The Germans were very effective in counter-attack and retaking the initiative from defensive to offensive momentum, two things that I believe history shows the Japanese were not effective at.

Rob.

The official USN designation for the class was ‘heavy cruiser’.

The only ‘battle-cruisers’ the USN ever built were the six Lexington class; none were completed as such, two being converted into carriers and the other four scrapped per the WNT.

Rob.

I’d pick the Alaska class.

Highest speed, best fire control for the biggest guns, plus a better-than-most AA outfit. Yes, historically they were expensive, late, and pretty much obsolete due to events…and no, they didn’t have the kind of armor necessary for taking on true capitol ships, but I wouldn’t require them too. I would use them in the true traditional roles of cruisers, not as thin-skinned additions to the battle line. Against the majority of other heavy cruiser classes of the era, they could more than hold their own.

Rob.

If Graf Spee counts as a heavy, them my choice is Derfflinger. Fast, relatively powerful (for a BC), beautiful lines, and a better combat record than most heavy-gunned capitol ships of the 20th century, the number of which that can lay claim to having a hand in sinking not one but two of their own kind is a very exclusive class, indeed.

Rob.

I really enjoyed Antony Beevor’s Stalingrad and The Fall of Berlin.

Another really good read, imho, is Death Traps by Belton Y Cooper. I highly recommend it if you are interested in US WW2 armored/mechanized history. It’s a personal account of his time in the /recon/recovery/refit side of armored warfare.

Rob.

Smack in the middle of PA, Clinton & Centre counties, take your pick. There’s a spot where the east & west branches of the Susquehanna R come together (or split apart, if you like) where you’re surrounded on all sides by the forest-covered Appalachians, and other than a railroad line for coal trains, there’s pretty much nothing whatsoever for miles around….'cept the river, that is. The water is so clear and runs so fast, you can see the massive boulders that eroded & fell form the mountainsides over the millennia and now make up the bed of the river from your canoe. There’re isolated hunting camps & cabins out there but there isn’t anyone in 'em most of the year.

Just amazing to be in the center of the state, with clear air to see the stars, wildlife around that isn’t much scared of you, and all that silence. Not a traffic sound to be heard. Gotta love that.

Rob.

Take a nap.  8-)

Rob.

My buddy “scaramouche” and I were playing A & A IB on the PC one night with paratroopers turned “on” (small apartment at the time, no room to set up the board game IIRC). I was the Allies so I had Russia going first, and on the opening turn I decided to be ridiculously  aggressive like you can play against the AI…so I moved all of my pcs forward to their max, and when my turn was over, I had decimated most of his forward strength all along the border territories. I was sitting pretty, or so I thought.

He bought his units and then he made ONE combat move…he loaded one paratrooper on his bomber and dropped it into Moscow. I had NOTHING within a one-turn range of taking it back. I just sat there, staring at the screen. Totally forgot about the paratrooper thing…and that was game, set match. 

Rob.

Yes…they’re awesome. They have a real polished sound; bluesy but with a harder edge without being “heavy” or “grungy”, if you know what I mean. Love their acoustic-to-amplified changeovers. Saw them back in '09 during a Christian music festival in New Jersey called “Rev-Gen Fest”…they jammed, man!

Rob.

“Know your enemy”….I can think of no better reason.

Rob.

Another fun PA tax is the Occupational Priveledge Tax.

Isn’t all that much $$$, relatively speaking……but c’mon, man. They tax us on the priveledge of working in PA.

Far out.

Rob.

@Jennifer:

@Imperious:

Oh yea forgot the add the worst thing (pet peeve really)

1. property tax  their is no reason why i should pay every year for something i own… i can understand a tax on sale, but not during ownership
2. parking meters  no reason why i should have to pay to maintain a car on a public street while i am transacting business which i pay a sales tax for.

I just want to point out that 100% of your property tax is supposed to go to fund your local schools. (Local Elementary, Local Jr. High/Middle, Local High School) and is to be used for no other purpose, allegedly.

So your property tax, even if you have no kids of your own, go to allegedly better society by education the other children.  It’s probably the only tax other then sales tax I can actually say is a good thing.

I really don’t like the whole property tax BS, but the one that really gets my blood runnin’ hot is School Tax.

I have NO kids. Probably won’t have any, either. Why the heck should I have to pay for something I get nothing out of? In addition, I am very much against the evolution curriculum (but that’s for another thread), and I am also against the schools teaching homosexuality from a condoning POV (also for another thread). So, I’m paying for the public school system to teach my area children two things I highly disagree with. I think it’s total BS……but probably not the worst invention ever. 

That distinction might just be video games.  8-)

WHOA!!!    What the hell did he just say?  

Now, hear me out. I’ll be the first to admit that they’re alot of fun and I have spent alot of time playing them (still play PC games once in a while), so at least I’m honest about it.    But when alot of us were kids, we spent more time playing games OUTSIDE, like street hockey, two-hand touch football, (or tackle  8-))….or other stuff like that. We actually spent more time away from the tv than today’s kids spend in front of it. I think they have far too much Vidgame time…most parents don’t want to make the effort to send the kids outside to play. My neighborhood (and most of yours too, I’m sure) were full of kids playing all kinds of games and whatnot outside from sunup to sundown almost every day it was nice enough to do so. Don’t see kids doing much of that at all anymore.

And if video games aren’t the problem, then lazy parents are.

And if y’all don’t like that one either, then how about Oral Reports/Final Essays?  I hated those with a passion. 

Rob.