Now, That's an Update!
July 2002
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Now, That's an Update!
This time the boys have outdone themselves! There are enough new scenarios and reading material to keep everybody busy until CMBB is released.
July 31, 1941
Africa, Libya-
A re-organisation of the Afrika Korps sees General Cruwell in overall charge with Rommel commanding the new Panzer Group Afrika.
Monday, July 29, 2002
July 30, 1945
Pacific, Singapore-
In Singapore harbour the British midget submarine XE-1 attaches mines to the hull of the Japanese heavy cruiser Takao. The mines explode next day to make the last operation of this type in the war a success.
Sunday, July 28, 2002
July 29, 1944
Eastern Front, Poland-
The new German King Tiger is deployed against a Soviet bridgehead west of the Vistula at Baranov.
Do These Guys Rest?
The gang at B&T continues to impress. This time around, they have a single-player scenario available for your dining pleasure. Check out A Wake Up Call today.
July 28, 1945
Politics, Japan-
At a press conference Japanese Premiere Suzuki gives a confusing response to the Potsdam Declaration. The Allies' translation seems to indicate his unwillingness to take any notice of the demand, but could also be interpreted as meaning that he wished to make no comment at this time.
Saturday, July 27, 2002
Back to Basics
Jwxspoon sent over the latest goings on at TH Forums:
"Chris Crivaro, with support from Jeff 'jwxspoon' Weatherspoon, has put together the first instalment of TH Forums' CMBO Basic Training. Mission one, the Movement to Contact, is ready for inspection, download and play. Learn the US Army OPORDER system of small unit tactics. Enjoy!"
July 27, 1941
Eastern Front, Russia-
At Smolensk the Russians are cut off by German pincer moves.
Thursday, July 25, 2002
July 26, 1945
Pacific, Philippines-
Following an amphibious landing at Sarangani Bay on the 12th, Japanese resistance on Mindanao is overcome.
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
July 25, 1943
Politics, Italy-
The king of Italy relieves Benito Mussolini of his office. Mussolini is arrested and Marshal Pietro Badoglio forms a new government that lasts only six weeks. The government deters Germany from occupying the entire country by promising to fight on. Badoglio hopes, however, that the Allies will land and occupy most of Italy quickly and therefore confine any fighting to the north.
Shooting the Breeze with the Moon
Scipio got the goods:
"CM:BB Interview about details of the European release
Martin Turewicz, president of Battlefront.com was so kind to answer me a couple of questions about the European release of Combat Mission : Barbarossa to Berlin. Read the full Interview at WarfareHQ!"
One Stop Shopping
Gary has started quite a project:
"CM Outpost has posted the first installment of the CM MOD Catalogue which covers all the German units in CMBO."
Tuesday, July 23, 2002
Better Late Than Never
Apparently, the moron in charge of the Boots & Tracks team thought it would be a good idea to post the scenario five days after posting the AAR. Who is this guy anyway? Sheesh!
Well, you may as well go see if it's any good. Somebody must have thought it was since they wrote such a long(winded) AAR for the thing.
July 24, 1943
Politics, Italy-
The Fascist Grand Council, the key constitutional body for debating government and party decisions, meets for the first time since 1939. Dino Grandi, former minister of justice, proposes that military authority should be given to the king and not Mussolini. His motion is approved.
Monday, July 22, 2002
July 23, 1943
Mediterranean, Sicily-
The US Seventh Army enters Palermo and the west coast ports of Trapani and Marsala.
A Rose by Any Other Name...
Hetzer continues to make his site one of the great sources for CMBO scenarios. Check out his latest:
'I have a few things to announce. Firstly, Dan's CMBO is now Home Of The Hetzer. I decided to change the name to coincide with my nickname on a number of forums and games. Secondly, 'Metal Fist' is now in the spotlights, and if you want explosive armoured action, this is the scenario for you. Finally, I must appologise for the mess ups onthe site over the past few weeks- I have finally decided not to do a navigation bar (couldn't get it working) and there is no introductory sound anymore (sigh of relief).
Hetzer (Dan)'
Sunday, July 21, 2002
July 22, 1941
Eastern Front, Baltic-
Germany's Army Geoup North halts west of Lake Ilmen, south of the city of Leningrad. Troops and equipment along the entire front are suffering from the rigors of the advance and stronger Soviet resistance. During such rest periods the Soviets reinforce their lines, especially those in front of Moscow and Leningrad. The resources needed to take these two cities will be immense.
Saturday, July 20, 2002
July 21, 1941
Sea War, Mediterranean-
Operation Substance, the British transportation of supplies from Gibraltar to Malta, begins. Besieged Malta, a naval base, occupies a key location across the short sea and air routs between North Africa and Italy.
Friday, July 19, 2002
July 20, 1945-
Pacific, Marianas-
A US test flight from the Marianas simulates delivery of the atomic bomb. This aircraft carries conventional weapons which weigh 10,000 lb.
Read All About It!
This time they're writing:
"The latest AAR has been posted and it is an entertaining read."
July 19, 1944
Pacific, Marianas-
US battleships begin the pre-invasion bombardment of Asan and Agat beaches on Guam, the most important island in the Marianas group. Two days later, troops of the 3rd Marine Division and 77th Infantry Division begin landing on the island. The Japanese fight back hard.
Thursday, July 18, 2002
The Excitement Builds...
PCZone has joined the chorus of online magazines that is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin. Click here to see what they have to say about it.
July 18, 1941
Politics, Czechoslovakia-
Britain recognizes the Czech government-in-exile led by Edouard Benes. The Czechs also make a mutual assistance agreement with the Soviet Union and promise to form an army.
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
More CMBB Goodness
Battlefront.com throws another bone, but this time it's not just more pretty pictures. An explanation of the improved graphics in CMBB acompanies the pretty pictures. Click here to gnaw on the latest bone.
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
July 17, 1944
Eastern Front, Ukraine-
Units of the Soviet First Guards Tank Army cross the Bug River into Poland.
The Industry Waits...
Gamspot recently posted a preview of Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin. Click the link below to read their take.
Monday, July 15, 2002
Basic Transportation
Gary just keeps bringing the good stuff:
"Another mod comparison caught up on, this time Andrew Fox's Jeep mod. Cool mod. You haven't seen it? Where you been? You go, go take a look."
July 16, 1945
Technology, United States-
The world's first atomic bomb is exploded at Alamogordo, New Mexico. The secret work to develop the weapon is code-named the Manhattan Project. A specialized bomber unit, the 509th Composite Group, is training to attack Japan with atomic bombs.
One More Go 'Round
There is another new one from the team:
"Today, we are proud to release the first secenario from Ryan Fitzgerald. He has done a fantastic job of upgrading the classic "A Quick Visit-Bruneval" scenario, originally done by Wild Bill. Come on over to B&T and check out this fun scenario."
Sunday, July 14, 2002
Covert Ops
Gary gawks, getting great goodies:
"CM Outpost has a CMBB super secret sneaky peeky session trip report, complete with cute little photos."
July 15, 1943
Mediterranean, Sicily-
The US Seventh Army advances westward aiming to sieze the capital Palermo with an armored thrust.
July 14, 1941
Africa, Egypt-
The harbour and shipping at Suez is damaged by a Ju-88 bombing raid.
Saturday, July 13, 2002
The Countdown Begins...
PRODUCT NEWS: Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin Release Date Announcement
The time has come and here is what you have all been waiting for!
We are proud to announce that Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin (CMBB), a realistic 3D WWII ground combat simulation of warfare on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1945, will be released for the PC and Mac by September 20th, 2002.
CMBB will be available for purchase online through our webstore or from our distribution partner CDV Software Entertainment AG, who will release the PC version into most European countries.
Read the full press release here!
Join the follow-up discussion here!
Friday, July 12, 2002
A Well-Deserved Honor
More good stuff from Gary:
"CM Outpost has posted a new MOD author page for talented MODer Andrew Fox. First review is of his Cromwell mod."
July 13, 1942
Eastern Front, Russia-
Another example of Hitler's choosing the wrong strategy from the safety of his headquarters is seen when he redirects Army Group B to take Stalingrad without first ensuring that it has the means and ability to do so. Meanwhile, Hoth and von Kleist's forces make rapid progress.
July 12, 1945
Politics, Japan-
War leader Shigenori Togo instructs the Japanese ambassador in Moscow to inform the authorities that the emperor wants the war to cease. To this end, Prince Konoye is to be sent as a special envoy to the Soviet Union, with authority from the emperor to discuss Soviet and Japanese relations, including the future of Japanese-occupied Manchuria. However, Togo has repeatedly stressed that the Allied demand for unconditional surrender leaves his government with no choice but to continue fighting.
Indeed, the Allies are laying plans to invade the Japanese mainland. It is proposed that the first landings, code-named Operation Olympic, will take place in November. The second, Operation Coronet, is scheduled for March 1946. The US planners expect to suffer severe casualties. However, neither operation will take place.
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
Now, That's a Bone!
PRODUCT NEWS: Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin Distribution Details
Battlefront.com is proud to announce its continuing cooperation with CDV Software Entertainment AG to bring "Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin" to European players. CDV will be the exclusive distributor for CMBB in Europe, including Germany, France, UK, Finland, Spain, Italy and other West European countries.
European players will find the game in their local retail stores. Besides the original English version, CDV will offer fully localized French and German versions. In Finland, players will be able to purchase the original English game including BOTH the English manual and an additional translated Finnish manual.
For other countries, including USA, Canada, Mexico, Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe and Africa, CMBB will be available directly through our online webstore.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin's release date will be announced very soon!
To jump into the follow-up discussion, click here.
Tuesday, July 9, 2002
July 10, 1941
Politics, Soviet Union-
Joseph Stalin, in an attempt to halt the advancing Germans, appoints a number of "commanders-in-chief of direction" in three command areas (fronts - groups of armies). These are Marshal Semen Budenny (South and Southwest Front), Marshal Semyon Timoshenko (Central West Front), and Marshal Kliment Voroshilov (Northwest Front).
Dressed to Kill
Scipio has some nice looking duds:
"Fresh Uniforms for CM
JorgeMC has completed his Ardennes Winter Uniform Set II. Make a stop in the mod section at WarfareHQ."
Back in Business
Mr. Kump has revived a classic:
"CM Outpost is now officially open once again, moved back under the direction of its originator. Looking forward in serving the CM Community with more MOD comparisons and additional coverage of the greatest WWII computer wargame series of all time. A special thanks to DraGoon for running and adding to the site, which truly improved under his expert ownership.
Garry Kump"
July 9, 1940
Sea War, Mediterranean-
At the Battle of Punta Stilo, the British Mediterranean Fleet tries to separate the Italian Fleet from its base in Taranto in southern Italy. An Italian battleship and cruiser suffer damage, and Italian aircraft hit a British cruiser. On the 19th, the Australian light cruiser Sydney and four destroyers engage two Italian light cruisers. The Italians lose a cruiser and the Sydney is damaged.
Sunday, July 7, 2002
July 8, 1941
Eastern Front, Russia-
Hitler, enthused by his early successes, urges von Leeb's Army Group North to move on to Leningrad with all haste; the Fuhrer sees the city as a psychological prize of equal rating to Moscow and believes its capture will destroy Soviet morale even before Moscow comes under threat.
A New Look
Dan is making some pretty cool changes to his site:
'I have been fiddling around a bit, and now, here is the improved Dan's CMBO Site! Also, 'A Town Too Far' is nearly complete! Only here!'
Updated CMMOS and Many New Mods
Have we got a CMMOS update for you! 44 mods, Commonwealth vehicles (summer and winter), German vehicles and guns (summer and winter), German uniforms, and more terrain than you can shake a stick at (sorry, the stick mods were unavailable as we went to press).
Let's just dig a little deeper and see what we've got.
Terrain: new pine trees for the Abominable Snow mod, a new road for Tom's Battle of the Bulge mod, a fix to repair a blemish in DD's scattered tree bases and a whole passel of new Ed Kinney mods covering brush, hedge, wall, woods bases, scattered tree bases and grass.
Commonwealth Vehicles: Andrew Fox's Cromwell, Marco Bergman's
M10/M36/Wolverine/Achilles, and Gordon Molek's Challenger.
Winter Allied Vehicles: Gordon Molek's whitewashed and snow covered versions of Andrew Fox's Cromwell and Comet, and his own Challenger.
German Vehicles: A veritable truck-stop's worth of existing truck mods re-packaged for CMMOS, including JorgeMC's "Opel", Marco Bergman's "Saurer" and Robb's "Foliage Saurer" mods. The "Nearly Compleate Tiger Collection (tm)" featuring the work of bfamily33, DesertFox, Fernando Caen-Bermudez Perez, Graal, JohnS aka "Tiger", JorgeMC, MDMP2, Mensch and mike8g. Marco Bergman and Gordon Molek's FlaK 37, Joshik's Pz VG (late), and Gordon Molek's Pz VIB (mono-color, hasty and s.Pz.Abt. 503) mods.
Winter German Vehicles: Gordon Molek's winter versions of the FlaK 37 and Pz VIB (mono-color, hasty, s.Pz.Abt. 503 and whitewashed) mods.
German Uniforms: An update to Andrew Fox's German uniforms, a new "brown" wool version of Fernando J. Carrera Buil's Heer uniform, and a new panzer crew uniform and updated Volkssturm uniform from mchlstrt.
And of course, the updated CMMOS configuration files to allow you to enjoy all of this splendor in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
-Madmatt
Put on a Happy Face!
It's been a while, but here's another weekend update from Tom::
" TCMHQ presents another feast for modsluts: Andrew Fox has released version 2.0 of his " Axis Uniforms Super Action Pack " including new summer/winter uniforms for Heer , Fallschirmjaeger , WSS and Volkssturm , while Michael Stewart sent in a great hi-res version of Marcus Bloess' old 3D faces mod ( youŽll love all the new details ! ). Both mods can be found on the " Faces & Uniforms " mod page. Last , but not least: Marcus Bloess and Gordon Molek designed a winterized SDKFZ 7 Gun Tractor mod ( download this beauty from the " Axis Armor " website ) ".
Saturday, July 6, 2002
July 7, 1943
Pacific, Papua New Guinea-
The Japanese strongpoint at Mumbo, 10 miles (16 km) inland from Salamaua, is seized by the Australians. US and Australian forces are battling to dislodge the Japanese from the high ground they have retreated to. Allied reinforcements are to be landed in order to clear the Japanese from northeast New Guinea.
Friday, July 5, 2002
July 6, 1943
Eastern Front, Ukraine-
Increasing numbers of German troops reinforce the Kursk offensive but the Red Army stands firm. The Soviets counter the Germans with a deep defensive network while heavily-armed antitank units deliver concentrated fire against German armor. The Soviets quickly gain air superiority and fighters provide valuable tactical support. These measures combine to prevent the German attacks penetrating the Soviet defenses.
And You Thought You Had a Bad Day...
Panzerman strikes fear in the hearts of CM players:
"It's been some time since we have had an update at the Scenario Zone, but I don't think this one will disappoint you. Our new battle "Fear Filled Day" is now ready for you to play. You can pick it up either at the Scenario Zone (on the Scenarios page) or at the Combat Mission Scenario Depot.
Panzerman"
July 5, 1943
Pacific, Solomons-
The US 43rd Infantry Division leads the main landing on New Georgia. That night US and Japanese destroyers clash at the Battle of Kula Gulf. One Japanese destroyer is sunk.
Thursday, July 4, 2002
Ask and You Shall Receive
Madmatt says:
"Is that a CMBB Bone I smell????!!!!??? Nah, couldn't be..."
Click here to gnaw on that bone.
July 4, 1944
Eastern Front, Baltic-
The Red Army offensive to clear the Baltic States begins. Three Soviet Fronts - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Baltic - are to be used. The Baltic States are of major importance to Germany, as they are a major source of food and enable the Germans to blockade the Russian fleet and keep supply lanes to Sweden and Finland open.
Wednesday, July 3, 2002
July 3, 1940
Sea War, Mediterranean-
Britain, fearing that France's navy will be siezed by Germany, sends two battleships, a battlecruiser, and a carrier (Force H) to neutralize French vessels at Oran and Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria. After negotiations fail, the British sink one battleship and damage two. In Britain, two French battleships, nine destroyers, and other craft are acquired with minimal force. French naval forces in Alexandria, Egypt, are disarmed on the 7th.
Monday, July 1, 2002
July 2, 1941
Eastern Front, Soviet Union-
While Hoepner's Fourth Panzer Group makes good progress beyond the river Dvina, farther south German Eleventh Army links up with Romanian Third and Fourth Armies for significant advances. The wet and boggy conditions they are facing are hampering the Germans elsewhere, with commanders reporting it as the only cause for lack of advance.