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Post by rangerwarren on Oct 23, 2009 19:17:59 GMT -5
Feb 12-14 The War Department presents a Battle of the Bulge scenario. In keeping with the format used at Jump to Destiny blank and airsoft weaponry will be used. The scenario will center around the opening of the German offensive in the town of St. Vith. German armor will be in attendance. From the guys who brought you Jump To Destiny and Recondo 09-01 comes the next installment of historical military simulation in the Pacific Northwest. Event location and costs will be announced shortly. The location will most likely be the Portland, OR area. It is our goal to keep costs under $50.
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Post by rangerwarren on Oct 24, 2009 16:23:22 GMT -5
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Oct 25, 2009 16:08:03 GMT -5
Defense at St. Vith 11th of Dec 1944
Dear Lydia,
This letter of course will never get sent. The things I’ll mention would never get past me if I were the sensor and if anyone at DivisionG-2 were to read it they’d probably take me out to the wood shed never to be heard from again. I’m writing this so when this war is over there will be a reminder of some of the details I’m sure to forget. I’d never burden you with the hardships or reality of this war I simply wouldn’t want to worry you.
The Regiment just relocated to a camp outside the little town of Hunningen. The troops aren’t sure if that is in Belgium or France. (It’s Belgium) The closest large town is St Vith which we drove through to get here. It’s a junction of seven main roads and would be a critical strategic location if things get hot while we’re here. The civilians seem split between loyalty to Germany and loyalty to the Allies. They seem nervous and are not especially friendly or thrilled to have us here.
The scuttlebutt is that the Krauts are done and incapable of offensive operations so defending key road junctions is the last thing we need to worry about. That probably is true but the line here is so thinly held, it wouldn’t take much to run right through us. We’re holding a section of the Ardennes forest that 15 divisions would be hard pressed to defend and we’re doing it with five wounded divisions or worn out veterans and green replacements. The area is a mixture of forest and low hills with lots of open farm land. The roads are poor and there are lots of streams and gulleys and narrow bridges. Poor armor terrain. This is the area the Krauts used in 41 to flamboozle the Frogs and Brits and I’m pretty sure the section of Europe they used during WW1. There are all kinds of WW1 monuments and markers around. (mostly German!)
Our division knows all about trying to fight in limited terrain as we got our butts kicked in the Hurtgan Forest just two months ago. The Krauts held the woods which were so thick and deeply forested it was Dark inside during the middle of the day. I think I know where the expression the Black Forest came from! We tried to use our tanks and they just got bogged down in the forested trails and mud. Most of the divisions stationed here in the Ardennes were involved in that campaign and suffered horrible casualties. (All for nothing) We are busy training replacements and most of the troops are fresh up from the Repple Depple or old guys wounded back in Normandy and returning to battle. It’s good to see some of the old faces.
We have no defenses per se. There are a couple regiments out at the front and we are scheduled to rotate into their positions on a regular basis. The front (as it were) is simply a series of fortified outposts that would delay an approaching force. Active patrolling between these units provides great training opportunities for the new troops but the reality is “Heimy” could infiltrate a company in broad daylight between them without much effort.
Christmas is less than two weeks away and I remember in August the word was the war would be over by then. We broke out of St Lo and were rushing through France un-contested. We nearly encircled the retreating Germans at Falaise and cut them to pieces with our aircraft and artillery. Unfortunately we ran out of gas (literally) and gave them a chance to regroup. Monty had a genius idea to do an end around through Holland, lead by airborne units from the US, Britain and even Poland and it nearly worked. The airborne guys captured a series of bridges and the armor was supposed to follow up at a gallop. The Bits came at a slow cantor. Somehow SHAEF intelligence missed the fact that a couple Kraut armored divisions were holed up near the last bridge. Airborne vs. tanks don’t work. (Especially when the airborne is supposed to be on offense!) Usually when you’re light Infantry and you’re fighting tanks your best bet is to change road signs and hide.
We have a new, man portable, rocket launcher the fellows have nicknamed a “bazooka”. It’s an improved version of the old one. It packs quite a wallop but you still have to hit the tanks in their tracks or in the rear if you can hit them at all. Kraut tanks keep getting bigger and most of our anti tank weapons just aren’t that effective against them. Our AT guns keep getting bigger. The 37mm we started the war with was hopeless. I was a platoon leader at Kassrine Pass and remember it too well. The 57mm at Sicily would have been better but by the Italian Capaign the Krauts got bigger tanks. We just got a new 3 inch AT gun that looks promising but who knows what the Germans are building now. The best defense against tanks are other tanks but aside from a few armored battalions spread out amongst the divisions we have very few of them. Each Division has a battalion of mobile Tank Destroyers but again that’s just a few vehicles. They’re now equipped with this 3 inch gun and a super hard anti tank round that is supposed to work against anything. The gunners tell me they never get enough of these “silver bullets” however. There’s also a new Tank destroyer they nicknamed the “Hellfire.” It is tiny compared to most tanks and it is very, very fast. It has a track set up that looks like the Karuts use on their Panther (A series of big wheels) It carries a 76mm high velocity gun. I’m afraid against the big German tanks it would probably be like shooting a BB gun. Thankfully the Krauts don’t have any tanks left and if they did, don’t have fuel to operate them. Most of our AT guns are towed and hard to deploy. (A mixture of 57mm and 76 mm guns) What few tanks the Germans have are on the Eastern Front. (Thank God) If they had tanks, fuel and spare Infantry and knew how weak we are here, our goose would be cooked.
Our supplies are starting to come in through the port of Antwerp but there still isn’t enough to support a full scale offensive on our part. We had been completely reliant on the Red Ball express running convoys all the way from the beaches of Normandy. They use 5 gallons of gas getting one gallon of gas to us. The Germans did a great job of holding onto the European ports and destroyed those left behind. Some of the Coastal Ports (even in France) are still being held by the Germans! It’s a logistical nightmare. Pattons 3rd Army is preparing for a limited offensive to our South on the Saar River and Simpsons 9th Army is readying for an Attack to the Ruhr. There is barely enough fuel to do that so they are stockpiling to prepare which leaves little for us.
Tactically the Krauts send the occasional patrol our way. Four days ago some buzz bombs flew well above us enroute to Antwerp I suppose. One good thing from the Holland adventure is we drove off the buzz bomb bases so they could no longer hit England. Yesterday we watched an aerial battle overhead between our bombers and German fighters but it all happened so high it was just contrails. (Polish crop dusters is what the troops call them) It made a great show and there was much cheering and excitement. There were large numbers of bombers and very few German fighters, so clearly we are winning the air war. No bombers were lost that we saw. Every five days or so we get an artillery round or two at our front line positions but otherwise things are wonderfully quiet here on the Western Front.
The weather is drizzly and starting to get cold but no snow yet. We started getting a darker Olive drab field coat and warmer clothes. This new field jacket is a great improvement over the tan jacket I had since Africa and is warmer and more comfortable. The added pockets are great. Warmer boots have been designed called shoe packs but few have arrived. They are probably all getting grabbed by the rear eschelon folks at Versaille and Antwerp. Web gear is also starting to arrive in the dark green and you can easily spot the new replacements as they almost all are arriving with the improved equipment. Billets are comfortable and battalion rotations up to the front are on two week rotations. We have new movies from stateside every three nights and they are shown in the towns’ movie house. I watched a Cagney gangster movie the other night and everyone got a kick out of things when he pulled out his Tommiegun! After the Hurtgan and the Bogage of Normandy this part of Europe is paradise.
Let’s hope our luck holds out. We have no reserve and no one to plug gaps if an attack occurs. According to SHAEF our air force is our reserve. That’s fine so long as the weather holds up. The 82nd and 101st are licking their wounds from Holland and are billeted near Paris I think. The brain trust at SHAEF is convinced that the Hun doesn’t have two battalions of tanks left on the Western Front and even a spoiling attack is not possible. This is the same group that failed to notice hedgerows on maps in Normandy and ignored the Dutch underground reports of tanks at Arnheim. The same group that suggested the Hurtegan was defended by old men and kids and would be a stroll through the woods. Wish I had more confidence in them! For once I hope they got it right. Just to be sure I’m recommending we train on retrograde operations!
William Roberts Major Assistant G-2 26th Regiment 1st Infantry Division
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Ersatzjack
Corporal
"That silly Franz... he thinks we are winning."
Posts: 1,093
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Post by Ersatzjack on Oct 25, 2009 21:38:06 GMT -5
Well the armor and the story are both interesting. I'll post this on MOA and see what we can do about sending some troops. ;D
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Post by vonnoober on Oct 25, 2009 22:40:20 GMT -5
I'm sure hoping it happens near Portland. I work graveyard, and I know that unless I get promoted at work, I won't have that weekend off - but if it was within range of work.... I don't mind not-sleeping.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Oct 26, 2009 0:38:57 GMT -5
As always it will be great having folks from around the country. The evnt is shaping up nicely. The War Department is the same group that did Jump to Destiny last Summer.
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deacon
Private 1st Class
Posts: 748
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Post by deacon on Oct 29, 2009 23:51:01 GMT -5
the possibility is its to be held in salem, but we dont know that for sure.
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Post by badkarma1 on Oct 30, 2009 11:26:42 GMT -5
the possibility is its to be held in salem, but we dont know that for sure. Hey Deacon, what outfit are you with? I'm in Clackamas and may be interested in joining up.
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deacon
Private 1st Class
Posts: 748
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Post by deacon on Nov 1, 2009 19:39:18 GMT -5
No unit, I just attend events held by the war department. I was planning on starting a unit of local guys, but can't find enough. I do 82nd Abn, 1st ID, 2nd Marines, 17th Abn, 32nd div, 3rd AD, and a few other miscellaneous impressions.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Nov 1, 2009 20:10:18 GMT -5
Deacon,
We are desperately going to need a rocket launcher or two (or four or five!) Can you get a Nerf something done in time?
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Post by badkarma1 on Nov 2, 2009 12:01:09 GMT -5
Very cool. We recently emailed Remf about the possibility of having you guys (war dept.) use our field if you are so inclined. We have 165 acres out in Beavercreek, OR (not too far from Oregon City), and we are itching to either help or hold a WW2 game there. No unit, I just attend events held by the war department. I was planning on starting a unit of local guys, but can't find enough. I do 82nd Abn, 1st ID, 2nd Marines, 17th Abn, 32nd div, 3rd AD, and a few other miscellaneous impressions.
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maccrage
Private
There is no Spoon...
Posts: 92
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Post by maccrage on Nov 2, 2009 14:38:09 GMT -5
No unit, I just attend events held by the war department. I was planning on starting a unit of local guys, but can't find enough. I do 82nd Abn, 1st ID, 2nd Marines, 17th Abn, 32nd div, 3rd AD, and a few other miscellaneous impressions. Hm. I'm in Milwaukie, and do 82nd, 1st ID, and German.
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CptJericho
Private 1st Class
"We got to stop the Germans from getting the secret weapons!"
Posts: 495
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Post by CptJericho on Nov 2, 2009 19:28:04 GMT -5
I need to move to oregon, so many cool airsoft events...
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CptJericho
Private 1st Class
"We got to stop the Germans from getting the secret weapons!"
Posts: 495
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Post by CptJericho on Nov 2, 2009 19:54:48 GMT -5
Nice Pictures, but one thing strikes me quite odd, look at the last picture, now look at the person on the far right in HBTs, dont the HBTs look a little too light? they look like key lime pie or ghostly green (it would work quite good for a halloween costume as a ghost GI who died in the battle of the bulge) But appart from that, awesome is all I can say. wish I was there.
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Post by kken on Nov 14, 2009 11:16:29 GMT -5
3 of us are looking to coming in from VA/MD and defend the fatherland. the war dept events have always looked spectacular, time to get my LOS on.
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deacon
Private 1st Class
Posts: 748
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Post by deacon on Nov 16, 2009 18:48:08 GMT -5
Deacon, We are desperately going to need a rocket launcher or two (or four or five!) Can you get a Nerf something done in time? Ill see If I can muster up a bazooka, mortar, or 37mm Oh, and maccrage, I also have an SS Impression im working on. Im thinking we should try and put together a unit. CptJericho, those HBTs are hessen antiques I think.
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Post by hairy apple on Nov 16, 2009 19:38:42 GMT -5
Man, I would love to make it up to Oregon for this. There is a chance... if I can find someone to make the drive with me. It's only about 10 hours from Grass Valley, not really a bad drive at all. Looks like a fun event.
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CptJericho
Private 1st Class
"We got to stop the Germans from getting the secret weapons!"
Posts: 495
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Post by CptJericho on Nov 16, 2009 22:14:16 GMT -5
Hmmm...
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Nov 17, 2009 0:00:45 GMT -5
For us up in Seattle is a four or five hour drive so it's kind of a happy medium for a lot of the California folks and much closer than our usual events.
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Post by kken on Nov 17, 2009 0:47:33 GMT -5
some of the Regiment in socal might be making the drive up... might wanna see if you can carpool with those boys.
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Post by hairy apple on Nov 17, 2009 0:59:51 GMT -5
My brother and grandparents both live in the Portland area as well, I might be able to do this.
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deacon
Private 1st Class
Posts: 748
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Post by deacon on Nov 17, 2009 1:41:59 GMT -5
that would be sweet to see you CA guys show up, I can guarantee it is worth your while.
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Post by hairy apple on Dec 12, 2009 20:35:11 GMT -5
So far myself and one other squad member are coming, hopfully I can talk a few more into it. I'm pretty excited.
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CptJericho
Private 1st Class
"We got to stop the Germans from getting the secret weapons!"
Posts: 495
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Post by CptJericho on Dec 12, 2009 23:50:43 GMT -5
Hmmm... Maybe next year i'll come, its only a 12 hour drive for a great event.
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Post by collisi0n on Dec 13, 2009 15:06:12 GMT -5
15 hour drive for me, I really want to go to this but i don't think i'll have a kit ready in time
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CptJericho
Private 1st Class
"We got to stop the Germans from getting the secret weapons!"
Posts: 495
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Post by CptJericho on Dec 13, 2009 15:51:57 GMT -5
I'll have my kit ready ;D (getting it this christmas along with some stuff i found at an army navy store).
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Dec 14, 2009 0:26:58 GMT -5
National events of this caliber happen rarely and are well worth the drive and challneges involved in coming There's plenty of lead time to coordinate with others and make arrangements. The reenactors always have lots of gear to loan so not having your kit ready is a lame excuse.
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Post by migmadmavis on Dec 14, 2009 1:40:43 GMT -5
any date on when registration will be open?
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deacon
Private 1st Class
Posts: 748
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Post by deacon on Dec 14, 2009 3:26:42 GMT -5
I'd say, early January
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CptJericho
Private 1st Class
"We got to stop the Germans from getting the secret weapons!"
Posts: 495
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Post by CptJericho on Dec 14, 2009 17:55:37 GMT -5
Wish I had more friends around me that like ww2 stuff, then we could carpool and bring a lot of people to the event.
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