Japanese Surprise in second testphase!

Got the first testresults this week fom one of the testers. Tweaked and changed some things and will offer the scenario fo retest tomorrow!

Be prepared for some heavy defensive action!

NEW Scenario In The Making...

Right now a new one is being tested. Here's the storyline:

_______Japanese Surprise**

Just imagine. Imagine that the Coral Sea Battle had been an overwhelming succes for the Japanese. It left them enough safe bases to built a magnificent presence just to the north of Australia. Imagine Australias forces were still spread thin. In February 1943 the Japanese built-up reached a strength where they were able to sent an invasion force to Australia. Their main goals were to take as many harbours and airfields as possible.**

You command the Australian forces near Townsville in NE Australia. Your forces are spread all over the countryside. The latest news that has reached you is that the Japanese have landed to the south of Townsville on a non-defended stretch of beach. Their forces seem to be on their way to your chemical factory and your harbor.**

Organise your forces and meet the Japanese before they outflank you and take Townsville Harbour.**

Further reading:*
Peter. G.Tsouras; Rising Sun Victorious**

NEW Trilogy About WWII

Well known author Jeff Shaara is in the process of delivering a trilogy of novels about the American involvement in World War 2. At this moment I'm reading the first part "Rising Tide", about the war in North Africa and Sicily.

Shaara shows the common frontline soldier as well as the leadership. Mind you, he has written novels and no historical accounts, but he knows his prime players (Rommel, Monty, Churchill) so well, that their depicted thoughts and conversations are utterly believable.

"Rising Tide" gives you an immersing reading experience. I am looking forward to the next two parts. By the way, the second one "The Steel Wave" will be out in paperback on May 19th!

NEW Version Of WinSPMBT!

Shrapnelgames has released upgrade 4.5 for WinSPMBT. It's a Steel Panters 'Modern Times' game. You can find it HERE!


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WinSPMBT version 4.5 Upgrade changelog
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25 New Scenarios
43 Updated Scenarios
84 New photos
49 New and Revised Icons plus terrain tile updates
3686 new Icon spots added
92 Updated OOB Files
10 Revised campaign files
26 New and Revised Graphic files ( including Terrain SHP's )
28 New maps
41 New or revised picklists
Upgraded Cost Calculator
Upgraded MOBHack
Upgraded ScenHack

Service Slang

Found this jewel last week while visiting my favourite The Hague bookstore. It gives an overview of WWII English service slang. Hilarious!

NEW Scenario: First Blood At The Jungle Fortress - 1941

First Blood At The Jungle Fortress
Germany Assault - USSR Defend

Finland, near Salla

0900 hrs 01 July 1941

Turns 35

Scenario Size: Medium

C&C Friendly

MADE FOR ENH 2009

Visit:
http://www.spwaw.com/
and
http://www.spwawfort.blogspot.com/

SCENARIO NOTES:
Take the Russian line of resistance and secure the railroadline to Murmansk. Viel Glueck!

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
Northern Finland, 1941. Near Sallo. The soldiers of Feiges XXXVI Corps, in the Central Corridor, attacked on the afternoon of 1 July, surging forward with the arctic sun at their backs. In the midst of the Midnight Sun season, day and night had lost their meaning; it was bright daylight around the clock, as the sun simply moved around the sky in a huge circle.

The ill-trained SS-Infantry Regiments 6 and 7 of SS-Division NORD experienced a baptism of fire that would have shaken soldiers of even thebest-trained units. In a frontal attack against what came to be known as The Jungle Fortress Of Salla, these unprepaired units hurled themselves against the Red Armys 42d Rifle Corps, consisting of the 104th and the 112d Rifle Divisions, reinforced by about fifty tanks. This and the subsequent frontal attacks not only failed, but caused the combat novices of the SS-Infantry Regimants to panic.

This disaster had numerous causes. Lack of adequate reconnaissance effectively blinded leaders at all levels. Indirect preparatory fires, both from artillery and Stuka divebombers, began a massive conflagration in the thoroughly dried-out forrest through which the assault troops had to advance; maintaining orientation would have been difficult for highly trained leaders, and for the poorly trained leaders of SS-Infantry Regiments 6 and 7, it was hopeless. Further, the thick smoke from the fires obscured Soviet defensive positions, and further blinded leaders already bereft of intelligence from reconaissance.

Not all of their difficulties came from their own faults or inexperience, however. In the fifteen months during which they had occupied the conquered territory, the Soviets had heavily fortified the border region. Fully cognizant of the criticality of the open-water port at Murmansk and the rail line connecting it to the rest of the Soviet Empire, they had turned the sector into a veritable fortress, defended by high-quality troops. The terrain that the Soviets had fortified lent many advantages to such a usage. On the Soviet side of the border, the hills were 250-450 meters higher inrelief than the undulating ground on the Finnish side , affording the defenders exceptional fields of ire and observation of up to five kilometers deep in Finnish territory. Artfully camouflaged tanks, dug in up to their turrets, faced west across these same killing grounds.

Further reading:
Wolf T. Zoepf; Seven Days In January. With The 6th SS-Mountain Division In Operation Nordwind.

DESIGNER NOTES
Have FUN!

NEW Scenario-, Campaign- and Maplist!

Get your March 2009 copy right HERE ! With new scenarios by Fradar and Dutchiexx and a brandnew campaign by Larry browning! Have FUN!

NEW Scenario upcoming...

It will be called "First Blood - Attack On The Jungle Fortress". It's situated in northern Finland in 1941 and shows the first attack of the later SS-Division Nord on the Soviet defenses of the railroad line connecting Murmansk to the rest of the Soviet empire. Stay tuned!

If you want some more info in advance, run to your local internet store and get:

Tarawa, 76 Hours Of Hell!