History, Politics And Current Affairs

And arriving today for the gaming table: Air & Armor Wichita: Tactical Armored Warfare on the Great Plains , a grand tactical simulation of the Battle of Wichita from Compass Games. V Corps versus the First Guards Tank Army. The turn sequence is highly interactive and asymmetrical; as the Soviet commander, you have a planning phase that requires you to think ahead, because while you have a lot of firepower, you can only use it in pre-planned operations. As the Americans... anything goes. You still have to think ahead, but you can also pounce on any mistakes the Soviet player makes.

In Open Play, you place step strength markers under your units (one step is a reinforced company), and when you make contact, you can examine each other's strength.

In Hidden Play, neither player knows the step strength of the enemy force or their own before combat starts. That feels like real combat.

Rules cover everything from planning to combat to electronic warfare to WMDs.

Looking forward to playing this.

The game gets the basics right: artillery and airpower are the killing tools, you must win the reconnaissance fight, and it's better to shatter an enemy force than to completely kill it.

Sounds like you’re going to have fun.

Happy Fourth of July to everyone on the board!

Hope y'all had a Happy and Safe Fourth of July (Or Treason Day, as our UK members might say...)!

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2024 2:51 am Hope y'all had a Happy and Safe Fourth of July (Or Treason Day, as our UK members might say...)!

Still have all ten fingers!

Poohbah wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2024 1:51 pm

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Fri Jul 05, 2024 2:51 am Hope y'all had a Happy and Safe Fourth of July (Or Treason Day, as our UK members might say...)!

Still have all ten fingers!

Just wondering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5-xS9sDuLg

I'm on General's Row in March base housing, we don't have the usual tomfoolery with fireworks you see elsewhere. Out in town, apparently the locals were muy loco.

The WW III Online History Project in D.C. is translating and posting Soviet documents from the prewar and wartime period, and one document has stood out. It's a prewar one, the minutes of a meeting in Moscow when all the WARPAC Heads of State were summoned there in June '85. They were told what was going to happen, what would be expected of them in the coming conflict, that Moscow's "requests" were to be carried out without any hesitation, and that there was also a warning:

"1) In wartime, it is not only wrong to betray friends, but it can be suicidal. 2) The Soviet Union will always have a powerful nuclear capability for the punishment of traitors. 3) America, and then Western Europe, will be destroyed, leaving those who have deserted the cause of socialism no refuge. It is best to remain on the winning side." (Minutes of the meeting between the Heads of State of the Warsaw Treaty Organization in Moscow, 7 June 1985, found in the archives of the Soviet Foreign Ministry and the Central Archive of the Armed Forces in Moscow in 2012). It is noteworthy that though Cauceascu was there, he was noncommittal, and when War Day came, he refused to break off relations with the U.S., Canada, and Britain (the three Embassies remained open throughout the war), refused to send troops to North America, and also would not support the Soviet war effort in any way. The irony was that though he was liked in the Allied capitals, he was despised by his own people, and when the chance came to overthrow the regime, the Romanian Army and people took it. And succeeded.

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Thu Jul 11, 2024 7:36 am he was despised by his own people, and when the chance came to overthrow the regime, the Romanian Army and people took it. And succeeded.

Some rumors going on that it was one of the KGB final operations.

Lordroel wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2024 3:32 pm

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Thu Jul 11, 2024 7:36 am he was despised by his own people, and when the chance came to overthrow the regime, the Romanian Army and people took it. And succeeded.

Some rumors going on that it was one of the KGB final operations.

That certainly sounds plausible…

How many assassination attempts did that SOB Khvostov either dodge or survive, anyhow?

Wolfman wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 7:04 pm How many assassination attempts did that SOB Khvostov either dodge or survive, anyhow?

Not counting the utter Charlie-Foxes attempted by the local resistance, there were about half a dozen by various Soviet and fraternal elements (including one by a Bulgarian with an umbrella), and three separate kill-or-capture ops by JSOC before we finally succeeded.

I know that one of the closest to success was one organised by retired KGB Chairman, General Anatoly Gogol. He sent a KGB officer known only as XXX to kill Khvostov. Gogol was an honourable man who despised Khvostov‘s methods. He had been forced out because he was too connected with the period of detente in the ‘70s, but still had contacts within the KGB.

Ironically, it seems that XXX’s attempt was unsuccessful because it coincided with a totally FUBAR one by a Resistance Cell. The story goes that XXX had a perfect opportunity lined up when the Resistance took a shot and missed. Nicked his ear, I believe. Khvostov‘s security whisked him away and his protection was significantly increased. What happened to this XXX, apparently nobody knows.

Bernard Woolley wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 7:54 pm I know that one of the closest to success was one organised by retired KGB Chairman, General Anatoly Gogol. He sent a KGB officer known only as XXX to kill Khvostov. Gogol was an honourable man who despised Khvostov‘s methods. He had been forced out because he was too connected with the period of detente in the ‘70s, but still had contacts within the KGB.

Ironically, it seems that XXX’s attempt was unsuccessful because it coincided with a totally FUBAR one by a Resistance Cell. The story goes that XXX had a perfect opportunity lined up when the Resistance took a shot and missed. Nicked his ear, I believe. Khvostov‘s security whisked him away and his protection was significantly increased. What happened to this XXX, apparently nobody knows.

Probably disappeared into the crowd.

Even if there wasn't one.

Triple X is/was supposed to be one of the top intelligence officers in the world. If anyone knows their identity, they’re keeping it secret. When an intelligence officer becomes that famous/infamous their identity usually becomes public. So, this is unusual.

Are we sure it's only one person and not people using the same code name as the old one leaves the field? If Western Intelligence got a report that XXX was killed in an operation in the Middle East, only to show up in West Germany the next month could confuse the issue.

And that sicko dodged them all-"Fraternal", Resistance, SOF, until he was finally caught. And totally unrepentant at both trial and when he was on the gallows.

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 11:54 pm And that sicko dodged them all-"Fraternal", Resistance, SOF, until he was finally caught. And totally unrepentant at both trial and when he was on the gallows.

You know, hanging was too good for him. I know it's against the Constitution but drawn and quartered would have been a good place to start.

jemhouston wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 10:33 pm Are we sure it's only one person and not people using the same code name as the old one leaves the field? If Western Intelligence got a report that XXX was killed in an operation in the Middle East, only to show up in West Germany the next month could confuse the issue.

Triple X was definitely one person. Apparently SIS had contacts with them in person on more than one occasion.

OOC: Those who met Triple X said they strongly resembled Barbara Bach.

jemhouston wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2024 12:17 am

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 11:54 pm And that sicko dodged them all-"Fraternal", Resistance, SOF, until he was finally caught. And totally unrepentant at both trial and when he was on the gallows.

You know, hanging was too good for him. I know it's against the Constitution but drawn and quartered would have been a good place to start.

For those of us who remember this particular tasteless joke:

"DEATH BY BOONGA!"