Squad Battles: First World War Released

[Bison]

What was freaky was watching the cloud spread.  It started off as 4 hexes and built into what you see here.  The otherside the gas dispursed rather than spread as rampantly.  It seemed to be drifting toward my lines and really limited what I could do with about 1/3 of my troops.  It disrupts your troops in it and also has some pretty significant reductions to movement, firing, ralleying and such.  It's unpredictable in how it will or won't drift so it's not a tool to be used without some thought as to the so what of it's effects.

[rahamy]

On a further play Bison you need to target the bunkers along the lines with your gas attacks - those machine guns are "setup", meaning they have their field of fire fully scoped out and are significantly more accurate than a MG that just plops down and starts blasting away. Read over the "Getting Started" document.   :o

[Double Deuce]

That "Son of a  . . ." I was trying to save money for Christmas stuff for the kids. Oh well, they have too much stuff already, a man can never have too man wargames.   ;D

[rahamy]

Posted by Volcano Man over at the Blitz, a way to get a free game.  8)

http://www.theblitz.org/message_boards/showthread.php?tid=63153

[Bison]

On a further play Bison you need to target the bunkers along the lines with your gas attacks - those machine guns are "setup", meaning they have their field of fire fully scoped out and are significantly more accurate than a MG that just plops down and starts blasting away. Read over the "Getting Started" document.   :o

Yeah the sad part is I actually did target the bunkers but I only got 1 out of 8 direct hits.  It was the far right one.  On the left, that's all chemical drift.  This game was not going to go my way from the very beginning.  I didn't even mention that I lost a tank to my own rolling artillery barrage.  I think I lost a second one that way too but I had the AI on fast process after the second turn so I cannot confirm that one.  :(

[Volcano]

Nice website and forum here.  :)

Yeah but they may have too many BARs.

EDIT: Iwas right; the BAR didn't see much service in WW I. They were produced but not widely distributed.

Yes and no.

Saying that the BAR didn't see much service in WWI and/or wasn't widely distributed is quite subjective. It was employed with only two months left in the war (so yes, it didn't see much service), and it was given to at least two full divisions and an unknown number of battalions and regiments within other divisions (so no, it actually was widely distributed by that time, just not uniformly so). So, it was certainly used in numbers, but it only happened at the very end of the war when it didn't matter much anyway.

That was the brief answer.  More specifically speaking, the BAR began to see widespread use in some units in September of 1918 (hence the date in that scenario being in September). According to my research on the subject, the 77th Infantry Division received them first, and then the 36th Infantry Division and this is also why you can see a BAR equipped Order of Battle template in the game called "US Inf Bn-BAR(36&77 ID) 1918.09". Also, IIRC, the BAR was used quite extensively in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive -- I believe a battalion or regiment of the 1st Infantry Division is mentioned to have had them as well, so the exact details of who had the BAR below division level is sketchy at best, so in the Getting Started scenario the 1-59th Infantry Battalion (being neither in the 77th or 36th ID) could of had them in September for all anyone knows. ;)  Besides, we are talking about the Getting Started scenario after all, where some liberties were taken in the first place for the sake of "fun" and showing off new toys.  Also, again IIRC, I don't believe the BAR actually shows up in any other scenario other than the Getting Stated scenario anyway.

Speaking of order of battles, there is also a 1918.09 Marine template with BARs as some battalions where known to receive them by then as well, but on a less widespread level than the Army I believe. Either way, that order of battle is present mainly for hypothetical scenarios, feel free to design scenarios with it or by continuing to use the US Marine Bn 1918.01 to 1918.08 until the end of the war.

I hope that clears up the BAR issue. Enjoy the game!

[LongBlade]

Nice website and forum here.  :)

Yeah but they may have too many BARs.

EDIT: Iwas right; the BAR didn't see much service in WW I. They were produced but not widely distributed.

Yes and no.

Saying that the BAR didn't see much service in WWI and/or wasn't widely distributed is quite subjective. It was employed with only two months left in the war (so yes, it didn't see much service), and it was given to at least two full divisions and an unknown number of battalions and regiments within other divisions (so no, it actually was widely distributed by that time, just not uniformly so). So, it was certainly used in numbers, but it only happened at the very end of the war when it didn't matter much anyway.

That was the brief answer.  More specifically speaking, the BAR began to see widespread use in some units in September of 1918 (hence the date in that scenario being in September). According to my research on the subject, the 77th Infantry Division received them first, and then the 36th Infantry Division and this is also why you can see a BAR equipped Order of Battle template in the game called "US Inf Bn-BAR(36&77 ID) 1918.09". Also, IIRC, the BAR was used quite extensively in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive -- I believe a battalion or regiment of the 1st Infantry Division is mentioned to have had them as well, so the exact details of who had the BAR below division level is sketchy at best, so the 1-59th Infantry Battalion (being neither in the 77th or 36th ID) could of had them in September for all anyone knows. ;)  Besides, we are talking about the Getting Started scenario where some liberties were taken in the first place for the sake of "fun".  Also, again IIRC, I don't believe the BAR actually shows up in any other scenario other than the Getting Stated scenario anyway.

Speaking of order of battles, there is also a 1918.09 Marine template with BARs as some battalions where known to receive them by then as well, but on a less widespread level than the Army I believe. Either way, that order of battle is present mainly for hypothetical scenarios, feel free to design scenarios with it or by continuing to use the US Marine Bn 1918.01 to 1918.08 until the end of the war.

I hope that clears up the BAR issue. Enjoy the game!

Hi Volcano! Welcome!

And thanks for that post. Very informative :)

[Bison]

Well yes it does.  Welcome Volcano.  You designed an excellent game.

[son_of_montfort]

Forgive me, but I was under the impression that BAR in a WWI trench context meant "Big A$$ Rat." As in rats as big as dogs.

[Volcano]

Forgive me, but I was under the impression that BAR in a WWI trench context meant "Big A$$ Rat." As in rats as big as dogs.

Well, I am sure there were plenty of those too starting in 1915.  :o

[Bismarck]

@ Volcano

Good stuff, What are your sources?

[Boggit]

You even get a .30 Chauchat to take with you, for luck.  ;D

For luck? You'd need it with the Chauchat.
Apparently, the open magazine left it very prone to jamming. Fine when the gun was clean, but in the field and ammo based on a black powder round ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qea0CVIQRE

[Volcano]

@ Volcano

Good stuff, What are your sources?

You mean besides the sources mentioned in the notes document in the Bibliography section?  ;)  Those are the sources I used most, and I am quoting those from memory, so I could have gotten something incorrect in the post above.

But other than that, I think what you are looking for is:

Chinn, George M., The Machine Gun, Volume I: History, Evolution, and Development of Manual, Automatic, and Airborne Repeating Weapons. Bureau of Ordnance, Department of the Navy, 1951.

It is sort of a rare book now, but it has some specifics about the BAR in it.  I just skimmed over it and on page 181 it states:

"...The combined daily production by all companies was 706 and a total of approximately 52,000 rifles was delivered by all sources." 

So, there is a useful bit of information on the subject: it seems that 52,000 BARs were delivered to units by the end of the war, which is quite a number. "Delivered by all sources" is referring to the Marlin-Rockwell Corp., Hopkins and Allen Co., Winchester Co., and Colt's Patent Fire Arms Co. (listed on the same page previous to that sentence).

Unfortunately though, I believe I was wrong with my OOB template: "US Inf Bn-BAR(36&77 ID) 1918.09".  Just skimming the book again and it seems that it was the 79th and 80th division that received the BAR first, not the 36th and 77th.  Then again, I could have gotten 36th and 77th ID from the other sources listed in the Bibliography, ugh, it is difficult to remember all of that now.  :o  Certainly this is a topic just begging for some dull book to be specifically written about!

edited: clarifications

[Jarhead0331]

BAR schmarrr, who cares...the real question is: VOLCANO, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BEGIN MODDING WWI!?!?!

Seriously man, welcome.  Its great to see you posting.

[LongBlade]

BAR schmarrr, who cares...the real question is: VOLCANO, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BEGIN MODDING WWI!?!?!

Just ignore Jarhead. He's still unhappy nobody is willing to fudge the date on the Ma Deuce by a year so he can use one in his WWI games.