Emp_Palpatine

I've never heard of any German or Austrian squadron sent there. So it would be only against the Ottoman Empire.

Well done. All that can spoil that big propaganda show is good enough for me. Those will be the 1936 games of our time.

Thanks to winter, military operations are somewhat slowed down in those months of January and February 1915. Here are the most important fronts. Apart from shellings, things are quite quiet. Shellings are very deadly for the Russians, as their units are still using foxholes and not elaborated trench systems. Things are quiet in Serbia too. But the Entente had to move a much-needed elsewhere Serbian corps in order to protect the Montenegrese port of Scutari (the little kingdom is not simulated in the game, as it is incorporated into Serbia). Some British involvement is planned there. The port must be held to have any Tommies there. Suddenly, hell broke out in Lorraine! A German offensive where it seemed the Winter would be quiet everywhere! Germany almost succeeded there, inflicting heavy losses on the French. But they failed, thanks to french defensive lines and heroic and stubborn defense. Things are far from being over...

Here starts 1915 with the January-February turn strategic phase. Strangely, the casualties and morale thing is not the same as in late december 1914... On the diplomatic front, powers at war are courting the neutrals. Italy is very wooed as one can see... And it's not going to end. Allies R&D goes on: combat gas, artillery, planes and trenches are studied... Here are some exemples of economical strategic choices. France still focuses on small arms, trenchs stuffs, shells and a small naval stuff. Russia do buy arms in order to replenish stocks, trenchs to stabilize the front line. HQ points acquisition is to be seriously take into account for any offensive in Spring. As planned since fall, British Fleet sails into the North Sea and punish there wandering German ships. The Entente powers now enjoy once again controll of the seas.

Mr T, the 80's Chuck Norris! And... he sings too!

Hi there! I'm in a WW1 mood since a few weeks (well, you can add that my on-going interest for that war hadn't suffered from Harry Turtledove's Great War novels) and I would like to re-fly in some good old biplane, shooting down boches over my home-land, Flanders. So, which WW1 sim would you recommend me? TK's FE? I do love others TK sims, and I would be quite prone to support him with a few bucks... But If I did understand correctly, it would be 2x30 bucks. (BTW, it's high time to benefit from Euro/Dollar rates) I've also heard from CFS3 "over flanders field". As i can get that game very cheap, I'm quite interested too. Do someone know of this mod?

The bad signal is not about any european press influence, it's about the overall enthousiasm... If he's so much loved, it's because it's the closest US can get to an european progressive. You are warned US electors!

Oh my... You should see French and European media on him today! The rock-star is making his tour here and is welcomed as the Messiah Himself! That should be the wake-up call, the alarm for you, American fellows... If Europe is definitively in love with that man, this is not a good sign. Not at all.

Xmas month won't be calm. Once again, heavy and violent shelling in Liege, following by a German offensive that manage nothing except offering 40 000 families a very sad telegram... The show resumes in Belgrade too! Where the hell does the Austrian Empire find all the strenght to waste so much men? But dark times lie surely ahead for the Entente there: German unidentified units are wandering around on the front. Serbia won't be able to hold them back too... In Prussia, Thorn's bastion, objective of an huge Russian offensive back in October is finally abandonned by Germany. Envelopped with only one side free, it was not defendable anymore. The last German spot on the right bank of the Vistule is lost. But... a huge german counter-attack overshadow all of this! 150 000 just kick back Russians from Posnan and from the left bank of the Warthe. That's a severe setback for Russian Army and it clearly show that Petrograd has presently lost the initiative there. More counter-attacks are to be feared as soon as the German soldiers have finished to celebrate Xmas and New Year. On the Austrian front, the arrival of fresh conscript units (2nd wave of Russian mobilisation) helps to, at last, stop the Imperial and Royal army advance. Looks like the Entente will now be on the defensive in the East too... By 1 january 1915, almost 2,5 soldiers have fallen. Only 4 months of fightings, and all the bloodiest offensives in order to attempt a breaktrough lies ahead. Home before the leaves fall? I don't think so.

What about military operations? Here is November 1914 report: On the Western Front, apart from shelling, all is quiet... The front seems quite fixed there now, trenches, barbed wires, you know the thing. In Prussia, the German resistance is growing more and more! A new stop for Russia. And even a counter-attack from the Pinckelhaube guys toward Posnan. In Galicia, Austria resumes its attack too. Slowly, Russian army, logisticaly exhausted (ie I'm out of "HQ/offensive points) is loosing the initiative on that front. Not an eventfull turn, but... Showing some changes in trends in the East.

New strategic decision phase for November and december. Search efforts go on in artillery. Entente diplomats are sent to neutral powers, as the war is more likely to be long. Opening new fronts/bringing new friends in can be a path toward victory. Influence neutral can either lead them to reconsider entering the war, the main goal of diplomatic efforts in Italy or Bulgaria, or, on the contrary, aims them into an earlier entry (Romania, USA). First economical decisions are taken too. Russia's potential is weak presently. Hopefully, if Russia is spared defeats or massive loss of territory, this potential can be quite notable. Here, it's fully invested into the preparation of new offensives, as the logistic suffered badly in the previous months advances and forced Russian corps into defensive stance. UK does invest into naval assets, for obvious reasons, whereas Serbia, Belgium and France are focusing on military furniture in order to equip badly needed reinforcement. In the airs, no aerial combat presently, as both camp are lacking the technology, but more and more planes on the front, doing their recon and artillery spotting duties. On the seas: the Central Power still enjoy the overconfidence of the Royal Navy, that lead it to misjudge the number of ship to put into the North Sea, but following month will surely see battles to correct this situation, even more since the Entente is planning possible campaigns in the Balkan, Middle East or Gallipoli...

Yes there are. A few, where there are some waters. But actually, I just can't remember any idiomatic expression meaning "at top of the dunes level".

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I'm not a libertarian. I don't want to destroy the state. But I find it profoundly unfair to be quite certain order is no longer enforced in my country and that if I try to protect myself I WOULD BE PROSECUTED. Because I'm a low-middle class post-graduate caucasion. Hell yes, I would be prosecuted and punished by judges. Because I'm too stupid and I'm still a normal citizen, obeying police or whatever. Everyone knows in France that some people (immigrant/muslim gangs) bear arms. They are the ones who are putting cars in flames, making gang-rapes, pillaging in subway or whatever. Those peoples are not prosecuted. They are perfectly known by police services, who do often catch them and handle them to justice. The said justice, in most case, release them the same day... Poor guys are victims, etc. You know the common bulls**t behind such attitudes. So what's the point? What's the point when indeed the police does its job, but the state (because such acts by the judges come from instructions too) do not play its role?! Even if I'm against any ban on arms, I wouldn't found it scandalous if I was sure any bad guy would be prosecuted or arrested. It's sadly not the case, therefore I would like to have the right to defend myself.

That's exagerated. Allowing private possession of arms and make the self defense law less stricter is not the same thing as allowing the possession of war weapons. By the way, as far as I can tell, not everybody wander around in switzerland with the war rifle almost everyone do have. And the country is not in constant bloodshed too. I'm sure US fellow can also assert that they don't often see some people with hand grenade in streets. The fact is that today I'm defensless in the streets and at home and that in my own country, the Police is unable to fulfill its duties. Why should I rely on the state for everything? Giving it all the responsability for my security is a step toward serfdom. The question is not to solve crime or whatever, the question is in my eyes the capability for myself to defend my ass. If the bad guy in the subway or in the street think I may bear an arm, he might have second thought before risking his skin for my money or my MP3. Plus, I do agree with the US constitution. Having the right to bear arms is a protection against any oppression. We are today totally unarmed against statism -and its failure- today in Europe.

Might be indeed! It dates back on my first years on the net, so back in 1998-1999. Will have a look and tell you. Thanks! :)

The matter is: can and should the state ban us to bear arms whereas the state itself isn't able to protect you. In a word: giving your liverty to defend yourself in exchange of a false protection, whereas bad guys would have arms, control or not.

While having great fun with Falkland 1982, I suddendly remembered that a lots of years ago, I've read something (and I do remember that something was in english) about some modern Falkland war, that is Kfir-standart Mirage and Finger, lots of exocet, etc... Now that there are such things as amazon, I could figure a mean to get that stuff. The problem is that I haven't the slightiest idea what the title of the novel can be, or if it was some documentary or whatever. Does this ring a bell for someone?

I've read (or see in some documentary, don't remember) that those space vehicles took much benefits from MBT technology in Soviet Union. But did not know that they were only recently outclassed.

You are a British fellow? That's not gonna happen in France...

Rogue states can reach US allies in Eastern Europe. States that can retaliate by themselves the same way US, France, UK or Russia can. Russia does hold Europe by the balls with the gaz tube things, cut them, and it's gonna be quite cold in most of the continent, especially where sissies ecologists made countries stick off the nuclear. What does the Kremlin wants more? I repeat my self: Russia is more threatened by what might happen in Middle East, central Asia or eastern Asia than by the Western World. Come on, that's not NATO that is supporting insurgents in Chechenya or that is staring with greedy eyes Siberian natural ressources.

Indeed, WTF?! Just can't undertand Russian ideas. Little revenge because of the defensive missiles in Europe? Hell, it's high time for Russia to understand that the West is not a threat, unlike what Moscow are showing now. Threat for Russia lies in Middle east and Red China. They will regret sailing away from the West the day China will start to claim the now largely han-colonized Vladivostock or the weak central-asian republics.

You blame the thing on not enough money spent on talks with those people, not enough prevention. At least what's happening in France: they are burning schools, cars, bus? Poor little guys are just wanting to talk! Let's give them money and blah blah blah "marshall plan for the subburbs". Hell, billions had been wasted there... Force them? No way, that's fascist/american/unacceptable methods. Welcome in Europe, where you can go to jail because you wounded the guy that was just pillaging your house (recently happened) and he got nothing. So depressing.

A french blogger recently made a great post on this issue, how a poll showing a Mc Cain advantage was re-arranged in favor of Obama. It was a futile thing about pet-owner and the election, something like 60% of the owners favored Mc Cain. A couple of hours later, it was "40% of pet owners ready for Obama". And I won't even speak about US election coverage in France, whose left-media (almost everyones) are in love with Obama. During the recent presidential election in France, the socialist candidate was always showed in a very favourable way in terms of pics. Well, the lady isn't disgusting to watch, true... But Sarkozy, supposed to be on her right and to be conservative, was every time showed with some rictus or looking ugly/evil. Basic propaganda.

All right, that was my guess but wanted to be sure I would be able to fly at tree-top level in a Tornado.