German OOB for the JTCS WF Marseille scenario

A Preview of the German Order of Battle for the updated JTCS WF scenario - The Liberation of Marseille. Very well researched indeed. Learn more about it at the Matrix Games Forum Website. Update - Check out the latest updates of the German localised version of JTCS EF II.

Update | Map of Marseille for JTCS WF

Eagle-FZS from the German Wargaming Forum - Feldzugschmiede

has done a great job with his latest update for the JTCS West Front scenario - The Liberation of Marseille! Wishing all of you a Happy Easter.

The year 1951 in Indochina

L'année 1951 en Indochine provides the interested reader and historian with insights about a change of strategy in Indochina with the arrival of General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny. The study also deals with the operations around Tonkin and other less well known aspects of the struggle in the Far East. There's a French Newsreel about the operations available.

The Generalship of General Henri E. Navarre

During the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, a Master's Thesis by Major Bruce H. Hupe, USA. The thesis will shed some light upon the thoughts and background of General Henri E. Navarre, as well as his decision to employ the 'Hedgehog' Strategy near the border of Laos in the first place.

French Operations in Indo-China

This 71-page bachelor thesis by Alexander Hagelkvist, tutored by  Stéphane Taillat from the Écoles de Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan, should give those, who are interested about the struggle in Indochina, a comprehensive, yet very analytical inside of the French operations in that particular theatre. Again, a nice find during my nightly research hours...

The year 1950 in Indochina

The original title of this study - L’année 1950 en Indochine- Le désastre de Cao Bang. Understanding a bit of French helps, though sometimes one should never be too shy to use available Online translation tools. For me, this study got me interested to look at the various battles and ambushes along RC 4 in more detail. I also found a French Newsreel of that time and theatre. 

Dinassaut Operations in Indochina: 1946-1954

Yet another interesting read! This study, in fact a master thesis by Major Paul J. Kennedy, USMC, takes a look at the French Riverine Forces in Indochina. The unclassified study is part of the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College collection.  Snippets of how the French organised their Dinassaut can be found here.

The French Participation in the Korean War

and the Establishment of a “Path of Memory” in South Korea, by Laurent Quisefit.  Another interesting read you might have never even heard about. Since I've started my particular research about the more or less 'not-well-know' and 'obscure' facts about France's role in the Far East (Indochina however in particular), I constantly seem to stumble upon some real interesting reads! The open access study can be downloaded from this site.

Operation Musketeer

Operation Musketeer - The End of Empire A Study of Organizational Failure in Combined Operations - A Monograph by Major Patrick L. Neky. Another fascinating declassified study about the events (and blunders!) during the Suez Crisis in 1956. In my opinion a fascinating read, highly recommended. It can be downloaded from the DTIC archives. Replay the action at Port Said with the tactical-wargame - Campaign Series Middle East.

The “Unquiet” Allies

French and American Intelligence Relations During the First Indochina War, 1950–54 by Jean-Marc LePage, PhD, and Elie Tenenbaum. French-American intelligence relations were famously presented in literature through the prism of Graham Greene’s brilliant novel, The Quiet American. The book portrays Alden Pyle, a soft-spoken, intellectual, serious, and idealistic CIA officer meddling in badly corrupt French colonial affairs. The rest of this less known affair - here.

JTCS West Front | Liberation of Marseille

Another creation from the lads of the Feldzugschmiede. Scenario description - "Under the Operational Code Name 'Dragoon', on August 15, 1944 at 8 o'clock in the morning, troops of the 7th US Army under General Patch started the liberation of Southern France. While US troops were to conquer St. Tropez, Cavalaire and Raphael, the target of the 9th Colonial and 1st Armored Division was the liberation of Marseilles. On 28 August 1944, the French troops then reached Marseille, where the German 244th Infantry Division was prepared for the defense of the city." - EDIT: Download link fixed now. Click here. Note: Some glitches with the map/localisation have been dealt with by Eagle-FZS. Big thanks to Jean (terminator) from the forum.

Street without joy

About the author - Bernard B. Fall was a prominent war correspondent, historian, political scientist, and expert on Indochina during the 1950s and 1960s. Born in Austria, he moved with his family to France as a child after Germany's annexation, where he started fighting with the French Resistance at age 16, and later the French Army during World War II.

Something completely different

Towards the end of 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and declared war on the US. Their Nazi ally followed with its own declaration of war, and so did all its satellites.

The joke tells about the Hungarian ambassador in Washington who delivered his declaration of war to the Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, who decided to have some fun.

Back to the Street without Joy

In 1961, Bernard Fall, a scholar and practitioner of war, published a book entitled The Street Without Joy. The book provided a lucid account of why the French Expeditionary Corps failed to defeat the Viet Minh during the Indochina War, and the book’s title derived from the French soldiers’sardonic moniker for Highway 1 on the coast of Indochina—“Ambush Alley,” or the “Street without Joy.” - Those are the opening words of yet another fascinating study from Robert M. Cassidy.

The Destruction of Groupement Mobile 100

Another recommended read for those who can't wait to re-fight the battles of the French or the Viet-Minh in Indochina. The upcoming Campaign Series Vietnam will offer quite a collection of the 'less known battles' in Indochina prior to the US Involvement. Read here all about the the Destruction of Groupement Mobile 100. Those of you, who'd like the read an interesting report about GM 100, here's one in French - Derniers combats -5 jours en enfer, ou la fin du GM 100 en Indochine - 24-28 juin 1954. 

JTCS East Front II LCG | The defence of the Balkans

Thank to Eagle-FZS and the other volunteers who made this possible. Die Verteidigung des Balkans / The defence of the Balkans (14 Szenarios / Scenarios).

German Translation for JTCS 2.02 | East Front II Update

OK. here are some more snapshots of the translated and fully localised menus for JTCS East Front II. Great work! For those of you who weren't aware, the whole WW2 related JTCS exemplifies tactical war-gaming at its finest by bringing you the entire collection of TalonSoft's award-winning Campaign Series. Containing TalonSoft's West Front, East Front, and Rising Sun epic platoon-level combat series, as well as all of the official add-ons and expansion packs, JTCS WW2 allows players to dictate the events of World War II from the tumultuous beginning to its climatic conclusion. This edition also includes Fall of the Reich, the official expansion for East Front II and never before available!

German Translation for JTCS 2.02 | East Front II and others

Seeing is believing - In this case some fellow German hardcore tactical-wargaming enthusiasts localised and translated the John Tiller's Campaign Series | East Front II and other titles of the same series into German.  The guys also run a nice forum (in German though) with some real goodies for JTCS and other wargaming titles. 

Make sure to pay their forum a visit - Feldzugschmiede -  I'll keep all of you updated about when, where and how one can get hold of those masterpieces. Thanks to Eagle, who informed me about the availability of the various translated wargaming titles. Danke!