OOC Thread

[Johnnie Lyle]

Screenshot 2023-02-04 11.09.11 PM.png

2x PKMs per squad? Oof.

Most of the structures I have found showed 1 PKM per squad. For future reference, what’s your source?

I am assuming Platoon HQ was just the Lieutenant?

My guess is that there is a two-person team on the PKM.

Adding it up, the squad leader, four rifleman (or three and a lieutenant), the anti-tank gunner, and the two-person MG team is 8, the capacity of a BMP, whether it's a 1, 2, or 3. The first squad gets a little more crowded with the addition of the SVD gunner.

It may also have been for when they were first rolled out, and not as used in the mid to late 1980s. Looking at the tank platoon structure, it shows 4xT-62, when my understanding is that most tank platoons were 3xT, with a 10th tank for the company commander.

I’ve been seeing organizations more like this:

3D98974E-8252-4F16-8D6C-C99B6D714E3C.png

(source)

Interestingly, it looks like the East Germans did have two machine guns per squad:

87B1C8E7-6C50-42E3-9E07-1F3CF7E53947.jpeg

(source)

[clancyphile]

2x PKMs per squad? Oof.

Most of the structures I have found showed 1 PKM per squad. For future reference, what’s your source?

I am assuming Platoon HQ was just the Lieutenant?

My guess is that there is a two-person team on the PKM.

Adding it up, the squad leader, four rifleman (or three and a lieutenant), the anti-tank gunner, and the two-person MG team is 8, the capacity of a BMP, whether it's a 1, 2, or 3. The first squad gets a little more crowded with the addition of the SVD gunner.

It may also have been for when they were first rolled out, and not as used in the mid to late 1980s. Looking at the tank platoon structure, it shows 4xT-62, when my understanding is that most tank platoons were 3xT, with a 10th tank for the company commander.

I’ve been seeing organizations more like this:
3D98974E-8252-4F16-8D6C-C99B6D714E3C.png (source)

Interestingly, it looks like the East Germans did have two machine guns per squad:
87B1C8E7-6C50-42E3-9E07-1F3CF7E53947.jpeg (source)

Those are RPKs, not PKMs.

The RPK is essentially an AK-47, but with a longer barrel and up to a 40-round clip.

[Matt Wiser]

The PK/PKM would be at company level in the weapons platoon.

The RPK/RPK-74 would be properly classed as SAW type weapons. And the Soviets did issue RPG-18s and -22s at the squad level.

[Johnnie Lyle]

My guess is that there is a two-person team on the PKM.

Adding it up, the squad leader, four rifleman (or three and a lieutenant), the anti-tank gunner, and the two-person MG team is 8, the capacity of a BMP, whether it's a 1, 2, or 3. The first squad gets a little more crowded with the addition of the SVD gunner.

It may also have been for when they were first rolled out, and not as used in the mid to late 1980s. Looking at the tank platoon structure, it shows 4xT-62, when my understanding is that most tank platoons were 3xT, with a 10th tank for the company commander.

I’ve been seeing organizations more like this:
3D98974E-8252-4F16-8D6C-C99B6D714E3C.png (source)

Interestingly, it looks like the East Germans did have two machine guns per squad:
87B1C8E7-6C50-42E3-9E07-1F3CF7E53947.jpeg (source)

Those are RPKs, not PKMs.

The RPK is essentially an AK-47, but with a longer barrel and up to a 40-round clip.

Right, but as Matt says, it’s probably another example of the trend of replacing the belt-fed GPMG team with a lighter single-man weapon.

[Wolfman]

Matt, do you think we should ask for an Admin section for Red Dawn?

[Matryoshka]

Welp, finally found the door again! It took me a bit longer than it should have to think of trying the ‘.com’ version of the link. And of course, all my cached tabs of threads I was watching (including Bolo II) were long expired and no longer available for saving by the time I re-tried them....

FWIW, Matt, I do have some bits and pieces of old threads saved to my HDD — not many, and in some cases far from complete — but among others, I did get a three-page ‘main timeline’ thread and both(?) pages of ‘Soviet slang’. I can e-mail all of my ‘old’ HPCA .html files to you if you think they’ll help reconstruct things.

[Wolfman]

Hey, Matt, the in-universe movie Wings of the Phantom covers BOLO II, right?

[Matt Wiser]

No, but those of who flew BOLO II no doubt wish it had. If the rights had been sold to HBO, say, and done as a Band of Brothers or The Pacific style miniseries? You would've seen the mission.

[jemhouston]

You couldn't do on basic cable or broadcast and do Starbuck justice. Not to mention the pregame activities of certain Strategic Recon Officer.

Is Starbuck related in any way to Pappy Boyington or Robert Conrad?

[Matt Wiser]

Not that I know of.

[Poohbah]

You couldn't do on basic cable or broadcast and do Starbuck justice. Not to mention the pregame activities of certain Strategic Recon Officer.

Is Starbuck related in any way to Pappy Boyington or Robert Conrad?

Skinemax gets their first serious war miniseries?

[jemhouston]

You couldn't do on basic cable or broadcast and do Starbuck justice. Not to mention the pregame activities of certain Strategic Recon Officer.

Is Starbuck related in any way to Pappy Boyington or Robert Conrad?

Skinemax gets their first serious war miniseries?

I'll admit, I did like Strike Back. Did fast forward parts.

Skinemax might be a better choice than the outfit the does the SyFy channel movies Asylum films.

[Wolfman]

No, but those of who flew BOLO II no doubt wish it had. If the rights had been sold to HBO, say, and done as a Band of Brothers or The Pacific style miniseries? You would've seen the mission.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[Leander]

Matt, any chance of you reposting The End In Brownsville story?
It's one of my favourite to binge read. Yes. I know it's a big ask considering the size of the story!

[Matt Wiser]

Yes, I will be reposting it. Not sure when, but it's coming.

[Wolfman]

Hopefully all of the BOLO II related material will be rereleased soon…

[Torten]

Just reading through the general discussion thread, I see that the RN fired a Polaris missile against the Argentines some time in the war? Was this the only nuclear weapon use by the British during the Third World War?

[Bernard Woolley]

It's the only publicy acknowledged use by the UK. There are rumours of one being used in retaliation for CW attacks on the UK.

[jemhouston]

I can't find the link, but there is supposed to be website that track the nukes used during the war. The ones that impacted the US are well document, likewise the UK used against Argentine. The ones the hit China, not so good. The Soviets didn't track all they used. It looks like some regional commands shot off a few without telling Moscow.

If I remember right there a few that hit in Soviet Union that don't fit know attacks. Some might be Chinese.

[Matryoshka]

Just reading through the general discussion thread, I see that the RN fired a Polaris missile against the Argentines some time in the war?

Yup. The Argies got it into their heads that once WW3 had kicked off, the Brits were so distracted that they could make another play for the Falklands without danger of facing another Task Force. The Iron Lady wasn’t having any of it, and she responded by ordering the nuking of Puerto Belgrano, the main assembly port for the invasion-force. After that, the Argentineans kind’a took the hint and spent the rest of the war being vewy, vewy qwiet.

Was this the only nuclear weapon use by the British during the Third World War?

I don’t recall mention of any others, but then again I haven’t read or memorised every word written for this timeline.