Matrix Games Forums

Nice - like the forces on other islands - it had a bird code name. Thanks.
Will check out the railroads. Will fold in Robin Force next update.

Hmm - that is the RR we have - and it is just at the Southern end of the island.
I thought you said there was a RR at the NORTHERN end of the island. Maybe
I misunderstood. But the link confirms what my US Army history reports in detail.
We don't need to change it - we have it right.

ORIGINAL: m10bob

This was one site I used in past.

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/provinces/

Ref the railroad, I am looking now, I know I saved it in my internet favorites, I am also a railroad nut..


The "railroad"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noum%C3%A ... ta_railway

This indicates it only ran the distance of a single hex!..Oh well.

More info on "Robin Force" in New Caledonia.

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P03308.002

Note:The designation "2/3rd Independent Company" did not mean they were the so-called "chocolate soldiers" of the militia, but were in fact well trained commandos.


This link addresses my search for "Robin Force New Caledonia"

https://www.awm.gov.au/search/all/?quer ... ollections

Level II Update Link 2.441
https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ap7XOIkiBuUwg74A7TujZK_wdrKG1A

I created a new Level II Jump map - properly showing the lower left corner
without the logo. [Our logo is in the Upper Right area]

The next pwhexe.dat release will have the blocks removed so that area will
be playable.

Here we have a bit of eratta and some chrome - mainly Aussie Force units -
one on Noumea, one for the Aru Islands, and the renamed Port Moresby
Brigade - it appears in Sydney on 17 December 1941.

Nice idea for dropping the turrets and increasing the speed on those Japanese BBs. I know you have done a lot of research, so you might know the answer Sid. I have seen info suggesting that the PI had 6 or so 8 in rail guns. Is it true?

A question came in about an air group which starts the game at Manila I believe.

Here is the answer:

In Scenarios 105, 125 & 126, the historical experimental Sea Devastator
(TBD-1) is put into production. This is because the stronger Japan has
had some effects on Allied decisions made in 1941.

At the same time, all USN Seaplane Tenders are fitted with their catapults.
These not only are historical, they were actually bought - but put into storage
rather than fitted. The Sea Devastator is intended for service with USS Langley,
present in CS (Seaplane Carrier) form. In fact, it is generally more useful
if land based - either where there is an airfield with support or where there is
any kind of ship able to support aircraft (hiding 'in port').

One technical issue - it is unclear - it appears possibly the CS type was not
properly programmed. I have never seen a strike mission or a fighter mission
fly from an ALLIED CS.

And yes - you also will get float fighters. The Wild Catfish, no less! It is also historical - but not put into production. One reason was it took too long to be developed - and you get it with that flaw as well. Got to wait for it. But if it turns
out to have a use, you will have it. In these Japan Enhanced Scenarios, it is
entirely possible things will get very bad - and being able to operate without airfields may in some situation matter.

I have an academic history of the Philippine Army - as well as more famous US materials
(US Army, US Navy, etc) - but I am not aware of this. Can you provide a source? I have
put almost every rail gun in theater into most Full RHS Scenarios - ones with odd numbers -
but not into scenarios intended for play against AI (because AI has no clue a RR unit
needs to stay on a rail line). In addition to rail guns per se, there are armored trains.
The USSR has the most, Japan a few, and Canada has one! There are 12 inch RR CD Mortars at
Fort Lewis, Washington and 8 inch RR CD guns on Oahu (which may be moved to any place with
a railroad for mobile use, or any place at all for static use). I will see what I can dig
up?

The idea for removing the turrets in favor of more engine spaces is from the now offline AltWars
site. Mifune managed to dig up backups on old hard drives - giving us the art - so I could use
it. So I did.

ORIGINAL: DOCUP

Nice idea for dropping the turrets and increasing the speed on those Japanese BBs. I know you have done a lot of research, so you might know the answer Sid. I have seen info suggesting that the PI had 6 or so 8 in rail guns. Is it true?

Sid: http://corregidor.org/chs_bogart/bogart3a.htm and the book Racing the Sunrise in chapter 7 mentions 8in mounts being shipped.

Level II Update Link 2.441
https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ap7XOIkiBuUwg74A7TujZK_wdrKG1A


This update is mainly a collection of eratta in the location, group, class and ship files.
It also includes revision of the later upgrades for the Scenario 129 modified
battleship classes (Ise, Hyuga and Nagato).

It also includes the addition of Kerguelin Island on the extreme map edge. A French
territory uninhabited since 1931 (but re-inhabited in 1950), it was used by German
raiders and blockade runners to replenish water, meat and perform repairs. At one point, Australia sent a cruiser to see if it was being used? But they detected no sign of enemy activity and left (leaving a few mines - which long since have been blamed on the Germans!). For this reason, the island is very special and very different
from Amsterdam Island which is relatively nearby.

AMSTERDAM Island is the AXIS ENTRY POINT. It may NOT be occupied, staked out, or even searched by the Allies. [See RHS House Rules for details.] It also may NOT be use by the Axis as a base. It is a volcano with no port facilities or airport,
and has never successfully supported a population.

KERGUELIN Island is considered Axis controlled (because they were the last to enter the hex). It has great port build potential, modest airfield potential, and minimal port development. It DOES generate a bit of supply (representing water, fish, rabbits and possibly a stray sheep, as well as the Kerguelin land cabbage, potential salvage from several settlements, and, if construction is attempted, sand and gravel). It is a NORMAL island and may be occupied and/or developed by either side. It is the most remote major land mass (over 1,000 square miles) in the world - often ignored because it is so hard to get to and mainly of interest as a location for or base for
scientific research. But the Allies are NOT required to leave it for the enemy to exploit, nor are they forbidden to develop it as a base - as long as they don't use it
to search close to or to recon Amsterdam Island.

I realized I cannot move on to later seasonal pwhexe.dat files until I finish Indian
Ocean development. Here we present for the first time some 'erosion' of the blocked
area in the lower left map corner. There is more ocean to transit or fight over!
This is also a way to prove we can convert this area to regular map use. The reason the entire block isn't converted, however, is the sheer work required - every hex
needs eight operations - to clear 6 hex sides and reset the bytes which turn it into an 'off map' area. I will continue to 'erase' the block area until it is gone.

Otherwise, pwhexe.dat errors in Laos along the Northern Mekong River were corrected, and a blocked hex-side on Northern Hokkaido was removed. Not that
it isn't frozen in winter - but rather that it is navigable because of the use of Japan's only Icebreaker (combined with help from a never freezing area called a polynya along the channel from there to the Southeast part of Sakhalin Island). Pwhexe.dat
also was modified so Kerguelin Island would appear and Amsterdam Island got a new starting 'nation code' because the one I picked was in use for Laos and Cambodia.

There is a new pwhexe.dat editor - but it isn't yet working. There is a new pwzone.dat editor - and it is working - but needs a bit more testing to confirm it will work with modern, wide displays.

Aha! I know these guns. We even have them in the game! As per a forum suggestion years ago,
they are even broken out as a separate unit so a player may move them. But they are on Oahu,
not on Luzon. I can move the unit. As for the problem of wrong truck size for the rail line,
we can model that by a delay in appearance - possibly to the day they really moved if I can track
it down. Anyway - it is a nice missing bit of data for the guns.

Actually the 'regiment' also had 12 inch CD mortars - which the 8 inch guns replaced. These
were in storage on Oahu. So I need to figure out if these were abandoned, scrapped, left in reserve
on Oahu, or moved with the unit? But the main thing is I needed to know what to look up?

ORIGINAL: DOCUP

Sid: http://corregidor.org/chs_bogart/bogart3a.htm and the book Racing the Sunrise in chapter 7 mentions 8in mounts being shipped.

Follow up: the 41st Seacoast Artillery Regiment (Railroad), which operated these gun under
the Hawaii Separate Coast Defense Brigade, pre war, never left Hawaii. It was disbanded,
but batteries A, D and G were "re-designated" to unspecified names, with unspecified weapons.
A battery may have been two weapons (SOP for major coast defense guns 6 inch and larger),
and in that case four batteries would have been associated with the 8 inch rifles.
Regardless, I was able to confirm the guns did reach the Philippines, and suffered the
precise fate described. More details of what happened later are also in this account.
Apparently there was no formal organization for them in the Philippines, but generally they
fell under the Philippine Coast Artillery Command. They may have been manned by 600 Philippine
Army soldiers nominally ordered to form the First and Second Coast Defense Regiments, which
served in practice under the Philippine Scouts, US Army, rather than under the Philippine Army
per se. Those 600 men originally had no weapons and indeed no unit assignment, but were
simply being trained by the Philippine Scouts Coast Artillery Regiments (59th, 91st and 92nd).
Clearly one weapon ended up not being used for lack of a crew (until it was destroyed), once
after being salvaged from the air attack disaster on the railroad.

Combat service[edit]

According to an anecdotal account of the 8-inch M1888 railway guns in the Philippines in 1941-42, eight guns were shipped to Manila in late 1940. Initially, difficulties were encountered because the railway carriages were 36-inch (914 mm) gauge and the Philippines used a 42-inch (1,067 mm) gauge. In late December 1941 all eight guns were sent north in one train to oppose the Japanese landings at Lingayen Gulf, but six guns were damaged beyond repair by enemy air attack. The remaining two guns (possibly only one) were eventually shipped to Corregidor by early March 1942, where they were mounted on improvised pedestal mounts. The account states that the one gun that information is available on fired only five proof rounds and sat idle for want of a crew until it was destroyed by air and/or artillery attack.[16] One reference states that the other gun was mounted near Bagac, Bataan.[17]

Level II Update Link 2.441
https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ap7XOIkiBuUwg74A7TujZK_wdrKG1A


This update mainly involves revisions to all Level II map support files:

pwhexe.dat and II41WINTERpwhexe.dat
pwzlink.dat and all four annual pwzlink.dat files
pwzone.dat file

as well as the Excel Spreadsheet documenting Level II locations.

Changes include the things needed to turn Midwest USA and Ontario Canada
into ports, and links between them and New Orleans (as well as each other).
These are essentially marine routes using the Great Lakes, the Chicago Ship
Canal, the Ohio River and the Mississippi River. As with links to Siberian
locations, these are seasonal links, working half the year for Monsoon and Fall
seasons only. These links are not particularly important, but resolve some
technical issues - such as players asking why these 'ports' don't work. Well -
now they don't work because the game starts in Winter, and they only work
in Spring and Monsoon. The few PTO warships built in these places AND fully
commissioned before transit to New Orleans may now be revised to permit
appearing on the date of that commissioning.

Other changes include eliminating still more of the blocked area in the SW
Indian Ocean map area and correcting why the Entry Zone to the new
rows did not function. It seems one must tell the program, on a per hex basis,
that the Zone has been extended: just because the art shows the zone does
not make it work! I knew that, but somehow failed to explain it to the program
in the form of pwhexe.dat code in the newly added functional hexes.

There are a few eratta or enhancements for devices, aircraft, locations and possibly leader, ship and group files.

There is no new art.

ALL three pwhexe.dat, pwzone.dat and pwzlink.dat files MUST be copied from the RHS PWHEXE & PWLINK SOURCE folder to the top level AE folder.

Sid...Do the weather data files need to be manually moved anywhere as well?

Sid: The Australian LOC transport units, whats the LOC stand for? Also whats the ABC flights for the Brit transport squadrons?

I am unfamiliar with 'weather data files' - what is the file name?

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Sid...Do the weather data files need to be manually moved anywhere as well?

This is quite simply the formal name of the unit. RHS presents them in simplified form - typically a squadron
plus a detachment (of a different type) for a given LOC unit. These are more or less static units which service
an area, and perform a variety of functions. In game terms, mainly they are potential transport assets. They also
serve to give aircrews experience. If one does not want to be bothered with them, disband them. Normally, for
strict historical play, they should remain where they are. But in an emergency they can provide transport services
for a command at risk. Otherwise, they are just training aircrew and performing services not meaningful in game
terms.

ORIGINAL: DOCUP

Sid: The Australian LOC transport units, whats the LOC stand for? Also whats the ABC flights for the Brit transport squadrons?

ORIGINAL: el cid again

I am unfamiliar with 'weather data files' - what is the file name?

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Sid...Do the weather data files need to be manually moved anywhere as well?

Sid, I think he's talking about the seasonal weather files in the weather pwhexe.....files....GP

Level II Update Link 2.36
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=3 ... file%2cmsi

These files mainly update map art and aircraft data, and supporting
documentation. Map panels (both hex and without hex) now show
the sea approaches to Gulf Coast, USA (New Orleands) and the
associated entry/exit hexes. The Northern one is used by
North Midwest USA and Ontario Canada - which use the Mississippi
River and Ohio rivers - and in the case of Ontario - also the Great Lakes
and the Chicago Ship Canal.

Aircraft eratta is mainly multi-engine Japanese aircraft durability, with
a couple of changes in availability dates or upgrades.

Thus copy only the aircraft files, the documentation files, and both
map panels 13 (WPEH and WPEN). IF you are up to date. If not
copy everything.

The seasonal files are not yet done for RHS (except the annual link files).
I must finish the base season first. Still working on 'converting' blocked
hex-sides to ocean in the SW corner. A tedious task.

HOWEVER, an OLD version of these files exists if you want to use them.
They are in the RHS PWHEXE AND PWZLINK SOURCE folder. They actually work
on the main map well. But the DO NOT have some of the things needed to work
with the newest ports and links which have been added. If you are working
in the main map area, they will work fine. It is off map they have problems
because I did them before the new editors were available and before I entirely
knew what to do with the off map support files?

ORIGINAL: General Patton

ORIGINAL: el cid again

I am unfamiliar with 'weather data files' - what is the file name?

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Sid...Do the weather data files need to be manually moved anywhere as well?

Sid, I think he's talking about the seasonal weather files in the weather pwhexe.....files....GP

ORIGINAL: General Patton

ORIGINAL: el cid again

I am unfamiliar with 'weather data files' - what is the file name?

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Sid...Do the weather data files need to be manually moved anywhere as well?

Sid, I think he's talking about the seasonal weather files in the weather pwhexe.....files....GP

CORRECT!!!..General Patton and my wife keep me from falling over!

Level II Update Link 2.36
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=3 ... file%2cmsi

This update mainly involves improving integration of the Level II map system.
It began with a new map panel by Mifune, which enabled me to determine
where to put things along the Eastern map edge. Building on that, I was able
to make significant improvement to four map panels (both hex and non-hex versions
of panels 6 and 13). These now illustrate how both ships and land movement to
Gulf USA and Midwest USA actually work in the invisible map support files. These
are somewhat crudely done - in effect they are a schematic for Mifune to polish
(using more sophisticated software than I understand). Nevertheless, they greatly
improve the user experience - showing a new land column from Eastern USA to
Gulf Coast USA and as well as new shipping channels. One goes from Gulf Coast
USA to the main Atlantic sea lanes. The other is de facto the Mississippi River
(and also the Ohio River) connecting North Midewest USA with Gulf Coast USA
(New Orleans).

As well, all the map support files (by which I mean pwhexe.dat, pwzlink.dat and pwzone.dat) have been revised. Among other things these change the entry exit
hexes associated with Gulf Coast USA, North Midwest USA and Ontario [Canada].
Two of these set up a not yet displayed new shipping channel between North
Midwest USA [Chicago] and Ontario [Canada] which is the Great Lakes (plus
the Chicago Ship Canal). I have asked Mifune to put this in because it involves
difficult, mini-entry exit hexes and a least one angled arrow to explain where the
ships are moving. Hopefully he will be able to modify these panels to show the new
lane and the new entry exit hexes as well as add missing names and, if we are
very lucky, some means to indicate the new shipping channels are seasonal
(blocked by ice in Winter and during Spring "breakup" seasons). As usual lately,
the new pwhexe.dat file also 'expands' the usable area in the SW map portion
of the Indian Ocean.

There are a few revised Allied devices, with respect to build dates. There are numbers of modified aircraft durability values for Japanese multi engine aircraft
(Nell, Betty, transport aircraft families and some specialized cases including
the FW-200 Condor and the G10N1/Ki-177 "Japanese B-36" in scenarios which
have them).

In addition to new map art panels, there is a new Axis (side) aircraft filmstrip.
Changes are entirely cosmetic - getting rid of vertical bars on the side of the image
which should be sky. Mifune is going to try to clean up some of the images with
poor backgrounds - but these few were within my skill set.

In addition to scenario files, art files and map support files, there are a few revisions to documentation files, mainly aircraft documentation.

The aircraft and aircraft art changes here will be released in a Level I update tomorrow.

Very much appreciate the continued improvements.

Sid, what is the reason RHS gives so many political points from the offset?
I definitely appreciate the ability to transfer units from a CONUS or otherwise committed command to one of an emerging theater of operations, (as in real life), but am concerned that I may be getting ALL of my political points in one fell swoop, rather than earning them thru time?
In a nutshell...will I continue to get political points as the days pass?