tower defense Significant Roadmap

13 Responses

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1. Bishop says

   An excellent book with photos and line drawings of the Anti Aircraft Towers the Germans built in WWII. It is amazing how much energy and resources were put into these fortifications, some of which still stand today. Tearing them down was too much effort. I think the book is a perfect length on this subject. There are photos during, after contstruction, as well as photos of the interior after the war. I am glad I purchased this book and recommend it for anyone interested in the history of fortifications.

   December 13, 2009, 1:15 pm
2. Termath says

   This book provides a fair explanation of the background, use, and effectiveness of what came to be known as the Flak Towers used by the Germans in World War II.

   The Flak Towers were massive structures up to 12 stories high built of reinforced concrete whose exterior walls and roofs were up to 10 feet thick. They were designed and built in response to the Allied bombing of Berlin in August 1940. Flak Towers were only built in or around three cities: Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna. A total of 16 Flak Towers were built. Three sets (6 total) in Berlin, three in Vienna, and two in Hamburg.

   The Flak Towers always came in pairs. Although both towers in each pair usually contained a multitude of Flak guns from 20mm to 128mm, one tower (always the taller and larger of the two) was commonly known as the gun tower on which four 128mm Flak cannons were placed on the roof. The second tower of each pair was commonly known as the radio or command tower. The primary function of the command tower was to scout oncoming Allied planes and notify the gun tower of sightlines on the planes. Alhtough not clearly explained in this book, it appears the necessity of a separate radio tower was due to the massive shock waves created by the simultaneous firing of multitudinous 128mm Flak cannon in the gun tower which either interfered with the radio waves themselves used by the radio tower to locate enemy planes or with the ability of personnel to use the radio equipment.

   Each pair of towers was also self-contained, with, e.g., their own power and water supply. The towers were used for a multitude of purposes other than defense. For example, each set of towers appears to have had its own hospital. In addition, several sets of towers had specific floors set aside for the storage and preservation of art treasures from German musuems in Berlin and Vienna. Most commonly, the towers served as a refuge for civilians during Allied bombing runs. (Estimates of civilians holed up in a single one of these structures at the end of the war run from 20,000 to 40,000 and it is generally accepted that 20,000 is not an unlikely number.)

   The Flak Towers were considered to be both impregnable and indestructible and by and large lived up to their reputation as none of the towers was ever toppled or even heavily damaged during the war despite being repeatedly hit by bombs and heavy artillery. After the war, for reasons that are unexplained, most were destroyed (but only after repeated and extensive demolition) in one fashion or another by the Allied powers in control of that sector of Germany in which they remained and then turned into rubble, which for each tower was a monumental task in itself.

   This book is the only one of its kind that I could find in English. For that reason it deserves special merit. Unfortunately, the book suffers in several respects. First, the book was originally written in German and the translation often suffers in clarity (although whether this is due to the original text or the translation is unclear). Second, the text of the book is too choppy as subjects do not appear to be treated comprehensively or in an organized fashion. Third, the book contains a few anecdotes about the Flak Towers (e.g., (1) Hitler’s famous call, “Where is Wenck?”, originated from the Zoo Flak Tower in Berlin, which contained the last working radio communcations control center in the city in April 1945; (2) although it was claimed dozens of “old master” works from Vienna museums were destroyed by fire in one of the Vienna Flak Towers at the end of the war, many of these works nonetheless appeared on the art market over the years; and (3) apparently German spectators at the site of one of the many attempts to demolish one of the Flak Towers after the war proudly cheered “German made! German made!” when the tower refused to fall) but does not contain any stories per se by Flak Tower survivors (i.e., those that worked, fought, or sought refuge in them). Fourth, much of the information provided is incomplete or contradictory so that the book only provides a very basic or general review of these structures.

   That being said (and the author does acknowledge that information on the Flak Towers is woefully incomplete), the book is a fascinating look at this aspect of German defenses in World War II, particularly as it relates to the last days of WWII in Berlin when the Zoo Flak Tower was such a focal point for civilians and soldiers alike but is not likely to be of much interest to anyone other than serious students of the history of German defenses during World War II. (The book includes pictures of actual scale models used in designing the Flak Towers as well as photos of the towers during construction, in use, and after the war, including demolitions.)

   December 14, 2009, 1:48 am
3. Unterseher says

   You will find numerous pictures of Nazi flak towers during the period mentioned in the book’s title, but I felt that wartime anecdotes from TurmFlak crews, as well as more technical data, would have enhanced this work. Still, it is a good presentation of defensive works that often go overlooked in World War 2 history.

   December 14, 2009, 1:52 pm
4. Frederick says

   This is a very interesting book about a very specific subject; almost no one so far had created a publication about these mighty FLAK towers, forgotten to all but those who sheltered and fought in them. The pictures are generally good and almost never seen before, and the text is informative and pleasant. This is a very useful book about a little known subject, a must for all those who studied the bombing offensive over the III Reich.

   December 15, 2009, 1:27 am
5. Iglesias says

   During World War Two Germany made some of the most unique military structures in history – their Flak Towers.

   These were heavily reinforced massive concrete and steel structures designed to provide both platforms for the flak guns to fire against Allied air attacks and also to provide bomb shelters for the civilians seeking protection from those air attacks.

   Whereas most bomb shelters and military bunkers were built into or below ground, these Flak Towers had to be built above ground. Their size and structure made them very unique and thus a fascinating thing to learn more about.

   Michael Foedrowitz does an excellent job of detailing Germany’s Flak Towers. There are plenty of photographs of each and he recounts the history of their construction, use during the war, and their eventual demise – or continued use to this day.

   This is a little covered historical subject and this book, slim as it is, does a good job of providing a great wealth of detail on these wartime creations.

   December 15, 2009, 1:40 pm
6. Rees says

   This game is addictive and fun as hell. Great gameplay, lots of action and great create features for this style of game. Very well done.

   December 16, 2009, 1:32 am
7. Rannie says

   I have been playing this game on the pc for years now. Very addictive. Could have been an actual game by itself…..and now it finally is!!!!!!!!! You guys can finally get rewarded for your hard work.

   P.S. Don’t listen to the guy above me. Read the comments I made on his post.

   December 16, 2009, 1:44 pm
8. Patino says

   I’ve played DTD online at Kongregate until my fingers bled. I love it, and the challenges it presents. So I was glad to see there was a version of the game for DS, so I could play it at times when I didn’t have access to my computer.

   If you’re buying this for something new, you’re likely to be disappointed. But as a new way to play the same game, it’s a very faithful version of the game, with a few slight twists on how the game works.

   Definitely one of the best TD games out there. Now if only they would bring a version of Gemcraft to the DS…

   December 17, 2009, 1:02 am
9. Newhart says

   I love the flash game you can play for free on Internet, but this DS version is SO bad it hurts:
   _ The graphics are very poor and have only, like, 32 colors. Don’t expect the cool design from the flash version.
   _ The playability is horrible. The buttons work during the game, but not with the menus, so you have to switch buttons/stylus again and again.
   _ The user interface is NOT lisible and feels as a 1990s game. Why important informations like money and health are not display in bigger size ? Also it’s hard to tell the difference between tower’s upgrades.

   All in all, this game is a quick, dirty port of a wonderfull PC game. A lot of homebrews are way better than this and are free !

   So if you enjoy tower defence games, i suggest to stick with NinjaTown (wonderfull gem, but sadly too short) until another one came out.

   December 17, 2009, 1:08 pm
10. Quade says

    Some points:

    I have this and the the austin air hm-400. I actually like the hm-400 better because: 1) its louder, but it has a white noise sound (like an HCAV unit makes). The rabbit has a motor sound. 2) I dont believe this actually filters much on low or quiet.

    The major selling point for me on this was the claimed noise level. I wish I had a DB sensor, because i can still clearly hear it at night if its in our room (on quiet!). I can hear the motor spinning. Maybe its a problem with the unit, who knows, but i thought it was suppose to be inaudible on quiet.

    I have a strong feeling that the cubic feet estimate is not realalistic unless its on high or turbo which is too loud for me. I didnt notice any difference in air quality with this.

    The mood light is stupid, but at least you can turn it off.

    The charcoal filter is also a bit silly. They say its washable, ha! Show me how washing it takes out the smell. Be prepared to buy a new one a few times a year (30 a pop)

    Pros:
    Great looking
    Energy star
    electronic
    fairly quiet

    cons
    price
    doesnt filter what it says it does unless its on a higher setting
    charcoal filter will be expensive to replace frequently.

    December 18, 2009, 1:09 am
11. Bloomer says

    My review is more of a personal story than a technical review as you can find all of the tech info about this product elsewhere. I am sure there our other folks out there who will be able to relate to what I relay below and I have not seen other reviews (of almost any air purifying product) like it, so I though that I would chime in…

    My fiance has asthma and suffers from severe allergies – both seasonal and pet related. We have 3 dogs and she has suffered for years with asthma flair-ups because of them – to the point where she was constantly miserable, could not breath, and would need to take 2-3 doses of albuterol per day just to cope. Bedtime was especially difficult and it was extremely rare for her to not need the medication then.

    We tried everything…doctor visits, allergy medications of all sorts, moving our bedroom to every room in the house…putting filters on our fans and A/C…leaving the windows closed or open…using a variety of (less expensive) air purifiers – both HEPA and Ionic. Nothing worked and she was in constant misery.

    Enter the Minus A2. I was out of ideas and doing my Amazon homework about air purifiers, once again, when I came across this unit. It was expensive but I decided to spend the money and try it out. I could always return it.

    It arrived quickly and well-packaged. In fact, everything about this product says “quality”. I set it up and ran it (I opted for the Pet Allergy extra filter) for a few hours that night while she was at work. As soon as she entered the living room she noticed the improvement in the air quality. We moved it upstairs and, lo and behold, she did not need to use her medication for the fist night in months! For 2 weeks now we have moved it between downstairs during the day and upstairs at night and she has only had to use the pump 1 time – and that was after she cleaned the house for 4 hours one day. This product has been truly amazing. I really thought she would never find comfort in our house again but things are so much better now and it has made everything about our time in the house better.

    We have yet to try it out in full allergy season but I will be buying another one before then so the whole house can be covered all the time. This was literally a saving grace type of product for us and I could not recommend it highly enough. I cannot guarantee it will work as well for others as it did for us, but we are highly satisfied.

    Just as an aside…we tend to run the product on medium or higher speed. It makes a bit of noise but we like the white noise at night for sleeping so we leave it set there. I cannot vouch for how well it filters on the lower speed but the Low/silent speeds are very quiet indeed – if that is what you need. The lights on it are bright but we turn off the mood light and face the unit towards a wall to deflect the power light. I am a light sleeper but the added light does not bother me.

    I hope this helps and we highly recommend this unit.

    December 18, 2009, 1:30 pm
12. Underwood says

    Shipping was super fast and customer service is wonderful at Rabbit Air. I can notice a little difference when I wake up as far as air purification goes but nothing dramatic for me anyway.

    December 19, 2009, 1:24 am
13. Islas says

    Keeps it promises. Quiet, effective but expensive. I needed to lower pet allergy symptoms and it seems to be working quite well. Also, pet odors have been eliminated.
    If it is economical regarding filter changes, then I will be 100% satisfied but as it is new, I don’t know what the future financial obligations will be.

    December 19, 2009, 1:44 pm