Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army ( )

Transcription

1 Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army ( ) The United States didn t start this war, but now that we are in it, we mean to finish it. Before the start of this war, the US Army was a small force with very few modern weapons. Since then, the army has increased in size 20 times. This is a modern war, a war of machines; and the US is going to win it using modern practices and machinery. The US Army is the most advanced on the planet Earth. It is the most automated and mechanised army ever. The fact that the army expanded and become this sophisticated so quickly testifies to the industrial might of the Arsenal of Democracy, the United States of America. Not only that, but using modern mass-production techniques the US supplies weapons to all of the other Allied countries. Everyone uses US tanks; the Limeys, Canuks, and Ruskis, even the Frenchies! Sometimes you see Nazi propaganda saying US tanks aren t very good. Well that s not true, the M4 Medium Tank, the General Sherman, is a good tank, reliable and it sure gets the job done. It s the tank that s going to win the war for us. Sure, the Krauts have some good tanks. I mean, Army Intelligence reckons that each heavy German Tiger tank can knock out four of our M4 Sherman tanks before we get it. Where we win though, is that the Heinies only make 80 Tigers a month, while the US is producing ten times as many Shermans. Hey, maybe Adolf should do his sums. Unlike Hitler s Nazi supermen, the GI (US soldiers call themselves GIs, from the Government Issue logo stamped on their equipment) is just a normal Joe. The scientific methods of the army start right from when the US citizen is recruited. Psychological tests ensure that the brightest and the best soldiers are sent to the technical branches (like the air force, armor, and artillery) where their skills are most needed. Once assigned to their speciality, extensive training turns these farm boys, steel workers, and college graduates into the best-trained soldiers in the world. Mostly they aren t really that fired up about the war. Being a soldier is just a job like any other. It s not a great job, but someone s gotta do it. Although the Armored Forces haven t been around long, the tank units often have proud traditions dating back to the Civil War or further. They still see them selves as the best. Tankers don t like getting dragged into the slow, meat-grinder battles of the ground pounders, the infantry. As they see it, tanks are for mobile warfare. They are out to Blitz the Nazi s all the way back to Berlin. Let them go under leaders like Patton, and they ll be advancing so fast, the Krauts won t know which way to run! Everything in a US Armored Division moves on tracks, even the infantry. No other army in the world has armored halftracks for all of their armored infantry. With gear festooned over their half-tracks, the infantry look like a gypsy caravan on the move. A lot of that gear is extra weapons though. They can keep up with the tanks, and pack a serious punch. Working closely with the tankers, the armored infantry make sure that the Heinies keep running, digging them out of any villages or woods they try to hide in. You gotta know though, that the infantry see the tread heads in a different light. The gloryhounds of the Armored Forces wouldn t get their mobile battles if the footsloggers didn t win the battle for them first! When the Krauts dig in, they really dig in, and only the infantry can dig them back out again. As for tradition, the Infantry go way back. The tankers reckon that the infantry lack imagination, but when the Krauts hold a continuous front line, all there is to do is keep pushing right along the line until something breaks. Unfortunately, casualties have been unexpectedly high, way higher than the brains at HQ thought they would be before the war. A lot of units, especially the infantry have a shortage of personnel. It ain t helped that said brains decided that you didn t need any skills to be a rifleman, so they assigned the lowest grade of recruits there, as determined by the psychological tests. Even the transport corps got better material! To make it worse, since they thought so little of riflemen, they figured they were all interchangeable, like cogs in a machine. So they came up with the idea of a Replacement Depot (or Repple Depple ) where all the spare parts, the replacements and wounded soldiers returning to battle go. When a unit needs a few new guys, they ll send whoever s there. You don t get to fight with your buddies, the guys you trained with for months, you don t get nothing. Sometimes, sick or lightly wounded soldiers won t go to the rear for help, because they know they ll never see their buddies again if they do. Where the infantry win out though, is the amount of firepower backing them up. The US Army has the best artillery in the world, and the US Army Air Force hasn t been beaten yet. The guns and planes blast enemy positions before the GI s go in. If this bombardment isn t enough for the Krauts, the infantry have their own machine-guns, mortars, cannon, and tanks to do the job. The US Army likes to buy its victories with explosives and steel not with the lives of its soldiers. US Company Choices You can base your US force on: a Tank Company, an Armored Rifle Company (Mechanised Infantry Company), or a Rifle Company (Infantry Company). Motivation and Experience The US Army is a relative newcomer to the war. Its troops are as well trained as they could be and have excellent equipment, but they are still gaining that vital battlefield experience. Most troops in a US force are rated as Confident Veteran, except for troops in a Rifle Company, which are rated as Reluctant Veteran. Page 1

2 US Artillery US artillery is possibly the best in the world. Flexible organizations and high levels of training, combined with plenty of excellent radios, allow even junior officers to call down massive amounts of fire support. A US or 2iC Command can act as an observer and request artillery fire in the same manner as a Company Command. Under Command The Tank and Armored Rifle Companies mortar and assault gun platoons cooperate closely with the combat companies. Constant practice and excellent radio communications allow them to bring down quick and effective fire. When calling for artillery bombardments from their company s own Armored Mortar or Assaultgun, Command s do not suffer their normal +1 penalty to range in. SPECIAL RULES Light Mortar Teams The 60mm M2 mortar packs a good punch for its small size, and will often be called upon to get the company out of tight spots. Sometimes the mortar crews will get quite close to the enemy and direct pinpoint fire on individual enemy positions. Other times they will stand back and fire bombardments like medium mortars. US 60mm light mortar s can choose to fire as normal Light Mortar s, but with ROF 2 and Firepower 4+, or as a close-support mortar firing an mortar bombardment at up to twice their usual range. LMG Team The Browning M calibre light machine-gun is beltfed and mounted on a tripod like a heavy machine-gun. An LMG fights as an HMG with a Range of 16 /40cm and a ROF of 3. Like an HMG, an LMG has ROF 2 if Pinned Down and cannot fire if it moves. Time On Target Every US artillery staff has a fire control computor of immense sophistication. After checking the wind, temperature, and range, the battery staff officer selects the corresponding book and looks up the settings for every gun. This scientific marvel allows the officer to compute the flight time for each shell. By working backwards, they can have every shell land at the same time without warning. With no time to react, troop concentrations caught in such a time on target (TOT) bombardment are smashed before they have time to find cover. If a Towed or Armored Artillery Battery with a staff ranges in on their first attempt, they can fire a TOT bombardment. Every hit by a TOT bombardment re-rolls successful saves as they scramble for cover and batten down the hatches. US Weapons.50 cal Teams Although the M2.50 cal heavy machine-gun is a better weapon than the water-cooled M cal machine-guns of the machine-gun platoon, it is usually operated by riflemen who lack the training and ammunition to engage targets beyond normal rifle range. Due to the extreme weight of the weapon and its ammunition, an M2.50 cal MG is a Gun, not an Infantry. An M2.50 cal MG shoots as an HMG with a Range of 16 /40cm, a ROF of 3, and an Anti-tank rating of 4. Like an HMG, an M2.50 cal MG has ROF 2 if Pinned Down and cannot fire if it moves. Calliope The Calliope rocket launcher has 60 launch tubes. This huge volume of fire makes a single launcher enough for most tasks. Marching Fire The US Army is equipped with the M1 Garand self-loading rifle and the Browning automatic rifle (B.A.R.). These weapons allow US infantry to advance and still maintain a high rate of fire. When using this marching fire, the infantry walk forward pumping slugs into the enemy positions. This isn t very accurate, but fire enough rounds and you are going to hit something sooner or later. A Rifle/MG using marching fire can: fire its weapons at ROF 2, but adds a penalty of +1 to the score needed to hit. A Rifle or Carbine using marching fire does not suffer the usual +1 to hit penalty for firing a ROF 1 weapon while moving. A can choose not to use Marching Fire and fire at the normal rate if you prefer. Pioneers Combat engineers are equipped with explosive charges for demolition work. They are equally effective against tanks. Pioneer s have an Anti-tank rating of 3 in assaults. Poor HE The 57mm and 3 anti-tank gun is a good anti-tank gun, but has poor high-explosive (HE) rounds limiting their performance against infantry, guns, and unarmored vehicles. Reduce the Firepower rating of 3 anti-tank guns to 4+ against unarmored targets and that of the 57mm to 5+. Self-defence Anti-aircraft Guns. Many US vehicles carry machine-guns for self-defence against aircraft. Self-defence anti-aircraft guns can only shoot at aircraft that are attacking their own platoon. Re-roll misses, even when only a single launcher is firing. If multiple launchers fire, place a template for each as if they were separate batteries. A Calliope rocket launcher may only fire one bombardment in a game. Calliope rocket launchers are one-use weapons. Remove the tank once it has fired its rockets as it returns to the rear to reload. Page 2

3 US Vehicles Armored Car Dismounts The crew of an M8 Greyhound armored car can dismount to scout on foot or occupy defensive positions when necessary. Many crews carry an extra scout on the back of the car to keep their dismount strength up. You may dismount the crew of an M8 Greyhound armored car at the start of the Movement step by removing the armoured car and replacing it with either a Carbine or an M2.50 cal MG. Awkward Layout The M12 GMC carries a 155mm Long Tom gun on a modified M3 tank chassis. The gun is so big that the crew have to dismount to load it. Due to the danger to the driver when firing, vehicles with awkward layouts cannot shoot their main weapon if they move more than 2 /5cm in the Movement step. Light Tank The M5 Stuart light tanks have powerful radial aircraft engines allowing them to move at very high speed. Light tanks move 16 /40cm when moving on Roads or Cross-country. Mortar Carrier The M4 Mortar Motor Carriage is a specialist mortar-carrying half-track. Normal practice is to fire the mortar from the vehicle, but if necessary, you can dismount the mortar and send the half-track to the rear. You may dismount the mortar by removing the halftrack and replacing it with an M1 81 mm mortar. No Power Traverse In order to fit the 105mm howitzer into an M4 Sherman tank turret, the power traverse and stabiliser have been removed. 105mm-armed Sherman tanks count traversing their turret as movement due to a lack of powered turret traverse. Overloaded The M4 Sherman Jumbo assault tank is seriously overloaded with 6 of armor on a standard M4 Sherman chassis. M4 Sherman Jumbo tanks bog down on a roll of 1 or 2, rather than the usual 1, and can not move faster than 8 /20cm. Ronson Sherman tanks had a terrible reputation for burning when hit. Their crews referred to them as "Ronsons" since in the words of the advertisement they "light first time. The German nickname was simpler, "Tommy Cooker. The opposing player re-rolls any failed Firepower tests to destroy an M4 Sherman tank. Sandbag Armor The arrival of the Panzerfaust, a German rocket launcher made US tanks extremely vulnerable to infantry attack. The crews responded by covering the outside of the tank with a layer of sandbags. Any US tank can have sandbag armour fitted for +5 points. The sandbags must be modelled on the vehicle. When a tank that is protected by sandbag armor is hit by an infantry s shooting or Panzerfaust launchers in assaults and fails its armor Save, roll a special 4+ save: If the save is successful the sandbags protect the tank from damage. If the save is not successful the shot penetrated as normal. Stabilizers US tanks are the first in the world to be equipped with gyrostabilisers as standard equipment. A stabiliser is a device fitted to the tank s gun that keeps it pointing at the target when the tank is moving. With the assistance of the gyrostabiliser, the gunner can stay on target while the tank is moving. A moving tank fitted with a stabiliser can: fire its weapons at their full ROF, but adds a penalty of +1 to the score needed to hit. A tank can choose not to use its stabiliser and fire at the normal rate if you prefer. Tank Dozer The US Army pioneered the use of tank dozers tanks fitted with bulldozer blades. Tank dozers allow Tank Companies to clear away obstacles and breach barriers that would otherwise impede their advance. A tank fitted with a dozer blade can spend a turn clearing and breaching an obstacle rather than moving. Roll a Skill test for the tank dozer. If the tank passes the Skill test, the tank clears onetank wide gap in an obstacle rated as Difficult Going, or reduces an obstacle rated as Very Difficult Going down to Difficult Going over a one-tank width gap. Very Slow Bulldozers are built for power not speed. Bulldozers move 6 /15cm on Roads or Cross-country. Wide-tracks The improved suspension and wider tracks of the M4A3E8 Easy Eight model of Sherman tank give it excellent crosscountry performance. If a M4A3E8 Easy Eight tank becomes Bogged Down, roll again. On a roll of 4+, the tank immediately frees itself and continues moving. Page 3

4 Firing Machine-guns From Transports Most US transport vehicles were only crewed by a driver, making it possible to fire their weapons only when passengers are mounted in the vehicle. s, trucks, and M2 and M3 half-tracks can only fire their machine-guns if a passenger is mounted. Passengers cannot fire their own weapons unless they are in a jeep. If a passenger is firing a jeep s machine-gun, it cannot fire its own weapons. Mounting LMG s And HMG s On Transports Machine-gunners don t just sit idly in their half-tracks, they mount their machine-guns on the sides and blaze away as the half-track carries them forward. LMG and HMG s that mount a half-track can fit their machine-guns to the sides of the vehicle converting them into vehicle-mounted AA MG s. When the dismounts, it takes its machine-gun with it. As with all vehicle-mounted machine-guns, only the first may fire at full ROF. All additional machine-guns only fire at ROF 1. Vehicle Machine-guns Fields Of Fire When a vehicle has more than one machine-gun mounted, they each cover a certain arc of fire. A half-track or armored car with more than one machinegun mounted will have the.50 cal MG mounted to allow all-round fire. Any additional AA MG s are mounted one on each side of the vehicle firing off to the side. A line drawn along the side of the vehicle from straight ahead to straight behind gives the limits of their field of fire. Dismounting Machine-guns Lots of transport vehicles carry anti-aircraft machine-guns. Normally they re left on the vehicle, but when the platoon needs more firepower, they can be taken off the vehicles and fired from a tripod mount. Any infantry carried as passengers in a transport vehicle may dismount the vehicle s.50 cal MG, becoming an M2.50 cal MG, or AA MG, becoming an LMG. A passenger cannot dismount in a turn in which it fires a vehicle-mounted machine-gun. The must remount the vehicle to replace the machine-gun on the vehicle and return to their original type of. You may not dismount the.50 cal MG or an AA MG unless you have an M2.50 cal MG or LMG modelled to replace the infantry that dismounted it. Air Support The US Army Air Force (USAAF) rules the skies. Enemy aircraft are a rare sight indeed. Before big attacks the 8th Air Force unloads thousands of tons of bombs on the Krauts, and then the Jugs and Lightnings of the 9th Air Force strafe and bomb them as the attack begins. With the inevitable accidents, some of the guys have taken to calling them the American Luftwaffe, but mostly, they do a fine job. You may request Limited air support at a cost of 100 points. Limited air support will provide supporting ground attack aircraft and fighters on a roll of a 5+. You may request Priority air support at a cost of 200 points. Priority air support will provide supporting ground attack aircraft and fighters on a roll of a 4+. Aircraft Weapons Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower P47 Thunderbolt Bombs 4 /10cm Rockets 8 /20cm P38 Lightning Bombs 4 /10cm Rockets 8 /20cm US Rockets The USAAF used rockets in small numbers, however they found their 4.5 rockets very inaccurate (even compared with other rockets) and lacking in punch. However, a direct hit would knock out almost any tank. Page 4

5 A US Armored Division is a balanced combined-arms force of three tank battalions, three armored infantry battalions, backed up by three artillery battalions. Each battalion is the core of a combat, a flexible formation of tanks and armored infantry, usually named after their commander, such as Team Cherry. A tank battalion forms a Tank-heavy Combat Team by swapping one of its companies for an armored infantry company. The combat s do the same job that horsed cavalry once did once the infantry bludgeon a hole in the Kraut defences, the tanks Blitz them. Before the Krauts can figure out what hit them, they ll be cut off and overrun. It don t always work out that way, though. Either the tanks have to make the opening for themselves, or Fritz manages to put in a Tank Company counterattack and the tanks end up trying to hold on to what they already got. Of course, not all of the tanks are in the Armored Divisions. Nearly half get split up amongst the infantry divisions to help them out. The US Army has very few heavily armored tanks they can be useful, but tend to slow the attack down. The few Sherman Jumbos that they do have, are used to support the infantry, since US armored commanders like to rely on speed and daring instead of heavy armor. The division s other troops, such as reconnaissance troops, tank destroyer companies and lots of artillery, back-up the tanks and infantry of the tank battalion - ensuring that any opposition can be overcome. What Is In A Tank Company? A force based around a Tank Company must contain: a Company HQ, and at least two Tanks s. Weapons s available to a Tank Company are: a Light Tank, a Recon, an Assault Gun, and an Armored Mortar. Support s for a Tank Company can be: Armored Rifle s, and Divisional Support s. You may have up to two Support s attached to your company for each Tank you are fielding. Motivation And Experience Tank Companies are Confident Veteran. HQ 1 Company HQ Company HQ with: 2 M4, M4A1, or M4A3 Sherman 190 points s Equip 2iC Command M4, M4A1 or M4A3 Sherman tank with a dozer blade for +5 points. Upgrade any or all M4, M4A1 or M4A3 Sherman tanks to: M4A3 Sherman (late) tanks for +20 points per tank, M4A1 or M4A3 Sherman (76) tanks for +25 points per tank, or M4A3E8 Easy Eight tanks for +30 points per tank. Add M4 or M4A3 Sherman (105) assault gun for +100 points. Add M31 tank recovery vehicle for +10 points or M32 tank recovery vehicle for +30 points. Assault gun Tank recovery vehicle Medium Tank Companies are assigned seventeen M4 Sherman tanks under the command of a Captain. The Company headquarters includes the Captain s personal Sherman, his second in command s Sherman and a tank recovery vehicle (for rescuing damaged or stuck tanks and returning them to action). If available, a Sherman armed with a 105mm howitzer may be assigned to the Captain s headquarters as well. Page 5

6 2 or 3 Tank s Combat s 5 M4, M4A1, or M4A3 Sherman 480 points 4 M4, M4A1, or M4A3 Sherman 385 points 3 M4, M4A1, or M4A3 Sherman 290 points s Upgrade up to three M4, M4A1 or M4A3 Sherman tanks to: M4A3 Sherman (late) tanks for +20 points per tank, M4A1 or M4A3 Sherman (76) tanks for +25 points per tank, M4A3E8 Easy Eight tanks for +30 points per tank, M4A3E2 Jumbo tanks for +35 points per tank, or M4A3E2 Jumbo (76) tanks for +45 points per tank. The platoon is equipped with the M4 Sherman tank. The Sherman is the standard tank of the Western Allies. The M4 has been in service for several years now and is still a good tank. It is outclassed by the latest German tank designs like the Panther and Tiger. Nevertheless, when working in close cooperation with infantry, artillery, and tank destroyers the Sherman comes into its own. Moreover, once a hole is punched through the enemy defences, the Sherman s reliable engine and good mobility means that US combat s will surge through the gap, creating havoc in the enemy rear areas! By the end of 1944, roughly one tank per platoon was armed with a 76mm gun. By the end of the war this had increased to as many as three tanks in a platoon in some units. The up-armored M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo assault tank was initially issued to battalions assigned for infantry support operations. However, the heavy fighting at the end of the year saw armored divisions demanding some as well. When available the point tank of each platoon would be the heavily armored Jumbo. Jumbos Lead The Way The owning player may allocate hits amongst the Sherman tanks of their Tank as if they all had the same armor. They do not need to allocate hits to the most lightly armored tanks first (as normal with the Hit The Easiest Target First rule), although they must still allocate hits against side armor before front armor. 0 to 1 Light Tank Weapons s 5 M5 or M5A1 Stuart 260 points 4 M5 or M5A1 Stuart 210 points 3 M5 or M5A1 Stuart 160 points 5 M24 Chaffee 505 points 4 M24 Chaffee 405 points 3 M24 Chaffee 305 points The US Army is one of the few that still use light tanks, but, used intelligently, they still earn their keep. Each tank battalion has a light tank company to keep the Krauts away from the flanks and to help the armored infantry on occasion. The light tanks won t take on the big Kraut tanks, but they sure make a mess of Nazi armored cars. They ain t so bad against the infantry neither. Light Tank Page 6

7 0 to 1 Recon 2 Recon Squads 95 points 1 Recon Squad 70 points Add for +20 points. Arm any or all s with an AA MG for +5 points per. Your force may not contain more than one Recon, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company. Command Rifle The Recon is equipped with jeeps to allow it to get in, get the information, and get out again before the Krauts can respond. The Recon platoon scouts ahead to locate any Nazi ambushes and stop their reconnaissance troops from gaining information about the combat s movements. The recon platoon isn t there to fight, it s there to survive and report. Sometimes the Recon just have to shoot their way out, though, so, the jeeps are often fitted with.50 cal heavy-machine-guns. Recon s are reconnaissance platoons may use the Reconnaissance rules to avoid enemy fire. Historically, the s of the Recon s only carry a driver and two scouts each. A of four scouts is split over two s. In Flames Of War, you can model a scout s transport as either one or two s, but either way they count as a single transport they must always remain together and count as a single target for shooting. If one is destroyed, they both are destroyed. You may choose to base the two vehicles together to show this. 0 to 1 Assault Gun 3 M4 or M4A3 Sherman (105) 325 points 2 M4 or M4A3 Sherman (105) 225 points M3 half-track 3 M4 Sherman Calliope 225 points 2 M4 Sherman Calliope 160 points 3 M7 Priest HMC 245 points 2 M7 Priest HMC 175 points 3 M8 Scott HMC 240 points 2 M8 Scott HMC 170 points Your force may not contain more than one Assault Gun, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company. The Assault Gun can fire right at targets, unlike the mortars. The M4 Sherman (105) assault gun s big highexplosive shells smash Fritz s bunkers real well. The only drawback to this direct fire is that the tanks have to expose themselves to Fritz s return fire. If this is a problem, though, they just sit back and lob the shells in like artillery. Real versatile piece of equipment ain t it. Some battalions are experimenting with M4 Sherman tanks fitted with 4.5 T34 Rocket Launchers (known as Calliope after a s organ). Each of these tanks has the firepower of an entire division, even if it is just for one shot! Blasting them Krauts with all 180 rockets really makes a mess of their day. The Sherman (105) took some time to enter service, so until D-Day, many Assault Gun s were equipped with M7 Priest HMC self-propelled guns. Tank units generally replaced these before going into battle, but the armored infantry kept the M7 Priest HMC throughout. The light M8 Scott HMC was considered too light for the role by the time it entered service, and generally only appeared in the assault gun units of the reconnaissance troops. Page 7

8 0 to 1 Mortar 3 Mortar Sections 155 points 2 Mortar Sections 110 points Arm any or all M4 81mm MMC half-tracks with a.50 cal AA MG for +5 points per half-track. Your force may not contain more than one Mortar, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company. In the Mortar, the company commander has a small but deadly artillery unit. The mortar platoon is equipped with the standard 81mm medium mortar mounted in an M4 Mortar Carrier. Putting the mortars in armored half-tracks allows the mortars to operate at the pace of the tanks and armored infantry. The weapon is mounted ready to fire in the back of the half-track. Without the need to dismount and set up the mortar, they can hit the Heinies immediately they show up. M4 81mm MMC half-track M3 half-track M4 81mm MMC half-track M4 81mm MMC half-track Page 8

9 Armored Rifle Company (Mechanised Infantry Company) The armored doughs or blitz doughs, as the armored infantry are known (it s a reference to the doughboys, the infantry of WWI), ride in armored half-track personnel carriers. The blitz doughs have every imaginable weapon: machine-guns, mortars, bazookas, anti-tank guns, and howitzers. You name it, they ve got it. That don t include the stuff they found neither. Mostly they trade a company with a tank battalion and grab a tank destroyer platoon to form an infantry-heavy combinedarms combat. The combat packs nearly as much punch as it is a mouthful to say too. With all that firepower and armor, the blitz doughs can handle most anything that the Krauts can put up. If Fritz digs in, the armored doughs dismount and dig him right back out again. They ve got the firepower to do it. If Fritz keeps moving, the blitz doughs just run rings around them. What Is In An Armored Rifle Company? A force based around an Armored Rifle Company must contain: a Company HQ, and at least two Armored Rifle s. Weapons s available to an Armored Rifle Company are: an Anti-tank, a Machine-gun, a Recon, an Assault Gun, and an Armored Mortar. Support s for an Armored Rifle Company can be: Tank s, Light Tank s, and Divisional Support s. You may have up to two Support s attached to your company for each Armored Rifle you are fielding. Motivation And Experience An Armored Rifle Company is Confident Veteran. HQ 1 Company HQ Company HQ Add for +20 points. 45 points Armored rifle companies are mounted in M3 half-track personnel carriers. The half-tracks can keep up with the tanks, and have enough armor to get the infantry right up close to the Heinies before they have to dismount. They have plenty of machine-guns, mortars and bazookas too, so when they do get out, the Krauts better look out. You don t get to lead these guys by being stupid. You gotta do well in the psych tests to get into the armored infantry. You gotta be darn good, cause there ain t many slots. M3 half-track Anti-tank Page 9

10 2 or 3 Armored Rifle s Combat s Light Machine-gun Squad, 60mm Mortar Squad, and 2 Rifle Squads 310 points 1 Rifle Squad 245 points Command Rifle M3 half-track The blitz doughs of an Armored Rifle pack five.30 cal light machine-guns, no less than two.50 cal heavy machine-guns, five bazookas, and a 60mm mortar, as well as their personal weapons. You gotta think a bit to make use of all this hardware. Your rifle squads are easy. These are your assault group. You use these to take the fight to the Krauts up close and personal like, shooting from the hip as you go like a bunch of cowboys in the movies. Your fourth squad, the 60mm mortar, is your artillery. It ain t much on its own, but it does keep the Kraut s heads down. Your real firepower though, is in the fifth squad with its.30 cal light machine-guns. Stick them way outfield on a flank to keep Fritz interested while you make an assault. They re also the big guns when the Nazis counterattack. You gotta be careful with your half-tracks. So long as Fritz ain t shooting much, they ll keep you safe. The.50 cal s really help too. You gotta watch it, though. Give Fritz half a chance and you ll be walking to Berlin. Mostly you re better off sending em to the rear when you get out. M3 half-track 0 to 1 Anti-tank 3 Anti-tank Sections 145 points 2 Anti-tank Sections 105 points 1 Anti-tank Section 65 points Weapons s Lieutenant with.50 cal AA MG Add s for +20 points per. The 57mm M1 anti-tank gun is way better than the old 37mm M3. This baby will punch a nice big hole in any Nazi tank. At least that s what they told us back Stateside. It don t do much to Panthers and Tigers though. Still they always give us a mess of tank destroyers for that, so a lot of the companies have given up on the 57mm and used the doughs as riflemen to make up numbers. They can be handy though, against the lighter Kraut Mark IV s. M1 57mm gun Anti-tank Section M1 57mm gun Anti-tank Section M1 57mm gun Anti-tank Section Anti-tank Page 10

11 0 to 1 Machine-gun 2 Machine-gun Sections 150 points 1 Machine-gun Section 85 points Add s for +20 points per. Your force may not contain more than one Machinegun, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle Company. While every platoon has an LMG squad, it still don t give them the long-range, sustained firepower they need in a big fight. The heavy machine-guns of the Machine-gun, though, completely dominate whatever they can get their sights on. It s impossible for a Kraut to even twitch out there. When an armored rifle company attacks, don t put the Machine-gun behind the doughs, cause they ll get in the way of your shooting. They should be out on the flank, where they can shoot up them Krauts, right till the doughs pile right into them. 0 to 1 Recon Armored infantry Recon s are organised the same as those of the tanks. The organisation is shown on page 7. 0 to 1 Assault Gun See the Tank Company for the platoon organisation on page 7. Many (if not most) Armored Infantry Battalions used M7 Priest HMC s as assault guns rather than Sherman tanks. 0 to 1 Mortar Armored infantry Mortar s are organised the same as those of the tanks. The organisation is shown on page 7. Your force may not contain more than one Recon, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company. Your force may not contain more than one Assault Gun, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company. Your force may not contain more than one Mortar, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company. Page 11

12 Rifle Company (Infantry Company) The infantry are the largest part of the US Army. The GIs, dogies, or dogfaces as the riflemen call themselves, are no strangers to hard fighting. When Krauts need a licking, the infantry regiments always draw the short straw, especially when it s a town or forest where the armored boys don t like to go. It s always the infantry that get to do the bloody houseto-house fighting, driving the Heinies out with grenades and bayonets. Of course, once the fighting s over, the infantry are get left holding the line, while the tanks pull back into reserve. Then the Krauts shell, probe, and raid the poor dog faces every day. As you d expect, casualties are high, way higher than they figured before the war. They reckoned two-thirds of the casualties would be in the infantry; well it s actually nine out of ten. The way replacements are sent up means that What Is In A Rifle Company? A force based around a Rifle Company must contain: a Company HQ, and at least two Rifle s. Weapons s available to a Rifle Company are: a Weapons, an Ammo & Pioneer, a Machine-gun, up to two Anti-tank s, and a Mortar. units always get new guys they ve never seen before, and if you re wounded, you could end up anywhere, except Stateside or back with your unit. There s always a lot of fresh faces that no-one knows, and no-one wants to know, not till they ve been around long enough to survive leastwise. After all, who wants to buddy up with some new sap that won t last the week? There ain t much hope of getting home, so the dogies just keep their heads down and keep going. It s slow, it s dangerous, but it s the US infantry who are at the front line day in day out, doing the dirty work, always obeying orders and giving everything they ve got for their country. It s working too, the Krauts are pulling back, they know they ve lost, and some day it ll be over and the GI s can go back to being ordinary Joes in ordinary jobs. Support s for a Rifle Company can be: Intelligence & Recon s, Cannon s, Chemical Mortar s, Tank s, and Divisional Support s. You may have up to two Support s attached to your company for each Rifle you are fielding. Motivation And Experience A Rifle Company is Reluctant Veteran. HQ 1 Company HQ Company HQ 20 points Add s for +15 points per. The Captain of a rifle company has 193 men directly under his command. This includes both combat troops and supporting soldiers (such as cooks and supplies personnel in the company headquarters). Riflemen, machine-guns, antitank gun, mortars and howitzers all have a specific job to do during a firefight and the Captain needs a cool head and a good plan to coordinate these weapons into a battle-winning force. Rifle Rifle Rifle Company Rifle Weapons Page 12

13 2 or 3 Rifle s Combat s 3 Rifle Squads 200 points 2 Rifle Squads 145 points Command Rifle/MG Replace one Rifle/MG with a Flame-thrower for + 25 points. Rifle/MG Rifle/MG Rifle/MG Rifle/MG The Rifle is the backbone of the company. All other weapons are there to support its actions. Heavy weapons can blast the Kraut positions for days, but it ll take the GI s going in with grenades and bayonets to kick them out. Unusually, in the US Army flame-throwers were the responsibility of the chemical warfare officers rather than the engineers. As a result, few units used them in action, and when they did (as on D-Day, in Brest, and against the Siegfried Line), they were used by rifle companies rather than the combat engineers. Rifle/MG Rifle/MG Rifle/MG Rifle/MG Rifle/MG Rifle Weapons s 0 to 1 Weapons 2 Light Machine-gun Sections 130 points 1 Light Machine-gun Section 80 points s Add 60mm Mortar Section for +95 points. Add for +15 points. Rifle Command Rifle with.50 cal AA MG Rifle One of the first things they teach you as an officer cadet is concentration; concentration of troops, and concentration of fire. Instead of scattering your heavy weapons all over the place, they are concentrated in your Weapons. In your Weapons, you ve got both mortars and machineguns. The machine-guns keep the Krauts head s down, while the mortars pick off their strongpoints. Before the game begins you may detach sections from your Weapons to reinforce Rifle s. The detached s are no longer part of the Weapons, but become part of the Rifle they are attached to instead. When working out whether a platoon is below half strength for Morale checks, the attached s do not count towards the number of s in the platoon that are capable of fighting, however if they are destroyed, they do count towards the number of destroyed s in their adopted platoon. The Weapons must retain at least one section under its own command. Light Machine-gun Section Light Machine-gun Section Rifle 60mm Mortar Section Weapons Page 13

14 0 to 1 Ammunition & Pioneer 3 A&P Squads 130 points 2 A&P Squads 95 points 1 A&P Squad 60 points Command Pioneer Rifle Pioneer supply 1 1 / 2 -ton truck Add Pioneer supply truck for +10 points. Add s for +15 points per. Your force may not contain more than one Ammo & Pioneer, even if it has more than one Rifle Company. The Ammo and Pioneer (A&P) are the dogsbodies of the infantry. When they ain t humping ammunition and supplies up to the front lines, they get to string up barbed wire and lay minefields, or dig them back up again. The A&P gets to lead sometime though, they are right up front in hedgerow and house-to-house fighting, Pioneer Rifle A&P Squad A&P Pioneer Rifle Pioneer Rifle A&P Squad Pioneer Rifle A&P Squad Pioneer Rifle Pioneer Rifle where they blow gaps for the dogies to attack through. As if that ain t enough, they are also the battalion s reserve when things get real sticky. 0 to 1 Machine-gun 2 Machine-gun Sections 105 points 1 Machine-gun Section 60 points Add for +15 points. Add s for +15 points per. The water-cooled heavy machine-guns of the Machine-gun have a sustained fire capability than the light machineguns of the rifle company just don t have. The water-jackets stop the barrel overheating and melting after firing hundreds of rounds of ammunition, but this makes them very heavy though, and clumsy to move. 0 to 2 Anti-tank s 3 Anti-tank Sections 120 points 2 Anti-tank Sections 85 points 1 Anti-tank Section 55 points Add s for +15 points per. Lieutenant with.50 cal AA MG with.50 cal AA MG The infantry s 57mm anti-tank guns may not be Tiger-killers, but they sure beat s. Seeing as how there ain t too many Tigers out there, they do a pretty good job of protecting the infantry from Nazi Panzers. If the battalion Anti-tank ain t enough for the job, the regimental anti-tank company has several more available. Don t badmouth the s though. The guns ain t too mobile, so they re best set up in a good spot and left there while the s work their way around the flanks of the Kraut tanks on foot. You get them in a crossfire that way. Works every time! M1 57mm gun Anti-tank Section M1 57mm gun Anti-tank Section Anti-tank M1 57mm gun 1 1 / 2 -ton truck 1 1 / 2 -ton truck 1 1 / 2 -ton truck Anti-tank Section Page 14

15 0 to 1 Mortar 3 Mortar Sections 205 points 2 Mortar Sections 145 points 1 Mortar Section 85 points Lieutenant with.50 cal AA MG Add s for +15 points per. Staff Sergeant Staff Sergeant Your force may not contain more than one Mortar, even if it has more than one Rifle Company. Observer Observer Every infantry company has its own mortars in the weapons platoon, but they ain t heavy enough and there ain t enough of them to really hurt the Krauts bad. That s where the battalion Mortar comes in. With six 81mm mortars, the platoon can smother a Kraut position with dozens of high explosive shells in a very short time. The Mortar can split up into three sections, but usually operates as one big unit. That way any officer with a radio can call on the full weight of its fire any time they need it. M1 81mm mortar and trailer Mortar Section Staff Sergeant Observer M1 81mm mortar and trailer M1 81mm mortar and trailer Mortar Section M1 81mm mortar and trailer M1 81mm mortar Mortar Section Mortar and trailer M1 81mm mortar and trailer Support s 0 to 1 Intelligence & Recon 3 I&R Squads 75 points 2 I&R Squads 60 points 1 I&R Squad 45 points Command Rifle with.50 cal AA MG Your force may not contain more than one Intelligence & Recon, even if it has more than one Rifle Company. The regimental Intelligence and Recon (I&R) is the eyes and ears of the infantry. On foot or in jeeps, they quietly seek out the enemy; noting their positions, defences and weaknesses. They ain t there for a shoot out, they re too valuable for that. The information they bring back saves too many lives to waste theirs. Intelligence & Recon s are reconnaissance platoons may use the Reconnaissance rules to avoid enemy fire. I&R Squad I&R I&R Squad I&R Squad Historically, the s of the I&R s only carry a driver and two scouts each. A of four scouts is split over two s. In Flames Of War, you can model a scout s transport as either one or two s, but either way they count as a single transport they must always remain together and count as a single target for shooting. If one is destroyed, they both are destroyed. You may choose to base the two vehicles together to show this. Page 15

16 0 to 1 Cannon Battery 3 Gun Sections 255 points 2 Gun Sections 180 points 1 Gun Section 105 points 3 / 4 -ton truck Add s for +15 points per. Arm up to one truck in each Gun Section with a.50 cal AA MG for +10 points per truck. Your force may not contain more than one Cannon Battery, even if it has more than one Rifle Company. It s all very well for the artillery to be way back firing from maps when things are static, but when things are moving fast, you need guns up front where they can hit something pronto. Rather than pulling guns out of the artillery batteries all the time, the infantry regiment has its own Cannon Battery for close support. On the other hand, there s so many tanks about now, that they do most of the close-up work, so mostly the Cannon Battery just gets used as another artillery battery. M3 105mm light how M3 105mm light how 1 1 / 2 -ton truck 1 1 / 2 -ton truck M3 105mm light how M3 105mm light how 1 1 / 2 -ton truck 1 1 / 2 -ton truck M3 105mm light how 1 1 / 2 -ton truck M3 105mm light how 1 1 / 2 -ton truck Cannon Battery 0 to 1 Chemical Mortar 2 Chemical Mortar Sections 210 points 1 Chemical Mortar Section 120 points Add s for +15 points per. Chemical Mortar s are rated as Confident Veteran. Chemical mortars were designed between the wars to saturate an area with poison gas. When it turned out that neither side was using gas, an HE shell was developed, turning the mortars into excellent infantry support weapons. The crews were superbly trained and considered themselves as an elite force. They dragged their mortars wherever needed to support the infantry. The chemical mortars are towed by their crews in hand carts, so they can move at up to 6 /15cm on Road and Cross-country Terrain. The crews are well practiced at taking their mortars through the most difficult terrain imaginable. Difficult Going does not hinder them, although they require a Skill test to move through Very Difficult Terrain. Lieutenant Staff Sergeant Observer 4.2 chemical mortar and trailer 4.2 chemical mortar and trailer Chemical Mortar Section Chemical Mortar with.50 cal AA MG Staff Sergeant Observer 4.2 chemical mortar and trailer 4.2 chemical mortar and trailer Chemical Mortar Section Page 16

17 Divisional Support s Most Divisional Support s are rated as Confident Veteran. The only exception is the Towed Artillery Battery from the Infantry Division which in Reluctant Veteran. Seek and Destroy Under tank destroyer doctrine, tank destroyers ambush the enemy from concealed positions, hitting them hard and scooting before the enemy can retaliate. Then they do it again, sneaking into a new firing position to launch the next ambush. Tank Destroyer and Towed Tank Destroyer s use the Command Distance, Cautious Movement and Disengage rules from Old Ironsides or the website to reflect their stealthy tactics. In addition, since the tank destroyers select their firing positions with retreat in mind, Tank Destroyer s may disengage if they fired in their own turn. Tank Destroyers The doctrine emphasises the use of stealth to destroy enemy tank concentrations. Each Tank Destroyer and Towed Tank Destroyer has its own reconnaissance element to translate this into reality. The platoon s jeeps and M20 utilities advance, tracking the enemy finding positions for the tank destroyers who remain concealed and waiting. At the right Tank Destroyer 2 Sections of M10 3 GMC 545 points 1 Section of M10 3 GMC 290 points 2 Sections of M18 Hellcat GMC 525 points 1 Section of M18 Hellcat GMC 280 points 2 Sections of M36 Jackson GMC 575 points 1 Section of M36 Jackson GMC 305 points Tank Destroyers moment, the tank destroyers move forward into their firing positions and open fire. The tank destroyers in a Tank Destroyer and the guns and half-tracks in a Towed Tank Destroyer may either be deployed as normal at the start of the game, or held off-table with only the jeeps and M20 utilities being deployed. If the tank destroyers are held off-table, you may place the tank destroyers on the table at the start of your turn so that they are: concealed and more than 16 /40cm away from all enemy s, or are entirely out of line of sight of the enemy, and within 4 /10cm of any deployed carbine from the platoon. Tank destroyers placed on the table in this way can move and fight as normal during the turn they appear. The platoon s command does not have to be present for the tank destroyers to deploy. As long as at least one from the platoon is deployed, the tank destroyers that have been held off-table can join it. However, the usual penalties for being out of command still apply. If no s from the platoon are left on the table, any remaining tank destroyers cannot deploy, and the platoon counts as destroyed. Destroying Nazi tanks takes a big gun, patience, and lots of guts. The big anti-tank guns needed for knocking out Kraut tanks are just to big and heavy for the infantry and too specialised to mount in tanks. That s why they created tank destroyers. M20 utility Carbine M20 utility Carbine The tank destroyers are lightly armored, well-armed tanks and their only job is to destroy Kraut tanks so that the infantry and tanks can get on with the job of winning the battle. With their thin armor, tank destroyers stalk their armored prey, using the M20 s like hunting dogs to flush them out. Then the tank destroyers close in for the kill, ideally from the flank to guarantee a quick kill. They don t hang round though. If the first few shots don t do the job, the lightly armored Tank Destroyer pulls out and tries again from a different spot rather than trading shots with heavier tanks. They ain t designed to go toe to toe with enemy armor, so they gotta use their brains instead. If there ain t any Kraut tanks about, the tank destroyers can play at being assault guns to support the infantry, but they don t get too close since they ain t got many machine-guns and one grenade in the open turret finishes them off nicely. Tank Destroyer Section Tank Destroyer Tank Destroyer Section Although not shown on the table, the tank destroyers are lurking near the M20 utilities waiting for their chance to ambush enemy tanks. As a result, the tank destroyers do count as being on table and capable of fighting when determining whether the platoon is below half strength during Morale Checks. Page 17

18 Towed Tank Destroyer 2 Tank Destroyer Sections 270 points 1 Tank Destroyer Section 145 points Add s for +20 points per. Add an AA MG to any or all jeeps for +5 points per jeep. Not all the tank destroyers are self-propelled lots of units have towed guns instead. Tank Destroyer Command is divided over whether towed or self-propelled guns are best. The towed platoons are much easier to conceal when ambushing enemy armor. Once they ve opened fire though, they can t really pull out, so they re pretty much committed to duking it out with the Kraut tanks, come hell or high water. Although not shown on the table, the anti-tank guns are lurking near the jeeps waiting for their chance to ambush enemy tanks. As a result, the anti-tank guns do count as being on table and capable of fighting when determining whether the platoon is below half strength during Morale Checks. 0 to 1 Heavy Tank M5 3 gun Carbine M5 3 gun Tank Destroyer Section Towed Tank Destroyer M5 3 gun Carbine M5 3 gun Tank Destroyer Section 5 M26 Pershing 800 points 4 M26 Pershing 640 points 3 M26 Pershing 480 points 2 M26 Pershing 320 points 1 M26 Pershing 160 points You may only take a Heavy Tank as support for a Tank Company, not for an Armored Rifle or Rifle Company. Your force may not contain more than one Heavy Tank. Before the war, the Army s tacticians reckoned that fast, mobile, medium tanks were best, and that they should be used to support the infantry, and exploit breakthroughs. When Kraut tanks showed up, the tank destroyers were supposed to deal with them. Well, it ain t that simple. The tank destroyers ain t always there when you need them, so the M4 Sherman medium tanks end up fighting the Kraut tanks, they weren t designed to beat. In December 1944, the Army finally decided to send twenty experimental T26E3 heavy tanks to Europe for testing (codenamed Zebra Mission ). These Pershing tanks, as they were called, were issued to the 3rd and 9th Armored Divisions. On 20th Feb 1945, 3rd Armored Division had one T26E3 in each company ready to go. They first fought on the 26th when Fox Coy lost FIREBALL to a Tiger I. On the 27th, Easy Coy evened the score with a Tiger and two Panzer IV. 9th Armored Division had fivet26e3 in a temporary fourth platoon in Able Coy, 19th Tank Bn, and one in Able Coy and two each in Baker and Charlie Coy 14th Tank Bn. They entered battle an 1 March losing one of A Coy, 19th Tank Bns tanks to HE fire. The only total loss was later in March Heavy Tank Before the game begins you may split your Heavy Tank amongst your Tank s. If you do this, you must attach all of your M26 Pershing tanks to Tank s. The Heavy Tank is disbanded. No Tank may contain more than five tanks, so a Tank has to have fewer than five Sherman tanks before a M26 Pershing can be attached to it. The M26 Pershing tanks become part of the Tank they are attached to in all respects. when a Hornisse put a round through a 3rd Armored Division tank which was then used for spare parts. In late March, 2nd Armored Division received 22 tanks and 5th Armored Division got 18. In April, 30 more went to 11th Armored Division. The T26E3 Pershing proved such a success that the tank has been standardized as the M26. Some 110 more were assigned to combat units after the fighting ended. Page 18