Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) 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.
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) SPECIAL RULES US Artillery
Light Mortar Teams
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.
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.
A US Platoon or 2iC Command team can act as an observer and request artillery fire in the same manner as a Company Command team.
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 Platoon or Assaultgun Platoon, Command teams do not suffer their normal +1 penalty to range in.
US 60mm light mortar teams can choose to fire as normal Light Mortar teams, 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 M1919 .30 calibre light machine-gun is beltfed and mounted on a tripod like a heavy machine-gun. An LMG team fights as an HMG team with a Range of 16”/40cm and a ROF of 3. Like an HMG team, an LMG team has ROF 2 if Pinned Down and cannot fire if it moves.
Marching Fire
Time On Target Every US artillery staff team 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 team ranges in on their first attempt, they can fire a TOT bombardment. Every team hit by a TOT bombardment re-rolls successful saves as they scramble for cover and batten down the hatches.
US Weapons
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 team 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 team using marching fire does not suffer the usual +1 to hit penalty for firing a ROF 1 weapon while moving. A team can choose not to use Marching Fire and fire at the normal rate if you prefer.
Pioneers
.50 cal Teams Although the M2 .50 cal heavy machine-gun is a better weapon than the water-cooled M1917 .30 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 team, not an Infantry team. An M2 .50 cal MG shoots as an HMG team with a Range of 16”/40cm, a ROF of 3, and an Anti-tank rating of 4. Like an HMG team, 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.
Combat engineers are equipped with explosive charges for demolition work. They are equally effective against tanks. Pioneer teams 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. 8 March 2004
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) US Vehicles
Sandbag Armor
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 team or an M2 .50 cal MG team.
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 team.
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.
The arrival of the Panzerfaust, a German Bazooka 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 team’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.
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”.
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.
The opposing player re-rolls any failed Firepower tests to destroy an M4 Sherman tank.
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) Vehicle Machine-guns Firing Machine-guns From Transports
Fields Of Fire
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.
When a vehicle has more than one machine-gun mounted, they each cover a certain arc of fire.
Jeeps, trucks, and M2 and M3 half-tracks can only fire their machine-guns if a passenger team is mounted. Passengers cannot fire their own weapons unless they are in a jeep. If a passenger team is firing a jeep’s machine-gun, it cannot fire its own weapons.
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.
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 teams 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 team dismounts, it takes its machine-gun with it.
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 team carried as passengers in a transport vehicle may dismount the vehicle’s .50 cal MG, becoming an M2 .50 cal MG team, or AA MG, becoming an LMG team. A passenger cannot dismount in a turn in which it fires a vehicle-mounted machine-gun.
As with all vehicle-mounted machine-guns, only the first may fire at full ROF. All additional machine-guns only fire at ROF 1.
The team must remount the vehicle to replace the machine-gun on the vehicle and return to their original type of team. You may not dismount the .50 cal MG or an AA MG unless you have an M2 .50 cal MG or LMG team modelled to replace the infantry team 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 P47 Thunderbolt P38 Lightning
Weapons
Range
ROF
Bombs Rockets Bombs Rockets
4”/10cm 8”/20cm 4”/10cm 8”/20cm
-
Anti-tank Firepower 4 4 4 4
1+ 3+ 1+ 3+
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.
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45)
Tank Company 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 team, 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 teams 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
What Is In A Tank Company? A force based around a Tank Company must contain: • a Company HQ, and • at least two Tanks Platoons. Weapons Platoons available to a Tank Company are: • a Light Tank Platoon, • a Recon Platoon, • an Assault Gun Platoon, and • an Armored Mortar Platoon.
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.
Support Platoons for a Tank Company can be: • Armored Rifle Platoons, and • Divisional Support Platoons. You may have up to two Support Platoons attached to your company for each Tank Platoon you are fielding.
Motivation And Experience Tank Companies are Confident Veteran.
HQ Platoon 1 Company HQ Platoon Company HQ with: 2 M4, M4A1, or M4A3 Sherman
190 points Assault gun
Options •
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.
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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.
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) Combat Platoons 2 or 3 Tank Platoons Platoon 5 M4, M4A1, or M4A3 Sherman
480 points
4 M4, M4A1, or M4A3 Sherman
385 points
3 M4, M4A1, or M4A3 Sherman
290 points
Options •
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 teams 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 Platoon 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.
Weapons Platoons 0 to 1 Light Tank Platoon Platoon 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 Light Tank Platoon
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.
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) 0 to 1 Recon Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Recon Squads
95 points
1 Recon Squad
70 points
Command Rifle team
M2 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
Option •
Add Bazooka team for +20 points.
•
Arm any or all Jeep teams with an AA MG for +5 points per Jeep team.
Your force may not contain more than one Recon Platoon, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company. The Recon Platoon 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 team’s movements. The recon platoon isn’t there to fight, it’s there to survive and report. Sometimes the Recon Platoon just have to shoot their way out, though, so, the jeeps are often fitted with .50 cal heavy-machine-guns.
Jeep team
Jeep team
Historically, the Jeeps of the Recon Platoons only carry a driver and two scouts each. A team of four scouts is split over two Jeeps. In Flames Of War, you can model a scout team’s transport as either one or two Jeeps, but either way they count as a single transport team 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.
Recon Platoons are reconnaissance platoons may use the Reconnaissance rules to avoid enemy fire.
0 to 1 Assault Gun Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 3 M4 or M4A3 Sherman (105)
325 points
2 M4 or M4A3 Sherman (105)
225 points
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
M3 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
Your force may not contain more than one Assault Gun Platoon, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company. The Assault Gun Platoon 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 steam 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. 8 March 2004
The Sherman (105) took some time to enter service, so until D-Day, many Assault Gun Platoons 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.
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) 0 to 1 Mortar Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 3 Mortar Sections
155 points
2 Mortar Sections
110 points
M3 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
Option •
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 Platoon, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company.
M4 81mm MMC half-track
M4 81mm MMC half-track
M4 81mm MMC half-track
In the Mortar Platoon, 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.
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45)
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 combined-
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 Platoons. Weapons Platoons available to an Armored Rifle Company are: • an Anti-tank Platoon, • a Machine-gun Platoon, • a Recon Platoon, • an Assault Gun Platoon, and • an Armored Mortar Platoon.
arms combat team. The combat team 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.
Support Platoons for an Armored Rifle Company can be: • Tank Platoons, • Light Tank Platoons, and • Divisional Support Platoons. You may have up to two Support Platoons attached to your company for each Armored Rifle Platoon you are fielding.
Motivation And Experience An Armored Rifle Company is Confident Veteran.
HQ Platoon 1 Company HQ Platoon Company HQ
45 points
Option •
Add Bazooka team for +20 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.
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M3 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
Anti-tank Platoon
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) Combat Platoons 2 or 3 Armored Rifle Platoons Platoon HQ Section with: Light Machine-gun Squad, 60mm Mortar Squad, and 2 Rifle Squads 1 Rifle Squad
Command Rifle team
310 points 245 points
M3 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
The blitz doughs of an Armored Rifle Platoon 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.
M3 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
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.
Weapons Platoons 0 to 1 Anti-tank Platoon Lieutenant
Platoon HQ Section with: 3 Anti-tank Sections 2 Anti-tank Sections 1 Anti-tank Section
145 points 105 points 65 points
Jeep with .50 cal AA MG
Option •
Add Bazooka teams for +20 points per team.
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
M1 57mm gun Bazooka team
Bazooka team
M2 half-track
M2 half-track
Anti-tank Section
Anti-tank Section
M1 57mm gun Bazooka team M2 half-track Anti-tank Section Anti-tank Platoon
8 March 2004
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Page 10
Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) 0 to 1 Machine-gun Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Machine-gun Sections 1 Machine-gun Section
150 points 85 points
M2 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
Option •
Add Bazooka teams for +20 points per team.
Your force may not contain more than one Machinegun Platoon, 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 Platoon, though, completely dominate whatever they can get their sights on. It’s impossible for a Kraut to even twitch out there.
M2 half-track Bazooka with .50 cal AA MG team
M2 half-track Bazooka with .50 cal AA MG team
When an armored rifle company attacks, don’t put the Machine-gun Platoon 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 Platoon Armored infantry Recon Platoons 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 Platoon, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company.
0 to 1 Assault Gun Platoon 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.
Your force may not contain more than one Assault Gun Platoon, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company.
0 to 1 Mortar Platoon Armored infantry Mortar Platoons are organised the same as those of the tanks. The organisation is shown on page 7.
8 March 2004
Your force may not contain more than one Mortar Platoon, even if it has more than one Armored Rifle or Tank Company.
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Page 11
Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45)
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 Platoons. Weapons Platoons available to a Rifle Company are: • a Weapons Platoon, • an Ammo & Pioneer Platoon, • a Machine-gun Platoon, • up to two Anti-tank Platoons, and • a Mortar Platoon.
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 Platoons for a Rifle Company can be: • Intelligence & Recon Platoons, • Cannon Platoons, • Chemical Mortar Platoons, • Tank Platoons, and • Divisional Support Platoons. You may have up to two Support Platoons attached to your company for each Rifle Platoon you are fielding.
Motivation And Experience A Rifle Company is Reluctant Veteran.
HQ Platoon 1 Company HQ Platoon Company HQ
20 points
Option •
Add Bazooka teams for +15 points per team.
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.
8 March 2004
Rifle Platoon
Rifle Platoon Rifle Company
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Rifle Platoon
Weapons Platoon
Page 12
Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) Combat Platoons 2 or 3 Rifle Platoons Platoon HQ Section with: 3 Rifle Squads 2 Rifle Squads
Command Rifle/MG team
200 points 145 points
Option •
Replace one Rifle/MG team with a Flame-thrower team for + 25 points.
Rifle/MG team Rifle/MG team
Rifle/MG team Rifle/MG team
Rifle/MG team
Rifle/MG team
The Rifle Platoon 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 team Rifle/MG team
Rifle/MG team Rifle Platoon
Weapons Platoons 0 to 1 Weapons Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Light Machine-gun Sections 1 Light Machine-gun Section
Command Rifle team
130 points 80 points
Jeep with .50 cal AA MG
Options •
Add 60mm Mortar Section for +95 points.
•
Add Jeep for +15 points.
Rifle team
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 Platoon. In your Weapons Platoon, 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 Platoon to reinforce Rifle Platoons. The detached teams are no longer part of the Weapons Platoon, but become part of the Rifle Platoon they are attached to instead.
Light Machine-gun Section
Rifle team
Light Machine-gun Section
Rifle team
60mm Mortar Section Weapons Platoon
When working out whether a platoon is below half strength for Platoon Morale checks, the attached teams do not count towards the number of teams in the platoon that are capable of fighting, however if they are destroyed, they do count towards the number of destroyed teams in their adopted platoon. The Weapons Platoon must retain at least one section under its own command.
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Page 13
Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) 0 to 1 Ammunition & Pioneer Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 3 A&P Squads 2 A&P Squads 1 A&P Squad
130 points 95 points 60 points
Command Pioneer Bazooka Bazooka Pioneer supply 11/2-ton truck Rifle team team team with .50 cal AA MG
Option •
Add Pioneer supply truck for +10 points.
•
Add Bazooka teams for +15 points per team.
Your force may not contain more than one Ammo & Pioneer Platoon, even if it has more than one Rifle Company. The Ammo and Pioneer (A&P) Platoon 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 Platoon gets to lead sometime though, they are right up front in hedgerow and house-to-house fighting,
Pioneer Rifle team A&P Squad
Pioneer Rifle team
Pioneer Rifle team A&P Squad
Pioneer Rifle team A&P Squad
Pioneer Rifle team
Pioneer Rifle team
A&P Platoon
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 Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Machine-gun Sections 1 Machine-gun Section
105 points 60 points
Jeep with .50 cal AA MG
Option •
Add Jeep for +15 points.
•
Add Bazooka teams for +15 points per team.
The water-cooled heavy machine-guns of the Machine-gun Platoon 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.
Bazooka team
Bazooka team
0 to 2 Anti-tank Platoons Lieutenant
Platoon HQ Section with: 3 Anti-tank Sections 2 Anti-tank Sections 1 Anti-tank Section
120 points 85 points 55 points
Jeep with .50 cal AA MG
Option •
Add Bazooka teams for +15 points per team.
The infantry’s 57mm anti-tank guns may not be Tiger-killers, but they sure beat Bazookas. 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 Platoon ain’t enough for the job, the regimental anti-tank company has several more available.
M1 57mm gun
M1 57mm gun Bazooka team
11/2-ton truck
11/2-ton truck
Anti-tank Section
Don’t badmouth the Bazookas though. The guns ain’t too mobile, so they’re best set up in a good spot and left there while the Bazooka teams work their way around the flanks of the Kraut tanks on foot. You get them in a crossfire that way. Works every time!
Bazooka team
Anti-tank Section
M1 57mm gun Bazooka team 11/2-ton truck Anti-tank Section Anti-tank Platoon
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) 0 to 1 Mortar Platoon Lieutenant
Platoon HQ Section with: 3 Mortar Sections 2 Mortar Sections 1 Mortar Section
205 points 145 points 85 points
Option •
Jeep with .50 cal AA MG
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Add Bazooka teams for +15 points per team.
Your force may not contain more than one Mortar Platoon, even if it has more than one Rifle Company. 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 Platoon 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 Platoon 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.
Observer team
Bazooka team
Observer team
Bazooka team
M1 81mm mortar
M1 81mm mortar
M1 81mm mortar
M1 81mm mortar
Jeep and trailer
Jeep and trailer
Jeep and trailer
Jeep and trailer
Mortar Section Staff Sergeant
Mortar Section
Observer team
Bazooka team
M1 81mm Jeep mortar and trailer Mortar Section Mortar Platoon
M1 81mm mortar
Jeep and trailer
Support Platoons 0 to 1 Intelligence & Recon Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 3 I&R Squads 2 I&R Squads 1 I&R Squad
75 points 60 points 45 points
Command Rifle team
Jeep with .50 cal AA MG
Your force may not contain more than one Intelligence & Recon Platoon, even if it has more than one Rifle Company. The regimental Intelligence and Recon (I&R) Platoon 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 Platoons are reconnaissance platoons may use the Reconnaissance rules to avoid enemy fire.
8 March 2004
Jeep team I&R Squad I&R Platoon
Jeep team I&R Squad
Jeep team I&R Squad
Historically, the Jeeps of the I&R Platoons only carry a driver and two scouts each. A team of four scouts is split over two Jeeps. In Flames Of War, you can model a scout team’s transport as either one or two Jeeps, but either way they count as a single transport team 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.
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) 0 to 1 Cannon Battery Platoon HQ Section with: 3 Gun Sections 2 Gun Sections 1 Gun Section
255 points 180 points 105 points
Jeep
3/
4-ton truck
Option •
Add Bazooka teams for +15 points per team.
•
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.
Jeep
Jeep
Bazooka team
Bazooka team
M3 105mm light how
11/2-ton truck
M3 105mm light how
11/2-ton truck
M3 105mm light how
11/2-ton truck
M3 105mm light how
11/2-ton truck
Jeep
M3 105mm light how
11/2-ton truck
Bazooka team
M3 105mm light how
11/2-ton truck
Cannon Battery
0 to 1 Chemical Mortar Platoon Lieutenant
Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Chemical Mortar Sections 1 Chemical Mortar Section
210 points 120 points
Jeep with .50 cal AA MG
Option •
Add Bazooka teams for +15 points per team.
Chemical Mortar Platoons 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.
8 March 2004
Staff Sergeant Observer team
Staff Sergeant Bazooka team
4.2” chemical 4.2” chemical mortar mortar
Jeep and trailer
Jeep and trailer
Chemical Mortar Section Chemical Mortar Platoon
© Battlefront Miniatures Ltd.
Observer team
Bazooka team
4.2” chemical 4.2” chemical mortar mortar
Jeep and trailer
Jeep and trailer
Chemical Mortar Section
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45)
Divisional Support Platoons Most Divisional Support Platoons are rated as Confident Veteran. The only exception is the Towed Artillery Battery from the Infantry Division which in Reluctant Veteran.
Tank Destroyers 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 Platoons 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 Platoons 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 Platoon 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
moment, the tank destroyers move forward into their firing positions and open fire. The tank destroyers in a Tank Destroyer Platoon and the guns and half-tracks in a Towed Tank Destroyer Platoon 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 teams, or are entirely out of line of sight of the enemy, and • within 4”/10cm of any deployed carbine team 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 team does not have to be present for the tank destroyers to deploy. As long as at least one team 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 teams from the platoon are left on the table, any remaining tank destroyers cannot deploy, and the platoon counts as destroyed.
Tank Destroyer Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Sections of M10 3” GMC 1 Section of M10 3” GMC
545 points 290 points
2 Sections of M18 Hellcat GMC 1 Section of M18 Hellcat GMC
525 points 280 points
2 Sections of M36 Jackson GMC 1 Section of M36 Jackson GMC
575 points 305 points
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. 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 Platoon 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.
8 March 2004
M20 utility
Carbine team
Tank Destroyer Section Tank Destroyer Platoon
M20 utility
Carbine team
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 Platoon Morale Checks.
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Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) Towed Tank Destroyer Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Tank Destroyer Sections 1 Tank Destroyer Section
270 points 145 points
Option •
Add Bazooka teams for +20 points per team.
•
Add an AA MG to any or all jeeps for +5 points per jeep. 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.
M5 3” gun
M2 half-track
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 Platoon Morale Checks.
Carbine team
Bazooka team
M5 3” gun
M2 half-track
Bazooka team
Tank Destroyer Section Towed Tank Destroyer Platoon
Jeep
Carbine team
M5 3” gun
M2 half-track
Bazooka team
M5 3” gun
M2 half-track
Bazooka team
Tank Destroyer Section
0 to 1 Heavy Tank Platoon Platoon 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 Platoon as support for a Tank Company, not for an Armored Rifle or Rifle Company. Your force may not contain more than one Heavy Tank Platoon. 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.
Before the game begins you may split your Heavy Tank Platoon amongst your Tank Platoons.
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.
No Tank Platoon may contain more than five tanks, so a Tank Platoon has to have fewer than five Sherman tanks before a M26 Pershing can be attached to it.
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 8 March 2004
Heavy Tank Platoon
If you do this, you must attach all of your M26 Pershing tanks to Tank Platoons. The Heavy Tank Platoon is disbanded.
The M26 Pershing tanks become part of the Tank Platoon 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.
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Page 18
Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) Armored Field Artillery Battery Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Gun Sections 1 Gun Section
565 points 345 points
Option •
Arm any or all M2 half-tracks with an AA MG for +10 points per half-track.
M2 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
M4, M4A1, or M4A3 Sherman tank
You may only take an Armored Field Artillery Battery as support for a Tank or Armored Rifle Company, not for a Rifle Company. US armored divisions are unique in the whole world; they have all of their infantry and artillery in armored vehicles. Fast-moving M7 Priest self-propelled howitzers can keep up when the tanks breakthrough. They’re always up front and ready to fire.
M7 Priest HMC
M7 Priest HMC
M7 Priest HMC
M7 Priest HMC
M7 Priest HMC
M7 Priest HMC
The eyes of the battery are an observer mounted in an M4 Sherman tank. Their job is to go forward with the tanks and armored infantry, and call in fire from their battery on any Nazi strongpoints holding up the advance.
Field Artillery Battery Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Gun Sections 1 Gun Section
225 points 140 points
Option •
Add Bazooka teams for +15 points per team.
•
Support all or none of your Field Artillery Batteries with the divisional 155mm battalion for +110 points per battery.
You may only take a Field Artillery Battery as support for a Rifle Company, not for a Tank or Armored Rifle Company.
3/
3/
4-ton truck with
.50cal AA MG
4-ton truck
M2A1 105mm how
Jeep
M2A1 105mm how
A Field Artillery battery is rated as Reluctant Veteran. The gunners in the infantry divisions aren’t as lucky as their armored compatriots; their artillery is still towed by trucks. Unfortunately for them, their guns take a lot more hard work to set-up before they can to shoot. Once they begin firing, though, they are just as lethal as their self-propelled cousins, a perfect blend of stopping power and high rate of fire.
2 ½ ton truck
M2A1 105mm how
155mm Battalion Support Each infantry division has a battalion of 155mm howitzers that it uses to support the 105mm battalions as necessary. The heavy shells of the 155mm howitzers make the artillery much more effective against difficult targets.
Bazooka team
2 ½ ton truck
2 ½ ton truck
Bazooka team
M2A1 105mm how
Bazooka team
2 ½ ton truck
Bazooka team
Field Artillery Battery
A Field Artillery Battery that has support from the 155mm battalion rolls a dice each time it successfully ranges in on a target. On a roll of 4+, a battery from the the 155mm battalion is available to support the bombardment, making the Firepower characteristic of the M2A1 105mm howitzers 1+. If the Field Artillery Battery has three or more guns firing when it receives support from the 155mm battalion, treat the bombardment as being fired by six guns, allowing the battery to re-roll failed to hit rolls. 8 March 2004
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Page 19
Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) 0 to 1 Heavy Artillery Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Gun Sections 1 Gun Section
200 points 110 points
The massive M12 155mm GMC was a long-range selfpropelled gun. Although normally kept in the central artillery park for long-range counterbattery fire, some were used as direct fire bunker-busters against the Siegfried line. M12 155mm GMC Gun Section Heavy Artillery Platoon
M12 155mm GMC Gun Section
Anti-aircraft Artillery (Self-propelled) Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Gun Sections 1 Gun Section
200 points 115 points
M3 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
Options •
Replace all M15 CGMC half-tracks with M16 MGMC half-tracks at no cost.
•
Replace all M16 MGMC half-tracks with M15 CGMC half-tracks at no cost.
M16 MGMC half-track
M16 MGMC half-track
With the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) doing such a good job, you don’t see too many Nazi planes about. When you do though, the Anti-aircraft Artillery Platoon’s half-tracks keep them away pretty good. In the meanwhile, the anti-aircraft half-tracks do a great job of assisting the dogfaces. The .50 calibre (12.7mm) slugs are heavy enough to punch clean through lightly armored vehicles, and the rapid-fire 37mm cannon makes Fritz think twice about showing his head above ground.
Anti-aircraft Artillery Platoon Platoon HQ Section with: 2 Gun Sections 1 Gun Section
135 points 75 points
Options •
Replace M2 .50 cal AA guns with M55 .50 cal quad AA guns for +5 points per section.
•
Replace M2 .50 cal AA guns with M16 MGMC half-tracks for +20 points per section.
•
Replace M2 .50 cal AA guns with M1 Bofors guns for +15 points per section.
M2 .50 cal AA gun
M1Bofors gun
M2 .50 cal AA gun
M1Bofors gun
The while the self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery battalions supported mobile operations, the towed AAA (AW), Antiaircraft Artillery (Automatic Weapons), battalions protected the infantry.
8 March 2004
© Battlefront Miniatures Ltd.
Page 20
Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) Combat Engineer Platoon Platoon HQ Section with Engineer Weapons Section and 2 Engineer Squads 1 Engineer Squad No Engineer Squads
Sergeant
210 points 160 points 110 points
Options •
Replace all Pioneer HMG teams with Pioneer Rifle teams at no cost.
•
Replace all 21/2-ton dump trucks with M3 halftracks for +10 points per truck. All half-tracks have AA MG except the Engineer Weapons Squad halftrack, which has a .50 cal MG.
•
Add a Bulldozer for +10 points or a M4 Sherman tank dozer for +100 points.
•
Add Bazooka teams for +20 points per team.
•
Add Pioneer Supply 21/2-ton truck for +5 points.
Combat Engineer Platoons are expected to clear and lay mines and build bridges under fire. To enable them to do this with a minimum of interference, they have their own machine-guns to keep the enemy’s heads down. Bazooka team
Armored Reconnaissance Platoon Platoon HQ Section with 1 Reconnaissance Section No Reconnaissance Section
255 points 130 points
Option •
Command M8 armored car
Replace all Light Mortar teams with M1 81mm mortar teams at no cost.
Armored Reconnaissance Platoons scout far ahead of the armored division. The unit displays an immense amount of flexibility in its mission. If necessary, the armored car crews dismount and scout on foot. In a defensive position, they can dismount their armored car’s machine-gun for more firepower.
M8 armored car
M8 armored car
M8 armored car Reconnaissance Section
8 March 2004
© Battlefront Miniatures Ltd.
Page 21
Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) Tank Teams
Fully-tracked
4
2
1
M24 Chaffee
Fully-tracked
4
2
1
M4, M4A1 or M4A3 Sherman
Fully-tracked
6
4
1
M4A3 Sherman (late)
Fully-tracked
7
4
1
M4A1 or M4A3 Sherman (76)
Fully-tracked
7
4
1
M4A3E8 ‘Easy Eight’
Fully-tracked
7
4
1
M4A3E2 Jumbo
Fully-tracked
11
8
1
M4A3E2 Jumbo (76)
Fully-tracked
11
8
1
M26 Pershing
Fully-tracked
10
6
1
Support Weapons M4A3 Sherman (105)
Fully-tracked
7
4
1
Fully-tracked Fully-tracked Half-tracked
6 3 1
4 2 0
1 0 0
105mm tank howitzer, co-ax MG, hull MG, .50 cal AA MG, No power traverse. Calliope, co-ax MG, hull MG. 75mm howitzer, .50 cal AA MG, Light tank. 81mm mortar, .50 cal AA MG, Mortar carrier.
Fully-tracked Fully-tracked
1 1
0 0
0 0
105mm howitzer, .50 cal AA MG. 155mm gun, Awkward layout.
Fully-tracked Fully-tracked Fully-tracked
5 2 5
2 0 2
0 0 0
3 in anti-tank gun, .50 cal AA MG. 76mm anti-tank gun, .50 cal AA MG, Light tank. 90mm tank gun, .50 cal AA MG.
Wheeled Half-tracked
1 1
0 0
0 0
Combination anti-aircraft mount, Awkward layout. Quadruple anti-aircraft machine-gun, Awkward layout.
Wheeled
1
0
0
37mm tank gun, .50 cal AA MG, 1 passenger.
M4 Sherman Calliope M8 Scott HMC M4 81mm MMC Artillery M7 Priest HMC M12 155mm GMC Tank Destroyers M10 3in GMC M18 Hellcat GMC M36 Jackson GMC Anti-aircraft Guns M15 CGMC (37mm) M16 MGMC (quad .50 cal) Reconnaissance M8 Greyhound
Mobility
Armor Front Side Top
Name Tanks M5A1 Stuart
Equipment And Notes 37mm tank gun, Stabiliser, co-ax MG, hull MG, AA MG, Light tank. Light 75mm tank gun, Stabiliser, co-ax MG, hull MG, .50 cal AA MG, Light tank. 75mm tank gun, Stabiliser, co-ax MG, hull MG, .50 cal AA MG, Ronson. 75mm tank gun, Stabiliser, co-ax MG, hull MG, .50 cal AA MG. 76mm tank gun, Stabiliser, co-ax MG, hull MG, .50 cal AA MG. 76mm tank gun, Stabiliser, co-ax MG, hull MG, .50 cal AA MG, Wide tracks. 75mm tank gun, Stabiliser, co-ax MG, hull MG, .50 cal AA MG, Overloaded. 76mm tank gun, Stabiliser, co-ax MG, hull MG, .50 cal AA MG, Overloaded. 90mm tank gun, co-ax MG, hull MG, .50 cal AA MG.
Vehicle Weapons Name Vehicle MG AA MG .50 cal AA MG Quadruple anti-aircraft machine-gun Combination anti-aircraft mount 81mm mortar 37mm tank gun 75mm howitzer Light 75mm tank gun 75mm tank gun 76mm tank gun 3 in or 76mm anti-tank gun 90mm tank gun 105mm tank howitzer 105mm howitzer 155mm gun Calliope 8 March 2004
Range
ROF Anti-tank
16”/40cm 16”/40cm 16”/40cm 24”/60cm 24”/60cm 40”/100cm 24”/60cm 24”/60cm 32”/80cm 32”/80cm 32”/80cm 32”/80cm 32”/80cm 24”/60cm 24”/60cm 40”/100cm 48”/120cm
3 3 3 6 5 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 -
2 2 4 4 5 1 7 6/2 9 10 12 13 14 9/3 9/3 16 1
Firepower 6 6 6 6 5+ 3+ 5+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 2+ 2+ 1+ 3+
© Battlefront Miniatures Ltd.
Notes ROF 1 if other weapons fire. Self-defence anti-aircraft. Self-defence anti-aircraft. Anti-aircraft. Anti-aircraft. Mortar, Smoke. Close-support artillery, Smoke. Smoke. Smoke. Poor HE. Poor HE. Close-support artillery, Smoke. Artillery, Smoke. Salvo rocket artillery, Calliope. Page 22
Intelligence Briefing on the Late War United States Army (1944-45) Gun Teams Name
Range
M2 .50 cal MG M1 81mm mortar 4.2” chemical mortar M2 .50 cal AA gun M55 quad .50 cal AA gun M1 Bofors gun M1 57mm gun M5 3in gun M3 105mm light howitzer M2A2 105mm howitzer
ROF Anti-tank
16”/40cm 40”/100cm 48”/120cm 24”/60cm 24”/60cm 32"/80cm 24"/60cm 32"/80cm 16”/40cm 24"/60cm
3 4 6 4 3 2 1 1
Firepower
4 1 1 4 4 6 10 13 7/3 9/3
6 3+ 2+ 6 6 5+ 4+ 3+ 2+ 2+
Notes Mortar, Smoke. Mortar, Smoke Turntable, Anti-aircraft, Immobile. Turntable, Anti-aircraft, Immobile. Turntable, Anti-aircraft, Immobile. Gun shield, Poor HE. Gun shield, Poor HE, Immobile. Artillery, Smoke. Gun Shield, Artillery, Smoke, Immobile.
Infantry Name
Range
ROF Anti-tank
Firepower
Weapons And Notes
Carbine team
8”/20cm
1
1
6
M1 carbines, Marching fire.
Rifle team Rifle/MG team
16”/40cm 16”/40cm
1 2
2 2
6 6
LMG team Light mortar team HMG team Bazooka team Flame-thrower team Observer team Staff team
16"/40cm 16"/40cm 24”/60cm 8"/20cm 4”/10cm -
3 2 4 1 2 -
2 1 2 10 -
6 4+ 6 5+ 6 -
M1 Garand rifles, Marching fire. M1 Garand rifles and Browning automatic rifles, Marching fire. M1919 light machine-gun, LMG. M2 60mm mortar. Close-support mortar. M1917 heavy machine-gun M1 Bazooka anti-tank rocket M2-2 flame-thrower. Moves as a Gun team.
Additional Training And Equipment Pioneer
As infantry team
Pioneer.
Transport Name Trucks Jeep Dodge ¾-ton truck Dodge 1½-ton truck GMC 2½-ton truck Armored Personnel Carriers M2A1 half-track M3A1 half-track M20 utility Recovery And Engineering M31 TRV M32 TRV Bulldozer Turretless M4 Sherman dozer
Mobility
Armor Front Side Top
Equipment And Notes
Jeep Wheeled Wheeled Wheeled
-
-
-
1 passenger. 2 passengers. 3 passengers. 5 passengers.
Half-tracked Half-tracked Jeep
1 1 1
0 0 0
0 0 0
Various weapons, 3 passengers. Various weapons, 3 passengers. .50 cal AA MG, 1 passenger.
Fully-tracked Fully-tracked Fully-tracked Fully-tracked
5 6 6
3 4 4
1 0 0
Recovery vehicle. Hull MG, .50 cal AA MG, Recovery vehicle. Bulldozer, Very slow. Bulldozer.
Anti-aircraft: Anti-aircraft weapons can fire at aircraft. Artillery: Artillery can fire artillery bombardments at up to three times their normal range. Close-support artillery: Close-support artillery can fire artillery bombardments at up to twice their normal range. Close-support mortar: Close-support mortars can fire artillery bombardments at up to twice their normal range. Flame-thrower: Flame-throwers roll a Skill test to hit, and pin down any target they hit. The target does not get any saving roll. Remove the team after it has fired. Gun shield: Teams crewing weapons with a gun shield are in Bulletproof Cover when fired at from the front. Immobile: Bofors anti-aircraft guns cannot be manhandled. They can only move if towed. Mortar: Mortars can only fire artillery bombardments; as a result, they have no ROF rating. Recovery vehicle: Recovery vehicles can tow other vehicles without needing to pass a Skill test. Salvo rocket artillery: Rocket launchers can only fire artillery bombardments, so they do not have a ROF rating. Rockets do not suffer ranging-in penalties on to hit rolls. Smoke: Weapons with smoke ammunition can fire a smoke screen rather than their normal shooting. Turntable: Weapons mounted on turntables can rotate to fire in any direction without penalty. 8 March 2004
© Battlefront Miniatures Ltd.
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