With John Lee
For those who have read any of previous articles, you will know that I have an affinity for reconnaissance formations. I had written the article for the Waffen-SS Puma Scout Company and the D-Day: German variant. To round it out I thought I would look at the Bagration: German variant of the list, examine the differences and see what new support options we can take now with this formation.
The command card formation comprises the following:
- 1 HQ Unit
- 2-12 Puma Scout Troop
- 0-2 Sd Kfz 234 (7.5cm) Gun Platoon
- 0-1 Reconnaissance Platoon
This is identical to the D-Day variant in terms of the number of units. The Waffen-SS variant is different, in that it has only one Sd Kfz 234 (7.5cm) Gun Platoon and can only take almost half of the Puma platoons. Looking at the make of this formation, we can take three to sixteen platoons making it a strong formation if you wish, with built infantry and useful AT9 FP 3+ guns to support your armoured cars. Being Heer, they are also rated as “Careful” meaning hit on 4+, best armour you can get! Add in your scout platoon’s scout ability which means they will be hit on 6s at close range if you are concealed and did not shoot whilst still moving into position! Now, the scout troops have only two vehicles in the platoon, making them a bit brittle and will need some careful handling. You have two options for each of these two vehicle platoons. The lightly armed Sd Kfz 234/1 with 2cm gun for three points a platoon or the Iconic 5cm armed Sd Kfz 234/2 Puma for four points a platoon, however still useful to get a strong formation on the table, allowing us to look at taking some of the cool new toys in this release.
I do not normally max out all the platoons – I feel that taking 4-6 Scout Troops, 1-2 Gun Platoons and the Reconnaissance Platoon is enough to keep the formation from breaking and gives you more options to take the big tanks you are trying to get on the table. I will explore a couple of maxed-out formation options later in the article but will focus on balanced lists first. Going for my minimum recommended size as pictured:
This is a core 43pts for the 105pt and 80pt lists. I would reduce the core list further for the 55pt option covered further below. Looking at the 105pt list first, we now need to look at what support options could be taken. With the ability to choose from Bagration: German, D-Day: Waffen-SS or D-Day: German black box units, you can mix and match what you want to suit your playstyle. Support options need to be taken from the Bagration: German chart. For this article, I will be looking at taking some of the new equipment for this release.
So, let us look at what we need to consider from a support perspective for this list. They should be supported by tanks, high end AT, artillery, and what we need to cater for around reserves. With 62pts left to play with, I want to build a highly mobile reserve unit that can come in and shoot an opponent’s armour at maximum range. Let us take four Hornisse with AT17 and 48” range for 32pts. You can put these in reserve with the gun platoon and a Puma platoon. I want to take some Flak 88s with Pak Front for 18pts to provide some heavy AT capability across the table if my Hornisse’s are in reserve. Add some artillery in the form of three Wespes and an OP to round out the points. A sample list could look like this:
I like this type of force and suits my play style. Lots of small units running around with four AT14 guns in nests spread across the table supported by infantry that can either attack or defends with tank hunters, that can come in from reserve or dominate the table and Hummels to keep infantry pinned down in their foxholes. Another option would be to change out the Hornisses with three Panzer IV/70 Tanks – AT14 and FA9 and change out the Hummels for the new Panzerwerfer 42 Armoured Rocket Launchers. This is how it could look:
For an 80pt list we would change it out a bit by replacing the Hornisses (list 1) with three Panzer IV/70s, making artillery nebs instead of Hummels or Panzerwerfers, downgrading a Puma Scout Troop, removing a scout troop and the gun platoon:
You could take replace the Pak Front command card and reinstate the gun platoon to increase the formation to six units.
For a 55pt game, this is where recon unit lists shine – more flexibility with smaller points than other formations. Still want to take tanks, infantry, artillery:
Downgrade the Panzer IV/70s to Marders and replace the nebs with Hummels, remove the infantry’s transports, and still a strong formation that can take on your opponent with a combined arms approach.
This command card formation with the new equipment can provide some interesting new options. I hope this has given you some food for thought. Happy list building!