Author: Chris Townley

Bagration: Soviet Spotlight

with Wayne Turner

With the D-Day series of books coming to a close it is time to shine the spotlight on the Eastern Front. The first in our series of three Bagration books is Bagration: Soviet covering the Soviet forces on the Eastern Front in 1944.This book is jam packed full of interesting Soviet Formations and Units, as well as plenty of background, and three new river crossing themed missions.

The Bagration: Soviet book starts with background covering the pivotal events of Operation Bagration, the Soviet Army’s massive offensive against the Germans centred on Byelorussia that began on 22 June 1944.

Check out Bagration: Soviet in the online store here…

The front end of the book also features a comprehensive special rules section, Know your Tanks and Know your Infantry section to familiarise you with what you will find in the following pages.

The Force diagram is packed full of choices with nine Tank, five Infantry, and one Recon formation to choose from, as well as expansive support choices.

You will also find scattered throughout the book plenty more background covering the units and battles of Operation Bagration.

IS-2 Guards Heavy Tank Regiment

The first Formation is IS-2 Guards Heavy Tank Regiment. This hard hitting formation is equipped with IS-2 heavy tanks organised into a HQ of one IS-2, two to four IS-2 Guards Heavy Tank Companies of 3-5 IS-2 tanks. One of these can be armed with the IS-85 instead, for less hitting power, but a higher ROF. These Guards tanks are rated Confident 4+, with a Counterattack 3+ and Last Stand 3+. They are Veteran Skill 3+, but are Hit On Aggressive 3+.

The fifth Unit can be an infantry choice of a SMG Company, Hero SMG Company or Engineer-Sapper Company.

IS-2 is a formidable beast with armour front 10, side 8, and top 2. It is armed with a 122mm gun with a range 28”/70cm, ROF 1/1, anti-tank 14, with Brutal and Slow Firing. Additional armament includes a 12.7mm AA MG, and a MG.

IS-85 Guards Heavy Tank Regiment

Our second Formation is the IS-85 Guards Heavy Tank Regiment. This is organised in a similar manner to the IS-2 formation, but equipped with the IS-85 tank. The IS-85 was created from an early batch of IS tanks when the 122mm guns were not ready for production. Three Guards Heavy Tank Regiments were equipped with them in early 1944.

IS-85 has the same thick armour as the IS-2, with armour front 10, side 8, and top 2. However, it is armed with a 85mm gun with a range 28”/70cm, ROF 2/1, anti-tank 12. Additional armament includes a MG (the 12.7mm AA MGs were not fitted until IS-2 production was in full swing).

This will also see the release of the plastic SBX62 IS-2 Guards Heavy Tank Company, which can do both the IS-2 and IS-85 tank. Keep an eye out for the Spotlight on this great kit.

Heavy SP Artillery Regiment

The third Formation in Bagration: Soviet is the Heavy SP Artillery Regiment armed with the ISU-122 or ISU-152 heavy assault guns. These powerful weapons are almost as heavily armoured as the IS tanks with armour front 9, side 8, and top 2. The ISU-122 is armed with a 122mm gun and can fire both direct or as artillery. Artillery range is 72”/180cm, with AT 3 and FP 3+. Direct fire range is 28”/70cm, ROF 1/1, AT 14 and FP 2+ with Brutal, Forward Firing, and Slow Firing. They also have an option to be fitted with a 12.7mm AA MG.

The ISU-152 is similar, but armed with a 152mm gun. Artillery range is 64”/160cm, with AT 3 and FP 2+. Direct fire range is 20”/50cm, ROF 1/1, AT 13 and FP AUTO with Brutal, Forward Firing, and Slow Firing.

These ISU assault guns are rated Confident 4+, with a Counterattack 5+ and Last Stand 3+. They are Trained Skill 4+, Assault 5+, and are Hit On Aggressive 3+.

Formation allows you to field a mix of ISU-122 and ISU-152 in Heavy SP Batteries of two to five ISUs, commanded by an HQ of one IS-2 tank. The fifth unit of the formation is an infantry unit of a SMG Company, a Hero SMG Company or an Engineer-Sapper Company.

Both the ISU-122 and ISU-152 can be made from the ISU plastic kit, an excellent kit that will be released with Bagration: Soviet. Check out the Spotlight featuring this fantastic plastic model SBX63 ISU Heavy SP Battery.

Medium SP Artillery Regiment

The fourth Formation is the Medium SP Artillery Regiment. This Formation is commanded by an Headquaders of one T-34 (85mm) and made up of two to four Tank-killer Batteries armed with SU-85, SU-85M or SU-100. A fifth unit can be either a SMG Company or a Hero SMG Company. As specialist tank-killer formations they are rated Fearless 3+ with Counterattack 4+, Skill is Veteran 3+ with Assault 5+, and they are Hit On Careful 4+.

SU-85 will be familiar to those who have built Soviet forces for Mid-war. It was armed with an 85mm gun with range 28”/70cm, ROF 2/1, anti-tank 12 with Forward Firing. It armour is front 5, side 5, top 1.

During the first production run of what would become the SU-100, the 100mm gun was not initially ready, so a batch was made with the new hull mounting the 85mm gun. These became known as the SU-85M. These have the same gun as the SU-85, but their armour is front 7, side 5, top 1.

The third unit option is the SU-100 which mounts the 100mm gun on the above hull, giving it a range 32”/80cm, ROF 1/1, AT 15, FP 2+ with Forward Firing and Slow Firing.

All three models are available as plastic kits in SBX64 SU Tank-killer Battery.

Light SP Artillery Regiment

This section ends with the Light SP Artillery Regiment, a simple formation with an HQ of T-70 light tank and two to four SU-76 Light SP Batteries, and either a SMG Company or a Hero SMG Company. The Light SP Artillery are rated Confident 4+, with Counterattack 6 and Last Stand 3+, Skill Trained 4+, with Assault 6, and Hit On Aggressive 3+.

The SU-76 assault gun can either fire as artillery or in direct fire. Artillery range 72”/180cm, AT 2, FP 4+. In direct fire it has range 24”/60cm, ROF 2/1, AT 9, FP 3+ with Forward Firing. It is also lightly armoured with front 4, side 1, top 0.

A new plastic SU-76 kit makes this formation a really interesting option. See the SBX65 SU-76 Light SP Battery spotlight.

Engineer-Sapper Battalion

The first of the Bagration: Soviet infantry formations is the Engineer-sapper Battalion. This offers the unique Soviet assault engineers with their camouflage suits and body armour. The formation is organised as an HQ of two PPSh SMG teams, and two to three Engineer-Sapper Companies. They can also take an attached tank unit of IS-2 Guards Heavy Tank Company, ISU-122 Heavy SP Battery, ISU-152 Heavy SP Battery, or OT-34 Flame-tank Company.

The Engineer-Sappers have some diverse options with which to tailor your unit. The basic build is made up of 8-20 PPSh SMG teams with one or two DP MG teams for extra long range firepower. However, they are also armed with Smoke Pots which can be used once per game to drop a two-gun Smoke Bombardment before they assault. They are also Pioneers who are expert at clearing mines. Their body armour gives them a save on a 6 in Assaults.

The tailoring comes in the unit options with Panzerfausts, anti-tank rifles, Maksim HMGs, Flame-throwers, and 82mm mortars all available to enhance their fighting abilities.

Check their excellent models in the SBX67 Engineer-Sapper Company spotlight.

Hero Shock Rifle Battalion

In the opening battles of Operation Bagration it was the men of the Hero Shock RIfle Battalions that initially assaulted the German front lines supported by the Guards heavy tanks or heavy SP artillery.

This formation can be made up of Hero Shock Rifle Companies, Storm Groups, or Hero SMG SMG Companies. The formation also has machine-gun, 82mm and 120mm mortars, scouts, and 45mm anti-tank companies.

The Hero Shock Rifle Companies are a little larger than the Hero RIfle Company found in Fortress Europe, having benefited from reinforcements in preparation for Operation Bagration. These troops are excellently rated being Fearless 3+, Veteran 3+ and Hit On Aggressive 3+. They can have 9 to 13 DP MG & M1891 rifle teams and Komissar giving them Motivation 2+ while the Komissar is still with the unit. They can also add anti-tank rifles, HMGs, and Flame-throwers for additional firepower.

These troops can be represented using the excellent plastic troops of SBX79 RIfle Company.

Instead of one of your Hero Shock Rifle Companies and your Hero SMG Company, you can choose to take up to two Storm Groups. These troops are armed with 6-7 PPSh SMG teams, a PTRD anti-tank rifle, a Maksim HMG, and a 82mm mortar, and can add an additional Maksim HMG and a Flame-thrower. There are very experienced troops rated Fearless 3+, Veteran 3+ with Assault 2+ and are Hit On Careful 4+.

These troops have their own box, SBX81 Storm Group.

Rifle Battalion

Not all the troops assaulting the Germans on 22 June 1944 were veteran shock troops, some from the Rifle Battalions that made up the bulk of the Red Army. These troops can be just as determined.

A RIfle Battalion is made up of an HQ, two to three Rifle Companies, one of which can be a Penal Company, and a SMG Company. The formation also has its own machine-guns, mortars, anti-tanks and scouts.

The riflemen have motivation of Confident 4+, but the presents of their Komissar gives them 3+. Their skill is Green 5+, but they Assault on 4+. Their Hit On is Aggressive 3+. These can be big units with 15 to 22 DP MG & M1891 rifle teams and a Komissar. To this they can add HMGs, anti-tank rifles and flame-throwers.

The Penal Company offers you some assault troops with which to soften up the enemy. These troops have nothing to lose, so have motivation Fearless 3+ with a Komissar bringing that to 2+. They are skill Green 5+, but Assault on 3+. However they only pass Tactics on 6. Their Hit On is Aggressive 3+ and Save on 4+.

The Scout Platoon, which can be taken with the Hero Shock Rifle Battalion and Rifle Battalion, provides the formation with some Spearhead troops to infiltrate the enemy’s positions.

These troops can also be represented using the excellent plastic troops of SBX79 Rifle Company and SBX80 SMG Company.

The third section of Bagration: Soviet covers troops given the job of rushing through the broken German lines to cause havoc among the retreating troops. These are the troops of the Motor Rifle Divisions.

Hero T-34 (85mm) Tank Battalion

Hero Troops are the troops that have been in battle for a while and have been reduced down to a core of competent soldiers.

The Hero T-34 (85mm) Tank Battalion is the first of out all T-34/85 formations. With an HQ of a T-34 (85mm) and two to three Hero T-34 (85mm) Tank Companies this formation has plenty of punch. It is further backed up by its own anti-aircraft platoon, a Hero SMG Company, a 82mm Mortar Company, and choice of 45mm, 57mm or 76mm Anti-tank Companies.

These Hero troops are rated Confident 4+, Trained 4+ with Tactics 3+, and are Hit On Aggressive 3+.

Hero T-34 (85mm) Tank Companies are compact Units of three or four T-34 (85mm) tanks. These tanks have good protection with armour front 6, side 5, and top 1. They are armed with the 85mm gun with range 28”/70cm, ROF 2/1, AT 12, FP 3+, and MGs.

These are available in plastic where you can either get a box of five with SBX66 T-34 Tank Company or jump in with both feet and grab 21 T-34 tanks in the SUAB12 T-34 Tank Battalion.

This formation also sees a new anti-aircraft option with the ZSU M19 Anti-aircraft Platoon. This unit is armed with the Lend-lease American M17 AA half-track. Its Quad .50 cal AA MGs give it range 20”/50cm with ROF 5/3, AT 4 and FP 5+ with Dedicated AA. The half-track is lightly armoured to protect it from small arms fire with front 1, side 0 and top 0.

This will be an all plastic kit available with SBX78 ZSU M17 Anti-aircraft Platoon.

Hero T-34 Tank Battalion

The Hero T-34 Tank Battalion allows you to take a mix of T-34 (76mm) and T-34 (85mm) tank in your Hero T-34 Tank Companies. The formation also contains options for a Hero T-70 Tank Company or a Hero Valentine Tank Company. This formation offers a real variety of different tanks. It also has its own anti-aircraft, Hero SMG Company, 82mm mortars, and anti-tank guns.

The T-34 (76mm) is armed with a 76mm gun with range 24”/60cm, ROF 2/1, AT 9, FP 3+ with Overworked (+1 To Hit for Moving)

The T-70 is a light tank armed with a 45mm gun. It is quite well-armoured for a light tank with front 4, side 2, top 1. The 45mm gun has a range 20”/50cm, ROF 1/1, AT 7, FP 4+ with Overworked.

The British Valentine was supplied to the Soviets as part of the Lend-lease program. Though the British thought of it as an infantry tank, the Soviets designated it a light tank and gave it to light tank companies. The Valentine is therefore quite well-armoured with front 6, side 5, top 1. The Soviets got a mix of types, some with 2 pdr guns others with 6 pdr guns. The 2 pdr gun has a range 24”/60cm, ROF 2/1, AT 7, FP 4+ with No HE. The 6 pdr gun has a range 28”/70cm, ROF 2/1, AT 10, FP 4+ with No HE, No MG and Overworked. The Valentine (2 pdr) also has a MG.

To field these troops have a look at these for the T-34s SBX66 T-34 Tank Company or SUAB12 T-34 Tank Battalion. For the T-70s check out SBX68. For the Valentines see SBX69.

Hero Motor Rifle Battalion

The Hero Motor Rifle Battalion is a well-equipped formation with its core of infantry, its own selection of support weapons like machine-guns, mortars, and anti-tank guns, and it also has its own tanks and reconnaissance troops.

The Hero Motor Rifle Company that make up two to three of your formation units are well-rated with Confident 4+ motivation backed up by a Komissar (3+ motivation). Their skill is Veteran 3+, with 2+ in Assaults. Their Hit On rating is Aggressive 3+. They have 7-10 DP MG teams (Range 16”/40cm, ROF 2/2, AT 2, FP 6) and a Komissar. They can add PTRD anti-tank rifle teams and Maksim HMG teams for more firepower.

These troops can also be represented using the excellent plastic troops of SBX79 RIfle Company and SBX80 SMG Company.

Their fourth infantry unit is the Hero SMG Company (which is included in many formations throughout the book as you may have noted). This simple, but effective unit is armed with 5-7 PPSh SMG teams (Range 4”/10cm, ROF 3/3, AT 1, FP 6 with Pinned ROF 1) and a Komissar team. They have the same ratings as the Hero Motor RIfle Company.

Use SBX80 SMG Company to field these excellent troops.

T-34 Tank Battalion

The T-34 Battalion is a mixed unit with both T-34 (76mm) and T-34 (85mm) tanks. They can also have a light tank company with either T-70 or Valentine light tanks. Their formation also contains anti-aircraft, mortars, anti-tank and SMG troops.

To field these troops have a look at these for the T-34s SBX66 T-34 Tank Company or SUAB12 T-34 Tank Battalion. For the T-70s check out SBX68. For the Valentines see SBX69.

Motor Rifle Battalion

Like the Hero version of these troops, the Motor Rifle Battalion formation is almost fully contained combined arms force, with its own machine-guns, mortars, anti-tank, anti-aircraft, reconnaissance and tanks. These troops have a motivation of Confident 4+ with a Komissar making it 3+, skill is Trained 4+, but with 3+ in Assaults. They are Hit On 3+, and Save on 4+.

The Motor Rifle Companies are quite large with between 10 and 28 DP MG teams and a Komissar. They can also add anti-tank rifles and HMGs to this total.

They can also take the SMG Company with the same ratings, but armed with 15-22 PPSh SMG teams and a Komissar. They can also take a couple of additional Flame-throwers (Range 4”/10cm, ROF 4/4, AT 2, FP AUTO, with Flame-thrower, Heavy Weapon, and Pinned ROF 2).

These troops can also be represented using the excellent plastic troops of SBX79 RIfle Company and SBX80 SMG Company.

Reconnaissance Company

The final formation in Bagration: Soviet is the Reconnaissance Company. This formation has a good mix of troops and units. It is built around a core of submachine-gun infantry which can fight on foot or be transported in Lend-lease M3 scout cars or captured German Sd Kfz 251 half-tracks. Both transport options give some protection from rifle and machine-gun fire. The formation is rated motivation Confident 4+ with Last Stand 3+, skill Veteran with Assault 2+, and Hit On Aggressive.

The Armoured Reconnaissance Platoon can have 4-6 PPSh SMG teams mounted in either of the above transport options. This unit used the Spearhead rule.

If you take the foot option are four Recce DP MG teams with an option to add a Flame-thrower. They also use the Scout rule in addition to Spearhead.

To field the infantry from an Armoured Reconnaissance Platoon or a Reconnaissance Platoon use SBX80 SMG Company.

For the M3 Scout Transports use SU206 M3 Scout Transport. For the Sd Kfz 251 use GBX152 Sd Kfz 251 Transports.

The Formation can also have its own 82mm mortar Company, 76mm anti-tank Company, and tank company.

Last, but not least they come with their own little armoured cars, the BA-64. This gives you another Spearhead unit. The BA-64 Armoured Car Platoon has 3-7 BA-64s, these can be armed with MGs or PTRD anti-tank rifles. They armoured to protect them from small arms fire with front 1, side 1, top 0.

The new plastic BA-64 comes in the SBX76 Armoured Car Platoon box.

Support

The support is full of great stuff to support your Soviet force in the field. There are OY-34 and KV-8 Flame-tank Companies for burning your way through the defences of the enemy. A good selection of Tank-killer Companies, armed with 45mm guns, 57mm guns, 76mm guns, and 100mm guns. The 100mm gun packs a mighty punch with range 32”/80cm, ROF 1/1, AT 15, FP 2+, with Slow Firing and Forward Firing.

For artillery support you can have the infamous Katyusha rocket launcher, 76mm, 122mm, or 152mm artillery batteries. You can also now take the new BA-64 armoured car to mount our artillery observer.

For air support you can choose from two variants of the IL-2 Shturmovik, one with 23mm guns (Range 6”/15cm, ROF -/2, AT 6, FP 5+), bombs and rockets, or one with a 37mm gun (Range 8”/20cm, ROF -/2, AT 8, FP 4+), as well as bombs and rockets.

After the support you will find a sample army based on the new Soviet Start Force Heavy Assault Group, a painting guide, a basing guide, a Eastern Front Terrain guide, and section on City Fighting.

Bagration Battles

The final section in the book introduces River Crossing rules. River crossing were a common feature of the battles on the Eastern Front, and during Operation Bagration in particular. We have included rules so you can recreate these set piece battles in Flames of War.

You will find River Assault rules, three River Crossing missions, a Linked Campaign incorporating the new missions along with missions from the rulebook. The book ends with a comprehensive catalogue on Bagration: Soviet models, your easy guide to collecting your Soviet Force.

The book is packed full of content, and there is probably a formation or two to tempt anybody looking and getting into Flames Of War on the Eastern Front. Enjoy!

~Wayne

The Bagration: Soviet Launch is Live!

Today we are returning the to the Eastern Front where the Soviet juggernaut is preparing to throw itself at the German Army in an attempt to breakthrough and open the doors to Berlin.

Inside the Bagration: Soviet book you will find:
• Background on the Soviet Red Army during 1944, including Operation Bagration and the breakthroughs that followed.
• Instructions on how to build an IS-2 Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, IS-85 Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, Heavy SP Artillery Regiment, Medium SP Artillery Regiment, SU-76 Light SP Artillery Regiment, Engineer-Sapper Battalion, Hero Shock Rifle Battalion, Rifle Battalion, Hero T-34 (85mm) Tank Battalion, Hero T-34 Tank Battalion, Hero Motor Rifle Battalion,
T-34 (85mm) Tank Battalion, T-34 Tank Battalion, Motor Rifle Battalion, and Reconnaissance Company.
• Three new Bagration themed missions.

Over the course of the day you can expect to see articles, list builds, videos, hobby guides and plenty more, so by all means jump in and check it out.

The Battlefront Team

D-Day: Waffen-SS Live Launch Round-Up

The D-Day: Waffen-SS Launch is Live!
D-Day: Waffen-SS is Live on Forces and Digital
D-Day: Waffen-SS Q&A
What German Products Can the Waffen-SS Use?
Live Launch Competition

Tactics and Gaming
D-Day: Waffen-SS Spotlight
A D-Day: Waffen-SS Force That is Easy On The Wallet
Building a Waffen-SS Half-Track SS Scout Company
D-Day Waffen-SS Previews
Wittmanns Last Day
Building a Waffen SS Panzer IV Company
Eastern Front 20th Estonians using D-Day: Waffen-SS
Building a Waffen-SS Puma Company
Frontschwein and Feurwehrmann
From Big Four To D-Day: Waffen-SS…
Building a Waffen-SS Armored Car Company
Panthers on the Prowl
Panthers and Half-tracks, HEAT and Flamers, These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things!
Switching Sides

Videos
D-Day: Waffen-SS: Tanks
D-Day: Waffen-SS: Armoured Fighting Vehicles
D-Day: Waffen-SS Anti-tank
D-Day: Waffen-SS: Artillery
D-Day: Waffen-SS: Anti-aircraft
D-Day: Waffen-SS: Gun Teams
D-Day: Waffen-SS: Infantry & APCs 

Painting and Modeling
Painting Plane Tree and Oak Leaf Camouflage
Flames Of War Youtube Channel

Thanks For Hanging Out With Us!

Thanks for watching, reading and of course interacting over on social media – don’t forget our competition to help us improve this in the future!

It has been great fun to share this new book with you and hopefully you have picked up some great ideas on how you can build a new Waffen-SS army.

And stay tuned… next up, Bagration: Soviets! The mean green machine is coming…

The Battlefront Team

Switching Sides

With Casey

Usually I’m the class Sovietophile, however when I’m not painting Soviets I’m painting Waffen-SS. They have the coolest camouflage uniforms and are very rewarding to paint.  I have been looking forward to the Late-War release as a chance to dust them off.

This has been an on and off again project for me that started as a staff 600 point challenge. You can find out more here…

I have been adding units here and there to this army over the last 10-12 years as tournaments have come up or new, interesting, units have been added. Out of morbid curiosity I made a list in Forces of War to see how much I actually had.

I was actually surprised at how few points it came out to, but that is mainly because I have no big points sinks other than the Tigers and Hummels, the rest is all infantry and half-tracks.

I never painted many tanks for the force because I always found it difficult to fit them into a force because they used to be Fearless Veteran under previous versions, which made them way to expensive. With the latest book I can see myself gearing up to finally add some more turrets to my army.
Panthers, I’m looking at you.

Since its close to 200 points I may have to have a large throw-down against the Big Four allies.

~Casey

Live Launch Competition!

We’ve enjoyed putting together today’s Live Launch but we would really like to hear from you about what content you have enjoyed the most, and what you would like to see us do in the future!

Head over to our Instagram or Twitter (or both if you want to double your chances), follow and post your comment, and we will pick a random reply to win a copy of the D-Day: Waffen-SS book and Army Deal! How easy is that?

 

Panthers and Half-tracks, HEAT and Flamers, These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things!

With Adam Brooker

This time I’m going to be looking at a fun list for me. Ever since I’ve seen the D-Day: German books came out, I have been really tempted to start an Armoured Panzergrenadier list. I just really like the models, an almost entirely mechanised force, and its fast aggressive play style.  Because it is essentially light armour, you will need to find a weak spot in opponents’ line to exploit. You do this by using your excellent mobility to manoeuvre around defences or focus your firepower to blast through it. To do this you will need tanks.  Now Tigers may be ideal for this, but Tigers are easy and everyone takes them, I like a challenge, and I’ve never been one for doing what everyone else is doing!!

I really enjoy playing fast maneuverable lists with, good attacking power (glass cannons), using the terrain and movement orders to get the best from your forces. But it is a hard list to play, you may lose a few battles until you really perfect your list and the play style, but it is ALWAYS FUN!! Which is why most of us play right!!??

So I’ve gone with Panthers, they are a bit faster and a bit cheaper compared to Tigers, and you just have to watch their flanks, but they do have great frontal armour and excellent guns!! But they are vulnerable to getting shot in the side in defensive fire when assaulting, and against anything with high AT weapons in assault, so they have their limitations. But they are not there to do the assaulting, they are there mostly for blowing shit up and looking awesome!!

Assaulting is what the HQ, Armoured Panzergrenadiers, and Flame Thrower Halftracks are for!! But you will need to soften the enemy up first, as you don’t have the numbers to have a slog-fest of attrition. This list is very much about picking a target, focusing it, destroying it (or making it combat ineffective) and then moving onto the next target. You will need to have a plan here for your target selection, both for what units you want to attack and what enemy attacking units you want to take out first.

The idea here is that your aggressive unit placement and movement will put your opponent off balance. He will probably have a plan against the objective you are going to defend, but will need to pull more and more forces away to deal with your attacking units.

Also, an easy option for Reserves is the Panthers and Jagdpanzer IV, a quick 40 points if you do have to put forces in Reserve. Although you are lacking the normal Lucky card I take to try to make sure your Reserves turn up when you need them to.

So let’s talk about the units….

One different unit here I don’t normally take is the Flame Halftracks. The Armoured SS Flame-Thrower platoon is very cheap for the amount of devastation they can cause. Normally flame tanks cost almost as much as normal tanks, but don’t have the large main gun, but a very short ranged flamethrower. But at 6 points for 4 Half-tracks, capable of spitting out 16 shots a turn (at 4” range), that require the enemy infantry to re-roll any saves they make, and auto destroys any dug in infantry or gun teams, I’m prepared to see how it works out! Now admittedly they cannot charge into combat, but they can shoot in defensive fire if an infantry unit is dumb enough to charge you.

But what they can do is roll up to the defended position and unleash hellfire all over it, pinning the unit automatically and hopefully significantly reducing the defenders. These are the perfect unit to soften up the enemy before your main assault, the auto pin is especially useful. The only thing to be careful of is protecting them as they advance as they have very little armour.

The defending units for you will be the Panzergrenadier platoon, the mortars and Wespes, the 7.5cm anti-tank guns. You should have a solid base with those units to defend one objective. Units like the Jagdpanzer IV and 7.5cm Armoured Gun Platoon can be used as either in an offensive or defensive way, and once the enemy attacking units are blunted, can be quickly repositioned in attack.

Also the great thing about your artillery units, the mortars and Wespe, is that they are mobile, so if they do try to counter battery you, you can easily move once they have ranged in on you. If you are lucky you can even attempt a blitz to move, and still fire or bombard in the same phase.

I do have to let you know how much I really like the 7.5cm Armoured Gun Platoon, and that it’s one of my favourite units of this list. It pretty much exemplifies the ‘Glass Cannon’ unit type. They have almost no armour, reasonable manoeuvrability, and a good cross check. Strapped to the half-track is an AT9 HEAT cannon with 24” range and 3+ Firepower check, and 6 of them can SPAM 12 shots a round with a good Blitz roll. Put them behind a hill, and a quick Blitz, a salvo and a Scoot and Shoot will give a lot of tank lists headaches. Also as they are part of your formation, they can be affected by the Old Hand rule, so a 3+ Tactics check instead of 4+ as long as your HQ is within 6”.

I also want to add how much I like the Old Hand rule for the SS in Late War. The improved 3+ Tactics roll, as long as the Formation HQ is within 6” of the Formation Unit Leader, is a great mechanic. It has a lot of character, with the core veteran SS officers having to pass on years of hard won combat experience, not in the practice fields with time and patience, but having to pass it on to barely trained replacements in the crucible of battle. It really represents how many veteran SS Divisions from the Eastern Front had been bled dry or had troops re-assigned from veteran units to form new ones (eg. 17th SS or 10th SS Divisions, and 1st SS replacements). It also shows how the Germans were really struggling for both man-power and experienced troops at this point of the war. They were reaching their limits, and it was starting to show, and this simple rule illustrates it well,

So your Formation HQ unit is very important in SS Formations, and to me it suggests using them aggressively, to keep them moving around the battlefield, so your formation units can get the best out of their movement orders and tactics rolls, as well as the normal HQ benefits of re-rolls.

I will say this list will not be easy for a beginner to use, it requires you to know not only the strengths and weaknesses of your own list, but your opponents as well. But…. once you get the hang of it, I find these kinds of lists immensely fun to play.

So if you want to play a different sort of list, with a bit of a challenge, I suggest you give it a go. But most importantly always have fun!

~Adam

Panthers on the Prowl

With Joe Saunders

A number of years ago my family went to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa where among the exhibits, I first saw a Panther tank in person. I was instantly wowed by this awesome machine. At 3 meters high with a high velocity 75mm cannon and lines that made it somehow superimposed between the armoured behemoths of World War II and modern battlefield predators, the Panther tank instantly became my favorite vehicle. Tracks, wheels, or wings, nothing beats the Panther for me!

Panthers in Flames Of War

Move ahead a few years to when I began to play Flames Of War . I was happy to use Panthers. I found they were great in defense where they could outrage the Allies with their whopping 40-inch range at AT 14. Using Stormtroopers to Blitz and then Shoot and Scoot, my Heer Panthers (from D-Day: Germans) worked in the role of long-range tank snipers. However, game after game here they stayed and it became a little predictable. For 1 point more, my Tigers got the other missions. With the same Front Armour, Side Armour 8, Top Armour 2 and a Last Stand and Remount of 2+ they were that much more flexible.  Despite this, I always wanted my Panthers to have the opportunity to fill other roles too, as was only fitting of this World War II titan. Fortunately, with the impending release of the D-Day: Waffen-SS book, that time has come….

New Stats Means New Options

So, what is different that breathes new life into the SS Panthers? It’s the stats. The SS used the same equipment as their army counterparts, but were trained differently with an aggressive, sometimes even fanatical approach. They tended to have higher losses and therefore did not accumulate the experience which is reflected in the stats for the SS Panther platoons. Because of this, on the down side, they are Hit On 3+, and count as Trained for skill. However, they trade this for a Fearless Motivation and most importantly a hefty decrease in points by almost 25% from their army counterparts.

These changes amount to the a very different playstyle. Let’s take a detailed look at just some of the possible differences:

The Panther Company

For regular army units, the Panther is just too expensive to have full Formations on the table at the 100-point limit. As a result, you often do not see them in games and certainly not in any great numbers. If they are there you can be certain that they will always be sitting back at a distance looking for long range pot shots. Now with the SS Panthers, 98 points will get you 11 Panthers on the table! (To field the same number of army Panthers from D-Day: Germans would cost a whopping 121 points.) With the SS you can reasonably have a horde of Front Armour 9, AT 14 panzers all bearing down on your opponent! Trading the Hit On 4+ for 3+ should not be too much of a disadvantage, because even though the hits are going to be made, the penetration rolls remain the same and you have a 3+ remount due to your Fearless Motivation. Moreover, though the Allies in Late War have plenty of 17 pounders, 3-inch guns and 76mm Shermans, all hitting with high AT ratings, chances are they will not have the numbers or range to go toe to toe with so many Panthers all at once.

Panthers in Assaults

Let’s face it even though the Panther is still better fighting at range you will occasionally need to engage in (or receive) assaults. Side Armour 5 can possibly repel a few bazookas or PIATS, but with a Motivation of 4+, army Panthers tend to run away when it is time to roll for Counter Attack. If your Panthers are defending an objective this is an even bigger issue as they will likely be pushed off it. The SS however changes this. Though they have a skill of 4+ making them less likely to cause casualties in an assault, they also are much less likely to be running from the fight with their Fearless Motivation. So, go ahead and sit your SS Panthers on an objective.  If they have to fight up close and personal, they are not the ones that will be running away.

Panthers in Defence

As mentioned above the Panther is best in defense. The SS version is not much different. Front Armour 10 at long range will go a long way to offset the Hit On of 3+ and the gun is still the AT 14, 3+ Fire Power marvel that the German long barrel 75mm always has been. But I hear you say the SS Panther loses out because with Skill 4+ your Blitz followed by Shoot and Scoot Stormtrooper special orders are less likely to succeed. Don’t worry though the Old Hand rule takes care of this.

With your Panthers skulking within 6 inches of their Formation HQ they now stand the same chances of Blitzing out of cover, taking their shots like they were stationary, and then Shoot and Scooting back to safety as their army counterparts.

Get Out and Play

Now that we have shed the light on the differences that are coming with the SS Panther it is time to get ready to put yours on the table. The new stats in the D-Day: Waffen SS book will not only give you a new host of fun options for how you can use these mighty hunters, but also usher in an age where the Panther can become a top carnivore on the Flames Of War battlefield. Now is the time to let your Panthers go on the Prowl!

~Joe