Tag: Soviet

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

Bradleys Hold The Line?

With Nick Azzaro (and Brandon and Lonnie)

The stage was set for a confrontation outside a small town. The US forces had occupied the town prior and were dead set on defending it from the Soviet interlopers. The buildings would provide cover for the Americans as the hills and valleys outside the town would help mask the Soviet advance. As the sun rose over the small town, shots rang out.

Brandon’s American list hinged on the new Bradley. The appeal is that for a relatively low points cost, he can bring to bear a large amount of firepower in the form of their TOW-2 missiles. Even in this smaller 50 points game, Brandon was able to bring eleven M2 Bradleys, across three platoons in addition to his Combat Team HQ, using the M2 Bradley Mech Combat Team formation. He fleshed out the rest of his list with three MLRS Rocket Launcher Batteries and four HMMWVs with Stinger AA missiles.

Lonnie brought the Red Thunder with a Soviet list utilizing the T-72 Tank Battalion. As such, he had his Battalion HQ T-72 accompanied by two additional companies of four T-72s each. He rounded out his forces with a small BMP-1 Motor Rifle Company and two MI-24 Hinds.

The scenario would see Brandon defending the small town from Lonnie’s Soviets in a scenario of their own devising. (With a late game surprise element.) Brandon deployed his Bradleys in a defensive perimeter around the edge of the town protecting his more vulnerable HMMWVs and Rocket Batteries in the interior, along with his HQ Bradley. Lonnie’s deployment was mostly along the long board edge opposite from Brandon’s perimeter as his plan was to overwhelm Brandon’s deadly yet somewhat softer Bradleys with the firepower from his T-72s. His Hinds would start off the board and his BMPs, filled with eager Soviets, would begin further back in his line. However, with Brandon winning first turn, this plan was not to be.

Brandon kicked the game off with a bang. Having sufficient fields of fire, he would strike first and hope to cripple any counter attack before it could form. All his Bradleys opened fire with their TOW-2 missiles to great effect. His Bradleys closest to the T-72s blasted three of the Soviet tanks off the table with the last remaining fleeing instead of facing another barrage. Brandon’s middle platoon of Bradleys only had line of sight on the T-72 command tank and made short work of it as well. The last platoon of Bradleys had the least amount of luck only being able to destroy a single T-72 leaving three of his comrades in the hunt. The American luck would continue to fizzle out as the MLRS batteries were unable to range in on the distant BMPs. However, it was a bloody and eventful turn seeing the Americans gain a strong early advantage that the Soviets would have to work to surmount the rest of the game.

Having taken a browbeating in the American turn, the Soviets were looking to get some modicum of revenge. But first they had to shore up their defenses. Lonnie disembarked his infantry from his BMPs into the cover of a shallow ravine and then shuffled the BMPs out of sight for their own protection. The remaining three T-72s would then advance with the cover of some escarpments on their right. Finally, the Reds would hope to change their fortunes with the arrival of the Hinds. The Hinds went straight to their 57mm UB-32 rocket launchers and looked to drop a salvo on a large portion of Brandon’s Bradleys. The Bradleys would fire their Bushmaster guns in vain prior to the barrage. However, it wouldn’t matter in the end as the Soviets failed their firepower rolls and left the Bradleys unharmed. The T-72s would have slightly more luck firing downrange at the central Bradleys and destroying one. But this was not the counter punch the Soviets had hoped for. They would now need to survive another turn of American shooting.

The American turn began with the HQ tank moving into firing range of the Hinds and the HMMWVs trying to get a better angle on them as well. Both the HQ tanks and the HMMWVs fired at the Hinds to no effect. The Bradley platoon nearest to the Hinds unleashed their Bushmaster guns at full tilt and managed to down one of the menacing flying tanks, however. The Bradleys on the far edge continued their punishing barrage on the T-72s. But due to some unfortunate dice, only one T-72 bailed out and the remaining two were unscathed. The rocket batteries tried to finish off the T-72s but failed in this task. The Soviets were down but they were not out and it was again their turn.

The crew of the T-72 remounted and the company advanced. The infantry and now-empty BMPs also closed the distance. The single remaining Hind moved right into the thick of the American defense in hope of punishing some of the softer interior targets. Its plan was thwarted however; as it was about to fire, the unit of Bradleys that had fired out of turn before turned their sights on it. It was blown out of the sky before it had a chance to make a difference. The T-72s, in a desperate bid for revenge, fire on the Bradleys on the far end and manage to destroy one, thus securing a small victory in an otherwise troubled advance. But it was about to get more troubling for the Reds.

The third turn began with the combined fire from two of the Bradley platoons finishing off the remaining T-72s while the third platoon moved onto the offensive. The MLRS rocket batteries fired on the infantry but they proved to be too dug in to be removed easily. So the turn moved to the Soviets who had their small BMP motor rifle company facing down a nearly unscathed American force.

Lonnie began his turn by advancing his Soviet infantry taking advantage of the cover afforded to him by his own destroyed tanks. The BMPs unleashed their Sagger missiles on the center group of Bradleys and managed to secure another kill. The Soviets were on the ropes, but they intended to bleed the Americans if they could. However, numbers were against them and it seemed that the days may be numbered for these comrades.

The fourth American turn would prove less bloody purely because there were hardly any targets left to destroy. The Bradleys that had dealt with the Hinds moved out of sight beyond the escarpments and the others on the far side destroyed one of the remaining rogue BMPs. The MLRS fired on the BMPs as well but only managed to spook them. The turn shifted to the Soviets, though the writing was on the wall.

In a last defiant effort, the infantry fired off their RPGs over the escarpment at the cost of a single Bradley and the BMPs tried and failed to destroy another. This ended up being the last turn as Lonnie conceded a gentlemen’s victory to Brandon instead of facing down a hail of TOW-2 missiles.

In the end, the Bradleys proficiency for destruction in the first turn left Lonnie’s Soviets an insurmountable climb. The constant pressure the Bradleys provided just wouldn’t let the Soviet advance get enough steam to crack the perimeter. Truly, the Bradley has demonstrated its efficiency and may be a contender for most aggravating transport to face, up there with the BMP. It was most definitely on the Bradley’s back that Brandon’s American victory was earned.

Happy 4th of July.

~Nick

Big Four of Late War: Casey

Casey “Comrade” Davies has built more Soviet models than anyone can count, with an astounding seven complete Strelkovy Companies to his name. After some debate, he grabbed the new Soviet Army Deal whilst making noises about wanting to try his hand at building a new Hero Company. Like Victor, he spends his days creating the books, cards, and imagery that you see whenever you play a game of Flames Of War (or Team Yankee).

You can follow Casey’s Big Four journey here…

Phil’s Move to Late War

with Phil Yates

I’m looking forward to the new late war books and trying out my various armies to see how they perform. I have nine mid and late-war forces that I could use, so let’s see how they go.

Late War British
Let’s start with my biggest collection, the Desert Rats in Normandy. I have a Motor Company and a Cromwell Armoured Squadron.

The Motor Company is fairly straightforward and can easily be built from Fortress Europe, although I’ll have to wait for the D-Day: British book next year for the specifically Desert Rats version with slightly different ratings and the command cards for their transport vehicles. My company has:

  • Motor Company HQ
  • 3-inch Mortar Section
  • 3x Motor Platoons
  • 3x Carrier Patrols
  • Vickers MG Platoon
  • 2x 6 pdr Anti-tank Platoon
  • 2x M10C 17 pdr SP Platoon

In Fortress Europe that comes to 94 points, so there’s room to add my Typhoons (using the Kittyhawk card for the moment) to take it to a round 100 points. For comparison, the same force from the old Overlord book comes to 1610 points* without the Typhoons.

With my Cromwell Armoured Squadron, I have two choices: field them as Shermans in the meantime, or wait for the D-Day: British book. I’d rather get them onto the table and have a few games, even if my Cromwells won’t be as fast as I’d like (but then again, the extra speed will be an exciting bonus when the Cromwell arrives!).

  • Sherman Armoured Squadron
  • 4x Sherman Armoured Troop
  • Stuart Recce Patrol
  • Motor Platoon

That comes to 97 points, so I might take the opportunity to throw in a Daimler armoured car troop as well.

Late War German
My German forces are a bit smaller with a very small Tiger SS Tank Company and a FHH Panzergrenadier Company.

My Tiger SS Tank Company is normally commanded by Michael Wittmann for a tiny, but elite force. Using Fortress Europe, I can field this six-tank company without Wittmann (I’ll have to wait for D-Day: Waffen-SS to add him). The company has:

  • Tiger Tank Company HQ
  • 2x Tiger Tank Platoons

Six tanks for 72 points, so that’s a better deal than before (it would have been 1300 points previously*). To bring the force up to 100 points, I could add a Panzergrenadier Platoon from my FHH Panzergrenadier Company and finally get around to adding some Sd Kfz 7/1 quad 20mm AA to my collection (although I could use some of my single 2cm AA from FHH in the meanwhile..

It will be a while before we get to the Lorraine battles where the Feldherrnhalle (FHH) panzer brigade fought, so meanwhile I’ll just field them as a normal Panzergrenadier Company. It would have:

  • Panzergrenadier Company HQ
  • 2x Panzergrenadier Platoon
  • Light AA Platoon (using my Sd Kfz 251/21 AA half-tracks)
  • Armoured 8cm Mortar Platoon (using my 12cm mortar platoon)
  • Armoured 7.5cm Gun Platoon
  • Armoured Flame-thrower Platoon
  • 2x StuG Assault Gun Platoons (using my Panzer IV/70)

That comes out at 96 points in Fortress Europe, so that’s pretty good. I’ll have to ponder what I might add to use those last four points.

So far then, it’s looking good for a conversion across from the old books to the new. I’ll have to wait a little for a perfect translation for a couple of my forces, but they’ll be fun to play in the meanwhile.

Mid War Forces
So what about my Mid-War forces? How will they fare? I have a Grant Armoured Squadron, a Panzer III Tank Company, and two variants of Soviet Tank Battalions.

My Enemy At the Gates Soviet mixed tank battalion isn’t really a good fit for Late War as both the KV-1 and T-60 are pretty much long gone by then (there were apparently a handful of KV-1 still fighting around Leningrad though!), although if I used the T-60s as T-70s and ignored the odd organisation, I could probably make a small 60-point force.

On the other hand, the Red Banner version transfers over nicely (especially if I get that SMG Company painted!).

  • T-34 Tank Battalion HQ
  • T-34 Tank Company
  • Valentine Tank Company
  • T-70 Tank Company

That all comes in at 51 points under Fortress Europe, so I might need to invest in another T-34 company to replace the T-70s, and possibly model some of the new tanks as up-gunned T-34/85. That would give me 28 tanks for 100 points!

My Grant Armoured Squadron really doesn’t cross over to Late War. The Grant was already on its way out at the Battle of El Alamein where my force fought, so it would be optimistic to expect to see it in battles nearly two years later. On the other hand, if I didn’t already have a late war armoured squadron and I wanted to give a mate a game, I’d probably consider fielding them as Shermans while I worked on a new Late-War force.

My Panzer III Tank Company would translate across a bit better as Fortress Europe has a Mixed Panzer III & IV Tank Company. My models are much earlier marks than you’d find in early 1944, and are painted in desert sand camouflage, but they’d do at a pinch, but it would have to be a small game as my whole force wouldn’t be much over 60 points – even proxying them as later model Panzers!

All-in-all though, if I didn’t have any Late-War forces and wanted to give it a go, I could certainly try out a few games using my Mid-War forces while I built up my Late-War collection.

What About the Romanians?
I also have a Late-War Romanian Panzer IV Tank Company. If I field it using the German Panzer IV Tank Company formation, it gets a bit of a skill and reliability upgrade, but works fine. Just focussing on the tanks, I’d have:

  • Panzer IV Tank Company HQ
  • 5x Panzer IV Tank Platoon (3 tanks each)
  • Grenadier Platoon

Since they are relatively better, and hence more expensive, I’d need to drop some tanks to get my 100mm howitzers in there, and even more to field a small infantry company. Or, looking at it from the bright side, I can field nearly 150 points for a really big game!

And the Score is…
Well, out of nine forces, five transfer over almost without a hitch, although I would need another ten T-34s to get to 100 points with my Soviets. Of the other four, I’ll need to proxy my Cromwells as Shermans to make that one work, and the other three Mid-War forces could be transferred across in some form, even though they are 1942 forces, but since I already have Late-War forces, I don’t think I’ll bother.

All-in-all, transferring over to Late War using the new books looks like it will be fairly straightforward for me..   

*The old books used a different points scale with typical forces being 1500 to 1750 points rather than 100 points.

Fortress Europe: Soviet Spotlight

with Phil Yates

Through 1943, the Soviet Union has gone from victory to victory, throwing the Germans back almost to the borders of Russia in a non-stop series offensives, never giving them time to recover before the next blow falls. These successes have bought time for the Red Army to sharpen their tactics, and despite high casualties, keep formations intact long enough to retain these new skills.

The unrelenting pace of these offensives has led to a dichotomy between formations freshly rebuilt with new conscripts ready for the next offensive, and the heroic survivors that remain after each bloody battle, pushing on as they have time after time. So desperate is the need for troops that even obsolete equipment like the M3 Lee and the KV-1 are still found fighting on the flanks of the latest equipment like the T-34/85 that form the spearheads. The question is simply which of the many options will you field?

T-34 Tank Battalion

  • Same organisation and equipment as Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • Big formations with up to 25 tanks for less than 50 points.
  • Extremely fast medium tanks.
  • Upgrade with 85mm guns for extra anti-tank capability.
  • Big units of up to ten T-34 tanks for maximum staying power.
  • T-70 and Valentine light tank companies add numbers cheaply.
  • Integrated SMG and mortar companies for combined arms attacks.
  • Outnumber, outmanoeuvre, and outfight the enemy.
    • Field twice as many tanks as the enemy.
    • Use speed to unbalance the enemy and get flank shots on their tanks.
    • Greater numbers give greater firepower to overwhelm the enemy.

Hero T-34 Tank Battalion

  • Same organisation and equipment as Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • Smaller units – the survivors of many battles. More skilled. A rapier rather than a sledgehammer.
  • Still using the same doctrine, so still Aggressive.
  • Extremely fast medium tanks..
  • Upgrade with 85mm guns for extra anti-tank capability.
  • T-70 and Valentine light tank companies give flexibility.
  • Integrated SMG and mortar companies for combined arms attacks.
  • Give the Germans a taste of their own medicine using movement orders and speed to keep them off balance.

KV-1s Guards Heavy Tank Regiment

  • Same organisation and equipment as Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • Fast tanks with heavy armour and excellent assault capabilities.
  • Ideal for infantry support, clearing out enemy defensive positions and driving off enemy tanks.

Churchill Guards Heavy Tank Regiment

  • Same organisation and equipment as Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • Slow, heavily-armoured assault tanks.
  • Cost effective infantry support.

M3 Lee Tank Battalion

  • Same organisation and equipment as Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • Obsolete medium tanks with thin armour and limited mobility.
  • Hull and turret gun can shoot at different targets.
  • Cheap and cheerful fire support for infantry attacks.

Rifle Battalion

  • Similar organisation and equipment to Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • Huge formations with up to 29 teams in a single unit.
  • Unstoppable assaults with big, hard-to-pin down, easy to rally units that charge 6”/15cm to get masses of troops into combat.
  • Komissars improve motivation.
  • Submachine-gun units for assault firepower.
  • Integrated weapons at all levels.
    • Machine-guns, anti-tank rifles, mortars, and flame-throwers in each unit.
    • Massed machine-guns, anti-tank rifles, heavy mortars, and anti-tank guns to soften up the enemy as you charge.
  • Expect high casualties with only a 4+ save – you can’t make omelettes without breaking eggs!
  • Quantity has a quality all of its own!

Hero Rifle Battalion

  • Same organisation and equipment as Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • Smaller units – the survivors of many battles. More skilled and deadly.
  • Komissars still improve motivation.
  • Better rate of fire as higher proportion of automatic weapons amongst survivors.
  • Still using the same doctrine, so still Aggressive, but fighting smarter so 3+ save.
  • Still have integrated weapons – high ratio of heavy weapons to riflemen. These are duplicated from the Rifle Battalion for ease of reference.
  • Tough, aggressive troops.

Motor Rifle Battalion

  • Sameorganisation and equipment as Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • Huge formations with up to 35 teams in a single unit.
  • Unstoppable assaults with big, hard-to-pin down, easy to rally units that charge 6”/15cm to get masses of troops into combat, then hit really hard with excellent assault ratings.
  • Komissars improve motivation.
  • Submachine-gun units for even more assault firepower.
  • Integrated T-34 or light tank company for speed and firepower.
  • Integrated weapons at all levels.
  • Expect high casualties with only a 4+ save – you can’t make omelettes without breaking eggs!
  • Quantity has a quality all of its own!

Hero Motor Rifle Battalion

  • Same organisation and equipment as Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • Smaller units – the survivors of many battles. Extremely skilled and deadly.
  • Komissars still improve motivation.
  • Better rate of fire as higher proportion of automatic weapons amongst survivors.
  • Extremely deadly in assaults.
  • Still using the same doctrine, so still Aggressive, but fighting smarter so 3+ save.
  • Still have integrated tanks and weapons – high ratio of heavy weapons to riflemen.
  • Really hard-bitten troops. Deadly up close and clever tactics.

Reconnaissance Company

  • Same organisation and equipment as Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • Elite infantry mounted in armoured transports.
  • Integrated light tanks or armoured cars, anti-tank guns, and mortars for combined arms.
  • Deadly highly-mobile shock troops.

Support

  • Same organisation and equipment as Mid War, so easy to transfer across.
  • SU self-propelled guns for any purpose from light to heavy. Dual-purpose weapons – ideal for blasting the enemy at point-blank range, back-up role as artillery.
  • Elite, highly-skilled, tank-killers earn their triple pay – a long gun, a large salary, a short life!
  • Lots of cheap artillery, light 76mm guns, powerful 122mm howitzers, and Katyusha rocket launchers for saturation fire.
  • Deadly Il-2 Shturmovik armoured ground-attack aircraft armed with cannon and anti-tank bomblets!

How Do the Soviets Play?
The victories won by the Soviet Union in 1943 — Stalingrad, Kursk, Donbass, Dneiper, Smolensk, and Kiev amongst them — showed the increasing skill and power of the Red Army and threw the Germans onto the strategic defensive. As 1944 begins these hammer blows continue without respite.

A Wide Variety of Styles
However, by 1944, the Red Army was running out of people to replace casualties, so they created several tiers of formations. At the bottom of the pile were the rifle divisions who were usually desperately short of riflemen. To solve this problem, they’d conscript any adult males from the areas they liberated straight into the ranks. The result was renewed strength, but very limited skill, so they are rated Confident, Green, and Aggressive with a save of just 4+. These massive formations were quickly attrited down to the same old band of heroes who had fought their way back westward since Stalingrad. These heroes are rated Confident, Veteran, and Aggressive, reflecting their crafty tactics and brutal hand-to-hand combat skills, while retaining their aggressive tactics that put defeating the Germans above personal survival.

The tank battalions follow a similar pattern, with the tough heroes of a dozen battles rated as Confident, Trained, and Aggressive with their ‘Crafty’ tricks reflected in a better Tactics rating. When rebuilt with conscripts fresh from training, of necessity their tactics become simpler and their skill rating drops to Green, although their determination to take ‘Not One Step Back’ gives them a better Last Stand rating.

The motor rifle brigades that supported the tanks were given priority for the available manpower as they were seen to be the key to ultimate victory. With almost as many officers and NCOs as soldiers, even freshly-raised units fought with skill, so are rated as Confident, Trained, and Aggressive, although still have the speed and lowered save associated with massed tactics. Once they get battle-hardened, the heroic survivors are rated as Veteran. Like most Soviet infantry, their aggressiveness and high proportion of automatic weapons give them an improved Assault rating as they fight ‘For the Motherland’.

The Sledgehammer or the Rapier?
As you can see, there are two distinct sides to the Red Army, the units brought back up to strength or the next offensive with raw recruits doomed to a very bloody and usually very brief introduction to combat, and the battle-hardened survivors, the heroes of many battles who had seen recruits come and go many times.

These two play very differently on the table. The huge units of new recruits are a sledgehammer, swung with maximum force at the key point in the enemy line, smashing through with devastating speed and crushing strength. They will take huge casualties, so you need to be bloody minded and focus on victory above all else. You must win quickly while you have the strength to shatter your foe, or watch your forces bleed away to nothing.

The heroes of many battles still need to fight aggressively, as their strength will also bleed away quickly, but they need to use finesse rather than massed numbers. They must use their superior speed and skill to gain local superiority in numbers, firepower, and position, then cut the enemy apart.

No matter what their level of skill, Soviet troops have lots of firepower, often from larger calibre guns than their opponents, and are deadly up close. The key to victory is using speed and aggression to overwhelm a section of the opponent’s force at close range, before exploiting their success to win victory.

What to Expect in Bagration
As you’d expect, when the Bagration book arrives, it will expand on the forces in Fortress Europe with bring new equipment like the powerful IS-2 heavy tank with its 122mm gun, thick armour, and the speed of a medium tank, the ISU self-propelled versions mounting guns as big as 152mm, and the deadly SU-100 tank killer that can easily make short work of a German Tiger or Panther! The book will introduce new formations such as specialist assault troops, ideal for breaking through German defences and clearing out fortified towns and cities.

However, we won’t get to Operation Bagration and the Eastern Front for a while, so to keep Soviet players going until then, the Soviet component of Fortress Europe is pretty beefy (easily the biggest in the whole book). It’s got lots of stuff to help you build the core of your collection and start playing.

T-62M: A Welcome Addition

with Chris Allen

If you read my article Hell on the Highway: A Soviet guide to the BTR-60 then you probably figured out that I have a love for second line kit. So when the venerable T-62M plastic kit came out lets just say mistakes were made, my wife had many questions- Why are there so many tanks? Where did all these tanks come from? Why do you need this many tanks? A battalion of tanks later and I had the opportunity to put together and play second line Soviet troops the way they were meant to be, aggressively. Battlefront had put out an interim list on their website, but with the introduction of Oil War, Soviet forces are getting another list and unit to add to the arsenal.

The T-62 was born out of the early 60s as a replacement for the T-54/55. While it was not as popular as an export due to expense it did replace the T-55 internally within the Soviet Union. What the T-62 brought to the table was a smoothbore gun, the first of its kind in Soviet service and would be game changing on the battlefield with an ability to reach out and touch someone unlike other tanks. Modernisations to the Soviet tanks were constant and in the 85 period we see modern features like laser range finders on the older tank, but what hadn’t changed was it still had a hell of a gun.

The T-62 is a beautiful kit, and my favourite to date, giving you the option to build the T-62 for use in Fate of a Nation, in Team Yankee with forces like the Iraqis and Iranians, or the modernized T-62M with Soviet forces. While I’m a huge fan of the T-72, the visual appeal of the T-62Ms turret instantly made me want to paint up these beasts, and in Soviet fashion, in great number.

So what do you get with a T-62M? We’ll look at 4 features of the T-62, firepower, armour, maneuverability, and cost. Bottom line up front: you get a glass hammer.

This tank is all gun. With AT 21 with a range of 32” the T-62M packs the same punch as the T-72M, capable of running and gunning and being a threat to almost anything on the table. While AT 21 isn’t the scariest sight to front armour 18 and 19 tanks, remember quantity has a quality all its own. Many armies have learned this against the BMP-2, but the BMP-2 can’t move and shoot against targets and cunning NATO opponents will use that against you to devastating effect. The T-62Ms ability to manoeuvre while firing will help put opponents on the back foot and I would argue this is what it excels at. The gun is only ROF 1 like other Soviet tanks and this will limit the damage per turn you can inflict but when used appropriately can threaten tanks but just pull apart support units and really unbalance the field for the rest of your army to exploit. The 115mm 2A20 gun doesn’t have the brutal characteristic Soviet tankers are used to with the T-64 and T-72 but the supporting machine guns do a pretty decent job of digging out enemy infantry if push comes to shove.

The T-62M also has the option to take the AT-10 Stabber missile which can reach out to 48”, a whopping 4 feet but can only do so stationary. What makes this a great option is the sheer number of tanks you can get and supply with these missiles for the bargain basement price of 2 pts. A single unit of these in ambush is not only cheap but can threaten an entire table with AT 21 missiles and be a really bad day for an advancing enemy force. So if you’re building a force made to defend with counter attacking tanks with one company in ambush the T-62M can provide a terrifying and cheap option. But more on tactics later.  

The T-62M does have armour, it does, just not much. This puts it in an odd place, it has enough armour to protect it from IFV fire and the lightest of man portable anti tank weapons, but even light tank guns like the 105mm found on older models of NATO equipment are more than capable of ripping through the T-62M. Tanks like the Leopard 1 or the AMX-30 are perfectly equipped to take on these tanks with both the number and the gun to do the job where as heavier more modern tanks like the Leopard 2 are over equipped. With side armour 9 the tank is more heavily armoured than the T-72 but is still vulnerable to a great variety of weapons. With Bazooka skirts this is a little better bumping up to side armour 10 against HEAT but with weapons like the Carl Gustav and the RPG-7 on the table this is of little benefit. You can’t depend on the side armour to save you so make sure you can’t be hit in the side where possible and you’re doing great.

While the T-62M can move and shoot, it doesn’t do it as well as more modern tanks like the T-72, Leopard 2 or Abrams. The terrain dash of 14 inches combined with a cross value of 4+ makes it hard to really depend on the tank in rough terrain. Moving through woods and other complex terrain is not where the tank is at it’s best, and it is more adept at moving around terrain, keeping in formation and putting fire down range. I wouldn’t overlook the Cross Country dash of 20” that can be used to quickly re-position and threaten flanks and objectives. Moving that many tanks on that many angles can quickly force your opponent to make some bad decisions.

So lastly you have cost, and these tanks are going cheap. At 5 points for 3 tanks and 29 pointe for a full company of 10, they start out really cheap and don’t finish off too far away from that. A Headquarters tank and 3 minimum sized companies will only set you back 18 pts, so the T-62 is the Soviet tank that can fit in any and all Soviet lists, or be the list with all sorts of room for support.

T-62M tactics aren’t that dissimilar to other Soviet tank tactics but have some interesting nuance in the sheer weight you bring to the fight combined with their lack of protection. As discussed above the T-62M hits hard but doesn’t take a hit well. This tanks survivability comes from numbers not individual tanks staying power, and the numbers bring about a new level of mobile offensive output. So with this in mind crafty commanders should keep a few key concepts in mind when performing basic Soviet doctrine.

Know what you want to do, and try and do it as best as possible. This is easier said than done but one thing that makes designing and playing a list a lot more fun and easier is using the battle plans mission selector in the more missions packs. This lets you design a list to play the way you want it to and have it turn out that way arguably more often than not. It helps offensive minded players play offensively and defensive lists get dug in. It can be used against you but that’s half the fun of the pregame fight. If you haven’t tried it out I highly suggest it. So figure out if you want to attack, defend or something in the middle and design the list to play how you want to fight.

Soviet attacks generally come in three flavours, frontal and flanking attacks and the envelopment. Now for obvious reasons Soviet planning at all times attempted to avoid frontal attacks as they were the most costly and tended to get bogged down in defences and played to the enemy’s strengths. On the table we see great similarity to this and I would argue this is why ‘alpha striking’ or using your ability to shoot first is often the worst choice for Soviet players and specifically Soviet tankers. With all the advantages at play for a defender, concealment and being gone to ground, most NATO targets will require 6s to hit. While the T-62 does come in great number it doesn’t overcome the low rate of fire of our tanks and so opening fire on your first turn is often a mistake, as it can make the hunter become the hunted, with muzzle flashes identifying each and every tank for NATO forces to then engage in brutal return volleys.

So then what’s a Soviet tanker to do? Move, move fast, move often, keep moving, never look back. While flanking movements and envelopments don’t really make sense in their conversion from tactical and strategic actions to the table top in TY their base principles remain the same and give really good guidance for Soviet tanks. The whole point of either of these at their fundamental level is to force your opponent to react and move from a position of advantage to a position more exploitable. A flanking attack is about attempting to limit the amount of a force that can defend, and put it in a position where it is least suited to act offensively. It uses superior speed and violence to rapidly force an opponent to do something. Getting tanks up table quickly and when possible to the side of units often has this effect. It can allow a Soviet player to mass tanks along a relatively short frontage and do some damage.

“But I can’t just drive up, they’ll shoot me!” you say, but this is where smoke and the planned fire comes into play. With smoke to cover your advance to the enemy you can arrive up table with little to no damage and be in a position to really threaten the enemy hopefully forcing them to move to react. If you have a second artillery group you may even be able to cut large platoons like British infantry in half if you look to assault with larger platoons of tanks on subsequent turns or just again cut the field up letting your tanks do the work.

Where envelopment comes into play is repeating the flanking idea across multiple parts of the table. Once you get an opponent moving it opens up shots from other angles and this is where multiple platoons of tanks really comes into its own. Driving the majority of your force up the right flank may make the enemy reposition and become highly vulnerable to shots from the left and vice versa. This is where keeping them moving and forcing NATO tanks out of their prepared positions pays off for the patient Soviet tanker. You create situations where you give your opponent more problems than they have solutions.

Creating a defensive tank list are words that I’m sure set many folks’ hair on fire so we won’t call it a defensive T-62M list, but rather a counter attacking list. Soviet tank formations have an infantry company organically and can take a second as support. This is more than enough to hold for a few turns and can buy your tanks the time and space to show up and do the real work. The beauty of this is that NATO forces have to come out of hiding to attack and lose many of the advantages they hold sitting back in terrain. They are forced to come out and expose themselves in the open and this is where large units of tanks in ambush(along with the pre discussed missiles) can have a hay day. Add in large units coming in from reserve on all sorts of angles and you create beautiful killing fields. Where this succeeds is the sheer number of tanks you can bring to the fight and it is a lot of fun flipping the script on NATO forces this way.

However you choose to play them incorporating the T-62M into Soviet lists is simple and I would argue a fun if not a great decision for Soviet players. There are three basic ways to incorporate the T-62M into Soviet lists, individual companies, full formations and multiple formations.

First and simplest a single company of T-62M can replace a company of T-64 or T-72 in an Infantry formation, this option lets players pick up a single box and try the T-62M out for themselves to figure out how best they can work for them within an established list. Think about all the fun of having a cheap run and gun unit that can cut down a Leopard 2 in a BMP-2 list.

Second you can field a single formation based around the T-62M, 3 bulked out companies of T-62Ms is still cheap and will allow you to fill out your army with support options for a combined arms approach. This type of list will have resilient units and the ability to take loses while continuing on, using the cost effectiveness of the T-62M to give you a balanced but tank filled army. This is the approach I’m taking and I’ve been loving how it’s been working with BTR-60s and a ton of artillery in support, it looks the part of a second line unit pushed into service. A little bit of research done and I found a unit that retired in the 90s with mostly T-62Ms filling the ORBAT.

Lastly the T-62M due to cost is a prime candidate for platoon level operations and can be run with multiple formations of minimum sized units. While these don’t have the staying power of a full formation, they make up for it in minor cost savings, and more importantly direct support with units like infantry companies artillery and air defence becoming even more available and present in your force. This option also enables players to take a T-62M coy as a supporting formation to an allied force, making your Warsaw Pact list more flexible and interesting.

The T-62M is a really fun and exciting addition to Soviet lists. What it lacks in top end ability it makes up in numbers and the ability to hit like a freight train. The T-62M really epitomizes the Soviet design philosophy of bringing more and bigger guns to a fight at the expense of everything else, combined with the continued development and use of equipment in service. Combine that with a turret so ugly only a mother can love and you have the visual interest and playability that has players like me hooked. The T-62M will be taking the fight to NATO and sympathetic forces in the Middle East and Europe with the introduction of Oil War and I for one can’t wait to show my friends how much work this glass hammer can do.

Andrew’s Speedy Assaulters

with Andrew Haught

With another launch event I once again get a chance to dust off one of my old favourite armies and give it a bit of TLC and V4 update. This time I am going to dive into my old Rota Razvedki reconnaissance company.  I originally built the list for V3 Late War using the Red Bear book.  With their inclusion in the Red Banner book, I feel that I need to re-tweak the army so that I could run it in both Late and Mid War.

The Images in this article are in progress shots of my old list, I did the math and I think I painted this army originally seven years ago. I am planning to do some plastic updates to my army, over the release I will work on the ZIS-3 guns. After the release, I have further plans. First I am going to update the SU-85s to plastic and then I am going to rebase the infantry as some of the old basing has started to separate from the base.

Full warning: I love Universal Carriers, and will use any excuse to put them on the table. There is just something about their design that clicks with me. Thanks to the Red Banner Command Cards I get to use Carriers in my army, and I am going to get as many as I can.

It’s All About That Speed
When I am running an aggressive list the first thing I think about how long it’s going to take to get my troops to the objective, and how many turns will my opponent get to shot my troops along the way. One of the features of the Reconnaissance Company is that their combat platoons all have Spearhead. This rule is massive, getting a free move before the game means that I can get a full turns worth of movement without risking any enemy fire.    

Deadly Assaulters
Now speed is worth nothing unless you have some sort of payoff. The Infantry units in the Reconnaissance platoons have a massive 2+ to hit in assaults, meaning that if they can get into an assault they will kill almost anything in their way. The formation does have a weakness you need to be prepared for—they are really small—so you do not have the ability to take on heavy losses. So getting the extra movement form Spearhead is critical to your aggressive strategy.

To make my troops more of a threat I added two Command Cards to my Company Commander, the first one, Tenacity gives my HQ and any platoon he is attached to counterassault 2+. The second card I added was Ferocious Valour, this card allows my Company Command team to roll two dice in assaults. These two cards make it worth it to risk my Company Commander in assaults, and on top of that the HQ will add two more deadly assaulters to my assaults.

Universal Carriers Are Just Too Cool Looking
Like I stated above I love Universal Carriers, but apart from looks there is a good reason to run these awesome transports in your list. When using the US or German halftracks you have two stands of infantry in each transports, so each time one is destroyed you may lose 1/3 of your platoon. If you take the extra Carriers when you lose one transport you are only risking one stand of infantry, only 1/6 of you platoon. Also they just look cooler, so yeah why wouldn’t you use them?

Support
My troops are good at one thing: assaulting and shooting infantry. This leaves a big gap in the form of Anti-Tank (AT), so I really need to add some AT assets. I could also use an artillery battery to help get my assaults to go in. Luckily, the Soviets have a unit that can multitask as artillery and anti-tank: the 76mm Artillery Battery. The flexibility of the 76mm Artillery Battery makes it ideal for my list. But I don’t think  that will be enough AT, I think I want to add some mobile AT. First off I want to add the cheap and efficient SU-76s to my list, they have a great gun and are cheap enough to allow me to take the more expensive SU-85 option as well. SU-85s are a bit pricey but worth their points, they have a higher to hit stat as well as a massive Anti-Tank 12 gun, giving me the ability to threaten both Tigers and Panthers.

Andrew’s Speedy Assaulters
3 pts Reconnaissance Company HQ
1pt Tenacity Command Card
-Ferocious Valour (3 Point)

Armoured Reconnaissance Platoon(9 points)
– Universal Carriers 6x Universal Carriers (3 points)

Armoured Reconnaissance Platoon (9 points)
– Universal Carriers 6x Universal Carriers (3 points)

Armoured Reconnaissance Platoon (9 points)
– Universal Carriers 6x Universal Carriers (3 points)

Support
76mm Artillery Battery (8 points)
-4x 76mm guns

SU-76 Light SP Battery (13 points)
-4x SU-76

SU-85 Tank-Killer Battery (36 points)
-3x SU-85

Tactics
This is not an army that wants to sit back and defend objectives, it’s all about forward movement, a win fast or die fast kinda army. I plan on always choosing Maneuver or Attack when using More Missions to make sure I am never fully on the defence.

In games I plan to blitz my infantry towards the objectives, while having my SU tanks provide covering fire. The 76mm Artillery Battery role will be determined by my opponents forces, if they have a lot of infantry and gun teams I will be bombarding them as much as possible, if they have a massive tank army then I will use my spearhead to get them into a good position and use them to help thin out the opposing tanks.

Final Thoughts
I love the new life that V4 is giving my old armies, with the V4 formations I feel like I have more freedom to create the exact army I want. I am a really big fan of Build Command Cards, they let me as a designer add more interesting options that did not fit in the book while at the same time I get all the weird and wonderful things that I want. It’s a simple card pack but it adds so much to the game.

What eastern front armies interest you? How would you build a Soviet Reconnaissance Company? Why not tell us and join in the global discussions on our Facebook Flames of War group.

~Andrew