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Clash of Steel:
Four Armies from Blood, Guts, & Glory
with Andrew Haught, Steven MacLauchlan, Mike Haycock & Tony Vodanovich
While we were writing Blood, Guts, and Glory, we knew that the forces in the book were going to be quite different. Panzer Brigades, armed to the teeth with powerful Panzers, and the veteran 4th Armored Division equipped with Detroit’s latest in Sherman designs. In Flames Of War, these two forces will introduce new challenges and offer exciting new equipment. To introduce these forces, we thought we’d pick the brains of four exceptional Flames Of War players, each of whom have passions for particular armies in Blood, Guts, and Glory. We’ve asked them to write up their favourite list as if they were preparing to take it to a tournament. Let’s see what the boys have drummed up!
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Blood, Guts, & Glory
It’s September 1944 and the Allies have stormed across France all
along the front lines from Belgium to the French region of the Lorraine.
Blood, Guts, & Glory covers the tanks battles in the Lorraine
between September 1944 and January 1945.
Learn more about Blood, Guts, & Glory here... |
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Tony’s U.S. Tank Company
If you ask some people which tank is the ubiquitous fighting vehicle of WWII, some will say that it is the Soviet T-34, others will swear by the German classics such as the Panther or Tiger. For me it has always been the Sherman. For all its imperfections the Sherman was the workhorse tank for the western Allies through just about every theatre of battle.
On the face of it the Sherman is an average medium tank with average armour and an average gun, the only differentiating factor being the stabilizer rule which makes them somewhat better when fighting on the move. The release of Blood, Guts, and Glory changes all of that. The new models of Sherman tanks available in the book are like the six million dollar man of American medium tanks – they are faster, stronger, tougher, and pack a lot more punch than the earlier types. The new breed of Sherman does cost more points than the original M4 but their new capabilities mean that they can go toe to toe with a tank force from any other nation and not be out matched.
What I like about the American forces out of Blood, Guts, and Glory is the sheer in-your- face manoeuvrability and pin-point firepower that they bring to the table. When I decided to put together a force that would maximise that aspect, I went with a force from the veteran 4th Armored Division at 1750 points.
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Starting at the Top
The company HQ and Combat Platoons form the basis of the firepower and have masses of options to consider. I decided to splash out on the best tools available in order to get the most out of the new Shermans. So I’ve put none other than Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams in charge of my army! Abrams comes with a choice of three different tanks and I put him in his “Thunderbolt VI” M4A3 (76mm), giving him the ability to keep up with the rest of my medium tanks while his 76mm gun puts Anti-tank 13 shots “down range”. Abrams is much more than a Fearless Veteran Higher Command team in a mean tank. He also gives all Combat and Weapons platoons the German Mission Tactics special rule to replace lost platoon commanders, he allows two platoons to do pre-game Spearhead moves, and he grants any platoon he joins the German Stormtroopers rule to keep them moving! At 210 points Abrams is pretty expensive, so I’ve left out the 2iC Tank in the HQ section to make room.
The company commander is equipped with an M4A3
(late) Sherman. Abrams and the Company Commander come in at 315 points
between them, leaving me with 1385 points left.
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The New Breed
Next on the list
are the two Tank platoons. These will do most of the heavy lifting for
the army. I’ve got two platoons with four tanks each. They are both
tooled for speed, protection, and firepower. The first platoon has two
tanks upgraded to M4A3 (late) Shermans and two upgraded to M4A3E8 Easy
Eight Shermans for a total of 495 points. The second platoon has one
tank upgraded to a M4A3 (late) Sherman, one M4A3 (105mm), and two M4A3E8
Easy Eight Shermans, for a cost of 475 points.
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Both of these platoons can handle medium and heavy armour with a
combination of Anti-tank 10 and 13 stabilized shots and some smoke. The
M4A3 (105mm) is a Breakthrough Gun, which should help deal with infantry
and gun teams. Between my HQ tanks and two Combat platoons I have a
total of 1285 points spent, leaving me with 415 points for the rest of
the force.
Weapons and Support
Being a tank company, this force is likely to be attacking a lot of the time, so my support options are all designed to help the Sherman platoons get the job done.
I’ve added a Light Tank Platoon with three M5A1 Stuarts as a fast flanking force. The ability to Spearhead these guys down a flank with their 16”/40cm move should cause some concern to the enemy. Next up is an Armoured Mortar Platoon with three Mortar Sections. At 110 points, these guys are a cheap platoon that can be left in reserve if need be or provide smoke cover for the tanks.
My last support choice is a pair of Cavalry Recon Patrols. Version 3 has changed the way this platoon plays in a few important ways, improving their survivability and game value significantly.
Between them the support platoons come in at 445 points to round out my force to 1740 points.
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Using the Force
The whole idea behind this army is moving fast and giving your opponent too many threats to deal with, so naturally the army is at its best when on attack. Between the recon patrols and the Spearhead moves, it’s possible to move four platoons up the table before the game even starts. Combined with 14”/35cm move from
the Detroit’s Finest special rule on all of the Shermans you can potentially have the Shermans 28” across the table and shooing into the flanks of an enemy tank platoon before they even move. If Abrams is nearby you can even try and Stormtrooper them back behind cover once the shooting is over.
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It’s less likely that you’ll be defending with this army but if you do,
you’ll probably be up against at least a few enemy tanks. With a total
of ten Antitank 13 shots a turn, this army should be able to defend
against tanks pretty well. If you’re being attacked by an infantry
company, well American tank companies have quite a few machine-guns to
deal with such things!
~ Tony.
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Who is Tony Vodanovich?
Tony is one of Battlefront’s long serving playtesters. An exceptional player, ‘Dirty Vod’ currently ranks among the best of New Zealand’s Flames Of War players.
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Tony's Tank Company
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HQ
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105 points
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with 1x M4A3 (late)
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Lt. Col Abrams’ Thunderbolt VI
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210 points
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Tank Platoon
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505 points
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with 2x M4A3 Sherman (late) and 2x M4A3E8 Easy Eights |
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Tank Platoon
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475 points
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with 1x M4A3 Sherman (late), 1x M4A3 (105mm), and 2x M4A3E8 Easy Eights |
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Armored Mortar Platoon
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110 points
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with three mortar Sections
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Cavalry Recon Platoon
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180 points |
with two Cavalry Recon Patrols
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Light Tank Platoon
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155 points
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with 3x M5A1 Stuart Light Tanks |
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Total:
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1740 points
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Steve’s Blitzdoughs
I still remember the very first order I ever placed for Flames Of War: the original rulebook, a box of US Armored Rifles, and a box of M4A1 Shermans. That was back in the day when LMGs were infantry teams and Bazookas had no additional tank assault. Try as I might, I just could not get the Armored Rifles to work for me. The large, unwieldy platoon was cumbersome and the half-tracks were a liability.
Then one day it clicked: these guys are like miniature armies all on their own! They’ve got mobility, numbers, and firepower. Combine that with being primarily rifle teams, keeping their point costs low.
Furthermore, since those olden days, Armored Rifles have only got better with the release of second edition of the rules where bazookas received Tank Assault 4, making them excellent at killing tanks in assault combat. Late war briefings have taken the Armored Rifles to a new level, giving them veteran status and making them even more efficient at their job. These guys really fire on all cylinders and are always a reliable tournament list.
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I am really excited about what Blood, Guts, and Glory has to offer, and leapt at the chance to write my thoughts on building a tournament list using the Armored Rifle Company. The first question any player
has to ask about their “Blitzdoughs” is whether to go with veteran or trained troops. The trained variant allows you to field more on the table, but Armored Rifles already have tons of teams in their well-balanced platoons. For my company, I opted to go for the veteran 4th Armored Division.
I have put together a force using 1635 points—a new favourite number around here. Let’s get started with the list!
1635 Points Remaining
We must start with the compulsory options. I am making my Armored Rifle Platoons full strength and sticking with the bazookas, even though the 37mm anti-tank guns have become a much more tempting option with the revised rules for gun teams in latest edition, Version 3, of the rules. The Headquarters Platoon and two full-strength Armored Rifle Platoons clock in at 615 points, so that’s the start of the force!
1020 Points Remaining
Next, I know for sure that I want a full Armored Mortar Platoon with all three tubes to help screen the enemy with smoke or knock out enemy gun teams. I’ll also take a veteran Cavalry Recon Platoon with a single patrol to give my troops some reconnaissance. These guys benefit from numerous modifications in Version 3. This makes them an inexpensive and useful support option. Now let’s round out our support with some armour!
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820 Points Remaining
I can’t resist these new Shermans! I want a veteran platoon of four
tanks with two upgraded to M4A3 (late) and two upgraded to M4A3E8 ‘Easy
Eights’. It’s a pricey unit at 505 points, but they are veterans with
Front Armor 7, Detroit’s Finest (for the extra speed), and Protected
Ammo. The Easy Eights have two Antitank 13 guns with Smooth Ride. All
four of these tanks can get where you need ‘em and deal with whatever
they find there.
Still, they’re Shermans, so use them like they were used historically:
exploit a gain made by your Armored Rifles and push home the advantage!
315 Points Remaining
At this point we have two big and beefy, take-all-comers “Blitzdough” platoons, backed by mortars, recon and Detroit’s Finest. We can deal with just about anything, but our long-range anti-tank is a little light. Luckily, the remaining 315 points is just enough to nab four trained M18 Hellcat tank destroyers! With speed to keep up with the Shermans and a gun to make the Germans nervous, these guys are the last piece of the puzzle.
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Using the Company
On the attack, everything is mobile. Recon can cover the advance while
smoke shuts down enemy lines of sight. Shermans and M18s are ready to
counter any armoured threats while the good ol’ GIs take and hold
ground.
On defence, the two Armored Rifle platoons form a solid core with plenty
of anti-tank ready to keep the Panzers at bay. The Shermans and the
Hellcats form excellent mobile forces capable of blunting the enemy’s
attack. Armored Rifles are the epitome of combined arms. They have
everything at their disposal, operating independently or in tandem with
other forces. With veteran troops on the table, they’re impossible to
ignore!
May the sound of your M3 half-tracks strike terror in the hearts of your foes!
~ Steve.
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Who is Steve MacLauchlan?
Steve is a long-time player of Flames Of War. He, along with his cohosts, runs the What Would Patton Do? Podcast, which you can find at: www.wwpd.net
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Steve's Armoured Rifle Company
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HQ
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25 points
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with Company Command & 2iC Command Carbine teams
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Armoured Rifle Platoon |
295 points
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at Full Strength |
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Armoured Rifle Platoon |
295 points |
at Full Strength |
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Armoured Mortar Platoon |
110 points
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at Full Strength |
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Cavalry Recon Platoon
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90 points
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with one Cavalry Recon Patrol |
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Tank Platoon
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505 points
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with with 2x M4A3 Sherman (late) and 2x M4A3E8 Easy Eights
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Corps Tank Destroyer Platoon
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315 points
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with 4x M18 Hellcats (Trained)
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Total:
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1635 points
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Mike's Panzer Brigade
I have been looking at the FHH Panzerkompanie from Blood, Guts, and Glory for a while as it was being developed here at Battlefront. I really liked the history and flavour of the army, so I was happy to put together a company of Reluctant Trained Panthers!
Building the Company
I have concentrated on the main strength of the list as I see it: tough, hard-hitting Panther tanks. It’s all about the potential of the 22 Anti-tank 14 shots the Panthers can fire!
To take maximum advantage of this, I’ve taken my HQ and all three Panther platoons available, for a total of 11 tanks. All of this comes to only 1415 points! Panthers are hard-hitting and have enough armour to be safe from a lot of tanks and anti-tank guns. The fact they are rated as Trained means they will be easier to hit, but this will be off-set by the fact that they will shrug-off most hits. If their opponent can’t kill them, the fact that their low morale (Reluctant) is less of a factor if you don’t have to make many Morale Checks.
With the last of my points I bought a unit of the cool Sd Kfz 251/21 (Triple 1.5cm) flak half-tracks to bring my platoon count up to four units. As the FHH list does not have the German Kampfgruppe special rule and I always try to have an even number of units in an army. That way in missions where I only start with half of my force, I don’t have to hold too many units off table.
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Using the Company
It will take a lot of care to run the force as it is quite unforgiving if you lose a lot of platoons. If anything goes wrong it can be fatal for the unit involved. But this can be handled with careful positioning, and making sure that the platoons support each other.
With 11 Panthers the overall strategy is to shoot the opposition to bits. The small Flak unit will be hidden as much as possible from enemy tanks, but close enough to offer protection from aircraft. Occasionally, if its not too risky, they will be good for shooting up infantry or chasing off enemy recce.
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In-game tactics are to keep at long range if
possible. I try to think a turn ahead and stay outside of 12”/30cm of
other tanks to protect the Panther’s vulnerable side armour as much as
possible.
In setting up the army I tend to keep the Panther platoons a bit towards
the middle of the table so that they could move and shoot up enemy
attacks down either side of the table.
When the army is attacking it will have to advance carefully trying to
minimise ambushes. I tend to stay together when advancing so that if the
enemy does rush my flank, the return fire back from my tanks the next
turn will destroy them outright. |
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Once in close range of the defenders. I’ll spend a few turns shooting while stationary to soften them up as much as possible. Being Reluctant, the Panthers are not that keen to assault and will not stay in the fight. When you do go in for the assault, you have to make sure that you can wipe them out completely.
Since the army is all about shooting, I try and shoot with my full rate of fire. I use the German Stormtroopers special rule to move an additional 4”/10cm if I need to relocate or get a little bit closer. That way I don’t waste a moment of time to move.
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Once all of the enemy’s anti-tank assets have
been killed, I can bring the flak unit forward to add its 15 shots to
the effort to soften the enemy up. One last thing to watch out for is
heavy artillery. Trained Panthers will be easy to range in and will be
pounded hard. So make killing enemy artillery a top priority if you can.
The FHH Panzerkompanie is a fun to play in the simple fact that you can
field 11 Panthers in under 1500 points. That’s a lot of serious
firepower for any Allied force to deal with. In fact, this force could
stand an excellent chance of wiping out a Tankovy in only a few turns,
matching one point of Rate of Fire for every Soviet tank on the field!
~ Mike.
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Who is Mike Haycock?
Mike is a member of the Battlefront team and is easily the best player in the building! In fact, his meticulous in-game calculations have earned him the nickname: the ‘Battle Computer’!
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Mike's FHH Panzerkompanie
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HQ
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260 points
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with 2x Panther G
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FHH Panther Platoon
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385 points
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with 3x Panther G
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FHH Panther Platoon |
385 points |
with 3x Panther G |
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FHH Panther Platoon |
385 points |
with 3x Panther G |
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FHH FlaK Platoon
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85 points
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with 3x Sd Kfz 251/21 (Triple 1.5cm)
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Total: |
1510 points
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Andrew’s Armoured Assault Rifles
I’ve always loved panzergrenadiers, but I struggled to get them to work under the old Version 2 rules. However, when reading through the new Version 3 rules, I saw that all of the major issues I had instantly disappear! The first change is the ability to retrieve transport teams from the rear. Being able to bring up transports when and where you need them the most is amazing. The second improvement is the changes to the German Mounted Assault special rule where all of the passengers in a halftrack can roll dice in the Assault Step, not just one like in Version 2. So with those changes in mind. I was excited to try out the new FHH Panzersturmkompanie in Blood, Guts, and Glory!
Building this list is all about wanting to play a unique cool force with lots of guns. You get interesting platoons like mobile anti-aircraft with up two six armored AA halftracks, Panther tanks, and perhaps best of all, infantry equipped with Panzerfausts and assault rifles!
Furthermore, the force’s low rating means you also gain access to cheap units. Three Panther tanks for just 385 points is ludicrously good!
Although the force doesn’t have access to normal artillery, you get an interesting choice in the mortar platoon, which has four heavy mortars and two Stuka zu Fuss half tracks armed with 28cm rockets. These fire separately from the mortars and give you more templates that will smash open the enemy’s lines.
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Building My Force
In my area we play many late war games at 1750 points. When you factor in how cheap these troops are, my force gets massive! Like most players I start my list building with the core platoons of the list, the ones that I definitely cannot live without. The core of this force is an FHH Panzersturmkompanie HQ (60pts), an FHH Panzersturm Platoon (190pts), and an FHH FlaK Platoon with six Sd Kfz 251/21 (Triple 1.5cm) halftracks (190pts). That brings me up to 440 points.
Adding Support Weapons
I really like the Heavy Platoon (120pts) because it helps make your list more flexible and gives you an artillery template to help pin potential assault targets. The mortars are good at this, and the 7.5cm cannon half-tracks are excellent at knocking out threats to my troops, like heavy machine-guns and anti-tank guns. In all of my lists I like to have two or more template support weapons for pinning the enemy. So, my next unit I want to add is the FHH Mortar Platoon with two of the devastating Sd Kfz 251/1D Stuka zu Fuss rocket launchers (165pts). The 28cm rockets have a excellent firepower which will be handy to dig out the opposition! With those extra support weapons, I’m currently sitting at 725 points for my force.
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Tanks!
I have a lot of anti-infantry weapons in the list and now I need some anti-tank. What to bring... what to bring... Oh, I know: six Panthers! How could I pass up on an FHH Panther Platoon with three tanks for 385 points? Two FHH Panther Platoons will bring my total up to 1495 points.
Still Room in the Inn!
Now I could leave the force at that if I wanted to play 1500 points, but now I find myself with 275 points left to spend to hit 1750. This allows me to shore up my combat platoons and add some more flair to my list. More Panzersturm troops never hurt (190pts) and three more FlaK half-tracks (95pts) just to add a bit more firepower. That ends up bringing the force to 1780 points, a little more than planned. If I were to take this force to a 1750-point tournament, I’d simply swap out all of the Sd Kfz 251 Triple 1.5cm for 2cm ones.
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Fielding the Force
For each list I build I like to put together a basic battle plan. For this force I divide my force into two teams. Each team will consists of a Panther platoon and one of the FlaK platoons to provide anti-infantry and anti-aircraft support. Behind these two platoons I will bring up an infantry platoon. With the two teams I can either bunch them together to make a single spearhead and focus my attack versus an infantry company, or use them separately to help knock out enemy tank platoons from several directions.
The mortar teams will lay down pinning bombardments versus infantry companies and try to knock out enemy artillery or the occasional enemy tank.
The list has a lot of flexibility, but I must always keep in mind that my troops’ motivation is quite low and that will bog me down if I’m not careful. Using halftracks to ignore the motivation effects of enemy bombardments and keeping my company commander close to re-roll failed tests is key to keeping my troops moving.
This force has changed my outlook on German half-track infantry forces. It is armed with the best weapons in the game and that alone is quite intimidating! If you are looking for a challenging, fun and unique list that packs a huge punch this list fits the bill!
~ Andrew.
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Who is Andrew Haught?
Andrew has done some excellent work for Battlefront, including the Raiding and Tank Aces systems. He has the knack for fielding supposedly ‘difficult’ forces and turning them into something to be feared in the tournament scene!
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Andrew's FHH Panzersturmkompanie
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FHH Panzersturmkompanie HQ
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60 points
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with Company Command & 2iC Command Assault Rifle teams
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FHH Panzersturm Platoon
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190 points
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with 3x Assault Squads
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FHH Panzersturm Platoon |
190 points
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with 3x Assault Squads |
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FHH FlaK Platoon |
170 points
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with 6x Sd Kfz 251/21 (Triple 1.5cm)
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FHH FlaK Platoon |
85 points |
with 3x Sd Kfz 251/21 (Triple 1.5cm) |
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FHH Heavy Platoon
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120 points
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with HQ, Gun Section & Mortar Section
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FHH Mortar Platoon |
165 points
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with 2x Sd Kfz 251/1D Stuka |
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FHH Panther Platoon
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385 points
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with 3x Panther G
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FHH Panther Platoon |
385 points
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with 3x Panther G |
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Total:
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1750 points
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Last Updated On Wednesday, May 16, 2012 by Blake at Battlefront
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