Soviet Command Cards

Soviet Command Cards With Livio Tonazzo The new Eastern Front book see the release of the Command Cards that we had already had the opportunity to appreciate in past years. Naturally, these are two collections, Enemy at the Gates, centered on the heroic defense of Stalingrad, and Red Banner, centered on the battle of Kursk. The Command Cards available to the Red Army are a total of 90. Inside you will find: 6 Command Cards Special Characters (Warrior) 12 Command Cards New Formations 11 Command Cards Force 41 Command Cards Unit 20 Command Cards Formation In this article we will review them by dedicating more attention to those Command Cards that are particularly performing in terms of play.

Warrior Cards add significant leaders and personalities to you Force. These are great fighters, who really existed, who distinguished themselves for their deeds, so much so that they were included in a wargame on the Second World War! Since there are not many, let's see one by one what they are.

Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev needs no introduction. The ural shepherd who became one of the most famous snipers in history has even inspired a famous film. Returning to our Command Cards, this sniper is able to hit the target without considering the penalties for Concealment and Gone to Ground (so at worst he hits at 4 and the target is forced to repeat the successful Save. Really fearsome! In addition, He is hit on 4+, making him a fantastic sniper befitting his reputation. Georgiy Andreevich Khachin was rewarded with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in February 1943 for destroying as many as 7 German tanks. This is a Command Card that can be taken for a PTRD Anti-Tank Company or for a 45mm Anti-Tank Company. Tanks hit by the Unit Leader must repeat successful Saves if they are within 16 ”. Nikolay Rodionovich Andreyev was a tank driver who went down in history for having destroyed 7 tanks, 20 other armored vehicles and 2 cannons in a single day (on August 6, 1942). Attached to a unit of KV-1, KV-1s or T-34 he can re-roll successful hit rolls.

Nikolay Rodionovich Andreyev was a tank driver who went down in history for having destroyed 7 tanks, 20 other armored vehicles and 2 cannons in a single day (on August 6, 1942). Attached to a unit of KV-1, KV-1s or T-34 he can re-roll successful hit rolls.

Leonid Ivanovich Mochenkov, was distinguished by his infiltration skills and can be chosen together in a Motor Rifle Battalion or a Hero Motor Rifle Battalion. He guarantees the HQ and an Infantry Company remain out of the table and enter as if it were a reserve in the opposing deployment zone or in the No Man's Land. However, it precludes HQ and infantrymen from capturing an objective.

Viktor Maksimovich Golubev was a Soviet ace, twice honored with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He destroyed 69 German tanks, not surprisingly he has a Veteran Skill, 3+.

Viktor Stepanovich Parshin was a tank driver who served in a T-34 Company. Thanks to his special rule he is able to attract enemy blows on yes, acting as a bait ... or pincushion!

The Command Cards New Formations integrate the formations already present in the book allowing you to deploy a greater number of units that normally act only as support or to focus a Force only and exclusively on it. If like me you are a big fan of SU-85 you can play an entire formation! So let's review the new formations:

Mixed Tank Battalion (Late) (Red Banner) T-70 Reconnaissance Tank Company (Red Banner) Valentine Reconnaissance Tank Company (Red Banner) SU-122 Medium SP Regiment (Red Banner) SU-85 Medium SP Regiment (Red Banner) SU-152 Medium SP Regiment (Red Banner) BA-10 Armored Car Company (Red Banner) NKVD Battalion (Enemy at the Gates) Militia Battalion (Enemy at the Gates) Scout Company (Enemy at the Gates) Cossack Regiment (Enemy at the Gates) Hero Cossack Regiment (Enemy at the Gates)

Many of these formations need no introduction, a SU-85 Medium SP Regiment is centered on the SU-85 self-propelled tank destroyer while a SU-122 Formation is centered on the self-propelled tank destroyer of the same name. I have included in this list only those formations that introduce a dedicated organization chart and not those that identify the rating of some units. If you want to deploy the Black Death (the soviet naval infantry) you can do so with the special Formation card that is present, but it uses the organization chart of an existing formation without making any changes. Generally, these formations are not particularly performing in terms of play because it is not in their intent to be, in fact they would only like to give fans the opportunity to play their favorite means. However, there is at least one exception constituted by the BA-10 Armored Car Company. It is a formation that allows you to deploy 10 Armored Cars, 1 HQ and three platoons of 3 BA-10 each. This is not a particularly strong Formation, but rather a particularly useful Formation. For just 7 points you have a perfect second Formation that can act as a backup with a second HQ useful for repeating the Moral tests to the supports in the rear. In addition, he can take care of the opposing Armored Cars.

Generally, these formations are not particularly performing in terms of play because it is not in their intent to be, in fact they would only like to give fans the opportunity to play their favorite means. However, there is at least one exception constituted by the BA-10 Armored Car Company. It is a formation that allows you to deploy 10 Armored Cars, 1 HQ and three platoons of 3 BA-10 each. This is not a particularly strong Formation, but rather a particularly useful Formation. For just 7 points you have a perfect second Formation that can act as a backup with a second HQ useful for repeating the Moral tests to the supports in the rear. In addition, he can take care of the opposing Armored Cars.

Force Command Cards affect the entire Force, as the name suggests. These are cards that give advantages or abilities not attributable to a particular Unit or Formation.

Partisans (Enemy at the Gates and Red Banner): this card can force the opponent to repeat the dice rolled to get the Reserves once per game. Maskirovka (Enemy at the Gates and Red Banner): this card allows you to reposition an opponent's Range In Token before the game starts. Remember that Ranges in Tokens are placed prior to deployment so it is sometimes easy to avoid them. However, this is not always possible, especially when these Range In are positioned in the nerve centers of the battlefield. Dummy Minefield (Enemy at the Gates and Red Banner): This card behaves differently depending on the mission. In missions that already include Minefields, this card allows you to move one of the Minefields outside your opponent's deployment Area. In missions where Minefields are already foreseen, it allows you to deploy one outside the opponent's side area. Lucky (Enemy at the Gates and Red Banner): here is one of the most famous, common and at the same time strong cards. Lucky! Who doesn't need a stroke of luck every now and then? Napoleon himself said he preferred a lucky general to a skilled one. Of course, this is an opportunity not to be wasted and to be used only for decisive and possibly not too difficult shots, Whether or not to take this card depends mostly on the list.

Reconnaissance by combat (Enemy at the Gates and Red Banner): This Command Card is the offensive version of Maskirovka. This is great for improving the offensive capabilities of your Force as it allows you to reposition your Range In Token after deployment. This means being able to put it right on top of the enemy Teams and being able to force them to repeat successful hit rolls from the first turn and thanks to this the offensive potential of an artillery is almost doubled. Fresh from the factory (Enemy at the Gates): This is one of the coolest Command Cards ever invented! It represents tanks made in Stalingrad during the battle and immediately sent to the front for the battle. At the beginning of each round the player rolls a die and with a result of 5+ he even receives a T-34. It comes from a random part of the deployment zone (left, edge, right). It is a major investment in terms of points to have about one T-34 every three shifts, but it is a truly impressive command card!

Definitely more numerous are the Units Command Cards. They influence how easy it is to understand the units by making them more (or even less) trained or by giving them special rules that increase their effectiveness. These are the kind of cards that allow Cossacks or motorcyclists to return to the battlefields of Flames of War without being specifically present in the various books. Being Soviets, we must also include a "specialty" that is the Tankodesantniki, present both in their normal and in the Hero version. These are particular units that went into battle on the backs of powerful metal steeds, commonly known as tanks. They, in addition to escorting the tanks and preventing ambushes and making them even more dangerous in the assaults. Speaking of specialties, the Command Cards Guards, Guards Airborne and Naval Battalion also fall into this category, which allows you to deploy units of the Guard and Paratroopers. Another very common card is Molotov Cocktails which allows infantry units to increase their anti-tank potential once per game. This Command Card allows infantry units to manage tanks with Top Armor 2. There are also many other cards, some of which enhance the cannons by securing them in gun pits or by allowing you to re-roll failed hit rolls within 16 ”(the good old volley fire of v3). Others instead enhance the tanks making them even more leathery, or even introduce rare or experimental versions such as the T-34/57, produced in very few specimens.

Last but not least, it is up to the Formation Command Cards. These are cards that influence the formation or very often the formation commander. Common to almost all nations are in fact the Still Fighting (automatic success of an armor save), Cut Them Down (repeat a failed hit roll on defensive fire), Ferocious Valor (roll two dices in assault instead of one), Hidden in Plain Sight (concealment when Halted), Tenacy (pass their Counterattack Test at 2+), Marksman (hits can only be swapped with a 4+ due to Mistaken Target), all referring to the formation commander. However, there are also "specialties", first of all the famous Pavlov's House, which gives a save of 2+ to the infantry occupying that building. This category also includes the famous Black Death, the Navy infantry that stood out for its valor and lethality in Stalingrad. As you have seen, the Command Cards are a lot and give the game a lot of depth. You just have to find the best combo!