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Those Haughty Germans Those Haughty Germans:
Fielding German Forces From Great War
with Andrew Haught

There is something about re-enacting history on the tabletop that I find exciting. As a Flames Of War player I was excited to see the rule set I know and love adapted to the First World War. This made my transition into a new historical period much easier and let me concentrate on playing the game rather than learning a whole new set of rules.
Great War
The Great War of 1914-18 was global in its reach. Yet this global conflict would be decided by the mighty clashes upon the battlefields of Europe.

Learn more about Great War here...
As a Battlefront employee, I enjoyed learning more about World War One; being an American, World War One was not a subject that gets much love in classrooms across America. We learned the basics; that fought and so on but we never got into the details of the war. Before I started looking deeper into the First World War, I must admit I ascribed to a lot of the myths about World War One. I assumed that the whole war was fought in trenches with little gains made on both sides. I knew tanks existed in World War One but I never really knew how they fit into history. After reading and talking to the guys at work I was surprised how many tanks there were in the war and how they were used. The more I learnt about World War One, the more I realised how distorted view of the war was.
Those Haughty Germans

One thing I did learn was World War One had some of the coolest looking tanks. In my opinion, the AV7 and the Mark IV are some of most awesome looking tanks ever made. The box-like A7V and the sleek Mark IV have always been something I wanted to paint.

Artillery is one of my favourite things to model in Flames Of War; something about the diorama feel of the large artillery bases helps me feel like the story is coming alive, so you better belief that one of my armies will have to include artillery.

Working on the logic that artillery means I’ll be defending in games; tanks must mean I’ll be attacking in the other games. To this end, I am going to create two 100 point lists (one German, one British) since I could not decide what army I wanted to play. My German Army will be an offensive force with the focus being the tank. My British list will be more defensive and based around artillery. 

Those Haughty Germans
This week I’ll focus on the Germans, being offensively focused this list won’t have any artillery since I want to primarily attack with this list.
Jägerkompanie
Headquarters  
Jägerkompanie HQ  
with 2x Mauser pistol teams 2 points
Formation Units  
Jäger Platoon  
with 6x G98 rifle team, 2x MG 08/15 team, 1x M1917 rifle grenade team
15 points
Jäger Platoon  
with 6x G98 rifle team, 2x MG 08/15 team, 1x M1917 rifle grenade team 15 points
Jäger 7.6cm Minenwerfer  
with 1x 7.6cm Minenwerfer 11 points
Stoss Platoon  
1x MP18 SMG team, 6x Mauser pistol team, 2x MG 08/15 team, 1x Flame-thrower team 24 points
Support Units  
A7V Panzer  
with 1x A7V 19 points
A7V Panzer  
with 1x A7V 19 points
Total Points: 105 points
My German Force is designed to hit hard and fast. The Stoss Platoon will spearhead the attack. While tanks help pin down targets and eliminate any troublesome gun teams.

With three full Veteran infantry units my plan is to attack the weakest point, swamping it with superior numbers. The key is to be aggressive; the longer I take to get to the enemy lines, the longer my opponent has to reinforce that point and shoot at my advancing troops. This means my infantry will need to be placed correctly so they can move directly to their target. Commitment to one flank over the other will also be important since this list doesn’t really have the flexibly to switch goals half way through an advance.

The Stoss Platoon is the star of this army, hitting like a truck in assaults. Their Spearhead move may not come up that often, but in The Green Fields Beyond mission and any mission with some blocking terrain the move will be incredibly valuable since it may eliminate a turn that my opponent could have used to shoot at my troops.
Those Haughty Germans

The tanks will also play a key role; their job will be to move down the centre of the table as my infantry move up one flank. This will enable the tanks to pin down anything that runs down the trench line to reinforce against my main thrust. They will also be in range to take out HMGs and other tanks. With no artillery, I am counting on Flame-throwers and tanks to pin down before launching my assault and gaining that all important foothold in the enemy trench line.

At 130 points, I’ll add another tank and re-organise my force to add some more flame-thrower teams. It’s a quick upgrade and it does not really change my battle plan, but  it instead enhances it. More tanks means more cover and extra flame-throwers will mean a bigger chance to pin down targets.

Jägerkompanie
Headquarters  
Jägerkompanie HQ  
with 2x Mauser pistol teams 2 points
Formation Units  
Jäger Platoon  
with 6x G98 rifle team, 2x MG 08/15 team, 1x M1917 rifle grenade team, 1x Flame-thrower team 18 points
Jäger Platoon  
with 6x G98 rifle team, 2x MG 08/15 team, 1x M1917 rifle grenade team, 1x Flame-thrower team 18 points
Jäger 7.6cm Minenwerfer  
with 1x 7.6cm Minenwerfer 11 points
Stoss Platoon  
1x MP18 SMG team, 6x Mauser pistol team, 2x MG 08/15 team, 1x Flame-thrower team 24 points
Support Units  
A7V Panzer  
with 1x A7V 19 points
A7V Panzer  
with 1x A7V
19 points
A7V Panzer  
with 1x A7V 19 points
Total Points: 130 points
Next time, I will go over my British list and my tactics for defending with a British Rifle Company.

~ Andrew.
Those Haughty Germans


Last Updated On Thursday, December 14, 2023