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Holding the Weser-Aller Line
Fielding the 2nd Marine Infanteriedivision
With Alexander Costantino

The 2nd Marine Infanteriedivision was founded during a time of desperation in the Wehrmacht. Due to the strain of a two-front war, German war industry could no longer lavishly equip divisions to the same standard as just a few years prior. And equipment the army did have was falling into disuse as they could no longer afford to fuel or repair it. Even with these constraints, after two months of equipping and training the 2nd Marine Infanteriedivision was considered in good fighting condition and rushed to the front.

Due to the conditions of the German army on the Western Front, the Marines did not have much access to heavy equipment. This means the artillery, aircraft and panzers that had formed an integral part of German strategy in battles prior, could not be relied upon to carry the battle any more. That put the brunt of the fighting effort on the infantry, which is reflected in the way this list plays in Flames Of War. While the Marines on the ground could not rely on armor, air, or artillery they could rely on heavy fire support from massive flak guns that could penetrate any allied tank in existence and fire large high-explosive shells to clear out attacking enemy infantry. Some of these flak guns were also mounted on rail cars and used as a base of fire during defensive operations. The special rules for these mounted flak guns make their initial volleys in game devastating, but they are very exposed once the enemy knows they are there.

While definitely lacking it the Marines were not completely without heavy equipment. Several Tiger 1E tanks from KG Grosan fought with the Fusilier Battalion at Essel and Schwarmstedt. In addition two Hetzers also fought alongside the battalion, but these quickly ran out of ammunition and retired. At Verden the 7th Regiment were eventually supported by the 10.5cm leFH18/40 and Russian-made 12.2cm FH396(r) guns of the divisional artillery, which arrived later in the campaign. Another formation supporting the Marines known as KG Totzeck brought with it 15cm NW41 and 21cm NW42 rocket launchers that supported the Marines.
In addition to their heavy fire support, the Marines also benefited from their tremendous fighting spirit. This came as a shock to the British advancing towards the Weser and the Aller, who had expected light resistance from broken and demoralised army units. The Marines’ dogged defence at places such as Rethem and along the banks of the Aller earned them the in-game rating of fearless to reflect their willingness to fight and die defending the Wesel-Aller line.
The defensive core of any Marine-Grenadierkompanie will be your infantry. These marines are equipped with everything they need to hold objectives and deny the enemy victory. On the defence, their Panzerfausts make armoured assaults unlikely to succeed, and their assault rifles and machine guns make infantry assaults just as difficult. Their motivation makes them difficult to pin and fearsome in close combat assaults. Attaching heavy machine guns to these infantry platoons makes them even more resilient to attack.
With the Defending the Weser and Aller special rule, this list will be defending most of the time, which plays to the strengths of the list. In fair fight missions, however, this list will be forced to manoeuvre, which takes some skill with a list that lacks a lot of motorised transport, which was characteristic of the German army in 1945. Mobile battles, while still allowing you to defend, will require you to hold objectives you are not allowed to deploy on, making the mobility of your forces important there as well.

At lower-point battles this list excels; your core infantry platoons are cheap enough that you can easily fit them in with enough support to counter all likely opposition. Below is an example of what a 75-point force might look like.

Marine-Grenadier Company (Berlin: German Command Card)   Points

 

Headquarters

 
Marine-Grenadier Company HQ
(Bulge: German Volksgrenadier Company
with Berlin: German 1st & 2nd Marine-Grenadier Divisions
command cards applied)
2x StG44 assault rifle team with Panzerfaust 5

 

Combat Units

 
Marine-Grenadier Assault Platoon
7x StG44 assault rifle with MG42 and Panzerfaust 10
Marine-Grenadier Assault Platoon
7x StG44 assault rifle with MG42 and Panzerfaust 10
Add 1x Panzerschreck anti-tank team 1
Marine-Grenadier Rifle Platoon
7x MG42 & K98 rifle team with Panzerfaust 9
Add 1x Panzerschreck anti-tank team 1
   
Weapons Units  
Marine-Grenadier sMG42 Machine-Gun Platoon
4x sMG42 HMG 3
Marine-Grenadier 8cm Mortar Platoon
4x 8cm mortar 5
Marine-Grenadier 7.5cm Tank-hunter Platoon
3x 7.5cm gun 10
Marine-Grenadier 15cm Gun Platoon
2x 15cn infantry gun 6
   
Support Units  
Tiger Training Platoon (Formation Support Unit)
2x Tiger (8.8cm) 15
   
Total 75

As the point level increases you can strengthen the infantry, as well as increasing their support. Below is an example of a 100-point list.

 

Marine-Grenadier Company (Berlin: German Command Card)    Points

 

Headquarters

 
Marine-Grenadier Company HQ
(Bulge: German Volksgrenadier Company
with Berlin: German 1st & 2nd Marine-Grenadier Divisions
command cards applied)
2x StG44 assault rifle team with Panzerfaust 5

 

Combat Units

 
Marine-Grenadier Assault Platoon
7x StG44 assault rifle with MG42 and Panzerfaust 10
Add 2x Panzerschreck anti-tank team 2
Marine-Grenadier Assault Platoon
7x StG44 assault rifle with MG42 and Panzerfaust 10 
Add 2x Panzerschreck anti-tank team 2
Add 1x sMG42 HMG 1
Marine-Grenadier Rifle Platoon
7x MG42 & K98 rifle team with Panzerfaust 9
Add 2x Panzerschreck anti-tank team 2
Add 1x sMG42 HMG 1
   
Weapons Units  
Marine-Grenadier sMG42 Machine-Gun Platoon
4z sMG42 HMG 3
Marine-Grenadier 8cm Mortar Platoon
4x 8cm mortar 5
Marine-Grenadier Tank-hunter Platoon
4x 7.5cm gun 13
Marine-Grenadier 15cm Gun Platoon
2x 15cn infantry gun 6
   
Support Units  
Tiger Training Platoon
2x Tiger (8.8cm) 15
Ardennes SS Pazergrenadier Platoon
7x MG42 team with Panzerfaust 10
Luftwaffe Heavy AA Platoon
4x 8.8cm AA gun 6
   
Total 100

At higher point levels the list will start running into things such as heavy tanks and large amounts of artillery that can punch holes into the infantry. The higher the points, the more this list will struggle, as the only thing you can really do is create a more integrated defence and weather the oncoming storm, much as the Marines did in 1945. Also included in this list are rail-mounted flak guns. These can fit into most lists, but are especially deadly when fielded in larger numbers, which is possible at higher point levels. Below is an example of a 120-point force.

Marine-Grenadier Company (Berlin: German Command Card)    Points

 

Headquarters

 
Marine-Grenadier Company HQ
(Bulge: German Volksgrenadier Company
with Berlin: German 1st & 2nd Marine-Grenadier Divisions
command cards applied)
2x StG44 assault rifle team with Panzerfaust 5

 

Combat Units

 
Marine-Grenadier Assault Platoon
7x StG44 assault rifle with MG42 and Panzerfaust 10
Add 2x Panzerschreck anti-tank team 2
Marine-Grenadier Assault Platoon
7x StG44 assault rifle with MG42 and Panzerfaust 10 
Add 2x Panzerschreck anti-tank team 2
Marine-Grenadier Rifle Platoon
7x MG42 & K98 rifle team with Panzerfaust 9
Add 2x Panzerschreck anti-tank team 2
Add 1x sMG42 HMG 1
   
Weapons Units  
Marine-Grenadier sMG42 Machine-Gun Platoon
4z sMG42 HMG 3
Marine-Grenadier 8cm Mortar Platoon
4x 8cm mortar 5
Marine-Grenadier Tank-hunter Platoon
4x 7.5cm gun 13
Marine-Grenadier 15cm Gun Platoon
2x 15cn infantry gun 6
   
Support Units  
Tiger Training Platoon
3x Tiger (8.8cm) 23
Ardennes SS Pazergrenadier Platoon
7x MG42 team with Panzerfaust 10
Luftwaffe Heavy AA Platoon
(with Twin 8.8cm Rail AA Gun command card)
4x Twin 8.8cm AA Railway gun 16
Luftwaffe 3.7cm AA Platoon
3x 3.7cm AA gun 3
   
Total 120

While this list lacks some of the heavy firepower many German players are accustomed to, it does boast reliable and well-equipped infantry. And these infantry platoons can be supported by a variety of flak, anti-tank and infantry support weapons to create a hornet’s nest for attacking armies. Whether you are a German player looking for a new way to play your infantry, or just an infantry player who prefers a defensive style of play, these Marines will do it for you.

~ Alexander 


Last Updated On Wednesday, February 7, 2024 by Kevin