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Fielding an Armored Company for D-Day American

Fielding an Armored Company for D-Day American
with Chris Potter

Quantity has a quality of its own, and that is how I can sum up fielding an American Late War Tank Company. First things to mention are the availability of Detroit’s finest Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) that Late War allows. By 1944, Rosie and her Riveters in the factories of the American industrial heartlands had built enough Sherman tanks, M10 Tank Destroyers, and artillery pieces to satisfy a peak of demand that culminates in American commanders for Flames Of War being spoilt for choice when it comes to fielding tanks.

Further, there were a plethora of light tanks available from the battles in North Africa and Italy, in the form of M3 Stuarts. Finally, the 3rd Armored Division had been training since 1941 and were masters of armoured fighting maneuvers, and were the recipients of more than the usual AFVs allocated to Armored Divisions, including some upgrades to older models

As such, when choosing from a US Tank Company, players have the option to not only field the 75mm ‘standard’ Sherman, but to take an up-gunned and slightly up-armoured Sherman 76mm which gives them the chance to go toe-to-toe with Panthers, as the 76mm AT12 gun can start to worry German commanders, especially when hitting the enemy in the side armour.

Similarly, Stabiliser allows Sherman 75mm & 76mm to have a higher ROF on the move, at the expense of +1 to hit. Unless you use your Tanks as a static gun line, where the To Hit is the same, but with a higher ROF, they are perfect for emerging from smoke screens and taking the enemy in the side armour.

However the fun doesn’t stop there, as there is the option for a 105mm Assault Gun Variant, whose Shermans can fire their howitzers in an artillery role to pin the enemy or remove stubborn AT Gun nests and bunkers. Combined with the armour of the Sherman and you have an asset that might just be worth taking along for the ride.

Fielding an Armored Company for D-Day American

Finally, never underestimate your Support options of taking a black box formation in support: M10 Tank destroyers, already proven in the deserts of Tunisia and Egypt, are still deadly Kitty Killers and when used as an asset to your Shermans, perhaps screened by a platoon of M5 Stuarts against infantry assaults, they can be a serious threat to the enemy. In a pure Support role is the huge KM12 155mm Artillery Battery. The range, Firepower and option to fire a Brutal Direct Fire attack means even Heavy Tanks like Tigers aren’t safe. Something I am 100% thinking of taking with my Sherman Armored Company.

Also remember that for a few more points, all the Shermans can be upgraded to veteran status, which means that they have a higher To Hit on rating of 4+ instead of 3+ which makes them just slightly better survivability wise. Further, the Veterans have better Skill rating for passing skill tests, and their motivation is higher all round, rather than relying on Yankee Ingenuity like the less experienced for Last Stand Ratings. These would be classed as the 2nd Armored Division, as they fought in North Africa during Operation Torch, whereas the 3rd were held in reserve until the Landings in Normandy, and the subsequent breakout in Operation Cobra.

What does an Armored Company look like?
This is what I am taking in my army:

Fielding an Armored Company for D-Day American

And it allows me x2 points to see what Command Cards I might be able to take as well for the Army. We are going to take our lists for a spin later… Wish me luck!
~Chris


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Last Updated On Friday, August 23, 2019