[coljacksimpson57]

Our group fights with a base company formation (usually infantry and using historical TO&E).  We set the scenario rules so that the base company eats many of your points and only allows one or two supporting platoons (only one of which could be tanks).  We never fielded the lone tank.

[coljacksimpson57]

As part of our group’s effort to avoid the 500′ captain, we do not allow firing indirect missions at hidden targets except planned (before deployment) indirect fire at positions that are written down beforehand, with the grid and turn of the mission.  These are revealed at the appropriate time and fired.  The position may, or may not be occupied, but the mission is fired.  Firing direct fire at tree lines or other suspected enemy positions is allowed (recon by fire) but may be a wasted turn because we use markers for hidden units (with 2 x as many dummy markers) to increase ‘fog of war’.  Scouts out!

[coljacksimpson57]

The reality was that anti-tank grenades, panzerfausts, and bazookas were used against machinegun and anti-tank gun emplacements at least as much as against tanks.  The +1 to hit for the panzerfaust & bazooka, with the 1″ HE rule seems to work pretty well for our battles.  Anti-tank grenade launchers were less accurate, so we fire them normally and use the 1″ HE rule.

[coljacksimpson57]

As for the +1 to hit for veteran troops, we experimented with that in our group last year and found that a veteran company with that rule plus Tough Fighter was just too powerful when matched against a regular company even when the regulars were given twice the points for support teams and tanks.  What we settled on was earmarking two soldiers per squad as marksmen (we simply marked the bottom of their bases with a green M) and giving them the +1 to hit.  This worked very well without destroying the balance.

[coljacksimpson57]

To take it a step further; if the unit is dug in in fox holes the normal rules for assaults would still apply (i.e., the assaulting unit would attack first).  However, if the defender is dug in behind a sandbagged position a determination would have to be made before the game begins as to whether or not it is treated as an obstacle. A low sandbag wall 1-2 feet tall poses no obstacle while a sandbag wall 4 feet high would.  These types of high sandbag walls were rare in the ETO but were fairly common in the MTO and PTO.

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by coljacksimpson57.

[coljacksimpson57]

One solution would be to adjust the ranges to LMG: 30″, MMG: 36″ & HMG 42″.  Having commanded a scout unit that had both MMG (M60) & HMG (M2 HB), I can tell you that the HMG’s longer effective range was very real and mattered.  On the other hand, the developers often simplify things for game-play purposes – such as giving all rifles the same range.  In reality the M1 carbine did not have near the effective range of the M1 rifle.

[coljacksimpson57]

It is quite notional.   Old timers in the wargames community know that increased realism equals decreased playability.

[coljacksimpson57]

Great!  That’s what we were looking for. thank you very much.

[coljacksimpson57]

The folgore squads in north Africa had the Breda LMG. I like to use historical OBs – and sometimes have to tweak the unit lists to facilitate this (i.e., a bazooka in a U.S. infantry squad and not as a separate team).

[coljacksimpson57]

One issue with the turret jam rule is having the gun jammed in the direction the shot came from.  It makes more sense to have it jammed in the direction it was facing when the vehicle was hit (assuming your models have turrets that rotate). Good local rule to consider.

[coljacksimpson57]

Task organizing was, and still is, a common practice in infantry units.  An infantry platoon would often centralize its mortars into a single mortar section to support the assaulting squads.  Depending on the platoon’s mission such task organization would be made before the game starts. As WW2 progressed, some armies formalized the centralization of mortars, and sometimes LMGs, as the standard organization.  Compare a German infantry company’s organization from 1939 to 1944 to see how the evolution effected the platoons.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by coljacksimpson57.

[coljacksimpson57]

Some infantry scouts also get “Forward Deployment” in their special rules, but not vehicles with the RECCE rule.

[coljacksimpson57]

Rules for shaped charge vs targets other than vehicles, such as artillery pieces, fixed weapon positions, infantry in buildings, etc.

[coljacksimpson57]

Thanks, Master Chief.  I made the mistake of ordering that with the pre-order for U.S. Sector D-Day book, so it will be  a while before I have it.

[coljacksimpson57]

Amarillo, Texas

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