dp9-501 - mainbook
DESCRIPTION
Awesome mainbook for dreampod miniture game. If you like running around in mecha and killing stuff this is for youTRANSCRIPT
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KRIEG TWo-FlsI'IID PuLP SUPERSCIENCE
IN A WoRLD AT WAR!
•• •
-T ABLE OF CONTENS
DREAM POO 8 TEAM
John BincSas. Haj Nasri Andreas, Uoyd D.
Jessee, Richard M8&den, ken Winland,
Dave Grllham
David Graham
Alchard Meaden
KenWlnlaflCl
Uoyd D. Jessee
Writer
wm~
Mare·A1exandre V.~lna SenIor Editor
Christian Sdlallef Editor
Wunii lau Editor
Hilary Doda Copy Editot
PIerre Ouellette C'8alive 0i.1K:tOr
Pierre Ouellette Art """"""D.,,..... Jean-F~ Fortier layout Artist
John Wu lUustralorlCoIOfIst
Marc Quellette Com~ IM\I$IJ<I\or
Alain GMboiS Conceptualization
t.la~ ~$lien ConcepIJJallzation
I IIIaIItt8
4
Gena Marcil
St~ne l. Matis
Marc A. V6~itIa
~ and IefTain modeling (pages 122
.od 125) by David Graham. Richard
Mooclen and Kan WIIlIand. Additional m0d
eling and pictures (page 128) by Alain
G~ "nd ~rco 0mi«:i0Ii.
DIIIIIcaIIan TllI8 bo<* 15 dedicated to the rnerno<y 01
aN the men and '1III;III'\&I'I whO 88HIessIv gave
their live!; to gual1lnlM our freedom.
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD OF GEAR KRIEG .................. 6 Ac:1ion: For PoIarIdI • __ • ......... 8
Sideba': Two-f"OIled Pulp Supeo __ oc.1 .... _ .• _ •.• ~ 1
The WorId.t w. .............................. _._.8
SicIetw" A Parallloll'lbrkt ._ ................. * ....... * •...• 8 FOCbDn: The Demon&tralioll ....... ............................. .. 11
Sidebar: W.ke .. 1If\d ~!M"' ............... 10 Tho W,.1n E<....., (19:&1940) • __ . " The St;;wm CIoI.dII BnIoIk-I'IMl::I ~ 1· 18, 1!lJj) 11
SiOftbaI: lJghtrrog W. ..... .............. .. ... ~~ 12
The f'rlon't Will (Oct 1~· May 1940)
FrMnd .......... _ ........ .................... _ .. * 12
..... _ 12
_ : Nicoll leslaenO r. """;In>I LnI ........ 13 Sidebar: Tho ~ CocI<1aiI .•.•.• _ 13
Tile NaMk A<MII'IIUfO .•. ,.
Tho In¥Bsiot! ~ West.,." Ecoope (MIty 1940) ,.
Tho Bolll'- !of F,1Io""ICO (May 10 · .loot 19010) ..... _ , •
SiOeb!M"' ()p!M"lItlQn ~ 15 Tho Door ~ Shu! (.u-oe 5th. 19010) •.....•...•... 16
~. 6t~ IIMt Meonot linoI ............... _ 18
SkIet>ar: The E\alIIeII III _...-.0 IIleAt~oc 17 Tho _ in Nor1r. Africa (11tl9 - 1!)o11} .. __ . .. . ..•.... _. 17
SIOeb.r.ln!r\glJe In IIle SIJ1 18
AI Ro.lods lNd 10 Rome ... . .. 18
Sir:Ieb¥: The ~ Fox •..• .. ... ......... ~ 111 Turning IIle ror:le III t ile GmeIt ~.vI(! IIle InYlwm III C_ 19
_ : SllikelramIhltSl<lnl ... .... .. .. .... ............ 20
Tobruk ADWv..d ........ ........... ........................ 20 SlOe!-. ~ Irld AttrIdon •. • .. 20 The~,~W", 21
=~=::u _............ ...:::::::::~: ~~ $idotg: f>in.ArIllbia _ r. GokIIIn ~ •.•.. 21 ThoI N.ul$ ArrMI .•..•• Z!
SIcIebr.: The ~ ~ ~ _ ..... .. ..... .. .. Z2
SidtIbIot ~()tpf 23
~ inIO"., ... . * ...................... _ ................. 23 The _In Tho EasI (.June..OK ...... !!W!) ...... _. 23
The Getmwlll'Ml$lOn ..... ..... •
Nui $U~I"O'i Irld ~ ... ~. The 88ItIe b" Mo&cow ...•.•.•. --
,. .... ...... 24
........... _ 25
... 25
S1onn "' !he East _._._ ...................................... _ 28 Sidebar' ..,...,. c.tDIinI_.IacquIIinor _ ... _ ... 28
Sidebar: WjrII ... ~ Wat"ltlIfa .. •• 29 'NIle! Iho Ftluo I-Iok\s. ...•. 29
1M I~ IlIIIle GIcbaI W. _.... .. ..... :10 ~T~ ____ ..... _ .............. ................. :IO
DRtvns.w 1achnDlDgy ....... .. ............ . _.... 31 Socabar. SijP"'tril ............. .. _._............ . .... 31
AatIaIr~.... . . ... . . . . 31 tuYallec~ ........ .. .............. __ ._.. ~
The Oinh '1 I:Iotc:mri:: Ww!ar" .. ........... 32 ArmntfId VtY< ... ...... . ~.... . . . ... . .. .. 32 SIoctw: MoYet!I!WId SMkon .. 33
" ,. ... J<!
" "
e00*~.
~; CorrclWdor ~ .•.•.•.•.•...•.• _ .. 3!i
~ ........................................... _ .... , .......... 36
Sidoobor: Armored WI"'. Field MainIenaroce .•.. 36 Technoi0gicai DoweIopmerIts allhto End 01 1901 I 37
v.Ik"';' WRI<.""-'"d ............ __ ............ __ .... _ ........ 38
CHAPTER No: TilE GniE42 Fk1icn: AI Quiet on IhI Easlem Front
InIroducIiDn ..•.•.
"""'" "'"
.............. 2
.... ~ . ....... ~
Meuu-n Irld ScM ... .. .......... ~ BasIc Game Mec::I...-oc. ........... .. 4-4
FIal.ongs !WId SIUIs ............................... 45
/M"gIn ~ SuccenIf...... ...... : 4!i IVnb- ~ Actirlrw. .... 45
RooxO Sto!oIs ... .. ...... .. .. ... ~.. .. .. .... ....... 4!i ........ .. .. .. ....... 45
CnlwSkb ....... . ................................... «I ..... ................ ~ .... ..a The Game TIJr" ... _. " SI""Z/IIo. SM-<Jjl ......... _ .... • 7
51"" 0--,.' ~lOI"" ""- ..... 47 Step "l'o>o: InIdrive F'tIaM .................................. '18 Step ThnIoe: _1IIkItl PhIl .. _ •• _ ...... __ ............ ..a ~FIfII ......... .. _._.... .. .. ........ ....... ........ '18
SI"" Fou- MitoeIIIIneouI EverU PhaM •.•.•• " _'" '18 Corm\and PoilU .. 49
MovemenC .............. .... .. .... ....................... <t9 T/llTaln _ ...•••.
""""""" .'" '" lop~ .... . - ... . - . .... .. . ......................... 50
Tur..r,g .. 51 MuftipIIt MDWImIn1 SysIoms .•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•. .. •.•.• 51
Ccmbat ................ ... 51 1..intt-d.Sigh! 51
Con::INII""',,1 ... 52 0ecec1i0n ._ _ 52
ActiYe s.n.o. lOS ...... ...................... . ." ....... " Firing AIel .. ... 53 ~ ModInerI .............. * .... *............ . ... s.s Raroge .. _____ . __ . ____________ __ . . .• 54
"""'"'-~ •.•.•••••••••• -•• * ••.••.•. *_ ... _ .... .. .... s.s .M
..... _ ... _.5011 """"'" ....... ~-. TarOOl Sp&ed
.. . ___ ._ •. ___ .• _._ . Sot
""-"" .... M
...... S4 MeIeo AIW;I<t .... .•. _ ... .... 5"
R.rwning .............................................. _ .......... 54
F'u'IcNng .................. 55
I<ic:IOtIg a'>d SIcrnpIng ........... * ••••••••••••••• **~ .... 66 Melee WeaponI: .... _.... .... .._ ..• 55
DetenoMt MIroIu\ow!a •.•.•.•.•.• _._ •.•.•.•.•. _._..... 56 Aimad Shott _ ...•. 66
Indira<:I AN ._ .......................... ...... 56
..... -~ROF _.
WdWIg m _ .... _ .. Saw!!I!"'" F ........ _ ....... .. . ..... E#l1Id Wcoapar\I .•.•.•.•..
",,-, .
.,..~ """"" ~IuAmv ... * ....... * •••••••• _
~~ _._ .......... _ ...... _ ...... _ .. -Structure ........... .. o~ ""'--'I . __ ..
......,"'-
. ... 56 __ •• 511
" " " M
" " .... Iie • •• 511
. ......... 60 ., '"
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j ,
/-I
•
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""--c.w'_ WIfIIIy .......
inllfIIIy R8c0rd ~
s.:....a IlIrNge hc:tl
""'"' - . "*'"- ........... . .......... ...... """" A.Mcb aganc InIny ~ o.n.ge IIOIN.-y
.. _ EII
" ." " " " ._. 62
" . ............ ,62 ..... _. 63 ..
...... e3
w....,cu...IIIft ....... '" .... " Ell",,! WtIap(Q __ InI....uy "" ............. 64
PImcOI .. _. ...... .. ......•.. _ 6<1 ftI_, lh9illl Value fI.4
AdII_~ 6:> AQt...nc: MI;Henw'II _ ..... _. _____ ._._ ..... __ H •• (1)
"'" .. ThtooWIg ,___ ...... iii! _~ •• _, /l8
-""""-8ItI, ...... ........ _. __ .
~T.-npet""'" -.... --."'"'" ... """'''''''''' Slr"':tulotl
BtIcIQes •.•. -III'IoIdI ...... ____ _
lJrt>WI r.r ... _ ..
-."""" ... ~ Mor ... Ihros/"c::IIds
m .. ___ . 96 .,
...... 66 .. _., M .,
__ ... _ 67
..... 68
... .. .... 66 ...... 68
___ .• __ .88 .. ........ 611
..... 70 F_icIoI UnIIo .............. ___ ._. _ ro
ro ro
MotM Owc:b _ ..................... __ . ~....... . .... __ .. __ ..... -~ Pricri';' ._ ..... H •••
' .... SpectIO c..- __ _
Hc>ot "!lIP c.:w-alon (lois_1m.. ......, -..
o..y."'lIiI
" " ........ 7 1
" " .. _ 72
" .... ....... 13
CHAPTKR THREE: GAMK REsoURCES ....................... 74
~~, ~
T~g(Or~6 EqlIIP'IWlI .....•. n ~ "_,,,_,, __ ... 18 0tMI 8rurl1lld ... C(wrmao ... _ • ___ .•.• __ 80
~..-.. ... __ .• ____ .•.•.• B2
~ RunIII , ..... &I
The Un/I$d SlAIH ." ...... ........ s.. .. ioFonnlr The s.m. of Arras; ...... .
, ••• 116 .. " ~~~~ __ ._ 90
~(/UIrdon Itw "-! 1O[).ri41< ..•••..•...•..•.. 111 ~;....., 8INl Wtepon ....................... IiII2 SUIlilIV .nd o.,lIIIId BIood,lwon __ ._ ... _. __
~""-'~.>d .... "'-' RiM ~ ... ~ .......... _ ... .
....... 93 . _.~.~ .. _ .•. 90t
APPENDIX I:J'ERKS, RAWS AND WEAP()NS ...... .......... .... 96 ".,..... ........ _ ......... .. -. . .....•.•.•. _. 116
. •. _._._ .. 116
'00
APPf:NDIXll: VEHICLES •• 102
MltiIda t.t<. II ...... _ .•.• _._ .•.•... '" ~ 10'1<. 1011 _ •• _~ ____ • __ 102
en.uo. ...... 1II 102 ~Ca .. _(ar..J .. _ .......... _ ..... ____ . __ . 103
M3A 1 SIuorIiMk. IV ~. . ..•.• 103 M3AS (Jo)n(wal G.MllJGer,eraj LM ............ 103 2 lb. AJ Gun ........ ___ 1~
hMiIACaYaIier . __ ..... ____ ._. 1~ ·
M'o'lIIII ~ ___ ••. __ f04
UVlIIC~ , __ ._ ....•... _._ .............. 105
MVI2A Ac:u'Idhet<I ..... . .. 106 MVI28~ •.............. _ ... " ......... . ,,. MVl:i!C Ac:u'Idhet<I t-..nr. AnrIi::o.a C. loll!. " _
"."" .s..m Model 39 "'T Gun t-" 'Ni<oIaj l ..... · KV·1C ... &.. 10 Almond Cao M3I\ 1 37rTrn AT Gun
.. _. __ .. 106 ,,. . ... __ , 1011
...•.• _. 107
'" . ......... _ 1011 ,,. ,,. MIIA1~a1t.1y "_ ...... _ .. __ 108
MllA2~"'EArIy UD Ml l.-.3 Genefai ratty ................. ....... _. 109
M1<'A1O-WaU.CI""SIrNl .. _.. 110 MI2A2Gcn11r""lCInpoIr_ ,. __ .. __ . 1 fO
"~"""'81 . ___ ....... _ .. ~ ... _____ 110
P~11"""C " , PIII",,,r ... H Au4I n ..................... _ .... '1' P1kmpIwH"""e~· __ 111
F'zIImpIwIllComnand ~._._. 112 I'ziv'rVow HI ~ E ....••. _ .• _......... "2 PlkmpIw III ........ F ......•.•. _ 1 13 PlkmIl/W IU AuII J .... _ ............... _... 113 P1IImpIw ill ".., f __ 1\3 SUrngatU.r LJ33 E .. _ _ _____ . 11 .
P7Kpf illAUslA1.I.1Iu~ 11' Pn<pf IV Auaf B 'I.aId· ....................... _ '\ . P~illAlllfC·L.ctI· _._._ .......... 115 P.(I{j;IV AuroI A"YaIiwnIo· ._ •. _._ 1111 Plf<liIVAu&l S .....,...".· _____ 1111 PItt«)ATG.rI , .. __ • ____ ._ II' I ,8cIl1KWKATGoo
SdkII231("'ad~
SdkfI25'b ....• ~ ..
.....•• 111
..... I II ~_ .• ~~ .. _ .. 1\ 1
" .. 38AJGu! _ type 95 "tfIt.Qo.
. _____ 117
TYIIO'~7~'
Sl'i<l1II •. ~ ...• Shiki .1 ................... _ .. Model 901 AT (iUoI , _______ _
'" ......... II'
. .•.•.• 118 __ ... _ III
'" ............... ~ .... _. III
'''' APPENDIX m: MODELING 122
. ____ 125
TA8LE OF CONTENS
50000 •• , .... ""''''' (i) MontrMl, autbec,
eo.-H2H 2S6 _
All atlWOfII; {e)2000 Dream Pod II, Inc.
50rfW picture!! appear ~ oIlhe IfTIo
perlal War Museum. Loncton .
Gear KrIeg, f'8nzeo11.Amp6af, SiIJoueno and
aI oct.- l\IIma. Iogoe and specific game
teorms ate (e) [)reoIm Pod II, Inc. AI RighIa: -Gear Krieg, Tha aaar Krieg logO.
Panzarkarnpter .... Sih:lueI1e IIfa lrao..
rnarb of ~ Pod II, Inc.
No pIIl1 of !his booII may tJ. reproduced
without WI1IIen pemUsion ffom lilt pub
lisher, ~ lor shor1 exeepts lor ~
PUI'pOlef. Any lirnila(rtln 10 c:hallldets.
~u.alions, inItItUtIon$, OtKpOr3Iiona, etc .
(wllhouI SlllIricallntent) are *1riCtly ooInd·
cMnIaI. The \.e of !he ....... genderlttougt>
out.,.. "*-'~ in no way InllIYh exclue'on of It1e ...... gendet Of suggesI
thallhe game. intended fI~ lor •
male audienCe. It Ie ot.- hope tNt !he ra· male gamera wlllind "* book Jl.t .. ~ IerMtng ultlflir male IXUlIefpi¥t5.
Warning! GMr Krieg II a workotfictiOn InI8nded 10 be ueed In • game conlext only.
• c:oruirW IIIemIntI whictI may tJ. cIMmed
Npptopt\e1IIIor ~ r ...... Drum Pod II, Inc, does not 0DtId0ne Of 1InCOIM".
agA the we 01 violence Of weapoN. PI ' ,.,.ul discretiotIle adWied.
er..n Ptld II c.1 aIIIIo bll.-:ta:l fwoI.9'I hi ~ Oleck .. ..c.gemes.mec:hllrd
1WC.~,miIIc IWW8I1OOP' lor
&RIMa'Id ilb IfillllDrlltnlGM- KriIg. 'Ib.i
can aIIIo .... au' 'MIr1d 'M:II!i web page • hIIp".IIWww.q;e.wn'
Sladi .Of>i.501
LagaI DapoIit. July 2000
BIbIIotI'*Iue N61ionM do 0u6bec N6tiMa1 Ubnuy 01 C41i'\6de
ISBN 1-89877&-1'2-8
PnnlecIIn Canada
5
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CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
-. -;,..,J. .=.
FOR POLAND! 7.92mm rounds cracked past Janos' head like miniature thunderclaps. The German
machine gun snarled its song of murder into the bodies of the men and horses
fOllOWing Lt. Janos Sosobowskl of the Polish Army's 15\h Cavalry Regiment
·01'1 men ... On into them! We have them nowl" Janos' voice shrieked out his order,
and Ihe answering bellow of hatred from his forty troopers was terrible.
The two-week nightmare of blood and death at the hands of the German Wehrmacht
was about to be repaid. Two weeks of slinking and hiding in the forests, half starved
and miserable, dodging German infantry, aircraft. tanks and the giant metal men.
Janos was hard-pressed to tell which Irightened his men more, Ihe wail of the Ger
man dive bombers as they stooped for the kill, or the sight of Iha sleel giants lumber
ing lor-ward, spilling machlnegu'1 fire Into Polish bodies. The tanks were just simply
something to run from, Nothing a cavalry trooper carried could hope to hurt them.
Janos remembefed the sight of troopers breaking their lances againstlhe sides of
the armored vehicles in their frustration, and being mown down in heaps moments
later by German machine guns. But today, God had sent Janos a chance to exact a
small portion of vengeance for prostrate Poland.
Slinking through the wooded underbrush, Janos' scouts had come upon a b izarre
sight. A group 01 Germans had beenclustercd around what ~ed like an eight
legged railway car, stopped on the rood that ran through the forest. It had obviously
broken down; soldiers were busy working inside open engine hatches. One of the
steel giants paced nervously around Ihe clearing, trying to watch every direction at
onCO. The Nazis were not masters of all of Poland yet! Other than the metal walker,
the attention of all the Germans was focused on the repair work on what had to be
some sort of mobile command post.
6
Janos had not hesitated , br inging his
men up silently to the edge of Ihe clear
ing ; he waited till the metal giant had
made its way around 10 the far side of
the command post. Then he lei Mikhail,
his trumpeter, shaner the stillness of the
warm September afternoon with the bra·
zen notes o f the chargel
TIle surprise was tolal; white-faced Ger
mans lroze in shock at the sound of the
trumpet's lury. They died that way.
Janos' troopers galloped among them,
lances stabbing and sabers flashing in
the sun, The Gerrnun survivors 01 the
first onslaught ran willy-ni lly, arms up
raised in the hope 01 warding off saber
blows. The Poles, laughing like fiends,
galloped abreast of them and cul'back
wards with their sabers, into upraised,
panic-stricken faces,
The arrival of tile German walker shat
tered the Polish triumph. Roaring around
the front of the comm('lnd vehicle on its
wheels, it slanuned into rneil and horses
with a wet, sickening thud. The twin ma
chine guns in its chest clawed at the
Poles, splashing blood and broken bod
ies everywhere. It clubbed more men and horses with its mace-like arms. The
cries of wounded and dying men were
awlut but the wails of the horses were
even more so.
Janos was waiting for the arrival 01 the
metal monster, Touching this spurs to his
mare Anna's flanks, he urged her for
ward, galloping straight for the tett side
of the German war machine,
Silently commending his soul to the C<lfe
of the Blessed Mother, Janos kiCked free
of his stirrups, and leapt lor ooe of the
hand-holds welded to the brute's shoul
der, II it had not been for his saber knOt
tying his saber to his wrist, he would
have lost his weapon.
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The air hammered out of Janos' lungs
as he slarTVned into the machine's shoul
der. Boots scrabbling for purchase, the
daring hero hauled himself up. He found
himsel! balanced precariously. one foot
on on the war machine's chest and one
on its shoulder. With a long practiced
nick 01 his wrist, Janos nipped the hill of hiS saber into his wailing hand.
"Meln Gott!" The startled cry warned
Janos mal he had been seen. The Ger
man gunner, strapped firmly into hiS
seal, was frantically clawing at the flap
of the holster lor hi~ service automatic
"For Poland'" Grasping !he roll cage Ihat
framed the open cockpit With his Ish
hand, he struck. Janos shouted in tri
umph as his blade slid home, ending
the gunner"s hfe. A sharp twist 01 the
wrist kept the blade from being trapped
as Janos Withdrew it for another blow.
Another vlolont downward stab and
Janos was the only liVing hUrTl<in <:Inoard
the walker. Soddenly bereft of Its mind,
the metal giant veered sharply toward a
tree. Eyes widening in shock, Janos
jumped for his lile.
The sound ollhe collision between the
old oak and Ihe ool-of-control walker
was like a hundred blacksmiths bang
ing away all al once. The machine slood
agaInst the tree as if trying to push over
the forest giant by brule lorce, then its
engine began 10 idle With a shuddering
thump. The whole vehicle shivered and
jerked in a strange parody of a mortally
wounded man.
The smells 01 forest loam and blood told
Janos he was stili (lIrV8. He winced as
he stood His left ankle wasn't happy
about recent events and was making its
dlspicasure known lcdMg around he
saw his men had the Slt\.mtion well in
hand. Not one single German was stili
standing.
Eyes bright with excitement, his trum
peter. Mikhail, ran up, clutching some sort of case.
"look slrl One of the Nazis was trying
to run into the forest with this! It must be
important, don't you think?"
Mikhail was broathless. gasping with the
efforts of his exertions. Janos felt the
same; he had to force himself 10 take
several deep breaths before replying.
"let me see, Mikhail."
Janos took the case. which was surpris
ingly heavy tor What appeared 10 be a
Simple typewr itcr, and opened the
catches. Whatever it was, it wasn't a
typewriter. It had a keyboard like one,
but instead of hammers with letters on
them, there were several metal discs
with some sort of cOOed symbols inside.
A small brass nameplate with the word
ENIGMA was emblazoned on the
machine's casing In gothic script.
"Whal is ii, lieutenant?" Mikhail's eyes
were as wide 8S saucers.
Janos frowned He stood uP. tafl and de
fiant in the lale day sun.
-I don't know. Mikhail ... but I th ink you've
found something the Nazis are going to
be damned sorry to have lost!"
CHAPTER ONE: THE W ORLD
lWII-flIlId PUp .... 'ICIIIICI ill WIIrId It Wll'1
Thr K-YJrlt/ K-'fluld jnd~l!d havr tNtn
/.l diJJr~nl plflCl! iflhl Roaring Twen
tit!s hod nOl delivl!rrd fhi! KYlfdrn
promil·(!l/ by vi.fianuril!s. Th~ PZX III armurrd walla!r W4I" prrunf aI fht!
H~rlin Olympic Gamut. and fhefint
succrss/ul Amuiran walkus were
showcas~d at thl! '939 Warld ·s Fa;r
" FuturtlfM " IKwilirm. olllOnR rocker
fishurs and other nItJn!t!/s.
Later that yt!ar, the promises vf a bright future powt!red by Qih'Onced
scil!nct! c rumbled as Guman
Panzerkiimp/t!fs crol·sed into Poland.
The Srrond WorUi \\br had begunf
"'hr wul~n now stride aenln the
battlrftdd of Europe. hugt
sUfH!rlunu thunder 01'" Nonh Af
rica, md~tfightt'fs dud high (l/)()I'(I
the PudJie and ru/1't'ntuT"I!n (jnJ supuspil!s battll! Ihl! Naziforus in the
sJUldow~. Scientists K'urt /tvtriou.dy
to fnifeclthr neft doomsday K'ta/HJn
for their masten.
PoK'rred by ar/I'(lI/ced scitll&l!. will
the durkne$.t oflascism sprruJ across
the wurld, or can brav~ mf''' fJrld
K'omen pre)'tnt it?
1
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•
,
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
?
THE WORLD AT WAR "The Second World War formally began on September 1st 1939 with the attack on
Poland by the Third Reich . Adolf Hitler's mad dreams were to soak the WOI'ld in
blood, and he, along with his compatriots and their followers were responsible for
untold suffering. But what else can be directly al1ributed to the events of 1939·46? Is
it possible that in some ways the human condition benefited in the long run? Many
would noI agree.
"ThO War was an 8Fena where savage horror was the norm, and atrocItIeS became
commonplace. The previOus generation called Wood War One the 'War to End All
Wars.' What naIvetel No one In the pre-f939 world could look; forward to what was to
come and C'.onceive of where the human race was bound. Bul on this day, the twen
lleth anniversary of the fOUnding 01 Man's first colony on Mars, I would put it to you
that there is much good thai we owe to those men and women who fought and
strove lor so long against such a terrible roe. Victory was not assured and indeed,
for R long and terrible time. w<'s in S(lfIOUS doubt. But althOugh there was a danger
they would tail . and ICill 01 IhO Axis powers gripped the world. the Allies never gave up. In spite of the horror of the Nazi bombings of London, Coventry and New York. 01
the untold murders cornmi1ted in the name of Hitler's mad theones of ' racial PUrity:
in spite 01 the savage inhurl1&lity 01 Japan's treatment of its war pn$Q(lefS and cap
\1'10 populations. they never gave up.
"Much of what came out of that terrible time was something I hope mankind Will
never experience again . but there wero many discoveries. which have benefited all
of us to this day. The great inventors of that lime, Tesla. Einstein. Christie and the
rest. have lert a legacy of technology that has lakon us to thfl stars. Man has now left
the cradle of hiS Infancy, and has taken his firSllonering steps Into the wider uni
verse. And there have been many other advances. medical. social. economic, and
dare we even mention. political as well. '
(general laughter from the audience)
"The creation of the United Nations in response to the threat of the Axis. and lis
oventual evolullon into the present Confed~ration 01 Mankind is. I'm sure you will
concede, a positive outgrowth of the events of World War It. Even to those of you
who didn't vote for the current administration •
(rT'IOl'e laughter)
' Whatl propose to do in the balance of this lecture, and In subsequent sessiorls. is
10 further explore thIs theme, and in so doing help all of IJ!;I to (:(lfl'1e to a greater
understanding of who and what we are as a species. and where we ala bound In the
future Because if there is one thing that history has laught us. it is that civlllzahons
that are not heedful of the mistakes of the past are doomed to blunder into them
again in the future."
8
- Excerpt from a lecture given by Professor Donald G, Cameron
Olymplca UniverSIty. Mars. December 2, 2035 AD
e 0 0 *~<@4
You mlJ)' be slighlly confus~d lJft~r
rt'ading Ih~ intlTJ(luClion to this book.
Bombardm~nt of N~w York? Colony
on Mars? Walkers? Th~ war didn "
huPIH!n tlwt wuy!
On our world. perhU/JS. But it did
hapfHn. for r~aJ. on a world I'e,),
much like our Ol\'n,
Th~~. history did '11.1/ quil~ IWee Ihe
,fume mud tl.f on (lurs, Th~ fHOpll'
I\'hn Inhubil Ih(lf world (H? boldtr,
more cllrlous. Their scientists wert
simply mort! lurky. "r ~rh(Jps Iht'
localla .... s o/physics 801'£ them mort leeway, bul Ihey crtOled many new
in~·~ntions thOl would nt'ver hllve
been possible in our Oll:n pust.
Their I'r-hides IW' n' slightly diJft'rent
from oun, luu, Thuugh Iheir indus
try rr('(l11'I1 (lrmorrd "thidt's and
fllmle~' Im(1 !nuny (llht'r wt'''pons Ih"t
bvre Ih(' SlIInt nllme lind general ap
pearance a.v rhe OIll!S 11'1' kno .... Ihen: were often _,ubtle dijJerem:e.f: (J
Ill'1!t'f lull(·h. II row of bolts holding
u rod;o ruck inside Ihe hull. or a
slightly mon: ptJl\u/ulengint!,
Technology is not tht' onlyJjfft'frnct'
IH!rwun our world OIuJ lheirs. Evenls
did 1101 ClII\'I1),s lin/old in rh~ l"ame
WCI)'. espu;tllly I1ftu Ihe first few
mon/lls uf the c:onflict, Somelimu il
wos dut to different t!quipmuu.
somttimes 10 different dtcisions
taken and sometimes ilwfLr just blind
luck.
Tht' ",sl offhiJ'buvk - lind this Kaml!
line - is writttn from all historical
point (If view in Ih~ alttmllt~ uni·
v~rse,
I
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I , • J
• I
J
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THE DEMONSTRATION J. Waker Christie sat brooding at his desk, He stubbed out the bun 01 the tatest in a
1009 line 01 cigarettes InlO an already overflowing ashtray Sighing, he looked down
at the open leather ledger in front of him. Too many red numbers, 100 few black. If
only the U.S. Army had bought the latest prototype .. or hAd even been inleteslad
enough to have purchased the patents or offered funding to continue the project.
Christie snorted. Five years of work fO( nothing. All they did was laugh him off with
official letters of rejection. Again. And as a result, Christie Motor and Carriage Works
would soon be out 01 business. PerrnClf"lefltly.
Christie took a sip of his coffee, grimacing as he realized that it had grown cold. He
snapped the accounts ledger closed. There was little to do with it. Setting it to one
side, he began sorting through his morning mail. Mostly bIlls With a dejected grunt,
he tossed them back into his 'In' tray.
As he did so, a small brown envelope lell out from amongsllhe pile, landing face-up
on the middle of his desk. Tho words Western Union' were stamped in red Ink acrOSS
the top of the envelope. Christie tore it open WIth eager fingers
... ARRIVING YOUR FACTORY TOMORROW AM STOP ...
... MOST INTERESTED IN DEMONSTRATION OF PROTOTYPE STOP
... K GOTTLIEB STOP , ..
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
Christie was momentarlly stunned with
disbelief. He read the telegram again.
Who on earth was this 'Gottlieb' char
acter anyoNa,/? Then he checked him
self. Who ~ave a damn who the guy was
- he was obviously foreign, and prob
ably richer than the combined budget
of the U .S. military establishment.
Chtistie had a company to save. and a demonstration to arrange ...
KlI1 von Gottlieb, Major 01 the ~ the Arrrry of Germany's Weimar Repub
lic, stood Shivering In the early morning
chiN. He blew into cupped hands and
chaffed them togethef. smiling as warmth
was restorod, albeit temporaTily, \0 his
ct"lilled rngers. TaTnbefg, his aide, ptot·
fared a IIask of schnapps but Gottlieb
casually waved it ~y. Christie bustled up to them, face flush from a combination
of exertion and acute rlOI'\'OlJSfleS.
"We'U be ready momemarity, gcntJernen.
My men are just lopping up the fuel lank
and checking hydraulics now.·
Gottlieb nodded and sat In the wooden
chair Christie proffered. All three men
looked across the tarmac hom their van
!age on the reviewing stand 10 the Sheds
opposite. Some minutes passed in c0n
templative silence, then the main shed's
doors rolled back. revealing an ungainly
and outlandish sight.
It stood twelve feet tall and looked fOf
all the world like an oversized suit of 8r
mor suitable for a gorilla, albeit shorn of hell"1lQt and arms. The chest was open
and a man SClt in the opening, strapped
in and protected by an 8frliY of sturdy
looking roll b~Hs Tarnberg snorted
mockingly; a Slabbing glare Irom
Gottlieb silenced him, Christie cteared
his throat.
9
I . , •
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,
CHAPTER ONe: THE WORLD
?
"fr, genUemen, theWl926. lealuring my patented Mechanical Walking Suspen
sionJ"
With that, the machine's engine shud
dered to life, The tarmac reverberated
with the crash as ils right fool lifted and
then slammed down on the coocrete surface. soon folkM'ed by the left. The
engine belched blue-black smoke, and
the cacophony 01 hydraulics and feel
thumped and hissed, creating an almost
melodic beat which the machine
seemed to match with every rhythmic
step.
"Mein Gatt! • Tarnberg gasped. "It truly
canwalkl "
Christie smiled at his guests, all the lime
praYIng that his lest pilO! would remem
ber to stop after advancing 120 feet: the
damned thing never could walk more
than 150 feel at a go without falling over.
He broathed again as Test PilOt Lauter
remembered his instructions and stopped the W1926 on its marker. The
machine seemed to almost slouch as it
gfOUnd to a halt.
Go!tleib looked coldly at Christie. -You have promised a greater rate 01 speed
than I can imagine this machine capable of, Herr Christie:
Christie smiled. The bait was set, now 10 spring lhe trap ... He stood and waved
to Lauter. The pilot responded with a
thumb's up. Suddenly the W 1926 folded like a man with abdominal cramps, hy
drauliCs deplOying new mochanisms.
The radial engine howled and the entire
cont rapt Ion shuddered as Lauter
poured on power. The machine began
rolling toward the reviewing stand, ac
celerating rapidly as it came, upon a set
01 oversize whettls that now protruded
from its feel and back. At the last pos
Sible second, Lauter veered away, the
machine heeling over alarmingly as it
turned. Fearing it would topple over,
Christie cringed on the inside. That was
close, but he maintained his poker face.
As the W1926 accelerated away,
Gottlieb exulted. This was all he had
hoped fori A triumph to lay before the
feet of General von Seeckt and the General Staff!
The hated Treaty of Versailles had
stripped a defeated Germany of her
fledgling air loree, reduced her Army
and Navy to mere shadows of their
former might. and lorbade her Irom de
veloping any 01 the new 8flTlQ(ed ve·
hicles that had so shocked them on the
Western Front. But there was nothing in
the Treaty forbidding Germany from re
searching and develop in g a
Grossaroeiter, a peaceful pretence tor
a wcllking ¥lar machine!
Gottlieb turned to Christie, Anticipation
warred with fear on Ihe inventor's fea
lures. As U'le German spoke, though, the fcar washed away under a wave 01 tri
umph.
"Now therI , Herr Chrislie, I am most in
terested in acquiring your machines lor
our Grossarbeiter - the large lMlriterfor our program to rebuild our shattered
country and ecooomy. Shall we retire to
your ollice to diSCUSS matters of fin<ln
cial compensation?"
.... u Cr. MIlking rnodtineJ wen" callro a wid~ ~'aril!ry of nmnu, whjdJ con ~tima cauSt! amfu.fjnn wrumg$1 hi.Jtorians. The proper IUltne W(.IS ArmoT"t!d Fighting \4blking Mach~, (ir,
molY enmmmlly, AnnQruJ Walker or j UJI .... 'alker. '17u! GentlllllSealll!d Iheir
wullcus Pant.utlJmpfu or jllst Xllmpfer. The Japant!S~ called IM;r
walk~rs oshi·moi, or "heavy lUI, M a derivation o[ ashiguru (literally, M/ight feet ") infantry from F~adal JaptlneSt! history. The Soviets n
ferrtd to Ih~/r wallcus as SllInoih(}(/nllya Mac·hinu, or Walking Machine, rhou8h Ihl! unofficial naml! was al .... 'ayJ "Slubborn Sud 8rolh~r."
Thl!rt! Iw.rr. st!W:ru/ Jiang tt'nn.J applil!d toall wolkers, buJOI1ly tM urm "Rl!ar" was generali1,!!d. TM actlUli
lU$lt)ry ~hinJ IhiJ ttfm has Ixtn forewr lost, but it is generally accrrdirecl I" Amt'rkun and British ..... alur ertw,f .... ·hooft~n suit/that Iht! myritld nflwst!$, l.'Qgs (lnd hydmulics "",dl! thtst muchlnu nOthing more rhan glorifitd eloeM. ThrouRhout this book. howl!wr, .. .... 'a/ur" is /UN fO deJcri/H an Armortd Walur from any nalionality.
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THE WAR IN EUROPE
(1939-1 940 ) The Second World War was a conflict that truly touched the enUre Qlobe. From the
fields of Western Europe to the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean, no part of the
planet would remain untouched by the fury and misery of the War. The political
leaders of the conflict ran the entirety of the spectrum. from Foot 10 Genius, and from
Hero to Ftend. By 1939 the lines had been drawn for those who could see or cared
to k:lok. Good and evil were about to clash in a titanic struggle, one that would
decide the fate 01 world history for gOrlCrations to come.
The declaration in the 1920's that lhe First World War was the "'War to end all Wars"
was only wishful thinking. Rather, as France's Field Marshall Fcrdinand Foch, him
self a onetime Allied Commander in World War 0111:1 , was to say of the Pooce of
Versailles, which ended that conflIct "This is not a treaty of peace, it is a guarantee
01 war in IW9flty years." These words would prove to be oddly prophetic.
• THE STORM CLOUDS BREAK: POLAND (SEPTEMBER I • 18. 1939)
·War is an extensioll of politics by other
means."
- Von Clauswitz, On Waf
Poland was high on the list 0 1 Hitler's
territorial ambitions, IOf it represented
some of tho more humiliating aspects
of the Tre;;ltyo( Wlr'saIlles, After the Great
War, Germany lost a great deal of terri
tory to POland as war reparations, and
Hitler burned with a desire to crush it
and join East Prussia with Germany
once again, Plans 10 invade Poland were
develOped as far back as 1936, but the
Invasion thaI took place In 1939was dif·
ferent In its scope and oulcornc than
anything anyone could have imagined.
On the morning of September " 1939,
the German luftwaffe began the west
w;;Ird invasion with widespread bomb
Ing of Polish cities, factorieS, airfields
and lines 0( communication. In the en-
C HAPTER O NE: THE WORLD
suing chaos, German forces ground fOl'
ward from Germany, Slovakia and East
Prussia. Two days after the invasion
began, with all diptomatic initiatives
spurned by Germany, Britain and
France declared war, So began the Second World War.
By September 7, German fOfC8S were
within twenty-five miles of Warsaw.
Poland's remaining fOfees were either _
destroyed or encircled into isolated
JXlCkels, with the largest concentrations
centered on Warsaw and Kutno. By the
9th, GermAn forees were tightening the
noose 8IOlK1d the capital, and, despite
valiant resIstance, the remnants of the Polish forces could now only retreat
e<lStward. Ftghting continued for sever aJ
more days, with a spirited Polish
counter-attack al the River Szura m0-
mentarily stalling the German advance.
The greatest treachery, however, came
from the east. As pan of their Non-Ag
gressiOn Peet, Hitler and Statfn had secretly agreed to the diviSion of Poland belwoorl Germany and the Saviot Unioo.
Though 'unable' to participate fOf the
eatty part of the invasioo, Stalin feared
Germany would take all of Poland, and
corrvnenced his invasiOn on September
17. Caught between two immense in
vaders, Polish forces were Inevil8bly
and totally crushed.
Though sporadic resistance was to con
tinue until the end of September, Poland
was effectivety conquered in a tittle over
three weeks, The world was aghast at
the sheer ferocity and totality althe W;;lr
but could do little 10 prevent its ultimate
outcome. As Germany digested its c0n
quest, Europe was to settle Inlo an un
easy and fitful pElsce,
"
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CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
Blinkrieg (Lightning War) was, sur·
prising/y. a tenn coined byAmericnn pnpers /aler in the war wId used to
descrilH Ihe type of war/arr waged by Gtrmuny in its invu.tion.f Ihmugh.
uul Eu~. The sterrllo BlitzArie/: 's sut"Cess lie in j~ed, e~ploitution of Ihf' f'nf'my 's wealust point and a cinJe rtlatiOtuhip Mf\4~en air and
gmund/IJt1:es. As bonrber.r dUrnplt!d
communicalions, an annored thrust w()uld break IhrouRh (lfl enemy's
from. and the umu would Jan (Jul Jmm Ihe". Jrifantry and lighter or· mOfl'd /on:u M~}uld Ihen /uJ/ow up 10 mop up I!ncirr/f'd podl!IS or df"
stroy stmng points l/wl would IH ig. ,","d by Ihf' first M·o\,e.
Wlilktrj' prol,td to be tin jdtul
weopon for Bliclrieg tactics. Tht';r
s/H!ed fmd uduptubll! mo\~ml!nr /1/'
lowed thtm IfJ fill a .ft"tJul . . vhud: or mop-up mle deptnding IIpOlllhe cir· cumstances. First unsure of their t!/fectiveness. German milirary planflUS ItleRaud Iheir avaUabJe M'aJk· tn In .(cout wuJ mopping-up duty.
Their IJS)"('-/uJ/ogit·u.ll'tliue, Jw",?I~r. Ctlmilined wirh (lIJ unexpected battle
with fuU.fh armor al Ihe lawn of
Sochaczew, vindicated Hein z Gudtrian'$ visiall o/walkers 011 the
modern battlefield. By Ihe time of Gernumy's ifll'O.sians of Fronce wid Ihe /.Qw Cuunlries, w,.tun Wtn:' an
integral IX'" of Germany 's mobilt MYJr/art tactics.
• THE PHONY WAR (Ocr 1939 • MAY 1940)
France and Great Britain had declared
war to protect the integrity 01 the Polish
state, but other than sending a few
bombets to drop propaganda leaflets,
they had. as 01 yet. done nolhing mate
rial. On Octobef 6. in an address to the
German Reichstag, Hitler called 00
France and Blitain to recognize the
"New Drdef in Europe." Oaladier. the
French Prime minister, rejected HitlCr's
terms on October 11 . Great Britain's
Prime minister, Neville Chambertaln, the
man who thOvght ho could negotiate
with "Herr Hitler" after the MuniCh con·
ference 01 1936, needed an extra day
to dismiss Hitler's peace proposals.
So began a curious period of the war. a
kind of last deep bteath before the
plunge. None of the combatants ap
peared to want to take any actioo to
widen the conllict beyond Its current
borders, The French were haPpy to sit
behind their high technology Maglnot
Uno. secure in the lact that they could
light this war as they had fought the last
one - defensively. The sheer destruc
tive power of their "Death Ray Gun" emplacements would shaller any assault
upon the soil of France. Britain, wracked
by Internal dissent in Chamberlain's
government, vacillated. Bombing raids
and pamphlets were as far as Cham
berlain wanted to go.
FINLAND
The Germans too, sat Quietly behind
their lines. It seemed a Quiet "Phooy
War," or ·Sitzkrieg" as the newspapers
of the day dubbed it. Germany's com
placency, however. was deceiving. The
Wetlrmacht was remarshaJling Itself af
ter the Polish campaign, preparing to
execute the FOrhrer's latest directNe,
Number 6 - Caso YellOw, the invasion of
the low Countries and of France itsetf.
The shame of 1918 was to be washed
away in the blood of the Reich's en
emies.
But all was not farce In the latief half of
1939. Stung by criticism, Chambertain
was f()(Cad to make a concession to
those in the British government who felt
he had ~ boon prosecuting the war
with the vigor it deserved. Chamberlain
invited Winston Churchill into his gov.
ernment, offilflng ChurChill the post of
Rrst Lord of the Admiralty, a post heJlad
previously held In the Fitst World War.
From !hat point on, the Royal Navy be
gan to take the war to the Gerffiar"lS.
In Moscow too, Stalin had decided that
he could play Hitler's game: the vlctim
he sete<::ted was Finland. After wrangling
for months with the Finns, and goading
them to the point thaI the Finnish del
egation walked out 01 the conference en
masso (Stalin mede outrageous de
mands on Finnish territories, including
takeover of the entirety of the Gull of Fin
land), the Soviet icader had the preteKt
he needed to go 10 war. On the 30th of
Novembef, the Red Army Invaded Fin·
land across !he Karefian Ithsumus. Un
derestlmatlng!he spirit Of the Finns, they
only committed the units 01 the
leningrad military district to the Inllial
assault. This proved a fatal error for the
Red Army, as the outnumbered Finns
retreated before the oncoming Russians
and used the land, hard In the grip of
the coldest winter in over twenty years,
against the invaders. The invaders ,
forced to keep to main roads due the
ineffiCiency of their pteparations, were
harassed constantly by the Finns, who
struck and then melted back into the
snow-covered forests. The Russian s0l
diers, unequipped to light in such c0n
ditions, could not pursue.
'f
•
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•
To the astonishment of the world, the
Rnns managed to hold off the Soviet
juggernaut fOf four months, finally sur
renderingonMarc:h 13, 1940. The Fms.
who never managed to put fTl()(e than
200.000 mer! in Ihe field, had engagoct
a force of fOfty-five Russian infanlry di
visions. four cavalry divisions and twelve
arfTl()(ed groups. During the course of the conflict. the Finnish army suffered
some 25.000 lolled in action: the Rus
sians counted 200.000 dead.
The Winter War 011 939-40 lIIuslrated to
an appalled SIalin just how unready his
vaunted Red Army was 10 prosecute a modern war. His vicious purges of the
Army's officer corps in the 1930s were
directly responsible tOf the drubbing the
Red Army received allhe hands of the
Finnish Marshal Mannerheim. After Ihe
war in Finland, Slalin launched a craSh
program to rebuild and Iry to repair the
army's shortcomings. but was unable 10
complete jt before the Germans invaded
Russia in 1941. Thc stubborn refusal by
Sialin to permit the development of
walker technology by the Red Army
proved 10 be a critical miscalculation in
the Russian plans. He was convinced
the entire idea was a "capitalist folly" that
was unnecessarily expensive and com
plex. The Red Army. he declared.
needed super tanks, with heavy armor
and multiple turrets, to achieve any kind
of military victory. The failure of the S0-
viet T-28 tanks In the Winter War was
glossed eNer by the self-assured Stalin.
and anyone who tried 10 convince him
otherwise was prone to disappeClr. II was
10 preNe a COSIly miscalculation. wilh
terrible consequences 'Of the Russian
military in 194 1.
Born in Ihi' flfllkmu. ItJfu tJ ,WIUfUI
it~d U.S. clfiun. Nicola Testa WtU fJ('rhapI rhtl IMIlI bfillitJnl n:i~nlific
mind in an agr ullcirnfijic grniul.
Uke J. \fufterChrillie. hefound Utile
acceptant·e or ~cognilion lor hill
Jchemf.'J ill his own ('oantry at finl.
A. (flU! philanthropist, he spt':nl much
01 hill early cu"'-t!r de~·dopiflg ways
and ~aflS /u mlI*" ~fl" 'lfic,Jl t:nt:rgy
(II'(Ii/Db/e to beller Ihe hwrum CtJIldi
liOI1 .... ·orld·wil/~. When his Amuioofl
b(ld:us IIull#~d nUl ill the lat~ 1920$,
il wa.!' France that ,·uml' If) Te.l'fa·.I'
rt!.fcue.
Tes/o Wtl.f Mt intel'f'Jtrd in crr:Dlina
ajJeMi'le weDpofls. bUI when the
F~l1ch government afftrtd ro fund
his rr$f.'u~h (III his cOllcepl for a dl!
ftl1sivl' "Bellm Weapon·· copabll' 01
dutro),ing any cnm't!nJiunal al/ackl!r,
TesiD could nm igl10rr Ihl! chal/enge.
Dubbed - Deolh Rays" by the ..... orld
press ot rheir un~'f!i1ing in 19J5. Ihe
"Eit!CtriclJlly Acct/eroll'd £nerRY
ClJnnon" sttmed to W all absolute
!:uamlllee 01 French l!(ltirmol .ffCU
ril)'. Coupled with fhl' I'OSI SUIt;C lle
lenses 01 the nrwly complrttd Moainot linl' (nlJml'd aflf!r fhe /N-
1f'A.fe Minulf!r who INglln Ihl' pn.1frct)
Iliong Francl"l GtrmlJnffUflJier. fhe
French ROVtrn/ntflt 1\'1/$ ('ompfo
cently cerlllin that 7'e.l'fa '.I' supt:r
.... ·eUfXlII .... ,ould "'-flder the Republic
sofl' from any ol/lKier.
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
Tht Wintl'r ~,,"I.m was frsponsible
lor introducing a flew weapon to
warfare: the inlomous MaiolO"
Cocl:rail.
Used a/fain.vl RlIssilln ronks with
areot SUCCUIl by Ihe Finns, thtl
Molotov Cackrail wus (I siml,le
"leupnn: a gtau hoI/Ie filled wIth
I(tLfOline and SIoPPI'ff'd at Ihe ned by a mI(. When Ihe rug ...... os lit, Ihe
hottle wa.v hurled onto Ihe elliine
d~c.i or IIIrrl!! olon f'ncmy lam. 01-
tcn with uplm'h'l! n!l·ufrs. n" burning ~Irof .... ·ould Sf'f'P thmugh Ille
l'emilalifH1 grills und uny othtr al'Oi/
able optllilla 10 if(nire Ihe vehicle's
t:ngjn~. Iud tUllk or errw compon
mem.
Thtl wttfl/JOn ",a.v namtld after Sovirl
Ff)~i8 11 COllllllilsar Mololov. one ill
Stalin's innl'rci,('/l' and 'he man rr:
.fpoIISible!or munuluc·tlfring the dip
lomalic incidl'nt Sic/lin nl't:ded to
lll'ciurr ..... (Ir 1111 the f'j1l1lS. IlIIerestingly enou/fh. fhl' RUJj·~·itlll suftfiel':f
",ouid lall'r mutl' good U$e of rhe
Molotov against Ihe GtrmanJ' dur
inl( fhl' urban fiah/ins (JfI Ihe East
FronJ.
13
1 -, •
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,
CHA.PTER ONE: THE W ORL D ,
THE NARVIK ADVENTURE
In Britain, Winston Churchill had been
active. Convinced thai the German de
pendence on Swedish jroo ore was a
glaring weakness, he became deter
mined to exploit it. The ore shipments
were usually sent to Germany by way of
the Norwegian porI of Narvik, so on April 3rd , Churchill obtained the War
Cabinet's pem1ission to mine Norwegian
territorial waters, a blatant viOlation of
Norwegian neutrality. The British and
French also readied an Expeditionary
Force to land in Norway, planning 10 s<iil
on April 8th. British Prime Minister
Chamberlain publicly declared in a
speech thaI "Hitler has missed the bus. ·
Unfortunately lor the Allies, Hitler and
the German High Command were one
step ahead of them. The German occupation forca set sail for Norway on the
ITlOfning 01 April 7th: the Invasion began on April 9th. The German heavy
cruiser BIOChcrw8s sunk by Norwegian
coastal baneries at Oslo, and the light
cruisers Karlshruhe and K6nigsberg
were lost ott Bergan, but this was the
extent 01 German losses . Simulta
neously, German troops invaded Den
mark, conquering the entire country in
a single day.
The lirst Allied contingents began land
ing close to Narvik on April 16th. All of
the Allied ellorts in Norway were
doomed to faiture: the Allied forces were
woelully under-equipped, especially the
British, who had no winter equipment,
nor air support, tanks or walkers. The
French, who sent much more prepared
Alpine troops, still managed to leave the
bindings for their skis behind. Ham
pered on land by Ihe lack 01 properly
trained and equipped troops, the Bril
ish and French were mercilessly
pounded from the air by the might of the
Gmman lultwalfe. The lesson that mod-
14
ern war could no longer be waged with
out proper air support had been dem
onstrated. The Allies unfortunately ig
nored that lesson , but the Germans
would teach them again, on the fields
of France,
The Norwegian campaign , in one re
spect. did have a lasting impact on the
war. The misadventures in Norway
brought about the resignation of Nevilie
Chamberlain and his immediate re
placement by Winsloo Churchill 00 May
tOth, 1940.
• THE INVASION OF W ESTERN EUROPE (MAV (940)
In the west of Europe all was quiet with
anticipation. On the morning of Ihe 10th
of May, 1940, the Wehrmacht unleashed
its blitzkrieg on Holland and Belgium.
At 5:30 AM, the German Falschirmjsger
(paratroopers) dropped ewer Rotterdam,
Holland, using a football stadium as their
drop zone. Their mission was to secure
the vital bridges across the Rhine estu
ary, Reaching the bridges in minutes by
hijacking a public trolley and several ve
hicles, the paratroopers rapidly seized
their objective. Comrades flowrl In by
flying boats re inforced them shorlly
thereafter. These paratroopers were as
tonIshed to be helped ashore by Dutch
civilians, who were convinced the Ger·
man invaders were Dutch troops!
At the same time, another unit of the
FaJschirmjollger was carrying out an even
more dangerous assignment: Operation
Granite, the capture 01 the vital Belgian
fortress of Eben &nael. The missiOn was
carried oul by eighty German paras who
landed on lop of the fortress with glid
ers. Usingl special shaped charges to
lake out critical gun emplacements, the
paras were able to repel the Belgian
garrison's attacks and hOld on until they
were reinforced later In the morning by
three glider-deployed loki-class
PanzerkAmpfers, Deployed Irom their
gliders and in action within ten minutes,
the walkers were instrumental in break
ing up the Belgian garrison's counter
attacks throughout the rest of the day.
Eben Emael surrendered the next day;
the supposedly impregnable fortress
had held out for less than twenty-four
hours. The Wehrmacht's official maga
zine Signal ferll\lfed photos of the heg
gard but jubilant Kampfer Crewmen be
ing paraded around the glacis a! the
fortress by Ihe grinning paratr(l()p61S.
• THE BA'ITLE FOR FRA'NCE(M AV 10 - J UNE 1940)
On the rnaming of May 10th, the Anglo
French Armies stationed on the border
began their advance into Belgium as
planned , The Germans had violated
Belgian neutrality first, and so the Allies
felt free to meet the Germans head on before they reached the French frontier,
The British and French, however, had
made a disastrous miscalculatioo: the
Ardennes forest, stretching almost a
third of the way from the end of the
Maginot line to the English Channel
along the FranCO+Belgian border, was
considered to be impassable by a mod
ern army. In this, as in 50 many other
instances thai fateful year, the Allies
were to be proven fatally wrong. The
French stationed only twelve weak divi
sions in the whole sector, and the main
thrust of the Wehrmacht's drive inlo the
West would fall on their heads.
The German attacks on Holland and
Belgium were designed to draw the Af·
ties out, and make them think that the
German High Comrnand was going to
follow the sarna sort Of strategy they had
used in World W(jr One. The Wehrmacht,
however, had no intention of doing SQ.
The Ardennes offensive would hook
west and then north, trapping the bulk
,
I J ,-
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•• •
, .
of the Allied armies in Belgium. By cut
ting their supply lines, the trapped
French and British would be quickly de
stroyed.
By the 13th of May. General Guderian's
forces had cfQ6S8d the River Meuse al
Sedan. The French had yielded the left
bank without firing a shot, after first blow
ing up all the bridges, All but one - an
old weir that the French tell would lower
the river level 100 much if destroyed was left standing and unguarded. II was
found by ono 01 Guderian's subordinate
commanders, General Erwin Rommel ,
wtlo quickly ascerlained that the weir
would bear the weight of his !<Amplers
and Panzers.
By the afternooo ot May 14th, the Ger
mans had torn a fifty mile-wide breach
in the Allied lines. By the 16th of May,
the Commander-in-Chiel of the French
tlrmy, General Gamelin, announced that
he coold no lOnger take responsibility
for the defense of Paris, and recalled
the Anglo-French armies oul of Belgium.
In spite of counter-attacks by Colonel
(later General) DeGaulle tr(HTI May 17th
to 19th north of Laon, the German Blitz
krieg rolled on unchecked.
The French Army was unable to cope
with the modern tactics of the Germans.
The French had large numbers of ar
mored fighting veflicles, Including the
multi-turreted Grogrwd ("Grumbler,· !he
nickname 01 Napoleon l's Grenadiers of
the Imperial Guard) tanks, but they had
spread them out in loose formations over
broad areas, unwilling to corrvnlt them
for any role other than infantry support;
incredibly, most of the French vehicles
had barely enough fuel to move them
selves fifty miles. The vic torious Ger
mans rolled right aver them and hooked
north to the Channel,
Early in the morning of 20th ot May.
Aorm1eI 's troops occupied the heights
around the town of Arras. The British
Expeditionary Force, along with all the
French troops in Belgium, were peril
ously close to being cut off. The deadly
anti-tank lire of Rommel's sa-cal iber
guns and the hit-and-run attacks of hiS
Kamplers against the lumbering and
slOw British machines smashed the Al
lied counterattacks on the German p0-
sitions. The lew cavalier crews with the
British Expeditionary Force hurled their
walkers at the enemy with all the dash
of the light Brigade at Balaclava, and
they were just as doomed. Unable to
break the German noose, it was time lor
the Brit ish to retire to the Channel ports,
The British began to withdraw, and The
race was on to evacuate as many as
possible back 10 Britain. Cooperation
between the French and British in the
Held was rtCIN almost totally non-exist9fl1.
The Germans rcached the Channel port
01 Boulogne on May 25th; the same day
Brit ish forces began to reach Ounklr1t.
Churchill , realizing that his frantic at
tempts to prop up a defeatist French
regime had come 10 naught, ordered the
evacuation of the BEF from France; the
Royal Navy began Operation Dynamo
at Dunkirk on May 27th. The next day,
Belgian King leopold surrendered un
conditionally to the Nazis, Operation
Dynamo continued until Juoe 4th; the
lasl ship, the Royal Navy destroyer
Shikari, embarked French troops 01 the
rearguard and steamed out of the har
bor at 3:40am. Bydawn, German uoops swarmed the Dunkir1< beaches.
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
1111 IFIIIII Dpnl
In /he seven and a half days of Opera/ion Dynamo, Ihe Royal Navy QI
ump/ed /Q rescue 118,126 troops, J lO,otX)()fthese Frl!nch and Belgian
in origin.. The Admiral in cO'"lrttuW,
Sir Bertram Home Roms~, mobi
lized every available ship on th('
south coa.rt 0/ England: yachts. fer
rit'S and /ishing houts, as well as
Navy ships. 'Ifo'erl! "sponsib~for the
"Miracle o/Dunkirk." Stirred by this
l!Xi.lmP{e, Winston Chun:hill tkcUJred
in Ihe /louse 0/ Commo,u on Jun('
4th: " W<! slwllJlghl on the bl!oches,
we shalf fight in the jil!ld.f, WI! shalf
dl!/I!nd our islantl...(Uld WI! doll nl!Vl!r surrtmder." All of Ihe evacu
ated troops. hOWI!W!r, It!ft with no
other I!quipml!nt IMyond their rifles.
A.II tM surviving tan.i:s, artilluy guns
and walken were titht'r destroyed or
aoondonl!d on the Dunkirk bl!ache.f.
Britain/ound hl!rse/f jn r~ po,fition
of huving only one /uffy equipped
division available/or the defense 0/ t~ homl! islands, (md tM .fOldil!n in
that division wen!' nor even British!
Ir was the Cwwdian Fin' Division.
/tTshly di~rUdfrom their trallSatlantic tronsports, that woufJ iuJVI!
to bl!ar rhl! brunt of a prosf}l!ctive
Nazi irrvasion..
15
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CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
• THE DoOR SLAMS SHUT
(JUNE 5TH, 1940)
?
"The Battle 01 France is over. The Battle
01 Britain is about to beginl "
- Winston Churchill in a
speech to lhe House 01 Commons, 1940
With the British Expeditionary Force bat·
tared and Withdrawn home 10 Britain, the
Wehrmacht turned on the remnants 01 the French Army. On June 5th, the Ger·
mans began their assault on the French
defenses at the Somme. Within lour
days. French force!> there had been
completely routed.
On June 10th the French Government
evacuated Paris; the French Com·
mander, General Weygand, advocated
surrender, but the French Prime Minis·
ter Paul Reynaud, encouraged by
Churchill , demanded a fighting spirit 10
the end.
.6
The next day, Mussolini's fascist Italy
declared Waf on Ftanceand 8fitain, and
sent its troops into southern France.
Though in disarray and demoralized,
French troops were able to stop the Ital
Ian forces cold, blunting Mussolini 's
ambitIOUS dreams of owning a part of
the French territory
The Wehm\acht kepi up the pressure on
[he beleaguered French forces. On June
14th, units of the Wahrmacht's army
group C penetraled France's vaunted
Maginol line. The fcated "Death Rays"
were unable to repulse the cunning of
the Nazi war machine: the huge armored
tUlrets 01 Tesla's "Electrically Acceler
ated Energy Cannon" were pul out of
action, one by one, by robotic eight
legged mines, nicknamed Kuchen
schabe (cockroaches) by their inven
tOfS. With the lightning guns out of ac
tion, the Germans unleashed massed
artillery 011 conventional emplacements
e00* ~-®=.
of the Maginot Une. What had taken the
Third Republic a decade to build, the
Nazis had sha"ered in a matterol days.
This, il nothing else, proved that this war
would be a war of fire and movement,
not static defense. On the same day the
Maginot line collapSed, the Nazis occu
pied Paris. II was 100 much for the
French leadership: two days laler
Reynaud was replaced as Prime Minis
ter by the 80 year<JId Marshal Petain, a
hem 01 the First WOfld War. But Petain
had no stomach for this war, and or
dered the transmission 01 a request tor
an armistice at 11 :00 pm that evening.
Six days lalor, in the sarne railway car In
the Compeigne lorest that was the site
01 the German surrender in World War
One, France surrendered to Nazi Ger
many. When the ceremony was con·
eluded, Hiller ordered the rail"..vay car
destroyed, German honor had been
avenged.
TIlt: Wrhrmucl Gl'rluais knew thai a cOrlw!rItiotuJl assaultorl tM MUgillOl fine would be suicide. The huge "Death Ray" runnon o/the im~ntor Nicolo Tula would thlitroy Kampfers alld Panl,trs alld roast infantrymen, Aerial bombanJnJenl waf not
an opt;OfJ, as thi' u,/iM.'(jffe (lid nnt yr.t have bomMfS largl' l'nough fO corry the ",·eight 0{ any l)(Imb big ennuRh to pil'fu the ('(mcretl! (md $led ca.femenu_ Sa in the mM 19Jn.,t, Gtrnl(Jll inventors Wl'rt instructed IcJ del'elof' a way 10 neutralize the cunnrm. Aftu sel'era/emoormssinC/(J/sr. ,Utlrl.f, including an attempl al cn'aling a huge eit!Ctromagnetic n'fleetor which /ailed spectacularly, killing ol'er thirty re· st'arrht'r5. fht'solution, sh(dinKly simple. emergt'd.
One 0/ the think·tank scientists. Karl·Johann Muller; had lNt'n ifWOlved in early .... -ork 0fJ tlu! l'anurkilmp/er projecl. He "Moned it would be possible to con.rtt1lCt an eighl·/egged chassis that ron 0fJ a simple tM."O-Slrou engine, and could carry a shaped charge PUY/UfW that luwml ('.Xullenr dUlIIu o/damaging the TesllA CUfIIWII emplacement.f. Remote control ..... ould tnable Ihe nuu:hifUl lO reach it.' targer. After .fr.~'f!r"al p,rolOtypcs had bun tested and demonslroledfor the I-'u rhu, It was decided to implement "Operation In/elitation." The f,/an cal/ed for the "cockroaches," so nicktUlml'd/or Illeir (}I'()id (·hunis 5h(/~ and mulli·lI~g8ed mean.f o/locomotion, to
be movcd illto plan IInduC(}l~ro/dorkneJJ by the irt/anIl'Y. Then the Kuschenschabe would be rrll'(/Sed. and. with a dozen aimed at each of the thirty Tesla Cannon turn'ls. SIICceSS W()uld I,.,. fl.f.furtd. And i' ..... as: the ambultJt(Jry m;fIt'l.rwtJrntJ!d m~r their lU'fets with a SUfi.'rU 1'(l U <if almn.tI 7fJ'l,!
• •
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J
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1111111I11III oIlII'itaiI ... l1li AIIInIIc With the conclusion 0/ the Bottle uf
France Ihe conflitt entered Q new pha5t'. one that the German Mil'IlI,)' nwchine tms nol (IS w~lf l':'1U;f"Hd /0
win, Triumpmml all lnnd, GemUUl),
/lOW had to/acl! Briwifl in the uirand
an the .fea, Ihl'aI"'! in which her
might IWlS much less imposing. The
Luftwaffe Waf designed us a /m:ticaJ support air forre. (Jnd was unable /0 achirve the Illlob Hiller set jar it in the & ute of Britain, in spitf' IIJ Iht!
posturing of itst'hi,,! Reichsnl(Jr$haff Human G~ring. Similarly. Ihe Guman Kn igsmarine ",asul/able, et'en
wilh A.dmiral J«(jr/ /)enllz'$ Wolf
Pucb, loshul off British sup/II)' lines
in the BaltietiflheAlialllic. Both/oil
U~.f made it ponible /(lr Ihl: HrifiJh.
wilh SUPIJIJ" from Iht' Comlllon
K1'(lllh and the United Stalts, /u ('(}fI
rinul' fh,. "'Or.
C HAYTER ONe: THE W ORLD
THE WAR IN NORTH AFRICA
(1939 - 1941) "When thiS war is over it Will be enough for a man 10 say, I marched and fought with
the Desert Army.'
- Winston Churchill
North Africa was one of first major battlefields of the war, and the lirst theatre where
the Allies wore able to' lock hOrns with the Nazis and perhaps stem lhe tide of !hcir
seemingly-unstoppable advance. The desert campaign. which woold h;l.ler become
known simply as the Desert War, was c'plc in its scale and the sheer scope 01 the
gains and losses. Advances and retreats were measured in hundreds, even thou· sands. of miles.
Men lIVed and died under the merciless gaze 01 tho sun, and the featureless miles 01
sand and rock swallowed up entire formations of I08t or dazed combatants. The
desert itself was a feared and respected enemy 01 both sides and all learned Ie
scratch a living and survive in the most sterile regiOO OIl the planet. The harSh con
ditions led the men Ie adopt several local customs tor survIVal purposes, and the
desert armies and their troopers were quite distinctive In uniforms and equipment.
Amid the cacophony of lOcal bazaars and cool, shady cafes, mysterious agents
from all sides plied their own peculiar trade in secrets, sabol8ge and assassina
tions. Troop movements data, secret blueprints. guns and gofd, anything was for
sale as long as you covld meet the price The war in Africa and tile Middle East was
as dark as it was epiC
TRIPOLITANIA
usn EGYPT
FUZAN
U8,(AN DESERT
17
I
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CHAPTER O NE: THE WORLD
• ALL ROADS LEA.l> TO ROME
Even befOfe the War, Africa had been
the scene of international tension. Italy,
realizing its dreams of Empire reborn,
invaded Ethiopia in 1935 and withdrew
Its membership from the League of Na
tions over its territorial ambitions a year
laler, Ihrowing the League inlo disarray.
With the fall of France in 1940, all of
France's colonies in NOflh Africa, the
Middle East and East Africa reverled to
Axis territory by default: Italy was flQW
the largest military and naval power in
the region.
Mussolini didn't waste any time. Sei7-
ing what he thought was the Initiative, II
Duce ordered his forces Into Sudan,
Kenya and British Somallland in mid-
1940, swilUy occupying 1Ileft1 all. In SePtember, Italy invaded Egypt, the seat of
Th~ Moroccan sun beat down lik~ a hammer on Phillip's head. His lint did little 10
mitiga/~ its effects: sweat poured down his sunburtled/~alures,Jolfowing the lines
01 his square jaw. England's cool and rainy spring weather had not prepared him
I"r rhi.f climate, not at 0/1. Not 0/1 th~ sweat was from the t~mperature, however..
Some of it wtLffromlear. He had arranged 10 mUI Ferooz here in the Casbah 10 Get thl! latl!.~t packet (}j d(}cument.~ t() heluTWtJrUl!d (}n t() thl! SOE ojJiCI!S in u,rukm. But
when he got til the ba('k mom (II thl! ~udy littlf' ClJSbah cuft Ferooz had ;,uis ted
upon. il W(I.s a!re(ldy too !(lte.
The j(lt little Murocctlfl merchant was lyi!'8f(lce down in a pool of his own blood.
thf' hill hI an ortlate kniff'juttinglrom hi.s back.. A.s Phillip .scanned the roomlor the
docum~nt.s he had camel or, Ihe door on rhe opposite wall exploded inwards. Trap!
A.~ Ihejir.fl tW() num hurled Iheir way Ihrough Ihe dot'r. Phillip d""", his Bro ..... ning
automatic and shht both of them rwiCf' each, just likf' his training sf'rgf'ant had in.flruc:ted .fO mnny numth.f ago. "Twice In be .fure, .fir! "
The setJring PtJin in his right slwuldf'T lpun him around to lau tlu! other entrance.
His Browning dropped to the floor from nervele.J.sjingers.
An evil/ooking Aryan supennan type stood in the doorway, a snur right out ofth~
dnemus (In hisfact!:. Phillip alnu'~'1 expecled him to ~'Iarl twirlinN a lillie mustache
between his nicutine-stainedjinNers.
"Sn. En1(lander." hi.s.fed Iht! G~mwn .spy, brandi.shinK a knife twin to the one stuck
in Philfip 's righl .shoulder. ''for you th~ war is o~r now, 1a?"
"Oh bugger!" Phillip thoughl. and launched himself at the arrogant Nazi ...
British colonial rule, and claimed the
much-prized Suez Canal. However, the
mighty invasion force only penetrated
60 miles into Egypt and promptly set up
camp, spe'ndlng the next three months
conSOlidatIng their defenses and gen
erally dol"? nothing much in parlicular.
In October t940 Italy also invaded
Greece. Pf):rceived as an easy victory
and worthy addition to the Roman Em
pire. To the contrary, the diminutive
GreeK army began to give the Italians a
sound thrashing, and by December
t940 the Ita!ians were being sent back
home rather soundly. Dumbfounded by
events in both Grocce and Egypt, the
British look the time 10 build up their
strength a/ld plan their countef-offen
siva.
Early 1941 was to be a tumultuous time
fa Italy. In just three short months II Duce
was to lose almost everything gained
just a lew fl'IO(Iths belOte. The oHenslve
started lust before Christmas 1940 as
British forces tolled over the Italian p0-
sitions along the Egyptian border and
thrust deep inlo Cyrenaica, By Febru
ary 1941 Britain was on the road to Tri
poli, having captured quite a bit 01 meI
leriel and over JOO,IXX) prisoners lor
their trouble. The Situation In East Africa
was also tenuous.
Enraged by his erstwhile ally's misdeeds
in Africa and the Balkans, Hitler decided
to act or risk losing the region forever.
In February 1941 , the iorm('llive ele
ments of Germany's expeditionary force, the Deutches Afrikakorps, began land
ing in Tripoli .
, •
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, •
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~~*00.
L
,
Hiller charged his nwst resourceful
and taltmud genuai with the task of
reversing hi.l misjoNunes and tum;nR them ;nto victoriu: Erwin R~/.
A decorated unit l:ommander from
tM Hrst !*,rld War, Rommel W4l.f a
pro/es.fional solJier from lJ famUy with vuy f~ military cunflect;MI.
Admired I1y his mt'fI tJnd mpemd
by the enemies he faced. he pnferrrd to lead Imm the front and live lih his men. in I~ tnncM.t.
Wily. difficult and uncon~'mtjQflOJ in military thinking. Rommel 's star rose during fM invasion of Fronu and rhe WW Countries, whim his Punzer dj·
I'isiun struclc dup into Ihf' heurt vI Fro~e and toot. CMrhoI.lrg. Rommel war a sHlled masttro/Blit;,kriqJ tac
tics /11/(/ self-professed 'new style ' genuai who unduslcxxllM wdut ()f 'tI.'aiUrs and other new lecMofol:J in "'''luforr. and who was IWf a/roid It) apply lhe le&suns of v,'ar.
Rommt!l wru abo a !nUn uf n!morkable fJlsourcefulness; ~ M cume Col
malur of d~f~lUj\~ warfare (1M U
soIdi~r able 10 pmduc~ slUlllling results a/llJin..fl own.!Mlming odds with
litt/~ resourrn
• TuRNING THE TIDE
Rommel wasted lillie time. Opening his
offensive at Et AQheila in March. the
Afrikakorps struck deep and hard. The
British, suHerlng from overexlention of
their supply lines and inadequate equip
ment, were Itung back in teaps and
bounds, By AprH, !he lightning assauil
had surrounded Tobruk, 8 city sought
after by both sides because 01 Its coosldcrable poI'"l faCi lities. With Tobruk
under seige and General O'CoriOOf, commander 01 the Btilisn lorces in North
Africa, captured by German patrols, !he
fortunes of war now shilled towards the
Nazis.
Unable to take Tobruk, Rommel was or
dered to continue the oHensive In May,
The stunned and shaken British
launched two equally forgettable
oHensives in an attempt to stem the Axis horde. The second offensive fought
around Halayfa Pass succeeded only In
flinging the British back inlO Egypt at
considerable lOss.
Once again, the Axis was at EgyPt's border. This time, however, lhe next push
could very well crush the British once and IOf all. Before Christmas , Nazi
troops would surety be bathing in lhe
cool, ye60w waters of the Nile.
• THE GREEK EXCURSION AND THE I NVASION OF CRETE
Meanwhile , events in Greece also
turned against the British, wtIO came to
the aid of Ihe Greek king in March 1941
with a sizable and wetl-equipped expe
ditionary force. Unwisely, Churchill had
ordered the Greek intervention troops to
como from the 8th army. over thO vigor
ous objecllons of its commander. The
British lorces In North Africa wera seri
ously weakened, a fact Churchill WOUld
come to bitt8fly regret.
C HAYrER ONE: THE WORLD
Hitler ordered intervention in Greece.
and in earty Apr~ German forces, hav
ing invaded Yugoslavia:, rolled into the
counlry. The Greek and British defend
ers, in the wrong place at the wrong
time, were quickly thrown Into disarray
and confused retr8al. By lale Apri l
Greace was under the Nazi jadtboot,
and shattered remnants of the British
force retreated by sea 10 the island of Crete, having lost much equipment and
men during the campaign .
Hitler would not allow the dazed J3ritish
time to recover and Immediately ordered
an Invasion of Crete to smash the last
dregs of British Inlluence In the region.
On May 2 1, Operation Mercury was
launched with a combined invasion from the air and sea. Mercury was notable in
that General Karl Student's airdropped
Infantry and walker forces were used lor
the first time on a massive scale, to ronslderable effect, By the end of May Creta
was In German hands. and British mili
tary inlluence In the Balkans was extin
guished.
19
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CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
,
The atrilll il/\'asion o/Creu was the
largest drop of gficfu-borne lighl walkers/lp IV 1941. O~'erforty Imlle·
ers MlUl' glider-dmpptd illon8 with
fhl! para/roop assau/I. with Ihe gftal
eM numlNrs {WIding at Maleme and Ht'roli.lei(JII.. During lhe iniriullcmd
ings. almost u quoner It't!'n' dmnDguJ or destroyed through accidents (the
· .... orst IN'-nil u kfiJ~r. carf)'ing two
Valleurit's and rtt't'nty support troops, Ihal hit Q rocky olltcropping durinR ImuiinR Qnd hmlce apart, killinll all ulxJ(mJ). O~'f!r the course of tht ten
t/ay il/\'Osion. ov,., IuJlf (If 1Ju: (il!r
mun .... alker f orce M'tU" 10sI, IPIQstly throuxh fhe assaulrs 011 Ihe airport
at Ma/eme and Ihe Oltemp' /0 break through flrl! BritiSh fl'(J~UiJrd pm
t te ting fht' rt'irf'minR cnllvny.f at
Splltlkia.
III the aftrrmulh. Gentrot SIUlienl
rrcul/lmcrulcd /0 lhe German High
COlfUIl(lrul if! his I"f!pon IMI chinlg~.,
b~ lIIad~ in th~ doctr;n~ of Ih~
fu (.fchirmjugtr. No longu would
Ihl')' drop l.dfh moSI oj I~ir w~apons in canis/~rs; from nnw tin eoch
man ""'ould carry a full loud. Th~
Muori sni~rs(JfGt'nerol Frr.}'berg '.f
Nt'w Zt'uIOfl(Jer.f had laughl Int
"Huntersfmm the Sky" the foil)' of
j rml/,ln8 with only a pistol and Sri!
nudes on th~ir ~rMJn. In the ..... orrJ.~
afGerrerul Stude"', "I CWlrrm strf!SS
,.nouKh Ihl! I!ifect of Ih~ lLJi; and
Valhlrit Crf!WS had In achin'ing our
victaryon C",~. Without IMir~ffons
in bf'I!(JiirrS up Iht British urnbush~s
llNUfI(f our "'~upwIS cunj,Jlt'rs, (Jur
forc~,f would hav~ lak~n prohibit;vt
casuallics, so much so lhal our ahil
ity for funher airborne op~rutlollJ
mlglll have heen pt!rman~lIf/)' ;m·
/)(li"-J ...
20
• T OBRUK R ELIEVED
Back in North Africa, both sides settled
into a brief period 01 uneasy peace. With
his supply lines overextended and
Tobruk still sitting uncaptured to his rear,
Rommel needed time to rebuild his
strength. The British, though closer to
their sources of supply, had lost much
In Gr99C8 and the banles raging in the
Middle East taxed lheir rosources and
men further. Reorganized into the 8th Army, British forces set about to retake
.., .. AIIl'lIIIii
.0 0 ......
Cyrenaica , relieving beleaguered
Tobruk in December 1941 .
Surprised by the show of initiative of the
BritiSh, Rommel was forced to fall back
and by the 'end of December Tobruk was
retaken and its ports again open to Brit
ish supply ships. The battle fOt North
Atrica had momentarily turned again
towards the BritiSh, but like the lireless
shifting of the desert sand. the fortunes
of W81 were to change many more times
in the months ahead,
Arr army fights on its stomach, and nothing could ring IlIOn trut! In the /ksert War.
11It Nonh African campaillnJ ""'ttl: swtl!pi"ll ond tmat in their galm and louts,
bur any adwlIIrage could DIlly ~ carried as for as supply lint!1 CtJuW rruvt!L With
hundrnlsoJmiln ~,,",·~~IIPOns, and sevual ton.Jo/supplies needed every day In
~tP tht!/ront movinx andfightlnx, an advanc~ would li,~rally run out of gas at,he
momen, of snattst succrss.
Roth .fide.r 01.'(1 1nJJd~ wide.fpnad U.ft of each other's equipment, constantly sifting
the batlfeJidd for 'runntrs, 'juel and som~rimn n't'll ammurrit;on and food, TM destrt war combatants wtre mast~r "cyclers and oftt!n found unconv~ntionul ways
to kup equipment running and IM;r forces in jighling ,flulpl!.
"' •
I
•
, .
• THE MEDITERRANEAN WAR
Pemaps the most critical element 01 the
Desert W8J was the supply convoys that
snaked through the treacherous waters
01 the Mediterranean Sea. Britain relied
on fresh tnxlPs and supplies Irom its
Commonwealth allies, and the entire
Axis war effort depended on the sup
plies trickling In from Europe. Seizing
control of the Mediterranean assured
victory, and both siOes fought savagely
for claim to the sea.
Uplo 1941, Britain held the upper hand.
The island 01 Gibratt8J assured British
control of the entrance to the Mediterra
nean from the Atlantic, and the Suez
Canal ensured relatively safe passage
of convoys from the Indian Ocean. Axis
convoys sailing and flying from Italy
faced constant harassment, and ship
ping losses were heavy. British convoys
didn't have it easy either: U-boats in
fested the waters around southern Italy
and Malta, and attacks from the air be
came a constant threat as the huddling
convoys sail&d to and from North Africa.
• THE MIDDLE-EAST WAR
With the British cause in Greece now lost
and Rommel rotling across North Africa,
yet another threat reared its ugly head
against tho Allied cause. Tho Middle
East became another front, as the Na
. zls schemed to sQueeze the British out
01 Egypt from the north. VlChy-controiled
Syria and lebanon were atways cau
tiously eyed by BritaJn, but in 1941 , Ger
many, fOl'c lng the hand of the Vichy co-
Ionial authority, attained the rights to use
French Middle East as a staging ground
to l'Ielp Iraq.
In earty 1941. Iraq came under the heel
of the pro-Axis regime 01 General
Rashid-ali. Traditionally an indifferent arty
01 Britain, Iraq fell under the sway of anti
colonial sentiment and Rashid-ali ,
backed by Nazi agents, quickly seized
power in the spring of 1941. Fea.ring
British intervention, 89ghdad formally
pleaded lor Axis help: they were more
than willing to lend a hand,
Th~ meJSl air/cal fIlI'I'{J/ "nd air bas~ the British h~during th~ rarly war in Africo
was th~ i~'latld nl Malta. Strut~Rically sitlWted. it alluwed the R(l)'tll NfWY and Air Pure .. to tinlen/)' hurasJ the prr.cious ).xis supply affll'OYS stnaming from Ita/y. The istand itself acted "-' u jumping point for the British cOll1lOyJ who Jt~amed
through Ihe Slmits oIGibrut/ar; bmvinR Nazi U-boats and dive-bomben.
Early in the d .. sert campoign, Mafia cam .. under constant LJ4ftwaffe harassment; th~ wail 0/ air-ruid sinns becum~ an acc~pt~d pan of daily life. Th .. pons often
became blocked wirh partially SunUn tronsfXJrt ship.f, and the uirbaJe at Takali
~'flJ' the center 0/ u bri .. /but destnccti~'e air ("Umpaign.
FiRhrer pilots l·tu/ioned at 'Fortnu Maltu ' ranly had a quiet day and casualries ~'~re high. spurrrd upwards by both exhaustion QJtd combat. Unlit the timely ur
rimlof a mind squmlron o/Hurrieune und1bmadffiRht~n, Ihe .wIt RAF d~/~rrse ()/th~ islmui was d~pendf!nt on thrt'e obsolete Glo~rler GludiCl(f)r blplan(' fi1:h/~rf
nicknamed Faith. Hopft and Charity.
C H .... PTER ONE: THE WORLD
Th~ Coloniul /tJwers wen!' widdy delf'.flf!J ill rh~ Middle Ensl. and at
various rimes c% ll;,,1 aulhoriti~s we", fnqu~ntly putting the lid bad
on a consfltnlly boiling fXJt 0/ Amb di.fctffl ltnf. 1'he: Worldm" would ereat~ Ih~ opportunity th(' loculs nu:d£J In oppos~ Iht' Cil/oniaf im',,,lus <.md
throw rhem out once and/llr all.
With the /all 0/ Frun« and Iht!--.I·hift 0/ her CtJ/onitll hQlding.( 1(1 flit' Axis camp, Nazi agenls wasr~d fill time IWi.rtinll Ihe Pan-Arab .. uuse (f) tll~ir insidiolU ends. Many Arab smups,
('qually mistrustful 0/ the Ge~tU and Ilolians, none Ihe ILlS saw rhe ).xis CtJU$f' as a source (If w .. apons
and moten'd lO further their ends /0
blt!ilkflt!~ o/the shm:Idt'J a/the infidels. Most prolific 0/ the PunArabists ~'('n Gen~ral Rashid-ali and his cabal 0/ Kentraf.f, coll~c
tiwl)'/cnown us 'The OoId~n Sql«'~: Manyd~ments (lflhe Flt!jeJArabi~" ugioll we/""f' to fiShr affmgsid(' both
lhe A/riklJkorps and th~ Orlenlkorps.
2 1
-, •
-CHAPTn Om: THE W ORLD
• THE N AZIS A RRIVE
By April 1941 , Axis forces began land
ing at the JX>rt cityof Beirut. and airfields
across Syria buzzed wi th transport
planes ferrying troops and supplies. Elements of the Qrientkorps, a polyglot of
German, Italian, VIChy and local Pan
Arabist units, began to take Shape and
grow in strength. Axis trsnsj.X)fts droned
over the skies of Baghdad: the city's
warehouses gorged with Nazi supplies
and arrvnunltion. British agents rej.X)fted
the alarming news back to Cairo and
london thai the situation appealed
'tluld.· ThOugh desperately stretched to
the limit. British commanders knew they
had 10 strike or face another front along
with the added threat of Axis control of
the precious oit reserves in Iraq and
Persia.
On the morning 01 July 10, 1941, Op
eration Exeter creaked into action as
"
British and Free French forces spilled
across the borders of Transjordan and
Palestine, striking out towards Beirut and Damascus. Gains were swift until the
lighting entered Beirut proper and the
first formations of the Orientkorps en
tered the fray.
Over the next two months, a savage
battle swept across lebanon and Syria
as the Orientkorps fought a running
battle with Allied forces for control of the Oil pipelines. Eventually Beirut was
laken, but at considerable loss. Dam
ascus was equally savage, but the fjght
ing was considerably rrK)fe one-side<1
as the Royal Air Fome ruled the skies,
harassing the defender below and
sweeping the enemy from the air.
With Damascus invested and their cor
ridol to the sea f'CN cut, the Orientkorps
fought anolher running retreat into Iraq,
where airfields, reinforcements and
/
CD
fresh supplies would allow the Nazis to
maintain a presence in the Middle East.
Despite the thorny problem at
Habbaniaya, Iraq was ready to warmly
welcome its Nazi liberators.
Ultimately, the linchpin to Axis success
relied on the continued compliance of
the new Iraqi regime. This was unbal·
anced when a British reliellorce thrust
into Iraq and pushed straight to
Habbaniaya, taking it in early Septem
ber. With a two-pronged assault now roiling deep Inlo Iraq, the erst~hlle
Rashid lied into hiding, and his regime
cOllapsed three ("lays later as the Nazis seized control 01 Baghdad in the final
act 01 betrayal. Biller fighting foHowed
around and in the city, but the Axis
forces, now weakened and low on ser
viceable equipment, were unable to
hold 001 for long, and made one final
retreat towards the Persian border.
which still held to the Nazi cause.
11111 ..... ........... ,. Iraq hud one,; IH!';II pro-Brirish, tJnd
as part oj all agre,;mellt Britaill was
aI/owed ro majfl(aill some smaff Clirixlses(lfKi the riShl to m(lve II"f)()PS through Imqiterritury when n,;eded.
Thar aI/ changed when the Golden Squan seiud powu; Most British
baStS existed ollly as m,;re poillts 011
a mop flat Mough 10 land tJII tJir· plalle. BUI aile base, Habbaniaya
Airfield, was 10 maM headlines l/(,cI;
homt!. Throughour the baule 10 n
lau Imq. the beleaguered d,;jelldus h,;ld off rhe lIumerically supuior
Iraqi (mid taler Axi.rJ!orc,;.f unlil re
lieved two momhs latu ;n &pumher 1941. Theairfiddwa.rlateruud by AlIi,;d jOf1:es IO/firry trQ(lps aIIl1
~'upplifls illio wur-IQrfI Pu$la ulllil thfl destroyed aitfidds in BtJXhdlld
wl.'re npaind.
., •
,
, . ,
, •
•
, .
Bornfrom a political J"atn of Axis
global solidarity, Ihe Orinllkorps was Hit/u 's ideo of a tooljor creat
ing a land link. to t~ Pacific, upun
which victorious Nut; and Ja{)(JntlIt
lort'n would mut up and emlfinal!
their struggle 10 IiMratt! tht world
and place it utWU beMVOlenr fascist rufe. Driving through Iran utui Pusia, they would create a bridge of
Axis land bf!twun Europe, North Africa and A.sla.
The Orientkorps could have suecuded in il$ mission, but/ate wax to
lake many SWift and untxputed twists. The war against Russia on Ifw Easltm Front was toullimatdy dro;n
away badly nttdtd/cm:u that WfOrt'
required for tht Middle £asl War.
Willt lIiclory seemingly ussurt'd in North Aj'rico., the Orit",korps Wa.f
sttn as u secondtJry conctrn, forc
ing it to r{!iy on irs tntwhilt ullin and local mililias and equipment to
bolster its ranb.
None tht less, tht Orientkorps was
tll fighl with a cOMiderohf~ ~fan and
rrsoun;e/ufnus thaI rivaled IMt Of
Ihe;r brothers fighting In the des,rt.
{Hspilt this, ho~',vt!r. th~ would
I newrallllin t~ notoritty vflhe uniu fighting in North Ajrioo.
• RETREAT INTO PERSIA
Nazi agents, hoping to cootioue their sue·
cess in Persia, had helped kmerlt a mi
nor uprising amongst the military In July
1941 , torclng the Shah to accept an
agreement authorizing Axis interventiOn
if Persia was threatened by Britain. In re
ality, the ~ was ndinerern to the Axis
cause, and quicI<Jy collapsed when the
war finally did enlQl' Persia in eSl'Iy 1942.
The remnants of the Orientkorps fled east~
ward towSlds F'efsIa. Skil~ delaying actions and rearguards delayed the ex
hausted Bntish pursuers, but the two-
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
wee+< retreat had further depleted the Axis
ranks \0 almost crilicallevels. The British,
also weary trom months of cootinuous
lighting, stopped a\ the Persian border,
their lines of supply severely strained and
overextended. II was time to consolidate.
Once again, the Orlontkorps had barely
escaped deslrvctlon. But their situation
was desperate and the position In Per
sia tenuous. With British lines ot s~pply _
stretched and the Orientkorps ex
hausted and depleted, the Middle East War, like the North Atrica campaign,
ended 1941 In stalemate.
THE AR IN THE EAST
(JUNE-DECEMBER 1941) The Russians en;oyed the spoils 01 Seplember 1 sl. when Germany in .... aded Poland.
Poland was split in halt by Germany, the eastern portJon allotted 10 Russia to ' ap
pease" hef and to allay fears 01 an eastward-expanding Germany. Russia moved in to
stay. this was a move to calm the Russians much as GerrTl<\ny had previously ap
peased Hungary. Earlier that yeSI', Germany had turned the Czech Republic into ~
-Nazi Protectorate," and had encouraged Hungary 10 loot areaS no! under direct Ger·
man control. Nazi Germany simply applied the same courtesy to their Russian "allies."
His taste for expansion whened, Stalin invadod Finland in November 1939, and as a
rosuit the USSR was expelled from the League of Nations. Russia look a beati'lg from
the Finrs in a brutal guerrilla WSl', a consequence 01 pool' fighting spirit and an officer
corps bled dry by Stalin's purges In the late 1930's. Tho Red <lrmy was victorious in
the end, but al a hOmfic oost in men, matenel and rnor-ale. Hitlef and the German
General Stal1 observed the Russian military's lack ot expertise with predatory interest.
'3
•• •
.,
•
~
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD e 0 0*~~ ?
•• •
In 1940, Finland signed a peace treaty east (Poland, the ·protectorate" of Western Europe. The occupation of • with Russia, although clandestine resis- Slovakia), and conquests in Norway had Smolensk and the siege of Kiev cut the
lance continued. From late 1940 to June provided important staging points into main nofttv'south fail lines and deprived
of 1941 , the USSR stood by their non- the northern reaches of the USSR. The Russia of valuable industrial resources.
aggression treaty with Germany and armies of Hungary and Romania were This gave the German invaders the key
slowly built up the materiel and logistic al Hitler's disposal. and his grip on the to the Ukraine. infrastructures of their mili tary. It would Balkans further strengthened when Yu-
By Ihe end of September 1941, prove to be too little too lala. The storm goslavia and Greece were overrun in
Leningrad and Odessa were besieged. was fast approaching , even though mid-I941.
Kharkov isolated, and Kiev. Minsk, Moscow could not see it looming on the
The Soviet Union, naturally suspicious SmoIensk, Tallinn and Gomel had fallen. horiLun. Stalin, never a man to admil Ilis
of her Nazi neighbors, had shorn up her Marshal VoroshUov had conserved ignorance of technical matters, had an-
defenses to some degree. Russia had much of Leningrad's defensive f()(ce, nounced to his Generals that the Army
seized the eastern part of Poland in allowing the city to offer a prolonged of the Soviel Union would not oother wilh
'939, and between 1939 and 1940 had resistance. Things gol a lot worse. the new walking war machines , and
placed his faith in the new SMK multi-fortified her holdings in the Baltic States.
Stalin had wanted to move his Siberian The war In Finland allOwed the USSR to
turreted tanks rOIling oft the assembly extend her defensive positions farther
divisions westward to guard against
lines. to the north and west of leningrad. She
German territorial amb~lons , but HItler
and Tojo, unknown to him, had Signed a Sialin was convinced that Hitler was a also had Bessarabia ceded 10 her by
secret agreement in the beginning of man he could do buSiness with. At dawn Romania (hence the lalter covnlry's en-
May. Germany promised to grant Japan on June 22nd, Germany put Operation thusiasm lor a Nazi pact).
territorial concessions in the far east of Barbarossa into effect. Invading Russia.
Germany had many reasons 10 march the USSR once the Nazi conquost was When the news reached Moscow, Stalin
on the uSSR. Aside from Hitler's amago- accomplished. In return, tho Japanese was appalled. He was so utterly sur-
nism towards Bolshevism, there was the agreed to put on the pressure along prised by events th9t he locked himself
wheat of ~ Ukraine, the coal and iron Manchuko·s border with the USSR. The in his room for the first ten days of Ihe
invasiOn, refusing to see anyOne. Finally, mines in llie Dnieper and Don river fa- Imperial Army arranged a series of "in-
gions, and oil in the Caucasus and the cidents- that had Stalin, along with sev-on the tenth day, a group o f his inner
Caspian regions - Ihe very material eral of his Generals, convinced the circle , including Molotov and Beria
Germany required to fuel its armies and Japanese were contemplating invasiorl. (chief of the NKVD, Ihe secret police),
complele its conquests. There was also, Memories of Ihe Russian humiliation of was able to force its way in to see him.
of course, Hitler's desire to find new 'Iiv- the RusscNapanese war at the begin-Stalin was convinced they meant to as-
ing space' for his victorious people and ning of the century haunted the Savi-sassina\e him. and was a~loUllded Om;6
a nation Of slaves to serve his dreams, els, They delayed moving the Siberian ,
more when they all begged him to re-troopswes\.
sume leadership of the country in its time
of crisis. Such was the power of Stalin's NAZI STRATEGY AND The Germans had seized air superiority
personality over his sycophants thai OBJECTIVES early in the invasion by surprising much
they could not conceive of doing away The German objectives in the invasion of the Soviet air force on the ground, tust
with him, even in the face of his monu- of Russia were Leningrad , Kiev and as it had in Poland In 1939 and In France
mental blunder. Moscow. all Important hubs of Soviet in 1940. On October 3rd. Hitler told the
communiC(ltions, r(lilroods, rood trans- German people that " ... this enemy
• THE GERMAN INVASION port and 'l1ilitary potential. Tho ini tial [USSR] is already broken and will never
weeks of thtl olftlflsive were sWtltlping rise again.· The German front at th is J Hitler had planned the actual conquest
and decisive for the Germans; the end- point was actually over-extended (well
of the Soviet Union evcn beforc the out-less expenSes of the Russian steppes over GOO miles into Soviet territQfY), but
break of the war. The Nazis had been were conducive to the sweeping light- would go farther sUlI in the days tocoma.
taking advantageous positions in the f)ing warlare Germany had inflicted on By late November, anticipating the
24 •
-
worst, the Soviet government and ad
ministration was evacuated from Mos
COlN'to Kuibyshev. After many debates,
Stalin himself remained in Moscow, bol
stering the morale 01 the Red AIrny in a
very real and tangible sense. And it
needed bolstering badly,
Through October and November, Orcl,
Bryansk. Kallnln, Odessa, Kharkov,
Mariupol and Kerch fell. SevClstOJ>Oi, in
the Crimean peninsula, was under a brutal siege. The Russien defenders
refused to surrender, relying on the un
derground system of tunnels and bun
kers to confound the NazI war machine.
The longer they held out the better, as
they knew they were tying up German
troops and resources . Every hour
bought for Mother Russia was precious,
Realizing this, Hitler ordered the ·cock
roaches," the bane 01 the Maginot line,
into battle once again. This time, how
ever, they carried canisters 01 mustard
gCls instead 01 explosives, Thousands
of Russians died, coughing their lungs
Into bloody lroth In the dark.
• TilE BATTLE FOR Moscow (NOV •• D EC. 1941)
On the second day of November, Ger
man army units began penetrating the
westernmost suburbS of Moscow. Sialin
had ordered huge defensive works c0n
structed about the city, including miles
01 anti-tank ditches. Unfortunately, these
did little to deter the Panzerkampfers.
Once inside tile outer ring of the city's
def6(lscs, the fighting became a horrific
house-la-house affair with no quarter
asked or given. The Red Arrrry found it· sell blnerty regretting Statln's lack of faith
in the new walker technology, as the
PanzerkAmpler clOse infantry support
was CI delinite actvtlntage lor the Ger
mans, As Novcmbef slid into December, the wortdwaited and watched, hoId-
ing its breath. The late of Moscow WtlS
hanging by a thretld. Then, on Decem
bet 5th, Mother Russia came to Stalin's
rescue. It began to snow. The onset of
winter began with a terrible blizzard. the
worst snows in Europe for a hundred
. years. Combatants In the city fighting
were literally blundering into each other
because 01 the poor visibility
WINTER W OES
The German High Cofrrnand realized by
the winter of 1941 that their lack 01 win
ter equipment. alOng with tho fT'I<Issive
build-up 01 human resourCes and prepa·
ration on the part of the Soviet Union,
were going to be 8 problem. The Red
Army was caught off-guard, to be sure.
Much 01 the Red Army was Inexperi
enced. and men ran and eqUipment was
abandoned at the mere rumor of a con
tinued German advance. But this soon stopped under better Jetldarshlp. more
experience and dracon;tln discipline:
Beria's NKVO field police Shot desert
ers out 01 hand. Red AurT'f IfOopers soon
became more afraid of them than the
Genn..,sl
A factCl thaI also slowed the German
advance was the destruction of materi
als and property befOfe the ever-ad·
vanciny Wchrmachl. a "scorched-earth"
policy so ordered by Stalin. Also, tllarge
partisan movement arose very soon
under German occupation. Partisans
were slow in organization in the Ukraine
at first; many Ukrainians had chafed
under Soviet rule and welcomed the
German invasion. This senltment soon changed once the horrors 01 the SS were
unleashed In ethnic cleansW'lg.
In the factories 01 Mother Russia. men,
women and children tolled in delense
plants and factories, and women joined
the ranks altha Red Army In all areas 01
Infantry (more corrmonly as sniperS and
CHAPTER O NE: TH E W ORLD
The SIIOW look el'erY(}lIe bY.furprise
ill DeamMr 1941 , II ~'aJ' Ihe woO'r
winra in D Cf!n/ury. and it se/ in mony
weeks e(lrlier rhem expected. The
Gerrm4fl army It'at poorly equill/Jed
for winter ~'(lrf(lrt, alld irs m~n suj
j~rtd gff'atly t U u t'lInscqUf'ncr,
Mony s(}ldi~n simply jrou 10 dearh
- HifJI!f hod bun so SUn! oj a quick
ViCIOIY on r~ Eastern front Ihm 110 winru clothing hod Men issu"ed uf fhe s((lrt II/ fhl! campaign.
S()vit!r fanks and \'t!hicies, widf'
trtl<.*td, acclimated and dtsignt!d to
fight in the diverlf.' Russian cJimu.tt!.
ron elrefts around Gumon PtmurJ
stude in the mud or broken down in
the cold. Th~ suppliu, fomJ,d onto
~'huff'd trwupons, INcome boggtd
down Dnd fogistic(lf nightmarts
arolt. Gwu "!usrd w fin, because th~oifhodfrounsofid. ThdHmf(UIS
wert rtduced ro building /iff'S under lheir vehicles ro ~'arm thtm I!ntJUgh
10 start tht!m.
, , , ,/
. .
15
" •
.,
CH .... PTER ONE: THE WORLD
walker crew}, artillery and the air force
(three regiments were aU female, the
46th Guards Bomber Regiment, Ihe
12511'1 Guards Bomber Regimeflt, and
the 586th Fighter Regiment),
There were many small offensives and
counter.atfensives in the winter 011941 ,
but the greatest battle o f this period
grew out of the Red Army's attempt to
recapture KhatkOY. This failed after a
massive German counteroffensive. By
winter's end Russia had taken the offen
sive after bitter months of defensive ac· lions. The Russian people rallied to wart ime efforts. and Russian salvage
proved to be an amazing advantage, as
materiats were reclaimed from a battle
field and sent fa( refurbishing even b&
fore the dead were buried!
The United States and Great Britain fi·
nally slepped forward 10 aid Soviel Rus·
sia in their light. In June and July 01
194 1, both nations signed L9f'Id-lBase
Agreements with Slalln, By Oclober,
they would be Sanding tanks, walkers,
aircraft, ammunition and supplies via a
treacherous norlhern sea-route to the
city of Murmansk.. Although downplayed
in later years, this aid was vital 10 the
early Russian war effort,
THE PACIFIC WAR (DECEMBER 7-31,1941) In many ways. it could be argued thaI the war had already been raging in the Pacific
for ten years even before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. Many of the
events thatlranspired following the Great War ultimately set the stage for the war to
come In the Pacif ic.
Japan emerged in the 19205 as a regional powerhouse, both Industrially and mitital:iiy. Ambitious and medd~ng , the Imperial Army constantty saw fit to dabble In the affairs of
its Pacific neighbcrs, ospeciaIIy China, al thaI trne wracked with cMlXlfest and chaos.
In many cases the Imperial Army's warlords dictated Imperial policy without approval
from Tokyo; before long the Arrrrt became the de fsera government of Japan. ~
• J APANESE IMPERIALISM
Of special note was the delivery of Brit- • As nationalist views hardened In the
Within two years. the Rlslno Sun was flut
tering from the Sea 01 Japan all the way
to Peking and northward 10 the borders
of Mongolia and Soviet Russia. ish technical data and American early 30's, Japan seized the Chinese prcwince
walker chassis to the Soviets, giving ofManchurlaarridthechaosofclvilw8f.
Stalin's researchers the head slart they
needed to begin their own walker pr0-
gram. The Greal Leader had had an·
other change of heart, prompted no
doubl by the effectiveness of the Ger·
man walkers. Uke most of Russia's war
Industl'y, the new walker development
facilities were located to the east 01 the
Ural Mountains, far out 01 range of the
allentions of Ihe LuftwaHe.
26
Renaming it Manchukuo and installing
Emperor Pu-yi, successor of the Manchu
throne as poppet ruler. Japan rv::NI had
a land base into central Asia. Over the
next two years Japan would extract lur
lher concessions from China, using the
civil war to seize more territory from the
local bandit warlOrds.
In 1937, fearing that China was about
10 emerge united lrom yearS 01 chaos
and reslst Japanese expansion, the Im
perial Army embarkod 011 a luU-scale
invasioo of northern and central China.
With the lall of France in 1940, Japan
began to force the hand of French c0lo
nial authorities in Indo-Chlna. Compla
cent and unable to realistically resist, the
Vichy French allowed widespread use
of bases in Madagascar and Indo
China. Having become increasingly dis
turbed with Japanese actions the past
few years, the Unitod States had had
enough and plaCed heavy sanctions on
\hem. Fearing economic starvation and
angered by AmeriCan impudence, the
stage was rv::NI set for Japan 10 act.
., • •
~
~~,*O 0 . C HAPTF.R ONE: THE W ORLD
•• • Tu-rMANCHUKUO FRONT bombing the local rail links a week into At 7;40 AM, as the sleepy na .... al base • As Japan was to enter into lull-scale war
the invasion. Effectively isolated and slowly buzzed to life, the Japanese
againsllhe Allies, it also began a series ordered to slop the Japanese at all cost, struck from the skies. Caught totally
of cross-border skirmishes with the So-lOcal Soviet commanders began to re- unawares, the base was thrown into to-
viet Union. Having had border entangle-organize and within a couple weeks lal disar'ray as bombs rained and expb-
ments with the Japanese since the late Soviet resistance stiffened. Once again, slons thundered across the lields. The
30's, Stalin had saveral of his hardened the Soviet generals had cause to bitterly attack. lasting thirty long minutes. struck
Siberian divisions peppered along the regret Stalin's rejection 01 military walk· hard and fast altha ships in the llnchol'-
border to protect hiS Siberian flanks from ers for tnc Red Army. The new T·34 and a~e and the outlying air bases. As SOOfl
KV-1 tankS total ly outcLassed their Japa- as they had begun the Japa.nese ., his pro-Axis neighbor. In late October
nese opposite numbers, but the Soviet slipped away, leaving behind a terrible -• 1941 , Stalin 's nightmare was com-
pounded furthef as the Japanese be-commanders had nothing in \heir arse- wake 01 desll'l)Gtiarl and carnage. The
came increasingly restless and their nal 10 oppose the Japanese walkers, second wave, arriving almost an hour
actions less predictable . There was whO decimated the Russian armor with later. had a harder time but stitl had con-
much border activity but little sense their Banzai Teppoyari Charges. slderable success. Poor visibility and
, . could be made of its purpose. By the end of December 1941 , the heavief anti-aln::ra ft fire gave the sec-
struggle for ViadisYOSlok was gripped and wave a harder go al il. None the
SeIzing contrOl of the Soviel-conlfOlled in a stalemate; !he cold weather and lack
less, f"Il(lffi ships wero damaged, further railway that snaked through OOI"thern
of sufticient strength on the part of the crippling the PacifIC Reel.
Manchukuo, the Japanese moved
forces right into the border town of Japanese precluded atly chance 01 an Having been given orders to attack sec-
Manchouli and forces amassed at immediato push Into the city. Japanese oodary targets if tho prized warShips
Changkufen, !he scene of an earlier in-gains irI Mongolia and north of the Amur were unreachable. the Japanese planes
cident in 1938. Unle could be gauged River WElf"e considerable, but weather buzzed about the airfields and supply
of Japanese intent or even troop move-and stretched supply lines began to rob depots scattered across the island. AI-
men(s. but Stalin's agents in Tokyo In-the advance of steam. The coming 01 most unwittingly, Japanese dive-bomb-
formed him 01 no clear intent of the Japa-spring campaign season would surety ors attacked the precloos fuel oil depots
nese, other than they seemed mostly determine the ultimate victor. scattered close to the harbor. lightly
pre-occupied with forthcoming events defended and extremely vulnerable,
in the Pacllic. • ' DAY OF"lNFAMY' they proved easy and spectacular Iar-
gels 10 Japanese bombers. Within mln-
With the war going horribly In the West, "I can wreak havoc for a year, but after utes the depots WElf"e awash in names.
Stalin began to bleed away forces from that I can offer no promises· their explosions rumbl ing across the is-
the Manchukuo Fronl By mid-Novem- - Admirallsakoru Yamamoto land. The fuel burned for days, cover-
bar, Soviet garrisons were at their thin- ing the island in an inky twilight of black
nest along the northern borders and In the pre-dawn gloom of December 7, smoke. forces in Mongofia were al a critical 1941 , an amassed force of fighters,
level. Sensing th is, the Japanese rocket p lanes and torpedo bombers As the last Japanese planes droned
gambled and began their concerted droned above the Japanese carrier lleet away and Pearl Harbor went up in
campaign to lake vladiYOStok and sev- of Admiral Nagumo. laden with bombs flames, the ultimate prize eluded the
eral small towns across the Amur River. and torpedoes, two waves of planes set Japanese. The carriers, hundreds of
off for Pearl HarbOr, safe-haven for the miles away, had escaped tho carnage,
Stung by the inillal ferocity and surprise U.S, PacifIC Reel. The plan was simple: elfectlvety keeping the United Slates in
of tile Japanese attaCk. Soviet lorces deal a killing blOw to the Reel nestled In the war. None the less. the anack re-
reeled, thOugh the garrisons around the anchorage of Pearl Harbor. With the suited in the destruclioo of or severe
Vladivostok stood their ground and kept United States' carriors and banleships damage to eighteen ships. And with
the Japanese trom seizing the much- destroyed. Japanese naval domination naval fuel oil supplies severely depleted,
prized port City. The Japanese lurther of the Pacltlc would be assuredl the next few months were to be trying
compounded the Soviet situation after times for the U.S. Navy.
>7
CHAPTER. ONE: THE WORLD
Shocked and infuriated by such an un
warran ted sneak attack , President
Roosevelt declared war on the Axis the
very next day. The attack, whilst suc
cessful militarily, had not cowed the
American people as the Japanese had
expected. Instead, the infuriated Ameri
cans would accept nothing less Ihan
total victory. Its (theoretical) neutrality
dissolved. the United States entered the
war firmly on the side of the Free World.
• TnE PACIFIC RI.ITZKRIEG
With Ihe gloves off, the Japanese High
Corrmand wasted no lime in fcasting
on their erstwhile neighbors. As Peart
Harbor still burned, Invading armies
struck hard and fast across the Pacific,
investing GUOIm and Malaya. Within
days, Allied forces were reeling from the
Japanese Invaders streaming inlo Luzon. Fighting was lierce and unremit
ting in the Philippines as the cornered
American garrison fought desperately.
By the end of December they were slHl
alive and kicking, bullhelr destruction
was assured, Siam, Malaya and British
Borneo also fell to the Japanese follow
ing swift air attacks and amphlbioos
landings. in all cases, the unaware and
under-strength defenders usually gave
up with little or no struggle. The Pacific
blitzkrieg was both stunning and unex
pected.
The Japanese were soon conducting
their war across a 6000-mlle front ,
sweeping the Allies back from land, air
and sea. By the end of December, much
of soulh-east Asia was under Japanese
control, and the fast BritiSh presence in
the area. Hong Kong , lel1to the Japa
nese on December 25th after a lutile
defense of the colony.
• STORM IN THE EAST
By the eod 01 1941 . the Japanese ad
vance seemed Irresistible. With their
forces reeling and !heir navies in disar
ray. the Allies seemed unable to stem
or even slow the Japanese advance
across the Pacific . Victory, for the m0-
ment, was a Japanese monopoly. But
the shock 01 impact was beginning to
wear off, and the months ahead would
ultimately decide !he Pacilic War.
In Manchukuo. the status there was
more even-handed. The Initial shock of Invasion sent Soviot forces into a tail
spin, but inclement weather and harsh
discipline on !he pari of the Soviet re
gional commanders slowed the Japa-
. 0 0*~4!tl.
nase advance. Though not as epiC as
the Nazi advance towards Moscow, the
Manchukuo Front was proving to be a
serious drain of terribly needed troops
elsewhere.
The Japanese attaci< ()I"l Pearl Harbor
slapped the United States into the War,
turning the conflict Into a truly global
one. With the Americans now fighting
alongside the remnants of the Free
WOOd. !here was at last a gJirrmer of hope. With the U.S. forces inexperi
enced and understrength, and herwar
l ime industry unroalized. hawever. some
wondered if It was stili too late \0 resist
Axis world domination.
I The Banle of Hong Kong.saw what is widely rt!garded the fir.;r-e~r known use 0/ clJlJllurd wulkl!r.; by th~ ~n~my durinS thl! War. Huvillg Ivst Ih~ frw machin~s thl!
Canadians had at tlu! Gin Drinkcn Lin~, "t"ating Jnrr:t:s \I.'l!fI! able 10 capturt!
thrt!1! intact Japanese wullct:n whifl! thtir crt!ws wert! ",sl;ng. Th~ thru machinl!s I uccumpani~d th~ haRRard SUrviVON across Victoria Harbor to Hong KonN Isllmd
prol"rand wuc prtsscd into servicl! wilh the survivor.; (II Ihc nlH'(lIIxu~ in Causl!
way Bay and d~JcnscJ at SafUJlorium Gup. The 'hree machi"l!l IHcamt: ersatz mrucots to thl! de/enders, whose Crt:WI tuJIIIl!d thl!m l-ivian, Co1f)line and Jacqw/int.
after family aM laved ones.
The J<"l{1dMS(I W(lr(I rr«J"ifi~d by this du~cration. seeing the warrit)r spirit 0/ their
oshimoi mocked anti used by their in/t:rior tntmi~s agaillst ,IIeir brelhl?n. Ovt!r thl!
nut few days rht machin~s WI!I? uSl!d to vari~d effect, though tlu:y could not stem
the ad~"UnCf!s 0/ tht: Japtlfll!sl! who S\I.·armed across from Kowloon. Both Carolifll!
and Vivian Il'e~ destroyed at thi! Battle of SunilOrium Gap, and Jacqueline went
dawn fighting in Wanchai.
, ., •
,
,
, .
•
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
"The clouds 01 war had gathered and the storm had broken on an unhappy world.
But what hope was there for Allied victory in the dark end 0119411 II was a black
time indeed: Weslern Europe proslTate under the heel of the Nazi jackboot, the
Russian steppes aflame, the deserts of North Africa churning under the treads and
wheels of snarling war machines. The black dragon 01 Imperial Japan had uncoiled
itself from the Home Islands, and was rending the Far East.
·So what cause did the Allies have lor celebration in 194 1 ?
"Several, if the facts are examined . Firstly, thanks to the Japanese a\lack on Pear!
Harbor and Hitler's megalomania. the Americans had been drawn into the War a\
last. The slumbering giant of Amefican industry would begin to Shak.e the lethargy
from its limbs.
"Secondly, Hitler's anack on the Soviels was a massive blurtdef. The Wehrmacht
would be drawn inlo the endless steppes of the east. spreading ever thinner. like Oil
on water.
"And thirdly, and perhaps rTl()(e Incredible still , Taja's Militarists had plunged Japan
into a war on three fronts in Asia. Against the Chinese, in Sooth East Asia, and in the
North across the Manchul<o border against the Soviets. All this while simultaneously
prosecuting a naval war against the United States. Truly the intersefVice rivalry be
tween the Japanese Army and Navy and their attempts 10 outdo each other boggles
the mind ... "
- Exee/pt Irom Prol. Donald G. Cameron's leclUre series, The Second
Wotld War as an Impetvs of Change, Olympica University, Mars. January 2036
By duign, torfy-war walkers lI'tll! wually quit~ ungm'nly and crudt machint!S.
with halllllc~ and $/I('~IJ a t:OI1.ftanf problttrl, Tht$t .fhnrtcomings I'o·t~ further rom
IN'Undtd by thl! denJ'I!, SWtln'PY (md humidjungll!s a~lht Pacific. No",: thl! l~ss. thr 1Yllu~ o/K·(IIkt!r.f in tht Pacific was not lost ta bolh sides and a ~'fJritry al so/utirJn.f
ond uniqUt! 1'o'fJlker dtsigru WI!I'!! dn'tioprd Ihroughoulthe War.
During Ihe ballit lor the Philippi/ll!$ in 1941 , .... ~rican and Japantst walun laud
offlor thtfim time. tlnd Iht bttrer-amrl!d American IrIOChints had Ihe UI'tHr hand in a straighl-up firrfighl. Salt/t Amuican lI'olluln wt'1'!! a/.fo equipptd with ftar
somt filJltlt-lhrowtn. ""hich tht Japantse leamtd 10 quidly largtl and dutroy at
whaltYt'r ellSt.
In Iht' Philippillt'jallg/es, how(!l.·tr. Iht JUjXJlU!St! machints hfld Ihe (1ISllncti",e edge.
Thtir mnchints had the comp/icattd Ancillary PropULfitm S)'s/~m, bullll$(J hod a
.... ·idt .... uiur slU~nsion modifitd and adapted /Q CNI hmugh tht t ntang/ing undtr
gmwth and nQt sink illlo the $'If.'ampy earth. Litt /ht fighting goinx tm jn VClriQU.t
climates throughQ/41lhe world, the Pacific \fur W(/~" J t!1~nlualf)' Set its (.111'11 uniqae
l'(Jriery ofwaiurs ami a/her aJr,yuu;ed lI'ar Ir/Ochinel1.
CHAPTER ONE: THE W ORLD
In the Pacific, th ings are grim Indeed;
the Japanese are rampaging across
South Easl Asia. Thailand, Burma and
Malaya have all begun 10 leel the weight
of the Imperial war machine. The fall of
the Philippines cannot be far off, What
will be the Japanese Navy's next move?
South to New Guinea and Australia? Or westwards 10 Hawaii?
In North Africa and the Middle East; the
Nazis and lhe British Empire are locked
in a death struggle to control the Suez
Canal and the oillields of Iraq an9 Iran.
Will the desert sun rise on Allied Of Axis
Iriumphs In the coming year? Rommel
is the devil haunting British commanders. Can Churchill find a general to malch Hiller's chosen champioQ?
In the North , Ihe Russian nightmare
grinds on, uncaring as to who gels
caught up in the gears. The streets 01 Moscow are blanketed in snow and
soaked In blood. Will Stalin's Red Am'r;
hold out? Will the Russian determination
to hold Moscow at all costs allow the
Nazis to e)(pIoit Russian weakness on otherfmnts? And willlt1e Japanese. seeIng how Ihe Soviets are reeling under
the blows of the Nazi war machine,
press hOme their attack on VladivOstok?
Sttange and terrible advances in the
science of war arc In the offing. The
world has already seen the advent of
the walker and the jet-powered plane.
What next? Allied and Axis scientists
work long hours into each night labor
ing to creale lhe "super weapon' that
Will win the war. The calculator technol
ogy thai birthed the walkers will drive
science on in a headlOng rush towards
the future. In the quesl for increased
combat eltectivencss, innovative tech
nology will light the way. But inlO "broad
sunlit uplands" or "a new Dark Age"?
Only lime will telL
19
I
•• •
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE GLOBAL WAR Warfare is the mother of invention. Advances in technology forever changed the
manner in which wars were fought. Even as far bacll as the American Civil War,
improvements in the individual soldier's lirepower made tactics of the Napoleooic
era utter lolly. By the time of the Great War (1914-1918). outdated rules of engage
ment crashed head-on with the impersonal. mechanized death delivered by the
machine gun, poison gas, aerial bombardment and massed artillery. The Great War
also saw the introduction 01 the lank. lirst fielded at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917.
which brOke the stalemate on the Western Fron!. The skies became a limitless battle
field, as aircraft, invented only ten years before. became another means of destroy
ing one's enemies. Industry's importance rose as methods of mass production grew
in leaps and bounds: out-producing an opponent and overwhelming them with ShOOr
numbers was now a viable option.
The War to End All Wars concluded on November 11 , 1918. The world was weary of
war. and recoiled In horror at the loss of a generation of young lives. And yet, even
IhoLrgh an era of renewed peace and hope lollowed. it was only the calm before the
storm. The clouds of war gathered. though unnoticed at first. Soon the whole world
stood at the brink of anolher World War "made only more sinister by the light of
perverted science.· as Sir Winston Churchill so aptly put it in his speech to the
British House 01 Commons in 1940.
- Excerpt lrom ProieSSOr Donald G. Cameron's me Tecno%gy 01 War
fare In WWIt , Olympica Press. Mars, 2028
30
• WEAPON TECHNOL G
Vehicles designed for war. especially the
newer tank and airplane. with their In
creased ~Iity. heavier ordinance and
increased battlefield endurance. be
came machines 01 destructive might in
the latter days 01 the first World War. The
roles these vehicles took quickly
changed from attack support to rapid
assault and front-line lighters in their own righl. The late-30's introduction of the
walker vehicle. whose compulator.
height and articulated frame combined
to make it into a superb firing platform
(at Jeasl compared 10 the armored ve
hicles of the time) further changed the
battlefield.
New and refined manufacturing tech
niques gave weapons a higher rale of
fire. reduced cost for ammunition and
increased range. By the late 19305, pro
jectile weapons, in eorTiparison to those
used even jusllwenty-five years before,
had reached an impressive level of per
formance. Machine guns could kill at a
mile or more and shaped charges could
cut through armored walls many feet
thick. Gun calibers were increasing fN
ery year. the cannon's destructive power
growing by leaps and bounds. New
types 01 warheads. including the first of
the tungsten core -'ong rod "
penetrators. would make their appear
ance on the baUlefield by the middle 01
the conflict . All these weapons were
carried by tanks and armored walkers
as standard weapons.
Rockets and missiles had started out
being more dangerous to the LJSe( Ihan
the enemy. By the summer of 1942, rock·
ets were becoming an increasingly c0m
mon sight (and sound!) on the ba11le
field in artillery batteries and some
ground attack aircraft. By the end of
1943. missiles with primitive guidance
systems were in final testing , carrying
., •
-
•
, ,
such contrivances ranging from wire Of
basic television systems to acoustic mi·
crophones mat detected airborne lar
gets by engine pitch. Probably the most
ominous experiments were dedicated to
the creation of inertial gyroscopes which
could conceivatNy allow a weapon to
target distant cities or other strategic
assets up to hundreds of miles away.
Experimcrlts were also belng made with
directed eoefgy we<lponry. at first mostly
by the Russians. Though the French
Maglnol line had lailC(l 10 lhe German
army, its T~J;J "death ray· guns had 1Jt..'1-
lom'N}(! admIrably, jf SOff\OWMI erratI
cally, prompting" wave of Imitators. By
the Ci:tfly 40's, a lew raro RuSSi"n lanks
were spoftinQ :>C;Jtefl-down versions of
the TEUJ;;t PfOje<:tors, while British troops were fielding the first of their ·Canal
Ugh'" p!'imltlve laser gun ca"iefs.
Others, even more esoteric weapons
would also appear from lima 10 tirna,
most of Ihem prototypes or limited pro
duction devices that would allen be as
dangerous 10 the user as to the larget!
• DEFENSrVE TECHNOLOGY
For tanks and other armored vehicles,
armor starled oul being simply bolted
or riveted in place. Soon, Improvements
illl;:tbtk'..alion lechoology /ttlowed turrets
and even hullS tQ be cast in 000 piece,
with tM benefit of inoOMM strength
and superior protection over a like pi(:ce
that Wi.!:; bOIled or riveted. A~ tIlo war
progressed, instead of casting the (lrmor, some field vehicles had their armor
welded togethef. This was cheaper as
lar as materials and castirlQ went. but it
required lhe hiring of much more skilled
labQ( 10 do the welding right.
It was eventually proven that !he more sloped the armor was, the less likelihOod
there was Of ;.\ round penetraling the
CHAPTER ONE: THE W ORLD
In the 19:M's unJ 30's, mllirary phvlff'-n I!n~UugI!J land war/an to kfoughJ uk",
III ndval war/Cf'f!, lIug~ m.ulli-J~llnnhl banluhips. swift cru.i:st!,-j WId tin>, torpedo fI(/(It,( ill/I.-nil/a huvt! Ihrlr kllld-/Ia$r.d {;t!/UlIt!rpa,.U - or so the Rem:ruiJr imUJ;int!d.
I'r:rlwps Ihr /lOtion of giRfll'llil: muill-sunned t01lA;s c;{Jpllll"t!d Ihrlr limited imagino· liuRS Ihe most, and bejon t~ war moSI world powers hod lU 1f!lUt ocpuinwnttd
with 'land oollleJ'hi/)s:
III the tarly )'(fan of lhl! 14br. Ihe Briwh unJ Frrndt 'suprnalllts 'ill rmncl! wuJ Nurth AJrka 1\II!re In sUfftr gmlfly ugllilUl Ih~ spud and Jury uf lh~ bllltk'/~R. Sluw, ~ulllurlhl~ IJIId undtrpoK.'ert!d, Ih~J~ land gianls wen quickly djsab/~d or bypassed. Th~ SOllif!lS, unfonllnultly Ivr Ih~m., auo illV~Jt~d colIs;J~rubly ill
supenanJ:s - 1M immense SM KIM and T'28 wtre IIw moinsUJY of IIII! Sovj~t m«ho. ,.it.~ fnrr:~s In fh~ opmillg 1IQI1«y.f (If Optrtllion &rbaroS.fIl. By Chri.rtmlU f94l ,
nol a Jjngle nflhe original Sovi~t supertanls WUJ" left operational. ;
armor. Ptobably the flrsl and most fa
mous tank to successfully use sloping
armor was the Soviet T-34, though other
countr~ wool(l ooon adopt it as well
Spacoo armor was also vastly nlOfO ef
fective against \lxplosive munitions,
such as shtlp(.'(1 CMrges, as it deneclud
and dilluscd the energy of a stw.p(:(j
charge shell before it contacted the hull
of the tank itself. This was usually done by adding armor skirts or plates on the
sides and front, and sometimes around
the turret itself. The Germans were the
first 10 uS\! 8frnored gkir1s and spaced
armor plates, but soon Allied vehicles
wore following suit as both sides' lank
killing power increase<!.
• AERfA""L TECHNOLOGY
Though mankind had only been flying lor a lew shOrt years" advances made In that lima wtlrO con$iderable. Tho 20'$
and 30's h3d brought on a hvge increase in public ioWest, leading to a
number Of competitions and r8l1io$ Ul{lt gave constructors endless re<iSOl'lS 10
pef '~tlhelr creations.
Metal·skinned monoplanes, aerody·
namic and powered by powerful inline
or turbine engines. rapidly surpassed
older generation biplanes 01 canvas and
metal. Muttklngined bombers, sleek In
terceptors and ground·attack planes
divided aircraft into distinct types and combat roles.
31
I
"' •
•
• e 0 0 * .~ CHAPTER ONE: THE W ORLD
, "'
Aircraft now became a crucial part of racy improved, only a few spectacular Perhaps the greatest use of electronic • the land war. The success of Germany's ship-to-ship battles took place. mostly detection was in the air war. By the end
Blitzkrieg tactics was dependent on their at night. of 1941, both Germany and the Allies
aerial forces ' careful interaction with and The submarine was to be the weapon
had radar capable of detecting aircraft
support of ground forces. Cities and that decided the fate of nations at sea.
as well as computing their al titude to
strategic resources were common tar-Used in the later half of the Great War,
varying degrees of accuracy. By the 8fld
gets of Ihe bomber, not conlinad 10 submarines were used a\ the very ou\-
of 1941, the Ames were testing aircraft
strictly battlefield missions. Aircraft be-set of World War II. The German ·wolf
equipped with a short range radar and
carne a critical pan of naval warfare. paCkS· of U-boats prowled the sea-
emitters capable of detecting aircraft
forever changing naval tactics. Even the lanes of the Atlantic ano were very
within 1000 mete rs who we re not
once-mighty battleships were now vul-neaily staJ\ting Britain Into submission
equipped wilh a IFF (Identi fication
nerable 10 tiny torpedo bombers. by exacting a terrible toil on the precious
Friend/Foe) beacon, or warn crews
Perhaps the greatest advancement was supply convoys from lhe U.S. The tech-when their planes were 'strobed' by {a-
the introduction of focket- and jet-pow- noIogyand tactics to combat the U-boat dar from enemy night fighters.
€Ired airoall . Even bel()(e the war, Brit- menace began to be tested. ASDIC, or
ain and Germany entered the jet age. Sonar, became the best way to combat • ARMORED WALKERS , , but only Britain was 10 make the first the threat by allowing convoy escorts The man widely credited as the 'father' steps 01 actuaJly fielding jets, baSing a to detect submerged attackers. The U- of walking machine lheory was Profes-squadron of primitive jet interceptors boats were not safe from air attack ei-
SOt Freiderich Goble, a gifted but frus-outside DuckWOl'th during the closing ther - long-range flying boats patrotted tratlngly eccentric German Inventor. In weeks of the Battle of Britain. These the convoy routes and dropped depth
19 13, he presented a large number of dozen Gloster Pioneers were to herald charges on unwary subs.
mili tary inventions, including his the beginning of a new age in aerial
Panzerlandkreuzer, to the German High comba\. Soon the skies of the world • THE BIRTH OF Command. Impressed wIth hIs working would witness aircraft which had only ELECTRONIC WARFARE models, High Command demanded recently been seen only on the covers more, but Goble never delivered, and of pulp science fiction magazines. Though guided weapons, electronic
promptly vanished into obscurity for Horton and Northrop flying wings and detection and radio jamming may be
Messerschmidt rocket fighters would considered developments of modern several years_
soon be soaring across the war-torn warfare, ail these weapons had their It wasn't until the early 1920's that J.
skies, even to the fringes of space it- baptism during the Second W()(ld War. Walter Christie, en American InventOf of
selfl Allied and Axis scientists would, by Even before the war, Britain, the U,S. and unique vehicle propulsion and motive , their efforts to create faster and longer Germany had working radar installa- systems, formulated the concept 01 a
ranged aircraft, take the first steps in lions. It was Britain, however, that was last-moving mechanical walker. Unlike
birthing the Space Age. to first prOVe the value olladar, as the Goble, who fancied a walking land
Home Defense Radar Network was able battleship, Christie envisaged a much
~AVAL TECHNOLOGY to detect the approach of Luftwaffe air· smaller walker, both fast and maneuver-
craft and successfully thwart the numeri- able. By 1923, Christie had completed
The greatest changes were in the realm cally superior German air force. his first prototype, the W1923, whIch he
of naval warfare. Twenty-five years be-Radar was 10 also playa critical pan in
extensively lested and displayed to cu-
fore, the mighty battleship ruled the high naval warfare. A~ far back as 1937. the
rious frict'lds and honored guests. Some
seas. Now the carrier ruled. and the German pocket battleship Gre' Spee
found Christie's wadd ling contraptions
battleship was relegated to carrier pro- was equipped with radar for detection amusing, but some also saw their pe-
tectlon or shore bombardment. The and fire cootrol. American vessels were tentlal. If the technology could be fur-
mighty battlewagons were vulner<lble to moslty equipped with radar, which, un-ther refined.
air attaCk. and all ships carried balter-known to them attha lime. was superior
ias ot anti-aircraft guns. ThOugh ship fire-to Ulat of the Japanese.
power had been increased and accu-
/
3' •
•
,
Christie 11.'(1..1' a rdlglaus man when II came to high-mobility war/arl!, afuuttolt/lly
/Ul', to mu/itional military lhillking ofthl! timl!, He W(lS /1(11 "Irme ...
Basil LJddell lIur1, Ihf' British military rheoriSI and
falher 0/ ",odtm \4'(lIJur war/arl!, viliited ChristIe
ill 1913, and Wi/! impr'I'sud wilh the mun ulld his
ielea., fllr a walking war mac/rine. Hart '.' puper,
'"Mechanical Walktors - All f:.uay all Fluid Wur
/UN!," \4'4f widely"ad bUI mml/yJismissed. None
the fess, lIart 's befit'/s and "",ritillgs weir to «1-
IruelolhllN, b,ll '101 inlhl' /ru world.
Gllnual lIein ... Guderian. Iht' creOlor 0)
Gtrmuny's combined PunZt'r "nd Kiimp/t'l
/Ol'"('ts. was un early COfl\'ert to the i(lecI o/Imlk
ing war machine.'. A reader and belil'w.'r (/)
Hun 'J writings. Guc/eric", Wfl.' imprt.fSl!d 10 fl!om
of Gt!rmany's wulker experilfll!nfS, and bt-(:clml'
ils Wllt/octor Jurillg thl! years be/Oft the war.
Gllduian's book W Achllmg! Kl1mp/u!, '" thollgh
igrwftt/lIy the rest of the world, ;rellnt' .ftmuiara
for fhl! wily Germalry was 10 wage the nr.x/l4'ar.
Gl'nerul John Frtderidc Fllllt'r, ("f~(ltor(lfRrittl;n'.f
("17/01"11(/ tmrk corps, was also a com'en tIJ wlIlker
Wlllft" .. /! , Folluwing Chri.\"till 's ideas, Fllllt'r h'gan
aj/t'dgling wlllar IlI'UgrtJltI in JJri1ain in 1925. St,U
rUln, Rritain 's first lrut walker, \4'4f IlOl succt'ss
jul, but did 11J't' a rpdial t'IISillt! and a gymscope
for balanCt', somelhillR I/re GemrOlIS wen! W copy
for tlleir 014'/1 pft-""'f1r dllsiglls, LArgely (wruci~ed
for his 'till toy ad~"enture$: Fulll'f was to IN: u/li·
maudy vindicuted when 14'0r broh: oul_
Freiderich Goble was to ",oke U '''OII1I1/xlck 0/
sorlS jasl ~fo"- the W(Ir. Guble's own COIfI{JQflY
,,·at /(I gi\'e Troumshutl!l1t'un some stiff competi
tion t'arly ;11 /he \4'ar with ils UWII cornpt'tj1ive
walker desil:lIS for Ihe Wehmracht. Ullimmt'fy,
Goble 111m to see his dff:(lnr (If u walklnl: lund
banleship ~("ume rtaliry wilh his iulllII·du .. f.l
walkers and Spin~-d4u Dynamic SUS/>c'n .. fjm,
Vehidlls used try Germany in the wur, IU 14'1'11 4f
delle/optr of submi"jnll diest'/Ilngines lIS~d in
the lutll war Ungeheul!f ultra-heavy Ilmk,
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
In 1924 Christie decided to approach
the tevrew board of the U .. S .. Army Ordi·
nance Department. and submitted his
palent request lor his Mechanical
Watker Suspension. Work began on
W1924 .. a second-generation walker,
Over the next three years, several im
provements (and cosily setbacks) ro
suited in the WI926, the final prototype
suitable for review On March t4, 1927,
Chlistie's machine was shown to Ordi
nance Depaltment oflicials at Fort
Meado, Maryland The cost-conscious
officials were less than enthusias1ic, but
Chrlstre remained optimistic, al least
until the Oldinance Department rejected
hIS machrne outright a month later. Three years and thOusands Of dollars woro for
nothing. Ch,istie was forced fo near
bankruptcy.
DEVELOPMENTS IN GERMANY
Chrislie probably woold have slid into
obscurity il it W9fe not for a fortuitous
viall by represenlallvas of tho Weimar
Republic in 181$ 1927. AI the time, Ger
many was germinating Ihc seeds for its
neKt war, and approached Christie un
der the guise of peaceful uses of his
walking machines The Grossarbeiter
('farge worK8f') program. as eKptained
by Ihe Germans. was a means 10 gel
post-war Germany back on her feot. Heavy industry, lorestry and mining were just some ollhe projected uses of the
Grossalbeiter, a machine intended to
increase the strength and productivity
of Germany's laborers, Impressed with
wtlat they saw, the G6fmans paid hand
somely lor the prototypes and a partial
license. The W1924 and W1926 were
crated and shipped to Spain, and thai
was the last Christie saw of his ma
chines, Vv'hat he dldn1 Icalize was that
the Gefmans had purchaSed his proto
types with the express Inlentrorr of lurn
ing them into weapons.
33
. , •
.,
• CHAPTER ONE: THE W ORLD e 0 0~ ,
-, The Treaty of Versailles forbade the Ger- Germany's saber-rattling in the late 30s Cuu,rlT • man Reichwehr from developing any ar- and its unabashed use 01 armored walk·
All the earty-war walkers were two-man mored vehicles, cars and tanks. II didnt ers in its 'border incidents' acted as a
machines. One man was the pilot and however, say anything about walking wake-up call to the rest of the world.
maintainer,ol the on-board compulalor; machines. Both Britain and the United States were
the other was the commander, ammo-
It wasn't until 1930 that work began on to begin extensive catch-up programs
loader and fire controller all in one. The (the FBI suddenly becalTlEl very inter-
small size of most walker designs pre· a German walker program. Under the esled in Christie's financial dealings In
vented increases in crew size, forcing leadership of Doctor Erich Langhauser, the late 20's). whUe the Soviets were to
designers 10 innovale new methods of a team of scientists and engineers be-
gan to reverse-engineer Christie's pro-largely ignore walkers, and Japan
sharing the burden of controlling and
totypes and improve on them. In 1934, started its own oshimoi program with
fighting the vehicle,
the Grossarbeiter 114 took its first shaky help from Germany.
Piloting and fighting in a walker required steps. No state rTlOf'Iey was forwarded,
ANATOMY OF THE ARMORED considerable teamwork, and was oit8fl
hOwever, so Langhauser continued de-a noisy, hot and dangeroos assignment.
velopment with his own money and WALKER Though one crewman could control the
" loans by friends and family. Before and during the first two years of machine alone, the combat efficiency of
By 1936, the Grossarbcilcr 127, prob· the war, walker developmenl was raiTIy the machine degraded COrlsidcr'a~ly, In
ably the most advanced walker at that linear and generally dictated by German some designs, the loss of one of the two
time, was shown to then-Golonel Heinz developments. British and American crewmen spelt disaster, as e<lch IT1<In
Guderian. Langhauser needed to con- walker developmenl was an offshoot 01 was located in a separate part of the
vince the military to pick up the funding GerlT1<ln Innovations, though the Allies machine. This was a common problem
as his own money was now exhausted, preferred to follow Christie's "Mechani- with $aviet, Japanese and some British
and knew he would never gain mililary cal Walker Suspension" theories rather designs,
contracts without sanction from some- than evolve their own. The cockpit was a cramped, uncomfort-
one influential. To convince Guderian, As lhe war progressed. hOwever, even able cavity found in the 'chest' of Ihe Langhauser overstated the speed and the respective Allied lheories and de- walker, wi th access gained through the ability to Quickly swap 001 weapons. signs on walker warfare were to diverge hatches around the top or sides of the , He also talked about the capabilities of and change, The British preferred sturdy machine, Most cockpits wete covered the next two models (he was, after the four-legged designs, but still widely by armor, though earlier walkers and war, to confess thai he was making wild used Lend-Lease American walkers. engineering units had exposed cockpits guesses to keep the man interested). Germany was to also field lour-legged lor improved visibility (these were often Langhauser had also read Ihe works of designs, but on a much less massive protected by an anti-grenade screen). Guderian , ood stressed the scale. They did, however, have several The crewmen were sometimes situated Grossarbeiter's capabilities as a high- of the more complex eight-legged 00- side-by-side, but German designs speed allflored SOldier capable of keep- signs, mostly for scouting tasks across placed one crewman behind the other jng up with his beloved Panzer lorma- extremely arduous terrain. The Japa- and British design staggered crew tions. After a series of hard-sell discus- nese used mostly two-Iegged designs placement. Both crewmen would be sions and demonstrations, Guderian but did experiment a little with multi- strapped in to prevent unnecessary in-was a convert. legged ones. jury while the machine was in action -
By early 1938 . the redesignated By war's end, walker development had the uneven gait and rolling terrain could
cause as much injury to an unsecured Panzerkl1mpler ( 'armored fighter') evOlved to such a point that the new crewman as a direct hit! PerSQl1(1t com-project was a high-priority war program. machines wefe In many ways unrecog-fort varied from ne.lion to nation; due to For maximum safety and secrecy, the nizable from their shaky, waddling breth-space and weight constraints, condi-whole was encompaslSQd under one ren lielded allha beginning of the war.
compe.ny, Traumshoteneun Panzer· They would take a bewildering variety lions were usually spartan, even dan-
fabrik, headed by Langhauser himself. of forms and functions. gerous, in early-war models. ,
,
34 • ----- - ,
.<Hf>..* 0 0 8
Quick escape 'rom a burning walker
was often 8 terrifying and desperate or
deal. AH sides placed a maximum height and build rastrictions on lis crewmen
recruitment policies. Only small people
covld gat into the cramped cockpits (as
8 side effect of this, more than a few
women managed to gel to Ihe fror'll
lines). Hatches were small and difficult
to open from the inside; lithe machine
was on fire it was often fatal. Soviet walkers were, by lar, the hardest to escape
trom. The Germans were very reluctant
to use captured Russian machines be
cause they were so dangerous.
Most armored walkers used vision
blocks, and some used stabilized peri.
scopes . By 18Ie-194 1, gyro-synchro
nized eplscopes became available,
which facilitated greater vision and tar
geting. Most machines from This time,
however, relied Ofl old-fashioned vision
slits and hatches.
M OTIVE P OWER
Though both sides experimented with
alTernative forms of power. by far the
most corrvnon form 01 power came from
the inline radial engine. In all cases the
radial engine was nothing more than a modified air-cooled aircraft radial en
gine. Though protected In an armored
<XH.1ing, the engines required elaborate
filters and air intakes. making the engines somewhat wlnerabl0 to enemy
lire Of damage from debris. They were
also quite noisy - one could not sneak
around in a walker.
The British were the lirst 10 show ad·
vances in engine technology. In early
1941 . experiments were conducted on
a sealed. Uquld-cooled radial engine
connected 10 a large radialOf. TeslS were
successful. bullhe hardest part was yet
to COI1lE!: making it Iii on a walker. II was
evenluaHy 10 succeed , with the first
modified Roundheads entering service
laler thai same year. They were eventlr ally deployed in North Africa whefe they
perlormed admirably.
For added mobilily across even sur·
laces. many walkers were equipped
with a secondary means of propulsion,
eilher wheels Of treads Iocaled on the
fcelor lower parts 01 the hull. Though It
was first fOfmalized by Christie as "An
cillary Propulsion.' it was the Germans
who first figured out 8 way to make the
wheel system work consistantly. By lowering or ' collapsing" the lower leg struc
ture. the walker could be converted into
a sort of armored car that could move
rnuctl faster. Such a system soon proved
necessary to allow the slow walkers to
keep up with thO fast·movlng armored
vehicles they were paired with during
oNensive maneuvers.
Early German walkers used wheeled
AnciUary Propulsion . but as the rna·
chines became larger, treads replaced
the wheels. The Allies were to prefer
Wheeled AncHtary Propulsion. which was
often easier 10 repair and tho tires be
ing quite easy to replace in the field.
CONTROLS
To get an armored walker to walk and
perform required lot of input. This was
usually accompHshed with two pedals.
two control sticks, several levers and a
bank of buttons, controls no! unlike that
of an aircraft cockpit but in half the avail
able space. These inputs were mixed
mostly by mechanical means through a
set of pulleys. cams, and walkers, called
the "first mixer group ." Older units ran
the output of th is group. with inpul from
eleclrogyroscopes. into a hydrorne
chaniCa! 'second mixer group: with !he input Irom the lever!;: and buttOnS/
switches mixGCI In, outputting hydraulic
pressure through various lines.
CHAPTER ONE: THE W ORLD
Probably th~ singf~ guaun ad·
vanc~mtnl for walker lu hnology was the 'integration of an electfVme' dlllnicai compula/(Jr to jnJerp~t and
st~omJine motion, and later fire con· tml. Th~ Dolm~tsclru EifLf. or DJ, was the invention a/Konrad Zwe, U
young theorist ojcofLfiderable talen! {int i /ortsiflht. Unlib digital com pul~r ~n'm~nu 0/ tire day. luse
p1OpOs~d the use of electmmagnetjc
switchu - literally modified te/~· phone ITlay swilchu - to calculate various fimclion.f.
As well. Z IIU was 10 invent the j·peieheTWerU. or m~cJwnical storag~, a Ixmk of.flillitchu lhal aCI~d a.l'
a form of program storage and hdfWd .l'pe~d up com/lUtaliOlt. But
such muchi"u weu ddicate and euuld only he serviud by skjfl~d technicians.
German Computalon weu/a.ft and (wcufUle, but wert prone to produc·
inR ~rron or rrsf'tting if the 'It.·alUr was hit hard enough or the detjft
containment box was sul/i~d. Their
development would lutu be put to good /.Ue in other fields as well, in· cluding airrraft design and factory
COn/mts.
I
J
3S
"' •
•
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD
,
Germany was to have a solution to the
sluggish mechanical control: an electro
mechanical computer. After 1938, Ger
man walkers began using an electrome
chanical-hydraulic mixer group that took
the output of the first mixer group, added
in the input from the levers, switches!
buttons, and gyros and oulput hydrau
lic pressure through various lines. Con
Irol by electromechanical means im
proved control and reaction time of the
walker, but with increased complexity in
both manufacture and maintenance.
Early-war Allied walkers did not use an
electromechanical compuler, relying on
the older method of control. None the
less, daring British agents wefe able to
obtain a partially destroyoo German 01
computator from Poland in late 1939,
and tv."O fully intact examples during the
battle fO( France.
At firs\. both Allied scientists just cop
ied the 01 just to get units into the field,
but both countries also had burgeon
ing computer research programs, and
soon unique Al!ied computalor syslems
began to be developed, In 1941 British
walkers began 10 be outfitted with the
Pinkerton Mark tV. a computalor of
uniquely British design, It wasn't as fast
as German examples, but was more
rugged and in some situations could be
repaired by non-specialist vehicle
crews.
Though Germany was first oil the mark
when it came to combat-ready walkers,
the Allies had a distinct superiOfity in
certain fields. Allied gyroscopes were
mom sophisticated and more resilient
to the rigors of combat. The British had
belter radial engines for their machines,
and were the first to create a fully en
clOsed liquid-cooled radial engine. Later
variants of the American longstreet had
a better targeting system, though this
was rapidly eclipsed by German usc of
~televisor · senS()(s in 1943 and the in
troduction of the 03 and 04
Computators in 1942.
WEAPONS
All walk91'S carried at teast one machine
gun to protect the vehicle from Infantry
attack, Most W9fe either ITIOlInted on the
shoulder or in the chest lor a good field
of fire. All early examples of walkers
were atmed SOIety with MGs, but by late
1939, small caliber cannon were Intro
duced to attack both walkers and light
vehicles. Some light cannons were
rapid-tire autOloaders, but most were
single shot. By 1941 , walkers began to
sport heavier weaponry; 34 mm, and
tater 37 mm, cannons became standard
armament. Ammunition loads were in
creased,
For clOse-range attack, aU walkers car
rIed packs of demolition charges - es
sentially short-range grenades. These
were usually spring or compresse<l-gss launched, though by the time walkers
sported arms they could also be manu
aUy thrown.
Special weapons were also developed,
A walker-carrled flamethrower was a
fearsome weapon, ideal for anti-infan
try and bllnkar-busting missiOnS. The
British introduced a Short-range bomb
thrower (Itle Wallis Projector, also re
ferred 10 by the troops as the 'dustbin
thrower') that lobbed a heavy cylindri
cal charge for destroying tanks or bun
kers. Early weapon mixes centered 00
anti-infantry or light vehicle targets, but
it was soon realized that walkElfs could
take on and even destroy tanks, Future
walker development begBn 10 poinlto
wards even bigger guns.
~ lVIIIIII' FIIIId MllRIIIIMCI A walkt,r was a coll~clion of Jumd.
mad~ mu('hin~d j)(lrts until mK'·t941, when mass-productio" technique.f proved that thry ('ould ('onsisl~nt'y product! pncision parts, None the
I~ss, w(/Ikers had to ~ assembled by hand by ,eams of skill~d workers and
tf!cMieiun.f. Th~ iMU workings w~t1!'
both intric(/t~ and compla. with hundt1!'tb offut ofhydmulic lines snak
ing thmugh(Jut cu wrll as intri'llte meshing in the control interface, Such ctlmplu:ity o/tt!n madt! fit!ld maintenance dijJicull and somelimu improvisational. Talented 'Slicb ' (a
name coined by ""(lI~r pilOI$ ·ht!cause maintenance crnvs were often covered In a la)'er of hydraulic fluid
and oily 8rim~J w~re conSIWlI/ycha/. l~nged to kup th~ir charges in peak
fighting onier. from calibratinK the sightj' to kt'~ping fluidl' away from gyroscop~ seals, Slids wen also maslers of creating new parts from scrap, or modifylngl!veryday objects nn'~r intended 10 he wf!d in a wallu!I:
"' •
•
, .
•
- TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS AT TIlE END OF 1941
As 1941 drew toa cloSe, the world was
a different place. In two short years,
warfare and the means to wage it had
advanced at a terrifying pace. entaln
had already taken its first lallering steps
towards true jet propulsion, using the
first primitive jet planes in the Bailie of
Britain and in 1941 , stationing a squad
ron on Malta and in Cairo. Germany had
also stepped-up its jet and rocket pr0-
grams, determining that its current line
of bombers lacked the range and ca
pacity to carry the war further arlElld. The
United States. having just entered the
war, had already begun research into
advanced turboprop and even vanable
geomelry aircraft the year before ,
though both still only existed In the
imaginatiOns and blueprints of its best
scienlists_
Of all the combatants, the Soviet Union
was perhaps the most behind. lis rc
search programs stunted, its scienli fic
community imprisoned or liquidated.
Mother Russia was 'N08tulfy unprepared
for this new type of war and had paid
deally. None the less, a tremendous ro
search program began 10 swing into
action and literallyovemlghl Russia was
playing catch-up. Comrade Stalin's
"FIVe Year Plan for Victory" would reap
great dividends.
Japan also lacked an adequate re
search program - its walkers were at
best pre-war designs and aJllacked any
form of advanced compofatOl". Germany
did detiver S&VefaI example devices to
Japan, and by late '41 Japan had be
gun research. However, Japan excelled
In the area 01 aircraft design, and al
ready several innovative designs were enlerlng the prototype stage. 01 the
greatest interest was rocket and jet pro
pulsion technology.
Walker development had been swift and
exponenliaJ. A few years before such
machines 'NOUld have been unthinkable.
By the end of '41 the machines were still
quite priml!ive, but improved gyro
scopes, controls and beller weaponry
had shown that walkers were far from
, being an anomaly relegated to the his
tory books. With the exception 01 the
Soviets, alllhe combatants fielded such
machines in large numbers, and many
new designs were In the prototype
stage.
Both sides had realized tho value 01 the
computator and all had vigorous and
competitive research programs YIQO{Jng
around the clock to make laster, smaller
and more reliable computing devices.
Experiments using a computalor to aid
lire control in tanks and naval vessels
were well underway, 001 it would be
some lime belore any were 10 enter S9f
vice in noticeable numbers .
Compuiators also began to see wide
spread use In research and theory, and
the Allies used such machines to help
break Axis codes. Both sid9s would also
use the new devices to accelerate the
deve'op~nt process of new weapons
and combat vehicles, sometimes shav
ing years off entire programs.
There were also some ominous signs of
even darker researCh. Both Germany
and Japan had ongoing programs dedi
cated to the understanding and produc
tion 01 chemicat and biological weap
ons. Reports 01 Germany's usc 01 poi
son gas in Ole siege of Sevastapol had
ShowTllhat Gennany could field and use
such weapons if they so desired. Even Britain and America were secretly con
ducting rescarch, fealing widespread
use 01 such weapons by the Nazis. All
feared such insidIous weapof'ls, yet it
remained to be seen ....tIether they would be used again in the struggle ahead,
C HAPTER ONe: THE WORLD
Also of unknown purlXSEl was fledgling
research Into genetics and biotechnol
ogy - even psychology and the human
mind. Unclefstanding was medieval at
best, but both sides had varied Interests
In such subjects and effort was ex
pended on some decidedly strange
projects throughout the course of the
war.
Other. more esoteric research Intdflsi
lied. Both sides had begun to under
stand and research the unknOWn power
of the atom, both as a source of energy
and as a weapon . Pfo jected energy.
microwaves. space travel-any eccerr tr ic idea was plausiblo if presented to
the right commillee or general staff. All
seemed falf game and some effort and
money was pumped into cinyttllng that
just might produce something that
-..vould give an edge over the enemy.
Technological development had been
rapid up to the end of 1941. but the next
lew years were to prove even more w0n
drous and terrifying ...
37
•• •
•
C HAPTER ONE: THE W ORLD
VALKURIE WALK-AROUND
"Allow me to introouce you to 'Moritz: an excellent example of fine German walker
technology. We have served lor only a few months in North Alrica, but in that time
we've both seen considerable action and many exciting adventuresl
· 'Moritz' is a Valkurie, version A. He looks similar to previous models - of which I
piloted the ·L.oki A' and 'B' - but looks are deceiving I The 'Valk'ls the best so far
something the TClITWllies are learning the hard way.
"The 'A' version is constructed identically to the eartier models, and so the structure
is sturdy and reliable. The Langhauser leg assembly is also unchanged, except that
the tread carriage on the feet is much simplified - the fitters back at the machine .
shop are very relievedl But irs still prone to mine damage. If you slip a tread, forget
about using the secondary movemenl In this type 01 lerrain - you'll only waste
precious patrol and you're liable to throw the gyroscope out of calibratiOn. Oh yes,
tpe leg armor is improved, thOUgh really the legs arc always the most vulnerable on
any walking machine.
1 •••••. _ •. _._ ••• _. ___ 7.i12 rrmMG J.4 ~
2......... ................................ SpIr_
3 • .... -s
I '
1. ......... ~_ .. QU'I ..... eI
.---....•.•.• WMpon~
........................ CooIng IIIr "IIkH PM, ... _ ' ....... rnQrtl(i llltldl
.....• __ Ar1Jculabon IubrkallOn POtt I ................ _ ............ 1VMO;:h
~ ._ ........ _ ..... _ .. _. ___ . __ ""*' _1UJIPOI"'I1ItUI 10 _ .•.•.• _ .•.•.•.•. ___ .• _._ •.•. __ Cry pin c.t 0IMI .. ..::k 11 _ .•.•.• _._ •. __ . __ . __ •. _ •.. ~ .,., "OI'IIHI
1: Or ... 1IIJIOI;I<eI
13 "'-'"'-" f"VI_ pIIiII ~ (_........s) , • .. _____ fooI~ __ ~
15 ._. ___ .... _._ ................................... Ac.d __
16 ......... ....... .... FooIwoIt 17 ........ _. __ . __ . Lower _gency eteape hMch
18 .... ........ ........ ................. . ... Iow1rIg BracQIJ.
19 ...... ................... ~ biIIcIIouI lighIO"'II ~ 20 ~ wi1h bIacIIouI cown :1 .. _ .... __ ._ ... _._ .... _ ........ FtO'lC Lower NTfU """"
22 ...... _ ........... ""'"" GIles .-Z3 _._ ... v.oon-. ___ c:c.....
THE COCKPIT
"leI's look inside. The Zuse computator
is the newer Z-4 type - don't ask me
how it works! But it Is quicker at provid
ing firing solutions and reacting to com
mands from the contrOl Slicks or assist
ing in firing solutions. The D-series
computstors would take upwards 01
three seconds 10 react to my control ad·
justments - the Z -4 is down 10 an ' as·
tooishing 1.5 seconds! However. In spite
of its advances, it still cannot accept
command inputs from '"both
crcwmombors at once - you are liable
to reset the compulator In some cIrcum·
stances if conflicting convnands are in
put! Teamwork is critical in combat!
"The coc:kplt's still the SMIC and still very
cramped. You have 10 be quite agile to
escape should it get hit and catch fire
- those hatches a,e alarmingly small
for two frightened men to escape from .
Sadly. vibration and noise suppressiOn
is still largely unaddressed. Long-range
recce missions are not very popular with
the crews.
"But one Improvement is the vision 0p
tics. Both the sighting and observation
optics have been reworked to make
them easier 10 use and less prone to
damage. but really they're still the same old reliable Zeiss-Umbral stereoscoplcs.
It seems our experiences lighting the
Ivans have laught us some lessons. I like them, though I hear thai a new vi
sion and targeting system is being
tested in some lKIits noN - it's similar 10 the Televisof Camera array developed
by the Tommles.
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TIiE WEAPONS
"Then there's the weapons - not much
has changed really. The main gun in roN
a 38mm KwK 30 - good against walkers and some light tanks, bul it bounces
off Tommy quadrapeds and Matl1das.
Supposedly we're getting some new
weapons soon. And lor anlipefsoonel
duty there's the reliable MG 34 mounted
00 lop. There's a pipe leading 'rom the
engine bkJ.Ners 10 the barrel. This helps
keep the barrel cool and doesn't force
the pilot or gunner to change barrels in
battle. I wish we had this at Moll in '40.
Oh yes. there's a battery of diSChargers
\. 10 lay smoke or bomblels, though you
can also vent your blowers downwards
to obscure your retreat.
-on, before I go, ooe more thing. Every rooming, before you hop In your ma
chine, always check the foorwells in the
cockpit - scorplorls someUmes like 10
sleep there during the day. I'd recom
mend blocking the gunner's air vent
under the seat.·
1 ........... 7 112 fmI t.4G :w ,,~ 2 , .. _. ___ .. __ . . __ .. _. $pIiI1.-ch , .____ t..rn.od __ gun-....
.. •• _ .......... __ .. --~ I'IaRIporB
6 ..... _._. . •.. ........•......... CooInQ_1rUkn II .• _ .•• __ •.• _ .• P.!Ir1)I moIOr ....... ml;lfW tliIIC:h
7 .... _ Cooling .. -...-(~) I _ .. ___ _ ______ . ThigII_
e 1'wd. IIign_tw.got (_.....-ell '0 ____ .. _.. Hip~e.-co..
" ........................... .._ ...... ... KnH SIrvI
'2 _... ArmI;Ira:l hydr .... '** 13 __ .. _ .. 9idng ~ ___ oWe 1. __ ._____ Or)' pin ......... .,..
'$ ... _ .... ___ ...... TenPon.........,.."._ 16 ....................•. _ ..... _ .....•...... FoocweI '7 ... _............... __ 0rIve SPfOd<. 'I ______ .....• _. ___ ._ F(I(I(/wNIoI_
'9______ Armor IDdI-<I\MO'I poOoII 20 _ .• _ .•..... __ ._. _ ~ aIPI)Or1 .....
21 ._. __ ...• _. LDwoIIIoIg ~ KIuMa"
22 ..... . RMIIorced II.IWO'1 "'..::HI 23 •.•. __ ...... ___ .... _ .. _ ~ hencI"JoI(I
~ . ____ .. _. __ en.--. ~ 2$ _ ••.•. ___ .•.• _ . ___ • Gunrw .. paeiIion
C HAPTER ONE: THE W ORLD
THE"ENGINE
"Then t~ere's the engine - very reliable but also a problem in the desert. Unlike the
water-cOoled radial engines used by the Tommies, we still use air-cooled radials.
That gives us an edge in not being as reliant on water for our machines, but the sand
and debris gels into the engine in spite of the Iropical air filters we noN use. The
engine has to be conSTantly checked and cleaned or you'll find yourself seizing up,
or worse. A piece of advice: although ii's tempting to open uP!he Intake shutters \0
maximize cooling, don1! The problem with forced·air radials is that they kick up dust
- the Tommies can always see us coming. OpenU"1Q the shutters kicks up so much
dust that you'll attr<:lcl enemy aircralt or arty. We lost Heinz that way, badly shot up •
by a couple 01 Hurricanes. It's beltCl' to keep them closed during a fighl , 001 watCh
your temperature gauges - open them when things get too hot and then close them
when things cool. Don't worry, you'll develop an instinct lor this.
39 •
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CHAPTER Two: THE GAME
?
ALL QUIET ON THE EASTERN FRONT ••• It was still cool: the earty morning mists had not yel buined all in the hot springtime
Russian sun. Alexandlr took off his helmet ~nd scratched his head. II might still be
chilly, but the damned helmet made his scalp sweat neverlheless. He looI<.ed at his
watch and smiled. 5:30 in the morning, only half an tx>Lr more till his time 00 sentry
duty er"ldAd. He sighed and, clapping his helmet baC~ on his head, resumed walk
ing his section Of the line.
"Morning. Alexi: That was Oobteraev. He had the next sectioo of the line.
"Morning, Comrade Corporal." Alexandir didn't like Dobteraev. Anytime the corpo
raj thought someone was challenging his authority. he went straight to the NKVD
Commissar. whose Idea of maintaining discipline more often than not Involved a
bullet in the b;.tck of the offender's skull.
"Got a light, kid?" The corporal waved a greasy hall-s eel cigarel1e at Alexandir.
"Sure: Alex! proffered a match to the other man. Dobleraev puffed the end of the
cigarel1e back to life.
Oobleraev spat. "' don't know why the hell we have to sit out here anyway, " he
grumbled. "Didn't the Great Stalin make a ~caty wilh 18 Fascists?"
Inwardly, Alex! groaned. It was all very well for Oobtereev to comptain. But voice a
cornplaint of his own, or question any decision of Stalin'i, or the Central Committee's,
and he'd be fO( the Gulag soon enough - If he didn't Fnd up dead in a ditch first.
-t"m sure Stalin and the Generals have their reasons, Comrade Corporal."
Doblcraev only grunted. I ""d best be turning back now," Alexi muttered, falling ack on duty as a reason to
42
escape the loathsome cOfporal's pres
ence. He Slopped as soon as he'd taken
his first slep away.
"Did you. hear something, Comrade
Corporal?"
'What?" There was a soft gurgling close
by. As he turned, Alex; saw Dobteraev
Jamming a bottle InlO !he pockel of his
greatcoat. Vodka, most likely.
Alexi held up a hand. There was a low
rumbling: it seemed to be coming out
from the mists. II sounded like thllflCler,
a low vibrating roar. Alexi felt the hair on
his head standing up under his helmet.
He became aware 01 a rhythmiC thump
ing, like great hammers striking the
earth.
"'NtIal in the name 01 the Devit's Grand
mother is that?" Dobteraev's pale face
turned even pastier, and the end 01 his
Cigarette lell\o the damp grass.
Alexanclir saw something looming out of
Ihe mist. Cold sweat broke out all over
his body. He tried to unsling his rifle, but
his hands wouldn', move.
He could see it clearly now and wished
that he could not. A huge metal man
like shape, hunchbacked and brutal. A
rille cannoo was gripped In one steel
fist, and the barrel of a machine gun fulled 'rom the opposite shoulder. The
black and white cross of the FaSCists
was blazoned across its chest. The
snarling howl of its engine rose as It
strode ciosef to the two Russians. l0om
ing out of the mist to either side were
more of the metal giants.
"Bozhe moW Dobteraev screamed,
turning to run. The machine gun ham
mered, throwing the corporal \0 the
ground In a bright spray of his own
blood. Alexl stood frozen as the shadow
of the giant loomed over him ..
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INTRODUCTION Recreating past battles has long been a hobby lOf many. Gear Krieg is a rulesellhal
allows the Players to relight the battles 01 a war that never was, giving them the
opportunity to try new tactics and 'ield advanced units thai would not have their
place in a more historical selling. This chapt9( supplies all the basic rules neces
sary 10 simulate banles and skirmishes in the Gear Krieg WOI'ld; more specialized
rules will be found in subsequent supplements.
Fa the purpose of the game, the troopers, vehicles and land features arc repre
sented by small models. The locale where the battle will be fought is a tabletop
landscape, Of an approximation 01 it. A tape rulef (Of other similar instrument QI
measure) is used to regulate movement and measure the range 01 the weapons.
The playing fjeld can be very detailed or very simple. The choice depends on the
Pfeferences and resources of the players. There are three general categories of
\, terrain: simple, moderate and full·bIown. Which one is used has no effect on the
game mechanics themselves as lOng as the terrain types (Clear, Rough, Woods,
etc. - see page 50) are clearly identified and their boundaries delimited. Modeling
game terrain is covered in greater detail in Appendix lit.
• COMBAT UNITS -Militaries through oot time have organized their forces by breaking them
down into smaller, more manageable
sections. This enables the soldiers to
respond more rapidly 10 the changing
conditions 01 the battlefield.
In Gear Krieg, the standard combat unit,
represented 00 the mapboard by a min
Iature, is either a single vehicle or an
Wllantry squad. Each combat unit has
its own game statistics (sec page 45).
Vehicles are generally organized into
groups of two or more vehicles, Infantry
into platoons of three or four squads.
The group's name and numbel' of units
can Change according to its origin; for
simplicity, groups of units are referred
to as combat groups for game purposes.
In most game scales, individual soldiers
can be represented, although infantry
squads will definitely be cumbersomE!
If every single trooper is modeled -
about one in fiva will do floe (two trooper
liguras par base). Human miniatures in
smaller scale are available Irom several SOUfCes: modotcrs are advised 10 Check
oul the aviation and railroad models
section of the hobby shop or other
games' miniature lines. MiniatLKes are
covered in greater detallifl Appendix III.
C HAPTER 'TWO: T ffE GAME
An overall Corrmander must be chosen
for each side, wi th a Second in Command. They can be any units, and their
identities can remain secret, but must
be noted down for future reference. The
Commander's Leadership and Tactics
Skills are one level above their quality.
The Second in Command's leadership
Skill is one level above normal. If the
Commander becomes a casualty,.he or
she is replaced by the Second In Com- -mand. 1/ bottt are put out of action, all
future leadership Skills are rolled at the
Skill level of the crew with the highest
leadership Skill.
• MEASURES AN D Sc""ALE 0 Players should choose a game scale
that fits their resources and require
ments (see !he G8me Scale table, page
44). Regardless of the scale used, how·
ever, a battleground would take up sev
eral meters to allow even the smallest
weapon to be fired at realistic ranges. The scale of the battlefield thus differs
'rom tho scale ollhe models. a common wargamlnQ convention. Individual units
are "enlarged" so that they are visible
on the landscape. Ground features,
such as buildings and vegetation, are
simplified representations 01 the "real"
Items, again enlarged for clar ity.
The players can use either the Englishl
US system or !he metriC one, but all play
ers must use !he same measure system.
To avoid confusion, the rules are written
in Measurement Units (MUs) rathe( than
Inches or centimeters; the length of ooe
MU depends 00 the scale used.
The actual position 01 the unit is consid
ered to be the exact center of the min
iature represenUng it, All meaSlM'ements
are takeo from this center point. Since
the vertical dimension of the baUielield
must be exaggerated in order to be rep
resented ()(I the tabletop (even a tall hill
43
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CHAPTER lWo: THE GAME
is merely a fraction of an inch high in
most wargame scales). using the height
of the miniature for line-of-sight. though
an approximation. is good enough for
game purposes.
The time hame is silher 6 or 30 seconds
per game lurn (depending on the game
scale chosen). resulting in a speed of 6 kph per Movement Point (MPs - see
page 49). More difficuU types of terrain
require additional Movement POints to
ffiOVP. through to ~Imul:'ltp. the rP.i111ce<1
speed of the vehicle.
A large-scale battlefield is often best
used 100lUOOrl COrlll);)t ;)rKI Oil"\(!( rvsl(1(:
'. tive environments Uungle. rocky terrain),
so that the action can fit on a reasoo
ably sized table. In such skirmish com
bat, the time frame is decreased pro
portionally with the increase in scale.
Movemenl, weapon range bands and
other rules remain the same: snap firing
al multiple targets in an intense combat
70ne is imprecise, hence the shortened
range. This simulates the Irenetic pace
of skirmish combat without thsl1t1t1d rfJf a new set of rules.
One rule does need to be added, how
ever: in large scale combat. Individual
infantry troopers can be represented.
Unless the miniatures are based to
gelher, alilroopers must stay under their
leadP.r's Comm:md Distance, which is
equal to the Leadership Skillin MU. If
they do not, the la!:marlS suffm tho sarro
penally as a squad which hfiS losl its
leader (see page 61).
-1111liliiii aI fItI
ScJm~timf!5, ur1uin silrwliQfu will nvI
b~ cI~arly cO I'~re,1 by th~ rrt/~s.
Rather than IO.f~ precious gam~ tim~
through t!SO/eric discussiol1. di,spwt!s
should be ,nolred through chanc~: simply roll a die to decide.
44
BASIC GAME MECHANICS Gear Krieg uses everyday six-sided dice to add a random element to the game. Thl)~.e ;lre ~.DIl'\(!lirne$ (1)II)r(ootO;,'!$ " 1(.16" irlUiC i~IIt)S , "2(16" lOr two (li(;e, "306" 101'
three, and so on.
When two or ITICII'e dice arp. mlled simultaneously, Iheir results are not added to"
gether. tnstead, the hIghest result Is considered to be the outcome 01 the die roll. II
more than one "6" is rolled. each extra "6" adds one (I) to the total. It every die roiled
turns up . ' ," the die roll is a Fumble and counts as an overall result of zero and no modifiers may change this vaJuo. Unll}SS speCi fically mentiOned otharwisa, all die
rolls work in this way.
The lolals 01 die rolls are often Influenced by modifiers. Modifiers are added to the
10tal of a die roll. If negative modifiors lower the total below zero. the final result Is
always zero and cannot go any lower. Modifiers are not applied to Fumbles.
Example 1:
Example 2:
Example 3:
EX;'lmpfp. 4 :
Player A rolls two dice. The dice read 3 and 5. The result of the die roll is 5 (the highest individual die result) .
Player B rolls five dice. The dice read 1, 6, 4, 6, and 6. ~ The re5ult 01 Ihi5 die roll is 8 (the highest rOil + 2 for
the two extra sixes).
Player C rolls three dice. All three dice read 1. He has fumbled the die roll. The result is considered to be O.
Playp.r D rolla two dice and haa a +2 modifier. The dice read 1 and 5. The resull of Ihe die roll
Is 7 (highest roll + 2).
D Ga.1IcaIe TIIIII_ .. _, _.~J ......... V.tll . ac • Qrnd.ka .. TIme._ Larue Operl AfElA 1/35 1/35 6 S/lurn MU : t '~ 30cm
Lar!)fl Table 1/76 'P6 6s1turn MU,. ",- ,. 10c,"
Mt:H:Iium TablEr '/87 '/87 6"",,, MU",3",.8cm
Medium Table 11144-N 1{1000 30 slturn MU . 1- . Z.5cm
Small Tab" 11285·1(JOO t / tO,ooo JO !:/lIMn MU·O.5- .1an
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, - RATINGS AND SKILLS o In Gear Krieg, crew and troopers are rated
in terms of their Skills. A Skill is a learned
talent or ability, whidl is often improved
with practical experience. There are four
ifr4x:w1an1 SkiDs i'l the game: Driving, GlI'lnery, leadership and Tactics. II is a c0m
mon practice 10 rate a crew in terms of
generallraining; Ior~, aCff!Nlra\ed
as veteran is asst.med 10 have an aver~
age Skill level of 3.
The Skillevel is the number of dice used
for Skill Tests. Untrained people, such
as civilians, have SkHllevei O. They use
two dice for Skill Tests, but retain the
lowest result: jf either die comes up "1,"
they have Fumbled.
MARGIN OF SuccEss'FAILURE
Most attacks and tactical actions require
Skill Tests. These consist of a die roll
whose result is compared 10 anott"lel" die
roll a a fixed number called a Threshold.
The difference between both is called
Margin 01 Success (MaS) for the winner
and Margin of Failure (MoF) for the loser.
II the roll is a tie, the MaS is zero. For in
stance, a Qualified attacker uses his Goo
nery Skill and rolls two dice: a 1 and a 4 .
The defending Veleran defender rolls
three dice for his Driving Skill: a 2, a 3,
and a 6. The attacker has a MoF 01 2 and
fails to hit his opponent.
-"'NUMBER OF AcrlONS o A vehicle's actions are limited by the
total number of crewmen. All vehicles
automatically get one action. Vehicles
with two a more cr8'M1l8rl get additional
actions at no cost. It takes two crewmen
to have two actions each turn, four
crewmembers to have three acliofls,
and so on. Actions are listed on each
vehicle's record sheet. Some or all of
these additional actions can be lost
when casualties occur. If the number of
crewmembers goes below that mini
mum, one action is lost. A crewtess unil
cannot perform actions. It is possible to
take more actions than allowed during
a combat turn, but each additional ac
tion causes a -1 penalty on all actions.
- RECORD SHEETS
Each vehicle has an appropriate record
sheet that details the necessary statis-'
tics fa game play. These sheets allow
a clear tally 01 damage and other im
portant information. The information is
broken down into Ihree parts: Attributes,
Weapons and Perks & Flaws. Infantry
also have record sheets; theirs is dis
cussed in the Infantry section (page 61 ).
aIllll Level
2 3
4
5
o AcIIan En I"" _._ • •
C HAPTER 1\vO: THE G AM E
A'ITRIBUTES
Vehicle Attributes show the overall
strength and prowess of each machine.
Variations in the numbers between ve
hicles indicate various design differ
ences. There are nine Vehicle Attributes: depending on the equipment carried,
not all are used by a given vehicle.
Threat Values are a good measure 01 a vehicle's strength. Every combat unit, -
including infantry, is rated according to
a Threat Value (TV). The basic Gear
Krieg rules provide Threat VatOes for
stock units; games can be easlly bal
anced by alkx::ating 811 equal amount
of points to each side, which are then
used to purchase vehicles according 10
their TVs.
.......... -Qualified
Veteran
Elite
fife one weapon once
fire one set 01 linked weapons once
• perfOl'l'n a single physical anack (ranvning, kicking, ~, etc.)
• activate an au:diiary system (comrrunicatiOn. etc.)
• embark,ldisembarlt one crewman
•
o II alF" AI:IIIIII Ell $111 _._ A tank has a crew 0( four people. This vehicle Qats its one basic and two additional actions dua to its crew canpiement, tor a 100al of three actions p8f tum (without penalty). If ftIe tank needed to peffoon four actions, it would suffer a -1 penally on al four actk:Ins No benefrt is gained from performing less ItIanlhree actiOns.
If ftIe tarVI.'s crew were injt..ed and one crewmember was incapacilated. the vehicle would ha'18 an effectiw crew 01 three, giving it only one adOitionalaclion (nstead 01 two). The short-handed lank would now be able 10 perform up to two actions without penalty.
If the tank has the Inefficient Controls Flaw (see page 99), and onfyone crellll"nan remians on board, he will ha'18 to choose betWeen drMng and sperodng actions.
45
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CHAPTER Two: THE GAME
Every vehicle is assigned a Size value
based upon its mass and volume. Size
values are primarily used for cargo
space and to determine the outcome of
physical attacks and collisions. Because
it is based on vOlume as well as mass,
Size is not linear: a Size 10 vehicle is
not just twice as big as a Size 5 vehicle,
but eight times as big.
Combat vehicles always carry a Crew (though some may have automated
mechanisms instead). Additional crew
members increase the number of actions a vehicle can perform: big vehicles
generally need many crewmen just to
function at aU!
A vehicle's Speed is translated directly
into Movement Points (MPs). Moving a
distance equal to the Measurement Unit
of the scale selected costs a certain
number of Movement Points (see..wovement. page 49). Vehicles can move at
two different rates, or ·Speeds. · C0mbat Speed is tile highest speed a ve
hicle can achieve and still attack effec
tively. Top Speed is twice as fast as
Combat Speed, but the vehicle's effec
tiveness is strongly impaired and it is
limited in its maneuvering .
Maneuver indicates a vehicle's ease 01
control and its responsiveness. The
value is used as a modifier to all Driving
Skill rolls.
Sensors is an abstracted rating 01 the
quality and sophistication 01 a vehicle's
detection systems (if any are present).
This value covers tile various sensor
systems carried, regardless of their ac
tual nature.
Communication systems, such as ra
dios, allow units to talk to each other
during battle and to coordinate their fire
Of transmit enemy coordinates to friendly
artillery fire. Hist()(ically, communica
tions systems were not always present
in combat vehicles.
Fire Control is a catch-all category for
targeting devices and weaponry. Com
mon WWII targeting devices include
calibrated telescopic sights, gyro-stabi
lized mechanical sights, or just a piece
of metal with ranged distances marl<;ed
on it. The Fire Control value is used as a
modifier to all weapon attack rolls.
Armor represents the toughness of the
vehicle's armored hide and general
structure. Three values are listed; Light
Damage, Heavy Damage and Overkill.
They are equal to one, two and three
times the base Armor value, respec
tively. When a vehicle is hit, the attacker's
damage is compared to each of the
vehicle's Armor values. The attack's ef
lect is the last Armor stage it has
equalled or exceeded (see Damage for
more, page 58).
CREW SKlt:LSC----'D
Skills indicate the quality of a vehicte's
crew. Skills are rated by experience:
higher Skill indicates greater ability. Skitl
2 is considered aV9fage and represents
trained soldiers with some experience.
Driving is the Skill of driving and maneu
vering a vehicle in combat. Driving is
the Skill used to evade attacks, initiate
physical assaults and perlorm difficult
maneuvers.
The Skill of aiming vehicle-mounted
weapons or using fire control mecha
nisms. Gunnery is crucial to all ranged
attacks.
o CNwIlllll Type DfMng
Rookie
Qualified 2 2
Veteran 3 3
Elite 4 4
5 5
Leadership is the commanding officer's
Skill at leading troops and planning 10-
cal tactics. The Leadership Skill is used
for morale purposes.
Tactics represents the commander's ex
pertise in battlefield tactics and the
proper positioning and ordering of
troops while engaged with an enemy
force. This is used to gain tactical ad
vantage throughout the game.
A selection of crew is provided below
for use in tactical scenarios, They are
listed with a COfTBSponding Threat Value
modifier; multiply the unit's TV by this
value to determine the l inal Threat Value.
By default, most tactical games should
be played with Qualified crews.
WEAPONS
Most military vehicles carry weapons of
some kind. Regardless of their perfor
mance, these weapons all share similar
charact9fistics, such as Accuracy, Damage Multiplier, Range, Rate of Fire (ROF)
and Ammunition.
Fire Arcs determine whether or not a
given weapon can be aimed al a target. There are six standard arcs: for
ward (F), Right (Rt), left (l). Rear (Rr),
Rxed FOfWard (FF) and Turreted (T). For
more on the lire arcs, turn to page 47.
Each weapon has lour Range Bands
Short (S), Medium (M), Long (l ) and
Extreme (Ex) - which represent the el
fective combat range 01 the weapon.
leadership Tactics TV Multiplier
a o xO.25
" 2 2 ><2.25
3 3 ,4
4 4
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The Short Range is also called the Base
Range; the Medium, long and Extreme
ranges are equal to twice, four times and
eight times the Base Range, respec
tively. All vehicular weapon ranges are
listed in MUs.
In addition to the effects of the vehicle's
main fire control systems (the Rre C0n
trol rating), the Accuracy 01 each indi
vidual weapon affects the odds of suc
cessfully damaging opponents. It is
applied as a modifier to each attack roll
made with the weapon. Accuracy can
drop because of damage (see System Damage, page 58).
The Damage Multiplier 01 a weapon is a
rating of how devastating and destruc
tive the weapon's attack is. Damage
Multipliers wort<. on an exponential scale,
not a linear one. A Damage Multiplier 01
x10 is more than twice as effective as a
Damage Multiplier of x5; in facl, it is four
times as effective.
Many vehicles carry more than one
weapon, and sometimes more than one 01 a given weapon. The Quantity column
lists the number 01 that particular
weapon that the vehicle carries.
The Rate of Rre (ROF) of a weapon is
listed in its a.m column. A weapon with
an ROF 01 0 lires single shots. Weap
ons with ROF d 1 or more are rapid bad
ing and can fife many shots during a
short tnt9fVal of time. Rapid-lire rutes,
along with various attack options, can
be found on page 56.
The amount 01 Ammunition loaded into
a weapon is listed next. If a weapon's
ammunition drops to zero, it can no
longer fire. Some attack types, such as
physical melee attacks, do not expend
ammunition.
CHAPTER lWo: THE GAME
THE GAME TuRN A tactical game is subdivided into combat turns that simulate a short Interval in the
banle. Units get a certain number of actions during that turn, which can be used to
shoo/:, communicate important information or scan the area. If Players truly want to
take fTl()(e actions than a vehicle's crew complement aJlows, they can still do so, bul
this will cause a penalty 10 each action (the crew will be trying to get more things
done in the same amount d time and will thus be less careful overall).
A combat turn Is divided Into four steps. During each lurn, these lour steps occur in
order. An additional step, Step Zero, occurs only at the beginning of the game.'
• STEP ZERO: SE'"T'"'. " P ... --
A battle always begins with the Set-up,
which occurs only once. Pre-designed
scenarios have clearly defined set-up
locations for each faction. When not
using pre-designed scenarios, one
Player should set up the terrain and the
other may choose whiCh side of the table
will be his home edge.
A Tactics Skill test is made by each side
based upon the Skillievet of the C0m
mander. Fumbles count as a die result
01 one. Reroll ties. The winner chooses
which Player will begin placing his or
he!" combat groups upon the table. Play
ers should alternate, each placing one
combat group at a lime on the table.
After placing a unit, the Player must
declare what speed (stationary, Com
bat or Top Speed) it is moving al.
II, during the first tum, a unit is attacked
before it has been moved, it is treated
as if it were moving at the maximum
number of MUs possible lor its speed
fC)( the purpose 01 delense rolls.
Each Player should record the result of
the Tactics roll. Each point represents
one Tactical Comnand Point (Tep) that
can be played during any Activation
Phase. Command Points represent an
action reserve for unexpected situa
tions; they are futly explained further on (see page 49).
• STEP ONE: DECLARATION PHASE
Both sides declare any extra actions and
individual evasive maneuvers IOf the
turn. Use one or more counters to mark
extra actions taken to avoid confusion
during game play. This tOken can be
placed either near the playing piece or
on Ihe record sheet, whichever the
Player ,jnds more suitable.
47
1
" •
CHAPTER 1Wo: THE: GAME
-STEP Two: INITIATIVE PHASE
Inlliative determines which side has the
advantage during the present turn of
combat. Each side rolls an action lest
based on their commander's Tactics
Skill. If only two machines are facing
each other, the Driving Skill is used in
stead of the Tactics Skill. The highest
result wins. Draws are rerolled.
The winner gains initiative for one full
turn. Take the difference of the two rolls;
the loser of initiative gains that many
Initiative Command Points for the turn
to react to the enemy. Unlike Tactical
Command Points, Initiative Command
Points are not conserved from turn to
turn: al the end of any turn, all unused
Initiative Command Points are lost.
The side that wins initiative chooses
which side goes first for the fest of the
turn. Once the number of Command
Points is determined and recorded, the
Initiative Phase ends.
• STEP THREE: -ACTIVATION PHASE
The side whose turn it is to play may
move any or all units in one of its com
bat groups. Units that shift speeds
(Combat to Top and vice-versa) must
declare that they are doing so immedi
ately after movement (the new speed will
only be applicable next turn).
Actions, such as firing or activating a
system, may be resolved at any time
before, during or after the movement.
Attack penalties are based on the unit's
total movement: if half-Combat Speed
is announced for attack purposes, the
unit cannot spend more than half its to
tal Combat MPs.
Each unit moves and takes its actions
before another unit is activated . If a unit
does not move or acl when its combat
group is activated, it cannot do so at a
later point in the turn.
Once every unit in the combat group has moved and acted (Of forfeited its chance
to do either), the other side activates one
of its own combat groups, which may
move and take aclion(s). This exchange
goes back and forth until ali groups have
moved and acted.
A combat group may only move once
per combat turn. If one side no longer
has any combat groups left to use, the
opposite side activates its remaining
combat groups one by one until they
have all been moved.
SNAP·FIRE
At any time during the activated unit's
movement, any enemy unit that has not
already been activated may use one (or
more) of its actions to fire or perform a
task against the moving unit (and only
against the moving unit). This is called
·snap fire.· Attacks may be directed at
any point along the moving unit's path,
but the unit's full movement counts ta
wards the Defense roll. The total MP al
location of the target is used to deter-
Step One: Declaration Phase
Step Two: Initiative Phase
e00*~
mine the defense speed mcKiifier, even
though the actual displacement may be
shorter, because this is a hurried reac
tion for the attacker.
Snap firing does not cost Command
Points (unless the firing unit needs 10
turn around to !ire), but it reduces by 1
the total number of attacks that the snap
firing unit has for the turn. The defender
must spend at least one MP or end its
movement before each of the attacker's
actions if more than one action is used.
Forward observers (units Ihat spend an
action feeding enemy coordinates to
friendly units) must always act before the
firing unil{s).
• STEP FOUR: MiScELLANEOUS EVEIVIS PHAsE 0
During this phase, any unusual events,
such as long-range artillery and bomb
ing attacks, are resolved. Most of these
are optional rules that are not covered
in this basic rulehook. Once this phase
is over, Initiative Command Points go
back to zero .
Repeat Sleps 1 to 4 until the battle is
resolved or pre-planned objectives are
met. A combat group may only move
once per combat turn.
Both skies declare any extra actions and defensive maneuvers.
Each side rolls an action test based on its CCIf1Y1'"IafIder's Tactics Skill.
Step Three: Activation Phase Move any or all units in one combat group.
Once every unit has acted, the othef side activates one 01 ~s own combat groups.
Step Four; Miscellaneous Events Phase Any action not spent at this point is lost. long-range artillery and bombing
anacks are resolVed. Initiative Corrrnand points go back to zero.
Repeat Steps 1104 unlil rhe baltle Is resolved or pre-planned objectives are mer. A combal group may only move once par combat rum.
••
•
I
•
, .
• COMMAND POINTS o Command Points represent the com·
mander reacllng to Of anticipating the
enemy's actions. There are two types 01
Command Points: Tactical Command
Points (TCPs) and Initiative Command
Points (ICPs). TCPs are available
throughout the game, but canoot be regained once spent rcPs are valid IOf
one turn only, but are relreshed during
each new tnitiative roll. Other than this,
there is no functional difference between
the two.
Command Points may be used by any
unit with a functional Communication
system Of within Command Distance (a
number of MUs equal to the
Commander's leadership Skill) of its
commander. There are li\le possible
uses for a Command Point.
Action: Command Points can be used
as an additional regular action, incurring
no penalty.
Activation: A Command Point can be
used to activate a unit out of sequeoce
-to get out 01 harm's way, lor example.
In the latter case, the unit must not have
been acti\lated (Le., moved) previously,
and it cannot be moved again when its
combat group is acti\lated (though it
may act if it has any actions left).
Block: A Corrvnand Point may be spent
to cancel a CP spent by the enemy.
Defense: One Command Point can be
used to buy a one-time +2 modifier to a
single Defense roll (representing a warn·
ing shout).
Reaction: A Command Point may be
used to turn a unit around by up to 180
degrees, e\len if it has been activated
belore (and thus has no Movement
Points left).
The table at right surrvnarizes the Com·
mand Point functions.
CHAPTER lWo: THE GAME
MOVEMENT A unit can cross a certain distance based on its Movement Points (MPs). The ve
hicle record sheet contains the \lalues for Combat Speed and Top Speed. Combat
Speed allows a vehicle to engage in offensive actions unhindered. Top Speed is
twice as last as Combat Speed, but severely impaIrs actions. A ground unit is never '()fced to move, unless it is at Top Speed (see page SO).
Speeds are listed in MPs: one MP equats movement across one Measurement Unit
(MU), or about 6 kph on clear terrain. Thus a \lehicle with a Combat Speed of 6 MPs
moves at about 36 kph on flat, open ground. Every turn, each vehicle receives as
many Movement Points as its current speed (Combat Of Top).
Each Movement Point (MP) lets the unit move a distance equal to one Measurement
Unit. The actual tabletop distance will vary according to the scale, and thus the MU,
chosen lor the playing surface: see the Game Scale Table, page 44.
Various terrain types negativety alfectlocomol:ion methods. Moving on difficult ground
will cost more MPs depending on the type 01 terrain: the distance Is multiplied by the
normal MP cost for that type of terrain (see the Terrain Table, page SO). For example,
moving through 1 MU of Rough ground (MP cost of 2) will cost the same as moving
through 2 MU 01 Clear ground (MP cost of 1).
• Extra action (WIth no dice penally)
Activate a unit out of sequence (if It hasnl been activated already)
• Cancel a Command Point spent by !he opponent
• De'ensive~(+2IOonedeleoseroll)
About·face (change facing by up 10 tsoP)
49
" •
•
•
CHAPTER--'l\vO: THE GAME .00*~ • • "
• TERRAIN A vehicle moving al up 10 half Combal Top Speed value. The vehicle must ex- •
Terrain affects both a unit's movement Speed can opt 10 move backward in- pend a number of Movement Points
and the ability of other units to spot and stead of forward. Reverse movement is greater than its Combat Speed while
attack it. These two factors are mea-not possible at higher speeds. moving at Top Speed, even if it means
sured by a given terrain's MP Cost and a coIlision.'A vehicle may return toCorn-
its Obscurement . The rougher and • Top SPEED 0 bal Speed after any number of turns of
thicker the terrain, the higher these two Top Speed movement. The Player de-
A vehicle that expends its lull Combat clares the return to Combat Speed im-numbers.
Speed MPs can shift to Top Speed in mediately after moving the unit. Some terrain types merely slow down a the next lurn. This shift must be declared
unit, which is rellected by their higher by the Player immediately after moving Vehicles moving at Top Speed may not
MP cost. Some, however, are more the unit. The vehicle is considered to be use Hull Down positions (see page 67).
treacherous: units might get bogged at Top Speed for attack and defense II a vehicle moving at Top Speed is
down, vehicles could break an axle, etc. purposes lor the rest of the combat turn. forced to come to a complete halrdue
These terrains are identified with a "0" Players should put a Top Speed counter to a failed Dangerous Terrain test, but
besides their MP cost: this means they beside the vehicle. has yet to spend the minimum required
require a Dangerous Terrain test. MPs, it crashes as described in Turn-
In subsequent combat turns, the vehicle ing, next page. The Dangerous Terrain test is taken ev- receives Movement Points equal to its
ery time a unit enters a terrain identified
as dangerous or starts its move already
TIl .... TIIIII in it. The owning Player must roll the
Crew's Driving Skill (or the infantry's gen- -tYPo .... -.. -- ......... OII.a ......... eral Skill) against the terrain's MP cost; Clear 1 1 1 0
jf failed, the vehicle must stop immedi- Rough. Rubble 1 1 2 0
ately and all further MPs are lost for the Sand, Dust 2 va va 0
turn. If the test is fumbled, the vehicle Wood, 1 lID va 1
takes an automatic Light Damage result Jungle 2 2ID 3/D 2
in addition to stopping. S,,,",, lID 3/D 41D 1
Watef (Shallow) 2 2' 3' 0
30 degree Slope add 4 add 2 add 2 -• COMBAT SPEED
Terrain marked "D" requires a Dangerous Ten-ain Tasl.
A vehicle normally receives a number 'Only Amphibious units may entar. Others will flood and autcmaticaJly be put out 01
of Movement Points equal to its Com- action. Amphibious units cal"lnOl enter or exit this terrain while I'l'lOVing at Top Speed. , . bat Speed value. If the vehicle expends
none of these Movement Points to move,
it is considered stationary. OtherwIse, o Mov_ Exilipl. the vehicle is said to be traveling at A walker Is moving at Top Walking Speed. The scale 01 the terrain is 1/100, making one
J
Combat Speed. Attacks can be made MU tOcm across. The vehicle receives(6MP x IOem ... ) 60 em for movement purposes.
normally at this rate of movement. Presently, the walker is running through a thick jungle. Joogle normally cost 2 Movement Points per MU to cross, Thus. lor each centimeter moved, the actual movement cost is (I
;
Vehicles moving at half their Combat em x Jungle Cost 2 .. ) 2 em. Each centimeter of Jungle terrain will cost the walker 2 em 01
Speed or less gain an additional + 1 to movement, so it can move only up to 30 em in the jungle.
their attack rolls due to the additional O ...... E" ,1.1 ) stability provided by lower speeds (see A Cavalier walker is rolling in Ground mode at Combat Speed (3 MPs). It may spend Ansel< Modifiers, page 54). anywhere between 0 and 3 MPs, If it spends zero. it is considered to have stopped mov-
ing and is irrmobile. If it spends the lull 3 MPs. it has the option to shift to Top Speed. The I' Cavalier's Player opts to do this and declares the speed shift irrmediately after moving the Cavalier. To making record keeping easy, the Player puts down a "Top Speed' marker I beside his unit miniature on the table.
50 •
i"TiJRNINC-
A vehicle can !urn up to 60 degrees left
or right at no MP expense after moving at least one MU. If it wants 10 turn 120
degrees or more. or turn belore moving, it win cosl 1 MP. A vehicle could spin
around 360 degrees, but it would still
cost just 1 MP.
Turning 120 degrees or more while mov· ing at Top Speed requires a Driving Skill
roll versus a Threshold 013 plus !he ter
rain MP cost (this does not count as an
action). II the roll succeeds or is a draw,
the turn occurs without complications.
If the roll fails, the vehicle Skids forward
1 MU before taking the turn (if sam&
thing is blocking the way, treat as a ram,
page 54).
II the roll Fumbles, the vehicle skids for·
ward 1 MU then crashes; this ends the
vehicle's movement. One die is rolled
to assign either a light(' to 3) or Heavy
(4 to 6) random damage effect to the
vehicle (see Damage, page 58).
· -MUL TIPU: MOVEMENT SYSTEMS
Vehicles with multiple movement sys
tems, such as walking and rotling, 8I"e
able to switch modes during combat to
make the best use 01 the terrain.
A vehicle may switch modes only while
at Combat Speed, never at Top Speed.
This shift must be declared by the Player
imrnediatety arter moving the unit. The
vehicle is considered to be using the
new tT'IO\Iefl"Ient mode until it is switched
again.
A vehicle with multiple movement sys
tems may onty switch modes once per
combat turn.
C HAPTER 'J\vO; THE GAME
COMBAT Combat is essentially divided into two distincl phases. the lirslto lind !he enemy, the
second to attack it. Both provide offensive and defensive opportunities that must be
laken advantage of in order to gain the upper hand in battle.
Game play is divided along much the same line. A unit must be able to acquire its
target (either visualty or through devices) before it can anack it.
o It is a requirement for a unit to ·see" its
target to lire. The ability to detect and
target an opposing unit is called, Jar sim
plicity, having a Una of Sight (LOS). This
does not necessarily impty that the tar
get is within human visual sight, merely
thai it can be acquired and locked on
by the sensors and lire control devices
available 10 the detecting unit. Units al
ways are considered to have a Une of
Sight to their target unless one 01 the
conditions in the table below exists.
There are several Simple ways to check
line of Sight. The string is a common
and easy-ta-use method. An ordinary
string or thread is placed from the sensors of the firing unit to the visible portion of the defender (or the center points
of both, if playing the tactical scale). If
the string is not hindered in any way, the
LOS is clear. If the string cannot draw a straight line to 50% of the target or more,
it is Concealed. Other methods include
direct visual sighting (impractical 00
18I"ge playing surfaces) and, for the well
equipped, laser pointer sighting.
Range Is measured from the center of
the attacker's base to the center of the
targe('s base. This prevents problems
with long gun barrels and other model
Ing leatures.
D IIIICkIII UII .. _ ..... , • The Concealment value of tile terrain between the lXIit and tile target Is greater
than the lXIit's Detection rating (see next pa!iJ8).
Either lXlit is wittWllhe clead zone of an intervri'lg elevation ieYeI. A IMlit is within a dead zone if k is adjacent to an interceding elevation increase.
The large!: Is beyond the delecti'lg lXIit's sensor range.
5'
• t
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,
CHAPTER 'TWo' THE GAME
?
CONCEALMENT
Concealment is equal to the total Ob
scurement ratings of all terrain directly
between two units (rounded down to the
nearest whole number). If ooe of the
units is on a higher elevation level than
the other, only the terrain at the higher
elevation level and the terrain of the
defender's kx:alion are counted for C0n
cealment purposes.
The Terrain table (page SO) indicates the
Obscurement values for each type of ter
rain , per whole MU. Obscurement
makes a larget moJe difficult to detect
and cause penalties that are applied to
the attacker's roll.
DETECTI~O"N~------- o Infantry and crewmen are always on the
lookout for enemy units. Units thus have
a passive Detection Rating: this detec
tion value is used to calculate whether
a unit can acquire its target.
Add a vehicle's Sensor raUng (if present)
to its crew's Skill level to produce the
vehicle's passive sensor value. Any ve
hicles not equipped with sensors, in
cluding infantry, get a base Detection
value of 4 in daylight or 2 at night from
unassisted vision. The highest value is
the vehicle's final Detection value. The
detection rating may be modified by cer
tajn Flaws (see page 98).
The range at which a unit can be de
tected is based on its Size. Each range
band measures a number 01 MUs equal
to the Size 01 the target (x2 for Walker
vehicles). Each range band after the first
adds one point of Concealment. In other
words, there is no modifier to Conceal
ment for targets which are closer than a
number of MUs equal to their Size.
52
ACTIVE S ENSOR L O S
Some vehicles may carry primitive sen
sor suites to locate enemy units lurking
nearby: radar, simple IR cameras and
spotlights, elc. By performing an active
sensor sweep, these systems can be
used to obtain a line-of-sight on an en
emy unit even when visual or passive
sensor LOS is impossible.
One is subtracted from the threshold for
every MU the defending unit moved this
turn and every weapon the defender
fired this turn. Add the rating of any
Stealth Perk or Large Sensor Profile Raw
of the defender to the Threshold.
A success means the defender has
been acquired and may be attacked. A
draw, failure or fumble mean the target
has not been found (fumbles have 'no
further effect in this case). Vehicles with
out sensors cannot perform active sen
sor detection. Active sensor sweeps,
unlike passive or visual detection, re
quire a full action to complete.
To activate the vehicle's sensors. a Crew
Skill test, modified by the vehicle's sen
sor value, is made (it is simply assumed
that the sensor most suited to the task
was used). The ThreshOld number is
equal to the target's Concealment value.
1 0 1liiie ... Ex :PH I
-
A scout car has a Sensor rating 01-2 and its Qualified crew has a Skill leVel of 2. The I vehicle, therefore. has a passive sensor rating of O. Its Detection value is 4 (visual) and its Night Detection value Is 2 (highest value is used belYleen sensor and visual). The vehicle can, however. perform active sensor sweeps.
The scout car's crew wishes to attack a Size 6 walk6f lurking in woods 7 MUs away. The range would normally incur a -1 penal\yon detection (7 being greater than 6, but oodef t2), but since the walker is so tall the range bands are doubled, which removes the penalty. There are two full MUs of woods between the units, adding two points to the walker's Concealment. Since the tolal Concealment Is 2, well under the scout cars Detection, the target is acquired and may be fired upon.
o Ac1IVII ..... TlII'I.~DIII M .... __ .., Applied to Attacker's Roll
• Applied to Concealment Threshold
Sensor Rating I Stealth or large Profile modifier (variable. by delaun 0)
Movemeflt Penalty (-1 per MU moved by the target this tum)
• • • Combat Penalty (-1 per weapon fired by the target this turn) t
o Ac1IVI ...... Ex.III .... --.., I There are lour MUs of woods betweoo the scout car arld its target. Since it's a night combat. it cannot normally detect it, since the tolal Concealment (4) is greater than the Night Detection Rating of the scout car (which is 2). Expecting trouble, I'Iowaver. the car's ccrnmander has activated his WOrtzburg PKR-43 infra-fed sensors to detect hidden anemias. The Concealment value of 4 is the base Threshold lor the Sensor Skill test.
The target moved one MU this turn. This reduces the Threshold by t, clown to 3. The target fired its machlnegun at some nearby German Infantry during the current turn, which drops ~s Threshold down to 2.
The car's S8flsor system is rated at -2; earty detection equipment was quite crude and lJIlfeliable. The crew spends an action and rolls a Skill test. obtaining a 5. They S1Jbtract
the Son"" ,01''''' (-') '0 the '~I "'" """'" , """ .'0," ~ 3_ Th." '''' """"h '0 dOl"" I the target, which is now acquired.
•
•
)
I
J
, f
I
I
•
, .
• AnACKS
If a unit has a Une of Sight to a largel
within ils wea~'s firing arc and range,
il can attack that larget. When an attack
occurs, an opposed Skill lest is required
10 determine the success of Ihe attack.
The attacKer uses his unit's Gunnery Skill
and the defender uses his unil's Driving
Skill to make the test. both rolls modi
fied by Ihe appropriate situation modifi
ers (see sunvnary at righl) .
II the attacker wins the Skittlesl. the at
tack succeeds. If the defender wins or if a draw occurs, the attack misses. The
table at right conlains a SlKl'llll8ry of the
modifiers to both rolls; they are e)(
plalned further on pages 54-55.
FIRING ARCS
Vehicles may only larget opponents thaI
are within their weapons' firing arcs.
Each wea~ is mounted within a cer
lain arc and can only fire in il: targets
that lie outside the firing arc cannot be
targeted.
There are six common firing arcs: Forward (F). Aighl (At), left (l), Rear (Ar).
Fixed Forward (FF) and Turreted (T). The first four are 1 ao..degree arcs on their
respective sides. Side arcs include di
recUy forward and backward. The fixed
forward arc is a 9O-degree arc on a
vehicle's front lacing. Note that side or
rear fixed arcs are also possible. but
uncommon. Turreted arcs span 360
degrees.
Infantry squads do not have facing. as
the men can quickly lurn around to re
spond 10 a threat or to move. They do
not have !iring arcs and may move or attack anything in a 36Q.degree radius
around them.
C HAPTER Two; THE GAME
A Shiki 38 walkBf is faced with a Longstreel and has taken shelter In juogle vegelalion (Obscurement 2). Two JIXIgIe MUs 1n19N9llEl1n addition 10 the lerraln the ShikJ is In. for a total Concealment value 016. This is grealer than the Loogslreet's Detecllon of 4, so the Shiki remains hidden.
If eilher unit is In a dead zone. line 01 sighl is obscured. A Csvalie!' is within range 01.., enemy tank (6 MUs) but both ooits are juSI behind ridoes. The tank i's hklden and cannol be fired upon. If the walker were to cli"nb the nearest ridge , It would stiU not be able 10 see the tank because the vehicle i's Iocaled in the dead zone at the base of the elevation. 11 the walker moves 10 the 0Ihef ridge, ~ wililhen see the \lWl.
Fwe Conlrol Raling
Anacker Movement Modilier
Obscurement Penalty
DefwtM; .............. .,
Maneuver Rating
Delender Movement Modifier
Arc of Attack Modilie!' _0.0_ II Attackers 100ai is aboVe Qrelendef's HIT
If Attacker's lotal is equal 10 or below Qrelendef's MISS
o AtIII:Ir fll! $111_, Walker Alpha shoots al Walker Beta. Alpha moved at Ccmbal Speed and used up all his
MPs (+0). His largeting system and weapon accuracy are both raled al +0. He is attack· ng wiItWt the "Short" range band (2 MUs) of his.....aapon (+0). There it no obscuMg lerrain between them. Alpha's piIoI rolls his Glnlery SkiN and obtains a IOtaI of 4. Since Alpha's modillers lotal up 10 .0. his linal attack rotl i's 4. Bela musl now make his defense roll. On his last fllCM}. Beta traveled 7 MUs (.1). Beta's Maneuver is -1. Alpha's anack 0CCUtS in Beta's forward defense an:: (+0). Beta's pilot roll his DriWIg SkNt test and 0btains a score of 5. This is modified by the situation bonuses 10 yield a tnallotal of 5. Since 5 i's grealer Iharl 4, Beta avoids Alpha's attack.
Walk9f Alpha Is again shooting al Walk9f Bela. Alpha moved al Top Speed (<3). His lire
control syslem was dwnaged dlrtlg the battle and Alpha now receiveS a-I modiflBf 10 all attacks. He is 5 MUs away from Beta, and is at Long r8nQ8 with his chosen weapm (·2).
In addition, one MU 01 'Noodlands terrain (Obscurement 1) lies between the two (-1). Alpha makes its Gunnery Skill test and obtains the remar1ulble roll 01 8. Unfoftunalely, alter \he 100ai -7 penalty Is applied. the linailClaI is only 1. Beta attempts 10 avoid this
attack.. On its last move. Beta only traveled 2 MUS (-2). In addition. Alpha now lies in Beta·s rear defense arc (-2). Beta still has his Maneuver (· 1). Beta rolls his Driving Skitl lest and obtain a lowly 3. Alter the situation modifl8fs are applied. this is reduced 10 a final Iolal 010 (since negative numbers are not allowed). Alpha's IOtaI 011 is grealerthan Bela's lotal of 0, 90 Alpha has successfuNy anacked Beta with a Margin 01 Soccess 01 I .
53
. , •
•
•
,
C HAPTER 1\110: T HE GAME
!
• ATtACKER MODIFIERS 0 life is not a firing range; combat is al
ways harder under certain conditions,
easier under others. Modifiers resolve
this by introducing penalties and b0-
nuses to each and every combat roll.
Apart from the quality of the vehicle's
Fire Control system and the accuracy
of the weapon, other factOfs apply: the
range to the target. the cover between
the aHacker and defender and the
attacker's own movement.
RANG
Every ranged weapon is rated by a
value known as its Base Range . The
Base Range is expanded into four
Range Bands, each one doubling the
maximum distance of the preceding
one. The further away the target. the
harder it is to hit and damage. Point
Blank is a special range band fOf attacks
thai occur when the miniatures touch
one another; only units with Walker
movement benefit from it (infantry or
walker vehicles).
OBSCUREMENT
Various terrain types, such as swamps
and wooded areas, obscure a target
and make it difficult to hit. The Obscure
ment value of the terrain (see Une of
Sight, page 51) is subtracted from the
attacker's roll to represent both the lack
of accuracy and the damage absorp
tion caused by the intervening cover.
Indirect fire is an exception to this. Since
the attack is arcing through the air above
the intervening terrain, some of the Ob
scurement may be ignored (see Indirect
Fire, page 56).
54
MOVEMENT
A moving gun platform has a higher
chance of missing than a stationary one.
Conversely, a unit that is moving slowly
generally has less trouble keeping its
weapons trained on a target. Stationary
attackers (i.e .• that have spent no MP)
are the best firing platforms.
Since the penalty for moving slowly is
higher than the attack benefits gained,
Players must be careful to place their
slow-moving units in a position where
return fire is least likely.
• "DEFENDER "MODIFIERS
The Defense roll is an abstract repre
sentation of the target's attempts at eva
sion and its use of any available caver
(both impossible to properly represent
at the tabletop level). Targets rely on the
following modifiers to help them avoid
shots and blows. In general, the only
defense of large and ungainly vehicles
is speed and cover.
M ANEUVER VALUE
Each vehicle has a set maneuver value
by design. Negative maneuver values
are for slow, ponderous vehicles like
battleShips and large tanks. Positive
maneuver values are for fast and agile
vehicles like motorcycles.
TARGET SPEED
An enemy unit's speed affects how easy
it is to hit. Speed modifiers are deter
mined accOfdlng to the ever-increasing
scale on page 55. If the target has yet
to move in the turn, its last recorded
movement is used to determine its modi
fier. On the first turn of combat. assume
that the vehicle has moved the maxi
mum number of MUs for its current
speed in its current terrain.
DEFl!liist )U"C-----
The defender's orientation, when at
tacked, can reduce his chances of suc
cessfully . escaping the attack, ei ther
because of inattention Of thinner armor.
Most combat vehicles carry less armor
on their back than on the fronl, due to
unavoidable engineering concerns.
More importantly, however, crews can
not defend against attacks they do ·not
see coming. Attacks coming from the
rear are much more dangerous than at
tacks from the front (see the Defense Ales diagram on page 73).
Ground vehicles can ram, but few driv
ers exercise the option. The old-fash
ioned close-in attacks, however, remain
available to both infantry and walker
vehicles. Ramming, punching, kicking,
stomping and all manner of melee
weapons are often used on the battle
field when ammo runs out.
RAMMING o Ramming is an Opposed Driving Skill
roll. Unlike other attacks, ramming in
flicts collision damage on both the at
tacker and the defender. Impact speed
is first determined based upon the di
rection of the ram. Head-on collisions
add the speeds of the attacker and de
fender. Side impacts take the attacker's
speed, and rear collisions take the dif
ference between the two speeds.
From the impact speed, a damage
modifier" is determined USing the Impact
Speed Table (see facing page). This is
added to the Size of each vehicle in
volved in the collision to determine its
Impact Damage Multiplier. Each vehicle
will take an amount of damage equal to
the Margin of Success of the Attack
multiplied by its opponent's Impact
•• •
•
I .
,
I
•
~~ -~ 0-. CHAPTER 'J\vo: THE GAM E
~
", Damage Multiplier (see Damage. page
58). The larger the unit, the more daJn. o AtlKllMI ..... •
age it will inflict on the other unit inYoIved ................ in !he collision. If the attacker gels a MoF Point Blank Special range (base-to-base contact; infantry and walker only) ., and still has MPs to spend, he moves ""'" (from I MU to base range) 0
one MU forward and slops there; other- Mod"'" (from previous 10 two (2) limes base range) -, wise, he slops al the collision point. Long (from previous 10 leu (4) Ilmes base range) -2
""'~ (from previous 10 Bight (8) limes base range) -3
PUNCHING • Obecurement II ........
Sw,"", , Wood, , • An arm Of equivalent appendage is reo
_. 2 Water 2'
quired 10 punch (this is noted on the ...................... vehicle's record sheet in the PerXs sec- """""'" .2 HaH Combat Speed or less ., lion). Punch attacks require a Driving CaOOa,_ .0 Top_ 0 -3
Skill roll (modified bV the Fire Cootrol • Only produces Obscurement II defender is an Amphibious vehicle.
rating) versus the defender's Driving O~.I"" Skill (or Infantry Skill, il anacking Infan-
try unils).The Damage Multiplier of a • .a__v .....
vehicle's punch is rl()(mally aquatlo the · ,.,.... ....... 11 ..........
rating of the punching arm, but the pilot HeKeS Moved Defense Modifier Hexes Moved Defense Modilier
may elect to ·pull" the punch to lower 0 -3 ' -2 -2
the OM and thus reduce the damage. ,... -, ... .0
7-9 ., 10-19 .2
20-99 .3 KlCKINC"'Al<D STOMPING - D • ...,... Af'O .. , ........
Kicking other vehicles and stomping II attack is n the defender's Froft 0
infantry squads are both valid attacks II attack is from defender's Real Flank -, for a walker vehicle. Kick attacks require If attack is lrom oefencter's Rear -2
a Driving Skill roll (modified by the Ma-
neuver rating) versus the defender's -own Driving (Of Infantry Skill, if attack- O R 1111 ..... fng infantry units). If successful, the _ ..... lNtcot .... --Margin of Success is wor1<.ed out and Head On Attacker Speed ... Defender Speed
the damage calculated as normal. The Side Attacker Speed I Damage Multiplier of a kick is equatlo Rea, Attacker Speed • Defender Speed
the Size of the vehicle. Of IlCt ...........
MEJ:EE N. -- .......... , ..... '-- .......... , ....... '-2 -2 3·' .,
If any melee weapon is listed on the ... .0 7-9 ., record sheet, the crew may attack the 10-19 .2 20-99 .3 target using its Driving Skill, applying the '--Fire Control as a modifier. II successful. -the Margin of Success is wor1<.ed out and o fIIIy.1I AtIKII Exl I II ........ ' the damage calculated as normal. A OUt of arrm.rilon, a walker (SIze 6)decIdes to I\Jl up to the light taf'j( it disabled last turn melee weapon's Damage Multiplier is and finish it 01/ with a weH-pIaced kick. The damaged tank is no( very maneuverable and
listed in the Weapon section 01 the va- rolls a low 2 for defense. With modifiers, Omicron 's pilot rolls a 6. for a MoS of 4. The rna!
hicle record Sheet. along with any spa-damage is (4 ~ 6 . ) 24 points of damage. The walker jumps on the hapless tank's hull and I kicks the turret c lean 011.
cia! effecl Of rule. -
55
• e00~" CHAPTF.Jt Two: THE GAME
1 •
• • DEFENSIVE MANEUVERS For scenario purposes, high precision -BURSTF'IRE 0 • "Defensive Maneuver" is a catch-all term
shots versus tiny targets (headlights, 101' Burst fira is abstracted into a form that
used to describe a unit's extra efforts in example) are possible. The shot must
is easier to use during the game. Ally be aimed (- t Accuracy) and a Margin •
looking for the tiniest bit of cover. mew- weapon w.ilh a Rate of Fire (ROF) of 1 or
ing rTIOfe carefully than usual and gen-01 Success of at least 3 is required to
greater is capable of burst fire. The Rate
erally keeping its head down. A deela-hit. If the MoS is lower then 3 but above
of fire is added to the weapon's Dam-
ration of Defensive Maneuvers counts 0, the attack hits the targeted location
age Multiplier when the weapon is used
as an action and must be made at the but not the tiny target. For example, a
against vehicles and other hard targets,
start of the combat turn (units may not gunner wishing to blowout a headlight
This represents the increased damage
"abort" to Defensive Maneuvers later in on the walker's structure would make a
effect caused by the pounding of many
the turn). precision shot; if the MaS is under 3, he
projectiles upon the target's armor. A hits the Structure instead. Small targets
successful burst fire attack versus in-Performing Defensive Maneuvers adds and their locations are mentioned in the
lantry and other targets with no Armor a +3 bonus to all defense rolls for the scenario when this option is available. combat turn but prevents the unit from
value, on the other hand, adds the ROF
bonus to the Margin 01 Success instead attacking or performing any other ac-
• INDIRECT'"FJRE of the Damage Multiplier to represent the , . tion that turn. Multiple "evasive actions'
cannot be performed to accumulate Indirect fire is used by artillery batteries devastating effect of the multiple rounds
defensive bonuses. Defensive Maneu- and other vehicles that have weapons on the unprotected target(s). •
vers may not be taken while moving al capable of indirect fire. Indirect fire is Ten rounds of ammunition are expended , Top Speed. primarily used for long range fire sup- for every point of Rate of Fire bonus
port, though it is also useful to attack used in the attack (not entirely realistic,
• AIMED SHOTS targets that are out of visual line of sight. but much simpler game-wise). Burst fire
Only weapons that are specifically des- has the effect of lowering the weapon's A gunner may elect to perform an aimed ignated as indirect firing weapons may total effective damage for the ammo • shot versus a specific component of a use this form of attack. fired because many rounds will simply vehicle rather than just aim for the cen-
To fire indirectly, an attied unit must be not connect with the target. To conserve •
ter of mass. Allowed targets are Fire designated as the forward observer. The
ammunition, the attacker may elect to Control, Structure, Crew Compartment,
forward observer must have a valid LOS use only part of the weapon's entire ROF ,
Movement Systems and Auxlliary Sys-to the target. Being a forward observer
rating. II the ROF rating is equal to zero tems. These locations are represented
takes up one action and a Communica-(by choice or by design), onlyone round
by the numbers 1 to 5 on the Systems too roll. A single forward observer can
of ammunition is expended per firing. Damage Table (see Damage, page 58).
Aimed shots have a -1 moclifier to their relay firing coordinates to multiple indio Burst fire automatically pins infantry in
roll, but il the attack succeeds, result 6 rect fire units. place, whether it causes damage or not
on the table also corresponds to the de- Indirect attacks can be perfOfmed over (see Pinned!, page 64).
sired location. obstacles, including inl8l'18I'ing elevation
Aimed shots, being less likely to hit than levels, because the attacks are angled MlSSILE"ROF
other attacks, are usually best used for over the obstructions. The attacker re-
Unlike other weapons, rocket and mis-,
ceives the forward observer's Obscure-specific objectives. FOf example, de-
ment modifier to attack inslead 01 his sile launch systems do not expend ten
straying a vehicle's movement system 0INr'l , If the attack is successful, ha.Yever,
rounds 01 ammunition per point of ROF
helps to capture il, while specifically tar- bonus used in the attack, Instead, the , geting the fragile antennae array of the
only the Obscurement of the terrain in number 01 rockets or missiles used
opponent's command walker is more the targers location counts, thus in-
doubles IOf every point of ROF that is
likely to silence it than a random hit to creasing the MoS, If the attack fails, the
applied toan attack. Thus, an attack with
its hull. shot scatters in a random direction by a
ROF + 1 requires 2 missiles, ROF +2 ra--number of Measurement Units equal to
quires 4 missiles, ROF +3 requires 8 the MoF (see template on page 73).
,
56 • ,
•
missiles, ROF +4 requires 16 missiles,
and so on, doubling every time. This
reduction In ammunition cost both rep
resents tile increased effectiveness of
rockets and acts as a counterpoint to
their \/\J1net'8bitity 10 anli-missile devices.
WALKING FIRE o Weapons capable of burst fire can be
used toatlack multiple targets in a single
action by walking the burst across the
targets. Walking fire must be declared
before any attacks are made. A num
ber 01 targets equal to the weapon's ROF plus one may be attacked; the targets
may not be more than t MU apart 'rom
one another and all must be within the
weapon's firing arc. For each target, the
weapon's ROF is reduced by one for
damage purposes (but not for ammo
expenditure). Each separate anack is
rolled separately. Each individual target
may no! be attacked more than once per
round by the same weapon (no extra
attacks against one target).
SATURATION FIRE o A burst fire weapon can be used to satu
rate a zone with firepower and automati
cally anack anything entering il. The
weapon is put on full automatic lire and
ammunition is emptied liberally, filling
the air with a virtual wall of projectiles.
Every unit that is in the target area or
enters it later in the combat turn suffers
an attack automatically, regardless of speed, maneuver or allegiance.
To perform saturation lire, the altaekef'
chooses a target point. He then rotls his
attack normally except that hall the
weapon's ROF (rounded down) is added
to his dice roll. The ROF Is not used to
increase the Damage Multiplier or Mar·
gin of Success 01 the attack. After roil
ing, the attacker records the total attack
roll. Any unit within a radius of (RoF x
MU) of the target point. or that enters
this zone later in the combat turn, must
surpass this number or be damaged by
the saturation fire. The damage is equal
to the Margin of Failure times the Damage Multiplier 01 the weapon.
There are two limitations to this type of
fire: the saturation target point cannot
be further than the Medium range 01 the
weapon , and the weapon uses 30.
rounds of ammunition (Of 8 rockets) per
ROF point used in the attack. If the
weapon does not have this much ammo
left. the result still stands (although !he
ammo magazine is emptied). A least to
rounds of ammunition (or 4 rockets) are
required to saturate.
CHAPTER l\vO: THE GAME
AREA EFFECT WEAPONS 0 Area effect weapons damage every
thing in their radius, irrespective 01 friend
or foe. These weapons are rated in Area
Effect (AE). followed by the radius (in
MU) 01 the blasl area .. An AE of radius
o means that only one MU around the
target is affected (anything present in
!he radius fTMJst defend against the at
tack). A single anack roll is made, while
each and f!Very vehicle and squad (al
lies included) in the affected area roll
their defense against this vafue_ sepa
rately. Even If the blast is completely de
fended against (e. g. Margin of Success equal to D), any unit in the blast zone
still takes half the explosion's Damage
Multiplier in concussion damage.
Smitty fires his machinegu"l al\he enemy with his lui ROf of +2, expending 20 rounds of amm.mitk>n. He hits with a Margin of Success of 2. His gun's Damage Multiplier is 1'3; sflce his AOf is 2. this now becomes (3 + 2 -)5. for a Ioial of 10 points 01 damage. Had he elected 10 use a ROF of I , Ns 10Ia1 c1amage would have been «3 + 1) Jl 2 -)8. He would. however. have saved 10 rounds. Had he used his full ROf bonus of 2 againsl infantry. the bonus would have been applied directly 10 his Margin of Success, raising It to 4 and thereby causing (3 x 4 .. )12 points of damage to the hapless infanlry unitl
A walker sprays rocket lire across three targets. Its rocket pod has a Rale of Fire of +4. 90 the gt.018f coutd choose to attack up to live targets (main target plus lour others). SInce he is attacking IVI/O eldra target , his effective Rate of Fo!of each individual attack is +2, IVI/O points 01 ROF haWlg been e)(pended to switch tarQllK. II still expends 16 roct\eIs.
o IIIII'IIiII Fft En 331 Smitty saturates an area using allol his gtXl's ROFof +2. His attack roll turns up a 5. Smitty adds 1 (hall his ROF) to the tOlal . bringing ilto 6. Any unit presenUy within one MU 0I11le targel point, or thai enlers thai area later fl the turn. fTlJSt immediately roll a defense test versus a Threshold of 6 (Srnitty's attacll; rei). If the roll is failed, the defender is success·
fully attacked; his Margin of Failure Is rruIliplied by the machinegun's Damage Multiplier 013. Ills a pity thaI Smitty is now out 01 8IlYl'lO. lhe attack having cost him 60 munds.
o ..... EIiIct AItIdI E' 3* Iv! area effect weapon CAE1 . OM x30) is fired at Tank Alpha (Almof 15130(45). Both Alpha
and Beta. one MU away, are affected since the blast is AE 1. The attack roll is low, a mere 3. Alpha rolls a 6 and Beta a 3 (alter modifl8rs). avoiding the attack. Still. both take 15 points at dama~ (haW the weapon's Damage MuHiplief)In shrapnel and concussion.
57
-, •
•
•
CHAPTER TwO:1'HE GAME
DAMAG~E-----------------=
The Annor rating of a vehicle represents the toughness of its best armored location.
Aiming for the weaker points of the structure thus increases the chances of damaging the unit A weapon's damage increases with the Margin of Success of its attack,
since weapon damage is rated as a multiplier to the Margin of Success. Thus the
better the marksman, the greater the damage.
Total Damage '" Margin of Success x Damage Multiplier
This tinal damage is compared to the Base Armor 01 the larget vehicle. The follow
ing table, Damage versus Armor, lists the possible outcomes. Only the most severe effect applies. For example, if a vehicle suffers Heavy Damage because it took
damage exceeding twice its Base Armor value, it does not suffer Ughl Damage
even though it obviously look damage in excess of its Base Armor rating.
Regardless 01 the result 01 the dice roll or the modifier, the Margin 01 Success cannot
be greater than six lor the purpose of damage.
D D.II .. n~_ ~ 10 ArMor Outcome
Damage < than 4 No Effect
Damage ~ 10 A but lower than 2 x 4 Ughl Damage
Damage <!: 10 2 x A but lower than 3 x A Heavy Damage
Damage ~ to 3 x A Qverio;ill
4'"' Vehicle Base Armor
D VIINcII 0.011 Exo $ $1 _ . _,
- .... Nothing; hit bounces off
-1 to Armor Rating; roll 011
Systems Damage Table
-2 to AtfOOf Rating; roll on Systems Damage Table
Vehicle Destroyed
A German Valkurie fires a PAR 24 (rocket bazooka) at an Americal1 Sherman. The ValklJ'ie's
modified attack roll is 7. Tho Shefman's modified defense roll is 4. The Valkurie hits with a
Margin of Success of 3 . The bazooka has a Damage Multiplier 0113, his total damage is (3 x 20 '"'I 39. The Sherman has a base AtfOOf score 0114. Since 39 is 0'VeI' double that value but no! triple it, the tank takes Heavy Damage. A roll 011 the Systems Damage table produces a 2: Structural Damage. This requires a further roll 011 the Structural Damage
Subtable. The die roll is a 4 ; 1 is added to the result. as directed in the previous table. This
brings the total 10 5: Power Transfer Failure/NO Movement. The Sherman can no longer move because 01 exteosive damage to its treads and gearboxes.
e 0 -0 * ~4t}) • " SYSTEMS D AM AGE---O
The attacker rolls 1d6 to find the loca
tion 01 the hit. When multiple possibili
ties exist for exactly which vehicle c0m
ponent is damaged, such as when a
weapon is damaged, a single die is
rolled, If the result is an odd number, the
defender chooses which system is dam
aged. If the result is an even number,
the attacker chooses which system is
damaged.
If a 6 is rolled Ofl the table, a ' cascade
result " occurs: multiple systems fair, bul
lets ricochet inside the hull, etc. The at
tacker may immediately roIllwice Ofl the
System Damage table, If any of these
new rolls produce a 6 again, it also generales two new rolls and so Ofl until Oflly
damage results have been rolled.
If the damage table Indicates damage
to a system that is not present on the
vehicle (or that has already been to
taled). the vehicle takes no further dam
age beyond the loss of Armor points
(see further) . A vehicle is not removed
from play until it is either down to zero AtITlQ( points, it receives damage in ex
cess of three times its AIITIQ( in a single
attack, or the System Damage table result indicates that it is destroyed.
DAMAGE TO ARMOR 0
Armor loses its effectiveness when dam
aged due to cracking and structural fa
tigue. Bits and parts may lall off, or
chinks may develop through which the
next attack will reach a vi lal system or
component Inside, hastening the
vehicle's demise.
When a vehicle suffers Ughl Damage,
it loses 1 poinl of Base AImor perma
nenUy in addition to the effect outlined
in the System Damage Table. Heavy
Damage causes a vehicle to lose 2 points of Base Armor permanently, in
•
•
,
•
I
,
• , .
.@~*00. ?
addition to the system damage. Each
point of Base Armor lhalls k;)$t reduces
the amount needed to inflict Heavy
Damage by 2 and the amount need to
pnxluce Overkill by 3 .
Even if the vehicle has specialized atmor-le/aled Perks (such as Reinforced
Armor), damage is always laken off the
Base Armor fsting. This is mostly done
to simplify bookkeeping and keep the
game moving along.
FiR~ONTROL - -Fire Control is a catch-all category thai
\ . represents the vehicle's targeting de
vices, acquisition gear and its weaponry.
If more than one weapon system is
present, all damage received is random
ized following !he procedure ouUined 00
the previous page.
The dcmage penalties are applied to the
affected weapon 's Accuracy. If a weapon's cumulative penalties ever
reach a total of -5, the weapon is put
out 01 commission and cannot be used
anymore. !' the penalties drop to -6 or lower, the weapon is completely de
stroyed and blown off the hull.
If a vehicle's Are Control is utterly de
stroyed, the vehicle may still attack but
il suffers a -5 modifier.
-Structure hits damage the vehicle's
frame and structural integrity. The hull
and other components are twisted out
of shape or ripped apart, causIng fur
ther damage to the mechanisms within.
Most Structure hits are fairly straightfor
ward: loss of Movement Points are ap
plied to one Movement Type, while Ma
neuver losses affect the vehicle as a _e.
CHAPTER Two: THE GAME
A~' Damaged System A_ FirS Control Roll on Subtable A
2 _ ...
Roll on SobIabie B 3 C, .. Crew stunned (-1 action for ,tum)
4 """""""' · .MP
5 Auxiliary Syscems -1 to , d6 Auxiiafy Systems
6 Roll Twice on this lable'
• If the attack was a called shoe, the attacker hits his target location (as effects' 105 on lable. depending on target). .
o ByI"11I 011'11' -=1IIIvy 0 I' Roll Damaged Syscem .""""
Fire Control Roll on Subtable A and add +' 2 S<rucI~. Roll on Subcable B and add + 1 , C, .. 10% casualties, min. 1
4 """""""' 1/2 remaining MP (1OlMld down) & -2 Maneuver
5 Auxiliary Systems 1 d6 Auxiliary System cIestJoyed
6 Roll Twice on this table'
• If the attack was 8 called shot. the attacker hits his targetlocalion (as enects 1 to 5 on
table, depending on target).
o .... A: Fn &II ..... 011'11.
2
3
5
6
7
1-3
4-6
Enecl
- I Accuracy to 8 single Weapon
·2 Accuracy to. single Weapon
Single Weapon destJOyed
Fwe Control SYSlem destroyed (-510 aN 8ttacXsj
Roll Twice on this tabla
AmmunIIlonIFueI Hit (roll ld6)
Anmo Storage and Fuel Tank Ruptured (vehicle cannot rnoYe Of rife weapons)
Chain Reactlonl Anmo and Fuet Explodesl (VetWcIe Destroyed and all Crew K~Ied)
0 '" b'J B: SINtIJi<II 011111' Enecl
· 1M1'
2 1/2 remaining MPs (round Clown)
3 -1 10 Maneuver
·2 to Maneuver
5 Power Transfer Failure: no movement
6 catastrophic craw 00TII)8rtrTIent failure, 75" casualties, mn. 1
7 Complete struc:luralfalkJre: vehicle Is destroyed: crew survives.
59
•• •
•
•
C HAPTER lWo: THE GAME
Power Transfer Failure hits destroy the
vehicle's transmissi<:lo, effectively putting
aU movement systems out of service. It
is still possible to fire weaponry, though.
Catastrophic Crew Compartment Failure
is just that: the vehicle's structure col
lapses, trapping the crew between the
very armor plates that were supposed
to protect them. The Reinforced Crew
Compartment Perk is ineffective against
this, but the Reinforced Structure Perk
will absorb the hit as normal.
CREW
' Crew Stunned" results mean ooe ac-
\, tion is lost. If the actions were already
taken that turn. the lost actioos carry
over to the following turn(s). Command
points may be used to pay the action
debt. A "Stunned" chit can be placed
on the game sheet as a reminder of ac
tion owed.
The Crew result 00 the System Damage
Table is also used to determine dam
age among the vehicle's passengers, if
any are aboard. The usual damage al
location method (see page 58) is used
to determine whether the crew or the
passengers lake the hit. Damage is then
applied as normal. Passengers cannol
replace lost crew, though allowances
can be made lor this in a scenario.
MOVEMENT
My penalty to the speed of the vehicle
is applied to all 01 its Top Speeds; the
Combat Speed is then recalculated by
dividing the Top Speed Movement Point
allowance by two, rounding up. If all
Movement Systems are totaled, either
through successive minuses (maximum
-5) or a Heavy Damage result, the
vehicle's defense rolls are equal to zero
from now on.
60
A UXILIARY SYSTEMS
Auxiliary Systems (AUX) include Sen
sors, Communicatioos and any Perks
that are labeled as Auxiliary Systems (e.
g. lile support. ejection seats). If any tur
reted weapon is present, the turret is
counted as an Auxiliary System and may
be disabled like the rest (though turrets
are not affected by "-1 " results). A dis
abled turret is lrozen in place and any
weapon mounted in It becomes fixed in
the arc where it was last fired.
If a vehicle's Sensors or Communica
tions system are destroyed, the vehicle
may not per/om any action that requires
these systems, such as Active Sensor
lOS or forward observing.
Damaged AUX Perks have a -1 to any
roll involving those particular systems
(for example, -, on any Sensor roll with
Aquatic Sensors), or a 20% loss in effi
ciency (00 systems !ike mining equip
ment). If a system's cumulative penal
ties reach -5 (100% efficiency loss), it is
considered destroyed.
DAMAGE TO ARMS
Arms (whether of the BaIlie, Tool or
Manipulator type) are normally part.o'
the vehicle's basic chassis but are COIl
sidered weapons for damage purposes.
If no other weapon system is carried by
the machine, arms are automatically al
lected on "Weapon" hits . If other
weapon systems are present. the dam
age is randomized following the usual
procedure.
Penalties caused by damage are ap
plied equally to aU functions of the arm:
punching, manipulation, elc. II an arm's
In the miOdIe 01 a furious firefight. Walker Theta is hit by a light cannon (x8). The MaS is equal to 4. The 32 poiIlts 01 the attack cause a Heavy Damage result. Rolling one die. we get a 1 (Fire Control). Rolling on Subtable A, we get a 3, plus 1 for Heavy Damage. The result is "Single Weapon Deslroyed . • Walker Theta's Pleyer must now roll IdS to detefmine ......nich weapon is destroyed. The result (e "5") indicates that he can choose ......nlch
one he loses. probably the smaller one. Had the rnmber been evoo, his opponent would have made that choice for him.
A Soviet G-27 heavy walke!" has 9 points of base armor (9/18/27). It receives t2 poiflts 01 damage, enough 10 cause Ught damage. The armor thus drops by one point and becomes (81t6/24). II then receives t7 points 01 damage. Normally, this would cause Ugh! damage. but because 01 the previous hilloYiefing the armor, it now causes Heavy damage. The armor drops by two points, becoming (6It2/t8). Any future hit of 18 points or more will kill the walker.
A defender might receive a "-I 10 Single Weapon" damage effect. If this defender has I more than one weapon. a die Is rolled. If the "",mbar is odd. the defender will probably choose to penalize his moSI feeble weapon. II the nurnbef is even, the attacker WIll most likely opt to damage the defender's main weapon. The penalty Is then applied to the Accuracy 01 the weapon chosen. :=:.J
"' •
•
,
• •
-
•
cumulative penalties reach a lotal 01-5,
the arm is put out 01 commission and
cannot be used anyrTlO(9. lithe penal
ties drop to -6 or lOwer, the arm is c0m
pletely destroyed and bkwm off !he hull.
• CREW EscAPE
Unless specifically mentioned, the crew
01 a destroyed vehicle is not necessar
ily dead, but they are unconscious,
wounded or otherwise unable 10 keep
on ftghling and thus takes no further part
in the scenario.
WherI a vehicle is destroyed, there is a
\. slim chance that the crew will escape.
Roll one die per c rewman; a roll of "6"
means they escaped the destructioo of
their vehicle, Surviving crewmembefs
form a small infanlry unit of their own (see Infantry), equipped with pistols.
Unless lhe scenario has a High Prio.-ity
(see Mission Priorities, page 71), in
which case the crew keeps on fighting,
it will allempt to exil Ihe battlefield
through a friendly table edge.
For example, a Sherman tank is hit and
destroyed by an Overkill result. As the
tank goes up in lIames, Ihe owning
player rolls a d ie lor each 01 the five
crewmen, rolling a 6, 4, 1, 2, 5. In this
case, only one crewman manages to
scramble oot 01 a hatch and escapes
with his life! Understandably rattied, he
tries to make it back on loot to the Allied
lines, clutching his trusty Colt pistol.
C HAPTER TWo: T HE GAME
INFANTRY Machines are expensive and require maintenance, but humans need only food and
motivation to participate in a battle. Moreover. while armored vehicles can take ter
ritory, only infantry can actually hold it. ConseqU8flfly, foot soldiers form a large
percentage of the fighting forces. The infantry platoons 01 most armies are divided
into squads of about ten men eaCh, with an additional squad half that size to serve
as the platoon's overaJiliefd corrrnand unil. Most infantry deploy on foot , but some
use motorcycles, horses and even rocket packs to move around on the battlefield.
• INFANTRY RECORD SHEET
Each inlantry squad has an appropri
ate record sheet that details the neces
sary statistics lor game play. These
sheets are used to tally the damage and
record other important inlormation.
The name of the infantry squad should
be entered on the top of the sheet. Naming a squad can be as elaborate as list
ing the unit's regiment, battalion. c0m
pany, platoon and squad designation or
as simple as a number (L e, squad II).
SQUAD DAMAGE T1uCK
The infantry sheet is composed of a
table of three columns and as many
rows as there are soldiers. The first col·
umn (I) lists the members numerically.
Circle one of these numbers 10 indicate
the squad leader. If he is killed, the
squad's leadership Skill rating drops to
1 (all other Skill rolls are unchanged). II
is these trooper numbers that the Inlan
try Hit location table (see page 64) re
lers to.
The second column is the Weapon cotumn. It shows the type 01 weapon each
trooper cames. The ltIird column is c0m
posed of boxes or dots, each represent
ing one damage point. Each trooper can
lake a number of damage points equal
to his Stamina plus his personal armor
(il any is worn). Flak vests add one dam
age point. heavy vests add two, and the
rare lull armor suits add three (but re
duce the squad's MPs by one). Cross out the extra boxes for each trooper.
When the infantry squad takes damage,
cross out one of these boxes lor each
point of damage the unit lakes.
6.
•• •
•
•
• CHAPTER TWo: THE GAME .00~.
? -, Q UALITY 0 • MOVEMENT - gear, they can only go down cliffs, not •
There are five levels of infantry quality Infantry squads on fool receive 2 Move-up - climbing is too lime-consuming
(see Infantry Quality table). The level of men! Points per turn. Infantry units do for a combat enviroomenl.
quality determines the stamina and Skill not have Top Speeds. and always move Some specialized infantry squads have
of the squad's members. Stamina is a at Combat Speed. They use the Walker modes of transportation other than walk-
measure of how much physical punish- terrain movement costs. but it never ing. Infantry mounted on motorbikes
menl each Ircq>er can endure. Unlike costs infantry iTlOfe than 2 MPs to travel (with or without sidecars) have 6 MP and vehicle crews. infantry are assigned one through 0118 MU (in short, they can at- are treated as using Ground movement
generic Infantry Skill 10 keep the game ways move at least one MU per turn). while on their bikes. They cannot carry
simple. This Skill serves for attack, de-There is one exception to this, however:
heavy weapons unless they are
lense and other action tests. elevation changes. 'M"Iile the squads are
equipped with sidecars, which links two
assumed to be equipped with climbing troopers together for damage purposes.
WEAPONS 0 -
, Infantry units can carry both standard 1 D -1rY QIoIIty and heavy weapons. Standard weapons -...- - .... are usually some form of rifle. A few R-. 3 1 troopers (usually two) In a squad some-
Qualified 3 .
2 times carry a heavy weapoo to deal with
Veteran , 3 tougher oppooents. Refer to the Infan-
E1rte , , Iry Weapons table to obtain the statis-
tics of particular weapons. Legendary 5 5
The infantry squad record sheet has no -place to record ammunition. This is in- D-IrY ......... tentional: infantry squads are assumed w_ ......... - - - --10 carry enough ammunition 10 last them Pistol 0 ,1 0 0 -through a batUe. While this is not always Rille 0 "" 11214/8 0 -true in real life, it does dramatically re- SMG 0 ,1 11214/8 0 -duce the papef'WOfk. UghIMG 0 "" 1(2/4/8 2 -
Medium MG 0 '" 1/2/418 2 -
RADIOS - Heavy MG' 0 " 1(2/4/6 1 -Panzerschreck 0 "" 0/1/2/4 0 HEAT(I943-)
Depending on a particular scenario or Panzerlaust -I ,10 001/2 0 HEAT (Late 1943) army list, each squad may be equipped PlAT 0 .. 00112 0 HEAT(I942-) with a radio. The radio is carried by one RPG-43 -1 " 0lOlOIO 0 HEAT soldier. which must be marked on the Anti-Tank Rilte· .1 '" 1/2/418 0 -squad record sheet. US M-l Bazooka' 0 " 1(2/4/6 0 HEAT (1942-)
A squad without a radio may communi-Light Mortar' 0 " 1(2/4/8 0 IF. AI , MRI i
cate with friendly units up to one MU Heavy Mortar' 0 ><6 2/418116 0 IF, AI, MR2, AEO
'Heavy Weapon; 1 action 10 set up before use away - they are literally shouting to -each other! Being equipped with a ra- -dio allows the squad to communicate
D II1II.11', .... Ex.II,I.1 with other vehicles and squads who may
also have radios. Squads with radios A Br~ish squad of paralroopel"s is a "alarllll squad (Starniflll 4). The playtil choosas tr~
may also be used for spotting or calling numhe/" 4 as his leAder AIId circles his ntnIber In the first OOlJ"TYl. He chooses troopers 2 and B as his heavy weapons specialists and writes their weapons in the second eoltxnn.
down artillery it they are designated as The other eight squadrT1!!fTDer5. includin'Ol the I6ader. have ril\e8. Lastly, the player-C(osses
I ·
artillery spotters. out ill! but four dilffiilpc point boxes for (''ilch trooper.
62 •
• *- • 0 08 C HAPTER lWo: THE GAME , "f
Troops can also be mounted on hotseS. • ATIACKS vs. INFANTRY Success instead of to the Damage Mul- , Horse units count as having 4 MP. and
Due to their small sizes, dispersed fOf· tiplier when using burst ' ire (see page
are treated as uslng Walker mov6fTleflt malion and uncanny ability to lake ad-
56 fO( the lull rules).
while on horseback. vanlage of any available cover, infantry Damage points are applied differently.
Primitive personal rocket packs are do not suffer any defense modifiers lor They are not compared to an NrrtOf rat-
available to both Axis and Allied troops. their slow movement: their movement ing; Infantry units do not suffer damage
INhIIe they allow true flight for short pe- modifier is always O. In addition, 8 ·2 like vehicles. Instead, each point of
riocIs of time. the packs ate belter used penalty modifier is applied to any unit damage is removed from the squad on
to -bounce" across the landscape to al- other than infantry squads attempting a one-to-one basis. When the squad • low the use of cover. They give the in- to target them. takes damage, the attacker rolls one die
lantry a Movement 01 3 MPs which ig-Some vehicles are equipped with anti·
using the Infantry Hit Location Table to
nores the terrain below. If the landing infantry weapons, which ignore the ·2
see where in the unit the attack hit.
zone is a Dangerous Terrain, the inlan-modifier due to their targeting systems The table Indicates which trooperis the
try musllest as normal (see page SO). Ot method 01 attack. These weapons are first ooe to take damage. II the trooper
A squad can take off instead of moving: marked with the letters "AI" (tor "Anti· runs out 01 damage points, he is con-
il is removed from lhe lable as II climbs Infantry") in their description. sidered a casualty and the remaining
to the sky. While il is there. no one can damage points are applied to lhe next
attack it, and il cannot attack. It may • PPLYINc-
. trooper either up Ot down !he list (de·
oomes back 00 the table 00 any subse- DAMAGE TO INFANTRY 0 pending 00 the die result), and so 00. II
quenl lurn, landing anywhere it chooses. damage remains to be allotted up past
My unit with a Line of Sighlto the land- II an infantry squad is hit, the total dam- trooper.1 Of down past the last trooper.
ing site and within fange may make one age points caused by the attack are the damage loops around to the other
free anack against the squad as it come calcutated normally. The exceptions to end of the squad's damage track.
down, however (ali the usual modifiers this rule are burst fire weapons, which
apply: 0 lOt Move, -21Of being Infantry) . add their ROF bonus to their Margin of
• -·- INFANTRY ACTIONS 0 0 ...... ' ..... __ Infanlry units have one action per MIn. ..... r of ~ ./We ..... " "OF bonu8 squad, which is normally used toattack. 1 0
When an infantry unit goes 00 the 01- , .1
lensive. it gets one attack per gun type 4 ., altha cost 01 a single action. All attack , .3
rolls are made with the unit's Infantry Skill
(with any applicable modifiers). Weap-
ons of the same type must anack the o ...... , AtIJcII Ex , III_-
same target. Inlantry squad Alpha has nine members. six 01 which are armed with 9 mm
II two or fTIO(e troopers are using the SlbTIactWleguns (SMGs) while !he remainrlg ttvee carry bolt actJon rifles. One attacIt will
be made with rho SMGs and anothef with the rilles. 1/ the SMGs succeed. they cause 8 x3 same weapon type, lhe value listed in attack (xl. +2 ROF bonus). \IotIi1e tho rilles are at x3 (x2 + I AOF bonus).
the Infantry ROF Bonus lable 011 the next The $lMTVj squad has taken some casualties later In the gcme. Only I'NO troopers with page Is added to their weapon's basic SMGs romain. They snack, gaining a measly + 1 bonus because Ihere are onfy two 01
Rate 01 Fire. Infantry weapon ROF oth- rhtln'l flfing . They oIec1 to put the point 01 ROF (from !he SMGs) no booIIing the dcmage. Tho rosu~ is one OM xl anack.
erwlse WOfks as for vehicles (see Burst -FIf(J, page 56), with the same options.
tnfantry unils can use their weapons'
ROF for burst fire, walking lire Of even
saturation fire.
C H APTER 1\vO: THE G AME
INFANTRY CASUALTIES
A trooper is not considered to be a ca
sualty until his entire damage track is
crossed out. The debilitating effects of
minor injuries are ignored fDl' conve
nience - the troopers are equipped
with emergency first aid packs with
stimulants, and some of the damage
points represent fatigue and shell shock
instead of actual physical wounds. As
with vehicle crew casualties, a trooper
with zero points remaining is not neces
sarily dead, but he is unconscious,
wounded or otherwise unable to keep
on fighting and thus takes no further part
in the scenario.
The ROF bonuses from mass attacks
with infantry weapons is reduced if ca
sualties occur. If the number of squad
members with a particular weapon drop
below the 2, 4, DI' B-member levels (see
table at the bottom of page 63) , the
squad loses the associated ROF bonus.
AREA EFFECT WEAPONS VERSUS INFANTRY
Infantry units are very vulnerable to area
effect weapons designed to be used
against them. These weapons typically
bounce right up befDl'e exploding and
showering the landscape under them
with thousands of sharp fragments mov
ing extremely fast. This negates most of
the cover that is available to Infantry
units and cause devastating injuries.
The anti-personnel grenade launchers
mounted on walkers and tanks after
1943 work on the above principle, re
leasing dozens of micro-bomblets
above their targets.
When a weapon with both the Anti-In
fantry and Area Effect characteristics
hils an infantry unit, the damage is in
flicted upon each trooper in the area of
effect instead of working its way through
the squad.
• PINNED!
Infantry units that are attacked gener
ally keep their heads down. To repre
sent this, infantry units that are hit but
not damaged (MaS of the attack"" 0)
receive a "Pinned!" counter. If the infan
try unit is hit and take damage, it re
ceives two "Pinned! "counters.
Pinned units may not move and receive
a -1 modifier per counter to all their ac
tions. The Lead8f of the unit must spend
an action and pass a Leadership test
versus a Threshold equal to (6 - the Skill
level of the unit) to remove one counter.
INFANTRY THREAT VALUE
Infantry squads are easy to generate.
Choose the Skill rating, armor, equip
ment and weapons, then calculate the
squad's Threat Value according to the
following procedure.
The Threat Value of each individual in
fantryman is first figured out. Square the
total damage points of the trooper and
then multiply it by the Damage Multiplier
of the weapon the trooper is carrying.
Then take the square root of this num
ber, rounding up to the nearest whole
value. This· is the trooper's Threat Value,
or a general measure of his combat ef
fectiveness.
The individual Threat Rating 01 all infan
trymen is added up, then modified ac
cording 10 their Skill level (see the laDle
below). Infantry squads equipped with
horses, jetpacks DI' bikes double their
final Threat Value.
...... Start: .. Trooper • DltHtion
1 """" 2 3 """" 3 S """" 4 6 op
S 8 op
6 10 op
-o .., .. boy l1li1111 Ex ....... __ ._ Infantry squad Bravo has two heavy weapons troopers, '3and '8. The leader is 19. Each trooper has 6 damage points. An autocannon burs! chews into squad Bravo for 32 points of damage. A roll on !he Inlantry Hit Location table turns up a 3. '5 is the first in line fOf damage and the damage will work its way down the damage track. The first 6 points drop '5. The next 6 points drop 16. The 6 points alter that make '7 a casualty. The fourth 6-point group eliminates '8. the heavy gunner. The fifth 6-point group drops 19, the squad leader. 1110 takes 2 points of damage but is still up and functional. The unit is now down to one heavy gunner (massed anack ROf bonus drops trom + 1 100) and 4 standard weapon troopers (massed anack ROF bonus drops from +3 to +2). In addition, the unit is now leaderless (leadership Skill of unit drops to 1) and pinnedl
-
., •
, ,
,
,.
, , , .
•
ADVANCED RULES Although they bring additional complexity, these rules will help resolve the special
situations that always seem 10 crop up in a game. The use of any rule in this section is
completely optional and aU players must agree to use them before the game starts.
- AQUATIC MOVEMENT
AmphibiouS vehicles (ground vehicles
and walkers with the Amphibious Perk)
are able to travel in water terrain. Am
phibious vehicles pay the Water MP cost
for their movement type (2 lor walkers,
3 for ground vehicles).
Boats and submarines are able to travel
in water terrain at the cost of I MP per
MU. Some scenarios may impose
weather conditions that make water
more treacherous: in a storm. for ex
ample, each MU of water could require
2 or even 3 MPs to cross.
• CLIFFS
Any terrain with a slope 01 more than 45
degrees Is considered 10 be a cliff. Ve
hicles may not normally ascend or de
scend cllHs: walkers with arms /:Ire the
ooly exception. Intantry may climb Of
descend cliffs at nonnal costs lor eleva
tion changes: this is a special excep
tion to flOfmal infantry climbing restric
tions.
II a walker has arms that can tift a ve
hicle 01 its own size, it can climb up or
down a cliff face. The walker must pass
a Driving lest with a Threshold of 5. The
walker ascends or descends the cl iff
face at a rate 01 I MU per combat tum.
II the walker fails the test, it does not
move this turn. II it fumbles the Driving
test, it falls , taking a number of damage
points equal to (Size x 2d6). Climbing
consumes a vehicle's entire MP allot
ment and is conSidered to be aquallo
expending thc vehicle's entire Combat
SpeEKt MPs.
Climbing walkers and infantry are in
poor delensive positions and sutler a -2
modifier on all defense rotls.
CUAPTER 1\vo; TH E GAME
-THROWING
Some units are capable of throwing 0b
jects, such as rocks, grenades or evefl
other units! Atieasl one pUl"ICh-capable
arm is required for throwing. It may not
be used for anoI.hef function in the same
turn.
The base throwing range (in meters) of
Ihe arm is equal 10 twice its rating . . This
lolal is reduced by the Size of the ob
ject being thrown (for comparison pur·
poses. a single infantryman is Size 1)
or used as a weapon, which i~ sub
tracted from the throwing arm's rating
before doubling It. It the object being
thrown is larger than hall the Size of the
throwing vehicle, half the rating 01 an
other arm can be added to the Mort.
The base range calculated above is
doubled for each additional range band, as fOl' any other weapon. When an 0b
ject is thrown, a Gunnery Skill roll, modi·
fied as normal for range and movement,
Is made. If the modified die roIt is equal
to or highef than the defense roll , the
object thrown lands right on target. If the
dice roll is failed. the shot will deviate
from its intended destination by a num
ber of meters equal to twice the Margin
of Failure. One die is rolled lor the di
rec tiorl of the deviation (see template on page 73).
If Ihe anack roll was Fumbled, the shot
deviates as normal , but loward the
throwing unit. Sometimes. a Fumble Of
an ordinary miss will land a projectile
right on top of another unit anyway. The attack is resolved as normal if the de
fense roll of the new target is faHed.
Units that get thrown fall, taking anum·
ber of damage points equal 10 (Size )C
2(6).
I . , •
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.
•
• CHAPTER 1\vO: THE G .... ME
• WALKER KNOCKDOWN
Whenever a vehicle using the Walker
movement mode takes large amounts
of damage, it may fall down from the
force of the impact. II the total damage
received in one attack is equal to or
higher than twica the Size of the vehicle,
the pilol must pass a Driving Skill test
against a Threshold equal to one plus
the Margin of Success of the attack thai
hit it. If the walker fails the test, it falls
down, taking light Damage. If Ihe walker fumbles the lest. it falls down,
taking Heavy Damage. Walkers must
spend one MP to stand before they can
start moving again.
• WE""ATHER CONDITIONS
Certain weather conditions complicate
tactical combat. The following text de
scribes the game effects fOf just a few
common weather conditions. Specific
rules will be found for local weather in
each 01 the Theater Books.
Most weather conditions affect visibil
ity, making it more difficult to acquire a
target. Some may modify the Danger
ous Terrain tests as well.
B LIZZARDS
These cold winter storms are common
in the steppes of Russia and Northern
Europe. The swirling snow obscures
both visibility and sensors alike. II both
players agree that a blizzard is occur
ring during their combat, add -+- 1 to the
Obscurement value of every MU of ter
rain. This translates to a -1 modifier per
MU 01 inlervening terrain on all attacks.
Blizzards also make footing treacherous
in some areas. A +' modifier is applied
to the Threshold of all Snow Dangerous
Terrain Test (treat Snow as either Rough,
Sand or Swamp terrain, depending on
how paCked or iCy it is).
66
In addition to lhe above, vehicles that
lack the Hostile Environment Protection:
Extreme Cold Perk must spend one ad
ditional MP per MU of terrain moved.
EXTREME:TEMPERATURES
Extreme cold (-4Q11 C or lower) or ex
treme heat (+5QRC or higher) is very det
rimental to the functioning of vehicles.
Any vehicle thai lacks the appropriate
Hostile Envirooment Protection Perk au
tomatically suffers light Damage when
ever pushed to Top Speed.
In addition, such vehicles must roll one die at the beginning of each combat
turn. On a roll of one, the vehicle breaks
down for a number of turns equal to the
roll of one die.
Infantry cannot properly function in ex
treme temperatures unless they have
special gear to protect them. When so equipped, infantry func lion normally.
Unless so noted, infantry are automati
cally equipped at no cost in a special
environment scenario.
NmuT'--------------Nighttime combat functions as daytime
combat except that the Night Detection
score of a vehicle is used instead of its
Daytime Detection score (see page 52).
Infantry and vehicles without sensors will
only move at half speed and have a -1
modifier applied to all anacks.
Some units are equipped with powerful
searchlights (see Perks, page 97).
These can be turned on or off at the
beginning of each turn. Active search
lights make the vehicle easier to spot:
the vehicle Is treated as being in day
light '0( atl combatants, Enemy fire can
target the searchlight by performing an aimed shot: If successful, the search
light is automatically taken out.
.00*~~.
Rain, in addition to making the troopers
miserable and soaking wet. also affects
visibility ar;-td terrain.
Ught Rain adds -+ 110 the Obscurement
value of !Nary MU of terrain. This trans
lates to a -1 modifier per MU of inter
vening terrajn on all anacks.
Heavy Rain is a full-fledged storm~ it
adds +2 to the Obscurement value 01
every MU of terrain. This translates to a
-2 modifier per MU 01 intervening terrain
on aU attacks. In addition, it turns the
soil into thick mud, mal<ing it more diffi
cult to progress. A + 1 modifier is ap
plied to the Threshold of all Dangerous
Terrain tests .
SANDSTORMS
Sandstorms are common in desert lo
cales. These turbulent duslclouds ob
scure both visibility and senSOfS alike.
If both players agree that a sandstorm
is occurring during their combat, add
+ 1 10 the Obscurement value of every
MU of terrain. This translates to a -1
modifier per MU of intervening terrain
on all attacks.
Sandstorms also cause fine dust and
sand to shift, making footing treacher
ous in some areas. During a sandstorm,
a + 1 modifier is applied to the Thresh
old of all Sand Of Dust Dangerous Ter
rain Test.
., •
,
J
,
p '
J
;
•
,
.~-(f!* 0 0 .
*INCENDIARY EFFECTS
Incendiary weapons can decimate en
emy troops . When an incendiary
weapon hits a .... ehicle. the damage is
equal to the weapon's Damage Mulli
plier (called its Intensify) plus the Mar
gin of Success. Mlile this may seem like
less damage than most weapons. most
incendiary weapons are labeled as
Slow-Burn weapons. Slow-burn weap
ons cause the same amount of damage
for a number of turns equal 10 lhe Mar
gin 01 Success. Consequently. if a slow
burn weap:>n with an Intensity score of
12 hits a target with a Margin of Suc
cess of 3, il would do 15 points of dam
age to the target for t/Yee 11Ifns.
Incendiary weapons are most effective
versus infantry. Against infantry. the
Margin of Success is added to the In
tensity and then multiplied by the Mar
gin of Success to obtain their damage.
Slow-burn weapons apply their later
turns of damage to the unit only if it re
mains in the same hex.
Incendiary weapons can be used to
start fires. To ignite a one-MU wide area.
a total of 100 points of Intensity must be
fired into it. No attack roIt is necessary.
Once the area is ignited. it is consid
ered to be a tire of Intensity 10. At the
end of every game turn thereafter. its
flame intensity is increased by (1d&3)
until it either reaches 20 or goes out. If it reaches 20. the burning zone grows by
one MU and goes back to Intensity 10.
A spare die is useful to keep track of
this (red ones do nicely); colton is use
ful to marl<. the boundaries of the fire.
Unless the battle drags on for hours.
wind will ha .... e little effect on the spread
of the fire. If such an effect is desired
nonetheless, randomly determine the
direction of wind before the garne. thon
spread fire only downwind.
Vehicles crossing a burning area must pass a Driving Skill last versus a Threshold squaliD one-half of the lire's Inten
sity to pass safely. If the vehicle fails the
roll , treat the result as a successful incendiary anack on the vehicle with a
Margin of Success aquatlo the margin
of failure of the Driving Skill lest. Treat
fumbles as if the incendiary attack Mar
gin of Success were equal to the test
Threshold. Infantry units thai enter a
burning area are automatically de:
strayed.
Only woods and jungle terrain can be
ignited. Alternati .... ely. the Players may
agree thallhe Rough and Clear terrain
on the lable is dry grassland or scrub
and allow it to be ignited. Sand. Swamp
and Water terrain cannot ignile. A sce
nario might cover them with oil or a simi
lar flammable substance and thus allow
these looains to be ignited. but they normally cannot butn.
Burning areas produce smoke in an ir
regular fashion. Roll one die per fire to
know how much Obscurement the
smoke from !hat tire causes: 1-2. noOb
scurement; 3-4. Obscurement 1: 5-6.
Obscurement 2. The smoke causes 0bscurement abolle the ignited terrain as
well .
C HAPTER 1\vo; TH E GAME
• HULLaDoWN POSITIONS 0
"Huli-down" relers to a classic battlefield position where only the lurret of an ar·
mored vehicle is 9Kposed toenemy fire,
the hull itself being protected by an 0b
stacle such as a ridge or a low wall. This drastically reduces the chances 01 b&
ing hit while not impeding the attacker's
own fire. Obviously, other vehicle types
can also use hull-down positions, includ- •
ing walkers - they simply squat or lie
down behind cover.
Because of the large ground scalb of the
game, it is not always possible 10 place
a unil precisely behind a ridge Of other
land feature since these are not readily
apparent. Instead, a somewhat abslract
system is used: by spending MPs. ave
hicte can entrench itself behind hard
cover almost anywhere. It is assumed
that there are suitable terrain features
nearby for such a move. The MP cost
(which is ~sted in the HuII-Down Table) represents the fact that the unit must
move out of its way. find suitable coyer,
slow down and othefwise park ilsetl into
the hult-down position. Some terrain
types offer less protection than others,
and this is reflected in the MP oost - it
is always easier and faster to rro a suit
able defensive position in broken looain
or in a city than on open ground.
A U.S. Marine Longstreet attacks a Japanese tank with 8 fIametIvowef (Slow &.m). The anack succeeds with 8 MaTgin of Success 013. The weapon has an IntenSity rating 0112 (the substitute tor the Damage Multiplier). This attack will do 15 points 01 damage to !he
tank for three turns. The first tum's damaoe Is allocated irrrnedlately. In tater turns. !he I damage is aJIocated dOOng the Miscellaneous Events phase.
The same Longstreet with the lIamellYowet anacks all infalllry squad. The altBck succeeds with a M8rgin of Success of 2. This. attl'Ck will inflict (12 + 2) x 2 - 28 points of damage 10 the inlantry squtld par !un b two turns!
The Loogstroul. anempf8 to Ignite s ltrtgle patch using the same weapon. It n'l.ISI attack the MU alless! twice (12 x rnaxmu-n t.4oS 01 6 : 12) 10 amass the 100 points Of IntenSity required 10 Ignite II.
• ., •
•
•
CHAPTER 1\vO: THE GAME
!
The Hull-Down Table lists the various
costs and protection factors assigned
to each terrain type. The Covers column
indicates the systems that are hidden
behind the obstacle wherlthe vehicle is
in the hull-down position with weapons
at the ready (the numbers listed in the
table refer to the die roll numbers on the
System Damage table, page 59). If a
commander prefers, his vehicle can be
completely hidden, covering all loca
tions, but rendering all weapons useless
save for those capable of indirect lire.
Rather than applying a modifier to hit
the now smaller silhouette 01 the vehicle,
the attack is rolled normally: if a hidden
system is rolled on the System Damage
Table, the obstacle absOfbs part of the
damage first. The Protection column
gives the amount of damage points sub
tracted from the attack if it hits the cover
instead of the vehicle. If the damage is
reduced to zero, there is no further ef
fect on the target vehicle. To prevent
unnecessary bookkeeping. the protec
tion afforded by the cover remains constant and does not ablate under fire.
Aimed attacks are not possible against
hun-down vehicles.
Infantry are always assumed to take de
fensive positions, hence the natural -2
modifier on all attacks against them. An
infantry squad wishing to go "hull-down"
is actually digging in, using shovels and
other tools to improve their defensive
positions. This takes time, represented
by the MP cost of the Hull-Down proce
dure. Since infantry heve only 2 MPs,
they will require one or two turns to dig in, during which they cannot do any
thing. Once this is done, !he infM\ry are
considered dug in (place a Hull Down counter nearby as 8 reminder), and ben
efit from the Protection listed In the table
at right. The squad will need to pass I:itl
unmodified Morale test to leave this p0-
sition.
68
• STRUCTURES
Many man-made objects can be foond
00 battlefields. The players should agree
00 what human structures are on the
mapboard, if any. Man-made objects
can be destroyed in the oourse 01 battle.
Man-made structures lake damage in a
manner similar to infantry: each struc
ture has an abtative Damage Point Ca
pacity rather than Armor. If it takes more
damage than its DPC, the structure is
destroyed and replaced by Rubble ter
rain. Burst fire weapons affect structures
in the same manner as they do infantry.
BRIDGES
Bridges span narrow bodies of water,
such as rivers and straits, or chasms,
such as canyons and gullies. The
bridges presented here can be the large
irooworks found over prominent terrain
features or the small ten or twenty-meler
bridges found in the city or 00 campaign
roads - they just have different DPCs.
Movement across bridges has the same MP cost as Clear terrain, unless a road
has been bufllon the bridge (see Roads,
page 69). Each MU of a bridge is rated
by two attributes: Damage Point Gapac
fty and Size Capacity. The average OPC of a bridge is 100 points per section.
o IIIII-IIIwI 1II1II - ..... _eo. CIea< +'"
Rough. Rubble +,
Sand, Dust +' - +, _. +. ......, +.
u_ +,
(}fijn$lilUrban •• "-"" +1
The Size Capacity of a bridge section is
the maximum Size of vehicle that this
bridge can safely support. If a vehicle
of larger Size attempts 10 cross the
bridge, roll one die. If the die roll is equal
to Of less than the difference between
the vehicle's Size and the bridge's Size
Capacity, the bridge loses one tenth of
its enginal Damage Point Capacity per
point of Size difference (see examp,!e
next page). Repeat the die roll unlil the
bridge section either does not take dam
age (at which point, stop rolling) or
breaks under the straIn and collapses.
II a vehicle is six or more Sile points
greater than the bridge's Capacity, the
bridge section willautomaticaJty and im
mediately collapse.
If a bridge section collapses, adpning
sections have a 50% chance of collaps
Ing as well. Roll one die for each adja
cent section: if the result is 3 or less, the
adjoining section collapses. AU vehicles
upon a collapsing bridge take (Size x
2d6) points of damage. The bridge ter
rain is transformed into Rubble after
ward, unless it is over water - ilthen
becomes Swamp terrain (this only rep
resents the presence of debris in the
shallow water, not a sudden growth of
vegetation!). A bridge collapsing above
deep water leaves no debris.
Covono ....-M '0"
2t04 15
3104 '0 2104 '5 2 106 20 ,,,. .0 ,,,. '5 2106 20
2108 " 'Only Infantry can go nutl·dawn in CIoo.r letl8in.
"It Is aSSLmed !hat the vehicle is 1oc!I1$(I1i1 the edge of the elevation level. -
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ROADS
Roads are designed (0 make travel
easier for vehicles by providing them
with an ideal travel surface. Roads have
a 100 Damage Point Capacity per MU.
Any ground vehicle traveling on a road
gains an additional number of MP equal
to half of its current speed (Coo"Ibat or Top) rounded down to the nearest whole
number. These free MPs must be ex
pended on movement along the road or
they are wasted. All units pay the MP
cost of Clear terrain instead of whatever
terrain the road crosses.
Roads can be built over bridges. These
roads use the bridge's Oamage Point
Capacity but still confer the movement
bonus to vehiCles.
URBAN TERRAIN
Terrain thaI contains structures is called
Urban terrain; it is generally easy to
move through, and is thus treated as
Clear for movement purposes. II causes
two points of Obscurement per MU and
offers excellent cover (see Hull Down,
page 67). The Damage Point Capacity
01 the average building is /30, assuming
generic structures. Reinforced buildings
have a Damage Point Capacity of 100
per building or lTI()(e, depending on the
scenario. Ooce a building has lost its
entire OPC, it is replaced with Rubble
terrain.
House·sized buildings count as immo
bile Size 6 units for ramming purposes;
larger buildings count as Size 12 units.
Since they do not move, their Defense
roll is always zero.
Urban terrain is assumed to have
streets, bul does not give the road
movement bonus due 10 minor obstruc
tions (rubble piles, pedestrians, parked
vehiCles, etc.). Major slreots are repre
sented by roads crossing urban terrain.
- TOWING CAPACITY
It is assumed that aU units have cables
and tow hooks for simplicity. A vehicle's
maximum towing capacity (in Size
points) is equal to thevehlcle's 0M'l Size.
This assumes that the towed item is de·
signed 10 be towed (e.g. a trailer). Items
that were not designed 10 be towed,
such as disabled walkers, are consid
ered to have double their normal Size
for towing purposes.
Vehicles can tow up to half their maxi
mum towing capacity without a reduc·
tion in speed. Vehicles towing between
half and three-fourths of their capacity
are limited to Combat Speed; loads from
three-fourths to full towing capacity re
duce the speed (0 half Coo"Ibat Speed
until the charge is dropped. Units can
cooperate to tow an oversized mass.
A unit or object may be attached to the
towing unit if they are both stationary
and in conlact for a whole turn (the units
are not necessarily side by side, just
near enough to drag cables from one to
another). They then move together.
Unlimbering a lowed item requires one
action. If the towing unit is moving when It lets go, the towed item goes out 01
control like a vehicle missing a Top
Speed turn (see page 51).
o BINi:I&'I Ex 2 2n
CHAPTER Two: THE GAME
-MORALE
Morale is an important part 01 warlare.
No corrmander can be truly sure 01 wtlat
his IroOP$ will do once under fire. Only
totally fanatical or automated forces are
irrmJne to the effects of morale, and even the best trained soldier will hesitale to rush
a gll'l position under withering firepower.
To the men down in the trenches or sit
ting in their fragile vehicles, it will alWays
seem beller to stay put than to place
themsetves in harm's way.
The Gear Krieg Morale rules deai lTI()(e
with command control rather than with
rout. The rules are structured In a way
that will allow players to make their own choices wtlen it comes 10 faUing back
and regrouping . Instead of affecting the
units' will 10 stay and fight. poor morale
affects die rolls, thus forcing the c0m
mander to make some difficult choices.
Wilt he push his troops, knowing that
their efficiency is degraded, or will he
allow them 10 lall back to regroup. pos. sibly losing preciouS terrain and objec
tives?
Each MU of a thfee·section bridge has a Damage Capacity 01100 and a Size capacilyof 10. The middle section Is elevated higher !han the other IWO and the Sl.IIl'OU'lding larran. The bridge spans e chasm !hat Is lower !han !he sumJI.Ilding tarrafl.
II a Size 12 vehicle attempts 10 cross !he bridge, it rrust pay !he normal MP cost lor Clear terrain to travel across. Since the vehicle is 100 large for this bridge, it mustIest lor bridge collapse. Upon entering the first bridge section, !he V'8hlc1e's CM'f1&I' rolls one die. On a result of 2 0I!ess (Size 12 · Size capacity 10). !he bridge loses 20 damage points (one· lenth of its origlll81 OWMga Point C3pacily tmes the Size difference). II !he bridge is damagsd. !he roll is repeated ,"",lithe IOIt Is greater than 2 (a1 WhIch paint the brIdOe stabilizes) or until lhal5&Clion of the btldgo col~p$es.
If elthef end 01 the bridge collapses, the vehicle willlin(I itaeilin Rubble. "the ITW;Sc1Ie pari of the bridge OQIIapses, any vehicle on /I will auRa II lal $ince it IS ~ than !he SlX· ruu-"lOir"IQ terrain.
., •
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C H A.PTER 1\vO: THE GA.ME • ~ ,
• • MORALE Tiiil:ESHOLDS -0 group's current Morale Threshold. If suc- RALLYlNl; •
Morale Thresholds are based on the cessful, the combat group acts as nor-
The penalties caused by failed Morale
experience level of the individual units mal. If the check is failed, the combat
lests will soon prove crippling, butlhey
or vehicles: Before the set-up phase, group suffers from a -1 penalty to all die
can be removed by perlorming an ac-
each player calculates the Morale rolls, including luture Morale checks. A
lion called Rally. This is done by the
Threshold 01 his combat groups. A spare die is suggested to keep track of
commander of the combat group, who
squad's Morale levet is equal to the to-thedie penalty caused by poor morale,
must spend lhe action to roll a new Mo-
tal Morale Threshold 01 the soldiers COOl-As lhe group gradually loses its will 10
rale check, again using his l eadership
posing it, divided by the number 01 soI-fight. its combat performance is affected
Skill. Only one Rally is attempted per
diers in the squad (rounded up to the and starts to rapidly degrade, Penalties
action, although multiple attempts are
nearest whole number). caused by poor morale can be removed
possible il sufficient actions are avait-by the commander, however, by rally-
able. If successful, the Morale level 01 For example, a squad with two Veteran ing the group and reorganizing it. See
the combat group rises by one (i.e., a crews (Morale 2) and three Qualified Rallying for the rule,
crews (Morale 3) will have a Morale single - t modifier is removed). 11 the
Threshold of (2+2+3+3+3) I 5 '" 2.6, Morale checks are made ooly in some combat group Is rallied away from the
rounded up. The Morale Threshold 01 specific situations. as listed in the Mo- enemy (under Obscurement and with no
this squad is 3. rale Checks table below. A vehicle is loS to an enemy unit), all negative modi-
counted as destroyed il it loses its ca- fiers are taken away automatically; The
pacity to both move and light, suffers units must be within one MU of the FANATICAL UNITS - an Overkill result, or the crew is put out leader, else a functioning Communica-
Some people believe so fervently in the of action. An infantry trooper is consid- tion system is required to participate in
cause they are fighting for that they are ered hit if he has lost at least one dam- the Rallying action.
ready to die for it. They will lay down age point. lastly, a combat group is con-
their lives without flinching if the situa- sidered under fire by artillery il at least •
tion demands it, and the thought that half its units (round down) are fired upon
they may well die in the batUe simply by one or more enemy units to which
does not affect them. Such fanatical they cannot trace a Une of Sight.
units are immune to the effects of Mo- -rale. If the Morale rutes are used, Fa-D .... TII ....... naticat units double their Threat Value .
If applicable, this is noted in the Tables .... n..1IhoId TV_
of Organization & Equipment of the LegendarylFanatiC 0 '" 81mies. Elite 1 11.1 .75
Veleran 2 11.1 .5
MORALE CHECKS Qualified 3
~ Rook. 4 "'.25
Before the game, each player rolls
against his unit's Morale Threshold to
determine the initial Morale level of his DMar ... CllDI troops, for every individual vehicle and .- lIo ....... ten. ........ infantry squad in his unit. Before !he set-up phase (initial Moralft Ie~) 0
The table below lists Ule events when a Single vehiclft ili dl'lSlrO)'9d 0
Morale check is required during the Per addilional vehicle destroyed during the turn .1
engagement. Morale checks are rolled Two infantry soldiers are hit within a single squad 0
using the combat group commander's p~ adrflllonallrooper hit during the turn .1
leadership Skill against the combat Combat group is under firs by anilklry .,
•
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MISSiONPRlORITIES
Not all missions have the same impor
tance In the eyes of the soldiers. A
simple foraging patrol will mean much
less to the men than the defense of their
home town, and this will most certainly
affect their morale and performance
leveL If the battle is being fought for
something precious in the eyes of the
soldier, he will place less importance on
his own survival.
Missions can be classified as either
High, Medium or Low priority. High Priority missions are those missions that
must simply noc fail, because the em0-
tional cost attached to failure is too high.
The defense of one's home town Is a
good example of one such mission. Al
though this does not necessarily mean that the troops Will fight to the death, they
will stand their ground much longer. All
Morale tests are made with a +2 modi
fier on the dice roll.
Medium Priority missions are the fNfJfY
day military actions. They are important,
but not overty so. Most engagements will
lall in this category: the troops know they
must do their best, but If they fail only
the battle is lOst, not the war. There is no
modifier attached to missions of this
type. Low Priority missions are those that
have little or no consequence to the di
rect survival of the force. Low Priority
missions cause a -2 penalty on all Mo
raJe tests because the troopers are un
willing to lay down their lives for unim
portant objectives and will actively seek
to escape or avoid hOstile forces.
FATIGUE
The fatigue level of the SOldiers has a great inlluence on their combat perfor
mance. For reoord-keeplng simplicity,
troops can be classified as either Fresh,
Tired or E)(hHusled.
Fresh troops have just arrived on the
battlefield. They are in good shape, had
a good night's sleep and are ready to
lace whatever the enemy will throw at
them. All Morale checks are rolled with
a +2 modifier. Tired Iroops have been
in the field for a few weeKs, or have seen combat or OCher tense situations in the
past few days. This is considered the
default fatigue level and has no effect
on Morale checks. E)(hausted troops
have been on the march for quite some
time or have faced battles several times
during the past few days. They are near
the limits of their endurance and make
very poor fightE!fS. Such a fatigue level
will ncxmaJIy be used only for very spe
cific scenarios. Exhausted troops have
a -2 modifier on all Morale checkS.
Sp"'E"Cm-rA"SE--- -
The following situations are special
cases that may crop up during the
game. As with all other optional rules,
they may be used Of" omitted al the
player's discretion, as long as those
rules chosen for the game apply to both
sides equally.
Flame Weapons: Fire has a profound
psychological effect on human beings,
even more so when it is used as a
weapon . Everyone, no matter how
brave, has a distinct lear 01 being
burned.
Whenever a combat unit is attaCked by
a flame weapon (weapons with the Slow
or Fast Burn characteristic), it must ei
ther immediately roll against its Morale
Threshold or retreat at least one MU from
the attacker. If they cannot retreat and
fail their roll, they will immediately lay
down their weapoos. Unless lhey arc
Iaken prisoner or killed, they can be ral
lied as normal In subsequent phases.
CHAPTER 1\vO: THE GAME
Units that are immune to lire, either be
cause of a Perk or because they are too
massively armored to be affected CMoS of 5+ required to cause damage), do
not have to check for Morale and ignore
the psychological effects of flame weap
ons.
Panic: Rookies can succumb to panic
when laced with combat. When a rookie
unit (Skill level of 1 or lower) is attacked •
lor the first time, a Morale check should
be immediately rolled to see if they will
succumb to panic. If the roll succeeds,
there is no further effect, and the unit
need not test again lor panic until the
ne)(t bailie.
If the lest is failed, the unit is pinned into
place. II can neither advaf"\C6 nor spend
actions, but it can move away from the
enemy if there is some Obscu"ement be
tweerI them and the hostile forces. Units
that fumble their Morale test immediately
rout and attempt to leave the table by
the shortest path. They may be rallied
as normal.
Surrendering: When faced with over
whelming odds, troops will sometimes surrender to the enemy rather than be
poinllessly kilted. If the combat group
finds itself cut ofIlrom the rest 01 its main
lorce (no lin&-Of·sight to Iriendly units
and oul of communication range) and
its Morale penalties are equal to -3 or
less, the group will lay dc1.vn its weap
ons and surrender. Fanatical and elite
units (Skill level four and more) may ig
nore this rule and keep on fighting.
71
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CHAPTER Two: THE GAME
HEX-MAP CONVERSION Though il is visually spectacular, a full-fledged miniature battlefield requires a large
investment in time and malerial thai no! everyone might want to make. It is possible
to play Gear Krieg on a regular wargaming hexagon-covered map, however, with
lIery litlle adaptation. The same rules are applied with a lew exceptions.
Each battlefield hex represents a 5().meter wide area of terrain. One hex is equal to
one MU; therefore, one MP aUows Ihe unit to move forward one hex in Clear terrain.
F()( game purposes, the terrain 01 the entire hex is considered to be the terrain type
that is present al the center of the hex (marked by a dot on many maps).
Each increase in elevation levels represents a 5-meler increase in height (smaller
altitude variations are not significant enough to be represented at this scale). For
line of sight purposes. ground vehicles are hidden by this, except walkers, who can
see above one elellatiorllevet.
Units must be placed so that theIr Iront laces one side of the hex; they cannot lace
a corner. The turning rules remain the same: vehicles can turn 60 degrees (one hex
side) at no cost.
The hex sides also make both the lire and defense arcs easier to visualize. Une 01
sight can be determined by holding a ruler betweefl the centers of the two units
inYOlved; any hex overlapped by the ruler counts for Obscurement purposes. Range
is determined by counting the hexes between the two units (see at right).
With !tit! t!xCt!ptiori$ noted above, all Other combat rules apply normally
71
o Movement • TeFrIlln ExaIIIpIa A !ank is !TIOVIng at Top Speed (6 MPs) It oogir"lS in R Clear hex. I!!ravols fOl'Ward two hexes across Clear terrain (axpanding 2 MPs) and then tums one hex·lacing CIocllWI1It1 (ft~p!If1dang 0 MPlI). The tank then ITIClVCS torward 1 heX across Rough larflll1 (expending 2 MPs). IVI"ns two hex 'CICingS C(Ul1m:n-:kwi!".e (expendinQ 1 MP). WKJIlfl(lS its ff"lOV(to
rnent. lhe remalfllllg 1 MP IS not enousJh to "" 1~ Itw:! Rough terrain me vehic le Is now lacing (which would COSI2 MPs to move Into) and is log.
e 0 0 *~4H>.
• DOTS AND HEXES
The dot in the center of each hex on the
mapboards Is there to help you deter·
mine 'NtIat the terrain type of the hex Is.
The terrain of the hex is whatever
mapboard feature the dot is on top 01. If
a little bit of the drawing representing
broken terrain spills over into a prima
rily clear hex. the dot will be on clear
terrairl , indicating that the terrain tyPe
is clear. 1/ one or more terrain elevation
contour lines cross through a hex, the
elevation level of the hex is the eleva
tion level the dot resides in.
• STACKING
The term · stacking· relers to how many
units can reside in a single mapboard
hex. While the standard hexes are fifty
meters wide, a certain security margin
must be observed during the chaos 01
combat lest accidents happen. For this
reason, the number of units allowed in
a single hex is limited by stacking.
Each SO-meter hex can take up to a 10-
lal 01 30 Size fX)Ints worth of vehicle and
other unils. The Size of each .... ehicle is
always noted on its record sheet. Five
or less infantrymen count as the equiva
lent of a Size 3 vehicle lor stacking pur·
poses (an entire squad of len would thus
take up 6 poinls).
RANGE
Range is equal to the number of hex
between the two units plus the hex In which tho target is located. Range is measufed in the most direct line be·
Jween the attackor and the defender. If
combal OCCur'S between units in the
same hex, the range is CQ!lsid8t'ed to
be Poin( Blank (0).
-, •
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• -
•
,
FlreAra - ,------~
Foward (11JlO}
;..--~
R .. , I Aft ( 180"1
~""''''''' (60') (- I Defense Modifier)
Lott "~"'-~ r--!!~"" '"''''
Front ( 180")
(-1 Defense Modifier)
- ,..., (-2 Defense Modifier)
CHAPTER Two: TilE GAME
FIRING A RCS
Vehicles may only target opponents that
are within their weapons' firing arcs.
Each WB.apon is mounted within a certain arc and can only fire in it; targets
that lie outside cannot be targeted.
There are six CCIITJTlOI"1 firing arcs (see dia
grams at left): Forward (F), Right (AI), left
(l ), Aear(Rr), Rxed Forward (FF) ~ Tur
reledm. TheIirstWSfe lf1>.degreearcs
on their respective sides. Side arcs In
clude directty forwcW and bacI<ward. The fixed forward arc is a 9O-degree arc on a
vehicle's front lrilg. Note lhatsideormar
fixed arcs are also possible, but unc0m
mon. Turreted arcs span 360 degrees.
Infantry squads do not have firing arcs
and may anack anything in a 360-degree radius around them.
D EFENSE A RC
The defender's orientation, when at
tacked, can reduce his chances of suc
cessfully escaping the attack, either be
cause of inattention or thimer armor. f.Iost
combat vehicles carry less armor on their back !han on the froot, due 10 lKI8void
able engineering concerns. More impor
tantly. hoYIevet. crews cannot defend
against attacks !hey do not see coming.
Attacks coming from the rear are much
more dangerOuS than attacks from the
front. The modifiers listed in the diagram
at lett arc appied when defenr:klQ aganst attaCks coming from within an arc.
73
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dtMI i!i I hiH. dAAb R&bid;
CHAPTER THREE: GAME RESOURCES Across the planet. annies marched to war. No comer of the globe was spared. nOl a single patch of land offered protection and isolation from the fighting. This cbapter contains simplified platoon and company level organizational cbarts for the major annies that fought in the conflict. They are followed by a selection of scenarios depicting a variety of incidents and battles from the first three years of the war and a number of other game resources .
•• •
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• CHAPTER THREE: GAME RESOURCES
BANZAI! Gun-so Ichiba Akira hollered joyously as his Type 38 Shiki wOIlkBf crashed out of the
Philippine jungle and ooto the verges 01 the cleaHK~ ground. Spread out before him
was the broad expanse of tarmac of the American airbase 01 Clark Fteld, largeslln
the whole Philippine archipelago.
Waving to his right and left, he saw the machines of Nitta and Masuma moving 001 to
flank him. Behind them, the company 01 infantry they had been assigned to support
boiled out of the jungle in a khaki-clad wave. Ichiba leveled his leppo-yarl at the
positioos 01 the enemy.
"In the name of the Emperor - Banzai'"
"BanzaI!" bellowed his machine gunner, Nagano Hiro. "Machinegun ready. sir'"
Ichiba slammed his walker into motion. He'd engaged the secoodaIy movement
system as soon as he'd reached the hard surface of the runway. After a few agoniz. ing seconds, the cockpit filled with the smell of burning rubber as the tires bit into
the hot surface of the tarmac. Stunned by the appearance of the metal walkers, the
American de/enders 01 the airlield stood Irozen, Their shock was only momentary:
suddenly the space between the airtield's delenders and the attacking Japanese
was lilled with a hail of lire and steel. Every weapon that could be bIOught 10 beat
was firing on Ichiba and his squadmates.
Ichiba was thankful for the thickly padded vest and helmet he wore. The violence 01
the Il'I8I'IeI.IVer he Ihrew his ungainly veI'Iicle into as he charged slammed him around
his seal like a slone in an empty can. and that was with the restraining hamess!
Ichiba struggled with the controls as a near miss from a bursting shell heeled hiS
machine over precariously to the left. As the right leg assembly slammed back down
Into contact with the ground. Ichiba was jolted 1000ards and the restraints bit cruolly
into his shoulders.
The flash 01 the tracers from the enemy machine guns snapped by him, the armor
shrugging oft the occasional gtanciog hit without any appreciable damage. Nagano's
Type 92 machine gun began hammering with ils traden"lark !hump, thump. thump.
The canvas bag on !he breach of the gun jlrtad as thO casings were flung Into it. In
its first testing, those had bounced all
over the inside 01 the machine, burning
both crewrn8fl with the hot brass. luck
ily, Ichba, thought, I don't have to worry
about tha/ "anymore!
He jinked hard to the left to avoid more
incoming fire, but Masume wasn't so lucky. A direct hit on his walker's mid
section by an enemy lield gun blos
somed into a lurid fireball. Completely
out of control, the burning wreck
tumbled crazily to the pavement, roiling
over, shedding bits of armor and machinery like blzerre metallic confeUi.
Ichiba swayed his machine to his left.
avoiding lhe spinning ruin of the right
arm of Mnsume's machine. Incongru
ously, Ichiba was slruck by how" beauti
ful the fireball was. The reds and oranges of the flames reminded him 01 a
chrysanthemum, the oily black smoke
its leaves, just like the chrysanthemum
Mon painted on the armor of their
regiment's walkers.
An American scout car, seeking to bat
their advance, lashed the front 01 his
machine with 3O-calibaf fury. Again, his
walker's armor hefd. Unwilling to slow
down and bring Nagano's machine gun
to bear on the foolhardy Americans,
Ichlba continued to barrel in straight at
the vehicle. At the lasl second, Ichiba
brought the Shiki up short, plunging the
ugly black head of his Teppo-Yari Inlo
the scoul car's side. The magnetized
shaped cha/go oxplo$ivQ on a stout
bamboo pore detonated with an al
mighty thump . Fragments 01 the
vehicle's own armor, blown across the
scout cal's righting comparll"Tleflf by Ihe
force of the blast. lore the hapless
American crewmen to shreds. Ichiba
held his lace immobile as he turned
away. The shrieks of tho dying enemy
were horrible. but a S8rrlUlai must hOld
himself resolulo in the face of the erl
emIos 01 the Emperor.
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ARMY LISTS The following are simplified organizational charts for wargaming with Gear Krieg on the Platoon and Company levels. Highet levels (Battalion and Regiment) are pos
sible. but play can bog down and will tend 10 fill the table with too many units. It is
therefore not recommended unless smaller miniatures (such as micro-arrTlOf) and
lots of assistants are used. More complete and detailed TO&Es (Tables of Organiza
tion & Equipment) for each army will be Covered in later Army and Theater Books.
World War II was fought in many lands and under many different climales, from the
deserts of North Africa to the fields of France. from the snowy steppes of Russia to
the green jungles of the Far East The following Army Lists include some general-'
ized COlor guidelines. The subJe<:1 of camouflage is a book in its own right, so all of
the possible schemes cannol be listed here (there are many such books available
through libraries and book dealers). Future Gear Krieg books will cover the subjects
of paint schemes and vehicle markings and uniforms in more detail.
PRESENTATION
General Introduction: This section briefly
sketches out the army and lists reasons
wily Players would want to game with
and COIIe<:t miniatures for it.
Tactics and Morale: This section is an
examination 01 the taclical doctrine
used by the army in question. The units'
default Morale rating Is given : Players
may increase the Morale rating of their
combat units by paying the appropriate
cost multiplier (sec page 70).
Color Schemes: A brief description of
uniforms and color schemes used by
tho army is listed here.
Rille Company TO&E: The composition
of the Rifle Company is provided here,
followed by A breakdown Of each type
of squad found In the Company. TIuest
Values are provided for each squad.
There is also a separate listing for sup
port units (uSually MG teams) that would
historically be attached to the Company
from Ih6 Battalion level. Oncor two such
teams per Company would be typical.
Armor Company TO&E: The composi
tIC)n of Ihe Armored Company is pro
vided here, followed by a breakdown 01
each type 01 Platoon found In the COIll
pany. Ptayers may chose the vehicle
variant they wanl to field.
C HAPTER THREE: GAME R ESOURCES
D ESIGN NOTES
Throughout the conHict, unit organiza
tion evolved to take into account new
vehicles and supply lines, and thus will
require an entirely separate book to ex· plore in depth. The average units pre
sented here were the building blOcks
from which armies participating in the
conHict were constructed. lNhile it might
be enjoyable to fight a battle with an en· _
tire force consisting of Panzerkampfers
with Elite crews. it won't be a credible
force - and more than likely no fun at
all for either Player.
Most. if not all, 01 the nations lrwoIved in
World War II had various elite or 'Spe
clal ops' I,mits. Thoso are outside the
scope of this ruiebook and will be dealt
with later in their relevant army publica
tions. Similarly. the armies utilized far
more types of vehicles and equipment
than could possibly be listed here; as
Theater and Army sourcebool<s are re
leased, data fO( further vehicle types will
become available. The lists presented
in the following pages are intended as
a guideline to enable Players to
wargame actions from the timeframe
covered in this volume. Due to space
considerations, only armies of the ma
jor combatants could be listed; other
factions (France, Italy, etc) will be pub
lished at a later date
Threat Values (TV) have been assigned
10 infantry squads and vehi<;:les. It will
be a relatively easy matter for Players
to design their own bailie scenarios by
simply agreeing on a TV total lor each
side and purchasing units to add up to
those points. Given the differ&r'lC&S In
arms and equipment available to each
army, not to mention personal prefer
ences and tactical sly1e8, an interest
ing game Is Sl)re 10 resull!
77
• . , •
•
, .
CHAPTER THREE: GAME R ESOURCES
GERMANY Born out 01 the ashes 01 the Imperial German Army of World War I and germinated
from the seeds of the Army of the Weimar Republic, Ihe Army of Hitler's Third Reich
was a force to be reckoned with. The German Army has got to be ooe of the most
fun and fascinating to collect and paint from a wargamer's point of view. The plethora
of vehicles and equipment to choose from ensures a tabletop army that is guaran
teed to hold the Player's interest.
The Germans are one of the powerful armies in the game. They do everything very
well, but the trade-off is the old saw of "quality vs. quantity." A German Player will
often find himself in Ihe same situation thatlhe German generals did: man for man,
their troops were beller but often numerically inferior, a situation that became lTIQ(e
and more pronounced as the war progressed.
TACTICS AND"MORALE"'"
The German Army - the Wehrmacht
patented the concept of Blitzkrieg (light
ning war). Determined not to become
bogged down in the stalic warfare of
WlNI, German military thinkers devel
oped their new army to be able to punch
a hole in the enemy's line and exploit
the breakthrough before the enemy had
time to react. The Panzers. screened by
Kampfefs, arl1lOfed cars and motorized
(aeon units. were the hammer that broke
the enemy line. Infantry, supported by
more screening units. artillery and
Panzers, moved up behind to consoll
d<:lte <:Iud hold newly caplured gfound .
All of this was supported by close c0-
operation by the Luftwalfe (air force).
The German soldier was highly motivated. Biased by years of Nazi propa
ganda and a desire for revenge for the
nation's defeat in the Rrst World War, he
was not likely to run. The Wehrmacht
was a bighly professional army, well
equippad and tmined for Ihe new mode
01 warfare its masters were to unleash
upon the World.
German vehicle crews and infantry
squads have a default Morale Thrash
old of 2 (Veteran), Certilin units, like the
Falschirmjager and the Walfen SS, have
a default Morale Threshold C'I t (Elite).
COLOR SCHEMES
From 1939 on, the Wehrmacht used a flat dark gray, which has become known
as ' Panzer Gray." as the standard paint
scheme for all of its vehicles and walk
ers. Even the Afrikakorps units went into
action in their first few battles in Panzer
Gray, because there had not been time
or supplies available to repaint them.
Afrikakorps units can therefore be
painted in any combination of plain
Panzer Gray, Panzer Gray "muddied
up" by their crew with a liberal applica
tion of dust, or the l1lOfe famous yellow
brown color that all laler Afrikakorps
units later sported.
In Russia, once winter sal in, the Panzer
Gray was covered with a whjtewash of
calcimite and lime. II washed or rubbed
olf easily however, so German units of·
ten appeared to be an ugly palchWQ(k
of gray and white.
At the beginning 01 the war, the German
infantryman marched into battle in a field
gray tunic and sleel helmet, with darker
gray trousers and black jackboots. By
1941 , the trousers were changed to the
same field gray as the uniform tunic.
Elite units such as the FalschirmjAger
and the Walfen SS had already adopted
camouflage covers for their tunics and
helmet covers, but these were not generally in use by the Wehrmachfs regu
lar soldiers.
GERMAN MOTORIZED RIFLE COMPANY
The following is an (l(ganizational break
down of a German Motorized Rifle Com
panv of the Wehrmacht. Other units of
the Wehrmachl and most units 01 the SS
had a different TOBE, which witt be cov
ered in future books.
-, • ,
•
,
• •
I
j
?
1<42 men diW;Ied irm a Ccmpany HQ , Ihree Rifle ~. one t-ter.y Weapon SecIian, and one TfllnlfXll" Section. Eadl Rifle P\a1OC)') hu • CO!mIIIiId squad and ltVoo JtifIe squ.ad!.
r-CI I''''' ft28 , "' ... SMG
2 "'" SMG 3 ......., ... • ..."., "'-, -- ... , . ....., ." Nota: lhIt • Ihe only squad In IhII pialOOn IhIII has. radio (Rating -2. 2 kin f!'?l).
1_ .... 1
1 Squad Leader 2 __
3 """"" • --5 """'" , --, ......, , --• --
ft51 SMG .... ... "" ... R .. ... ... """
ftll
.
C HAPTER THltEE: GAME R ESOURCES • ., GERMAN ARMOR •
There are three lank platoons in a company, and two tanks for the company He.
Pzl(plw II PzKpfw II PzKptw II PzKplw II P.tKptw II .,
Mila' ~ PIIIDIII
q~ ,9. fi~-' \1~ fil~ PzKpIw III PzKPwIII Pd(pIw III PzKptwIlI PzKptwIH
IIInY n., l'1li •• 1
PzKplWIV PzKpfwN PzKptw IV P.tKpiw fII Pll5&lV
Panzer1<.ampfers were organized Similarly to the tanks, with five units per p{atoon,
including the HO platoon.
IlIIIt p_ .' :Iv l'1li .. 1 I 1: 't 't 't 't PzKpIIV Loki PzKpt IV loki P!KpIIV L.oki PzKpIlV Loki PV<pllV loki
M .. 71 ..... 1" :Iv l'1li .. 1 I t" ! t" 'f ~ PlKpI v VIIIIwI1e Plk~V~1II p~ V VIII<lrit """'- PzKpf 1/ VaI.LnI
•
79 •
CHAPTER THREE: CAME RESOURCES
?
GREAT BRITAIN AND THE COMMONWEALTH The British Army has always been the smaller service. Since Great Britain is an island nation, the lion's share of its military budget has traditionally gone to the Royal
Navy and this remained true in World War II. But whatever the Army lacked in size,
it made up for in lighting spirit. TIme and time again the doggedness of the British
and Corrmooweatlh troops was displayed on baWefietds all over the globe.
The wargamE!( who decides to collect a British army will lind that his troops rellect
that tenacity 01 spirit. The British armor's stashing cavalry style attacks witl appeal to
Players who missed the charge 01 the Light Brigade. Not quite the equal of the
Germans, lhe British are, however, good "all-rounders."
TACTICS ANDMORALE
The Rriti!':h Army had a tong history of
professionalism and excellence. It was
BrItish military theorists al.lCh as Uddel
Hart and Hobart who inlluenced
Guderian's thinking as he was Writ ing
ActJtung! Panzc(/t.;Jmpfcrl In the mId
1930's.
This being said, Br itish theory differed
from the GElfman on the proper use 01 armor. Heavy walkers and slower tanks.
like the Matilda, were employed in a
5(IPport role 10 aid thu infantry, while
faster vehicles, like the Cruiser series
j,md Ihe Crusader variants. were de-
80
played, along with the walkers, in lasler
cavalry style attacks. It was no colncl·
dence that the two main British walker
types fielded in the early days of Ihe
war were named allar EngliSh Civil War
cavalryman types.
The Infantry of Oreat Britain and the
Commonwealth W8f@SOIidanddepend
able. As the Waf progressed, the Ger
mans accorded great respect to them.
reckoning Ihal two "Tommies" were the
aquivSl9flt of a single German soldier,
They reckoned that one German was
equal to ten Russians Of' Americans, by
comparison!
Commonwealth infantry and vehicle
crews have a default Morale Threshotd
of 3 (Qualified). Certain units, such as Guard infantry and Armored units, have
a Morale Threshold of 2 (Veteran).
C OLOR S CHEMES
The vehicles and walkers 01 the British
Expeditionary Force (BEF) were painted
dark green, usually with a paltefn of gray
or brown swatches. British forces in the
PacifIC used the same scheme.
North African and Middle East-based
units utilized a varif;ltyof doserl SChemes
during the conllict. tho rtl()$f, striking 00 ing the early-war · pallern breaker"
scheme: a base coat of sandy brown
(NfJ( which were painted anglHar' shapes
01 black, dark brown, gray and sky blue,
in an attempt to break up a vehicle's sil
houette. It was common lor all the ve
hicles in a section to have names using
the same firstleller of the alphabet (e.g. "W consisting of Hector, Hannibal ,
Homer, Horace and Hasrubal). City
names and mottos like "Valorous· were
often used instead.
The British "Tommie" and his colonial
counterparts soldiered throughout the
war in the traditional Khaki battledress
that had changed little from the Arst
WOfJd War. They retained the "nn Hat"
style helmet 'rom WNI as well .
BRITIS INFANTRY COMPANY
The following is a typical British Army
company. The organization adopted
was tight. Bllc:MYIg sustained operations
alOne or as pan of a larger lorce. The
British were so satisfl8d with this OI'ga
nizalion scheme Ihal they adopted it lor
all Commonwealth infantry formatiOnS (It
can thus be used to reprewnl Canadian or Australian troops).
-, •
•
•
•
, -
IIIIICMpIllY 124 men dMcIed Into lhr811 Rifle Platoons end • HO Platoon
CG Illin III TUI
"""" """ , NCO SMG 3 NCO SMG
• AT ...... Aftti. T .... rille , """" -• ...... - ""'"." ..
7 loalkM Rifle
Nelle' n.. is the (By aquad in tile plalOOn INI r.as. radio (RatIng -2. 2 10m I!I?)'
... SII:IiIn 1't43 """"1_ SMG , &~ """'" lMG
3 l~"" Rmo
• """" .,. , """"'" .... 6 -.... .... , -- -• -- ... • ........ ... 10 -... ...
Squad Attachments (can be attached
to any squad as per scenario);
CHAPTER THREE: GAME RESOURCES
BRITISH ARMOR The following is an Ofganization 01 a British and Commonwealth Armor Platoon.
Actual To&E varied not only betweert services but within regiments as wetl. Walkers
were sometimes part of an armored platoon.
Mk IV 1-IonIIy MIl IVHon!!y
MIIlikIiI MIl II
~nlll_.11 n .1Ic1lnl
., •
-/
•
C HAPTER THREE: G AME RESOURCES
?
IMPERIAL JAPAN The Imperial Japanese Army was the modern day heir to the tradilioos of the Samu
rai. The old code of Bushido had experienced a resurgence in Japan during the
20's and 30's, coinciding with the rise in pQWef of Tojo's militarists. The Banzai Charge
rule detailed below is included to represent the fanatical devotion of the Japanese
troops to their Divine Emperor: time after time the Japanese would hurl themselves
allheir enemies in terrifying human wave attacks. They truly believed that the high
est honor a soldier could aspire 10 was to die for the Emperor.
The Japanese Player will soon realize that although his infantry is superb, his tanks
are mediocre at best. The saving grace of the Japanese Armor units afe its walkers,
which can hold their own against thOse of other country.
TACTICS AND MORALE
The Japanese soldier was imbued with
the spiri l 0 1 Bushido (the Way of thc
Warrior). Once a member o f the Impe
rial Armed Forces. it was understood
that the indivi(lllal's life was at the dis
posal of the EmperOf. No graater l-.onor
existed than dying in His service. Japa
nese tactics were str8lghlfOfward: when
ever possible, they attempted to close
with and destroy the enemy. A certain
amount of inter-servlCc rivalry hampered
close cooperation between Army and
Navy units, which could have unfortu
nate results in the lield.
Japancse walker, vehicle crews and in
fantry have a default Morale rhreshold
of 2 (Veteran)
Special Rule: Japanese infantry were
known for their ability to perform furious
"Banzai chargeS," ignoring hOrrific casualties in order to allack the enemy d i
rectly. In order to simulate this, Ihe fOl
lowing special rule applies.
A Japanese squad wishing 10 initiate a
Banzai charge must first pass a normal
Morale Threshold check. " it fails, the
unit may still move r1()(maUy. If it passes,
it slili ;;Icts normally with the fOllOwing
exceptions: thc number of casualties
thaI must be inflicted on the squad to
cause a Mora le check rises from 2 to 6,
Banzai charging Infantry must move di·
rectly IOW(lrd the nearest enemy infan
try unit.
8 0 0
COLOR SCH""""-
All Japanese armored vehicles were
painted either a deep dark green Of a
dark yello~-brown . Camouflage was
often provided by adding a pattern of
yellow·brown wavy lines to green ve
hicles or green splotches to a yellow
brown one. Tanks had a small white star
on the front o f the hull , while walkers
were emblazoned with a c hrysanthe
mum Man (badge) prominenUy dis
played on the chest. As both Ihe Impe
rial Army and Navy had their own
ground forces, Imperial AJmy walkers
and vehicles sported a Red Sun on a
white field (known as the "meatball") and
the Imperial Navy used the Rising Sun
emblem.
Japanese ground troops wore a combat uniform o f yellow-brown, with a dark
green helmet. Often a distinctive peaked fatigue cap with a three-sectioned neck
cover was worn in ptace of the helmet.
Low boots and puttees (tapes wound
around the reg from ankle to just below
the knee) were worn on the feet. Offic
ers wore their swords on active service;
some were priceless blades made hun
dreds of years earlier, and others were
only cheap modern copies.
IMPERIAL ARMY RIFLE COMPANY
-The organization below represents a
typical Japanese rifl e company. There
were of course, variations on this orga
nization, bUt this Is intended as a sample
01 a more "ilverage" formation. More
specialized units witl be covered in a forthcoming sourcebook.
•
•
!
,
•
•
, . I
.. CIIUIY "'''lftII 2621TlC11\. dMOed inID • canpan'f HD. Ihrae Rille PlaIC;ll;lM, or. Heavy Weapo-I PIaloon. and DflII ammrootion platoon ElICh Rifle PlatOO'1 is ITIIIde up d 8 corrwnand IC/UIId and Ihrae RifllIIQUtId$_
CI F' ...... TY:5 "''''
2 l..iai.cwl NCO Ril\u
NellI: Thill it ... 0IYt $QUad in Ihe ~ ,. rr..y .. is-o. radio(Rarn,~. 21m range). Most ,adioI_ b..rId 01I1ho
company"""
........ TY:58 NCO ... , "'"""" , ..
3 . - niflEt
• -..., ... , -- ... 6 -- ... , -- ... • .......,
'"" 9 . ....., ... " """"'" "" " - ... " - ... " -- ... .. """""2"'" u.oa
'---
... "'F ...... TY:45 NCO ... , Ril!emtln ...
I , -- ... • ....... ... , -- ... , - ...
I , ."""'" ... , ......." Rille
9 -- ... " -- ... " """'" u.oa <:?p!U>: Aepktce LMIl wiIh AT Rille
-----
CHAPTER THREE: GAME R ESOU1I:CES
IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMOR The to/lowing is a table of organization lor an Imperial Amfy armor company. Walkers:
Most walkers are organized as parl of an Infantry group, Walker Company or in the
reconnaissance regiments. They may 011 occasion be organized with a light or
medium Tank Company_
"""""
PIII.,F
ME ' TIll! CI PY
""- """"'" ReW. Platoon .... """'"' """"-' ,...
PIIIFFF
~ T)'fIfIA7 Type9T TYfWI A7 T)'Pe9T
H._I_ad PII_
~ ~ ~ Typefl7 Tn?e97 ",." TreeST Type 94iTn» QS
ViJIfI!CC' PIli FEF
~ ~ ~ SNIO :,.vI ShilU 38 ......
I
•• •
•
,
CHAPTER 'THREE: GAME RESOURCES
SOVIET RUSSIA The Red Army was in a sorry state in tile early years of the conllict. Stalin's bloody
purges during the 1930's had liquidated any officers above the rank of captain who
had ever displayed a Shred of competence or integrity. In safeguarding his own domestic JXlSition, Stalin had laid the groundwotk lor the most monumental debacle
in Russian military histOl)', Operation Barbarossa. When the German attack came,
huge numbers of Russian troops were caught unprepared because of the ineffj...
ciency of the Red Army command structure (not 10 mention Stalin's len-day fugue).
The Gear Krieg Player who opts for a Russian Army will lind his troops to be the
opposite of their German and Japanese opponents. Quantity over quality is the
watchwOrd here: the Russians suffer from a lack 01 seasoned troops and from a
definite absence of radios in their command structure. Typically, only the company
HQ unit would have a radio, and that was only 10 receive orders from above. Tank
company commanders transmitted battle orders to their units by shooting or semaphore lIagsl But in one respect the Russians were always top notch: they were rOCk
solid on defense. The special rule included below reflects this historical fact,
TACTICS ANDMORALE
Soviet tacticS in 1941 were by neces·
slty defensive in nature, lor Operation
Barbarossa caught Stalin and his gen
erals completely offgusrd. large Red
Arrrrt formations deplOyed In static de·
fensive positions near the German bor·
der were encircled and poundod by the
luftwaffe and by artillery until they were
compelled to surrender. Hundreds of
thousands went Into captivity or were
sent to the death camps. Thousands
mcJ(e were simply executed by SS death
squads.
Russian walker and vehicle crews, as
well as infantry, have a default Morale
Threshold of 4 (Rookie), although cer·
tain units (veterans of the Russo-Finish
War) may be Icvel3 (Oualified).
Special Rule: the Russian SOldier has
historically always been extremely
dogged on defense. To represent this,
any Russian Infantry squad may add + 1
to any Morale check roll if they are In a
defensive position (Hutl-Dcrwn or in tull
cover).
COLOR SCHEMES
Throughout the war years, the Red Army
kept to a basic and straightforward
scheme of olive drab lor all their vehicles
and walkers.
Camouflage was almost unheard of.
When it was used, a simple blotch pat
tern of dark brown or black was applied
Oller the 00 base coat. As soon as the
first snows came, the Red ArmY'NOOld
immediately paint their vehicles and
walkers with a resilient white paint.
The Soviets often painted patriotic slo
gans Of famous quotes from Corrvade
Stalin on the sides of their fighting machines, such as "the People of Worker's
Collective ~1 1 4 smite the Hitlerit'! Op.
pressors!" The Red Star was not used
on combat vehicles, but walkers, which
had much less flat area IOf slogans, usu
ally sported a Red Star somewtlere on
the machine.
The Russian combat soldier was unl
IOfmed In 8 similar no nonsense fash
ion. Olive drab was again the color selected by the Soviet military. In winter.
all soldiers received thick white winter
gamments.
REoAa -INFANTRY COMPANY
The fOllowing organization is only a
rough outline, as Red Atmy Ofganiza.
lion varied a great deal between regi
ments. This is a guideline for building
an early war Russian unit.
• -f
•
•
•
•
, .
The typQI ~ Ccmpany was made up 01 f'IIIIoonII pU ~ PIMDon HO Eadl
"'" -"'"
e. .... TV: 28
3 NCO SMa
• " ....... Anti-Trirille
5 """'" ... • ...... - ""'-7 """" -NoIc: Only the IQlII><1 in Ihc Pbtoon HO ~ have.,.cIio !R8!!!!1! .2, 2 krn ,~!
........ TV: 43
5 -- ... • ""- ... 7 Ril\eman "'" • -- RiI\o
• -- -" Machine !!':mIl! u.tG
Squad Anachmenls (can be anached
10 any squad or fielded Independently
as per scenario):
L Mlcllll ........ TV: 18 u.tG ... -
CHA.PTER THREE: GA.ME RESOURCES
RUSSIAN ARMOR Rusian armor organization was highly variable, depending on supplies and vehicle
availabilities. The lists below are average rePl"esent~tions .
""'~ """"" "- """"" ""'''''''''' MI_ ~'1111 l'1li .. 1
'<M 'M '<M eM
IIIIvy AI.IN l'1li111
_11"1111" Plllill
Though !he Russians did not have a home-grown walker development program unlil
1941, they did field a limited number of American or British units obtained through
the Lend-Loase program. They also made usa 01 captured enemy machines -
when they could keep Ihem operating .
lIId-lIIIIWllklrI'llll.
~ ~ ~ ~ M12l~ 1.4 12lonQe1rM1 M12 l.ong&trM1 1.411 e.ty Alliil'fMillG ~: 3 .. fatty: 3 )I Loki
. , •
•
,
CHAPTER THREE: GAME RESOURCES
THE UNITED STATES The Army 01 the United States of America was a citizen army hung upon a skeletal
IrameWOfk of career soldiers. The average GI (short for Government Issue) or
"doglace" was not a trained professional: he was simply there to get the job done
and get back home alive. Unlike his Commonwealth counterparts from Canada
and Australia, he had not volunteered 101 service, he had been drafted. Neverthe
less, the "citizen soldiers" would demonslrale to the world that they could hold their
own with the best 01 them befOle the war was over.
The Gear Krieg Player who decides on an American army is getting a fOlce that is
strong on equipment, if somewhat deficient in the mcJfale 01 its troops. The US
Army Is the closest rival of the Germans in terms of the number of different vehicle
types available, and as the war progresses American Players will have mote and
more gadgets and "wonder weapons' to choose from.
TACTICS AND MORALE
The U.S. army had laken the lessons of
World War One to heart: great empha
sis was placed on fire and rnovemenl.
While the Heavy Weapons platoon sup
pressed the enemy with covering lire,
the rille platoons were to maneuver to
the enemy's flanks, and then clOse with
and destroy il. American arlllor doctrine
embraced the same concepts as their
Brit ish counterparts They had lillie
choice at the War's beginning. since
there were no American tanks in service
in the medium to heavy categories b&
lore 1942.
86
American soldiers were Indoctrinated
with the concept of the "citizen soldier."
Its peacetime iJrmy was small. and only
the pre- 1941 buildup by Pres ident
Roosevelt allowed the U.S. In be even close to being prepared to fight a war
in two hemispheres.
The default Morale Throshold for U.S.
vehIcle crew and Infantry Is 4 (ROOkie).
Certain units, like the U.S. Morine Corps,
IIrt;! rated at level 3 (Qualified).
COLOR SCHEMES
The standard regulation coIof scheme
for the US Army in all theaters of the Second World War was a dark olive paint
scheme with prominently displayed
white live-pointed stars. Many crews
deliber8tety painted these out, however,
as they foond the slats made excellent
aiming points fOf enemy gunners! .
1\ was a common practice for vehicle
crews to name their machines after
wives, sweethearts, hometowns 01 whatever struck their fancy. Walker pilots o f
ten emulated thetr Army Air Force coun
terparts and decorated their machInes
with ar1 that ranged from Oisneyesque
cartoons to highly accUlate (and otten ,ather risque) fepfesentations of the IemalefOlm.
Tho U.S. infantryman, 01 GI (IorGovem
ment Issue). wore a combat uniform of olive drab. The shirt was a shade lighter
than the jacket and trousers. low boots
were worn, usually brown. At the war's
beginning, the US mititary was still us
Ing the "Bettie ~ style helmet from
WWI copied trom the British. Convinced
it did not o ffer adequate protection, II
new and distinctive helmet was quickly
adopted: it was irrmediately dubbed the "Wobble Pot" by the Gl's due to its dis
tressing tendency to bounce aroond
alarmingly when Its wearer had to run.
u.s, RiFLE COMPANY
The following is 8 lable 01 organization
fOl a U.S Army Rifle Company. The Ma
rines were organized on a different system, although for simplicity this TO&E
can be used until U.S. Marine fOlces are
detaHed in later books.
• -, •
•
, ' ,
,
•
, . ~
~00 e
192 meo, dMd8d .. 110 five platocJna: three Rille PlaIOCll, one Heavy Weapon Platoon , one HI) pIdxJn.
Heevy Weep;rI PIM:Jon '-one eom..d .... .., r-HBiwy Weapon MPIdL The HI) Platoon • !he saTe III the Rille
"'''''''
Cll ........ TV: 8
""'"" .... , NCO "" NuII!' TI .. ill !he ortv ~ in ~_ plAlOOn Ih.lIIl.» ill .aliu (AAlin/l .2 , 2km ~
-.. TV: 51 '-''-- Rillo , ......... -~ ...
3 -.., ... • . .",., "" 5 -.... -, - ... , ......., ... , FtifI.,1W) "'. 9 -- ... " --- ... " -- Aillo:
" ~RIIWnsl "'" '--
f 1. •• 1." lUI '-"- ... , As.sisuw'I SqoIMl Leadet ... , .......,
"" I • ......., CMC , -- ... , ""'"- ,,'"
1 . ....., -I , ."'""" .... • -...... "'" ""'" m ......, ... " . ...." Rifle
" .... ""'nHIie RiIIemiIn "'"
C HAPTER T HREE: GAME R ESOURCES
UNITED STATES ARMOR The following is a table of organization lor a US Army Tank Company. Actual TO&E
varied not only between services but within armored regiments as well . The follow·
ing is a simplified scheme.
"'''''''
M3A'~ M3Al~'
Walkers were Ofgani7oo in a similar fashlOll to tanks, although on a smaller ()(ganf.
7<'1100 level. They were either auached to armored regiments or directly as Inlantry
assets.
r-IJIIItIIIItIZIIIII ....... l'1li .. 1
Mil Early 1.411 EiIoIy Mil Ctltly
-MI •• WIIkIr .......
•• •
•
•
,
CHAPTER T HREE: GAME RESOURCES
IT CAME FROM THE COLD The cold wind drove into Feldwebel Henrich Mulier's flesh like knives. Stupid damned
generals and their "campaign over by Christmas"1 It was already December 27th,
and Muller's battalion of Panzergrenediers was still bogged down In streetfighting In
Moscow's western suburbs. Muller's squad had managed to advance a whole five
houses up the street in the last day. The Bolsheviks fought like the trapped rats they
were, but it was laking far too long to hunt them all down. Damned snipers were
everywhere. like flies on trash. You couldn't even trust the dogs anymore, because
the Bolsheviks had Irained them to run under tanks with explosives strapped to their
backs. Now Muller's men sholthe dogs on sight. too.
"I think I heard something: whispered Schmidt, the younge!';t in Muller'!:: !\qur-ld of
:>t:VCfl mcn. TIIC atliC! ltlrc{) WGro <.IllBCldy dead, buried in shell holes under piles of
broken Russian brick!';. "&xmded like Iv~ns ch:Jt\cring next door ·
MUlier held up a hand lor silence, nol 1I'lal tiis man wtlfa making much noise. In
Moscow during the deadly winter 01 1941 noisy behliv1' e<trned you Ii bullet, morllir
shell , or grenade. He strained his ears, but aJl he could hear al first was the howling
ollhe wind. Peering over the shattered brickviork, the hQuse next door seemed dark
and dead . Then he heard a cough, followed by the thud of something hard striking
something soIl. Muller smiled grimly. That'll be my opposite number. clouting some
green kid for coughing out loud. Muller thought. Too bad ils 100 lalB lor Iha/.
Muller Ilashed hand signals 10 his men. They'd been RI this long enough now to
Know the drill by heart. Slowly, they began crawling over the brickwork towards the
wall ullha nexi building. At a siynal IrOIl1 Muller, as Sc:;1"l!'nidt and Dofllman flung
slick grenades Into the blown out windows, all the Germans fell flat.
88
The snowstorm was rent by the twin
blasts of the grenades. The screams of
the Russians could be heard over the
ringing in Muller's ears, and yet he was
the first man up and in the door, his
MP4Q at the ready. Sensing motion to
his left, he spun and squeezed off a
short burst. The Russian screamed and
folded. Muller shot him again to make
sure . Behind him, there were more
screams as the rest of his men hunted
the survivors of the grenade blasts
IhrOUllh tM Icst of 1M houso. Anqlher
minute or two, and It was all over.
Dorffman stuck his head around the
comer to signal Muller that the house
was secured. The whole front of
Dorffman's uniform was covcrQd in
blood. Oorffman liked using his bayo
/let in house clearing, because, he al
ways joked, "It never jams' "
Muller moved slowly and quietly into the
next room. Schmidt was peering into the
snuwy murk. He turned as he sensed
Muller's approach. "We've made It to the
corner. FeldwebeW Schmidt crowed.
Before Muller could open his mouth 10
hiss the kid into silence, Schmldt·s whole
body heaved as a bullet hammered into
his tOfSO. He dropped like a puppet with
its strings cut.
"Snipert" bawled DorHman, as the oth
ers all threw themselves fla t. MuUer
looked over al Schmidt's body as he
coworcd bCltiind 1M r(.'fflifins 01 tt·)() outUI
*;)Ji. How in hell did the sniper spot us
In all this snow?
Schmidt's bloodied face looked up at
Muller in mute accusation, as slowly,
5flowflakcs began to land on his cool
ing corpse.
"' •
• ,
,
•
•
,
SCENARIOS The following pages contain a selection of scenarios depicting a variety 01 incidents
and ba"Jes from the first three years 01 the war. They afe aU fairly straightforward and
can be used as an introduction to the game. Note that all o f the scenarios have been
designed lor a standard 4'x6' area tabletop with miniatures ranging from 1{72 to 11 144. If smaller Of larger scales are used. simply adjusl1he terrain cOfTespondingly.
Players are encouraged 10 experiment and change the scenarios and their victory
conditions.
One look at any of the myriad history texts on World War II will provide thousands of
ideas IOf possible scenarios Not An battles were set piece atlaits Small actions'
were OOffvnon. perhaps a claSh of two patrols in the daril:ness, a ,aid on an unsus
pecting ammo dump, ;)n ambush on a supply column; the IXl$Sihllltles are lirnil(}(f
only by one's im:lglnation. h. is olten the case, PlilYCfS can simply ilrl(lnge ttteir
t:1bletop terrain to their mutual satisfaction and then just have Cit it.
Balancing the forces in prC"...cfl(:e may be a lillie arduous alllrst The miljority 01
fofces on any side 01 a battle should be made up of the "mudlOQt' regular troops. II
may not be as glamorous or heroic , but it is more accurate, II one consu:ters the
amounl of lime training and expense that goes into creating elite lormations. Threat
Values can be used to create two equally powerful armies, or the Players can agree
on the forces they will field. Often a "balanced" scenario will not result in this case,
bul real war Is noI a balanced affair either. Historically, C()ITVTlanders would not nor·
mally consider an anack on an enemy in prepared delensive posiliOOS untess they
were sure 01 0.1 leasl a 3' \ ratio of troops in their javor. Mosl prelefred 10 have more.
To keep the game cnlerlaining. differences In forces can be balanced by interesting
(and achievable) victory condi tions.
C HAPTER THREE: GAME RESOURCES
• SCENARIO FORMAT
IIlaalon art.flng: This section will
' set the scene' providing the players
with the historical conteld, and outlining
the aims 01 both sides in the battle.
IIlnion CondttIona: This section wiU
detail the game scale and relevant environmental factors of the battle.
Minion ()btecthree.: This section will
layout the specific goals of both forces
In the battle.
Order o' ""1.1 This section williisl the units available 10 both sid(:$.
II .... : This section will Indicate Itle
MQ(ale level 01 the combatant iofces al
the beginning of the bailie.
T ...... ln and Setup: This section de
scribes the tabletop terrain requrred to
ptay the scenario. and the stalling PI> sitions of the combatants.
Compllc.tlona .nd Vartatlon.: This section Is a list of optional variables
thai players can opl to introduce into
each scenario \0 inCrease difficulty or
to simply expand the slze of lorces in
volved.
. , •
, THE BATTLE OF 1\:R-aAS
Location:
Weather.
Tme of Day:
GIE .... AN UNITS
squad of Inlantry
PzKpl V Ausf A "Valkurlll" walkO(
Pak 36AT gun
.. unSllUNITS
6, squad of Infantry
B, MVIlIB Cav8lier walker
MISSION BRIEFING
On the 21st 01 May 1940, British forces
anempled 10 storm the German held
heights 01 the Arras ridge. The Germans,
under the command of GCtlCl' at Erwin Rommel, had been given two days to
prepare their positions. in spite of the
valiant et10rls 01 the British Cavalier
walker pilots and the crews 01 the Royal
Tank Corps, by the day's end, the British
attack had boon pushed back to its start·
ing linc. Thi$ WiJ!> Ure lirst ma;or Cflgage·
men! between two walker-equipped
fOfces. HistOfically, the failure of the Briti:;!r 10 storlll the ridge rrraoo it impOSSible
to link up with the French army.
France. 21 May, 1940
Clear
""r
PlKpIIV Ausl B "LoW WaJkCf
PzKptw Mk.1I Ausf B1IBnk
6, Bren tJniversal Carrier
Matilda Mk. II tank
MISSION OBJECTIVES
The BEF's objective is 10 dislodge the
Germans from their positions on the N
ras ridgE!. F8ilufewill mean lhalltle BEFs
position in f rance will no longer be tenable. A ~ viClory will be achieved if
the BEF car destroy all German units Of
lotce Lher'n 10 retreat. Because 01 the deS
perate situation, there is no w~ thaI a minor victory can help the BEE TIle Ger
mans will score a major victory if they can destroy all the British units within the first
five turns. As long as the Wehrmacht
maintains control 01 the ridge at the 9fld
01 the g3r"l'le, tile Gcrffians will achieve a
fflir)Of viclOly.
MORALE -All German units are Veteran, and all
British units are Qualified. This is a Me
dium Mission Priority fOf both sides.
TtiUIAlN AND SETUP'---
The German board edge should be
dominated by the ridgeline position. The balance of the tabletop should be set
up as open countryside - fields and
woodlots, with the occasional farm
building here and there.
The German forces are sel up 00 lhe
riugClir"lU, <III AT guns and infantry are
considered 10 be dug in, and all vehicles
and walkers are treated as bein9 hull
down. ThO Germans set up first.
Brilish units will enter on the first turn from the opposite board edge to the German
positions, The British have the first turn.
Tho Britrsh am treated as having two ini
tiative Command Points fOf the first turn.
COMPLICATIONS AND VARIATIONS
1) Reptace all CavallEl( pilOts with Veter
ans of the Coldstream Guards.
2) Add on9 6.6 em KWK AT glrn 10 the
German defenders. British forces should
be inc reased by two Ma\ildas. Histori
cally, by Ihe afternoon of the battle,
Rommel did order his ae·mm R(lk glrns
inlo action in a ground role againsllhe
6r1tlSh iorces, r he Germans hacl toona
thai their Pak 37's were completely inef
fective. Shells were lust boUncing off the Matilda's heavy armor!
3) Add two PzKpfw III Ausf E tanks to
Rommel's defenders an increase the
British forces by four MVIIIB Cavalier
walkers.
4} Rllpl<lcu all British irrfarltry squildS
wllh Veter~n$ (level 2 Morale) of the
Scots Guards,
•• •
•
•
'. REARGUARD ON THE~OAD TO DUNKIRK --"11IIII1I~
I Loco"'" Wealher:
Tllne of day:
0I'IIIr III IIItIII aOtlrlAlt uti"" " squad of infantry
2, PzKpIIV Aus! B 'loki" walker
2, PzKptw III Ausf E ItInk
BIIITIIH uti,.,. ., sQu9d of lnIantry
" Matilda MIL II tank
~ --MISSION BRIEFING
The British realized that the battle of
France was now loot. The decision W{lS
therefore made by Churchill 10 ovacu·
ata tho BEF from Franco. The withdrawal
10 the port of Dunkirk was made casier
by the inexplicable actions of the Ger
man High Command, which halted the <idvarlCe of its Panzer divisions on their
march to the channel. It is believed lhat
AeiChSm.:trshall Goering h<1d assured
Hitler that the luftw3ffe alone could (tc
COOlpIiSh the deslrUCtiOn of the BEF and
the French and Betulan troops who I)ad
lallen back on Dunkirk with them.
FfBnce, May ZS - June .. , l1MO
Clear
D.,
" $dKlz 251 b halftrack
" PzKpl V Ausl A "Valkurie' walk61
" MGlcam
" MVlllb Cavalier walter
MISSION OBJECTIVES
TIIO BEf rear-guard is attempting to stull
the approach of the German anny. The Britist' InJ$I hold the liflo: ,.., German lrits can be pemiTted 10 exil the British tabla
edge. The Wetm\actJt was O'dered to r&
SlftlEIIhe attack on the DunkJrt< perimelOI'.
The Gern'I!'m wil SOClfe a rYWlOr victory if
they can exiT beIweefl1-6lMlits off the Brit· ish table edge, and a major 'IicIory if thoy
carl exit 7 or nne units, The Germans
havc eight turns to ac<;QmpIiSh Ihls, aner
!hal British remtorcomcnts will arrtve WId
stop UIC attempt at a brrukltvrugll.
CHAPTER THREE: GAME R ESOURCES
MORALE
All German units are Veteran and all
British units are Qualified. This is a Me
dium Mission Priority 101' Ihe German
loo::es and a High Mission Priority for the
British.
TERRAIN AND SETUP
An open country terrain 'NOUld do fine •
here, perhaps with a road, and some
wooded areas interspersed with pas·
lures and tilled fields. One or two farm
buildings and one or two hills, If avail
able, would aloo be of use.
The British sel up first. foUowl:/d by the
Germans
The Gerrrnms take the first turn. Assume
they have 2 Initiative Command Points
to spend on tum 1.
COMPLICATIONS AND VARIATIONS
1) Give the Brttish two 2 lb. AT Gvns
and increase the German forcea by lour
PzKpf V Ausf B ·Valkurie" walkers.
2) Give the British a second Matilda, and
add a PzKpfw IV AusfF and aPzKplw II
Ausf B 1 10 !he Germans.
3) Give the British two 2 Lb. AT guns
and increase the German bees by six PzKpf IV AuGf A -Lclld" walker$.
4) Both armies had bean tra .... elling for
wock,s almost non-stop, M<.lintenance
was suHcring as a result of this, Treat aU
units {IS il Ihoy had the random shut
down Raw at level 1. Any units already
affected by Ihls flaw irlC(easa their rat
ing by 1.
91
. , •
•
•
,
CHAPTER THREE: GAME R eSOURCES
!
KNOWLEDGE IS OUR BEST WEAPON
Lc.ocaliOIt:
Conditions:
Tnl&of Day:
QEAIIAtI FORCES
PZKpl IV Ausf C "Loki" walksr
PZKplw II Ausl F tank
BRITISH FOIICES
3, Wille cavalier walker
Mk. IV "Honey' lighllank
M ISSION BRIEF'ING
On February 12th 1941, General Erwin
Rommp.1 arrived <llthc 11<)li<l1) COrltrolk:d
North African port of Tripoli , Libya. The
Italians had been driven denr acrQ5S the
western desert by the British 8th army,
and were desperate lor help Irom their
Teutonic aUies. Their saviours lost liltle
lime in IhlOYling themselves into the front
lines in a savage counterattack on Brit
ish positions. The battlefront was ex
tremely fluid; armies changed their p0-
sitions by distances 01 up to a hundred
miles in a single day. Reconnaissance
became of paramount Importance.
92
North A/rica, Apri! 1941
Afternoon
3, PzKpf V Ausf B ' Valkurle" walker
3, MVl2VA Roundhead walker
MisSION OBJEC'1'1VES
Both the BritiSh and the Germans have
Ihe sarna objective here: to recover the
fCCOrlnaisSi}rlCC Ci.~rflOra horn a duwned
RAF observation plane. To do so, a unit
must remain stationary in contact for one
entire turn ard cannot take any actions
(the crew is !Jetting the c<lmera), The unit
with the camera must then exit the map
from a frjen~ly map edge.
Note Ihtl! it is possible to trElns!er the
camera from one unillo another, follow
ing the $;)mc proce<lufe as lor' picking
up the camera from the wreck.
If a unit carrying the camera is destroyed
by an Overkill result, roll one die: on a
1-3 the camera is destroyed and the
scenario is a tie, on a 4-6 the camera
has survived and may be picked up in
the wreckage.
M ORALE
All German units are Veteran and aU
British units are Qualified. This is a Me
dium Mission Priority lor both forces.
'ft.:RRAIN AND SET UP
This scenario does not require a lot of
terrain, A lall COior(.'('j groundsheet will
do for the desert, one or two sand dunes
(Inc! piles of rocks can also be ad'ded.
The important thing is to mark the loca
tion of the wrecked aircraft. II should be
placed in the center of the playing area.
The camera's position can be marked
by placing a countsr 0(1 the location,
NellhAr side slariS with any units on the
table. Both forces will BOI81 Irom their
respective board edge as play corn
menees. Roll normally to see who takes
the lirstturn,
C OMPLICATIONS AND VARIATIONS
1) Both :;idc:; had con:;tanl problems
WIth a lack oi iusl and a paUCity 01 spare
parts to effect repairs. Make 8 Random
ShutdOwn check at Laval 1 (unit will
become immobilized 011 a rotl of 2 on
two dice) for each unit at the start of each turn.
2) The Trap: the Germans have already
recovered the camera, and have now Iflid e !rflp for thEl British. Remove thEl
PzKpfw II Ausf F t<lnk from the German
forces and replace it with two Pak 38 AT
gUllS, whiCh arC considcred to be dug in And mAy be setup Anywhere within 6
MUs of the German board edge.
., •
•
• • , I
•
•
-- .-, . ........-- =
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
loc:"'iOI'I: COnditions;
Tme of Day:
GEIIIIAJI FORCE.
4 )( P2Kpl IV Ausl C "l(lll," walker
umSH FOfIIC •• 10,
MISSION BRIEFING
As the tides of battle ~sawed back
and forth across Libya , both Ihe
Afrikakorps and the Oeser! Rals be
c:ame very adopt ((11)(1 some might My preoccupied) with fairiing each other's
lines oi supply. Food, water, Spam pmlS
and gasoline wCfe all worth their weight
in gold. Amj denying their UliO to the enemy was a clOse second bost to laking
1hem foryoursel1 .
MiSSION OBJECTIVES
The Germans are attef'nptlng 10 seize 01
Elfitish suPply convoy. The easiest way
to do this i~ 10 eliminate the escorts and
f()lT..e the supply IrLKiks 10 surrendp.r. II,
however. the trucks have 10 be de-
Noftll Africa, May 1941
Clear
''''''''''
" PzKpl V Ausl B "Valkurie" walker
3, MVIIiB Cavalier waJkef
strayed ... enough Supplies should be
salvageable 10 make the attack worth·
while. The BritIsh are trying to ensure
that the convoy rrlilkes it ott the table
without falling into Gorman hands. The Briti:::h will score a minur vielOf)' if they
can gel 1-5 trucks 011 of eitha( Short table
edge. and a major victOfY. if thfJV call
exit 6-10.
~ORALE
AU GO/man units are Ve\lOlran and all
British !,Jnlts are Qualified. This is a Me
dium Mission PriOrity for both forcss.
TERRAIN AND SETUP
A fairly simple (jese" terrain setup is sll
thaI is reQuired hero. Only one terrain
CHAPTER TURl.m: GAME R ESOURCES
festure is truly important, that being ei
ther a road or track of some kind run
ning lengthways along the middle of the
table. This can be made of paper, felt.
or even masking lape. Ambitious mod
elers, 01 course, will want to make s0me
thing that looks better. Several compa
nies make very nice road sets for
wargaming use.
The Germans set up anywhere around
the perimeter of the tabletop, within 8
MUs of the table edge.
Thu BritiSh seT up the convuyon the road
in The c9flter 01 the t(lOle. The walker
escorts Ir1;)y he placed within 6 MUs of
any part of the conVOy. The Bmish set
up li,sl. Roll normally to see Which force
lakes the first turn.
VARIATIONS AND COMPLICATIONS
1) Sandstorm: On turn two a sandstorm
begins blowing through thc battle area,
causing eaCh MU to add 2to its normal
Obscurement value.
2) Armed Lorries: Three 01 the convoy
trucks have had .30 cal. machineguns
added.
3) Cavalry to the rescuc! Add two PLPfw II Aus! C tanks 10 the Gorman force. On
eElCh British tum after the third, roll a die.
If the number jOlted is an everl "umber,
roll on the follOwing table:
1) 2 II Mk. IV "Honey- tn » 2 J{ Cru:;.,001 Mk. I tank
3) 3 lC MVlltC Cavalier wi"l1kff
') 2 lC Crusader MIt. II tank
5) 2 J{ Ml1A2longstrcet walker
0) 2 x CrUS8def Mk. III tank
4) Turnabout: This 5Cenario can easily
btl (averse<!. Change the convoy escort
to Ihreo PzKpf IV Ausl B "Loki" walk8fs
and the attacker 10 four MVIIIC CaVAlier
and two MV 128 Roundhe~d walkers.
93
",
•
•
,
CHAPTER THREE: GAME RESOURCES
,
BLOODY LUZON
BlIIIII''I''
Tme of Day:
ua FORCE. ., MJA 1 stuart lighl tarit
1.l MlIAJ Early walker
"APAJIEH FORCU 12, Type 95 Ha.go lank
Shi<j Type 4 I walker
MISSIONlJRIEFING
The fate of the Philippine Islands was
SP.llIect WflII before the W(lr. surrovndc<t as !hey were by Japanese 10fC88 on all
sides. The first armored cngagcmont
tOOk place on Oecerrt>er 22. whefltAnk. ...
and walkers 01 the 41tl Regirrtefl l am
bushed a patrOl 01 M 11 Ear1y wall.efs aod
M3llght tankS from the 192nd Tank Battalion near Damortis. The patrOl was parI
of a rear guard action, covering the with
d"awing U.S. forces. After 50ffiC skirmish
ing, the Americans lell back. The Provisional Tank Force lost many tanks need
lessly 11'1 IIi-conceNOO Withdrawals, due
mainly to inexperience wfttllafgef-scale
iintO and walker tactics.
PhilippIneti. December 22.1941
3, MllA2 Early walker
5, Shiki TYJ)It 38 walker
MISSION OBJECTIVES
The Japanese forces must destroy all
U.S. units. Failing that, they must drive
them offlhelI edge Of tile tablo. If loss
than half of the U.S. forces remain to moo ' re",!, it is oil partial Japanose VICtory. If
the et'ltire U,S. force is destroyed it is a
major .lap1t~ victory
The U.S. forces m.JS1 try 10 lnlliel as many lOsseS as paiSible in rrve tUfns. After thai,
they must begin 10 withdraw to their lable
edge. If l1'IQ(a thllll half of their units exil
their !able edge and they have destroved at leasttWOeoemy units. it is a minor U.S.
viClOry. II \he U.S. forces have managed
to destroy of cripple more than halllhe
Japanese units. it is a major vbtory.
. 0 0*~*.
MORALE
All us units are Rookie and all Japanese
units are Veteran. This is a Medium Mis
sion Priority fOf both forces.
TERRAIN AND SET"'UP"'- -
The terrain required for this tabletop is
a fairly open area. interspersed with
clumps of jungle trees. It is important to
try and find the right balance with the
terrain setup here. Too much ob!'.Ct,Jfing
tOftaln will flOI allow the US enough pf a
field of fire 10 be oble to try to eliminate
enough of the oncoming Japanese. TOO
mile ten;)in to J)l'ovidu unough cover for
tile US defense will turn this scenariO
into a turkey shoot for the Japancso.
The US sets up first. withln 12 MUs of
their own long table edge. The Japa
nese do not set up 01'1 the lable; thoy will enter on turn one trom their long
table cclgo. Tho Japanese have tile tirst turn; assume they have two Iniliative
Command Points 10 spend on turn one.
MISSION VARIATIONS AND COMPLICATIONS
1) Japanese morale is very high, due 10
their victories thus far in the Paci fic and
due to the hOnor of having been chO
sen to spearhead the luzon oHensive.
The Japanese forces have a High Mis
sion Priority fOf Morale purposes.
2) The U.S, r(Xcus t1<Ml had to scramble
undP.r the Japane""...e bombings and repeated a"~5 on their supplies. Spare parts must be stretched to their limit. Two
Wlanks and twoM11 walkerswilf have
the Random Shutdown Flaw (see page
96) al level 2. Dt;!hmnirm which vehicles
have this Flaw randomly aher the seena(1O begins.
• 'f
•
I
I
•
•
,
-
•
RUSSIA HAS BEEN BROKEN AND WILL NEVER RIsE AGAIN!
Location:
Conditions:
rme 01 Day.
0rdIr lllIat1Ie RUSSIAN FOReI!I
6 ~ SQuad 01 irlI3nlry
2 x T34lank
GERMAN FORCEi
12 • squad of irJfantry
2 x PzKpl II Aus! B -VaJluJie" walkei'
-MiSSION BKII<:t' ING
II was the time of !he Great Panic in Mos
oow. On Novemb~ .. '1' 2rxt, the lead ek, ...
ments of the Wehrmachl'll Army Group
Center began ns assault un IhC belea
yoocd city's weslern suburbS. German morale was being undor rninea by the
terrible weather and thP. incredible dog
gedness 01 Russian resistance. Russian
" lOIa!e was bolstered by Stalin's daily
radio broadcasts frcrn the walls of the
Ktemlill. whiCh he had ral~ to aban
don. For thOSe who were /101 heartenOO by the Great Stalin's rhetoric and appeals
to naUor~lis'ic sentiment, there wero al
ways 8efia's NKVO execuliufl SQuads.
Moscow, November 2 - Decer\1bel' 31 194 I
Blizzard (.2 Obsctxement 10 all LXIIts)
3. MGleam
4 . pzKpf IV Ausf C "Loki" wabf
MiSSION OBJECTIVE
lhe German objt.'etive is simple: elm
Mia all Red Army UllilS in this area. This
will re!'luilin a major victory for 11'1& Ger
means. 1 here is no minor vJc:IOfy OPllon:
il l$ aH or nothing.
Russian IOI'ces are determined to Slop
the "Hitlerite Invader's· and make them pay dearly tor every motcr of ground
taken. If thoro are any Russian units left
alive (It the end of the battle, it is a Ma· jor vk:lory IOf the Red Army. Note lhal
the Russil:ln + 1 bonus to morale chocks
for being in 3 defensive position is
cOUfltod in addition 10 tho +2 bonus lor
the high mIssion motivation.
CHAnER 'THREE: GAME R ESOURCES
MORALE
AU Russian units are Rookie, and all
German units are VeIMan. This is a Me
dium Priority mission for the Germans
and a High Priority lor the Russians.
TERRAIN AND SETUP
The terrain fOf this setup requires a large
number of ruined buildings. piles of rubble . cratered roadways and shell
Cfat9f8. Try to arrange the l(!f1'ain in such
a manner as 10 allow the tanks &orne
avenues of movement, but not too rnallY
Tho: RI)$.<tians set up first in !he center
of the table, within 3 16-MU area of the
playing area's center.
The Germans enter from any one of the
fOlK table edges on their firstlurn. The
Germans have 12 turns 10 eliminate alt
Russian forces and achieve their victory.
Roll normally 10 see which side takes
the firsllurn.
COMPL ATIONS--AND VARIATIONS
I) Assume that the combat Is taking
place dUl'lng a lull in the storm. and give
the Russians a sniper. This negates the
+2 Obscurement effect of lhe blizzard.
2) Reinforcement: Add two Lend-lease Ml2A2 Longstreet walkers 10 lhe nU!!sian forces. Also add lwo lend-lease MVIllB Cav;lti¢t' walkers to the RU66iCU'1
forces.
3) Tired: The lighting In the 6treats of Moscow during the Blizzard 01 Decem
ber 1941 was a horrific ordeal. Treat all
units 00 boIh sides as being In an ex
hausted state. All Morale checks will be
taker! al -2.
95
•• •
•
,
ApPENDI X I : F LAWS AND WEAPON C HARACTERISTICS
?
PERKS Many vehicles have special features, such as additional armor plates, ejection sys
tems and cargo bays, that are not covered by the vehicles primary tactical and
strategic statistics. These extra features are represented by Perks. Many Perks are
primarily intended for background and campaign purposes and do not have signifi
cant tactical effects on the vehicle's direct combat performance.
Perks with the designation (AUX) are defined as Auxil iary Systems for combat and
damage purposes.
Perks with the designation (Al have a numeric Rating. This Rating is listed next to
the Perk's game effects on the data sheet.
AIRDKOPAHLE
The vehicle can be equipped with a parachute or an eqlJiv~lenl nevi,-e th(lt
allows it to be dropped trom high or low
~tl1l(jdp. onln ~ MtlletlC!t(l.
AMPHIIifO\lr---
The vehicle is adapted for occasional
water travel such as river crossings and
amphibious assaults. The lower hull Is
made water-proof, <md inflatable skirts
are sometimes added along with an
uflderwaler propulsion system such as
8 smaJl propeller. The vehicle may travel
across water terrain, paying MP accord
ing to its normal movement type. This
Perk does not grant Ihe vehicle subma·
rine movement.
BATTLE ARM R
The vehicle has a rudimentary arm to
carry and orient weapons or other
pieces of equipment. 'Nhile battle arms
<.Ire not nimble at all, they can lift an 0b
Ject (provided it hils bt.'(:n attaclied to
the arm) whose Size score is equal to tho alll1's rating. No malter the rating of
a oaUle arm. a venicle camlO! lilt Cln itl:lll1
whose size i s greater than lwico ilS own size. If a vehicle has multiple arms, it
can use lhese together to increase its
lifting abilit~ Add hall the ratings of the
weaker arms to the full raling 01 the
strongest arm 10 determine the tifting
strength of multiple arms.
Some Battle Arms are designed to
punch opponents: thay end in a rein-
forced battering ram or other brawting
weapon. This attack has a Oamage
Multiplier equal to the Aating of the arm.
BA KUP COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM
The vehicle may ignore communications
system damage effects 01 the first Aux
iliary System Hit on the Systems Dam
age Table. All non-communication aux
iliary systems take normal damage el
teels, ThO POrks. uflocl can be restored
by a normal relXltr It a techniCian WVr"ks
on the vehicle after combat.
CAKGO A\'
The vehicle has a cargo bay. cargo
bays are rated in terms of their voiuf1l(J
in cubic f1l(Jtcrs. Thoy are moslly used
in campaign games or to ferry troops
(each trooper takes up t\Yo cubic meters
of space and counts as ExpcY..cd Crow).
FIRE -mSIST T
The vehicle Is made of fite-resistant
materials and provides adequate heat
protection for the crew. In game terms,
halve the Intensity of any incendiary at·
tacks against the vehicle.
REAT-lbiSISTAN'r ~Olt R The vehicle's armored hull can dissipate
Iho intanse enl:lrgy delivered by weap
ons like shaped-charge warheads and
energy guns. It either has extra layer of spaced armor or sports an ablative coating of some sort.
The Rating of this Perl< Is added 10 the
vehicle's base Armor Rating when the
vehicle is attacked by HEAT-based
weapons (see the table on top 01 the
next page). This Perk has no eHeet ver
Sus weapons that are not HEAT-basad.
"' •
•
•
•
•
•
,
lEAl IfftCf HUT.aAHD NOT HUT.a.t.SED _ C~
M",""
RocketS/Grenade Rifle (nlantry)
Pl.nch and Kick
panzerlaust R""""",
PlAT Melee Weapon
HIGH TOWING CAPABILITY
The vehicle is equipped with a high
tOlque, heavy duty powerplanl and a rugged transmission. lis lowing capac
ity is doubled or tripled, depending on
the design. See Towing, page 69.
IMPROVED OFF·RoAD ABILITY
The vehicle is designed 10 handle rough
or rugged terrain even better than stan
dard military grade vehicles. Ground
vehicles have large wheelS/trcads with
a very flexible suspension, walkers have
large or clawed feel. In tactical game
terms, the vehicle pays one less MP for
any terrain type that reqUires more than
one MP 10 cross. For instance. a ground
vehicle with Improved Off-Road Ability
would pay 3 MPs instead of 4 MPs when
crossing Swamp hexes, but would still
pay 1 MP (the minimum movement cost)
per Clear or Sand MU.
HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION
The vehicle Is specially designed for prolonged exposure to some hostilo
environmental conditions without detri
mental effects. The tOilOWlng Perks also
protect the crew.
Desert: The vehicle can withstand ex
lended exposure 10 desert conditions
without needing special maintenance to
APPENDIX I: PERKS_ FLAWS AND WEAPON C HARACTERISTICS
avoid sand build-up. This Perk includes
air filters. modifred heat exchangers and
cloth coverings on delicate mecha
nisms.
Extreme Cold: The vehicle is designed
to endure freezing cold temperatures,
such as those found in arctic and ani
arctic regions, without freezing up or othe!Wise breaking down. This Perk also
protects the crew. Heaters, special lu
bricants and other modifICations are part
of this Perk,
MANII"ULATOR ARM "R.
The vehicle has an arm that can pick up
and manipulate objeclS. For example,
handheld weapons can be dropped and
picked up at will. The arm can lilt an 0b
ject WhOse Size score is equal to the
arm's ra ng, No matter...mal the rating of
a manip lator arm, a vehicle cannol lift
an item Whose Size Is greatOf than twice
its own klze. If a vehicle has mullipJe
arms, it can use theSe together to irI
crease its lilting abilIty. Add half the ral
ings of the weaker arms to the futl raling
of the strongest arm 10 determine the lift
Ing strength of multiple arms.
Optionally, manipulator arms can be
reinforced to punch opponents, This
attack has a damage multiplier equal to
the Rating of the arm.
PASSENGER S EATING
The vehicle has extra seats fOr" passen
gers. The passengers do not conler any
extra actions to the vehicle, nor can they
control it. Passengers cannot usa the
vehicle crew's escape systerrl (if any);
they must have their own.
REINFORCED ARMOR R
The vehIcle has orm or mOle laCings
(defense arcs) with belter armor than the
rest of the vehicle. When the vehicle is
hit on a reinforced lacing, add the Pef1('s
Rating to the base Armor Rating of the
vehicle.
REINFORCED CHASSIS
The Irame of the vehicle is designed to
absorb considerable punishment The
vehicle may ignore the lirst Structure hit
on the Systems Damage Table, but then •
lOses this Pef1(. The Perk's effect can be
restored by a normal repair if a techni
cian works on the vohicle after cbmbat.
REIN.-ORCED CREW COMPARTMENT
The crew compartment is tayered with
additional armor and filled with crash
absorbing material, The vehicle may
ignore the first Crew hit on the Systems
Damage Table, but then lOses this Perk,
The Perk's effect can be restored by a normal repair if a technician works on the vehicle alter combat.
REINFORCED LOCATION ARMOR R One of the vehicle's location has better
armor than the rest of the vehiCle. When the vohlcle is hit in a reinlOfCcd lOca
tion, add the Rating 01 this Pef1( to the
base Armor Rating 01 the vehicle before
determining damage.
SEARCHLIGHT AUX The vehicle has a powerful lighting sys
tem, such as banks of headlights or a
large wide angle spotlight. At night, treat
the vehicle's F (or Rt. L. or Rr, depend
tng on where the searctJlight is mounted)
linllQ 81C as if it were in daylight up to
the searchtighl's maximum range.
97
'f
•
.,
,
A PPENDIX I: PERKS. F LAWS AND WEAPON C HARACTERISTICS
SMOKE LAUNCHERS AUX The vehicle has been equipped with a
smoke grenade launcher system, which
can be triggered using an Action. 11 pro
vides 2 points of Obscurement to the
firing vehicle in the arc where It is fired
for the rest 01 the turn.
RUGGED MOVEMENT SYSTEMS
The vehicle may ignore the first Move
ment hit on the Systems Damage Table.
but then loses this Perk. This protection
is due to the inherent strength of the
drive systems design, or any built-in re
dundancy. This Perk's effect can be re
stored by a normal repair if a technician
works on the vehicle after combat.
TOOL ARM R
The vehicle has an arm with a special
ized tool attachment, such as an
earthmoving scoop or a cargo handling
claw. Whilo a tool arm is not as nimble
as a manipulator arm, it can lift an ob
ject whose Size score is equal to the
arm's Rating. No matter what the Rat
ing of a tool arm. a vehicle cannot lift an
item whose Size is greater than twice
its own Size. If a vehicle has multiple
arms, it can use these together to in
crease its lifting abil ity. Add half the rat
ings of the weaker arms to the full rat
ing of the strongest arm to determine
the lifting slrenglh of multiple alms.
Optionally. 1001 arms can be designed
10 punch opponents. This attack has a
Damage Multiplier equal to the Rating
of the arm.
WEAPON LINK
This Perk allO'NS multiple weapons to be
linked to one fire control mechanism si
multaneously. One Action is required to
fire the weapon link. The link's Accuracy
and Range are equal to the worst Ac
curacy and Range among the link's
weapons. Each weapon attacks sepa
rately, but as soon as one weapon
FLAWS
misses all the other weapons not yet
fired automatically miss (but still use
their ammunition). When a link is fired,
all of the weapons in the link fire.
Flaws are the opposite of Perks. Flaws represent defects or shortcomings in the
vehicle's design. Sometimes these defects are planned as a cost-cutting measure.
at other times the defects are the result of· design or production errO(s.
ANNOYANCE
Annoyance Includes unusual weird
noises, bad smells, raise alarm signals,
a cramped cockpit, etc. Often, this Raw
has littte or no tactical elfcct, but is In·
teresting since it individualizes the vari
ous vehiclfl designs.
BRITTLE ARMOR
Due to poor design 0( materiel. or both,
the vehiclp loses twice the normal
amount of Armor when it is damaged.
Ught Damage hits remove two points of
Armor, end Heavy Damage hits remove
four. System Damage is otherwise ap
plied norme!ty.
B UTTONED UP
Because of the restricted field 01 view,
an ermored vehicle operating with all its
c:rerw hatches closed (the "buttoned up·
pasll1on) must subtract 2 from all its
Detection rolls. If the controlling Player
announces the tank Is running with
hatches open, this Flaw is repl8ced by
U1C Exposed Crew Compartment Flaw.
(Few walkers have this Flaw: in general.
their extra height compensates 10( the
restricted field of vision.)
DEFECTIVE ACTIVE SENSORS R
Early sen$(l( systems were very primi
tive and prone to daJTl8ge. The vehicle's
•
• •
, •
,
•
-
,
sensor system has a tendency to go on
the blink in a random manner. Defec
tive Active Sensors are rated from 1 to
5. In combat, one die is rolled before
attempting to obtain a line-ol-sight
through active sefl$OfS (see page 52).
If the roll is equal to or less than the Rat
ing, the Flaw's rating is applied as a
negative modifier to the sensor lest.
DEFECTIVE FIRE CONTROL R
The vehicle's fire cootrol system has a
tendency to go on the blink In a random
manner. Defective Fire Control is rated
from 1 to 5. In combat, one die is rolled
just before firing a weapon. II the roll is
equal to or less than the Rating . the
Flaw's Rating Is applied as a negative
modifier to the attack.
EXPOSED AUXILIARY SYSTEMS
The vehicle's auxiliary systems have little
pmtection from combat damage. When
ever an Auxiliary Systems hit is roned
on the Systems Damage Table (see
page 59), the damage is one stage worse (i.e. Light Damage becomes
Heavy, and Heavy Damage destroys all
auxiliary systems).
EXPOSED FiRE CONTROL SYSTEMS
The vehicle's fire control mechanisms
are inadequatety protected and prone
to damage or mallunctlons. A + I modi
fier is applied when roiling for damage
on the Fire Control Damage Sub-table
(see page 59).
EXPOSED CREW ---COMPARTMENT
The vehicle 's crew compartment Is
open-topped or offers little protection,
causing excessive crew casualties
ApPENDIX I: PERKS, FLAWS AND WEAPON CHARACTERISTlCS
whenever the vehicle is hit. Whenever a
Crew hit is rolled on the Systems Dam
age Table (see page 59), the damage
is one stage worse (i.e. Ught Damage
becomes Heavy, and Heavy Damage
eliminates the entire crew).
EXPOSED MOVEMENT SYSTEM
The vehicle's tTICl'-I9ffi8flt systems have
little protection from combat damage . .
Whenever a Movement Systems hit is
rolled on the Systems Damage Table
(see page 59), the damage is one stage
worse (i.e . light Damage becomes
Heavy, and Heavy Damage disables aU
movement).
EXTREME OVERHEATING
The vehicle is prone to overheating in a
highly dangerous manner. The vehicle
will automatiCally sutler a random light
Damage hit if it does either of the fol
lowing lor two combat turns in a row:
move and fire a weapon: lire three or more times. If it does either of these for
three combat turns in a reIN, the vehicle
suffers an automatic random Heavy
Damage hit.
FRAGILE CHASSIS~--
The veh Ie's chassis is overly Iragilo
and is pr to damage. The weight 01
the vehicle is too great for lhe frame,
weakenlrg it, or it might iust be il bad
d~sign. A -+-1 modifier is applied when
rolling oJ, the Structural Damage Sub
table (see page 59).
FUEL INEFFICIENT
The vehicle consumes twice as much
fuel while operating al Top Speed as it normally would. Its Deployment Range
Is reduced by fOUl kilometers lor ~ery
kilometer covered al Top Speed.
HAZARDOUS AMMOlFuEL STORAGE
The vehicle's fuel lanks or ammunition
bays are poorly designed. They are either placed in a prominent place, lightly
armored , or both! A +2 modifier Is added to AmmoIFuel hil rolls when the
Ammo/Fuet Hit result is obtained on the
File Control Damage Sub-table (see
page 59).
HIGHLY FLAMMABLE
The vehicle incorporates flammable
materials, or It Is extremely susceptible
10 excessive heal. The Inlensity of all
incendiary attacks against the vehicle
is doubled.
INEFFICIENT CONTROLS
The vehicle's control mechanisms are
complex, causlng !he crew to wasle pre
cious time in high stress situations. The number of crew bonus actions is re
duced by 000. If the crew drops 10 one, the remaining crewman can either drive
Of take actions, not do both.
LARGE SENSOR PROFILE
A desIgn flaw has made the vehicle
highly visible to sensors. This may be
caused by a variety of eler'l"l&nts, such
as a tall silhouette, 8 high infraled sig
nature, noisy machinery or a significant
radar trace. This Flaw's Rating Is sub
tracted from the vehicle's Concealment
value versus sensors.
No COMMUNliic'lA:TTI'iiow ---
The vehicle is not equipped with any
form of coovnunication system. It cen
not stay in contact with teammates QVf!f
long distance and therefOfe cannot use
Command Points unless it is within c0m
mand distance (see page 44). The crew
99
• "' •
AJ'PEND!X I: PERKS. FLAWS AND WEAPON C HARACTERISn CS
cannot act as a spotter for indirect fire,
rM)f can it accomplish any action requir
ing the presence of a communication
system.
No SENSORS
The vehicle has no built-in electronic
senSOfS of any kind and may only de
tect opponents visually. It may not use
the Active Sensor lOS rules.
OVERHEATING
Tho vehiCle 1$ prone to overheating in <t
dsngerous manner. TIM:: vehiCle will au
tomatically Su"er a Ught Damage hit il
it does any 0/ the following kI three c0m
bat turns In a row: move and fi re a
weapon. fire three or fTIO(e weapons.
PARTIALLV EXPOSED CREW
Only part of the crew is protected by the
vehicle's mass and Clrmor. The other
crewmen are tiding in open-topped
compartments end are exposed to en
emy fire. The vehicle is considered to
have the Exposed Crew Compartment
Flaw until all exposed crewmemoors
have been eliminated. For example, a
vehicle which has three crewmen in an
enclosed cockpit and four gunners on
open mounts will have the Exposed
Crew CoIno,."Irtmenl Raw until the foor
guMefS are casualties.
POOR OFF-ROAD AHILITY
The vehicle has great diffICUlty negoti.
aling rough terrain. This can be caused
by a poorly designed suspension, Uny
wheels UI tleads, narrow feel, elc.
Whenever entering terrain that costs 2
or more MP (not im;:tuding elevation
changes). the MP COSI of the MU Is In
creased by 1. For example, a Rough MU
win cost 3 MPs instead of 2, but <I Clear
MLJ will still cost I MP 10 cross.
100
POOR TOWING CAPABILlTV
The vehicle's powerplant is 100 small for
the vehicle's size or its transmission sys
tem is not up to the task of towing and
overheats alt the time. The vehicle's to'N
ing capacity is halved (see page 69).
RANDOM SHUTDOWNR -
Whenever strained (each turn of com
bat where it moved), the vehicle must
roll two dice against a ThreshOld equal
to one plus the rating 01 this Flaw. If
failed, the vehicle $11UIS doWn (no move
nl(..'f1ls Of actions) for a number 01 com
battums aquallo the rOIl or one die.
UNSTABLE
The vehicle is hard to coniiot at high
apaad or In difficlMt tooairl such as rough
ground and urban areas. A -1 modifier
is a.pplied to alt Driving Skitt tests made
<It Top Speed and/or in terraIn with a MP
cost greater than 1.
WUICFAC"IN"GC--
The vehicle has a weak facing (arc of
defense). This may be due to incom
plele armor coverage. shoddy design.
or pool' maleriaL When the vehicle is at
tacked on that arc, ils Armor is halVed.
WEAK POINT
The vehicle has a weak poinl in the ar
I'!'I()( covering one of its locatiOns .• Thls
may be due to incomplete armor cover
aye, ShocIdy design, or plain bad rlla
terial. When a spocifiC SV!llenVIocation is aimed al and successfully hit. the
base Armor Is reduced by the rating of
this Flaw before applying damage.
WEAPON CHARACTER~STrCS All combe, vehicles carry some sort 01 prOJElCtlto or rocket weapons In battle. Many
of these weapons have special qualities or et/eets that modify their performance in
Ihe tabletop game.
-, •
•
•
ADHESIVE
Adhesive ammunition is designed to
stick to the targel befOfe delooaling, in-.
creasing its possible damage.
It places a -1 modifier on the attack roll .
but. if successful, the warhead becomes
anached to the target When it explodes
one turn later, il counts as being in Point
Blank range (+ 1 ) and the defender's de
fense roll is autOlTlatical1y 1ere.
To get rid 01 an aoheslve warhead, the
defender may make a Driving Skill rotl
v9(SUS the attack's M;:lfgin 01 Success.
If the delCrlding vetucte has fnW1ipllia
tOr arms, a bonus eqUiilto harf the Rat
inO at the largest arlll (rounded up) is
appliad 10 the Driving roll.
ANTI-INFANTRY
The we<lpexl or warhead is spe<:fically
deSIgned to altack infantry units and
other man-.slzod largels. Anti -Infantry
weapons can be swung around very fast
Of throw up lOts of shrapnel.
These weapons do not sutler the rlOf
mal-2 modifi81 when attacking Infantry.
AREA EFFECT
The weapon affects a large area around
the talget point. This can be due to an
e)(PlOSlve effect or a lalUC nvmber of
scattered submunitions.
These WOiJpOr)S are rated in Ama EUc::ct
(AE), followed by the MU radius of their
blasl area (radius 0 means ooly the tar
ge! MU l!l affected). A1ea Effect wesp
()fIS AlWays have a minImum MaS of 1
versuS everything in their radius, inclis
criminate of friend Q( foe, even if the
larget(s) successfully def9nded.
Area Effcct ammo delivers a high c0n
cussion blast andlol scatters lOis of
shrapnel Clround when it detonatu$. It givtlS the weapon an AE 01 0, unless it
ApPENDIX I: PERKS. FLAWS AND W EAPON CHARACTER.ISTICS
already has an Area Effect, in which
case it adds one to the AE radius.
ARMORaPIERCING
The weapon is highly efficient when
penetrating armor, concentrating all its
energy on a Single point to enhance the
force of the blow.
The target vehicle's base Armor Rating
is halved 10 determine damage. II the .
IlnacK is succasslul, lhe target does not
lose any Au"rl()f points (the entry hole is
\00 small to affect the AIIf'K)f Rating) but
takes System O~r'I"""lge as usual.
t1rgets may not be Overl<illad by Armor
Piercing weapons. Any e)(fra damage
past the Overkill Armor n llCShOid of the
target is ignored 101' SimplICity.
Armor-piercing hils do not transfer between infantrymefl; it an Infantry squad
is h it and lakes damage, only onD
trooper i~ affected.
AKMORaCR USHING
The weapon is highly efficient when
destroying armor plating and structures,
either because of sheer ~triking power
Of because 01 Its natUl'o.
If Ihe atteck Is successful, Ihe target
vehicle losus twice the usual Armor
points (2 /of liU/lt Damage and -4 for
Heavy Damage) In addition 10 the usual
system damage.
If the dall'lagc point total of the attack Is
equal or greater than hell the tatgel's:
Armor (Jut stili under the baSI) Atn'l(ll),
the tcugellOses one Armor point wIth no
additional effcct
INCENDIARY
Incendiary weapons are intended to Ig
nile and burn their t('lfgels. Most of the
tJme, thiS is accompliShed by fitling the
shells with white phosphorus (or other,
even more volatile compounds) Of us
ing burning liquid as projectile.
Incendiary weapons do not do damage
normally: instead, they cause a fire
whose Intensity is equal to the weapon's
Damage Multiplier plus Ihe attack's
Margin of Success.
The lull incendiary rules are fully. de
scribed on page 67.
iNDIRECT FIRE
The weapon eM perform indirect fire,
curvihO Its anack 10 hit targets IhIll are
obscured by terrain.
The attacker does not need to havu a
direct line of sight In order to attack or
oth&rWise affect the larget, only a for·
ward observer to tett him where to aim.
The Indirect fire rules are /ully described
00 page 56.
MINIMUM RANGE
The weapon is unable to fire at a largel
that Is close to its position. It might be a
mortar or an artillery piece that fires In a
high atc.
In game terms, the weapon suffers a-1
modifier for each MU that the target Is
closer Ihan tho weapons Minimum
Range Rating.
RECOil.
The weapon has enormous r@COil and
canoot be fired on tho move. If this oc
curs, waJk.or vehicles are knocked to the
grourxl «(OIl Driving as pEtr f"loanal fall 10
avoid damage). Othor vehicles may be
overturned by the recoil. Roll ooe die.
00 a result of 1-4, the vehicle remains
upright: on a 5-6, the vehicle is over
tvmed and out of the fight.
10 1
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•
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•
APPENDIX II: VEmCLES
MlII?n IIIkI
cru ..... • •. 1II
Year In ScMc:e:
GrIll .......
No:I~'ty :
lIIIIiclll TyptI:
Y~,"SeMe&:
102
?
Grellt lIfiRt., Tn
C"lal Brilai)
T .. 1939/1940
Great Britain
T ..
'I'"
- -Size: " Crew: • '""" 1513tV45 - , """"" V. - -3 DepIoymem Range: '''' "" """",,, Nooo Comm:.onO::ation&: -l/3km
Fire Control: ~ Tho'eat value: " PDlJ(S .. FLAWS - GiImII Effects - Game EIIIICtS
""""""u. -2 Detection or E:o:posed Crew Inefficient COntrols _1 Bonus Action
Largo Sensor Profile -1 To COncealmeo11 _. --- "" S M L " '= OM • Ammo "'"" 2 lb. ClImon T , 6 " ,, ' 0 " ,
" -.303 BC'"...1 MG T , , • , 0 "
, ..., AI. HOF2
-
- - --
-Sino: , C,tIW' • Atmot: "122IJ3 -- G<ooo<f., """'"". ., ....... ' '''' km 5 •••• ,." .... Carmvnir;.ati(>ol$: . 1131cm
Are ContrQl' -, Threat Value: '" PUll .. ~ FlAWS ..... I G>ome ErrllCls ..... G..ne EIIttClm
"."'m« Lose Twice Nf'OOf when Hil BlJllonedUp -2 DeIectkln orEXposed Crew
I~Conlrol!; -1 E\onvw. AI;:tiQn UIIIJO ~ PrQfiIft . 1 To~1
RIiId:;r.; Slk.t<l:1w!l AilIilg 1; FIaI Fu studowr) ......... - '" 5 " L ,. k< OM • ......., "'"' 2 III C8I'tIOI1 T 3 , " ,. , .. , '" 7.92 nYn t.4G T , , • 6 , 02 , - AI. AOF2
1.92 rrrn t.4G , , , • , , 02 , AI, AOF2
MG AI,.,,,, B., - - - - - - - - <500
Crusader ""-. 11 : _ all abaYe e~1 Maneuvtw -I, It1f1'OO'i$ ~ ~
5i.zQ. , GfCW: , /vnu: ,,= ~n ... lt G/a..\d 214 ...... _, ., I RiInQO. '''''''' Sen~: .... CormvIic.lIIions: -1/3 lur;
F,,,Q..r'lr()l- ~ ThiMI V@IlIl8' " NlUUiafLAft - G;:wng Ellacl' ..... Gomo"'-BrittltoAI!1~ l~ T~Ali,l(ifwllEon Hi!. Rt;n~Vp .., DAlIICIInn QI EltpOAIId Claw
LneltK:II!nI Contrru - I iJonuK h;tiun Uulll' SEtlIiUr fWl"tItt -lTo~l -- 1 : A:llfQ'~
......... - '" 5 " L '" ~ OM • " ... ~ "'" 61b. C ......... T • 6 " " 0 ., , " 1.!I2I1Y\'lMG T , , • , 0 02 , '''' AI , R()F2
I
-!
;
C' 1'-
•
J •
f
, , •
•
•
•
•
?
GrealOnLIIII.
tl3CkedAPC
".,
M3Al Sb8'IiML IV ''IIDnIy''
.......,. USM>M<_ VI!tw;lot Type; Tn
YetJlII'I5ervico " .. M8A6 GrIntiI.II
Na1lOl\allty' (JS/VGrea! BriI8lIl
Vehicle Type ... Y8Iu In Ser.bI. , .. ,
-- '" s " M6 37 1m! G\II1 T .. • 3OM1918MG T 2 3OM1918MG n- 2
MGArrmDBin
Size:
"""" """"'-Soma • .
Fire Control; ..... , ~
~ FF ..
~ U.S. ~!lIOI1 (Gillt'll)-
A pPENDIX n: VEHICLES • ••
•
"
, '" '" CO< • """" -" "
, '" '" .. • , .. AI . AOf2
.. • 0 " AI, ROf2
""
" Cr_' • ""',. -..... """"" .. ~ -_. 'Olkm .... """"""'" -1/SkIn ., Thnla1 value' "Xl
---Up =, . . ~ -;;.
~ 8 j§: .,
.. 7 TV, """" stats, MId teOOOd 30 MG on 1...-.1
103 •
APPENDIX II : VEH ICLES e 0 0*~ ? -,
2111. M GIll Size' 3 C_ 3 • ... ~ "'" -- ""'""" (1<>wod) ........ ., "'--'- "I' 5ensofs: ,.". ~oo..: ..,.. Forti Control: ., Tl'nat Value: " ..... K •• FLA .. ..... ....""" ..... ...... """ -- .. 1 NTOOI Front FUjpd Mo/II. sv-n At«lrIls .. MoIoe. Hit -"'" Oawtta_*p_
- '" eo.. FC ..... _-.:o_
......,...
e ..... '" s " " ... "" "" • """" ,. ""'"""" " 3 • " ,. . , .. ,
'" "" Of88l8(~lIiI'I
ATGu1
Year 11"1 SCrvIce' ,.,.
CD - """" "" """"' HI.<i " , • • , .. 15' AI, FIOFt
Browning .30 F , • • , " 20J AI, AOF2
NatioNlity: ""'" "'- ""'- F , ., .. 3 ~ • -",. -.. , Y.- In 5eMca. 19"
•
MmlClVIIIer Siu ' , C_ , """. 11/16121 -.... w... 214. GroI.nd 30'5 ........ ., OIflIOJIllllf RIIr'Qe '''''' """". ..,.. """""""'''''' -2/1 kin
""' """" ., .... - 31
NJUtS&R.A .. ..... .... ,- ..... ""En"" .......... 2 ~ R<c; , eamot pwlCI'I Reinforced Armt)f .1 Armof FfOI'II
~elI~MIIr_ -1 MIIn. InGro.rohtDl lneftw::1efII Conuul. -1 BooutAl;:tIM
~ lowroo HaK Cep&C!ty ""'- . , Manevvt!r 8t TOO SOeed
""""*' -1 ArfTlOl on t.4oYernerII HitS ......,... e ..... N' S " " ... "" "" • .... 00 -""""...,. F , • , , •• 15' AI. ROF I
-'" F , , • • , " 200 AI, ROF2
, - r __ .... G<..- F , ., .. 3 ~
'oItI'oc;1e Type. -.. VtNIr III Sotr_ : ,9<0
"'" •
•
?
-Year 10 Service. ""
, .. '
Size
"""" _. Sensors:
.... """".
7
8116f.!4 . , .... .,
ApPENDIX II: VEHICLES
C~ 2 -- W __ 'lJ". ~3f.)
OepIoJim.,ut RInge: ,. ... ~ ·212 '" TMIII Vaiu8: 37
...-_. an.AWS -""'- Game Enecll
Can be Mdoopoed - Game En""bi
-~-2 .It IW, Can f'I.n;h
RM IIOIced AmIOf --_. -1.2 Lb C....-.on
Afmor: ......... 50""" Fore Control,
""S" FU.WS -
., Ivmot fronI n.fIiclenI: eor.ot. · 1 Bonus Actions
"""-" -- ., 1vmot OIl ~ Hits
Atr;S ML
F 2 .. 8 " "'" " 0
Com ' ......
.7 9 , , . • 0 ., " 100 N . AOFl
N , 0
7 .,em ., .... .,
3
MoIIement: GIo.n:I3/5, ~ 30'6
~ RlwIoe: 80km ~; ·213 km
nw... ...... : u - ...... ""'" MiInIpuIaIor AI,", 2 .It AS. Can I'I.nch Reinbced 1vmot . , 1vmot FronI
-1 ""rnor on MowmenI Hita ~amg w.nk f'oOoII
'"l.ight Oemage • Uno! Mcwn ao'ICI ""' ~ Ttwn 3 Tl.Wnt 10 • Flow _. ..... "" 5 " L " "'" "" • ...... "'" 1 2 lb. Cannan , 2 • 8 " 0 .7 8
' .9 n'Il' BHa " , 2 • 8 0 " 2SO AI , ROf2
MoIl~1 , 0 '" , N
10 5
. , •
,
APPENOTX If:VEH1CLES
MVl2C llalnlllll!
, ..... -
CD Nationality· GrMt Britain Vehir;kr Typr:r : ArmoredCllr
Year in 5ervice: ""0
TlI4I78A
* NHIiola~II': USSR
Vehicle lype· , .. Yailr In SOrv\c(!: ,,.,
",6
Si~:
~, ..........,. Sensors:
Fore Control: PDtK.a FlAWS -MarOprjatQl Arms
r 9(18/17 ., .... .,
Game Etrects
2 ~ AS. Can PLnch
Crew· 2
Movement Walker 315. GrtUId 316
Deployment Range: 80 km
Co!rmunK:a1ioos: -213 km
Threat Va'i.Je: 46
Game Eltec!8
+! Armor Front
Weak Point . , Armor on MoYement Hits +2 \0 Damage on fiR ArmIO Hits
" ' Ligtrt Damage 11 UniI MoYes!lrld Fores More That131lKnB In a Rout ........ -- '" S .. , " "'" OM • ""'" "'" """'''"''"'' F 0 0 0 , .. , .r " RaF1. sa
1.9.2 nvn ~SOI FF , • • 0 " "" At. flOF2 Moll GlAflAdAR F 0 .. , t!
-Sile. • C_ 3 ,,~. 6112/18 MtN .. TMII1I: "'"'" .. """""'. ., DotpIaynw1t RIonOll·
'02 "" ....... , - C<imrruoIcation.: -1/!ikm
FWfI c.:.Urci: ~ 1 hfea1 Value .. PUt". a .nAWS ,,_
Game Elfecrs
tneflicienl Gontrois - I Bc:nJs Craw AcbOn .,,'''''' '" -2 Del9C1iof1 Of E..PI*Kl C_
l.erge sensor ProIiIe -l\OC~
I -- '" S .. , EX "'" O~ • """" -151T1'T1lkrSll T , • • 0 " '" At , ROFI
7.92IT1'T1Bna T , • • 0 " '" At, ROF2
Si~8: " Crew: • ,,~ 15I3IY45 Movement: ....,., .. " .. ,,,., ~
_ ........ "" "" S8i\aor$: .... Corrmt.nIclrtlOl'1s: .....
F~ """'" . , ThrIIat Value . 96
NIl". & nAwt ..... Garno Eltects .... G.moE"' • Hostile ~ Pro!ection COld Wea!her ImprOYed 011 Road -I MP COlt In Rough Te<rllin
""""'" U, -2 Dell!ctioo Of ~ 0_ IrxofIicieot Controls · 1 Bonus AcbOn
Laroe SenSOI Profile · 1 \0 Concealment ....... ""'" ." S .. ,
" "'" OM • """" "'" 16.21T1'T1~40 T • • " 32 0 ", n 7.ti21T1'T1 MG 1 , • • 0 '" At , ROfz 7.62rmlMO FF , • • 0 " At , AOf2
MO ArmIO IiIn "'"
• . , .. .
•
•
•
• ,
\' -, ,
.,
"
--
•
,
~~*00e
H4 ........ 1.I11III"
-Vehicle TrPe: Year In SerAot:
!
* USSR , .. ''''
* USSR ,-'''''
Sin! ' h_ ......... ""~. FlfeGonuoi
~'.I'LAWS
762rm1 MIl
762ITWnMG
MG~6irI
L , .. ,
APPENDIX II: VEHICLES
. , •
,
" c .... , ..,- - . ........ ~ . • ~RDnge: ...... .... Cm.,1lII'IiCttionJ .... ., TtvNl ValueI' 'OJ
N . AOF2
• 8 0 .. AO. """
• 8 0 " AI . ROf2
"'"
107 •
-APPENDIX II : VEHICLES
?
1IV-1C
BII-10 IImWed c..
* ""'" -"'"
M8A1 87_11T GIll
loS
"'"
o 1JS'
AT eUl'
"'"
Fire Control
""".& ,UWS -,
1/ 14/2 1
" ... -"
Hosb1e EnYi!OmJenI PICII. Cold Weather
Inclticlent COntrols _1 Bonus Crew Action
I -...,. I No , "
, D<
45 mm Model J9 , , , " " 7.62 rrm DT " 1 , • ,
8 0 0 *.®_
c~ , Mo."",,,, ""'"'" ... -."""', "'km eu., .. ""Dlions· .... ltve31 Valve "
""'" .,,'" Improved Off.Road · l tAP (:01;1 in AnugIl TftIT...,
Buttoned up ·2 Delectlon Of' ~ Cf8W
ko """ • "'"'" -0 .. '" 0 " 1500 AI , ROf2
I
I
I
,
,
•
•
•
-• •
•
•
•
,
•
-, •
MllAl ...... ~
•
YlSIIUkl~.
MllA2 ...... ~
MllA3 ...... ~
o
o "'" -,..,
0 "'" w_ ''''
..... &fLA .. -,
~"'3' ., .... . ,
88ttle Arms 2 K R4. CamoI fVIch Elqxald c- CI8w HIlS _ one Slap 'IbM
1neIIicienI ConIroIs - I 9on.a Crew Action - "-"
Size: , "'~ ~"'" .......- ., Senscr,: .... Am ConIrOl· ., 1'DlJ(. a fLAWS ..... ..... ""'" ~IOrAl,.. 2. FW, Can Pu"ICh .... - Can dePloyed by glide<
""'- .aFuel.lcJl~
"""--- I Ivrra on MI709n8n' KIs
ApPENDIX U : VEH ICLES
- GiIme Ellects Oe<:fflased Maneuve< ·1 Mi1n.1n Groln;I Mode
FI.8 hIIicirn 112 Fuel. q, ~
""""""'" -I ~atTopSo-'
.. c- , """"*' WaIker~ . Gtound 3.'5 _ .......
""'" """""""- ."'"'" ThINI Value: " - ""'" """ -"'~ • 1 Armor Fronr
"""",., -- ., Ma-l in Gn:u\d MocIe
lneIIicIanI Conrtlls · 1 Bcn.Is Aclion -- """-'" •• UgtII ~ ~ \)nil """"".00 FifM MMI In." 3 TUltlt in . Row --. ""'" "', , " l .. '" OM • ..... "'" .... """"" F , • • " 0 " • M1918M 30 F , • , 0 ., "" AI . FIOf'"2
MMW Grenades F " .. 3 ..
"'"
• Of
•
..
ApPENDIX U : VEHICLES
Ml2A1 GlnnllaIlIIlI'tIt
Year In SerW::lfI'
PzIIIIIW 1I11III B1
NatoonaJ!ly;
VehK:1e Type:
Yo;w In Servicll
", 0
USA
w."" ''''
" ..
,,.,
•• Ugh! D¥nage ~ Unit Moves and F.-as More Than 3 Tums in a Row ........ N~ "" S " L " ,.. OM • ""'"""'" F , • ,
" .0 .7
t.41918A5 .30 FF 2 , , 0 " t.4k4 Grmade~ F , "
-
2. "'. C."'.",,
"",'M'" Ff,,' 8
Si~fI: 7 C_
"'~. ,....., ..........
,,,,.,.,,, ., [)epiDyrn9nt Range :
Sensors' """ COrrvnurlica!i0n8
Fife COrllrot -2 Threat VlWe:
POlK. & FLAWS - Game Ellects -- C&rI wade in ahaIIow walei' """''''' """'" ButlooedUp -2 DetllCtion Qt~ C,8W lr'l(tlliCitIr'l\ cc-.troIs
........ --2cmKwk30
"""
-l\O~!
Art: S M L Ex /10:.
T 3 6 12 24 0 T 2 ~ 6 0
., .,
"""" 9
250 ,
'OJ ,."
"" AI . ROf2 ..
, G",,,,,, 3/5
,ro ""' . tl5 "'"
" G.ne Ellects
+ 1 Nrrot Front _1 Bco'wJ8 A(:!ion
""'
-,
•
•
,
-I J .
" ,
~
, ,
~
~
• ,. ,
J
• • <1If)(fj * 0 0 e ,
I'lJIpIw I AlII! C
• --. """'"' VAl'lic1c TI'\)IO' T .. V_ In SIIovicll ""
I'ZIIpIw I AlII! 0
~
Yellr In 51Jrvi1:c: ""
Siz.: """",. ........ ........ Fore Control: ..... an.t. .. -Reo*"ced Armel tnafticienI c;o.,troIs
-""'" 2c:mK~Xl
"""
Si/e
""""', ......... ....... Fw.<:ornI!Cl. ...... & fU .. --"""'" netrocienl Ccnrds
--37cmKwk38
"''''
... """"', """,,-, , .. ,,'" Fore Control:
NItK' &FUWS .... Aeinluieed Arrror .........,....., Largll 5en1iOl' Profile
--
7 ,...,., • .... -,
""'" """ .. , hrrrtJf FIOI't
-, Boru AcIiM
"" ,
" l .. T 3 6 " " 7 , • •
7 ,...,., -3 .... .,
...."". .. 1 NrtrJi( FtonI
. , Bonut AcIiQn
"" S " l .. T T
, 8 , " 32 , •
, ''''''''' -3 .... -,
.... ,""" .1 Afmor Front
.. I To Ar!ma/FuIiI Hill
· 110 COIOCMIo'1ef'II
ApPENDIX n: VEHICLES
Crew: 3 -- G",,'" '" Deployment Ranoe: "" "'" Camn..ricaIiorw: -I/SkIn Threat Vak.e: J7
- Game EIleen
""""'" Up -2 DetecIion (J{ flcpoMd er .....
large sen.. PtcfiIe _1 ., CorlcMIrn«II
'" OM • ""'" -" .. ,OJ
" " ",. AI, ROF2
"'- 3 - , """" '" OapIoJmeo ~ Rtnge: 'OJ "" CoomuicationI: -1/5 kin
Thteat~: " - ....""" ,"","",Up .2 DMec~ Of Expoeed c-Urge s.n.or Profile
'" OM • " .7
0 "
. , to ConeMInWIt
....., ,o. ,.,. -
AI. AOF2
3
"""" '" I.,.", ·!/S1Im
27
""'" .... """ Buttoned Up ·2 0eIecIicn (J{ EJCPC*d Crew
~ CorIIrI* · 1 BoroI Action
Arc S '" l Ex I>«. pt,4 • ., "'" AOFl.S8 FF D 0 0 ., T 2 • e 0 " '"" AJ , ROF2
liT
., •
•
• e 0 -0 * ~ <$-(Il ApPENDIX II : VEHICLES , . , -I'zIIpIw • AlII! F •
'"""" ''''''''' ~ """",. .... ~ -- Game Ellects - Game EflecIS
-"""" .2 Armor FfOI'II """"'" Up
-2 Detection Of Exposed Craw
loefficieot Controls _1 Bonus Action Large Sensor Profile -1 to Concealment
....... • ..... A" S " L " '" "" • ""'" """ 3.7cm KwkJ6 T • ,
" " . 0 .f , "" .
"''' T , , • 8 0 " , ,,,, AI, ROf2
Nationo3litv: """"" VIII'oIclo Typo: Tn Yeai' In ScfW:1!: "'" - - -, , I'zIIpIw • ':'111111_ ~.: " C_ ,
Ivrror: 1412&'42 -. Gto.n:l -21~
""""'"" ., ~IRange: 'S>m ~.: .... Co;n-.rw.~tx>no.: -l/11km
Fore Contn::t ., Threat Vat.J&' " .... t & fLAWS ...... Game Effeclll ..... Game Eft_
'"""'" .. -2 De\OO1ioo Of~ Craw 1oeII~1erot Controls -1 SOnus ActJon
~~PrQllIe ., 10 C<;>ncfo"n-,t
....... ~ ~ 0 "
, "'0 AI . AOF2
Nationality. """"'" IJohitIc Type: Tn Y&ar In SBrW::e: ''''''
.---il I'zIIpIw • AlII! E
"'2"" .... ..... ~
, , N~
,
'.
"""0 "-'--'-
-
112
" 3 •
• e 0 0*~~ ApPENDIX n: VEHICLES
? -, S1JItmDeIIIdZU33E Size: " Crew: , •
Nm{Jl: 1412&'42 ~t Gn:u"1CI 214 - ~ ~!Raogo. 95"" Sensors: NoM Comrrunications: .1/Skm
FireContn:Jl: ~2 Threat Value' .. PEIlItS & FLAWS - Game Elfects ..... -,,-Reinforced Armo< + 1 Ivroot: FronI Bunoned Up ·2 De!ection OF Exposed C'&Ii
lnefficienl Cultrols -1 Bonus Action Large Sensor Profile _1 to COnceamenl
WEAPONS - "" 5 M L " "'" OM • """' "" 7.5cmK~L33 FF , , " " .0 '" "
Na1lona1ily: ""'-, \lQhic1e T)'PC. , .. 'foor In Scr.1ce: "'"
PzI(pI IV bt A 'll*I" SIze: 6 Crew; 2 ~. 7/14/21 MI:Mio~: WaJkef 2/4. Gfoo'Id~
"""""'" ~ , _ ....... OS""
Sensors: ..... Cuonr.ulic8ti0n8: ~Wm
FIre Con!fO/J ~ , ThrtIat Vall>e: " PUlIU a FLAWS ..... -,- ..... GamaElf""1lI
BanieArms 2 II R4. cannot f'I.onch "'"- 0:2 i'lIIIIlII1c;lp Sr-1 , -- ., t.t.l . .. Gr\u1d Mode F'oot" Towing HaW Capacity
W"akPooni ., AmlOr OIl Mc>v_1 Hits IneI!iclent ConIrOl, _1 Bonus Cmw AcIlOn
Unstllble . , Matil'luW! III Top Speed """""-- "' E!(pos.ed Clew Crew Hill; ')'0 onoo ~ WrxSlJ
~ ........ - 5 M L " "'" OM ....... - • A" • "'". FF 2 , • 0 " 2 "-l,ROF2
Natiol'\alil'!'; Ge'lT'I8n MG ..... ". 500
Vehicle Type "" ... , Gr"""""" i F ~ , .. , ~
Y""" In Sef'l'i<:e: ,,,. ~ -
PzI(pI IV bt B 'll*I" SOze: 6 CUIW' 2
Armor: 1/14/21 - . Walker 2/4, Ground 315
"'-, ~ , Deployment RallY!!" """ Sensors: ..... CorrwruniCll1ionv; .2n "" F .. e Control ~ , Ttve3t Value: 29
""". a FLAWS - -".". .... Ga-ne El!8ClS
ManipuIalor Anns 2" A4, Can P\lnch Glider Capable Can be deployed by glider -"'- ., Min in Groln:I Mode ""'- x2 Fuel. TqJ ~
IJlI!IficIOOl Controls ., Borou3~ """,- Halt Capacity ,
WcakPcin\ . , Nroof on Movement Hit~ ........ • N~ "" 5 M L E. ~ OM • ..... "" 1.8 em KwII. 71 r 2 , • " 0 " '" MG '"
fT 2 , • 0 " '" AI. ROf2
G""""", , ~ , " , ~
" 4 •
.-$~*0 0 .
r--
l'iliiii11 _ C ',.'
-, l'iliiii V AlII A ''VIIIarII''
1l'iliiii V AlII B ''VIIIarII''
""
Size,
Armor: ...... " Sensor.:
c~
Movement:
ApPENDIX H : VEHICLES
2 Walker 2/4, Ground 3i5
'''m .,p. ."
FQConIroI:
........ ru. ..
, 1/,.,21 ., ...,.
., Deployment Range:
~.
ThreaI va.: " --"""'FIeinJoreed "'met lnelficienl Controll
c.n be ~ by gIOIr
+ 1 /vmt)f FfOI'II
-1 Bonus Crew AcIiDrl
- 2. R4. Can fVK:h
-1 Mwt ir> Grtr..nd Mods
Ha~ CapaciIy -....... - 1 Arrnof on MoYenwtI Hir.
-l.8 CJ'I1 KIf'I<. 11
.,'" --
.... """'" ....... """". FIfe~:
-
NUS .. ru. .. No~ .......... ""'..-In&Irocienl COI'IIrOIa --..... MG" MG ArrIno Bill -. Size:
Armor:
"""""'" s.n.u..: FQ Control:
1NRIt1" FU ..
.....
.,'"
ArcSMLE.ocA«.
F2 4 8160
OM
" " .. . ......
20 -Ff 2.80 F ., '" , fId. ROF2 ..,
.... -. '2. x RoI . can f'II'Ic/'I ...
• , MooeIM!r III Top Speed
· 1 Bonus AcIon!
2 ~ w.Iker~ . Ground 3/5
Deployment RIroQI' (1(1 11m
COrrtr'u'IicaII. ·m km
ThreBl Value: 21
Name Game Effects ~ Armor +1 NmtJlfmnI
fWIdQm $hI..oIdo\Iron AI
WMk "*" -, Nmor on MoYerrwlI HiU
AlcS ML E./v;X; OM
" . ...... 2 -AJ.ROF2 F 28160
F . , ..
" ,
600 3
,.
11 5
1 ., ,
,
,
APPENDIX II: VEHICLES
?
Year on $e<w;;t!" "'"
116
,
........... -
. 00*~~
. ""'" -' 7.!icmP ... .a FF.SI8320 .... 2 ..
Size: Am",,, -, .... ,," F"W\l Conr~
NIUlS&JU. .. -
- , 5I1~15 ., ""'" .,
RW ... ced AnrrcI .2 NrrOl Front ~ Crew Ctew Hit$ _ onsSiep Wcna
- 0-""'" f\.wIId u..... ~ ~fftMcwl. HI
~Fie~ FCHIi .... r:nIts.pvo.
) . •
, -.<HtlIfl* 0 0 8 ApPENDIX II: VeHICLES • i
•• IIIIdz 261 _ ..... • c.... , •
"""'" 7114/21 _ ... " """'" 3/5
• ........ ~ --. 300 "" ," Sensof.: .... Convru'IicaIian: -lf3km
FqConlJoj. ., Tl'nM \IeIut: " ,... .. ,..... .. ..... Game Ellecl. ..... Game E/Iee,s
• Pas&engIIf Se.1ing Space lor len ~ ExpoMd C_ Crew Hill are one SI&p WOI ..
-"''''''"' Fe Hill; MI one SIep v.o. -... """"'" . , Boru Action
lMge SenIor f'roNII . , \0 CcJnoNh*lI
• • (f)
NllIionaIiIy. """"'" ~Typc. _ ..
.... InSeMce. ,,.,
P11188 Ad-..... GIll Size: , c,_ , , """". "'" ............ Gro.nd (TOW8d) _. ., """. W.
• """'" ..... CaTm.ricaIiDnI' .... F .. e CUlItCII. ., TlIfeat~ .. : ..
l .... Il'" FLAWS ..... ......""'" - """' "". • _od"""" .2 Armor FrQ'lI ---- ~""1ob.4' HI """""C_ Crew 1 ~ _ 00& S!tlfI 'NorIe _ ... """ Fe HIls 1ft one SI!!p Wn&
, ........ • ..... No S " L " "" "" • ...... -3.7 em f'AA 36 FF • • " 32 , •• , 60
• l ~- """'"' 'NIodtT\'P&' AT GIa"I (1JgIlI)
YMr In SeMce: ",. • •
~ • ., ... tI .. .... 1 c...- , """"" '''''''' "-'*" """'" .. ... ~ ~ --.. ........ ,,. .... S ... "'" .... ~1ionI: .... '" """"'. ., .... -. 38
....... FLA .. ..... ......""'" - ...... ""'" SunonedlJp ·2 Dele<:lion Of Exposed Crew lneflicierll Controls . , Bonus AcIjon
LMge :ser.or ~ . \ \0 ConcetIment
........ • - '" S " L " "" "" • ...... -37 IT'll TI'P4IIM T , • • " , .1 '"
1.7 nlfl TYI)IIJ 97 T , • , , " AI. ROF2 - -- 7 7 ..J" Type 97 FF , • • , " AI . ROFi!
VIIhicIe 1'(p8 T,.. MGAITmu BWl ,,,, VIIaf fnSlww:8 ''''
"7
-APPENDIX II: VEHICLES e 0 0*~~.
f
"
1YIII 87 ''CIIHIa'' SIze: , c_ s ,,~ '''''''' .......... , """'" '" • ... "."., ., Deployment Range:
200 "" s.,,,,,,, -. CorTYnunication.: .... F".-e CQntrol: ., Threat Value; 70
..... &FLA .. ...... Ga-ne ElleclS - ""'"''',,'' SunonedUp -2 Detection Of ExpoSed Crew Inefficient Control! ., Bonus Action
Large Sensor Pmlile -1 10 Conceamenl _ . • ""'" "" 5 " L 0< "'" DM • ",~ """ .1nm Type 1 T • • " " 0 ," '" •
7.7 nm Typo 97 T , • • 0 '" AI, ROf2
l ~- -~ 7.7 mm T)pG <J7 '"
, • • , '" AI, ROF2
VGhicIc TYPe: , .. MAArnmo Bin :!:!i7!; . Year In ScNIce: "" ,
I ibid 88 '"'. , Crew: , ,,~ 8/16124 Movtllnenl: Walker 214, '" "".'M" ., Deployment Fbr'ge: ,.",
""""'. .... ~~: -. Fife Conlrql: ., Threal Vallie: " ..anc'. FLA" - Ga'11e EWecia - Gam9 EIIecl8
M>t,,;pul~1U Armll 2. A4 , CIlfI Punch """"" "'" '""'" .. 200 Ammo/Fuel HilS
"""- HHIIC,,~ WeaIo. Point -1 Nmtx on ~u HilS
''''''''''' . 1 Mar.uwtt al Tep Speed lrilltroeiEHll COrlllola -\ Bonu!J c.ew Aetior\
--• N~ "" S " L '" '= "'" , "'"'" """ r"""", .. , 0 ."
77mm lYpe97 , , • • , ., "" AI, ROF2
Nfltior>/Ility: "-' 7.1 ...... TYJ'O 97 R , • , 0 '" '''' AI. R()F2
'll!hit:IOt TYJl*: w ... Gr~ 1 , ., " , .,
Year In SoMce: ",. j - ..
ibid 41 SIze: , Crew: , """'" 8116/24 .• ,,""'''' Walker 214, Ground 315
""",",,' ., DAplDymP.nl RangfI. """ Se!1so<s: .... CO'm'lKIicaIiOn$: ... Fire Conm!I: ., lhreM \ItIIoe: 32
· o '" .
o '" _ '00. •
"'"
11 8
•
ModIII B4 AnlHn GIll
N:.!ourlllo,y V •• hid" Type.
YImr In ServIce"
NllbaBllly
'o'ehIcIe Type. "-In S8Mce:
• --AT 0\.0\
""
"'---""
....... ,,.,
Size: ,,~
"""'"'" Se05en: Fire ConIroI:
..... &FLA .. --Rei'lIoreed Almar _ . -.......
-
"'" FF s •
, ".. ., ....
. , -.
+2 Almor Front
" l " • 18 "
ApPENDIX TI: VEHICLES
, Ground (Towed)
N/A .... "
~ GamII ElIecIS
I\.oW8d MtNe SysWn Absorbs me ""-... E!IposOO ~ eu.g FC Hils IInI cne SlIp W:ne
'« "" • """" "'" 0 '" .,
I
Usually none, bI.I! tor _5 TV !he I!VCk ClIII be IIqUippecI wiIn 8 caD-<'I'IOurlIe ~ - "'" S " l " '« OM • """" "'" .30~ F , • , 0 " 200 AI, AQf2
" 9
. , •
.,
•
ApPENDIX II : VEHICLES e 0 0 * __ (f!}) Ij) •
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•
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ApPENDIX II: VEHICLES
. , •
•
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121
• ApPENDIX III : MINIATURES MODELING
' 1
ApPENDIX III: MINIATURES T OOLS OF T H.E nuDE • You will need tools to assemble and •
The Gear Krieg rules support most existing wargaming scales (see Game Sca/e, painl your models property, Some loois page 44). Yoo can play with virtually any type of WW.11 miniatures available on the are costly, but if properly cared for they market. Most are made oul of pewter or resin: Ihese are the most comn1()(l materials williasl to( many years. for wargaming miniatures because they do not require extensive industrial facilities.
Modeling loois can be kepi in drawers They also have the advantage of being cast in soft molds, allowing nlOf8 complex • palts to be made.
or old kit boxes, bul It Is bener 10 have a dedICated tOOlbox. A fiShing tackle box,
You can also use plastic models 01 W W IIlan«s and infantry units: the armor section with multiple drawers atId storage COUl-
01 the local hobby shop WIn Yield many Inexpensive kits suitable for gaming and partments, is perfect to store all your
converSIOfl. Even toy soldiers (the infamous "army men") can be used in a pinch1 tools and spare parts.
Individuals can be represented on the tabletOD, although infantry squads will defi- The follO'Ning tools are those that ' YOI,J nitely be cumbersome if the players Wish TO represenT every ~>inglo trooper About will lind most uGOlul' one In live wtll do line: simply altaciliwo trooper figur~ to (I b(l5EI (for ease of han- • dhng). Vehicles do noI need bases, but are easier to manipulate if they have one.
• Hobby Knife with Spare Blades
• Small Scissors A wide range of buildings and accessories are available from the armor modeling • Tweezers and model railroading industries. in scate rangrng from the common 1(35 all the way • Coarse Sandpaper (medium) down to the tiny 1/300. With a bit of time and a well-stocked spare palls box. Ul&Se • Sandpaper (line and extla-fine) krts can be made Into SUptifb scenery lor any Gear Krieg game. • Needle Flies •
• Pin Vise and Drill Bits
• Clamps
• Pliers
• Toothpicks •
• Paintbrushes
8IIIly tnt •
Wh~n la/kinR about tools Qn~ musr
talk about Mlf~IY. RellU!mher tlwt WlY
toof capable of cuning through plas-
lie mul mewl ;1 duubly capable of
cutting through flesh!
When using a curting 1001, make sun!
you cut away from yourself to avuid
accidents. A. dull blatk will N harrier
WORK SURFACE YOUf work area should always be kept toCOtltroi and n!quire 1tIOn! prrssurr
If you do not have access to a work-tidy. clean. and well-organized. This wi ll to cut. illCn!asing 1M cMnca of slip-
lI1ake it easier to keep track of both min· ping oTll1 cousins injuri~J. so 1M sun! bench. you should get a flat. smooth
tature parts and toots. the blade is Y~ry sharp. board about two feet long and one-and·
a·half fool wide. An Arborite or hard II is vilal that it be well lit; the best light Don 'I furst! that many of the paints
wood plank will do Just fine. If you have SOUlce. bar none. is the sun. If a win· and glue.r ILfed for modeling W'I:' roxie
Jimited space. the board can be stored dow is not available, make sure that you 10 so"'~ (/~g,". Do not b"oth~ th~ fumes and bt .fun f() work in a ~'eff-
vcrhCaJly; altcrnatJvely, screw two metal have plenty of good illumination that is Y~nlilat~d an!o.
"eyes· on one Side and hang it on the comlortable. If not. the lack of tight will • closet wall between sessions be very lilil'll:110 you, eyes.
-112 •
ApPENDIX III: MINIATURES M ODELING
"' ASSEMBLY PREPARATION formed are weak unless the mating sur- ASSEMBLING RESIN PARTS •
Game miniatures are sold in sealed laces are clean, absolutely dry and 'it
Glue lhe parts together according 10 the
plastic blisters or bags. Don't rip the blis-well . CA glue is besl applied with a small
instruction sheet. Although most minia-
ters open - paris are loose and you do toothpick. The better lhe lit between lhe
lures can be assembled as is, il may be
flO( want them flying oN! Take the parts parts 10 be joined, the stronger the bone!.
necessary to put metal pins between the
and place them in an orderly fashion on Be extremely careful when working with
larger parts for additional structural
your work surface. Check if all parIs are CA glue. It will glue anything that comes
strength. A pair of wire cutters will be
present and accounted lor, and if any into contact with it , including skin.
needed. along with a length of I or 2
have been damaged during transit Bent Cyanocrylate contains some minute
mm metal wire and a drill bit correspond-
parts can be easily straightened. quantity of cyanide, which IS a toxic
jng to the diameter 01 the wire. Drill a compound. Use it In a well-ventilated .
hole for the metal rod in both parts, then Decide hOw you are going to assemble area and don't breathe the bnes. Never,
cut a Shott length of metal wile and glue the miniature. Most of the time, il is a over heat It to make it cUle taster.
very straightforward process 01 gluIng it in . Leave the smallor IXlrlS oN to aim-
together a couple Of pieces. Some of The term ' epoxy gluu' covers a variety pllfy painting,
the largcf or more complc)C miniatures of adh(..'Sive resins that are CUled by a , chemical reaction instead 01 evapora-
or models, however, may need a little PUTTY AND GAP-FILLING
bit of planning, else you will lind it very tion. Most epoxies come as a two-part
difficult to glue or paint certain sub-as-sel thai must be mixed in equal proper- Gaps may appear where the partS meet.
semblles laterl tions, yielding a strong a~ nearly unl- Putty Is a malleable substance that hard-
versalglue. They require a &w minutes ens when it dries. Putty comes in small,
Small parts afa attached 10 a piece 01 to set, maxing them perlectlor assam- squeezable tubes, and several brands
material called sprue. Do nol twist the bling variable position parts. arc available al your lOCal hobby store.
parts off the sprues it may damage 11 Ole miniature is madc 01 plastic both
Apply the putty with a toothpick -just
them. Use a pair of small cullers and enough to fill the gap - and let it dry
don't cui 100 close 10 the pieces. You the above glues will 'oYQO{, but it is much before sanding off the excess. Model
can always como back with a hobby easier to use plastic model glue. This putty takes forever to dry when applied
knife or a file later to remove the little bit typa of glue is actually a plastic soIvenl In thick coats.
of sprue remaining on the miniature. You which "welds" the parts together (so it
will flO( wor1< on pewtar, resin or anything The structural strength of regular model can also usc the hobby knile directly,
else). It comes in both tube and liqUid puny is somewhat poor. II you have to but be careful nol to apply too mvch
form, the taller usually does a bettor job, bufld up 8 large area, two-parl epoxy pressure 10 avoid the part (01 the blade)
though i1 requires more carelul handling. putty is a better choice. Epoxy pully flying off.
consist of two barso' different colors that
Once the part is Ilee, (emove any flash ASSEMBLING PEWTER
!fIUS! be mixed in equal proportions. The
or mold lines by gently scraping it 011 PARTS
putty will adhere to almost any surface,
with the knife or a lile, then lightly sand so work it with damp tools. Always wash
until you are satisfied with U19 finish. Metal requires the use of either CA or your handS and your lools immecliately
Repeat for each new part, paying spe- epoxy glue for assembly. Start by clean- afterwards,
clal attention to small detail pieces. ing all the parts, femovlng lIash and II the gap to be filled Is In a detail-dense
mold lines. Assemble the parts without area of the miniature, apply strips of
GLUE glue to see hOw they fit together. Cut,
masking tapa on either sides of the gap file and bend where necessary to Im-
If your miniature is IMde of pewter or prove the fit Some parts may be left off to prevent the putty from lilting In the
resin, you will need either cyanocrylate lor P')jnling 10 make the job easier. If this delail. Remove the tape once sanding
(CA)ortwo-part epoxy glue to assemble Is the case, make sure tho jOint won't Is done. You could also wortt the putty
It. CA glue is bailer known 3S superglue, be 100 apparent afterward, since you with sculpting tOOls, blending it Into the
It bonds just about anything very won't be able to apply putty on the miniature.
strongly (inCluding flesh), bul Uie bonds painted surfaces.
I l3 •
,
ANNEXE 2: MINIATURES ,
PAINTING
Painting makes the miniature come to
life. Without paint, a miniature will just
look like a toy.
The importance of a clean, well-lit and
ventilated workplace cannot be stressed
enough. The sun provides the best light,
but a good woo lamp will do too. Your
loots (paint bottles. brushes, thinner,
paper towels, etc.) should be lidy, or
g:::mI7P.d >'Ina within easy (each M;)kC
sure the work sur1ace is protected by
old newspapers Of a similar material.
The WOO< area should be clean and dvst·
free. A comfortable environment will
make everything easier 8ncl wlllle:1o 10
boltor enjoyment of your modeling ses
sions.
PAINTS
You'll need three paintbrushes: anal siLe
8 for large surfaces, a round size 4 for
small Surtace and a round size 0 for
datailling. Smaller brushes exist, but
their usefulness Is limited because the
paint tends to dry in the bristles before
being applied. A size 0 brush with a
nice, pointed end will do jvsI <IS good <I
job. The tips should be smooth and end
In a fine point. A goOO brush is COSily,
so be C(lrefuf wh(lt you bw. 8rushes (Ire
a. .... ailable al hobby anu gamu :;hop:;.
Yoo witf need some paints [0 COIOI yovr
miniature. The basic tool kit shollid in
clude the following colora: black, whIte,
rt..'tI, yroon, yellow, blue, and brown. It
i:; ad .... i:;able to have some military col
ors as well. such as Panzer Gray, Olrve
Drab and a law fTlOfe. More specialized
COlors like :;ilvef, gold. and flesh can also
prQ\le useful. Because 01 their chemis
try, different paint tYpes (enamels, acryl
ics, and others) C(lnnot be mixed with
one another. Mixing different brends of
the same lyre is not recommended
124
Acrylics: Logically, these are the best
choice. They are easy to use and use
waler or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing al
cohol) as thinner. Acrylics become im
pervious 10 waler once they dry. They
are also easily shaded and have a mat
satiny finish.
Enamels: Cover very well, are Ihin and
do not obscure fine delal! milch. Enam
els are very volatile and smell terrible
since they usc turpentine (mineral spirit)
a~ ,'1 (lillient [1M suspcn$iOn agent.
Oil Paints: These ilre the paints found
in tubes at the local art stores. I hey are
not re;llly suitable lOr IIIouoling.
Lacquers: lacquer r;linls arc ((10Slly
u$(..'li lur ri.lilroad modeling, since they
look very re<llistic. Lacquer chemistry Is
even smellier, more re:tctivc <lnd more , toxic than apameJ's.
DRYBR USHlNG
Drybrushing is perhRr~ the single most
useful painting technique for the military
modelcr. 1\ allows you to quickly high
light the various details on the
miniaturc's hull without spgnding hOurs
touching up each and evefY bott. AIl old,
broad paintbrush is needed: the tech
ni4ue is somewhat brut{!t on brushes.
so it's a good idea not to use the very
best one as they win wear out fa!>t.
Hrst, paint IhE! miniature in its o .... er(lll
C'..olorN anq let dry U"IOrougt·lfy. Tilko it
slightly lighter shaelA of the oose cOlor
of the vehicle and put a nmp of it on ~ piece of paper. W~lt I,mlU most of the
.soI .... onllias UWfl ab:>orbed by the pa
par, then ta~e the dry brush and lightly
run it <lCrosJ the paint so that it will pick
up a minutelamount ot pigment. Ughtly
run the bru+ across the miniature. pay
Iflg special attention to tho lop surtace. , The raised FlBtalis will piCk up minute
amounts 01 paint. wtlich will "light" them
up. II is easy to overdo, so go slowly at
first - you can always add more later.
I! you are patient, you can even high
light each camouflaged coIorseparately
tor an even better effect.
VARNISHES
Affer painting, a light coat of clear var
niSh will help proleclthe miniature from
all the handling it will recei .... es during
game sessions. Varnishes come as liQ
uid or sprsy-can. Avoid gloss varr!.ISh:
whilo it provides excellent protection for
your mIniature, Its shiny appoilranCe
C(J(npleluly rornoves the illusion of scale.
If you're concerned ;lbt)tlt M .... ir){);::1 r")Cal,
dGillllinish, use sami-gl08s/nSlead, or
put a flat coot on top 01 yIOO:>_ The'best
finish for military miniatures Is lIat.
lellhe final coat of paint dry thoroughly
before applying the varnish. About Ulloo
days should be enough.
DECALS AND Ml1iKINCS
A nice finishing touch on a miniature is
carefully applied decals. These are
transparent fUms mounted on a back
ing paper sheet. Each marking should
be cuI out from the sheet as close to
Ihe edge as possible. The minietulI,J"!;
surface must be clean and dry. Dip each
marking in water for about thirty seconds
-don't Plltlhem ~II in:){ {he s~rne time,
thOugh. the gtue will dissol .... e befqre
you've had tha chance to place them!
Using tweezers, place the dRmp decRt
over its intended spot. Carefully slide Jt
Into place don'[ [ry [0 fill it flOrll Ole
backing shoot, you'll rip it apart. Onco
you ara satisfied with the decal's posi
tion, use a dry clOth to absorb the ex
cess water Don't rub, just tap, or you
will damage the decal. Once dry. seal
the decals In with another thIn coat of
varnish. The miniature is complete!
•• •
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I
THE PLAYING FIELD Though Gear Krieg can be played with counters on a tlat map, the game only really
comes alive on a decorated tabletop fought over with miniatures. The playing field
can be very detailed Of' very simple. The chOice depends on the preferences and
resources of Ihe players. There are three general categOl'ies of terrain: simple. mod·
crate and full-blown. Which one is used has no eHeet on the game mechaniCs them
selves as long as the terrain types (Clear, Rough, WoocIland. etc.) are clearfy iden·
tified and their boundaries delineated.
THE SIMPLE BATTLEt' It:LD
This is the bare floor Of table top, with
maybe a few pieces of furniture or some
boxes to represent elevalions. cover Of
obstacles. Each box can hove a Damage Point Capacity like a building Of it
can be considered indestructible. jf it
represents a hili, for example. Certain
areas of ground. like a carpelOf' lile, can
be designated as a specific type of ter
rain, or a piece of string can be used to
mark its boundaries.
This type of background is well suited
lor quick Skirmish games or scenarios
taking place rn the moslly flat deserts of
North Africa. II is quick to set up and
lakes no storage space between game
sessIOns, but it is somewhat visually
unappealing and Will require lOis of
imagination.
THE MOUERATE BAT'fLEnELD
ThiS background is made with a big
picce of canvas or a sheel covering
books piled 10 fOlm the elevations. with
some simple cardboard cut-outs 10 rep.
resent the buildings and features of the
environment By Simply changing the
color of the sheet, a drastic change in
Ihe "feel " of Ihe environment can be
achieved: tan sheet for !he desert, green
sheet for Europe. while sheet for Rus
sia. ele. This type of playing surface can
also proijt from the use of comtnefcially
available modular lerrain. Several manu
facturer" such as Geo-Hex(A). I'n8.ke
hills and othar geologic forrnalioos In
durahle pre-painled foam Ihal can be
assembled together to create a large
veriety at battlefields.
ANNEX"E . T UE PLAYING FIELD
The various type of terrain can be rep
resented by cardboard shapes of the
appropriate colors. simply placed on the
table (though it is ollen better to tack
them down with tape). Buildings can be
quickly COnstructed out of boxes or
card; empty tin cans make wonderful
factories and storage tanks fO( Indus
trial areas (such as Sialingrad).
This type of background is well suited
for most game scenarios. II takes some time to set up and requires some stor
alJ(: sp .. 1ce between gart1U scssior)s (es
pecially if modular loam terrain piece!:
are used). but i\ I:; visually appealing.
TilE FULL-BLOWN BATTLEFIELD
This is the summum bonum' a complele
miniature map with scale buildings, ru
ins. vegetalion and SO on. Rough areas
are represented by sprinkJed gravel or sand; vegetation is marked by clumps
of lichen or miniature trees. Water can
be represented by plastic sheets or bits
01 mirror or glass. Many manufacturers
make buildings customized for histori
cal gaming In severat scales.
A convenient way to build detailed min
iature scenery is the "Iile- methOd sections of terrain are built on square tiles
made of strong cardboard or wood.
These Illes are easy 10 slore and can
be assembled to form a variety of dlff9f
enl playing surfaces. The only limitation
is that roads and rivers must be either
straight or curved 0( they will not line up
when the tiles are put together.
This type of background can becreated
to O(der for most game scenarios, but
will require some effMS to model. It will
also take time \0 set up properly and re
quires slorage space between game sessions. It is, hOWeVer, the mool visu
ally spectacular and rewarding!
• • I
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