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Copyright Battlefront Miniatures Ltd., 2017. ISBN: 9780992255589
1
Read this quick-start guide first to learn the core rules of Flames Of War.
Flames Of War is a rich and complex game, but at its heart With shooting done, its time to get stuck in with bayonets
lie some fairly simple concepts. Once you have learned these, and hand grenades if any of your troops are close enough
you can start playing the game, and then add more depth to charge the enemy. The tricky bit is getting through the
and variety to your games later. enemy defensive fire. The defending troops get a chance to
The first thing to understand is the turn sequence. In your shoot at your charging troops, trying to stop them before
turn you Move, Shoot, then Assault. Once youve done all they get close enough to attack. If you do get through the
of that, your opponent takes their turn and does the same. defensive fire, assaults are usually quick and bloody, as both
sides fight back and forth until one side has had enough and
You start by moving all of your miniatures (or leaving them
breaks off (or is destroyed).
in place if theyre already where you want them to be).
The last thing to know is that units that have been too badly
Then you shoot with all of your troops by rolling dice to hit
battered are likely to leave the battlefield. If a unit is too
the enemy (youll roll more dice if you didnt move). Your
weak at the start of your turn, youll need to roll to see if
opponent then tries to save their troops from the effects of
it still has the confidence to keep fighting despite its losses.
your hits. For any saves that fail, you might also need to roll
a final die to see whether your weapon was powerful enough Thats the rules in a nutshell.
to harm a well-protected enemy.
3+ 6
Protected Ammo
move through woods and streams, or Remount FRONT
VETERAN 3+
SIDE &
REAR 3
Cross Country Dash: how fast your TOP 1
soldiers can move at full speed across
TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS
open countryside. 10/25CM 14/35CM 18/45CM 20/50CM 3+
Road Dash: how fast your soldiers can ROF ANTI- FIRE-
WEAPON RANGE HALTED MOVING TANK POWER NOTES
speed along a road.
Panzer III (long 5cm) 28/70CM 2 1 9 4+
The Cross rating tells you the score you Panzer III (MGs) 16/40CM 4 4 2 6
need to roll for them to avoid getting
stuck and stopping while attempting to
cross difficult terrain.
Your Panzer III can move its Tactical ...however, it can choose to move Your Panzer III can drive
speed of 10/25cm and shoot... faster at a Dash speed, but not shoot. through the rocky ground
at either Tactical or Terrain
Dash. If it does it will need to
roll a 3+ or stop for the turn.
2
Each turn you can fire one type of
weapon for each tank or team of sol-
PANZER III (UPARMOURED) TANK PLATOON
diers. Most tanks have a main gun (good
MOTIVATION Tank Unit Stormtroopers IS HIT ON
for shooting at other tanks and dug-in
CONFIDENT 4+ CAREFUL 4+ infantry and guns) and machine-guns
Third Reich
Last Stand 3+ ARMOUR
(good for shooting at infantry and guns
in the open).
3+ 6
Protected Ammo
Remount FRONT
Each of these weapons has a number
SKILL
VETERAN 3+
SIDE &
REAR 3 of characteristics listed in their
TOP 1 weapons line:
TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS Range: how far your weapon can shoot.
10/25CM 12/30CM 18/45CM 20/50CM 3+
ROF Halted: how many shooting
ROF ANTI- FIRE-
WEAPON RANGE HALTED MOVING TANK POWER NOTES
dice your weapon rolls if you
Panzer III (long 5cm) 28/70CM 2 1 9 4+ didnt move.
Panzer III (MGs) 16/40CM 4 4 2 6
ROF Moving: how many dice your
weapon rolls if you moved.
Anti-tank: how good your weapon is
at penetrating armour.
Firepower: the score you need to roll
Your Panzer III tank can hit an enemy tank up to 28/70cm away with to destroy a well-protected team,
its long 5cm gun, rolling two dice if it didnt move or one if it did, or... such as an armoured tank or a
dug-in infantry or gun team.
...instead of shooting its main gun it could fire its machine-guns
at the enemy infantry within 16/40cm, rolling four dice.
PANZER IV
TANK PLATOON
Some unit cards cover multiple variants of the same tank, like the Panzer Tank UIV
MOTIVATION nit card shown below.
Stormtroopers The Panzer IV Tank IS HIT ON
CONFIDENT
Platoon gives you the option of fielding tanks with 4+
either short 7.5cm or long 7.5cm guns. Use the CAREFUL
line 4+
for whichever
weapon your tank is armed with.
Third Reich
Last Stand 3+ ARMOUR
have more3+than one way they can shoot. In this case you 5 shoot
Protected Ammo
Some weapons, like the short 7.5cm gun below Remount FRONT
could either
normally or fire an artillery bombardment (you can find the rules for this on page 66). Choose whichREAR
VETERAN 3+
SKILL SIDE
one 3
& you want to
3
SHOOTING AT TANKS
A key concept in Flames Of War is that
the fighting ability of the target deter-
mines how easy it is to hit, not the skill GRANT
ARMOURED TROOP
of the shooting team. MOTIVATION Tank Unit IS HIT ON
3+ 5
Protected Ammo
the casualties they suffer. Elite units can Remount FRONT
survive danger relatively intact, while
inadequately trained conscripts charging
SKILL
TRAINED 4+
SIDE &
REAR 4
bravely but recklessly toward the enemy TOP 1
will be mown down en masse. TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS
Is Hit On 4+
Concealed +1
HIT ON 5+
4
Armour Save
Front Armour 5 Tanks are well armoured to protect
Die Roll 2 themselves if they are hit. The thicker
TOTAL 7 the armour, the more likely they are
to survive.
When their tank is hit, the opponent rolls
a die and adds their tanks Armour rating.
If the range is greater than 16/40cm,
they would add an additional +1 to their
armour rating as well.
Compare the opponents save total to
your weapons Anti-tank rating.
PANZER III (UPARMOURED) TANK PLATOON
Higher: If your opponents total is
higher than your Anti-tank rating,
Tank Unit Stormtroopers
MOTIVATION IS HIT ON
the shot bounces harmlessly off their
CONFIDENT
Having 4+ the opponent rolls
been hit, a die and adds their CAREFUL
Grant tanks Front
4+
tanks armour.
armour rating 3+
Third Reich
Last Stand of 5. They roll a 2. ARMOUR
Lower: If your opponents total is lower
was3+greater 6
Protected Ammo
If the range
Remount than 16/40cm, they would add +1, anFRONT
additional
than your Anti-tank rating, the shot
SKILL
VETERAN 3+
SIDE &
but as the tanks are at short range, their save total is 7. REAR 3 penetrates the armour, so you roll a
The Grants armour save of 7 is less than the Panzer IIIs Anti-tank rating
TOP 1 another die:
of9, so the shot penetrates the tank.
If you roll your Firepower or
higher, the enemy tank explodes
TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS and is out of the game.
10/25CM 12/30CM 18/45CM 20/50CM 3+ Otherwise the enemy tank is
WEAPON RANGE ROF
HALTED MOVING
ANTI- FIRE-
TANK POWER NOTES Bailed Out. It cant fight for now,
Panzer III (long 5cm) 28/70CM 2 1 9 4+ but its not completely destroyed.
Panzer III (MGs) 16/40CM 4 4 2 6 Equal: If the opponents total is exactly
equal to your Anti-tank rating, your
shot hit home, but didnt do enough
damage to destroy the enemy tank, so
Having penetrated the enemy tank, you roll another die to see how much you roll a another die:
damage the shot causes. If you roll your Firepower
Rolling a 1 (which is less than your guns Firepower rating of 4+), the or higher, the enemy tank is
Panzer III fails to destroy the Grant. Instead, it is Bailed Out. Bailed Out.
Otherwise your shot has no effect.
Bailed Out
A Bailed Out tank cant move or shoot,
but is still a valid target to shoot at.
At the start of their next turn, the oppo-
nent rolls to see if their crew can get a
Bailed Out tank back into action. If they
score their Motivation (or Remount if
different) or better, the tank starts fight-
ing again. Otherwise, it remains Bailed
Out and cant do anything at all until
their next turn, when they will get anoth-
er chance to try to remount.
VETERAN 3+
3+
gets own unit card, increased by: Infantry
MG 34 team 16/40CM 3 2 2 6
Concealed & Gone to Ground: +2
2.8cm anti-tank rifle 20/50CM 2 1 7 5+ Assault 4+, Heavy Weapon, No HE
if the target is concealed and didnt
Optional sMG34 HMG 24/60CM 6 2 2 6 Assault 4+, Heavy Weapon
move or shoot.
Optional 8cm mortar 40/100CM ARTILLERY 1 4+ Assault 4+, Heavy Weapon
Your Africa Rifle Platoon of four MG34 teams shoots at a Motor Platoon. Having moved in the Movement Step, each
team has a ROF of 2. With four teams shooting that gives a total of eight dice.
TRAINED 4+ Infantry
3+ teams and a second hit on one
Deadly
3+
of them.
Assault
Infantry
8/20
Saves
TACTICAL
8/20
CM
TERRAIN DASH
CM
CROSS COUNTRY DASH
Bulletproof Cover
Infantry can be hard to kill if they are
using terrain for cover. If your oppo-
nent fails a save for an infantry team
in bulletproof cover, you must roll
another die. If you roll your Firepower
or higher, the enemy team is destroyed.
Otherwise, the cover protects them and
they are unharmed.
6
Pinned Down
If an infantry unit takes 5 or more hits
from shooting they stop advancing and
MOTOR PLATOON
Infantry Unit
become Pinned Down. MOTIVATION IS HIT ON
CONFIDENT 4+ CAREFUL 4+
At the start of their next turn, the Counterattack 3+
Bulldog
SAVE
opponent rolls to see if their Pinned
Down infantry unit rallies and gets back TRAINED 4+
SKILL
Infantry
3+
into action. Deadly
Assault 3+
If they score their Motivation (or Rally if different) or better, the
infantry starts fighting again. Otherwise, it remainsTACTICAL
Pinned Down and You scored five hits on the Motor Platoon,
TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS
wont move closer to the enemy until their next turn, when they willCM so they are Pinned Down. They need to
8/20CM 8/20 12/30CM 12/30CM AUTO
get another chance to try to rally. While Pinned Down an infantry unit roll their Motivation of 4+ to rally at the
MOTOR PLATOON
ROF ANTI- FIRE-
WEAPON
shoots with its Moving ROF, even if it did not move.
RANGE
begining of their
HALTED MOVING next turn. NOTES
TANK POWER
SKILL
TRAINED 4+ Infantry
3+
Infantry are tough and it can take a Deadly
Assault 3+
long time to destroy a unit by shooting. Having pinned down the Motor Platoon, the Africa Rifle Platoon is going to
Sometimes going in with the bayonet is launch an assault!
TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH
a better answer. They move all of their teams 4/10cm into contactROAD DASH
with the enemyCROSS
teams.
8/20CM 8/20CM 12/30CM 12/30CM AUTO
If your troops have moved within
4/10cm of the enemy, they can launch ANTI- FIRE-
WEAPON RANGE HALTED MOVING TANK POWER NOTES
an assault after shooting. Move them into
Bren Gun team 16/40CM 3 2 2 6
contact with the enemy ready to fight.
Boys anti-tank rifle 20/50CM 1 1 4 5+ Assault 4+, Slow Firing
7
Fighting in
the assault AFRICA RIFLE PLATOON
Having weathered the defensive fire
MOTIVATION Infantry Unit Stormtroopers IS HIT ON
the assaulting infantry get to fight in CONFIDENT 4+ CAREFUL 4+
the assault. Third Reich
3+
Last Stand SAVE
VETERAN 3+ Infantry
3+
if different) to hit. At this close range
each successful hit destroys an enemy
team. There are no saves and no need to Each assaulting MG34 team rolls a die. The teams need to roll their Skill of
worry about Firepower ratings. 3+ to TACTICAL
hit. They scoreTERRAIN
one DASH
hit andCROSS
destroy one BrenROAD
COUNTRY DASH
Gun team.
DASH CROSS
Counterattack The defending Motor Platoon rolls to counterattack needing 3+. On a roll
Fighting at close quarters requires cour- of4, they counterattack. The second Bren Gun team charges into contact
age, so the defender needs to see if their with an MG34 team.
troops are brave enough to fight back.
The defending unit rolls a die.
If they roll their Motivation rating
(or Counterattack if different) they MOTOR PLATOON
may counterattack, becoming the MOTIVATION Infantry Unit IS HIT ON
TRAINED 4+ Infantry
3+
Otherwise they must break off.
3+
Deadly
Assault
If the enemy break off, your assaulting
unit can move up to 4/10cm to consol-
idate its position. Both teams roll to hit, needing
TERRAIN DASH to roll
CROSS theirDASH
COUNTRY Assault rating
ROAD DASH of 3+ (instead
CROSS of
their Skill of 4+). They
8/20CM score
8/20 CM one hit12/30
andCMdestroy one MG34
12/30 CM team.AUTO
If the defender does counterattack, they
WEAPON RANGE ROF ANTI- FIRE- NOTES
charge 4/10cm and fight in the same HALTED MOVING TANK POWER
way the assaulting side did. Then their Bren Gun team 16/40CM 3 2 2 6
opponent rolls to counterattack and the Boys anti-tank rifle 20/50CM 1 1 4 5+ Assault 4+, Slow Firing
Assault 4+, Overhead Fire,
assault continues back and forth until 2 mortar 16/40CM 1 1 2 4+ Slow Firing, Smoke
8
TANKS IN ASSAULTS
Tanks can assault and be assaulted by infantry. Like infantry, Tanks use their Side armour rating when hit by defensive
tanks charge 4/10cm into contact with the enemy, suffer fire and when hit in an assault.
defensive fire, and roll to hit using their Skill rating. Infantry can choose to use hand grenades and other
There are some differences: improvised anti-tank weapons rather than their normal
If a tank fails to cross difficult terrain when charging into weapons. These hit the tanks Top armour and have Anti-
contact, it halts 2/5cm from the defenders. tank 2 and Firepower 1+.
Tank units do not fall back when they take five hits from Bailed Out tanks within 4/10cm of the enemy are cap-
defensive fire. Instead, they fall back if they have two or tured and destroyed if the tank unit breaks off.
more tanks bailed out or destroyed by the defensive fire.
Now that youve finished your turn, its the opponents turn. They go through all of the same steps, and then once theyve
finished its back to your turn.
LAST STAND
If a unit starts its turn with only one
tank or one or two infantry teams left,
it must roll a die. MOTOR PLATOON
If they roll their Motivation rating MOTIVATION Infantry Unit IS HIT ON
GUN TEAMS
As well as tanks and infantry, your soldiers may be
manning anti-tank guns and other artillery pieces.
These shoot like tanks, but have a fixed save like infan-
try. Like tanks, they wont run away until there is only
one gun left.
9
FINLAND Leningrad
NORWAY
S OV I E T
UN I O N
ESTONIA
SWEDEN
LATVIA Moscow
LITHUANIA
North Sea
DENMARK
Minsk
Kursk
G R E AT
POLAND Kharkov
B R I TA I N Berlin Warsaw
NETHERLANDS
London Kiev
Dunkirk
G E R M A N Y
BELGIUM
Paris SLOVAKIA
CRIMEA
F R A N C E HUNGARY Sevastopol
SWITZERLAND ROMANIA
Black Sea
YUGOSLAVIA
VICHY FRANCE
BULGARIA
I TA LY
SPAIN CORSICA Rome ALBANIA
TURKEY
SARDINIA GREECE
SICILY
ALGERIA Kasserine
Pass
MOROCCO
Tripoli Gazala Mersa Alexandria
Tobruk Matruh
0 500 Benghazi El Alamein
Km
500 Beda Fomm
M L I BYA EG Y P T
El Agheila
Western Front Eastern Front North African Theatre Pacific Theatre
1939 1 9 4 0
1 September 6 October 9 April - 10 June 10 May 9 December
Germany Poland Germany invades Germany invades the Operation Compass. British
invades Poland Surrenders Denmark and Norway Netherlands, Belgium and France push Italians back into Libya
10
The Second World War began with Germanys invasion With dreams of a new Roman Empire, Italys dictator,
of Poland on 1 September 1939. Honouring their treaty Mussolini, invaded Greece, Yugoslavia, and Egypt. His forces
with Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany fared badly despite heavily outnumbering the defenders.
on 3 September. The Poles, outnumbered and outgunned, Hitler was forced to support his struggling ally or risk losing
mounted a noble resistance against the devastating control of the strategically-important Mediterranean Sea.
Blitzkrieg tactics of the German Wehrmacht (Armed Forces). General Erwin Rommel was sent to North Africa with the
Surrounded and outnumbered when the Soviet Union Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) to bolster the Italians against
attacked from the east 16 days later, the Poles surrendered the British in Egypt. With daring and inspired tactics,
on 6 October. Rommel soon had the British on the back foot.
An uneasy calm settled over Europe through the winter. The On 22 June 1941, without any declaration of war, Germany
Rostov
Allies, France and Britain, sitting behind the impenetrable invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa. Now
Maginot Line, faced off against the Germans in the Phoney united against a common enemy, Great Britain and the
War as they desperately prepared for the offensive that was Soviet Union signed a mutual assistance agreement. The
certain to come with Spring. Red Army was caught totally unprepared as the fast-moving
In April 1940, Germany struck with a surprise attack on Wehrmacht crushed their defences. By the end of August the
Denmark and Norway, quickly overrunning both countries Red Army had been virtually destroyed.
despite intervention by Britain and France. Then on 10 May, Using drastic measures, Stalin, the Soviet dictator, reformed
Germany invaded Belgium and the Netherlands, briskly the army. Throwing wave after wave of untrained conscripts
defeating their small armies before turning their attention into the path of the panzers, the Red Army slowed the
to France. German advance. By 2 December, the Germans were on the
The British Expeditionary Force, sent to help defend France, outskirts of Moscow, but the bitter cold of General Winter
rushed north into Belgium to meet the invasion. A surprise and a strong Soviet counteroffensive soon threw them back.
German armoured thrust through the Ardennes forest On 7 December 1941, Japans Imperial Navy launched a
broke through a lightly-defended sector of the French line, surprise air attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
cutting the Allied forces in two. Almost 340,000 British and The devastating attack, launched without a declaration of
French troops narrowly escaped capture in a desperate mass war, destroyed or disabled several battleships, crippling
evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk. the US Navy. The following day Japan declared war on
Reforming a new defensive line behind the Somme River, the USA, followed by her Axis partners, Germany and
the French fought on bravely, but their slow-moving army Italy. In a carefully-planned offensive, the Japanese used
could not match the speed and flexibility of the German the shock from the Pearl Harbour attack to sweep across
Blitzkrieg offensive. As the French Army crumbled, Italy, the Pacific Ocean and South-East Asia like an unstoppable
Germanys ally in the Pact of Steel, joined the invasion from wave, quickly overwhelming Guam, the Philippines,
the south. France finally surrendered on 25 June, giving Burma,BritishBorneo, andHongKong.
Germany control of northern France, and forming a new As 1941 drew to a close, the Axis powers had the upper
government based in Vichy. hand on all fronts and ultimate victory seemed within their
Britain now stood alone against Germany, protected only grasp in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. This was now truly
by the English Channel. The Battle of Britain ensued as the a World War.
German Luftwaffe (Air Force) endeavoured to bomb Britain
into submission. Britain, protected by the few pilots of the
Royal Air Force, remained defiant.
1 9 4 1
7 February 6-30 April 19 November - 30 December 2 December
Operation Compass ends Axis invasion of Operation Crusader: British push German troops come within
with the destruction of the Yugoslavia and Greece Germans and Italians back to sight of the Kremlin in Moscow
Italian Army at Beda Fomm El Agheila in Libya.
30 April - 1 May 5 December
12 February Rommel assaults Tobruk 8 September German offensive halted.
Rommel arrives Siege of Leningrad begins Soviet counter-offensive
in Libya 4 March begins
British and Commonwealth 22 June
22 January forces diverted to Greece Operation Barbarossa: 7 December
Australians German invasion of Japanese bomb US fleet
take Tobruk 24 March Soviet Union begins in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Rommel attacks in Libya
11
While Britain fought the Battle of Britain at home, a The British pursued, capturing Bardia, Tobruk, Derna
new threat arose in North Africa. In September 1940, and Benghazi. The retreating Italian Tenth Army was cut
Mussolini ordered troops in the Italian colony of off at Beda Fomm and 100,000 were taken prisoner. By
Libya to attack the British in Egypt. Despite greatly February 1941, the British occupied Libya as far as El
outnumbering the British and Commonwealth troops, Agheila, but being at the end of a tenuous 1300 km (800
the Italians were hampered by poor morale and a shortage mile) supply line running across the desert, were unable
of modern equipment. Mussolini ordered the attack to to continue their advance.
proceed anyway. At this point, the experienced British troops were needed
The Italians advanced over the Libyan-Egyptian border to assist the Greeks fighting an Axis invasion, and to kick
and proceeded as far as Sidi Barrani, where they halted the Italians out of Ethiopia to remove the threat to the
and dug in. The British under General Archibald Wavell Suez Canal route. This dispersal of forces prevented any
launched their counterattack, Operation Compass, on hope of a drive to knock the Italians out of Libya entirely.
9 December 1940. The Italians were outmanoeuvred and With Italy on the ropes, Germany sent General Rommel
driven back. (soon to be known as the Desert Fox), a brilliant
commander who had led the 7th Panzer Division in France
DERNA in 1940, to Tripoli with the newly formed Deutsches
Afrikakorps (DAK). Ignoring orders to remain on the
defensive, Rommel struck towards Tobruk, smashing
the British forces at El Agheila and driving them back
in disarray. The 9th Australian Division bravely held on
in Tobruk, resisting everything the Italians and Germans
could throw at them.
Gazala
TOBRUK
Knightsbridge
The Cauldron
BARDIA
Bir Hacheim
Sidi Barrani
Sollum
Mersa Matruh
L I B Y A
E G Y P T
0 20 40 60 80 100
Km
20 40 60 80 100
M
12
After two failed attempts, the British, now under General advantage. Finally, exhausted, both armies dug in and
Claude Auchinleck, broke the siege and threw Rommel resupplied, preparing for the next big push.
back to El Agheila in Operation Crusader at the end of Churchill, the British Prime Minister, appointed
1941. Once again, an over extended supply line meant General Bernard Montgomery as the new commander
that they were unable to exploit their success. of the Eighth Army. Monty was a skilled and decisive
Reinforced and with his supply line shortened, Rommel commander, able to match wits with the Desert Fox.
struck back, pushing the British back to Gazala just Within a month of assuming command, he defeated
short of Tobruk in early 1942. Both sides fortified their Rommels attempt to encircle the Eighth Army at Alam El
positions and prepared for a renewed offensive. Halfa, south of ElAlamein, before turning to preparing
Rommel struck first on 27 May, opening the Battle of his own offensive.
Gazala. Outflanking the British by passing south of Bir On 23 October, Monty began his offensive, the Second
Hakeim, Rommel initiated a swirling battle in an area Battle of El Alamein, breaking into the deep German
that became known as The Cauldron. When the British defences, before smashing the German counterattacks
and Free French garrisons across his line of supply with a wall of fire. A week later, another carefully
fought off his attacks and refused to surrender, Rommel planned and executed attack broke completely through
found himself trapped on the wrong side of the British the German defences, delivering a much-needed British
minefields. victory and ending Rommels dream of conquering Egypt.
The British generals spent a week arguing and launching Panzerarmee Afrika began a long fighting withdrawal
ineffectual attacks on Rommels isolated position across nearly 1800 km (11000 miles) of desert to Tunisia.
while he subdued the Allied garrisons and cut his way Despite difficulties with his cautious armoured com-
through the minefields. Once freed of their restraints, the manders, Montgomery demonstrated his organisational
DAK and their Italian allies, organised together as the ability. Unlike his predecessors, he brushed aside the
Panzerarmee Afrika, finally recaptured Tobruk, securing German defence at El Agheila, not giving Rommel a
a vital port and capturing a large haul of British supplies chance to recover. By the end of January 1943, the Eight
and equipment. Army was on the borders of Tunisia and the Desert cam-
Pushing on, Rommel crossed the border into Egypt, paign was over.
where his seemingly unstoppable advance finally stalled
at El Alamein, just 100 km (60 miles) from Alexandria,
Britains eastern Mediterranean naval base. For the next
month both sides attacked and counterattacked seeking
PORT SAID
ALEXANDRIA
Tel El Eisa
El Alamein
Ruweisat Ridge
Alam El Halfa
a D e p r e s s i o n
a r
t t
a CAIRO
Q
13
RZHEV
MOSCOW
SMOLENSK
MINSK
B E L A R U S
KURSK
VORONEZH
KIEV KHARKOV
Dni
eper
R i ve
r
U K R A I N E
DNEPROPETROVSK
ROSTOV
Sea of Azov
0 50 100
Km
50 100
M
8 February - 21 April
Battle for Demyansk Pocket
14
When Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June With the end of winter, both sides launched new offensives.
1941, the advancing army was split into three groups. Army The Germans and Romanians captured Sevastopol and
Group North rumbled northwards through the Baltic States cleared the Soviet pocket holding out in the Crimea.
of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, securing vital ports along Meanwhile, the Soviets launched an offensive to liberate
the Baltic coast with the objective of capturing the Soviet Kharkov that ended in disaster when the German counter
Unions second largest cityLeningrad. When the advance attack surrounded and destroyed two armies.
stalled 11 km (6 miles) short of Leningrad, Hitler ordered The Germans then launched their major offensive for the year.
the city besieged and starved into submission. After cutting the Soviet front in two by capturing Voronezh,
Army Group South captured the third largest cityKiev, they turned south, recapturing Rostov. The road was now
then pushed on to Kharkov and Rostov, encircling and open to seize the oilfields of the Caucasus. Desperate to draw
destroying five Soviet armies. German troops from the south, the Red Army launched a
Army Group Centre captured the cities of Minsk and series of unsuccessful offensives in the north.
Smolensk, surrounding and capturing three Soviet armies, With Rostov taken, the German Sixth Army, under the
before driving on the capital of the Soviet UnionMoscow. command of General von Paulus, was tasked with the
Just as it seemed as though nothing could stop the onslaught, capture of Stalingrad to protect the flank of this drive south.
the onset of the fiercest Russian winter in fifty years froze In the industrial city named after their leader, the Red
the Germans in their tracks. The Red Army, better equipped Army halted the German thrust. The struggle for Stalingrad
and acclimatised to the ferocious winter conditions, was quickly degenerated into savage street fighting. Continuous
able to cling on and desperately counterattack, driving the bombing and shelling reduced most of Stalingrad to a
German lines back from the gates of Moscowaside from a barren wasteland of rubble and empty shells of buildings.
pocket at Rzhev. Each stretch of crater-pocked street or burnt-out factory was
bought with the lives of many soldiers. The cost in human
life was mind-bogglingthe Soviets alone lost over half a
million men in the battle for the city. By November, the
Germans had ground the defenders back into a few desperate
toeholds along the west bank of the Volga River.
Just as the Sixth Army stood on the brink of capturing the
STALINGRAD city, they were cut off by Operation Uranus, a daring Soviet
pincer move that completely encircled the besiegers. Cut
Vo off from their supply lines, the Germans found themselves
lg aR
i ve
r trapped in an ever-shrinking perimeter, fighting for survival
in appalling conditions. All attempts to break through
the encirclement and relieve the trapped troops failed.
i ve r The Luftwaffe tried to supply the isolated force by air, but
Do n R they were only able to transport a fraction of the necessary
supplies. By January 1943, any notion of a breakout or rescue
was impossible, and the battered remnants of the Sixth Army
were forced to surrender. Of the 250,000 troops that entered
Stalingrad, just 90,000 were taken into Russian captivity.
Caspian Sea
C AU C A S U S
OP OIL FIELDS
15
ALGIERS
BOUGIE
STIF
A L G E R I A
Operation Torch began on 8 November 1942, hard on 1943 when Rommel launched an offensive through the
the heels of the British success at El Alamein. Convoys of Fad and Kasserine Passes to capture the Allied supply base
British and American troops under overall command of the of Tbessa, cutting off the forces in southern Tunisia. Raw
American General Dwight Eisenhower landed in Morocco US tank crews suffered badly against the hardened German
and Algeria. After putting up a brief resistance, the Vichy veterans before the offensive was finally halted.
French defenders changed sides. To the east, the Eighth Army outflanked the Mareth
The American forces had joined their seasoned British allies Line and finally linked up with the First Army on 7 April
in the fight for North Africa, and the remnants of Rommels 1943. Slow, bitter fighting continued against the Germans
Panzerarmee Afrika were caught between the Eighth Army stubbornly dug into the hilly terrain surrounding Tunis.
doggedly pursuing through Libya and the new First Army in The Allies finally captured the Tunisian capital on 6 May,
Tunisia to the west. taking 250,000 German and Italian prisoners and ending
The First Army moved east, hoping to seize Tunis before Axis resistance in Africa.
the Germans could reinforce. But progress was slowed by With Africa finally in their hands, the Allies went on the T
the terrible state of the local roads and railway. The terrain offensive in the Mediterranean once more. On 10 July,
became more difficult the further east they pressed, all the British and American Forces invaded Sicily in Operation
while hampered by the Luftwaffes fierce attacks. Husky, clearing the island of Axis forces within six weeks.
Obsessed with the unfolding conflict on the Eastern Front, The Allies had gained a toehold in Southern Europe.
Hitler ordered that North Africa must be held at all costs. Weary of an unpopular war, the King of Italy overthrew
German and Italian troops arrived from Italy to defend Mussolini, and the new Italian Government surrendered
Tunisia. These troops were able to halt the Allied advance, to the Allies. But the German forces occupied Italy and
throwing up a defensive perimeter around Tunis and seizing continued to fight on against the invaders. The Allies pushed
key defensive positions to the south of the country. on into mainland Italy. It was supposedly the soft underbelly
The rains of the North African winter arrived, soaking roads of Europe, but in reality it would be a tough and costly
and airfields, and the war bogged down until February struggle which would drag on until the final stages of the war.
16
BIZERTE
PHILIPPEVILLE Mateur
Djebel
BNE
Aboid Djedeida
Tebourba
Beja TUNIS
Medjez el Bab
GUELMA Souk El Arba
CONSTANTINE
SOUK AHRAS Kef
Enfidaville
Siliana
SOUSSE
Thala KAIROUAN
Sbiba
TBESSA
Fad Pass
Sidi Bou Zid
SFAX
GAFSA
El Guettar
Wadi Akarit
GABS
T U N I S I A
ne
Tebaga Gap Li
Touggourt e th
ar
M
MEDININE
0 20 40 60 80 100
Km
20 40 60 80 100
M
17
MOSCOW
SMOLENSK
MINSK
B E L A R U S
KURSK
KIEV KHARKOV
Dni
eper
R i ve
r
U K R A I N E
DNEPROPETROVSK
Sea of Azov
Kerch
C R I M E A
0 50 100
Km
50 100 Black Sea
M
1 9 4 3
24 January - 17 February 2 - 16 February 5-16 July
Soviets liberate Voronezh Operation Star: Soviets Operation Citadel: the last great
recapture Kharkov German offensive at Kursk fails
30 January
German Sixth Army in 19 February - 15 March 10 July
Stalingrad surrenders. Third Battle of Kharkov: Germans destroy four Operation Husky: Allied invasion of Sicily, Italy
90,000 Germans captured Soviet armies and advances towards Kursk
12 July
2-31 March Battle of Prokhorovka:
Third Battle of Rzhev: Germans evacuate Rzhev Salient Massive tank battle near Kursk
18
The Germans failure to capture Stalingrad was a tremendous Attempting to regain the strategic initiative, the Germans
symbolic and strategic turning point. Just as in North Africa, launched Operation Citadel on 5 July 1943, having spent
the tide had now turned on the Eastern Front. months preparing a massive armoured counteroffensive of
The Soviet army followed up its success at Stalingrad with a around 1500 tanks, including several hundred of the new
punishing offensive, driving the Wehrmacht back and retaking Panther and Tiger heavy tanks. Meanwhile, the Red Army
lost territory. The cities of Kursk, Kharkov, and Rostov were had heavily fortified its positions.
wrested from the invaders in February. A brilliant counter The initial attacks proceeded well, punching through the
offensive by Field Marshal Manstein recaptured Kharkov, first line of defence. Unfortunately for the Germans, the Red
mauling three Soviet armies in the process, creating a huge Army had dug another three defensive lines in great depth,
salient around Kursk. and threw the reserves they had amassed into counterattacks
With both sides exhausted, the next few months were against every German advance. A week into the German
relatively quiet. The Germans evacuated the Rzhev Pocket, offensive, the Red Army launched its own counteroffensive
shortening the line and freeing 21 divisions for other in the north.
operations, giving up on the dream of taking Moscow in Around the Prokhorovka railway station, Soviet tank corps
the process. met the elite panzer divisions in the largest armoured battle
in history. The Germans smashed the Red Armys tanks and
VORONEZH continued advancing south of Kursk for a few more days.
With their offensive running out of steam and forced to send
Volga River
ROSTOV
Caspian Sea
C AU C A S U S
19
SWEDEN
DENMARK
G R E AT
B R I TA I N LITHUANIA
London
NETHERLANDS
Arnhem EAST PRUSSIA
Antwerp
Berlin
B E LG I U M
NORMANDY
ARDENNES Remagen
Falaise
Paris Warsaw
G E R M A N Y
Rhi
ne
F R A N C E
SWITZERLAND S L O VA K I A
Ca
rpa
thi
an
HUNGARY
Mo
un
tai
I TA LY
ns
S PA I N
Y U G O S L AV I A ROMANIA
0 500
Km
500
M
Rome
Anzio Monte Cassino B U LG A R I A
By the end of 1943, the Axis alliance was crumbling. Italy For the first time the Red Army began encircling large
had defected to the Allied cause, while Japan and Germany German forces. Aided by Hitlers insistence on holding every
were buckling under intensifying pressure. But German piece of ground, forbidding manoeuvre by his generals,
resistance was far from over. Their morale remained high, the surrounded forces were usually destroyed as the Soviet
with a strong belief in Hitlers propaganda that new wonder advance continued.
weapons would soon turn the tide of war in their favour In Italy, the Germans finally halted the Allied advance on
once more. the Gustav Line, holding a key position at Monte Cassino in
The Red Army continued to mount successful offensives, January 1944. Bloody fighting failed to break the deadlock,
delivering body blows one after another in quick succession. as did an amphibious landing at Anzio.
20
Leningrad
The build up of men and materiel in the Allied beachhead
ESTONIA continued, as they captured Cherbourg, St. L, and
Caen. Then, at the end of July, the Allies punched a hole
in the German lines in Operations Cobra and Tractable,
LATVIA surrounding two German armies in the Falaise pocket. Their
capture delivered a massive blow to the rapidly-deteriorating
German military. After two months of bitter fighting
amongst the hedgerows of Normandy, Allied armour finally
rolled into opencountry. British and American forces
pursued the retreating Germans towards the German border.
While the fighting in Normandy continued, the Red Army
Moscow
launched its Summer offensive, Operation Bagration, on
22 June 1944, exactly three years after the German invasion.
Minsk Operation Bagration was an overwhelming success,
S OV I E T destroying Army Group Centre.
Pummelled on both fronts and forced back to the borders
U N I O N of Germany, the Wehrmacht launched a surprise armoured
Kursk attack through the Ardennes forest, seeking to emulate their
success in the same area four years previously. However, this
time they faced vastly more experienced opponents. Facing
dogged opposition and suffering a shortage of fuel, this final
German advance in the Battle of the Bulge ground to a halt.
Kiev
UKRAINE The beginning of 1945 saw the Soviet forces press deep
into Germany. The fighting was vicious in its intensity as
Korsun
the decimated German Army desperately defended the
Fatherland. The final battles began in April 1945, when the
Red Army launched an all-out assault, determined to beat
the Western Allies in the race to capture Berlin.
The desperate German defenders refused to admit defeat, but
the fate of the German Reich was now sealed. In bitter close-
quarters street fighting, the Red Army slowly won control
of the German capital. With Soviet troops on his doorstep,
CRIMEA Adolf Hitler committed suicide. Within days, Germany
surrendered unconditionally and the war in Europe ended.
Sevastopol
By 1945, the Allies had broken the Japanese domination of
the Pacific with a series of crushing naval victories. This was
accompanied by a campaign of attrition as they recaptured
one island after another with costly amphibious assaults. With
Monte Cassino finally fell in May 1944 after bitter fighting, the capture of the tiny island of Iwo Jima in February 1945,
and with a breakout from Anzio, the Allies captured Rome the Allies gained an air base from which to strike at Japans
on 5 June 1944. Months of hard fighting followed as the cities. After the capture of Okinawa, a bloody three-month
Allies fought their way north. battle, Allied forces were poised to invade the Japan itself.
The capture of Rome was overshadowed as, after months of Then, on 6 and 9 August, the US Army Air Force dropped the
planning, on 6 JuneDDayUS, British, and Canadian first ever atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima
forces crossed the English Channel and invaded Normandy in and Nagasaki. The incredible destruction shattered the
the largest amphibious assault in history. In bloody combat, will of the Japanese people to resist. On 15 August Japan
the invaders fought their way off the beaches, linking up surrendered.
with US and British paratroopers who had assaulted inland After six long years of bitter struggle, the Second World War
byaironthe previous night. was finally over.
1 9 4 5
18 August 16 December - 16 January 7 March 15 August
Soviets enter Germany Battle of the Bulge: German offensive US forces capture bridge VJ Day: Victory
through the Ardennes fails across Rhine at Remagen against Japan
18 July - 21 August
Operations Cobra and Goodwood: 10 September 24 March 8 May
Allied breakout traps two German US enters Germany Operation Plunder: Allied VE Day: Victory
armies in Falaise Pocket assault across the Rhine in Europe
17-25 September
Operation Market Garden: British offensive 13 January - 25 April 16 April - 2 May
fails to seize Rhine crossing at Arnhem East Prussian Offensive: Battle of Berlin: Soviets
Soviets capture East Prussia capture German capital
21
Lieutenant Colonel Pip Roberts gave out his orders: Hello battalion, orders: B and C Squadrons take up the
battle line on the small ridge 300 yards to our front. B right, C left. A Squadron protects the right flank. Leave
one troop on the left to keep in touch with 8th Hussars.
The leading enemy tanks had halted about 1,300 yards away. All our tanks were firing, there was no scarcity
of targets. Certainly two of our tanks were knocked out, but the enemy also had losses. I could see one tank
burning and another slewed around and the crew bailing out. Good show.
Unfortunately, as soon as one German tank was knocked out, another took its place. They merely used their
rear lines of tanks to replace casualties in the front line and attempted no manoeuvre.
Eventually Roberts was forced to tell his adjutant, Peter, tell Brigade we cannot hang on here much longer,
either there will be nothing left or we will be cut off, or both.
Lieutenant Colonel Pip Roberts was facing his first battle If you dont have a store handy, you can teach yourself
in command of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment, and quite easily. Read through this book, dont worry about
needed to decide what to do. Should he hold on, fighting to remembering it all as you can look it up again later, then
the last, hoping for reinforcements? Or should he withdraw, play a small game with a friend.
breaking off the fight to preserve his surviving tanks for Take it slowly at first, looking up the rules as you go, and by
another battle? the end of the game youll pretty much know how to play
If you were Colonel Roberts, what would you have done? Flames Of War. Add a few more units for the next game and
Would your plan work better than his? slowly build up your experience as you go. Before you know
In Flames Of War, you get the chance to find out. You can it, youll be a veteran commander!
set up a miniature battlefield with model tanks and soldiers
representing the real-life troops that fought in 1942 and WEBSITE
1943. You and your opponent assume the roles of their The Flames Of War website is the ultimate resource for
commanders, pitting your wits and cunning against one World War II gamers, whatever their level of experience.
another to attain victory and, more importantly, to have fun. Youll find information about all the armies, unique
downloadable content, inspirational photos, and all the
THE CHALLENGE OF COMMAND latest news. Go to www.FlamesOfWar.com now!
Flames Of War allows you to re-fight the key battles of the Attend boot camp at www.FlamesOfWar.com/BootCamp
Second World War. Can you turn the tide of the war in to learn how to play Flames Of War in a series of short,
your favour? Can you lead Rommels Afrika Korps to victory informative videos.
at El Alamein? Can your green American soldiers defeat
Rommels veterans at Kasserine Pass? Flames Of War lets
you find out.
This rulebook is your guide to fighting these battles
in miniature. With it you can take command of a
company or battalion of soldiers and pit yourself
against cunning opponents on the field of battle.
You will see for yourself whether the new
American M3 General Grant tank has
the measure of the German panzers. You
will find out if you have the guts to stop
a massed charge of light tanks, or the cold-
blooded ruthlessness to launch one!
Flames Of War combines the joys of painting and
modelling your own miniature army with the challenge
of facing off against your opponent across a gaming table in
a social setting, and youll get to recreate history as it might
have been!
GETTING STARTED
The easiest way of learning the rules is to visit a store or
club where experienced players can run you through an
introductory game and introduce you to other players.
22
You dont need much to start a game of Flames Of War. A BATTLEFIELD
Heres what you need. Whether its the kitchen table or a custom-built gaming
table, youll need a large flat surface to play the game. A
AN OPPONENT 6x4 (180cm x 120cm) board covered with a double-sided
Flames Of War is a social game played by two or more play- Battlefield in a Box Gaming Mat makes an ideal battlefield.
ers, so grab a friend and get started.
TERRAIN
TWO ARMIES Youll need a selection of terrain like hills, woods, hedges,
The Flames Of War range of 15mm (1/100th) scale miniatures buildings, and roads to create a realistic battlefield for your
is specifically designed for the game and is available through troops to fight over. The pre-painted terrain in the Battlefield
all good hobby stores. Each model comes with its own Unit in a Box range makes setting up a battlefieldeasy.
Card showing its capabilities in the game.
DICE
Look for boxes with the Mid-War logo when Flames Of War uses ordinary six-sided dice. You can person-
creating your army. alise your force with army-specific dice marked with your
forces insignia.
TOKENS
THIS RULEBOOK Even though they are toy soldiers, your troops react to heavy
This rulebook contains all the rules you need to play fire like real soldiers. Sometimes they get pinned down or
Flames Of War. bail out of their tanks. They dig foxholes and go to ground,
hiding from the enemy. Tokens help you keep track of the
AN ARTILLERY TEMPLATE state of your troops.
Artillery and aircraft are not precision weapons. Their shells
and bombs blanket a wide area, possibly wiping out dozens TAPE MEASURE
of the enemy at a time. Artillery Templates make it easy to
Youll need a tape measure or ruler to measure movement and
work out who is hit, and who isnt when you introduce these
shooting ranges. You can use Metric or Imperial measure
weapons into your games (see page 66).
ments, whichever suits you best.
23
Reality is immensely complex and rather messy. Flames Of MEASURING
War has the advantage of giving players virtually unlimited
Flames Of War gives game measurements in both inches
opportunities to fight new battles and collect new armies.
(Imperial) and centimetres (Metric). You should agree on
Unfortunately, it also requires rules to cover the many aspects
which system you and your opponent will use before the
of something as big as the battles of World War II. The good
game beginsyou must use one of these two systems, not
news is that you dont need to know all of the rules to play
switch between both. Generally, its a good idea to use the
the game. You can start with the basics and add things like
system you are most familiar with.
infantry, artillery, and even aircraft when you are ready.
You are allowed to measure any distances on the battlefield
To help you understand the rules, this section explains some
any time you want to. You can measure how far your
of the concepts behind the game.
weapons can shoot, how far the opponents weapons can
shoot, or even whether or not you have enough movement
DIE ROLLS to assault at the end of the turn. After all, your soldiers have
Flames Of War uses the same standard six-sided dice that maps, range-finders, and binoculars to help them work these
games like Monopoly and Yahtzee use. things out.
When the rules say to roll a die, they give a number that you
must equal or exceed, for example, 3+ (a roll of 3, 4, 5, or TALK TO YOUR OPPONENT
6 means success), or 5+ (a roll of 5 or 6 means success). Any You can make your game flow more easily by letting your
roll lower than the number means the attempt has failed. opponent know what your intention is when moving your
forces. If you tell them you are intending to stay out of
In some cases, such as shooting at partially concealed targets,
range, or that you think your troops are completely out
the number needed for success will be modified.
of sight behind a wood, it reduces disputes if a model gets
Add +1 to the required score for each of the modifiers that bumped later.
apply at the time. For instance, if you normally need a 3+
to hit the enemy, but the target was both (a) at long range WYSIWYG
and (b) concealed in a wood, the required score on each die
Flames Of War is a What You See Is What You Get, or
would go up to 5+.
WYSIWYG, game. One miniature represents one soldier
Sometimes the score required is shown as Auto. This means or vehicle. In many cases you can resolve difficulties by
that the roll will automatically succeed. remembering this and taking a look at the situation from a
If the rules require you to roll more than one die, treat each models-eye view, down on the ground so to speak. Have a
roll as a separate success or failure. look at what your miniature could see from where they are or
where they could go on the terrain as modelled.
RE-ROLLS
In some situations, where your first roll fails, you may be SPECIAL RULES
allowed a re-roll. A re-roll is just what the name saysyou To keep things simple, the main part of the Flames Of War
get to ignore the first attempt and roll the die again. rules only cover the more common cases. Rules that are
The score on the second die specific to certain weapons, vehicles, units, or armies are
roll is what counts. You given as special rules.
never get more than one
re-roll per situation. HINTS AND TIPS
There are hints and tips in various places to help you
learn the game. These are not rules, just ideas on how to
play the game quickly and simply.
24
These special rules either add additional capabilities or allow Some of the best stories are about heroic last stands and
the teams and units that use them to modify the normal a few brave individuals turning the tide and holding out
rules. When a special rule conflicts with the normal rules, against the odds to finally snatch an unlikely victory.
apply the specialrule. Remember, whether you are facing a friend or a new
opponent, treat them just the way you would like to be
WHEN THINGS HAPPEN treated and you will get so much more from thehobby.
Normally turns in Flames Of War follow a straightforward
sequence. However, some rules, particularly special rules, WORKING IT OUT
cause things to happen out of turn. An example of this would Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out how a rule should
be anti-aircraft weapons engaging enemy aircraft when they be applied to an unusual situation that has occurred in your
appear in the enemy turn. game. If something unexpected happens, talk with the other
players and try to come up with a good interpretation of
When this happens, interrupt the normal turn sequence,
what would happen. The best thing to do is to make a quick
resolve the unusual activity, then return to where you were
call that both you and your opponent can agree on.
and continue the turn.
If you cant come to an agreement quickly just roll a die:
If you roll 4, 5, or 6, use your interpretation of the rule
WHEN THINGS GET TRICKY for the rest of the game.
In a hobby such as wargaming, its impossible to over-
A roll of 1, 2, or 3, means that you have to accept
emphasise the importance of being a good sport. Whether
your opponents interpretation of the rule for the rest
you are crushing your opponent or you are on the receiving
of the game.
end of an almighty pummelling, its always good to remember
that whatever the outcome of the battle, playing is all about After the game, when you have more time for discussion
having fun. without holding up the battle, sit down and agree how youll
handle the situation in the future.
Some good basic rules are to be fair, play to the spirit of the
game, treat your opponents with courtesy and respect, and If you still arent sure, you can always
dont get too bogged down with the rules. Oh, that and dont check out the Frequently Asked
give up! The odds may look grim with your army set to be Questions document that you
beaten, but hang in there. can download from www.
FlamesOfWar.com.
25
The military knows that the strength of a well-coordinated group of soldiers is far greater than the sum of its
parts. Flames Of War reflects this by organizing your force into Teams, Units, and Formations.
Aircraft Team
Tank Team
Infantry Team
Gun Team
TEAMS
Although the acts of a few individuals are always glorified by They can be equipped with individual weapons like rifles,
the media back home, in reality a soldier never does anything submachine-guns, and light machine-guns, or crew-served
on their own. Soldiers are trained to operate as a Team, and weapons like the tripod-mounted Vickers medium machine-
it is this teamwork that keeps them alive. In Flames Of War gun or the man-packed 81mm mortar. These crew-served
your miniature soldiers also operate in Teams. There are four weapons are classed as Heavy Weapons Teams.
main types of Teams: Tanks, Infantry, Guns, and Aircraft.
GUN TEAMS
TANK TEAMS Gun Teams include soldiers crewing weapons too heavy to be
Tank Teams include all military vehicles, from the mighty carried by a soldier. A Gun Team is a gun model and a group
Tiger tank, through the common M4 Sherman tank, down of miniatures all mounted on a single base. They range from
to the lowly jeep. A Tank Team is a single vehicle. Tank Teams small anti-tank guns such as the 6 pdr gun up to powerful
are either Armoured or Unarmoured. Some Tank Teams are giants like the dreaded 88, the 8.8cm FlaK anti-aircraft
also Transport Teams that carry infantry or tow guns. gun. Gun Teams also cover everything from 4.2-inch heavy
mortars and quick-firing 25 pdr field guns, to heavy artillery.
INFANTRY TEAMS
Infantry Teams include all troops fighting on foot capable of AIRCRAFT TEAMS
carrying their weapons on their backs. An Infantry Team is a Aircraft Teams are ground-attack aircraft like the deadly Ju-87
group of miniatures all mounted on a single base (the size of Stuka dive bomber and the tank-busting HurricaneIID. An
the base depends on the number and size of the miniatures). Aircraft Team is a single aircraft.
Infantry Unit
26
UNITS cannot Charge into Contact (page 73), nor take an Objective
(page 102), and are ignored for Victory Points (page 101).
Your Teams are grouped into Units, platoons in most cases,
but sometimes companies, typically of three to ten tanks or
30 to 100 infantrymen. In battle a Unit usually operates FORMATIONS
as one, manoeuvring across the battlefield together and Units are gathered together into Formations, companies in
engaging the same foes. most cases, but sometimes battalions. A formation contains
a number of combat Units, along with several Units of heavy
UNIT LEADERS weapons, scouts, and other troops to back them up.
A Unit combines a group of Teams under the command of a While you must have at least one Formation in your force,
Unit Leader: an American or British Lieutenant, a German you can have as many as you like.
Leutnant, or a Soviet Kapitan. An Infantry Unit will normally
have a small base with an officer on it as its Unit Leader. If FORMATION COMMANDERS
the Unit does not have an obvious Unit Leader, you may Each Formation has an HQ Unit containing the Formation
pick any Team in the Unit as the Unit Leader at the start Commander: an American Captain, a British Major, a
of the game. German Hauptmann, or a Soviet Podpolkovnik, and their
staff. The Commander is the Unit Leader of the HQ Unit
ATTACHMENTS and commands all of the Units in the Formation.
Attachments are additional Teams associated with a Unit.
You may choose any non-Transport Team from the HQ Unit
Infantry or Gun Units containing Transport Teams as a
as their Commander at the start of the game. Unlike other
Tank Attachment (or vice versa) are split into two Units,
Units, Transport Teams from the HQ Unit remain as part of
an Infantry or Gun Unit and a Transport Unit (each with
the Commanders Unit.
their own Unit Leader). Both parts of the Unit operate
independently as separate Units, supporting each other,
COMMAND LEADERSHIP
although they deploy as a single Unit.
A Commanders presence can inspire troops to fight harder.
INDEPENDENT UNITS When a Units Leader is within 6/15cm and in Line of
Sight of their own Formation Commander (including
Small Units, such as an artillery observer, are Independent
Commanders own HQ Unit), the Unit may re-roll failed
Units. These fight in support of larger Units. Independent
Counterattack, Rally, Remount, and Last Stand rolls.
Infantry Units often have a transport vehicle as part of their
Unit, and unlike most transports, this remains as part of the As Support Units dont have their own Formation
Independent Unit. Independent units can use the Mistaken Commander, any Formation Commander may lead them,
Target rule (see page 58) to reassign hits to nearby Units, but granting them re-rolls.
Unit of
3x Panzer III
HQ Unit of
2x Panzer III
Unit of
3x Panzer IV
27
Unit and Formation cards play a key role in Flames Of War. Use the cards corresponding to the various components
of your force for quick reference as you play the game and to pick your force. This section explains the layout of
some typical cards and what the different ratings and information mean.
Combining speed, protection, and firepower, tanks are the core of any army. Tank unit cards allow you to field
tanks as part of your force. This page explains the core features of a Tank unit card.
SKILL RATINGS
These show how likely the Unit is
to do something difficult. Some
Units have different ratings for
different situations such as:
carrying out a Movement Order
(page 46), or
hitting in an Assault (page 77).
These different ratings are shown
below the main Skill rating.
SPEED CHART
This shows how fast the Team can
move Tactically while shooting,
or while Dashing across Terrain,
Cross-country in the open, or
along a Road. See pages 40 to 43.
BACK
28
IS HIT ON NUMBER Infantry form an essential counterpart to your tanks. They are resilient
This number tells you how easy and ideal for taking or holding villages and woods. Infantry unit cards are
it is for the opponent to hit this essentially the same as Tank unit cards, with a few changes shown below.
Team when shooting at it. See
pages 56 and 69. INFANTRY SAVE
This shows the number that a Team from
the Unit needs to survive a hit. See page 62.
ARMOUR RATINGS
This shows how well protected an
armoured vehicle like a tank is.
See pages 59, 60, and 70.
Unarmoured Tank Teams have
a single Save number instead.
See page 62.
CROSS NUMBER
The Cross number shows how
likely the Team is to cross
Difficult Terrain without getting
stuck. See pages 42 and 43.
WEAPONS CHARACTERISTICS
This displays the performance
of the weapons carried by the
Team: how far they shoot, how
many dice they roll, how well they
penetrate armour and destroy
targets, and any special rules.
You may only use one type of
WEAPONS CHARACTERISTICS
weapon at a time, either the tanks
Infantry unit cards show all of the weapons used by the Unit.
main gun, or its machine-guns.
Each team has a line for its weaponry. See page 50.
Seepages 49 to 71.
SPECIAL RULES
The Units special rules are listed TRANSPORT UNITS
here. The back of the card has a Some Infantry and Gun Units have Transports. Although
short summary of the rules. purchased as part of an Infantry Unit, the Transports have
See pages 83 to 93. their own Tank Attachment unit card and operate as a
separate Tank Unit. See page 27.
CARD ID
Each card is uniquely identified
by its card ID and is referenced by
this number.
29
Guns give you the punch of a tank without the expense of mobility and armour. Guns cant take ground, but do
an excellent job of defending what you already have. Gun unit cards are similar to Infantry unit cards.
GUN SAVE
This shows the number that a
Team from the Unit needs to
survive a hit. See page 62.
SPEED CHART
Guns are generally slow moving
and big guns usually cannot
shoot on the move. However, if
you need to reposition them, you
can. See pages 40 to 42.
WEAPONS CHARACTERISTICS
Gun unit cards show the ratings
of the type of gun fielded by the
Unit. See page 50.
Ground-attack aircraft give you the ability to project firepower anywhere on the battlefield. Aircraft unit cards
are basically the same as other unit cards, with a few changes shown below.
IS HIT ON NUMBER
Aircraft can only be shot at by
Anti-aircraft weapons and are
hard to hit. See pages 50 and 62.
AIRCRAFT SAVE
This shows the number that an
Aircraft Team needs to survive a
hit. See page 62.
UNLIMITED SPEED
Aircraft fly so fast that they can
move anywhere on the table.
See page 39.
AIR STRIKES
Unlike other Units, Aircraft Units do not remain on the battlefield.
Instead they appear, make an attack, then leave the table. See page 39.
30
While most tanks and infantry are designed to tackle the enemy head on, artillery sits back at a distance
shelling the enemy from long range. Artillery pieces can either be ground mounted in static positions, or
mounted on armoured chassis for greater mobility. Artillery unit cards have a different style of weapon
characteristic.
31
World War II was fought over almost every type of terrain. Battles ranged from the frozen arctic of northern
Finland to the scorching heat of North African deserts, from the grassy steppes of the Ukraine to the dense
forests of the German Reichswald, and from the hedgerows of France to the mountains of Italy.
WALLS
Walls are Difficult Terrain, requiring care
to avoid getting stuck while crossing.
Walls can be Short or Tall terrain,
Concealing teams behind them. Stone
and concrete walls provide Bulletproof
Cover for teams behind them.
CRATERS
Craters are Difficult Terrain,
making them risky for tanks to cross.
There are five types of terrain that units can Craters are Short terrain giving
encounter: Bulletproof Cover to Infantry
sheltering in them.
ROADS
Whether concrete, brick, cobble, or dirt, a road provides a
quick route from one place to another. Teams moving on
roads travel faster.
DIFFICULT TERRAIN
CROSS COUNTRY Difficult Terrain hinders
The majority of the table is usually easily crossed, although movement. Vehicles attempting to
at a slower speed than on a road. Unless otherwise stated the move through this terrain risk getting
parts of the board that are not covered by Terrain are rated stuck if the driver isnt careful.
as Cross Country terrain.
IMPASSABLE
TERRAIN FEATURES Some obstacles, such as deep rivers or sheer cliffs, are just
Terrain features severely limit the speed at which vehicles so difficult that its impossible to cross them. Impassable
can move. It ranges from ground that has been churned to obstacles stop all movement, forcing you to look for an
mud to natural obstructions like woods. alternative route to the objective.
32
TREE LINES ROUGH HILLS
Tree Lines are Difficult Terrain, requiring caution from tanks Rough hills are Difficult Terrain. Tanks are likely to get
attempting to cross them. stuck while crossing them.
Tree lines are Tall terrain, so they block line of sight. Teams Hills are Tall terrain, so block line of sight. Teams half
immediately behind a tree line are Concealed. hidden by a hill are Concealed and in Bulletproof Cover.
GENTLE HILLS
Gentle hills are Terrain, but
dont present any risk of
tanks getting stuck.
RAILWAY LINES
Railway lines are Terrain, slowing troops as they
cross them. They are Flat, so offer no concealment.
ROADS
Roads allow troops to move much faster than they would
cross-country if they are going to the right place.
OPEN SPACES
Most battlefields are Cross-country apart from specific terrain
features.
BUILDINGS Stationary infantry are Concealed in the open (and other
Buildings are Terrain that is Impassable to tanks and guns. Flat terrain), but tanks, guns, and moving infantry are in
Infantry can enter and exit them through openings like full view.
doors and windows.
Buildings are Tall terrain. You cannot see past a building,
although teams half-hidden by or in a building are DISCUSS TERRAIN
Concealed. Buildings give troops inside Bulletproof Cover. WITH YOUR OPPONENT
Everybody sees terrain slightly differently, so it is a good
idea to discuss the terrain with your opponent before
CROP FIELDS the game. Most of the terrain on your battlefield will be
Standing crops are Terrain. Tanks moving through them fairly obvious, but it is better to sort out questions like
need to slow down to avoid hidden obstacles and potential is that hill gentle or steep?, or is that river shallow or
infantry ambushes. deep?, at the beginning of the game rather than discover
Standing crops are Short terrain, Concealing teams in and that you and your opponent have different views when
behind them. you attempt to drive across it!
33
HEIGHT OF TERRAIN WOODS
As well as helping or hindering movement, terrain also Woods are impractical if they are modelled realistically in a
provides concealment and cover for troops on the battlefield. WYSIWYG fashion. It would be difficult to place models
Terrain comes in three heights: Flat, Short, and Tall. in them or move them around inside.
Instead, this type of Terrain is modelled as a base to show
FLAT TERRAIN the limits of the terrain and what is inside and what is
Flat terrain, like roads, rivers, and ploughed fields, offer outside of it, with trees placed on top to indicate the type
neither concealment nor cover to troops. and height of the terrain. The trees can be moved around
on the base to allow your teams to move within the area of
SHORT TERRAIN terrain, but are always assumed to be uniformly distributed
Short terrain, like walls, hedges, crop fields and low rises, throughout the area.
Conceal teams within or beyond them and may provide
Bulletproof Cover (depending on what the terrain is).
TALL TERRAIN
Tall terrain, such as woods and buildings, blocks line of
sight, hiding whatever is behind them. Troops on the edge
can be seen, but are Concealed.
WOODS
Woods are Difficult Terrain. Tanks moving through a wood
risk getting stuck.
Woods are Tall terrain. Teams at the edge of a wood
are Concealed.
BUILDING A BATTLEFIELD
The key to setting up an interesting gaming table is to imagine the battlefield that
you are fighting over. Think about the key features you would expect to encounter there
and that youve read about or seen in documentaries about the battle. These features will be
significant terrain on your table.
Once youve decided what types of terrain you want, start laying it out. As you do so, think about the
patterns you find in real landscapes. Hills tend to form ridge lines rather than being randomly spread out, and
trees tend to be in woods rather than scattered patches. Clumping terrain together like this will also give you open
areas between, an equally important part of any battlefield.
The most important point is to make your table tell a story and be fun to play on.
34
BUILDINGS
Man-made structures like buildings are different from natu- Multi-storey buildings have one or more rooms on each
ral terrain. They are solid, so troops cant be seen on the level, making them, in effect, two buildings stacked upon
other side, but troops can enter them and fight through their each other.
openings, such as doors and windows. Buildings more than about 6/15cm across should be
divided into rooms between 3/7.5cm and 6/15cm across.
Treat each room as a separate building with openings into
each adjacent room.
PLOUGHED FIELDS
Ploughed Fields are Terrain
as they are difficult to move
across at speed.
35
The terrain of North Africa is far from the flat and empty In Tunisia, the wastes of the desert give way to signs of human
wastes of popular imagination. The fighting often took habitation. Villages scrape out a living in the harsh landscape
place for control of scattered settlements and significant in the shadow of steep, rocky hills. Rail lines connect to
terrain features. distant cities and ports, and the ruins of past conquests stand
Although many of the battles fought in the Western Desert as silent commentary on current battles.
of Egypt and Libya took place in desolate places far from
human habitation, they were usually fought over control
of ridges, gaps in escarpments, old fortifications, and other
important features.
PALM GROVES
Palm groves are Difficult Terrain. Tanks moving
through a palm grove risk getting stuck.
Palm groves are Tall terrain. Teams at the edge of
a palm grove are Concealed.
BUILDINGS
Buildings are Terrain that is Impassable to tanks and guns. Infantry
can enter and exit them through openings like doors and windows.
Buildings are Tall terrain. You cannot see past a building, although
teams half-hidden by or in a building are Concealed. Buildings give
troops inside Bulletproof Cover.
OLD FORT
The walls of an old fort are Impassable to anything attempting to cross them, but allow Infantry to climb them
from the inside as Terrain.
Fort walls provide Bulletproof Cover to infantry on the battlements or manning the firing slits around the base.
The wooden gate is Difficult Terrain and Tall terrain.
36
ESCARPMENTS
Escarpments are hilly Terrain that
is Impassable on the side with the
vertical cliff.
STREAMS AND
DRY RIVERBEDS
Streams and dry Riverbeds are
Terrain, slowing tanks down as they
cross. They are Flat terrain, so do not
provide Concealment.
OASIS
Oases are Impassable.
Water features are Flat terrain, so
do not provide Concealment.
DUNE HILLS
Dune hills are Terrain, but dont
present any risk of tanks getting stuck.
ROCKY HILLS
Rocky hills are Difficult Terrain. Tanks are likely to get
stuck while crossing them.
Hills are Tall terrain, so block line of sight. Teams half
hidden by a hill are Concealed and in Bulletproof Cover.
SCRUB
Scrub is Terrain found in the beds of dried-out water
courses. Tanks moving through it need to slow down to
avoid hidden obstacles and potential infantry ambushes.
Scrub is Short terrain, so it Conceals teams in and
behind it.
WALLS LANDMARKS
Walls are Difficult Terrain, Tombs and other landmarks are buildings marking the lives
requiring care to avoid getting and deaths of ancient saints.
stuck while crossing.
Walls can be Short or Tall terrain,
Concealing and providing ROCKY GROUND
Bulletproof Cover for teams Rocky ground is Difficult Terrain. Tanks are likely to get
behind them. stuck crossing it.
37
You are in command. Your job is to make that attack. In Flames Of War, players take turns at moving, shooting, and assaulting
with all of their units. Once you have finished your turn, your opponent moves, shoots, and assaults with their units.
Each turn is broken into four steps: Starting Step, Movement Step, Shooting Step, and the Assault Step.
YOUR TURN
38
There couldnt be many enemy leftthey were almost at the crest of this nameless mound and had passed
through two trench lines already. Leutnant Schller ducked back as a hammering burst from a British MG
smashed into the body of Keppler, not that Keppler cared any more. Keppler was dead. As were a lot of his men.
Lansing was working his squad around to the right. Schller fired a burst from his MP 40 submachine-gun over
Keppler who received another thumping burst in return. In the sudden quiet, he noticed he was the only one
firing. Dont stop shooting! he shouted at his men, Keep shooting or theyll slaughter Lansing and then us!
Slowly Gefreiter Jensch poked his Mauser 98k carbine up and began sniping, working the bolt between shots.
Moments later Schmidts machine-gun ripped the air with another burst.
Several flat cracks as grenades detonated, then yells as Lansing charged were answered by a long thudding
burst from the enemy.
Now! Forward! Take them! Schller leapt forward, firing at the British MG as he ran. Corporal Desch lunged in
with his bayonetbut the British gunner was already slumped and bleeding. Theyd taken the mound, but all
around men were down or clutching wounded limbs. It was victory, of a sort, if they could hold it.
Two of the small tracked units the British favoured appeared from a depression and began to fire at his men.
Everyone dived for cover except for Desch who fled back over the crest.
Get back here! screamed Schller. Desch came sliding back over the crest, face averted. We are not giving up
now. he continued grimly, Here we stand, and here we fight.
The air force has many tasks across the breadth and depth of the battlefield. Your battle is just one small part of the big picture
to them, so the aircraft supporting you will often be called away to more urgent tasks.
39
A battalion of Soviet T-34 tanks swept forward, machine-guns spewing forth as they hosed down the defenceless
trucks of the doomed German supply column. Sudden fireballs bloomed as loads of precious gasoline ignited.
Flames and smoke marked where the fast, lethal tanks had passed.
The leading tanks leapt over the snow-covered ridge and careered down the opposite slope. Commanders
standing in open turrets slammed back, clutching hard at hatch covers. Their exhilaration died as they spotted
the German T-4 tanks moving across their front. No more sport. Now things would get serious, deadly serious.
The T-34s opened fire on the move, bass crashes sounding as their 76mm guns sought out the enemy tanks.
The angular turrets of the T-4s rotated and opened fire with matching roars, their shots hurtling towards the
well-armoured Soviet tanks. Those unfortunates that were hit detonated in massive explosions, turrets flung
through the air, hulls belching thick, black smoke.
Both sides were losing cohesion as casualties shattered formations and eliminated leadership. Tanks began to
withdraw and disengage, tank commanders looking for other members of their units. Radio networks crackled
with desperate attempts to reform. Zitrone, this is Zitrone Two. Acknowledge please. The German tanks
recovered faster and began to press forward again, concentrating their fire on isolated Soviet tanks. Behind
them, ambulances began to appear. Once again, the Hitlerites would claim the battlefield.
MOVEMENT SEQUENCE
In the Movement Step you can move any or all of your Units. When a Unit moves, move each of its
Teams up to its Movement rating. A Team can move less than its maximum Movement rating if you
wish, and a Team that does not move will often be more effective at shooting.
12/30cm
TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS
10/25cm
TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS The second Panzer III moves at Dash speed,
10/25CM 12/30CM 18/45CM 20/50CM 3+ racing to catch up.
40
This T-34 tank is more that 6/15cm
away, so is Out of Command.
Unit Leader
6/15cm
The Unit Leader has raced off, leaving the rest of their Unit Out of Command, and with limited movement options.
Unit Leader
41
This KV-1s Or go around
does not fit it at Tactical or
between the Cross-country
building and Dash speed.
the woods.
A pair of Panzer IV tanks attempt to enter a wood, so they have to pass a Cross test.
42
TERRAIN CHART
CROSS BULLETPROOF
TERRAIN DASH SPEED TEST HEIGHT COVER
OPEN SPACES
Grass or Steppe Cross-country Dash No Flat No
Firm Sand or Thin Snow Cross-country Dash No Flat No
Soft Sand, Snow, or Mud Terrain Dash No Flat No
VEGETATION
Ploughed Field Terrain Dash No Flat No
Crop Field or Scrub Terrain Dash No Short No
Vineyard Terrain Dash Yes Short No
Orchard, Wood, or Forest Terrain Dash Yes Tall No
HEDGES AND WALLS
Fence Terrain Dash No Short No
Hedge Terrain Dash Yes Short No
Bocage Hedge Terrain Dash Yes Tall Yes
Line of Trees Terrain Dash Yes Tall No
Stone Wall Terrain Dash Yes Short or Tall Yes
HILLS
Low Rise Cross-country Dash No Short Yes
Gentle Hill Terrain Dash No Tall Yes
Steep or Rocky Hill Terrain Dash Yes Tall Yes
BANKS, GULLIES, & CLIFFS
Gully Access or Floor Terrain Dash No Flat No
Gully Side Terrain Dash Yes Tall Yes
Steep Bank or Low Seawall Terrain Dash Yes Short Yes
Cliff, Cutting, or High Seawall Impassable Impassable Tall Yes
WATER
Brook or Stream Terrain Dash No Flat No
Creek or Shallow River Terrain Dash Yes Flat No
Ford across a Creek or River Terrain Dash Yes Flat No
Terrain Dash for Infantry
Deep
River Impassable to Tanks and Guns 4+ Cross Check Flat No
Soft Ground Terrain Dash Yes Flat No
Swamp or Lake Impassable Impassable Flat No
ROADS AND RAILWAY LINES
Road or Airfield Road Dash No Flat No
Ruined City Streets Terrain Dash No Flat No
Railway Line Terrain Dash No Flat No
Low Embankment Terrain Dash Yes Short Yes
High Embankment Impassable Impassable Tall Yes
BUILDINGS
Terrain Dash for Infantry
Doors and Windows No
Impassable to Tanks and Guns Short Yes
Exterior Walls Impassable Impassable Tall Yes
Inside Buildings Terrain Dash No Short Yes
Rubble or Craters Terrain Dash Yes Short Yes
WRECKS
Wrecked Tanks Terrain Dash No Short Yes
43
The grenadiers move Since the SdKfz 250 half-track
into their SdKfz 250 hasnt moved yet, it can now
half-track to mount up. make a Dash move.
TRANSPORTS AND PASSENGERS The Tractor special rule indicates a special type of Transport
Transport vehicles can carry infantry and tow guns, giving Team that can tow a Gun Team as a Passenger, but cannot
them protection from enemy fire and getting them across carry other types of passengers. When a Tractor is towing a
the battlefield faster. Gun, place the Gun behind the Tractor as though it is being
towed by it.
PASSENGERS IN TRANSPORTS While being carried as passengers, a Team cannot Shoot
Some Tank Teams (known as Transport Teams), including or Assault.
armoured personnel carriers and troop-carrying trucks, can
carry passengers. PASSENGERS ON TANKS
The Passengers special rule has a number after it indicating Up to three Infantry Teams can ride on the top of any
how many Infantry Teams the Team can carry. Armoured Tank Team (other than a Transport) as Passengers,
although they are more vulnerable to enemy fire (see page 45).
Once the Passengers have dismounted, the SdKfz 250 half-tracks move onto the flank to cover them.
44
MOUNTING TRANSPORTS SHOOTING AT PASSENGERS
A Team can Mount a Transport Team from their Transport While Mounted in or on a Tank Team, Passengers cannot be
Unit by Moving into it in the Movement Step. targeted. Guns towed behind a Tractor are considered to be
If the Transport Team has not yet Moved, it can then Move part of the Tractor when shot at, bombarded, etc.
at Dash speed (it cannot Shoot or Assault). Once mounted,
a Team cannot Shoot or Assault. PASSENGERS IN TRANSPORTS
If a Transport Team is Destroyed by Shooting or an Artillery
DISMOUNTING FROM TRANSPORTS Bombardment, roll an Infantry or Gun Save for each
A Team can Dismount from a Transport Team by Moving Passenger Team. Place the surviving Passengers as close as
away from it in the Movement Step before the Transport possible to the Destroyed Transport on the side away from
Team Moves. the Team that Destroyed it, facing in any direction. The
A Team cannot Mount and Dismount in the same turn. surviving Teams of the Unit are automatically Pinned Down
(see page 64).
SEND TRANSPORTS TO THE REAR If a Transport Team is Destroyed multiple times by an enemy
You must remove all empty unarmoured or unarmed Units shooting, each Passenger Team still only rolls one Save
Transport teams from the table at the end of any Step, to see if it survives.
and may remove any other empty Transport teams at the If a Transport Team is Destroyed in a Assault, all of its
same time. Passengers are also Destroyed.
Transport teams removed in this fashion do not count as
Destroyed, and if Bailed Out (see page 61), automati- GUNS TOWED BY TRACTORS
cally Remount. If a Tractor Team is Destroyed, roll a Gun Save for the Gun
Team it is carrying as a Passenger. If the Gun Team survives,
BRING TRANSPORTS FORWARD it dismounts in place, facing in any direction, and the Unit
Before moving a Unit, you may place all of its Transport is automatically Pinned Down.
teams (other than those that have been Destroyed) that have
been Sent to the Rear or did not deploy on the table, back PASSENGERS ON TANKS
on the table. Each time a Tank Team is hit by Shooting or a Bombardment
The Transport teams must be placed within 4/10cm of a or in an Assault, any Passengers riding on top of it are
Team from their Unit, and may not be: automatically hit as well. Teams hit in this way are not in
within 16/40cm of any enemy Team within Line of Bulletproof Cover (the tank attracts too much fire from
Sight, unless Concealed by Terrain from it, or all angles to protect the infantry), take Infantry Saves (see
pages 62 and 70) when shot at or bombarded, and can be
within 4/10cm of any enemy Team.
Pinned Down (see page 64) as normal.
Once Brought Forward in this way, the Transport Teams
must move at Dash Speed (and therefore cannot shoot or
assault this turn), but may Mount Passengers before moving.
45
A Unit Leader may issue one Movement Order each turn. These allow
their Unit to use clever tactics, cross terrain, dash ahead, or dig in.
Gun Teams can only be issued Dig In and
Cross Here Movement Orders.
SKILL
The Unit Leader issues a Blitz Move Order,
VETERAN 3+ trying to sneak the Panzer III tanks up to the
edge of the woods. They roll a Skill Test.
On a roll of 3+, the tanks can sneak 4/10cm forward Otherwise, the whole Unit is Out of Command. It can
(making Cross tests as needed), not counting as having still move at Tactical speed. However, because it is Out of
moved, shooting with their halted ROF. Command, it suffers an additional +1 penalty to its shooting.
46
Passing the Skill Test, the Hornisse
can move 4/10cm instead of
assaulting (taking a Cross test for
any Difficult Terrain).
Otherwise, it stays right where it
is and faces the enemys return fire.
The German anti-tank guns want Passing the Skill Test, each Team is marked as being in Foxholes.
to dig in to gain Bulletproof Cover. The infantry will shoot as if they were moving while they dig in.
They take a Skill Test.
Alternatively, a
Foxholes marker
indicates that
the whole Unit is
in Foxholes.
47
The Unit Leader issues a Follow Me! Order
to close the range quickly and immediately
moves another 4/10cm forward.
They then roll a Motivation Test.
If they pass, the other T-70 tanks within 6/15cm move forward
as well. If they fail, the rest of the Unit remains where it is.
Either way, none of the T-70 tanks within 6/15cm of the Unit
Leader can shoot.
48
Half a dozen boxy panzers were advancing slowly in the distance, hard to see in the heat haze, sniping at the
English tanks.
The huge 8.8cm Flak36 anti-aircraft guns had been carefully positioned for anti-tank work. Anxious crewmen
stood or squatted nearby, clutching shells. Ammo cases were stacked ready nearby. The veteran crews were
used to desert warfare now, and understood how the light and heat could play tricks with a gunner's view. The
British wouldn't see the guns until it was too late.
Plumes of dust announced that the English tanks had taken the bait. The panzers were racing back at an angle,
drawing pursuit, turrets pivoted to the rear, firing rapidly. The faster English tanks quickly closing the range.
'Fire!' The long barrel slammed back, shell casing spat out, and the crew frantically slammed the next round
home. The crash of the guns overlapped in a continuous din. The gun crews worked in a steady rhythm, feeding
shells into the gaping breeches, firing, then feeding again.
The English were dying, frantic in their pursuit, but unable to reply to the tormentors tearing them apart. A
handful of English tanks ran the gauntlet, opening fire. Bullets rang off the gun shields, harmless until their aim
shifted, then tumbled men like skittles.
SHOOTING SEQUENCE
In the Shooting Step, you Shoot with any or all of your Units one by one. When a Unit Shoots,
each Team that wants to Shoot in the Unit picks an enemy Team as its target and Shoots its weapons.
Once youve finished Shooting with one of your Units, move on to the next until all of the
Units that you want to Shoot with have shot.
49
Each weapon in a Unit has a line on its card describing its performance and effectiveness.
Tanks and Aircraft can fire all of their machine-guns or one other weapon.
Each Infantry and Gun Team can fire one of their weapons.
50
A team must be
in Range of, and
be able to draw a
Line of Sight to the
target to shoot.
51
The Panzer IV can see the This Sherman and the Panzer IV cannot see each other
Sherman within 2/5cm of as they are more than 6/15cm apart through Tall terrain.
the edge of the palm grove.
Visible within
6/15cm
The Panzer IV can see
this Sherman as it is
within 6/15cm of it.
LINE OF SIGHT THROUGH GAPS LINE OF SIGHT THROUGH HILLS & BUILDINGS
Gaps of less than 3/4/20mm between two terrain pieces or Buildings and Hills block Line of Sight, so Teams completely
friendly Teams (other than stationary Infantry teams) give behind them cannot be seen.
Concealment and block Line of Sight in the same way that
the terrain or Teams do. LINE OF SIGHT TO AND FROM AIRCRAFT
Use a tape measure as a guide as to whether a gap is wide Terrain never blocks Line of Sight to or from Aircraft.
enough to see through.
CONCEALED
VISIBLE
CONCEALED
CONCEALED
The Panzer IV is Concealed to this Sherman
because the Sherman is not within 2"/5cm of
the edge of the palm grove.
52
All three
German teams
are Concealed The Crusader is Concealed
as they are seen to the 5cm PaK38 gun as
through Terrain. it is looking through more
CONCEALED than 2/5cm of Terrain.
VISIBLE
CONCEALED
CONCEALED
VISIBLE
CONCEALED
The Crusader is not Concealed
to the two panzers as they are
within 2/5cm of the edge of
the Terrain concealing them, so
can see across it unhindered.
53
From up on the hill, the Crusader has a The Crusader is half
clear Line of Sight to the Panzer III. hidden behind the
hill, so is Concealed to
the Panzer III.
CONCEALED
VISIBLE
BLOCKED
CONCEALED
VISIBLE
CONCEALED
VISIBLE
54
These two German
anti-tank guns
declare the left-hand
Crusader as their
target. Any extra
This anti-tank
hits they get will be
gun cannot see the
allocated to the rest
Crusaders, so declares
of the target Unit.
the Grant as its target.
55
6) ROLL TO HIT SCORE TO HIT
Once you have declared targets for the Teams in a Unit, roll The score To Hit is shown as the Is Hit On number on the
to hit the targets. target Teams Unit Card, modified as follows:
Add +1 to the score To Hit for each of the following:
HOW MANY DICE? The range to the targeted Team is over 16/40cm.
When a weapon Shoots, roll one die for each point of ROF. Target Team is Concealed (but not Gone to Ground).
As shown on the Unit card, the ROF of a weapon changes Shooting Team Moved Out of Command.
depending on whether the Team is halted or Moved in the Shooting through Smoke.
Movement Step.
Shooting at Night.
If a Team is Pinned Down (page 64) or wishes to Assault later
Add +2 to the score to hit if:
in the turn (page 72), it must Shoot with its Moving ROF.
Target Team is Concealed and Gone to Ground.
A Team cannot Shoot if it moved at Dash speed, or used a
Follow Me or Cross Here order (page 48). TARGETS REQUIRING 7 OR MORE TO HIT
If the score needed to hit is 7 and the die roll is 6, then the
GONE TO GROUND
shot scores a hit on a further roll of 5+.
Teams that did not Move, Shoot, or Assault in their own
turn and have not shot in this turn are Gone toGround. If the score needed to hit is 8 and the die roll is 6, then the
Scouts can Move and still be Gone to Ground, but are not shot scores a hit on a further roll of 6.
Gone to Ground if they Shoot or Assault (page 93). In addi- If the score needed to hit is 9 or more, then the shot
tion, all Teams are Gone to Ground at the start of the game cannot hit.
unless otherwisespecified.
If a Team is Gone to Ground and is also Concealed from a
Team Shooting at it, the Team is harder to hit.
SPEEDING THINGS UP
Shooting can involve lots of die rolls. Dont panic though a Units shooting at the same time, and assign the hits
you dont always have to roll each die separately. as normal.
Because most Units have the same w eapons in each Team In some cases however, taking it slowly and resolving the
and often all need the same score to hit, you can often shooting one Team at a time makes complicated situations
(with your opponents agreement) roll all the dice for much simpler than they appear at first glance.
Is Hit On 4+
Concealed +1
HIT ON 5+
Is Hit On 4+
Over 16/40cm +1
HIT ON 5+
Is Hit On 4+
Over 16/40cm +1
Concealed +1
HIT ON 6
56
The Sherman Troop scores
four hits on the PanzerIII
Platoon, all of them targeted
at the closest tank.
2
The shooting player must assign
1 the remaining hits evenly to
The shooting
tanks from the Unit within
player must 1 6/15cm of the target Team.
assign the first
hit against the
targeted tank.
6/15cm
2
2
3
The fourth tank is too far away
from the targeted vehicle, so
the shooting player assigns an
additional hit to the second tank.
57
MISTAKEN TARGET TOO CLOSE FOR ERROR
The targeted player may attempt to protect valuable The target player cannot use the Mistaken Target rule if the
Teams like heavy weapons by reassigning hits to other Shooting Team is:
Teams representing misidentification of their target by the within 4/10cm of either of the selected Teams, or
Shooting Team. within 8/20cm if the selected Teams are Tank Teams.
The player selects a Team that was hit and another Team of
the same Type (Tank, Infantry, Gun, or Aircraft) that could HQ UNITS AND INDEPENDENT TEAMS
have been assigned hits (whether it was or not) and rolls a die. When an HQ Unit or Independent Team (such as an
On a roll of 3+, the player swaps all of the hits on each Observer) is hit, the owning player may select another Unit
Team to the other Team. The hits must still be allocated and use the Mistaken Target rule to swap hits between them
according to the Assign Hits rule (page 57) after the as if they were the same Unit.
swap. Once a hit has been swapped it cannot be swapped
again. Any hits that cannot be legally swapped remain on WHEN TO USE MISTAKEN TARGET
the original Team. You wont need to use the Mistaken Target rule very
If the player succeeds, they can then attempt to swap hits often as in most cases it makes little difference which of
between a different pair of Teams, and continue to do so your Teams your opponent shoots at.
as long as they make the 3+ roll required. If they fail in any The rule is there for those odd situations where it really
attempt to swap, all remaining hits stay where they were matters which team your opponent hits, and it seems a
allocated. bit unrealistic that their gunners seem to manage to pick
out the most important one every time!
KEEPING IT SIMPLE An example would be when your opponent has scored a
Occasionally, how the terrain is placed will limit which hit on the one-and-only long-barrelled tank in your unit,
enemy Teams each of your shooting Teams can hit, and you'd rather lose a weaker short-barrelled one.
making the Mistaken Target rule a bit tricky to use. It
can help to use different coloured dice for each shooting Another example would be if one of your tank's side
Team so that your opponent can see which hits can be armour was exposed, and you'd rather the enemy hit the
swapped between possible targets. front armour of another tank. Remember though, if the
enemy is close enough, you can't use Mistaken Target
and their choices stand, whether you like it or not.
58
This Crusader is at least This Crusader is entirely in
partly behind the front of front of a line drawn across
the Marder, which will the front of the Marder, which
use its Side armour rating will use its Front armour
for its Armour Save. rating for its Armour Save.
59
EXCEEDS ANTI-TANK RATING If the roll is lower than your weapons Firepower
If your opponents Armour Save is greater than your weap- rating, the shot has no effect and the tank continues in
ons Anti-tank rating, their Armour Save is successful. action unharmed.
The shot has no effect, having bounced harmlessly off the
tanks armour. LESS THAN ANTI-TANK RATING
If your opponents Armour Save is less than your weapons
EQUALS ANTI-TANK RATING Anti-tank rating they failed their ArmourSave.
If your opponents Armour Save exactly equals your weapons To determine the effect of the hit you must take a Firepower
Anti-tank rating, they failed their Armour Save. Although test. Roll another die.
your shot didnt fully penetrate the tanks armour, it might If the roll equals or exceeds your weapons Firepower
still do some damage. rating, the tank is Destroyed.
To determine the effect of the hit you must take a Firepower If the roll is lower than your weapons Firepower rating,
Test. Roll another die. the shot failed to do significant damage to the tank but
If the roll equals or exceeds your weapons Firepower the crew still Bails Out of the tank fearing that the next
rating, the crew panic and Bail Out. shot might do worse.
ARMOUR
RANGE ROF
HALTED MOVING
ANTI- FIRE-
TANK POWER
FRONT 5
28/70CM 2 1 10 3+ Smoke
SIDE &
REAR 3
The Sherman's TOP 1
75mm gun has an
The German player rolls an Armour
Anti-tank rating of
Save for each hit.
10 and a Firepower
rating of 3+. In this case, all of the saves are using
the Panzer III's front armour of 5.
60
BAILED OUT TANK TEAMS REMOUNTING BAILED OUT TANK TEAMS
Bailed Out Tank Teams may not move (including issuing During the Starting Step (page 39) at the start of your turn,
Blitz Move, Shoot and Scoot, or Follow Me orders) or fight roll a die for each Bailed Out Tank Team.
(including Shooting, firing Artillery Bombardments, and If the score equals or exceeds the Tank Teams Motivation
fighting in Assaults) until the crew Remount the tank. rating (or its Remount rating if different), the crew
Remounts their tank. The Team can now act as normal
this turn.
Bailed Out & Pinned Down token Otherwise, the Team remains Bailed Out.
REMOUNT RATING
BAILED OUT LEADERS AND COMMANDERS Some tanks have protected ammunition bins that make
If a Unit Leader or Formation Commander is Bailed Out the crew more likely to Remount if they are Bailed Out.
they may, at the start of any Step, swap to another Tank Team A Units Remount rating is the same as its Motivation
within 6/15cm that is under their command. Their Bailed unless it has a separate Remount rating shown.
Out Tank then replaces their new one in its original Unit.
MOTIVATION
CONFIDENT 4+
BAILED OUT AGAIN This Unit uses its stated Remount
Third Reich
Last Stand 3+
rating of 3+ when rolling to Remount.
Each time a Tank Team that is already Bailed Out would be Protected Ammo
Remount 3+
forced to Bail Out again (whether from Shooting or from
Assault or any other reason), roll a die instead of placing MOTIVATION This Unit uses its standard Motivation
CONFIDENT 4+ rating of 4+ when rolling to Remount.
another marker.
If the score is greater than or equal to the Teams
Motivation rating (or its Remount rating if different), COMMANDERS LEADERSHIP
the shot has no additional effect on the tank. Re-roll all failed attempts to Remount for Tanks whose
Otherwise, the crew decides that its too dangerous to Commander is within 6/15cm and in Line of Sight (includ-
hang around, and the Team is Destroyed. ing the Commanders own Tank).
MOTIVATION
CONFIDENT 4+ A platoon of Grant tanks starts its turn with all of their tanks Bailed Out.
Fight Another Day
Last Stand 5+ They have a Remount rating of 3+ thanks to their Protected Ammo, so need
Protected Ammo
Remount 3+ to roll a 3+ to remove their Bailed Out markers.
Formation
Commander
6/15cm
61
SAVE
The British infantry took three hits. The Infantry teams
Infantry
3+ roll their Infantry Save of 3+ for each hit.
One of the Bren Gun teams behind the wall fails its save. As
it is in Bulletproof Cover, the German player needs to roll the
The Bren Gun team in the open shooting weapons Firepower number or higher to Destroy it.
fails its save and is Destroyed.
SAVE
Aircraft
3+
The Hurricane IID takes a hit
from a German Sd Kfz 10/4 anti-
aircraft half-track, so the British
player rolls its Aircraft Save.
On a roll of 3+, the Hurricane
would be unharmed.
Otherwise, the German player
must roll the 5+ Firepower of
their 2cm gun to Destroy it, or it
is unharmed.
62
Mark Destroyed Wrecks are Short Terrain, so slow movement
Tanks as Wrecks. and provide Concealment. Wrecks of
Armoured Tanks are also Bulletproof Cover.
63
The British infantry took seven hits.
As an Infantry Unit, it is Pinned Down
because it took at least five hits.
Until the Unit Rallies, its teams cannot
move toward visible enemy teams, but
they can move further away.
64
FIRING SMOKE EFFECTS OF SMOKE
Before Shooting normally, a Unit may elect to fire smoke, Teams Shooting into, through, or out of a Smoke ball always
rather than armour-piercing or explosive ammunition, with suffer an additional +1 penalty on the score needed to hit,
any or all of its weapons that have this capability. These both for Shooting and Bombardments.
Teams cannot Shoot after doing this. If a Team that has been hit by Smoke moves, the Smoke
When a Team fires smoke, each hit places a 2/5cm Smoke remains in place, allowing the Team to Shoot as normal.
marker (or ball of cotton wool) on the Team rather than
causing any direct damage. Hits by Smoke cannot be reallo-
cated with the Mistaken Target rule.
All Smoke fired by a player is removed at the start of their
next turn.
65
The German grenadiers crouched low in their trenches. Huge 50-tonne Soviet tanks approached, clusters of
infantry clinging to the turrets. If the tanks and infantry were allowed to approach together, then the position
would be overrun. Enemy artillery had cut the telephone lines back to the artillery, so the observer was clutching
a fat flare pistol. When the enemy reached the target area, his flare would initiate the barrage.
HE rounds from the enemy tanks began to explode around the dug-in infantry, followed soon after by machine
gun fire spraying the edges of the trench. Checking one last time, the observer pointed the flare gun straight
up, gave a short prayer and fired. The red flare burst into life over head and began to curve over towards the
enemy. A deep rumble boomed far behind the German lines. Seconds later explosions began to blossom among
the enemy tanks, the infantry tumbling off the tanks and scrambling to find cover. One of the tanks came to a
sudden halt, its track smashed by the barrage.
Heavy machine-guns began firing bursts of tracer from each flank, adding to the lethal deluge engulfing the
hapless Soviet infantry. Abandoned by the infantry, the tanks continued to advance. The hidden anti-tank
gunners smiled over their long-barrelled charges, ready to deliver the killing blow.
Spotting Team
Artillery Unit
66
A 10.5cm Artillery Battery is bombarding the T-34 tank company using an Artillery Template.
4/10cm
67
SKILL
VETERAN 3+
4+
Gun
Assault
A 10.5cm Artillery
Battery has a Skill
number of 3+. The
Spotting Team may
make up to three
attempts to Range In
the battery.
The more attempts
it takes to Range In,
the less accurate its
bombardment will be.
It Ranges In on its first attempt, so
will not suffer any penalty to hit.
4) ROTATE TO FACE an Artillery Bombardment this turn, and are not Gone
to Ground.
The Artillery Teams Rotate to Face the Aiming Point. This
is a free rotation as part of Shooting, and is not Movement. Once a Spotting team has made their three attempts to
Range In, they cannot make further Ranging In attempts
If the Aiming Point is outside of the weapons Field of Fire,
this turn.
it cannot fire as part of the Bombardment, but it still rotates
to point at the Aiming Point.
RANGING IN WITH A LESS-SKILLED TEAM
If the Spotting Team and the Artillery Unit have different
5) ROLL TO RANGE IN Skill ratings (or Ranging ratings if they have them), use the
A Spotting Team can make up to three attempts to Range In worse rating to Range In.
the artillery on its Aiming Point. Roll a die for each attempt:
If the score is greater than or equal to the Artillery Units RANGING IN AN ADDITIONAL BATTERY
Skill rating, it has successfully Ranged In. If the Spotting Team successfully Ranges In in less than
Otherwise, the ranging attempt missed, go on to the three attempts, it may use its remaining attempts to Range
next attempt. In another Artillery Unit that it can Spot for on the same
If the Spotting Team fails all three attempts to Range In, or a different Aiming Point. This Artillery Unit will suffer
remove the Ranged In marker. The Artillery Unit that the normal penalty for Ranging In on the second or
was attempting to Range In cannot Shoot, Assault, or fire third attempt.
Third attempt:
Second attempt: +2 penalty to hit.
+1 penalty to hit.
68
Because the Artillery Template covers part of the crop field, the score needed to Range In is increased by +1 to 4+.
Ranging In on the first attempt means that there is no penalty on the roll to hit.
69
IS HIT ON
AGGRESSIVE 3+
70
Leytenant Ilya Budkevich smiled as he waited. He could hear the Tigers revving as they crossed the stream on
the other side of the woods. Theyd be in sight in a minute or so. Budkevichs self-propelled guns were carefully
positioned and thoroughly camouflaged. Fritz would be in for a shock when they opened fire.
The rumble of incoming artillery crushed Ilyas smile. Had Fritz predicted the ambush? Were they going to
pound his guns to scrap? When the shells emitted dense white smoke instead of exploding, he knew the answer.
Moments later the advancing Tigers could be heard but not seen through the smoke. There would be no ambush.
Aiming
Point
4/10cm
8/20cm
71
The mortars begin firing from the rear. Lines of British infantry, lying or kneeling on the ground, weapons held
close, watch the bombardment fall on the German trenches as they wait for the order to advance. Fear-dried
mouths are moistened by rapid sips from sun-warmed canteens. Ahead of them, the mortar shells continue to
detonate on the enemy position, inflicting some casualties, but mostly keeping the Germans heads down.
As the seconds tick down, officers stand focussed on their watches. H-Hour arrives. Whistles blow and the men
stand up, looking towards their officers. Arms wave, hoarse voices shout, and they begin to advance towards
the German position. Slowly at first, but the closer they approach the faster they move. Despite the continuing
barrage, German machine-guns start to fire back. Men fall, wounded or dead, but the rest press on, stopping to
fire occasionally but always urged on, to keep moving forward.
As the last mortar bombs explode, the men break into a run. A stubborn machine-gun nest is silenced by grenades,
then a final rush. The close in work of bayonet and rifle butt begins, screams and yells, sudden bursts of fire,
exploding grenades and bodies leaping into foxholes. Face-to-face foes struggle together, desperate to strike
the last blow.
With unexpected suddenness, the fight is over, the enemy are goneeither casualties or scrambling away.
A few bursts of fire pursue them, but mostly exhaustion takes over as the realisation that they have won, that
they have survived, sets in.
Sergeants move rapidly among the survivors, encouraging them to further efforts, to make ready for the
inevitable German counterattackthe most dangerous time for the victors.
ASSAULT SEQUENCE
In the Assault Step, you assault with any or all of your Units one by one. When a Unit Assaults, its
Teams move into contact, the enemy shoots defensive fire, then both sides take turns at fighting at close
quarters with hand grenades and close-combat weapons.
Once youve finished assaulting with one of your Units, move on to the next,
until all of the Units have made their assaults.
An Assault is the only time an Infantry Team can Move WHO CAN ASSAULT
within 2/5cm of the enemy, or that a Tank Team can
In the Assault Step, an Armoured Tank Team or an Infantry
Movewithin 2/5cm of enemy Infantry or Gun Teams.
Team can Assault if it is not:
Pinned Down, or
SHOOTING BEFORE ASSAULTING
a Heavy Weapon,
A Team can shoot in the Shooting Step (but not fire an
Artillery Bombardment) before Assaulting in the Assault and it did not:
Step. If it does so, it must use its Moving ROF (whether it Move at Dash speed,
moves or not), and must target a Team within 8/20cm of Move more than 10/25cm at Tactical speed,
the Team it will Charge into Contact with when it Assaults. Use a Movement Order other than Follow Me,
Shoot at its Halted ROF,
Spot for or Fire an Artillery or Smoke Bombardment, or
Shoot at Aircraft in the previous enemy turn,
and its Unit has not already Assaulted this turn.
72
LEADING FROM THE FRONT 1) CHARGE INTO CONTACT
A Formation Commander and their HQ Unit can combine An Assaulting Unit Moves any of its Tank or Infantry Teams
with a Unit from their Formation to conduct a joint assault. up to 4/10cm into Contact with an enemy Team by the
To do this, the Formation Commander and the Unit Leader shortest route. These Teams are now Assaulting Teams.
must be of the same Type (Tank or Infantry) and must start A Team is in Contact with an enemy Team if:
the Assault Step within 6/15cm and in Line of Sight of each its front edge is as close as it can get to the enemy Team, or
other. For the duration of the Assault Step, the combined
it is an Infantry Team and its front edge is as close as it
Unit is treated as a single Unit having the worse of the two
can get to another Infantry Team from its own Unit that
Units Counterattack values.
is directly in Contact with an enemy Team.
Tank Teams cannot Assault other Tank Teams, so they
cannot Charge into Contact with enemy Tank Teams.
Heavy Weapons, Independent Teams, Gun Teams, and
Unarmoured Tank Teams cannot Charge into Contact at all.
Teams that cant Contact an enemy Team cannot Assault.
Your Teams Charge into First, move all Assaulting Teams that can directly
Contact in two steps. Contact enemy teams up to 4/10cm into Contact.
Then, move any other Assaulting Infantry Teams that can Contact
an Infantry Team already in Contact up to 4/10cm into Contact.
A wall stops the Assaulting teams from
touching the Defending teams, so they
halt at the wall, but are still in Contact
as they are as close as they can possibly be.
Teams that cannot make
Contact cannot charge.
Remember, an Assaulting Team must use its Moving ROF in the Shooting
Step and must Contact a team within 8/20cm of the Team it shot at.
73
Two Panzer IV tanks need to take
Cross tests when they launch an Assault
against British infantry in rocky terrain.
The first tank fails its Cross test and does not move.
The Crusader tanks need to pass a Cross test to reach infantry across an obstacle.
This Crusader
failed its Cross test,
so fails to Contact
the enemy and
stops 2/5cm away.
This Crusader
does not need
to make a Cross
test as it Charges
into Contact
around the wall.
74
The Motor Company shoots at the Panzer III tanks
as they Charge into Contact. Each team shoots at a
tank within 8/20cm using their Halted ROF.
8/20cm
ARMOUR
Defensive fire always uses the Side
FRONT 5 armour rating reflecting close-range
SIDE &
REAR 3 fire at vulnerable areas of the
TOP 1 attacking tanks.
75
An Italian Rifle The Italian Rifle platoon is Pinned Down and the Assaulting Teams must
platoon launches an Fall Back until they are more than 2/5cm from the Defending Teams.
Assault against some
British infantry.
Unfortunately the
British manage to
score five hits in
Defensive Fire.
Because they are Concealed and did not Move or Shoot this
turn, the Infantry can sneak up on the Panzer IV tanks.
76
Each assaulting team rolls a die to hit, comparing The Boys anti-tank rifle
the score against their Skill (or Assault) rating. has a special rule giving it
an Assault rating of 4+.
The Boys anti-tank rifle and a Bren Gun team both hit.
MOTOR PLATOON
The Bren MOTIVATION INFANTRY UNIT IS HIT ON
CONFIDENT 4+ CAREFUL 4+
Gun team The Boys
Counterattack 3+
Bulldog
4+ Infantry
3+ chooses to hit
chooses to use Deadly
Assault 3+ the tanks Side
improvised armour and
anti-tank TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS use its normal
weapons to hit 8/20CM 8/20CM 12/30CM 12/30CM AUTO Anti-tank
the tanks Top WEAPON RANGE ROF
HALTED MOVING
ANTI- FIRE-
TANK POWER NOTES and Firepower.
armour with Bren Gun team 16/40CM 3 2 2 6
Anti-tank 2 and Boys anti-tank rifle 20/50CM 1 1 4 5+ Assault 4+, Slow Firing
Assault 4+, Overhead Fire,
Firepower 1+. 2-inch mortar 16/40CM 1 1 2 4+ Slow Firing, Smoke
77
The British Grant
tanks destroy two
Tanks cant assault tanks,
Italian Infantry
so the Italian M14/41 tank
teams in an assault
does not stop the British tanks
from winning the Assault.
4/10cm
5) CHECK IF THE ASSAULT IS OVER If the score is greater than or equal to the Units Motivation
or Counterattack rating (as appropriate), that Unit may
The Assaulting Unit has won if all Defending Teams that
Counterattack or Break Off as the player chooses.
could be Contacted by the Assaulting Teams with a further
4/10cm Move have been Destroyed or are Bailed Out. If Otherwise, that Unit must Break Off.
the Assaulting Unit has won, the Defending Teams must
now Break Off (see page 80). COMMANDERS LEADERSHIP
If one or more Units failed to Counterattack, re-roll the die
and apply the new result to Units that failed to Counterattack
6) TEST TO COUNTERATTACK and whose Commander is within 6/15cm and in Line
If the Assaulting Unit did not win the Assault, the opponent of Sight of the Unit Leader (including the Commanders
rolls a single die and compares it with the Motivation rating own HQ Unit).
(or the Counterattack rating if different) of each Defending
Unit in turn.
MOTIVATION
CONFIDENT 4+
Open Scout
Counterattack 6
5+
Scout
Last Stand
78
The infantry of Teams that cannot reach the enemy do
the Motor Platoon not charge and remain where they are.
Counterattack,
becoming the
assaulting side.
Tanks need to pass a The first tank passes its cross check so can join the assault.
Cross test each round
while assaulting in
Difficult Terrain.
79
The Germans Break Off from an assault.
TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY D
Each team moves at Tactical speed until it is more - 2/5CM 4/10CM
than 6/15cm away from the assaulting infantry. The 88 has a
Tactical move of -,
so cant get far enough
away from the
assaulting infantry
and surrenders.
One of the tanks fails its Cross test, halting where it is, so cant get
far enough away from the assaulting infantry and surrenders.
The other tank successfully Breaks Off.
80
Enemy tanks appeared when the smoke and dust cleared momentarily. All the guns were silentthe gun
positions had been overrun. Lieutenant Jeremy Holbrook raised his pistol as the Italians bounded forward again.
Hold off, Jeremy. Its over, a tired voice came from the next foxhole as a walking cane with a white handkerchief
tied to it poked up over the parapet. Stray bullets were still cracking over head, and a grenade detonated
somewhere nearby. Weve got a lot of wounded hereno point in getting them killed now.
Holbrook threw his pistol aside, unutterably weary. How had it come to this? The Eyties were supposed to batter
themselves bloody against the defences, while the 7th Armoured mauled the Jerry armour. So much for the plan!
A German Panzer Platoon has lost a tank and has two Bailed Out. Having failed to Remount the Bailed Out tanks,
it doesnt have the required two tanks still active, so is not In Good Spirits and needs to take a Unit Last Stand Test.
If it fails, the crews of the Bailed Out tanks will Destroy their tank and flee the battlefield with the surviving tank.
The accompanying Africa Rifle Platoon has taken some casualties, but still
has the required three infantry teams, so is In Good Spirits and will fight on.
81
Unteroffizier Schmidt leaned forward on the cupola hatch, the hot metal shimmering. There were only two
other panzers remaining, and he was the senior. With barely any fuel left, it was just shoot until their ammo ran
out or something more dramatic ended the fight.
The Ami panzers were slowly advancing. The big Shermans were a tough target for his Panzers. Schmidt prepared
to fight. Schillertake the left panzer. Wolfthe one on the right. On my
His transmission was interrupted. All units stand down. Exit vehicles. Do not engage. High Command has issued
the order for Panzer Armee Afrika to surrender. No shooting. Do not engage!
Schmidt swore. His crew were ready to shoot. How could we be surrendering to theseamateurs?!
B Squadron has suffered severe casualties with just one Unit of Grant tanks
and the supporting artillery troop still on table and nothing in reserve.
Since Support Units dont count, it doesnt have the required two Units on
table, so is Destroyed.
82
Flames Of War allows you to refight the enormously The other countries listed here (and others that arent)
varied battles fought around the world in 1942 and 1943. will receive their own army books in due course. Those
The participants in these battles were almost as diverse books will include a description of each armys own
as the terrain, and Flames Of War reflects this by giving unique characteristics.
each country its own characteristics and special rules. There is also a section on special rules that apply across
Some of these reflect a countrys approach to battle, how the various nations armies. These cover common features
they train their soldiers and the tactics they use. Other of weapons, equipment, and training.
special rules reflect the unique strengths and weaknesses
Dont worry about needing to learn all of these various
of the weapons and equipment which a particular
special rules. The unit cards for your force include all of
army employed.
the relevant special rules, either incorporated into their
This section combines a brief introduction to the Motivation and Skill ratings, or detailed on the back of
character of the main nationalities fighting in this period the card.
with a description of the characteristics and special rules
for the armies of Germany and Great Britain, the subjects
of the first two army books to be released.
83
The modern army commander must free himself from routine methods and show a comprehensive grip of technical
matters, for he must be in a position continually to adapt his ideas of warfare to the facts and possibilities of
the moment.
Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel
The forces of Nazi Germany stand on the brink of world German panzers are formidable machines, marvels of
conquest. Hitler gave his armies the impossible task of advanced engineering. The speed of the technological
challenging the mightiest nations on earth, and against all developments, with designers striving to produce cutting-
odds they are succeeding. edge machines to overpower the enemy, has given rise to
The Wehrmacht have pioneered the fast-moving combined- a variety of tanks. German commanders can call on the
arms style of battle known as Blitzkrieg (lightning war). versatile Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tanks, with a
Their infantry and artillery launch a sudden and devastating variety of different weapon and armour configurations.
concentrated attack against the weakest point of the enemy Otherwise you have the mighty Tiger heavy tank. Although
positions, tearing a breach in the front line. The powerful it has just entered service, so only a few are available, even in
tanks then smash through the shattered defenders and small numbers this armoured behemoth strikes fear into the
drive deep into the enemy rear, the speed of their advance hearts of the enemy. Only the best panzer crews are selected
spreading confusion and panic. to operate these awesome machines.
One of the true masters of Blitzkrieg tactics is the brilliant As a German commander, your soldiers are skilled and
Generalmajor Erwin Rommel, whose successes in the invasion reliable. Their training emphasises initiative and the
of France made him one of the most famous generals in the importance of mobility. This makes your force especially
Wehrmacht. Now he commands the Axis forces in North good at tactical manoeuvring around the battlefield. Their
Africa, where his tactical cunning has earned him the self-confidence is bolstered by an unshakable belief that the
nickname The Desert Fox. Under Rommel, the Afrikakorps Third Reich must ultimately prevail. This confidence will
and its Italian allies are seemingly unstoppable, racking up keep them in the fight even after taking significant casualties.
one victory after another. And on the Eastern Front, the Do you want to be able to triumph against superior numbers?
speed of the German advance in Operation Barbarossa, If you like the idea of fielding a first-rate army with superior
against the unprepared Soviet defenders, is nothing short of equipment, training and confidence, then the Germans are
remarkable. the right choice for you!
84
85
We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing
grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills, we shall never surrender.
Prime Minister Winston S Churchill
With all of Europe falling under the shadow of Nazi occupa- The pride of the British Army is its infantry regiments, who
tion, Britain was left to fight on alone. And they are ready for can trace a proud history back to Waterloo and beyond.
the task, with a shaken but determined army who know that Their training emphasises professionalism and discipline.
freedom and democracy are at stake, and that their whole The backbone of the infantry are the Non-Commissioned
nation and Empire are behind them. Officers (NCOs)long-serving professional soldiers who
will make sure the Tommies in their charge know when to
keep their heads down and when to get stuck in.
86
Although modern infantry fighting relies mainly on deadly British tank regiments are organised into squadrons, like the
machine-gun and rifle fire, there is still a place for hand-to- original horse-mounted cavalry squadrons. They have even
hand fighting. The British rifleman can handle himself up retained some of the attacking spirit of the cavalry. Their
closehis training includes plenty of bayonet drill, along tactics emphasise bravery and cunning, dashing their cruiser
with effective use of the famous Mills Bomb hand grenade. As tanks around the sides of the enemy, where their short-
a British commander, you can trust your soldiers to perform ranged 2 pdr guns can exploit the enemys weaker armour.
well in assaults. They are also extremely tenacious, and wont These hit-and-run tactics are the bread and butter of the
willingly give up ground once they have captured it. speedy cruiser tanks like the Crusader and Honey. Their
The infantry can call on excellent support. The skilled guns and armour may not be as powerful as the German
gunners of the Royal Artillery can respond to their observers panzers, but this is balanced by their speed and agility
orders quickly and accurately, delivering rounds onto the not to mention their superior numbers. And later in the
target with deadly efficiency. In major set-piece battles desert campaign, the British armoured squadrons are also
like El Alamein, the British proved their ability to conduct backed by tough new American-built tanks like the Grant
devastating preparatory bombardments before attacking and Sherman.
defenders in fixed positions. Are you prepared to defend the world against tyranny? If you
But while infantry and artillery are known as the queen want an army with determined, scrappy infantry backed by
and king of the battlefield, the open terrain of the Western plenty of fast tanks and first-class artillery, then the British
Desert truly belongs to the tank! British tanks are designed army is perfect for you.
by the top engineering minds in the Empire, and they know
their businessit was the British who invented the tank in
the first place!
87
Men, all this stuff youve heard about America not wanting to fight - wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse
dung. Americans traditionally love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle. When you were kids, you all
admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, big league ball players, the toughest boxers. Americans love
a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldnt give a hoot in hell for a man who
lost and laughed. Thats why Americans have never lost and never will lose a war, because the very thought of losing is
hateful to Americans.
General George S Patton.
When war broke out in 1939, the United States Army production focuses on durability, reliability, and ease of use.
was small and lacking in modern equipment. Many of its The M4 Sherman medium tank epitomises the efficiency of
tanks and guns were left over from the First World War. the US war industry. It strikes an effective balance between
The United States is an economic powerhouse, though, speed, protection, power and cost of production, allowing it
and when it was clear that war loomed, all of its massive to be produced in great numbers. Like most American tanks,
industrial might was turned towards rapidly building and the Sherman is equipped with a cutting-edge gyrostabilizers
supplying an unstoppable military juggernaut. that lets it fire accurately while on the move. Thousands are
The US Army fights as a combined arms force of tanks, being produced for the rapidly expanding United States
infantry and artillery. Every infantry division has a battalion Army, as well as supplying the British and Soviet Union
of tanks attached. They are well practised at mutual support through the Lend-Lease program.
and working together to carry out the mission. A plentiful With modern automatic small-arms like the M1 Garand
supply of radios at all levels of command gives them an self-loading rifle and Browning Automatic Rifle, American
unmatched degree of coordination on the battlefield. At rifle platoons have effective firepower with great mobility.
every level, units are well supplied with artillery support. They are some of the best-equipped infantry in the world,
Their excellent communication and sophisticated fire control well prepared for both attack and defence.
allows them to bring down fast and accurate fire where it The United States army is the best choice for generals who
is needed the most. And the ready supply of ammunition want a mobile, versatile force with an efficient, standardised
means they can saturate the target with deadly effectiveness. range of organisation and equipment options, including
The US Army has quickly become the most technologically reliable tanks and tank destroyers, fast-moving mechanised
advanced force in the war. Where German engineering is infantry, and deadly accurate artillery. Get ready to use your
famous for precision, and the Soviets manufacturing is all plentiful superior technology and flexible combined-arms
about simplicity and mass production, the American war force to teach the Axis a well-deserved lesson!
88
Comrades! Our forces are numberless. The overweening enemy will soon learn this to his cost. Side by side with the Red
Army many thousands of workers, collective farmers and intellectuals are rising to fight the enemy aggressor. The masses
of the people will rise up in their millions.
Iosef Stalin
The German invasion of the Soviet Union left the Red Army Soviet engineering is typically functional and rugged, and
in chaos. Stalins purges of the officer corps had already their tanks are no exception. The T-34 tank took the Germans
eliminated most of the professional officers, leaving the Red panzer crews by surprise. Trusting in the superiority of their
Army desperately unprepared and resulting in catastrophic machines over the supposedly crude and outdated Russian
losses in the first days of the invasion. However, by con- equipment, they were instead confronted by a powerful,
scripting huge numbers from across the immense expanses highly-mobile tank design, whose thick, sloped armour
of the USSR, the Red Army has quickly been able to rebuild was impervious to most contemporary anti-tank weapons.
its strength, albeit with barely-trained replacements. And the Soviet factories could produce these tanks in vast
The lifeblood of the Red Army is the countless soldiers of its numbers. In fact, the T-34 would become the most-produced
rifle divisions. Driven by an unquestioning devotion to their tank of the war.
Motherland, they will march unflinchingly into the enemy The only thing that balanced the scales in the Germans
fire. The Red Armys tactics are not imaginative or subtle. Its favour was the Soviet tankists lack of experience and
large formations are used like a sledgehammer, pounding the effective co-ordination. Soviet tank forces dont rely on clever
enemy head-on, heedless of the cost. manoeuvres; they push straight through the enemy positions
Even before the Communist revolution, Russian society was and do not stop fighting as long as they have breath, fuel and
been built around rigid centralised planning and control ammunition.
by the government. And this has greatly intensified under The Red Armys approach to artillery is equally direct and
Stalins paranoid and repressive regime. Unquestioning effective. They do not waste precious ammunition with area
obedience is valued far more highly than the ability to think bombardments. Instead, they mass their guns right where
for oneself. Officers do not dare to use their initiative or they are needed, often within sight of the enemy front line.
deviate from the pre-determined plan. Firing over open sights, the gunners can make every shot
Obedience among the soldiers of each unit is monitored count, blasting enemy strongpoints with a focused volley.
by its Kommissar, a Communist Party official who makes A Soviet army lets you overwhelm your enemy with superior
sure the Red Army demonstrates the correct attitude of numbers. If you want to drive the fascist invaders back out
compliance and enthusiasm. Stalin has ordered that the Red of the motherland and extract bloody revenge on behalf of
Army will not take a single step back. Each Kommissar will the glorious international workers struggle, the Soviet army
make sure the courage of those in his charge does not falter. is for you!
89
The olive branch of peace springs from an immense forest.
It is the forest of eight million bayonets, well sharpened and wielded by strong, fearless young hands!.
Il Duce, Prime Minister Benito Mussolini.
The Regio Esercito, the Royal Army, is ready to prove itself The machine is great, but man is greater! The vaunted
once again. Mussolinis Fascist regime rose to power by modernisation of Italian industry, which the Fascists rhetoric
offering the Italian people a vision of their nation as a proud, has promised, still has a long way to go. With not nearly
strong, modern world power. Mussolini dreamed of building enough motorised transport, most of their soldiers must
a new Roman Empire. The ambitions of Il Duce require a still march to battle. Italian tanks are not as technologically
massive army in a hurry. Along with raw new recruits, older advanced as the German panzers, as fast as the British
reservists who fought in the First World War have been cruisers, nor as heavily armoured as the American Grants
recalled to active service with minimal extra preparation. and Shermans. Even so, the carristi will call on every ounce
In its training, the Regio Esercito emphasises political of their gallantry and bravado, seeing them to victory.
indoctrination, believing that bravery and obedience are The Italian artillery corps are highly-trained specialists.
more important than individual skill. Although their guns mostly date back to the First World
By no means all of the Italian army is untested recruits, War, the artiglieri have the skill and tenacity to put them
though. They can boast some elite formations which are to deadly use. Enemy tankers should especially beware
the match of any of the worlds armies. The ostentatious their modern dual-role anti-aircraft/anti-tank gunsboth
Bersaglieri regiments, with their distinctive cockerel-feather the German 88 and the Italians own truck-mounted
helmets, exemplify the Italian fighting spirit and swagger. Cannone da 90/53.
And the quality of the fucilieri, the regular riflemen, has For an army with style and lan, you cant beat the Italians.
steadily improved throughout the war, as they have gained They fight with an unusual mix of German-like speed of
combat experience and as training practises have gradually manoeuvre and French-inspired concentration of firepower.
improved. Africa Settentrionale (North Africa) divisions were Although they are often underestimated by their enemies
reorganised in 1942 to adapt to the specific demands of not to mention their German alliesthey can be truly
the African conflict. The streamlined doctrine of the AS42 formidable given the right leadership, and are certainly
organisation is based on few men, many weaponsanti- capable of epic feats of eroismo, heroism.
tank guns and machine-guns are assigned directly to each
infantry company, making them especially formidable
in defence.
With its futurist art and symbolism, Fascism emphasises the
power and grandeur of modern technology, contrasted with
the will and vigour of the people.
90
To die for the Emperor is to live forever.
Japanese soldiers creed
One by one, the Japanese Imperial armed forces are bringing complacent. They make skillful use of concealing terrain
the nations of Asia and the Pacific under the sway of the to envelop the enemy before attacking with overwhelming
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, taking control of ferocity in the flanks or wherever the enemy line is weakest.
vital resource-rich areas in the name of Emperor Hirohito. The attitude of Japanese soldiers epitomises do or die.
Japanese military doctrine relies heavily on the concept of Like the samurai of old, every true Nihonjin is imbued with
Seishinstrength of will and spirit. Their soldiers trust that Bushido, the code of the warrior. Part of that code includes
their moral fortitude and loyalty to the Emperor will allow accepting the possibility of death. Indeed, death is prefer-
them to overcome any materil superiority of the enemy. able to facing the shame and dishonour of defeat. In this
Some of the weapons in the Japanese arsenal are wonders spirit, the Japanese military has no word for retreat. As the
of modern design. However, many are a little outdated by ultimate proof of courage, they relish hand-to-hand assaults,
modern military standards. Until quite recently, Japanese where there ferocity is is overwhelming. Their officers carry
society was isolated and technologically backward compared traditional swords into battle, and will put them to deadly
to the Western nations. Japan has begun modernising its use. Even against tanks, Japanese infantry will employ
industry as quickly and efficiently as possible, but it has Molotov Cocktails and mines to attack with suicidal courage
not fully caught up yet. Japanese tanks are not protected at point-blank range. Even if a tank is damaged or immobi-
by heavy armour like those of their British and American lised, its crew will not abandon it, but will fight on to the
foes. Instead, they must rely on speed, decisiveness, and the last man if necessary.
Seishin of their brave tank crews. A Japanese force has its own unique character. One thing is
Rather than fighting the enemy on their own terms, the certain: you know your army will not surrender. If pushed
Japanese way is to outsmart them, attacking without to their breaking point, they may perhaps throw their lives
warning under the cover of night when they are weak and away in a final suicidal banzai charge, but they will never
turn and run.
Are you ready to sweep your enemy before you like storm-
tossed leaves driven upon a divine wind? Are you up for the
challenge of out-fighting your opponent with cunning and
steely resolve? Then the Japanese army is for you.
91
While each nationality has its own special way of doing things, some things are common across all nations.
These special rules reflect common features of various equipment, tactics, and doctrine.
ASSAULT # OVERWORKED
Small weapons teams and those carrying heavy weapons are not Some tanks combine the roles of commander and loader to fit a
as deadly in assault combat as specialist rifle teams. big gun in a small turret, making it difficult to fight on the move.
Teams with the Assault # special rule use the # number for Overworked weapons add +1 to the score needed To Hit
To Hit rolls in Assaults rather than the normal one shown when moving.
on the card.
PASSENGERS #
GUNS Personnel carriers have space to carry troops inside.
Gun crews are best at long range. When the fighting gets to knife A Transport Team can carry Infantry Teams as Passengers.
range, things get trickier. The # indicates how many Teams can be carried.
Gun Teams have a worse Assault rating.
PROTECTED AMMO
GUN SHIELD Well-protected armoured bins for ammunition storage give tank
Anti-tank guns usually have a gun shield to protect the crew crews confidence in their tank.
from enemy tanks machine-guns. Tanks with Protected Ammo have a better Remount rating.
A Gun Team with a Gun Shield is in Bulletproof Cover when
Shot at from in front of the Teams base. A Gun Shield does SP GUN
not offer any protection against Artillery Bombardments or Turretless self-propelled guns find it hard to fight at close quar-
if the Team moved at Dash speed. ters, preferring to break off and shoot.
SP Guns have a worse Counterattack rating and a worse
HEAVY WEAPON Assault rating. If they are Open-topped, they have a signifi-
Riflemen are backed by infantry heavy weapons like heavy cantly worse Counterattack rating.
machine-guns and mortars. Although they are heavy by the
standards of a rifleman, they are still small and light enough for TRACTOR
the crews to carry them on their backs, but not really suited for Tractors move guns around the battlefield.
hand-to-hand combat. A Tractor Team can tow a single Gun Team as a Passenger.
A Heavy Weapon Team cannot Charge into Contact, but The gun model is placed behind the Tractor to show that it
may be an Assaulting Team if in Contact with an enemy is being towed.
Team. Heavy Weapons have a worse Assault rating.
UNARMOURED
LARGE GUN While mounting a gun on a truck or half-track gives it mobility,
Some guns are rather large and cumbersome making them hard its still not a tank and cant assault.
to manoeuvre into forward positions without the enemy noticing. An Unarmoured Tank team cannot Charge into Contact and
Large Guns cannot be placed in buildings and cannot be must Break Off if assaulted.
placed from Ambush (page 103) within 16/40cm of
enemy Teams.
92
BOMBS OVERHEAD FIRE
Aircraft bombs contain far more explosive than artillery shells, Light mortars sit back firing over the heads of the advancing
making them many times more effective. troops to knock out enemy machine-gun nests.
Bombs do not need to re-roll successful rolls To Hit for Grenade launchers and light mortars capable of Overhead
only having 1 or 2 weapons firing. Only Teams from the Fire can fire over friendly teams.
Bombarding Unit can Spot for it.
PINNED ROF 1
BRUTAL Submachine-gun and assault rifle-type weapons are very effective
Large-calibre guns pack enough explosive to destroy any unpro- on the move, but lose their effectiveness when Pinned Down.
tected target outright. These weapons have a ROF of 1 when Pinned Down.
Infantry, Gun, and Unarmoured Tank Teams (including when
Passengers) re-roll successful Saves against Brutal Weapons. SELF-DEFENCE AA
Many tanks carry an AA machine-gun for self-defence. Theyre
DEDICATED AA not as good as the specialists, but do their bit.
Units tasked with air defence constantly scan the skies. They Self-defence AA weapons can Shoot at Aircraft with ROF 1.
react quickly and lethally whenever enemy aircraft appear.
Dedicated AA weapons can Shoot at Aircraft using their SLOW FIRING
Halted ROF. Large calibre guns are slow to reload at the best of times, severely
limiting their ability to hit anything while moving.
FORWARD FIRING Slow-firing weapons add +1 to the score needed To Hit
Hull-mounted weapons and most towed guns cannot traverse to when moving.
track targets to the side of the weapon.
Forward-firing weapons can only target Teams fully in SMOKE
front of the shooting Team, and can only fire an Artillery Blowing the enemy up is always a good option, but sometimes
Bombardment if the Aiming Point is fully in front of the blinding them is better.
shooting Team. Smoke weapons can Shoot Smoke ammunition (page 65).
NO HE SMOKE BOMBARDMENT
Some specialist anti-tank weapons do not have HE (High Artillery delivered smoke screens allow you to cover the flank of
Explosive) ammunition making them less effective against your advance or blind the enemy defences as you advance.
infantry and other soft targets. Smoke Bombardment weapons can fire a Smoke Bombard
A weapon with No HE targeting an Infantry or Gun Team, ment once per game (page 71).
adds +1 to the score needed To Hit.
OBSERVER SPEARHEAD
Artillery observers have extra radios and other specialist equip- The spearhead travels ahead of the main force during advances
ment to allow them to call in artillery fire quickly and accurately. and screens retreats. This allows the combat elements to move
An Observer Team can Spot for any friendly Artillery Unit quickly into position, secure in the knowledge that they will not
(page 66). bump into unexpected enemy units.
When a Spearhead Unit is placed on table during Deployment
SCOUT (but not if it arrives from Reserves or is placed outside the
Scouts are there to keep track of the enemy, not to get into a fight. normal Deployment Area using this rule), the player may
The best way to do this is sneak and peek. immediately Move its Teams at Tactical or Dash speed.
Scouts are Gone to Ground unless they Shoot or Assault. This movement may not use any Movement Orders, and
This means that if they are Concealed, the enemy will suffer may not take a Team within:
an additional +1 penalty to hit them (page 56). 16/40cm of an enemy Team it is not Concealed from,
Scouts have a worse Last Stand rating. Open or Wheeled 8/20cm of any enemy Team,
Scout tanks also have a significantly worse Counterattack 16/40cm of the enemy Deployment Area or any
rating and a worse Assault rating as well. Objective outside your own Deployment Area.
When Deploying their remaining Units, a player may treat
the area entirely within 8/20cm of a Spearhead Team that
is In Command as an extension of their Deployment Area.
Teams placed here may not be placed in the areas that a
Spearhead Team may not move into.
93
Before a game, you need to pick the Formations and Units
that will make up your force. There are two ways to do this:
build to a points limit, or
build for a specific scenario.
POINTS LIMIT
If you are playing a pick-up game with a friend, you can
agree to a points limit before the game, say 50, 75, 100,
125, or even 150 points. Then pick your force from a Force
Diagram so that the total points value of all of your Units is FORMATIONS
no more than the agreed amount. You may take as many formations as you wish.
As a guide a 50-point game will be fairly quick to play, while Formations are the core building blocks of
a 100-point game will take one to two hours. A bigger game your force. Each formation is a self-contained
is likely to take a whole afternoon or evening. battlegroup.
SCENARIO
You and a friend could organise a scenario game that tells SUPPORT UNITS
the story of a specific battle. Linking your scenarios into Supporting troops round out your formations,
a campaign allows you to extend the story across multiple giving them capabilities they dont possess
games. In a scenario, you decide on a situation that would internally.
provide an interesting challenge for both players and select Be careful though, your support wont fight
two forces that fit the scenario. on if you run out of combat troops in your
The forces used in a scenario will usually be based on a Force formations.
Diagram, but may contain variations specific to the scenario.
The two forces might have the same points total, or they
might not, it all depends on the scenario you are creating. If SUPPORT CHOICES
one force is much stronger than the other, the scenario will
You may take one unit from each box.
usually include some additional difficulty for the stronger
force to make the game fun for both players. In this example, you could add either a
Humber Armoured Car Troop or a Universal
Carrier Patrol to your force from this box.
PICKING FORMATIONS
Next pick your Formations. There are four to choose from
in our Force Diagram: heavy tanks, two types of light tanks,
and infantry. You can take any or all of these, or even several
of the same Formation.
FORMATION SUPPORT
Your Force must contain at least one Formation, but you If you dont want a full formation of a
can field as many Formations as your points allow. Choosing particular type, you can take compulsory units
Formations from a Force Diagram gives you access to Support from the formation as support units.
Units, such as divisional artillery or reconnaissance units
and air support from the air force, that higher command has
assigned to work with your Formation. ALLIED SUPPORT
Your force can include allied formations.
SAMPLE GRANT ARMOURED SQUADRON These give you support from allied nations,
For our example force we will just take one Formation but as support, they wont keep fighting if your
of heavy tanks, a Grant Armoured Squadron. core formations run away.
94
DESERT RATS FORCE
Your Force must contain at least one Formation, and
may contain as many Formations as you like.
HONEY
ARMOURED SQUADRON
MB106
RECONNAISSANCE RECONNAISSANCE
ANTI-TANK ANTI-TANK
ARTILLERY OBSERVER
25 PDR HONEY OP
FIELD TROOP OBSERVATION POST
MB116 MB117
?
You may field compulsory You may field one com-
Combat Units (with a pulsory Unit from a US
black box) from the Formation as Support and
above Formations as one US Formation as an
SupportUnits. Allied Formation.
WILDCARD
The wildcard option will allow you to take
the odd weird and wonderful equipment
and units that we release from time to time.
95
Formations are the core of your force and your main fighting strength. A Formation is a group of Units under a single
Commander. It contains the Formations own troops and a slice of their parent organisations specialist weapons and units.
The Formation Diagram is, in essence, a list of Units that you can choose from when creating that Formation.
HQ UNIT
Every formation has an HQ unit that
includes the formation commander.
You must field the Formation HQ and one Combat Unit from each black box.
You may also field one Combat Unit from each grey box.
HEADQUARTERS
GRANT ARMOURED
SQUADRON HQ
MB101
CRUSADER
ARMOURED TROOP
MB104 MB105
HONEY
ARMOURED TROOP
MB107
FIELDING A FORMATION
Your Formations are made up of an HQ Unit and a number The Formation diagram above shows that a Grant Armoured
of combat Units. You must field the HQ Unit and one Squadron has:
Unit from each black box, and may field one Unit from a Grant Armoured Squadron HQ, and
each grey box. two or three Grant Armoured Troops (one of which could
be switched for a Crusader or Honey Armoured Troop).
96
Units are the fundamental building blocks of your force. The teams of a unit fight together as a closely-coordinated group,
supporting each other as they take the fight to the enemy.
CONFIDENT 4+ CAREFUL 4+
Fight Another Day
Last Stand 5+ ARMOUR
4+
SIDE &
REAR 4
The American Medium Tank M3 is a design TOP 1
compromise to meet the urgent need for a heavy TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS
75mm-armed tank. In British service it is known 10/25CM 12/30CM 18/45CM 20/50CM 4+
as the Grant. It differs from the Lee, the US WEAPON RANGE ROF ANTI- FIRE- NOTES
HALTED MOVING TANK POWER
model, in a few small detailswhereas the Lee
Grant Hull (75mm) 24/60CM 2 1 9 3+ Forward Firing, Smoke
has a machine-gun cupola on top of the turret,
Grant Turret (37mm) 24/60CM 2 1 7 4+ Secondary Weapon
the Grant has a simple hatch.
Grant (MGs) 16/40CM 3 3 2 6
CONFIDENT 4+ CAREFUL 4+
Fight Another Day
Last Stand 5+ ARMOUR
4+
SIDE &
REAR 4
took the Germans by surprise. With its thick TOP 1
armour and powerful sponson-mounted 75mm TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS
gun, it is a batter match for the panzers than 10/25CM 12/30CM 18/45CM 20/50CM 4+
the light Crusader and Honey tanks they are ROF ANTI- FIRE-
WEAPON RANGE HALTED MOVING TANK POWER NOTES
accustomed to facing. Remember that your
Grant Hull (75mm) 24/60CM 2 1 9 3+ Forward Firing, Smoke
Grant tanks can fire both their 75mm main gun
Grant Turret (37mm) 24/60CM 2 1 7 4+ Secondary Weapon
and their 37mm turret gun at the same time
Grant (MGs) 16/40CM 3 3 2 6
using the Secondary Weapon rule.
97
CRUSADER ARMOURED TROOP
CRUSADER II & III ARMOURED TROOP
CONFIDENT 4+ AGGRESSIVE 3+
Fight Another Day
Last Stand 5+ ARMOUR
1x Crusader II (2 pdr)
2x Crusader III (6 pdr) 7 POINTS SKILL
CRUSADER II
FRONT 3
TRAINED 4+
CRUSADER III
FRONT 4
5+ 2
Tally Ho
2x Crusader II (2 pdr) Tactics SIDE
1x Crusader III (6 pdr) 6 POINTS TOP 1
3x Crusader II (2 pdr) 5 POINTS TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS
Fast and manoeuvrable, the Crusaders are not as WEAPON RANGE ROF
HALTED MOVING
ANTI- FIRE-
TANK POWER NOTES
heavily armoured as the enemy panzers. They use Crusader II (2 pdr) 24/60CM 2 1 7 4+ No HE
speed to stay out of trouble, letting their heavy Crusader III (6 pdr) 28/70CM 2 1 9 4+ No HE, Overworked
cousins the Grants take the fight to the enemy. Crusader II & III (MG) 16/40CM 3 3 2 6
25 PDR FIELD25TROOP
PDR FIELD TROOP
MOTIVATION GUN UNIT GUN SHIELD IS HIT ON
LARGE GUN MIKE TARGET
FEARLESS 3+ CAREFUL 4+
VETERAN 3+
2x QF 25 pdr gun 7 POINTS Gun
Assault 4+ Gun
4+
Entering service in 1939, the Ordnance Quick-
Firing 25-pounder is the main British field gun
and howitzer. This versatile gun is also often TACTICAL TERRAIN DASH CROSS COUNTRY DASH ROAD DASH CROSS
Solid armour-piercing, smoke, illumination and 25 pdr gun 80/200CM ARTILLERY 3 4+ Smoke Bombardment
chemical rounds are also available. or Direct Fire 24/60CM 2 1 9 3+ Smoke
20
98
SUPPORT This is an easy way to get some support from a combat unit
without needing to add an entire additional Formation to
Going back to the Force Diagram, we see that there are four
your force.
ways to get support for our force: Support Units, Formation
Support, Allied Support, and Wildcards.
ALLIED SUPPORT
SUPPORT UNITS Often allied forces fought side by side, and sometimes
assisted each other. Good examples of this are the way the
Support Units are things like reconnaissance and artillery
Germans and Italians formed mixed battlegroups, and
that are held by the divisional commander and allocated
when British and American units cooperated, such as in the
out as needed. You can field one Unit from each box in the
defence of Kasserine Pass.
support area.
You can take a compulsory Unit (other than the HQ Unit)
One point to note is that while Support Units are very
from an Allied Formation as a Support Unit, or even an
powerful additions to your force, they dont count towards
entire Allied Formation as part of your force (or both if
Formation Last Stand tests. So if you run out of combat
you want).
troops in your Formations, your Support Units will quit the
field and the game is over. An Allied Unit or Formation obeys all the rules for its
own nationality. It can only benefit from the Command
FORMATION SUPPORT Leadership of its own Formation Commander, and its
Formation Support represents a higher commander rein- Formation Commander cannot give Command Leadership
forcing your Formations with additional Units from other to other Support Units.
Formations. You can take any compulsory Units (other
than the HQ Unit) from other Formations in your Force. WILDCARDS
You may only have one of each type of Unit as Formation The Wildcard Support option allows you to add interesting
Support, and only if you dont already have it in one of your oddities to your force. These could include odd or experi-
Formations. mental equipment and elite specialists like the LRDG (Long-
Range Desert Group) or SAS (Special Air Service) raiders.
SAMPLE GRANT ARMOURED SQUADRON
Now we will add some artillery to our force, a USING CARDS
25 pdr Field Troop from the Support Units on the Force Rather than using an army book to build your force,
Diagram. At 7 points for a pair of guns, this brings our you can use your Unit Cards. The HQ Unit card has a
force to 44 points. summary of the formation on the back, while the back of
If we wanted some infantry, we could also add a Motor each card tells you what the Unit contains and its points.
Platoon, a compulsory Unit from a Motor Company,
using the Formation Support rule.
1x Crusader II (2 pdr)
2x Crusader III (6 pdr) 7 POINTS
99
Small groups of vehicles were on the move all around the weary New Zealanders. Corporal Belmont fired several
short bursts from the Bren gun firmly seated into his shoulder. 'New mag, Greg!' he alerted his loader.
Greg Bates ripped the old mag off the top of the gun and slapped in a new one. There were so many targets! The
Africa Corps was on the run! There had been nothing like it since the great rout of the Italians in 1940.
Two 8-wheeled armoured cars returned fire, 20 mm cannon shots slamming into the ground below their position
overlooking the coast road. Twin lines of cannon fire appeared in front of the German vehicles and tracked over
them as a Hurricane tank-buster roared overhead strafing the enemy.
A Grant tank rolled up from behind them, shifting until its 75mm had coverage on the road below. The return
fire intensified after it brewed up a Mk IV panzer.
'Greatnow we have to move. Its getting too hot round here." Belmont complained. He picked up the Bren
gun and shuffled back down and away from the ridge. Just when they reached the bottom, a shattering clang
resounded from the Grant. The tank reversed towards them, then spun around revealing a hole in the side
sponson. The commander slumped in the turret hatch.
Rommel was running, but his troops could still bite back.
The army always has a plan, and your formation has a mission
as part of that plan. While you can just stick your forces on RANDOM MISSION TABLE
the table and fight until one side is completely destroyed,
DIE ROLL MISSION
missions and scenarios add a whole new level to the game
as players struggle to take or defend specific objectives or 1 Annihilation
achieve goals vital to their war effort. 2 Free for All
3 Dust Up
SELECTING A MISSION
4 Encounter
Your first mission should be Annihilation (see page 105) as
it is a simple mission that pits one player against the other in 5 Counterattack
a fight to the death. This mission is ideal for smaller forces.
6 Hasty Attack
Once you've played Annihilation a few times, try Free
forAll, which adds Objectives (page 102) to the mission to
bring in new stratagems to defeat your opponent with. After MORE MISSIONS
that play Dust Up to add Reserves (page 104) and a new Once you've gained some experience with the first six
battlefield layout to your games. missions, there are four more: Breakthrough, No Retreat,
When you've got the hang of these missions, you and your Rearguard, and Bridgehead for you to try. These missions
opponent can either choose a mission, or one player can roll introduce new twists to your battles with ambushes, mine-
on the Random Mission Table to select one of the six easiest- fields, and strategic withdrawals. These missions particularly
to-play missions. suit infantry forces as the defender giving you the opportu-
nity to experiment with different types of forces.
100
VICTORY POINTS TABLE
WINNERS LOSSES RESULT WINNERS VICTORY POINTS LOSERS VICTORY POINTS
101
Objectives are markers to indicate the importance of this MODELLING OBJECTIVES
point to the combatants. They are a standard large base While you can use a spare large base as an objective
(2/63mm wide by 2/50mm deep), either marked with a marker, it is a lot more fun to do a little modelling and
symbol representing your or your opponents army or with a stick a broken-down tank or stack of supplies on the base
small diorama modelled on it. and create a mini diorama.
Objectives are not Terrain, regardless of what is modelled
on the base, and do not hinder movement or provide
Concealment or Bulletproof Cover, nor do they block
Line of Sight.
PLACING OBJECTIVES
You must place an Objective where it will sit flat (or relatively
flat) on the table or a piece of terrain where it is accessible to
the enemy. You may not lean it up against a hedge or a cliff
for instance, nor place it in the middle of an Impassable lake.
HOLDING OBJECTIVES
You are Holding an Objective if you have a Tank, Infantry, or
Gun Team within 4/10cm of the Objective, and the enemy
has no Tank, Infantry, or Gun Teams within 4/10cm of the
Objective, at the start of your turn after any Last Stand tests.
Objectives cannot be Held by Tank Teams that are Bailed
Out, Transports, or Independent Teams. Nor can these
teams prevent the enemy from Holding an Objective.
Teams that Moved at Dash speed cannot take an Objective
nor prevent the enemy from taking it.
Teams Hold an Objective if they are within 4/10cm at the start of their Teams can't Hold an
turn, provided that there are no enemy teams within 4/10cm of it. Objective if they moved
at Dash speed in their
previous turn.
Objective
4/10cm
102
Each mission has a selection of special rules that set the PLACING AMBUSHES
scene and tell you how to run the mission. Mission special In real life, the minor details of the terrain and small pieces
rules include: of intelligence on the enemys activities give you clues as to
Ambush where they will attack, making it is far easier to select the
Meeting Engagements ideal place for an ambush than it is in a game. To reflect this,
Reserves the ambushing player does not need to decide where their
Strategic Withdrawal ambush will take place until it is revealed.
At the start of your turn, in the Starting Step, you may place
AMBUSH any or all Units that you have been holding in Ambush. You
must place an entire Unit at a time, and the Unit must be
In missions with the Ambush special rule, the ambushing
placed with all of its Teams In Command (page 41).
player holds one or more Units (as specified in the mission)
in Ambush when they deploy. Units held in Ambush are You may place a Team from Ambush anywhere in your
treated as being on the table, but their location isnt specified Deployment Area (ignoring any extensions created by the
until they reveal themselves. They are held off the table at the Spearhead rule), provided that it is:
start of the game. at least 16/40cm from any enemy Tank, Infantry, or
Gun Team within Line of Sight, unless Concealed by
ALREADY THERE Terrain from it, and
Ambushing Teams do not have to move. They can remain at least 4/10cm from all enemy Tank, Infantry, or
where they are placed and shoot at their Halted ROF. Gun Teams.
Infantry and Gun Units are in Foxholes when they are placed ATTACHMENTS AND AMBUSHES
on the table from Ambush. When you hold a Unit in Ambush, you may also hold its
Transport or Infantry Attachment in Ambush as well, or
Deploy them as normal. If you do hold both a Unit and
its Attachment in Ambush together, the Infantry must
be Mounted in their Transports when they are placed
from Ambush.
103
MEETING ENGAGEMENTS youre lucky, you could have up to two Units arriving from
Reserve during your second turn.
In a Meeting Engagement (such as Free for All, Encounter,
and Dust Up), players do not place their Ranged In markers Keep rolling at the start of each of your following turns
as Preplanned Artillery Targets at the start of the game. adding one more die than the previous turn, so at the start
of turn three you roll three dice, at the start of turn four you
In addition, the following rules apply in the first Shooting
roll four dice, and so on. Each roll of 5+ brings another Unit
Step of the player who has the first turn. They do not apply
on from your Reserves.
in the second players turn, nor in subsequent turns.
The first players Aircraft cannot arrive in their first turn. If you rolled three or more dice to get Reserves in a turn, but
failed to score any rolls of 5+, you automatically receive one
Treat all of the first players Teams as having moved
Unit from Reserve anyway.
when Shooting in their first Shooting Step, whether they
actually moved or not.
DELAYED RESERVES
The first players Teams cannot fire Artillery Bombard
ments in their first Shooting Step. If the mission has Delayed Reserves, use the same rules as
Immediate Reserves, except that you do not start rolling for
The first players Teams can still move or Go to Ground as your Reserves until turn three, and then get one die. This
normal in their Movement Step, and launch assaults in the increases by one die per turn as normal, so that on turn four
Assault Step. you roll two dice, on turn five you roll three dice, and so on.
104
These missions are the core missions for Flames Of War. As You can also use these missions to design scenarios recreating
a new player you should experiment with these missions historical battles. Pick a mission that suits the story you want
before moving on to more challenging ones. to tell and tweak it to match.
12/30cm
12/30cm
It was a fight to the death. No quarter asked or given. It was simple, the Germans had invaded Mother Russia
and now they must die. Today it would be victory or death.
The red flag in the battalion commander's hand fell. Billowing clouds of diesel smoke choked the air as the long
line of T-34 tanks surged forward. Picking up speed, they crossed the first ridge, then the second, bringing the
Germans into view. A dozen long-barrelled 'Tigers' rolled slowly through the fields of the state farm.
With the enemy in sight, the battalion commander's tank picked up speed, the line stretching into a vee as the
tanks on either side strained to keep up. There was no point in shooting yet. At this range their 76mm guns
wouldn't hurt the heavily-armoured German tanks. The only hope of victory, and of survival, lay in getting in
close and destroying the 'Tigers' in a knife fight.
The Germans halted, their long barrels lining up on the charging tanks, then opening fire. Half-a-dozen T-34
tanks were hit, three bursting in to flames as their ammunition ignited, two slewing to a haltone beginning
to shoot from where it stopped, the last, after a brief pause, raced to catch up with its comrades as they closed
the range.
Another volley from the 'Tigers' left fewer Soviet tanks, but those that remained opened fire from point-
blank range. Turrets desperately traversing to track the enemy, tanks fought and died in a maelstrom of steel
and flame.
105
12/30cm
8/20cm
DEPLOYMENT
Both players, starting with the Attacker, then take turns
placing Units within 12/30cm of their own table edge
until all of their Units are deployed.
WINNING THE GAME
A player wins if they start their turn Holding one of
the Objectives that they placed on the opponents side
of the table.
8/20cm
12/30cm
8/20cm
SETTING UP
The Attacker picks a table quarter to attack from. The
Defender defends from the opposite quarter.
Both players, starting with the Attacker, place one 8/20cm
Objective in their own quarter, then both players,
again starting with the Attacker, place one Objective 12/
30cm
in their opponents quarter. Objectives must be at least
8/20cm from all table edges and at least 12/30cm
12
Attackers Reserves arrive from Here
8/20cm
cm
DEPLOYMENT
Both players place the required part of their force in
Delayed Reserve. These Units will arrive from the long
table edge adjacent to the players quarter. Both players place
Both players, starting with the Attacker, then take turns an Objective in this
area
placing Units in their own quarters, at least 12/30cm
from the table centre until all of their remaining Units
are deployed.
WINNING THE GAME Defender places their
A player wins if they start their turn Holding one of the 8/20cm units here
Objectives in the opponents quarter.
106
8/20cm
12/30cm
Your forces have been scattered in heavy fighting.
Gather your forces and defeat the enemy.
SPECIAL RULES 8/20cm
8/20cm
/30
107
12/30cm 16/40cm
The enemy is weak, but getting stronger. You must
attack now, throwing in troops as they arrive.
12/30cm
SPECIAL RULES
Ambush (Defender)
Immediate Reserves (Attacker)
Scattered Delayed Reserves (Defender)
108
These missions are a little more complex than the basic different reserves rules, and strategic withdrawalwhere the
missions in the previous section, adding new twists and chal- defender slowly removes parts of their force as they thin out
lenges for you to overcome. With the addition of minefields, the rearguard, there lots to try out.
You have the enemy on the run. Dont let them get away. 8/20cm
SPECIAL RULES
Ambush (Defender) 16/40cm
Trucks flowed back along the road in a continuous stream. There seemed to be no order to them. Gun tractors
followed mobile workshops, followed supply trucks and ambulances, all mixed together. Tempers frayed as
drivers chafed at any delay, fearful that they might not make the bridge in time.
That was Hauptmann Fischer's job. To delay the russkis long enough for them all to cross. That would be hard
enough, but still it was the easy bit. The tricky bit would be disengaging his own troops, unit by unit and getting
them across. The only way to do it was to give Ivan a bloody nose, such a beating that he'd back off and let the
last of the rearguard cross the bridge before the pioneers blew it sky high.
The stream of trucks was thinning now, gaps appearing as stragglers raced to catch up. Tanks and troop
transports started following the trucks as the sounds of fighting got closer. Fischer checked his map for the
hundredth time. The waiting was the worst part. Waiting and hoping you hadn't forgotten anything. Hoping
that the troops now retreating through his position had done enough to slow the Soviet advance.
A tank, turret pointing back across its engine deck, stopped. A Leutnant yelled down that he was the last before
continuing on his way. There was nothing between Fischer's battlegroup and the enemy, a fact highlighted by
the sleek T-34 tanks that had appeared at the edge of the forest, festooned with infantry hitching a ride.
After a brief pause the tanks started to advance. They had to be suspicious, but they hadn't seen the heavy Pak
guns waiting for them. Fischer took a deep breath, realising that he hadn't breathed since they appeared.
It was his plan, but the crash of the guns still took him by surprise. The lead tanks turning to infernos as the
rounds struck home. A good start, he thought, as more tanks appeared.
109
16/40cm
Defenders
You have outflanked the enemy. Seize the objectives Reserves arrive
before they can redeploy to protect them. from either corner
DEPLOYMENT
The Defender places the required part of their force in
Deep Immediate Reserve and may hold one Unit in
Ambush. Reserves arrive from their short table edge.
The Defender places their Units in their table half. 8/20cm Both players place an 8/20cm
The Attacker places all of their Units in their table half Objective in this area
110
8/20cm
SETTING UP
Defender places
their units here
DEPLOYMENT 16/40cm
The Defender places the required part of their force in
Deep Scattered Immediate Reserve and may hold one
Unit in Ambush. They place their remaining Units in
their half at least 20/50cm from the side edges.
The Attacker places their Units at least 16/40cm from
the centre line or within 8/20cm of the side edge.
WINNING THE GAME 20/50cm
The Attacker wins if start their turn Holding an
Objective. The Defender wins if they start their turn
on or after the sixth turn with no Attacking Tank or 8/20cm
Infantry Units within 16/40cm of an Objective.
111
The gunners watched impatiently, waiting for the tanks to get closer. The German panzers advanced slowly,
guns swinging from side to side like animals sniffing for prey. So far they hadn't noticed anything out of the
ordinary, hadn't seen the waiting guns, unaware of what lay ahead of them.
The explosion of a mine ripping the track off the lead tank was the signal the gunners had been waiting for.
Within seconds another two tanks were smoking ruins, the gunners already reloading and correcting their aim.
The surprise had been complete, and now the Germans had a dilemmastop where they were and fight a losing
duel with guns they could barely see, or advance, risking more losses to the mines.
A Crusader Armoured Troop attempts to cross some Minefields. Each tank must take a Skill (or Tactics) test to avoid the
mines. If it fails, it must pass a Save to survive.
The third tank rolls a 5 and passes its test to cross the Minefield safely.
112
Squaddies moved quietly into their assault positions, all loose equipment left behindjust ammunition, weapons
and grenades. Vickers machine-guns began to fire short bursts of tracer fire on fixed lines, giving a crude guide
towards the target. Whispered commands as the soldiers moved forward, bent over rifles and Tommy Guns.
The dark was suddenly illuminated by a flare fired from the enemy lines. No choice nowthe men leapt forward,
automatic fire sprayed in bursts, and the leading men plunged down into the enemy trenches. Yells, shots, and
exploding grenades marked where savage hand to hand fighting erupted.
Unexpectedly, the action ended, the enemy fled. The advance continued, the night's bloody work far from done.
113
Flames Of War does things a bit differently from other games. The ability of a player to pick their target mirrors this
This sometimes leads to questions from gamers asking why logic. You choose the obvious target to determine the score
we do things the way we do. Here are the answers! required to hit and then allocate excess hits to other nearby
enemy teams.
TACTICAL AND DASH SPEEDS
Soldiers face a dilemma: speed brings victory, but haste will GONE TO GROUND
get you killed. In an impromptu ambush, say when a tank rounds the
At the right time, moving rapidly can throw the enemy off comer straight into the sights of a waiting anti-tank gun,
balance and force them to react to your plan rather than the gun will usually get the first effective shot. That is unless
controlling the battle. On the other hand, fights are usually the tank figures out whats about to happen and prepares a
won by the side that shoots first. The problem is that in order surprise of its own.
to shoot, you need to see the enemy, and if you are moving The turn sequence means that the tank will always get the
rapidly not only do you make yourself an obvious target, but first shot. However, the Gone to Ground rule will make it
you dont give yourself time to carefully scan the next piece very difficult for it to score a hit on the hidden anti-tank
of terrain for the enemy before exposing yourself to their fire. gun. Combined with the reduced rate of fire of the moving
On top of that, shooting accurately while moving quickly is troops, it means that although the tank has the first shot,
very difficult. its chances of detecting the ambush and hitting the hidden
Tactical and dash speeds reflect this. You can move quickly anti-tank gun are minimal. When the gun opens up in its
at dash speed, but you wont be able to shoot effectively. turn, the tank is easy prey. Its movement and shooting have
Alternatively, you can move slowly and carefully, stalking the given away its location.
enemy at tactical speed. So while the tank gets the first shot, the gun is likely to get
Fast tanks get to show off their performance when dashing the first effective shot.
across the battlefield at high speed. This is ideal for quick-
ly repositioning or closing the range. If they want to fight AMBUSHES
though, they end up spending most of their time stopped, In a carefully-organised ambush, the attacker wont know a
searching for the enemy, or moving slowly to avoid attract- thing until the defender is good and ready.
ing attention while they get into a firing position. In real life, there are many things that help a defender to
position an effective ambush. The details of the terrain and
ROLLING TO HIT the intelligence on enemy dispositions and plans often give
The skill of the target is a bigger factor in real life casualties the defender a good idea as to where the attack is coming.
than the skill of the person shooting at them. The enemy may expect to be ambushed and send scouts
Perhaps the easiest way of demonstrating the logic of this out to check potential ambush positions, but ultimately its
is an example. Imagine a horde of barely-trained conscripts always going to be a surprise.
attacking another mass of conscripts manning machine- The ambush rules allow players to keep troops off the table
guns. No doubt you have visions of rows of troops scythed so that the enemy doesnt know where the ambush will
down as they charge. The casualties would be horrendous. be are until it is revealed. Then the ambushing troops are
Now imagine an elite commando unit attacking anoth- placed wherever they are needed most. This has two advan-
er across the same ground. The vision now changes to an tages. Firstly you always get to spring your ambush, which
empty battlefield with soldiers occasionally making brief is a lot more fun than having your big 88s do nothing all
dashes from cover to cover. The attackers expose themselves game because you put them in the wrong place. Secondly,
far too briefly for the defenders to easily hit them. Whether ambushes are a lot less predictable this way. When you are
they succeed in the assault or not, the attacking commandos attacking, you really have to work on your reconnaissance
would not take many casualties from shooting. and flank protection.
No matter whos shooting, the conscripts will be slaughtered
and the commandos will use their experience to minimise
A GAME OF TOY SOLDIERS
their casualties. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about
Flames Of War is that its a game of toy soldiers. Its supposed
HIT ALLOCATION to be fun.
Theres no point in trying to hide when theres a big signpost If you and your friends run into anything that seems odd in
pointing out just where you are. your game, dont get too hung up on what the rules say. Just
decide what makes sense for you and the game youre playing
A tanks commander spots a lone tank beside a wood and
and do that.
quickly figures out where the other enemy tanks arein the
wood. With that big hint to guide him, he will find the rest
of the unit in short order.
Game Designer
114
ABLE Repeating Bombardments . . . . 70 Bazooka Skirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
AA (Anti-aircraft) . . . . . . . . . 50, 93 Roll to Hit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Blitz Move . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 66, 70
Aircraft . . . . . . . . . 26, 30, 39, 50, 62 Rotate to Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Bombardments . . . . . . see Artillery
Smoke Bombardments . . . . . . . 71
Arrival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Break Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78, 80
Bombardments . . . . . . . . . . 66-67 Spotting Team . . . . . . . . . . . 66-70 Brutal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Concealment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67, 69 Buildings . . . . . . . 33-34, 37, 43, 62
Deep Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Assault # (Special Rule) . . . . . . . . 92 Concealment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Line of Sight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Assaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38, 72-80 Line of Sight . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51-52
Meeting Engagements . . . . . . 104 Break Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78, 80 Bulldog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Roll for Aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Charge into Contact . . . 73-74, 79 Bulletproof Cover . . . 43, 62, 70, 75
Safety Distance . . . . . . . . . . 55, 67 Consolidating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Gun Shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Shooting At . . . . . . 50, 52, 54, 62 Counterattack . . . . . . . . . . . 78-79
Defensive Fire . . . . . . . . . . . 75-76
CHARLIE
Aircraft Saves . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 62
Carrying Capacity . see Passengers
Allied Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 99Falling Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Charge into Contact . . . . . 73-76, 79
Ambush . . . . . . . . 39, 103, 107-111 Is Assault Over . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Commander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 63
Anti-tank Rating . 29-30, 50, 60, 77 Roll Saves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Leading Assaults . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Armoured Tanks . . . . 26, 28, 59-60, Roll to Hit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Leadership . . . . 27, 61, 64, 78, 81
Shooting Before . . . . . . . . . . 56, 72
64, 72, 77
Killing Commanders . . . . . . . . 63
Armour Saves . . . 29, 59-60, 70, 77 Sneaking Up on Tanks . . . . . . . 76
Always Pass Last Stand . . . . . . . 81
Through Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Artillery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31, 66-71
Aiming Point . . . . . . . . . . . . 67-70 Concealment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53-54
Transport Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Score to Hit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Bulletproof Cover . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Unarmoured Tank
Danger Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Teams . . . . . . . . . . . 73, 77, 92 Consolidating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Meeting Engagements . . . . . . 104 Counterattack . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78-79
Attachments . 27, 81, 101, 103-104
Mike Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Cross Test 29, 42-43, 48, 74, 80, 113
Pre-planned Targets . . . . . 70, 104 BAKER Cross Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Range In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68-69 Bailed Out . . . . . . . . . 39, 60-61, 76,
78, 81, 102
115
DOG Large Gun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Mistaken Target . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 75
Danger Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 67 Pinned Down . . . . . 39, 56, 64, 66, Mounting Transports . . . . . . . . . . 45
Dash Speed . . . . . . . . . 28, 40-44, 56 70, 77, 80 Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38, 40-48
Dawn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Saves . . . . . . . . . . . . 45, 62, 70, 77 Aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Deadly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Start in Foxholes . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Cross Test . . . . . . . . 42-43, 79, 113
Dedicated AA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Gun Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 81-82 Cross Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Deep Reserves . . . . . . . 104, 110-111 Cross Number . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 42
HOW Dash Speed . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 40-43
Defensive Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75-76
Halted ROF . . . . . 50, 56, 72, 75, 93 Difficult Terrain 32, 42-43, 74, 79
Delayed Reserves104, 106-108, 110
HEAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 In Command . . . . . . . . 41, 46, 48
Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70, 101
Heavy Weapons . 26, 29, 72-73, 92 Minefields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Spearhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33, 36, 43 Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Difficult Terrain . . . . . . . 32, 42-43, Concealment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
48, 74, 80 Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46-48, 84
Line of Sight . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51-52
Digging In . . . . . . . . . 47, 62, 70, 80 Out of Command . . . . . . . . . . . 41
At Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 HQ Units . . . 27, 57-58, 63, 78, 101 Speed Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 30
Always Pass Last Stand . . . . . . . 81
Dismounting Transports . . . . . . . 45 Tactical Speed . . . . . . . . 28, 40-41
Draws, Victory Points . . . . . . . . 101 ITEM Through Gaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Immediate Reserves . . . . . . . . . 104, Through Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
EASY Through Terrain . . . . . . . . 42-43,
107-108, 110-111
Escort Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 48, 74, 113
Improvised Anti-tank . . . . . . . . . 77
FOX In Command . . . . . . . 41, 46-48, 101 Moving Through Teams . . . . . . . 41
Falling Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 In Good Spirits . . . . . . . . 81-82, 101 Moving ROF . . . . . . . 47, 50, 56, 72
Field of Fire . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 68, 93 Independent Teams . 27, 57-58, 73,
NAN
Fight Another Day . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 101-102, 104
Night Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Firepower . . . . . . . 50, 60, 62, 70, 84 Infantry Saves . . 29, 45, 62, 70, 112
Flanking Reserves . . . . . . . 104, 110 Brutal Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Night Fighting . . . . . . . . . . . . 87, 113
Score to Hit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Follow Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 None in Assaults . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Ranging In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Force Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . 94, 95 Repeat Bombardments . . . . . . . 70
Night Visibility Table . . . . . . . . . 113
Formation Last Stand . . 39, 82, 101 Infantry Teams . . . . . 26, 44-45, 47,
Formations . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 94-99 50, 62-63, 75 No HE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Allied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 99 Concealed In Open . . . . . . . . . . 53 OBOE
Commander . . . . . . 27, 61, 63-64, Improvised Anti-tank . . . . . . . . 77 Objectives . . . . . . . . . . 102, 106-111
78, 81, 96 Pinned Down . . 39, 64, 70, 77, 80 Observer Team . . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 93
Destroyed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 101 Saves . . . . . . . . . . . . 45, 62, 70, 77 Out of Command . . . . . . 41, 46, 56
Formation Diagrams . . . . . . . . 96 Sneaking Up on Tanks . . . . . . . 76 Overhead Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
HQ Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Start in Foxholes . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Overworked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Multiple . . . . . 27, 82, 94-95, 101 Infantry Units . . . . . . . 27, 29, 81-82
Support . . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 99, 101 PETER
JIG Passengers # (Special Rule) . . . . . 92
Forward Firing . . . . . . . . 55, 68, 93 Joining Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Passengers . . . . . . . . . . . . 44, 45, 92
Foxholes . . . . . . . . . . . 47, 62, 70, 80
Assaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
At Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 KING
Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
LOVE
GEORGE Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Large Gun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 On Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44, 45
Gaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 52
Last Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 81, 82 Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Gone to Ground . . . . 40, 50, 56, 93
At Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Leaving the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Shooting at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Left Out of Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Good Spirits, In . . . . . . . 81-82, 101 Pinned Down . . . . . . 39, 56, 64, 66,
Line of Sight . . . . . . . 51, 52, 64, 67, 70, 75-76, 80
Gun Saves . . . . . 30, 45, 62, 70, 112 70-71, 103, 113
Brutal Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Assaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72, 77
None in Assaults . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 MIKE Pinned ROF 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Repeat Bombardments . . . . . . . 70 Machine-guns (MG) . . . . . . . . . . 50 Points . . . . . . . . . 28, 94, 97-98, 104
Gun Shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Meeting Engagements . . . . 104-107 Pre-planned Artillery . . . . . . 70, 104
Gun Teams 26, 41, 44-47, 50-51, 92 Mike Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Protected Ammo . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Concealed In Foxholes . . . . . . . 53 Minefields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
QUEEN
In Good Spirits . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100-112
116
ROGER Pinned Down . . . . . . . . . . . . 56, 64 Terrain Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Rally from Pinned Down . . . 39, 64 Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Third Reich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Random Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Roll Saves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59-62 Tiger Ace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51, 66 Roll to Hit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Too Close for Error . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Range In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68-71 Rotate to Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Top Armour . . . . . . . . . 70, 77, 112
Additional Batteries . . . . . . 68, 87 Score to Hit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Tractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44, 45, 92
Rate of Fire (ROF) . . . . . . . . 50, 56, Smoke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56, 65, 71 Transport Teams . . . . . . . 26, 44, 45
75, 93, 104 Short Terrain . . . . . . . . . . 34, 43, 53 Assaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Remount Bailed Out . . 39, 61, 84, 92 Side Armour . . . . . . . 29, 59, 75, 77 Dismounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Repeating Bombardments . . . . . . 70 Slow Firing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Replacing Unit Leaders . . . . . . . . 63 Smoke . . . . . . . . . . 39, 56, 65, 69, 71 Transport Units . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 81
Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 104 Ranging In Near . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Attachments . 27, 81, 101, 103-104
Deep . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104, 110-111 Score to Hit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Bring Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Delayed . . . . . . 104, 106-108, 110 Sneaking Up on Tanks . . . . . . . . . 76 Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Flanking Reserves . . . . . 104, 110 SP Gun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Immediate 104, 107-108, 110-111 Spearhead Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Send to Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Scattered . . . . . 104, 107-108, 111 Spotting Team . . . . . . . 66-68, 70, 93 Turreted Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
ROF (Rate of Fire) . . . . . . . . . 50, 56 Starting Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Anti-aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Stormtroopers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
UNCLE
Slow Firing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Unarmoured Saves . . . . . 29, 62, 77
Strategic Withdrawal . . . . 104, 109
Roll for Aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Unarmoured Tanks . 26, 29, 62, 92
Support Units . . . 27, 82, 94-95, 99
No Charge into Contact . . . . . . 73
Roll to Hit . . . . . . . . . . . . 56, 69, 77
Rotate to Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 68 TARE
Pinned Down . . 39, 64, 70, 77, 80
Tactical Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 40 No Saves in Assaults . . . . . . . . . 77
SUGAR Tally Ho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Unit Cards . . . . . . . . . . 28-31, 97-98
Safety Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 67 Through Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Unit Leader . . . . . . . . . 27, 41, 46-48
Saves . . . . . 29, 30, 59-60, 62, 112 Tall Terrain . . . . . . . . . 34, 43, 51-54 Replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Tank Saves 29, 59-60, 62, 70, 75, 77 Unit Last Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Armour Saves . 29, 59-60, 70, 77 Tank Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-29 Commanders Leadership. . . . . 81
Assaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Armoured . . . . . . . 59-60, 64, 70, Units . . . . . . . . . 27-30, 81, 97, 101
Gun . . . . . . . . . . 30, 45, 62, 70, 77 72, 75, 77 Artillery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66-68
Infantry . . . . . . . 29, 45, 62, 70, 77 Bazooka Skirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-31
Repeating Bombardments . . . . 70 Cannot Assault Tanks . . . . . 73, 77 HQ Units . 27, 57-58, 63, 81, 101
Tank . . . . . . 29, 59-60, 70, 75, 77 Falling Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Support Units . . 27, 82, 94-95, 99
Unarmoured Tank . . . . . . . . . . 62 In Good Spirits . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Unit Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Scattered Reserves .104, 107-108, 111 Passengers On . . . . . . . . . . . 44, 45
Score to Hit . 29, 56, 69-70, 77, 113 Remount . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 64, 81 VICTOR
Scout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56, 93 Saves . . . 29, 59-60, 62, 70, 75, 77 Victory Conditions . 39, 101, 105-111
Secondary Weapon . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Sneaking Up on . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Victory Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Self-defence AA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 SP Gun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 WILLIAM
Shoot and Scoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Unarmoured . . . . . . . . 62, 73, 92 Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50, 93
Shooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 49-65 Wrecks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63, 81 Artillery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31, 66
Bailed Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Tally Ho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 HEAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Before Assaulting . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Tank Units . . . . . . . . . . 27-28, 95-97 Secondary Weapon . . . . . . . . . . 87
Bulletproof Cover . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Deep Reserves . . . . . 104, 110-111 Smoke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 93
Commanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67, 69 Smoke Bombardment . . . . . 71, 93
Concealment . . . . . . . . . . . . 53, 54 Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-37, 43 Which Can Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Dash Speed (no shooting) . . . . 56 Assaulting across . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Weapons Characteristics . 28-31, 50
Declare Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Concealed by . . . . . 53-54, 93, 103 Winning the Game . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Defensive Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Cross Test . . . . . 42-43, 48, 74, 79 Wrecks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 63, 81
Line of Sight . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51, 52 Cross Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 WYSIWYG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31, 66
Mistaken Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Difficult Going . . . . . . . . 42-43, 48
Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56, 113 Impassable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-43 X-RAY
Out of Command . . . . . . . . 41, 56 Movement through . . . . . . . . . . 42 YOKE
Passengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Ranging In Near . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 ZEBRA
STARTING STEP (P. 39) RALLY PINNED DOWN UNITS (P. 64) CHECK VICTORY CONDITIONS (P. 101)
1 Remount Bailed Out Tanks Shoot with Moving ROF, cannot Move Most games end when player starts
2 Rally Pinned Down Units closer to visible enemy or Bombard. their turn Holding an Objective or when
3 Check Unit Last Stand Score Motivation (or Rally) to Rally. opponent has no Formations left.
4 Check Formation Last Stand
CHECK UNIT LAST STAND (P. 81) REVEAL AMBUSHES (P. 103)
5 Check Victory Conditions
In Good Spirits if: Place Teams in Deployment Area, not within
STARTING
STAYING IN COMMAND (P. 41) MOVEMENT ORDERS (P. 46) DIG IN MOVEMENT STEP
In Command if end movement: Unit Leader can issue one Order per turn Score Skill (or Tactics) to dig Foxholes.
within 6/15cm of Unit Leader, or to Teams that are In Command. Teams then Shoot with Moving ROF, but
within 8/20cm of Unit Leader if Unit BLITZ MOVE BEFORE MOVING cannot fire Bombardments.
has eight or more Teams.
Score Skill (or Tactics) to Move Teams up
to 4/10cm. Can only Move at Tactical MINE CLEARING MOVEMENT STEP (P. 112)
OUT OF COMMAND (P. 41) If not Pinned Down, Infantry or
this turn. If do not Move further, Shoot
If not In Command, Team must: with Halted ROF. Mine-clearing Tank remove Minefield
remain in place, within 2/5cm (after entering Minefield
Move at Tactical with +1 penalty on Otherwise, Teams from the Unit cannot last turn). Cannot Move further, Shoot,
MOVEMENT
score To Hit when Shooting, or Dash and suffer the +1 to hit penalty for Bombard, or Assault.
Move at Dash towards Unit Leader. Moving Out of Command.
PASSENGERS (P. 44)
MOVING THROUGH TERRAIN (P. 42) CROSS HERE WHILE MOVING Dismount at the start or Mount at the
Move at Tactical and Shoot or Assault, Teams Crossing Difficult Terrain reduce end of Movement.
or Move at Terrain Dash. Cross rating by 1 within 6/15cm of Leader. If not yet Moved, Transports can Move at
Dash after Passengers mount.
DIFFICULT TERRAIN (P. 42) FOLLOW ME! AFTER MOVING
Score Cross rating or stop Moving (Team Move Unit Leader forward 4/10cm, TRANSPORTS (P. 45)
has still Moved). then Score Motivation to Move Teams Send empty unarmoured or unarmed
forward 4/10cm. Transports to rear. May send other
CROSSING MINEFIELDS (P. 112) Pass or fail, teams that are In Command empty Transports to rear.
If Moving within 2/5cm of Minefield cannot Shoot. Bring forward Transports before
marker, score Skill (or Tactics) to avoid Moving. Must be within 4/10cm
mines, otherwise hit. Mines are Anti- SHOOT AND SCOOT ASSAULT STEP of Unit, and not within not within
tank 5 and Firepower 1+ (hit Top armour Score Skill (or Tactics) to Move Teams 4/10cm of enemy, 16/40cm if in Line
if Armoured Tank). that did not Move, up to 4/10cm. of Sight unless Concealed.
SHOOTING STEP (P. 49) LINE OF SIGHT (P. 51) HOW MANY DICE (P. 56)
1 Check Range Tall terrain blocks Line of Sight after Roll one die per point of ROF. Halted
2 Check Line of Sight 2/5cm unless Range is 6/15cm or less. ROF if did not Move and not Pinned
3 Check for Concealment Buildings and Hills block Line of Sight. Down, otherwise Moving ROF.
Line of Sight to Aircraft is never blocked.
4 Declare Targets
Smoke Screen blocks Line of Sight if SCORE TO HIT (P. 56)
5 Rotate to Face Range is more than 6/15cm. Roll Target Teams Is Hit On number:
6 Roll to Hit
SHOOTING
succeed, they can roll again to swap hits OTHER SAVES (P. 62)
between another pair. Tanks must be Score Save and unharmed, otherwise
more than 8/20cm and Infantry or Guns Destroyed. If Infantry or Gun in ANTI-AIRCRAFT ROF (P. 93)
more than 4/10cm away to swap. Bulletproof Cover, or Aircraft, shooter Dedicated AA weapons shoot at full ROF.
must score Firepower to Destroy. Self-defence AA weapons shoot at ROF 1,
HULL OR TURRET (P. 59) with +1 to hit if already ROF 1.
Front if in front of line across front of hull and PINNED DOWN (P. 64)
turret. Side if behind both lines. DESTROYED UNIT LEADERS (P. 63)
Pinned Down if Unit takes a total of 5
Roll if front and side both visible: hits. If at least 12 Teams, only Pinned Appoint another Team from the Unit
1 to 3hit hull Down if Unit takes a total of 8 hits. within 6/15cm as the Unit Leader.
4 to 6hit turret Armoured Tank Teams and Aircraft
cannot be Pinned Down. KILLING COMMANDERS (P. 63)
SMOKE (P. 65)
Shoot with Moving ROF, cannot Move Appoint another Team from HQ or roll 3+
Shooting places 2/5cm Smoke ball. to appoint another Team within 6/15cm.
closer to visible enemy or Bombard.
+1 To Hit when Shooting through Smoke.
SELECT AIMING POINT (P. 67) ROLL TO HIT (P. 69) ROLL SAVES (P. 70)
Pick an Aiming Point in Line of Sight of Roll to hit each Team under Template. Roll saves as for Shooting, except tanks
Spotting Team. Roll Target Teams Is Hit On number: use Top armour, and no Bulletproof
Template cannot be within 4/10cm of Cover behind terrain or Gun Shield.
Add +1 to score needed if:
friendly Teams (8/20cm if Aircraft). Ranged in on Second Attempt If Repeat Bombardment, re-roll Infantry
Repeat Bombardment where Spotting and Gun Saves.
ARTILLERY
ASSAULT STEP (P. 72) OPPONENTS DEFENSIVE FIRE (P. 75) ROLL SAVES (P. 77)
1 Charge into Contact Defending Teams within 8/20cm of No saves for Infantry, Guns, or Unarmoured.
2 Opponents Defensive Fire Assaulting Teams fire at Halted ROF Hit Side with Anti-tank rating, or
3 Roll to Hit (Moving ROF if Pinned Down). Top with Anti-tank 2 and Firepower 1+.
4 Roll Saves Tanks cannot Defensive Fire if Contacted
5 Check if Assault is Over by Infantry that were Concealed and did CHECK IF ASSAULT IS OVER (P. 78)
not Move or Shoot.
6 Test to Counterattack Assaulter wins if Defenders within
Defensive Fire hits Side armour. 4/10cm are Destroyed or Bailed Out.
7 Counterattack or Break Off
ASSAULT
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